film literate

Happy New Year!

2008-01-06T11:36:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

And what's my bold prediction for 2008? The NE Patriots will NOT win the Super Bowl! (I will post a tad bit more later, but wanted to get this up for the time stamp on the comments.)

Happy Xmas!

2007-12-23T16:55:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, I'm a bit under the weather. So this will have to be a short post.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful winter holiday and that Mother Nature is not wrecking too much havoc in your neck of the woods. And look on the bright side folks; it will soon be time for some downhill skiing fun!

I hope everyone has a magical, loving, happy Xmas! And, of course, a very merry New Year!

And here are a few rather funny Xmas cartoons:

For the dog people, Happy Xmas!

And for the cat people, all two of you, Happy Xmas!

And for Santa! (Caution, the next cartoon uses vulgarity)

[Cartoons found here and here]

Happy Turkey Day!

2007-11-21T21:27:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to quickly post and wish everyone a very, very happy Turkey Day!

PS - Images taken from Funny Designs.

Checking in ...

2007-11-10T14:57:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been a month since my last post. My apologies for not posting and, more importantly, not visiting and commenting. I guess when things stay busy for a while, it easily snowballs into a larger issue. In any case I hope to blog more very soon. And even though I have to keep this post a bit short, I must end it with two phenomenal songs:

Now I'm clearly not a fan of pop music. But, some pop musicians are just so talented that, with the right song, they transcend the genre. Alicia Keys is definitely such a talent. And "No One" is such a song.

I'm not sure, but I'm guessing "No One" is getting fair airplay on the radio. Hopefully this next song is getting it as well, but as an indie rock/folk rock band they might not be getting deserved airtime. In any case, this is a mesmerizing song that I could not recommend any higher. "Silver Lining" by Rilo Kiley.

Jon Stewart for President

2007-10-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

Jon Stewart is my hero. And while I am, of course, half joking, I am also half serious. I'm not sure exactly how much press coverage Stewart's honest, incisive critique of Chris Matthews' new book (and of Matthews himself to a certain extent) is getting but I think it is a decent amount. Though I would hope it ultimately gets the same attention his 2004 remarks on (and about) CNN's Crossfire got.

In the end it is quite astonishing and also quite sad that the act of courage I am championing (and thrilled to have witnessed) was simply a television host (Jon Stewart) stating his honest opinion, telling the truth, and calling a TV personality (who happens to host a cookie cutter political views program) on the bullshit that so easily pervades cable and network TV (as well as much of the mainstream media).

And for those unfamiliar with Jon Stewart and The Daily Show, this isn't a gimmick ... Stewart and company have a track record of frank, genuine analysis (usually in the form of piercing satire) and inquiry. Before the Matthews interview, there was much buzz amongst the blogs and columnists over the incisively witty satire about Hillary Clinton's cringe-inducing, inauthentic strategy of laughter in her Sunday News Shows media blitz.

Here's the Chris Matthews interview:

Here's the Clinton Laugh Track clip:

In case the above embeds fail or the clips are taken down, you can also find the videos here at the TDS official website (unfortunately TDS' parent company Viacom has taken down the clips from YouTube). You can find the Matthews interview here. Unfortunately you'll have to do a little searching for the Clinton Laugh Track clip under the videos section. You can also try this link to milkandcookies.com and search for the vids.

And for those who can't watch the interview vid just now and want to read about the interview check out these two columns (Jennifer Pozner@Huffington Post and/or Greg Mitchell@Editor and Publisher).

A Quick Update

2007-09-20T18:44:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post this quick update. As many of you probably already know, there was a rally today in Jena, Louisiana to show support for the Jena 6. News sources stated the rally was about 15,000 to 20,000 strong. That is very impressive. And perhaps I'm late with this observation, but it seems this injustice is finally receiving the publicity and outrage it deserves.

As my previous update post mentions, even with recent actions by higher courts, the Jena 6 still need help. Amnesty International has been organizing great email petition campaigns and they have a new one asking the Dept of Justice (DOJ) to get involved and review the case. If you've acted through Amnesty International before (like one of the previous links in my previous posts on the Jena 6) then you simply enter your email and it will tell you if you have already taken this petition action before or not. The DOJ seriously needs to get involved, if for nothing more than to keep the spotlight (i.e. publicity and transparency) on the case. Also, with the incompetent and corrupt Alberto Gonzales no longer at the helm of the DOJ there is a significantly greater chance the DOJ will actually do something about it. Though the charges and case are indeed in state court. What I mean to say is that the petition is not asking the DOJ to take over the case (that is not possible nor prudent, proper, etc), but that the DOJ can investigate civil rights/equal treatment violations, as well as investigate the other incidents leading up to the Jena 6 fight and the actions the local DA has taken. Though even DOJ involvement might be lacking (though with greater public pressure and scrutiny this is less likely). Earlier the US Attorney for the region conducted a town hall meeting in Jena. While the US Attorney (Donald Washington) did make some insightful points (such as prosecuting juveniles for hate crimes would be completed in such a manner as to be invisible to the public; though I must say I find this a bit suspicious as well and I am having trouble finding sources through internet searches on what is the proper protocol of prosecuting a juvenile for a hate crime), I find some of his statements highly suspicious. None more so than stating at the town meeting that he found no evidence of unfair prosecution or sentencing of the Jena 6 (this isn't a direct quote so let's hope he was misunderstood). Washington also concluded that there was no legal connection with the noose incident and the Jena 6 fight (though he stresses that there was no 'legal' connection a prosecutor could bring up in court, this also sounds suspicious to me, and even without the noose incident there were the string of racially charged fights [white on black] that preceded the Jena 6 incident).

Once again an intended short post has turned long. I'll end it here.

Thank you

2007-09-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say thanks to Sage who was kind enough to pick my blog for a Nice Matters Award. Sage said some very kind things about my blog and I am so very grateful. For the few (if any) of you unfamiliar, Sage writes an amazing blog titled Musings. It is simply a wonderful personal blog that I could not say enough good things about. I think a blog's returning visitors say a good deal about that blog. Over at Musings you will find an incredible, eclectic mix of bloggers who read and comment regularly. It truly says a good deal.

I also want to say thank you to everyone who regularly reads and comments on my blog. I've posted these thank you type posts before so don't get too weirded out, lol. And, once again, my apologies for being a little lax in the blogging department these past few weeks.

And now, I'll end this post with a web video which just might be (in my humble opinion) the cutest web video ... ever. And I don't care if people think I'm gay or a cat person (nothing against cats, I just get along with dogs better), I mean seriously folks, can anyone deny the off the charts cuteness quotient of this lil' fella? (Special thanks to the lovely NYKat on whose blog I first viewed this vid.)

PS - Please read the following update post on the cases of Troy Davis and the Jena 6, two tragic injustices. Thanks.

An Update Post

2007-09-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

Troy Davis - For those unfamiliar with his story please check out this link. Amnesty International has been an amazing resource as it runs a stellar campaign trying to spotlight and correct the injustice Troy Davis has suffered. From what I've read, I believe the Georgia Supreme Court is currently hearing whether or not Troy Davis will be granted some semblance of a new trial (in which he can introduce a plethora of new evidence). In any case, there is an on-going petition one can sign to show support for Troy Davis and his appeal for fairness. Some of you may be wondering if you have signed this online petition before. I am unsure, but the petition doesn't ask for much personal information and will let you know if you have signed it before. Also, if you could help spread the word about Troy Davis, it would be invaluable.

Jena 6 - I had typed most of this update on the Jena 6 a few days ago. Since that time, an important new event has occurred. (Thank you Diane for alerting me to this!) I have placed this news item in the proper chronological place within the total update. However, for those that want to read about this first, scroll down to the "****Good News!" section below.

For those unfamiliar with the Jena 6 please check out the informative wikipedia entry on it. This incident simply boggles the mind. One of the key issues this injustice brings to light is the power a District Attorney has. Clearly in the case of the Jena 6, the DA has abused his power. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like there is going to be any punishment for this abuse in the near future. The DA is still prosecuting the case. However, the egregious, exaggerated charges have been lowered for some of the Jena 6. Unfortunately, they have only been lowered to still inflated charges of aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy. Also unfortunate is that this is the same sequence experienced by the first of the Jena 6 to be tried. The judge dismissed the conspiracy charge, but an all white jury found the young black man guilty of the aggravated second-degree battery. Aggravated second-degree battery must include the use of a deadly weapon. In this case the DA claimed tennis shoes worn on the feet were deadly weapons (during kicking in the fight/jumping), and the jury agreed. Sentencing for the first of the Jena 6 to be tried will be decided shortly; he faces up to 22.5 years.

****Good News! (Sept 15) Louisiana's 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated the aggravated second-degree battery conviction against the first (and so far only) of the Jena 6 to be tried. The court found the black youth was improperly tried as an adult and in a case that raised many questions of racial fairness and justice. Unfortuantely, this still is not the end of this social and legal travesty. The DA released a statement saying he would appeal the decision to the Louisiana Supreme Court. Also, if the Louisiana Supreme Court (and, potentially, the US Supreme Court afterwards) were to uphold the state Circuit Court ruling, the DA must decide to then drop the case or refile in juvenile court. For more information, please read the Chicago Tribune report linked to earlier. It seems the specter of an organized upcoming rally to show support for the Jena 6 had an impressive impact. It is quite the accomplishment that people across the nation have joined together to support and aid the Jena 6, though it is still chilling to the bone that an injustice of this magnitude occurred in this nation, in this day and age. And, unfortunately, this travesty is still not yet over for the Jena 6.

(The rest of this update was written before the Sept 15 news. It may seem a slight bit off context but I am still going to post it. Plus it ends with links to two solid petitions/actions that may be of interest.)

Whether the Jena 6 assault incident (on Dec. 4, 2006) was a fight or a jumping, it was the culmination of three months of intense, inflamed, unjust racial strife (for those that haven't, please check out the Jena 6 wikipedia entry or simply do an internet search for more info on the events leading up to the incident; they will incisively shock you). I am enormously sympathetic to the Jena 6, and yet I agree the court should find out if this was more of a two-sided fight or a one-sided jumping. Yet, even in the worst case scenario for the Jena 6, this is simple assault in the heightened environment of racial strife (they didn't jump the white kid for no reason). And they surely have served their time, if they needed to serve time at all. And after the court fairly adjudicates this incident, it must go back and fairly adjudicate all the events and incidents leading up to the Jena 6 assault (including the gross abuse of power by the DA). Unfortunately, that is most likely not going to happen. And the story of the Jena 6 showcases just how troubling race relations and how tenuous minority rights are in certain areas of our great nation. However, this incident is also a call to action: To show that most of the citizens in this nation find the injustice of the Jena 6 (and the preceding events) unbelievable. Unfortunately, I am still uncertain of what is the best way to act and show support. There are numerous petitions. This one is closing in on 200k signatures. I first learned about the Jena 6 through ColorOfChange.org. They also have a great petition (with a little over 150k signatures) which also sends emails to the Governor and a critical one to the Jena DA (yes, the one who is abusing his power). Those of you who have read my previous Jena 6 posts might have already signed this petition and email campaign. However, please still click on the link and enter the minimal personal info needed. The petition will let you know if you have acted before or not.

Summer TV - Parte Uno

2007-09-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

It's still summer. Over here it has been hitting the high 90s recently. I know I'm a spoiled Northern Californian when I hope September brings cooler temps. And all the more so when my thoughts (and prayers) wander to our troops, who must do their difficult jobs in 115+ degree heat.

I haven't posted in about 2 weeks and I'm really sorry about that.

While I was gone (well, it happened yesterday, but technically that is while I was gone) Dan was very kind and tapped my blog for a blogger award. I just want to thank Dan again, especially for the kind words in his post, and let everyone know to check out his post (which lists the 4 other blogs he tapped, as well as who tapped him). In any case, it's wonderful all-around blog fun and a great way to be introduced to other blogs.

And now to the main point of this post: Summer TV. TV is pretty crappy year round (well, that's my opinion). At the same time, there are shows I truly adore and respect (The Daily Show, most of PBS, 30 ROCK, LOST, THE OFFICE, HOUSE, THE UNIT, etc). Unfortunately, most of these shows go on hiatus during the summer, allowing me to experience (or have the chance to experience) more of the crappy TV. However, my recent crappy TV viewing will be the subject of my next post: Summer TV - Parte Dos. Yes, I am a master of the ratings cliffhanger.

While I am pessimistic of TV as a whole, some TV isn't really crappy as it is just plain silly. But I see the appeal of silly; especially in regard to one particular type of show. That's right, the karaoke game show. Who watches the silly "Singing Bee" on NBC? Ayup, I do. I'm not the biggest fan of pop music either, but I'm one of those people who really shouldn't (because he cannot) sing but I'd go to great lengths to have a strong singing voice. However, success on the "The Singing Bee" isn't really about singing well (though I must say I'm ~~jealous~~ shocked that so many of the contestants are decent singers). It is actually about pop music lyrical knowledge. If you can remember the correct song lyrics, you'll win. I'm not sure how many other people out there are enjoying "The Singing Bee" and to those of you who find such a show, well, silly ... you're right. But I must admit that it is silly fun. The pop songs range from the 60s to present day, so while you'll have to endure some Backstreet Boys or Britney Spears, it is seldom, and soon balanced out by some Elvis or The Temptations. In the end it's a fun 30 minutes and, at least for me, it's rather easy to get into the show and root for the contestants (some of whom will surprise you with their pop lyrics knowledge).

The Victims of Katrina

2007-08-18T16:08:00.000-07:00

It is almost two years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and other areas of the Gulf Coast. And, unfortunately, the victims of Katrina continue to suffer. For me, most of the blame falls at the door step of two entities. First and foremost I blame the politicians. Much has been made of the incompetence and malaise of the Bush Admin, FEMA, State/Local Officials, and Congress in reacting to Katrina. But even after these early gaffes and mistakes, neither the Bush Admin/Republicans nor the Democrat Leadership have made the victims of Katrina a priority. After the politicians, I blame the mainstream news media. Anderson Cooper got major pub and cred from his Katrina coverage, but has he revisited the story recently (say, in the last 8 months)? I don't consider FOX NEWS a legitimate news source, but have they covered the story recently? Did they even cover it when it first happened, lol. CNN and MSNBC gave what seemed like wall to wall coverage of Anna Nicole and Paris Hilton. I guess these subjects are more important than what's going on in the aftermath of Katrina. And what about the broadcast networks. I'm not sure, but has there been a recent segment on any of the network Nightly News reporting on Katrina victims?

At the same time, there is some genuine journalism on the aftermath of Katrina. One such piece is a recent interview on Bill Moyers Journal. Moyers interviews two informative and insightful panelists on the Katrina aftermath. It is simply a great interview, and if anyone is at all curious or interested, I highly recommend it. In total, the interview is about 25 minutes and you can view it on the website or read the transcript. One of the points that stuck with me, and that I've read about before, is how little rebuilding has actually occurred in many places hardest hit; neighborhoods of lower incomes and darker complexions. As one of the panelists mentions, search for recent New Orleans' vids on YouTube; you'll think the hurricane happened last week. One of the panelists makes a very insightful point of how poverty (and therefore race) has a major impact on the continued suffering of Katrina victims. Many of these victims were homeowners. Homeowners who lost their homes; left only with a mortgage. And since the wonderful insurance companies claim the damage to their homes was caused by flood instead of hurricane wind, these victims have yet to receive (and may never receive) any monetary help from their insurance policies (sources: USAToday and ABCNews). However, the US Government did provide Katrina victims with some monetary aid. Unfortunately, all these victims still had mortgages to pay off, so the money they received went to pay off this debt. This still leaves many other major costs [new housing, relocation, new job, training/education, lost possessions (which are numerous), regathering of family and friends (lost social network), etc]. The panelist makes an apt comparison between these Katrina victims and the S&L (Savings and Loans) Banks that went bankrupt in the late 1980s. The S&Ls were bailed out by the US Government at great taxpayer expense. Without the bailout, a variety of individuals across the nation would have lost a good deal of their savings. This, in turn, would have had terrible, immediate consequences economically and politically (at least for the political party in power, the Republicans). As the panelist remarks, the victims of Katrina should have not only received monetary aid, but also some equivalent of mortgage absolution, so they may start their arduous journey back to normalcy with both feet above water. Unfortunately, these victims are impoverished, homogeneous, and isolated. They don't greatly impact the economy (through no fault of their own) and live (or did live) in the hardest hit portions. They don't have the political clout to demand the attention of the politicians. And so their journey back to normalcy is ever more difficult, filled with high crime and government offered trailers which may be toxic (unsurprisingly, once again FEMA is involved; source LATimes and AP).

PS - Some good news! Not sure if the panelist was aware of this, and I'm also uncertain how much this new monetary aid compares to the average mortgage debt a Katrina victim is facing, but it is still some major aid. The Road Home program will soon be awarding up to $150k (average award is about $70k) to individuals who lost their (owned) home to Katrina. Unfortunately, this program doesn't directly help Katrina victims who were renting, especially those renting in more affordable and lower cost neighborhoods, since the current New Orleans' renting market is 2 to 3 times higher than it was pre-Katrina. More on this in the NY Times article below.

Another amazing resource for great, and up to date, journalism on Katrina/New Orleans is the New York Times which has a section of its website dedicated to the topic. Here you will find some exceptional articles. Like this one which details how hard and bleak it is for many of the displaced victims. In late May of this year, more than 30,000 families were still displaced. These "lucky" families are setup in apartments paid for by FEMA. Another 13,000 families are living in those FEMA trailers which may be toxic. The article shows just how hard it is to recover from such a disaster and tragedy. Many of the victims were lower wage earners, but they had a steady job and a large social network which allowed them a normal life. Now they must live in large trailer parks, with no savings, no car, the nearest supermarket 18 miles away, a bus stop serviced 4 times a week, few job opportunities thanks to the transportation problems, and lines to obtain free food from the food bank truck. This NY Times article is simply a must read. The stories of the victims are beyond heartbreaking and it is truly a sad example of how this great nation does fail some of its citizens ... which, of course, is too many.

PS - Unfortunately, I'm at a lost for ways in which regular folk (like you and I) can directly help Katrina victims who continue to suffer greatly. I believe our elected officials need to act, and they won't be prodded to do anything until there's enough media attention. However, if anyone reading this knows of solid ways to help, please comment about them. Thanks!

PPS - A major salute to Sage. Many of you visit his blog, Musings. Perhaps most of you know this, but a couple months after Katrina hit, Sage went down to New Orleans to volunteer with the relief effort. Here's a link to his posts that mention "New Orleans"; scroll down a bit to find his week of volunteer work, plus a couple picture posts. Once again, major props Sage.

Hey Folks!

2007-08-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

First of all, my sincerest apologies for not being around the last week or two. Things have been really hectic.

In any case, I am back to posting and here's the first post of August.

First an update on Troy Davis. For those unfamiliar, check out this previous post and also this post over at Looking for Sunshine. I just checked out Looking for Sunshine and Yllwdaisies has also posted an update. Good news folks! The Georgia Supreme Court ruled (4 to 3, which is a bit frightening) to hear Davis' appeal to present new evidence. This is still a few steps away from actual justice, but it is a major step. Davis will be allowed to present the new evidence which greatly bolsters his claim of innocence. Anyway click on the link above, it takes you to Amnesty International's section on the Davis case and how to take action. I'll definitely update the Troy Davis case in the future. And I'm sure Yllwdaisies will probably update first, so be sure to check out her blog, Looking for Sunshine.

And to end, let me rant for a second. I'm no fan of mainstream commercial advertising. It's mainly fake, manipulative, and revolves around image and branding. I'm sure I'm not alone when, years later, I wondered how much of my childhood affection for fast food, like McDonald's, had to do with the image and brand the company had built through advertising. Well a professor at the Stanford School of Medicine has conducted research that has something rather interesting to say on this topic. The professor (and team) gave 63 kids (aged 3 to 5) two identical foods from McDonald's. One was wrapped in McDonald's brand packaging while the other identical food was wrapped in plain packaging. The kids were then asked which food tasted better or if they tasted the same. The results: About 60% of the time the kids said the food in the McDonald's brand packaging tasted better. I wonder why they haven't done this type of taste test on teens and adults. Perhaps the results would not be identical, but I think they might be similar.

I want to add that while McDonald's does serve some unhealthy foods, as far as fast food chains are concerned, McDonald's has also done a good deal to serve healthier foods as well. And the article linked to above does mentions this. Having said all this, I'd like to end by stating that McDonald's, like other fast food chains, still has a lot to do. Years ago McDonald's promised to go trans fat free. They have yet to do that.

An Update Post and Guess How Much Coin Judge Judy Pulls?

2007-07-31T17:30:00.000-07:00

For those of you who haven't heard of the Jena 6, please, please read the previous post. Thank you.

Jena 6 Update: Kelly and Diane have respectively mentioned (in the comments of the Jena 6 post) that NPR once again aired a news story on the Jena 6, and that the Jena 6 will finally see some prime time coverage on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. Also, the NAACP has joined to help defend the Jena 6. I believe today was supposed to be the day for an organized march in Jena in support of the Jena 6, but perhaps that got delayed or postponed because the sentencing of one of the Jena 6 has also been delayed. For more info check out this great piece from the Blogger News Network. Among the things it mentions is a recent forum in Jena organized by the DOJ. One would think the US Attorney for the region would be outraged, though diplomatically so. Unfortunately that's not the case. Check out the BNN piece, some of the quotes from the US Attorney are baffling.

Troy Davis Update: On the 4th of July I posted about Troy Davis who is on death row despite the strong case that he is innocent, and certainly deserves (at the very least) a new trial. For more info, check out that post. Once again I must state that I learned about the plight of Troy Davis thanks to the wonderful Yllwdaisies who blogged about it. Well, the supercool Yllwdaisies has posted an update. Less than 24 hours before his execution date, Troy Davis was granted a stay of execution. Unfortunately this stay lasts a maximum of 90 days. The stay was granted on July 16. For those of you who feel, as I do, that Troy Davis is living a nightmarish injustice, please take action asking the Georgia State Board of Pardons & Paroles to take further action on his behalf. Thank you. (Once again special thanks to Yllwdaisies for posting about this.)

I've mentioned wrongful convictions before and I truly feel it is an incredibly important issue. I really cannot under stress it. Anyway, I just wanted to link to a recent case in which 4 men were awarded $102 million dollars for being framed by the FBI and spending over 30 years in prison. Unfortunately, 2 of the men died in prison. While the award is a pittance compared to what the men endured, it does roughly come out to $1 million dollars for every year sentenced. Unfortunately this type of compensation is rare in wrongful convictions. Currently, only 22 states even have compensation statutes. Though even these vary from state to state. Some include stipulations invalidating compensation for those wrongfully convicted by coerced confessions. There is also no fixed sum or range of sum for compensation. Recently, Congress and the President recommended $50k for every year of false imprisonment, and an additional $50k (so $100k total) for every year on death row. Let me reiterate that this is only a recommendation and the 22 states that due have compensation statues vary in their sum/range numbers. I'm not sure about you, but if I was wrongfully incarcerated I'd be demanding a lot more than $50k a year, and way more than $100k a year for being on death row. There are also many other issues such as public acknowledgement of the wrongful conviction, some states have inmates waive their right to sue in order to take a DNA test or do not expunge their record, as well as job and life training to catch up for lost time. As you may have guessed, I summarized the above (regarding post-wrongful conviction issues) from the Innocence Project. They have a great section dedicated to such an important topic of the wrongful conviction issue. For those interested, please check it out (it's actually a quick read, though you might be dumbfounded by some of the facts presented).

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This is a bit random, but I had to share it. The other day Reuters posted a list of the top salaries on television. Before I begin, I must ask, how much do you think Judge Judy makes a year? The mighty Harpo of course took the top spot with a whopping $260 million. This might be a little bit out of context since she owns/produces the show, but yeah, this seems to be just her profit from the show (not including the parts of the empire: magazine, Dr. Phil, merchandise, radio, etc) -- scary. In second place is Simon Cowell from American Idol who brings in $45 million a year. Cowell also does some "producing" (music and otherwise) so I'm not sure if the entire sum is for his appearance as a judge, but it is probably safe to say much of it is. Once again pretty scary. And in third place we have, that's right people, Judge Judy herself. Believe it or not, Judge Judy takes down $30 million a year. I'm not sure what her off-camera duties are, if she owns the show like Oprah or what, but no matter how this is drawn up, it's still $30 freakin' million dollars. Wow, Judge Judy pulls down more than A-Rod.

To tell you the truth, I'm not sure which of the three is the most shocking.

The Jena 6

2007-07-24T15:44:00.000-07:00

I like to consider myself an informed individual. And yet I had never heard of the Jena 6 until a few days ago when I was lucky enough to receive an informative email from ColorOfChange.org. I'm not sure how many of you have heard of the Jena 6, but for those of you who have not, please brace yourself. Before I continue, I just have to state that it is an absolute travesty of justice, and an ignominious mark on this great nation that the story of the Jena 6 is not leading network and cable news. That a socialite's jail saga has received N times the media attention the Jena 6 have, is something beyond unfathomable.

I believe the best way to tell the story of the Jena 6 is by simply cutting and pasting the email I received from ColorOfChange.org. The email has links to other sources and I highly recommend reading them as well. I will also cut and paste a couple quotes from these other sources below the email.

Dear V.,

Last fall in Jena, Louisiana, the day after two Black high school students sat beneath the "white tree" on their campus, nooses were hung from the tree. When the superintendent dismissed the nooses as a "prank," more Black students sat under the tree in protest. The District Attorney then came to the school accompanied by the town's police and demanded that the students end their protest, telling them, "I can be your best friend or your worst enemy... I can take away your lives with a stroke of my pen."1

A series of white-on-black incidents of violence followed, and the DA did nothing. But when a white student was beaten up in a schoolyard fight, the DA responded by charging six black students with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

It's a story that reads like one from the Jim Crow era, when judges, lawyers and all-white juries used the justice system to keep blacks in "their place"--but it's happening today. The families of these young men are fighting back, but the odds are stacked against them. Together, we can make sure their story is told, that this becomes an issue for the Governor of Louisiana, and that justice is provided for the Jena 6. It starts now. Please add your voice:

http://www.colorofchange.org/jena/?id=2203-181999

The noose-hanging incident and the DA's visit to the school set the stage for everything that followed. Racial tension escalated over the next couple of months, and on November 30, the main academic building of Jena High School was burned down in an unsolved fire. Later the same weekend, a black student was beaten up by white students at a party. The next day, black students at a convenience store were threatened by a young white man with a shotgun. They wrestled the gun from him and ran away. While no charges were filed against the white man, the students were arrested for the theft of the gun.2

That Monday at school, a white student, who had been a vocal supporter of the students who hung the nooses, taunted the black student who was beaten up at the off-campus party and allegedly called several black students "nigger." After lunch, he was knocked down, punched and kicked by black students. He was taken to the hospital but was released and was well enough to go to a social event that evening.3

Six Black Jena High students, Robert Bailey (17), Theo Shaw (17), Carwin Jones (18), Bryant Purvis (17), Mychal Bell (16) and an unidentified minor, were expelled from school, arrested and charged with second-degree attempted murder. Bail was set so high -- between $70,000 and $138,000 -- that the boys were left in prison for months as families went deep into debt to release them.4

The first trial ended last month, and Mychal Bell, who has been in prison since December, was convicted of aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery (both felonies) by an all-white jury in a trial where his public defender called no witnesses. During his trial, Mychal's parents were ordered not to speak to the media and the court prohibited protests from taking place near the courtroom or where the judge could see them.

Mychal is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31st, and could go to jail for 22 years.5 Theo Shaw's trial is next. He will finally make bail this week.

The Jena Six are lucky to have parents and loved ones who are fighting tooth and nail to free them. They have been threatened but they are standing strong. We know that if the families have to go it alone, their sons will be a long time coming home. They will lose precious years to Jena's outrageous attempt to maintain a racist status quo. But if we act now, we can make a difference.

Please add your voice to the voices of these families in Jena, and help bring Mychal, Theo, Robert, Carwin, and Bryant home. By clicking below, you can demand that Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco get involved to make sure that justice is served for Mychal Bell, and that DA Reed Walters drop the charges against the 5 boys who have not yet gone to trial.

http://www.colorofchange.org/jena/?id=2203-181999

Thank You and Peace,

-- James, Van, Gabriel, Clarissa, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
July 17th, 2007

References:

1. "Injustice in Jena as Nooses Hang From the ‘White Tree,'" truthout, July 3, 2007
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070307B.shtml

2. "Racial demons rear heads," Chicago Tribune, May 20, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/yvh7t5

3. See reference #1.

4. See reference #1.

5. "'Jena Six' defendant convicted," Town Talk, June 29, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/ysxtgg

Other resources:

NPR: Searching for Justice in Jena 6 Case (streaming audio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11756302

Democracy Now! - The case of the Jena Six ...
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/07/10/1413220

Too Sense: Free The Jena Six Now
http://halfricanrevolution.blogspot.com/2007/07/free-jena-six-now.html

While Seated: Jena Six
http://www.whileseated.org/photo/003244.shtml

Nooses, attacks and jail for black students in Jena Louisiana
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/28/144445/384

Justice In Jena, by Jordan Flaherty
http://www.zmag.org/content/print_article.cfm?itemID=12783§ionID=30

The Perpetrator becomes the Prosecutor (and other related entries)
http://friendsofjustice.wordpress.com/blog/

'Stealth racism' stalks deep South
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/6685441.stm

I also recommend reading the Chicago Tribune's report on the Jena 6.

Bill Quigley, a human rights lawyer and law professor at Loyola University in New Orleans, has written an insightful piece on the Jena 6 for truthout.org. It is a great piece with incredible quotes that illustrate the type of community Jena is:

Whites in the community were adamant that there is no racism. "We don't have a problem," according to one. Other locals told the media, "We all get along," and "most blacks are happy with the way things are." One person even said, "We don't have many problems with our blacks."

For those who like to listen to their news, check out NPR's report on the Jena 6. Another reminder that the best radio and tv news reporting is usually public broadcasting.

Illustrating that our network/cable tv news are not only lacking in international coverage but also in domestic coverage, the BBC aired a news program on the Jena 6. Here's a great quote from the article also illustrating the type of community:

Billy Doughty, the local barber, has never cut a black man's hair. But he does not think there is a racism problem in Jena.

Caseptla Bailey (her son Robert is one of the Jena 6) who is 56 and a former Air Force officer, has a degree in business management, but she cannot get a job as a bank teller. She lives in an area called Ward 10, which is where the majority of blacks live in trailers or wooden shacks. She says no whites live there at all.

That's right people. This incredible injustice is happening in our nation, in this day and age. But we can fight this injustice and help the true victims, the Jena 6. First, I highly recommend checking out the other resources linked above. Also, do an internet search on the Jena 6 if you like. Second, please take action through the ColorOfChange.org link. And finally, I believe the best way to fight this injustice is to simply publicize what is going on. Email others, blog about it, etc. I think I will email important news agencies (NYTimes, LATimes, The News Hour, WaPost, WSJ, Slate, Salon, etc) asking them to report on this enormously important story. In any case, we must spread the word.

Thank you for reading this.

More Vids

2007-07-18T22:08:00.000-07:00

First, my apologies for not posting in the last 10 days. Things have been hectic. Plus I've just sprained a shoulder/back muscle. So I'll have to phone this post in by simply linking to more internet vids. I learned of the first two vids from Slate's new video site: Slate V.

Perhaps some of you have already seen this, but Obama Girl is back and this time she and her crew are throwing down (bubble pop style) against the Giuliani Girls.

Next we have the best impressionist on the web, Piotr. I must admit, this guy is pretty good. I believe he's really big on YouTube and has a few clips. In this clip he does Gandalf, Doc Brown, Han Solo, Stan Lee, Don Pardo, Patrick Stewart, Emperor Palpatine, and Jim Carrey. The cool twist is that he impersonates them as though they were answering for an advice column.

This last one is really more shocking than funny. I still don't want to believe it but if it is true, it really illustrates a major problem of our "modern" society. I'll say no more. The entire clip is John Krasinski's (From NBC's "The Office") interview on Conan. But what I'm specifically talking about is a story he tells that starts at 1:16.

Obama-mania

2007-07-08T18:02:00.000-07:00

Last Monday it was announced that Barack Obama raised a whopping $32.5 million dollars in the second quarter. I understand that Obama is a charismatic and engaging public speaker, but I think I know the real reason he raised so much money, he's the subject of a hit ballad:

(**Poster's Note: The following are internet vids which tend to be a little raunchier than regular tv. This is still basically PG-13, but for anyone who wouldn't watch a hip-hop video at work, perhaps it will be best to watch this at home.)

"I Got a Crush on Obama" by Obama Girl

The hot model in the video is actually lip-syncing and not the actual singer. If the singer's voice sounds familiar you probably heard it on the spoof music vid "My Box in a Box". Which is of course an internet vid reply/homage to the SNL "My D$%K in a Box" spoof vid.

Anyway, the singer's name is Leah Kauffman and she can really sing (which makes both spoof vids so great). For those curious, here's an interview of her (and lip-sync model from "My Box in a Box") on Keith Olberman's MSNBC show. Anyway, I hope Kauffman puts out an entire album.

Happy 4th of July!

2007-07-04T20:41:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a happy 4th of July! I hope you saw some fireworks, heard some great songs and renditions of the Star Spangled Banner, and had some BBQ (maybe even a hotdog or two, though I hope not 66).

Now, sorry to bum everyone out, but I kind of must. We have a robust and working justice system. However, it is clearly far from perfect. Wrongful convictions are a major issue and problem, especially for the indigent and poor. The Innocence Project has been uncovering wrongful convictions for years and has helped exonerate 204 wrongfully convicted individuals (15 of which served time on death row). For additional info please check on this incisive and informative FRONTLINE documentary and website: The Case for Innocence.

The other day the wonderful Yllwdaisies posted about Troy Davis on her very cool blog Looking for Sunshine. I hope you take a gander at her post and read about Troy Davis. (And to add to the Amnesty Intl and Abolish the Death Penalty blog pieces, here's a great piece by TheHill.com which talks about Troy Davis and details how difficult it is to get media and congressional attention in troubling death penalty cases like this). Troy Davis' appeal to the US Supreme Court was recently denied. His execution date has been set for sometime between July 17 and July 24. I beg everyone to read about Troy Davis and for those of you that believe he deserves a new trial, that the evidence which convicted him is very suspect and troubling, please visit Amnesty International's take action page (use the fax option).

Thank you so very much for reading this. And mucho props and thanks to Yllwdaisies for posting about Troy Davis.

CHINA BLUE

2007-06-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

My local PBS station (KQED) pairs FRONTLINE with INDEPENDENT LENS. It makes for a very stimulating, thought provoking evening of tv. IL basically showcases amazing indie film and video from around the globe. As the website mentions, an episode can feature a variety of programs from documentaries to dramas to comic shorts to animation. While one may not know what exactly to expect in each episode, rest assured you will be viewing some of the finest independent film and video around.

Which brings me to one particular independent documentary I viewed on IL a few months back, CHINA BLUE. CHINA BLUE follows the story of Jasmine, a 17 year-old Chinese girl who (like many of her compatriots) leaves her rural family to look for work in the booming Chinese cities. She, like many others, finds work in a export oriented factory. In this case, a jeans factory. Made surreptitiously and without the approval of China's one party, totalitarian government, CHINA BLUE details just how harsh and repressive the environment is in which Chinese factory workers work. They work 12+ hours a day, 7 days a week, sometimes in unsafe conditions, with very little (if any) labor rights and protections. In Jasmine's case, she and her fellow workers are placed on a 8am to 2am shift (16 hours) in order to complete an upcoming deadline. This in addition to a recent cut in pay. They work so hard, for such long hours, and without enough sleep that Jasmine and some of her coworkers use clothespins to clip their eyelids open.

And if you think you have a terrible boss, imagine working for the factory owner in CHINA BLUE. Not only does he overwork and underpay his employees but he nonchalantly calls them inferior criminals (murderers and thieves) from the countryside. It is the type of social prejudice that makes one shudder. For those curious, his previous occupation was as the city's Police Chief.

And yet the factory owner makes an insightful point when he states he doesn't make the big profits (he, however, does quite well driving a Mercedes) because the big profits are made by the multinational corporations which buy his jeans. As the CHINA BLUE website details, companies like Levi Strauss, Guess?, The Limited, Wal-Mart, etc get their jeans from these sweatshop factories. The website has some startling information, I highly recommend it for those curious. Yes, these multinational corporations state they have a "code of labor ethics" they demand their contractors to enforce and utilize inspectors. Yet, the repercussions are only for gross, repeat offenders and, more importantly, factories obtain advanced warning of an inspection allowing them to manipulate the working environment and coach the employees.

So what's the solution? Well, for me, there seems to be only one main solution. We must pressure the multinational corporations to do more to prevent sweatshop environments. If the companies actually do more, they will most likely get some added help from the US and Chinese governments. Unfortunately I really have no clue how to help apply this pressure. But the CHINA BLUE website does have some very valuable resources. One of the websites is Behind the Label, a great place for labor related news and currently spotlighting two campaigns (one of which is directed toward American Eagle Outfitters which allegedly harassed some of its Canadian employees when they wanted to form a union). There are also links to companies that produce sweatshop free jeans.

And equally as important in combating sweatshop labor practices is to simply get the word out. Piercing documentaries like CHINA BLUE do just that. I'm not sure when IL will rebroadcast CHINA BLUE, but it is a film I could not recommend more highly. For those interested, DVDs are available from the non-profit production company Teddy Bear Films.

It's a documentary that will stay with you for a long time. It has been months since I saw it, but I still remember the opening scene vividly. A group of representatives from some US company is taking a tour of the factory. One of the reps, an older, well-dressed woman, comments in an eerily faux-genuine manner at how "nice and convenient" it is that the workers live in dorms adjacent to the factory and eat at a cafeteria right in the factory building (the dorms are, of course, extremely crowded and both rent and food are taken out of each worker's paycheck). Strangely, the tour guide (a yes-man employee, most likely payed a bit better than the workers) repeatedly asks the older woman rep if she would like to try a dish at the cafeteria (no doubt the food is better than what is normally served in order to impress the representatives or in case they brought along an inspector). The older woman rep finds the offer beneath her and her condescendingly polite "no" soon turns into a slightly grimaced face trying hard not to shout "NO!" as the tour guide repeatedly offers to stop by the cafeteria. Of course this purported "slight" doesn't hinder the business deal. How big of her.

It is this type of ignorance, venality, and prejudice (the same type displayed by the factory owner, though quite a bit uglier) that needs to be combated. It's a view that gives a wink and a nudge (if not more) to inequality. And it is a view that is completely un-American.

SO MUCH SO FAST

2007-06-28T17:26:00.000-07:00

This post and the next are about two wonderful documentaries I viewed in early 2007.

The first, SO MUCH SO FAST, is a documentary I saw thanks to FRONTLINE. I've lauded FRONTLINE in the past and I'll be doing so in the future. For me, it is perhaps the best television has to offer. FRONTLINE broadcasts incisive, riveting, and thought provoking documentaries each week on PBS. Each episode (post 1995 or something) also has a companion website filled with insightful information and analysis. They're all organized at the main FRONTLINE website, which also has a section listing the episodes of FRONTLINE you can view online (currently 64).

Most of FRONTLINE's documentaries are piercing investigative journalism dealing with political, social, economic, and cultural issues. But frequently, FRONTLINE showcases probing, personal documentaries. These docs still deal with the same issues, but do so through intimate, full portraits of there very human subjects. A great example of this type of doc is COUNTRY BOYS which FRONTLINE aired in 2006. The doc displayed the complex struggles and joys of living in Appalachia through the lives of two young boys. It is an exceptional film and I highly recommend checking out the website and the film itself (which can be viewed online).

SO MUCH SO FAST is a doc in the same vein. The film follows a young man, Stephen Heywood, and his family, as they discover Stephen has ALS (aka Lou Gehrig's disease), take care of him, and even try to find a cure. It is a tour-de-force filled with profound insights into how a young man deals with a horrendous disease, and how a family deals with such a tragedy. Not lying down.

If you're at all curious about SO MUCH SO FAST I highly recommend checking out the website. Unfortuantely, you cannot view the documentary online. But FRONTLINE does rotate which docs are available for online viewing. So I'd suggest bookmarking the website and regularly checking it; I'm not certain, but my guess is that the doc will be available online in the coming months (either that or it will be released on DVD and available for rent and purchase). And in the meantime there are clips. Plus the website has a wealth of information.

All I can say is that it is a tremendous film and something you're probably not expecting. A truly remarkable documentary.

I can sees Lolcats

2007-06-23T14:48:00.000-07:00

The internet is really a wonderful tool. From its birth, it has helped blossom numerous communities. People who share a common passion, interest, or activity can join together and communicate with each other, no matter where they are located geographically. And, of course, these communities are interconnected as some members join more than one community. In any case, what I am ineloquently trying to say is that it is no surprise word-of-mouth is quite effective across the internet. This of course has led to many internet trends or memes. I am no expert on this subject matter, not even close. Frankly, I'm a bit amazed how quickly these things spread and how strange some of them are. But I must admit there's a recent (well, recent to me) internet meme that I, a bit embarrassedly, find difficult to resist. They're called Lolcats. I'm guessing most of you reading this already know about them, but for those of you who are Lolcat newbies (as I was, a short while ago), there is no better way to learn about Lolcats then to check out this wonderful, informative slide-show essay on Lolcats in Slate.

More Links:
Lolcat Wikipedia Entry
ICHC?
Loldogs@ICHC?

PS - Who will be the first to admit that they have actually created a Lolcat (or Loldog)?

*Lolcat image from ICHC?

Um,

2007-06-18T18:20:00.000-07:00

David Hasselhoff, Sharon Osbourne, Piers Morgan.

Why does a show with the words "Got Talent" in the title have some of the most untalented individuals as it's judges?

FIN.

A Good Read (continued)

2007-06-17T13:46:00.001-07:00

This is simply an update and addendum to my previous post. In it I was to recommend three great articles I've recently come across. Unfortunately, I only got around to posting about two of them. In any case, here's the third.

"Some people have said we ought to close Guantanamo. My view is we ought to double Guantanamo."

-Mitt Romney (Republican Candidate for President)

The problem with this asinine statement is that there is no current process to reliably, legitimately (in my opinion) filter out the innocent prisoners in Gitmo. The Bush Administration knew this and simply wanted to hold them all indefinitely. Fortunately the US Supreme Court found this a wee bit unconstitutional and allowed the prisoners to challenge their incarceration. Next, the Bush Administration created special military tribunals to (haphazardly) try the prisoners. The US Supreme Court found these tribunals unconstitutional because they lacked protections required by the Geneva Conventions and the US Uniform Code of Military Justice. So Bush urged Congress to basically bypass the Supreme Court and get the tribunals back. Which happened with the passing of the MCA. The passing of the MCA illustrates the Bush Admin's intent to strip away the few legal rights the Gitmo prisoners have. The fundamental problem with this is that legal rights (i.e. some semblance of a fair trial) are the only way to reliably filter out the innocent from the guilty.

And for those, like Romney, who think there are no innocents in Gitmo, a brief investigation into who is being held at Gitmo and how they got there will change your mind. Now, I'm not saying that every prisoner in Gitmo is innocent. Yet, from what I've read, I am pretty confident that many are innocent. One reason is because many of the Gitmo prisoners were simply kidnapped by tribes people in Afghanistan for the bounty the US supplied. Afghanistan is filled with ethnic tribes (Pashtun, Tajik, Turkmen, etc) who aren't the best of friends. Prior to Taliban rule, Afghanistan was in the midst of a power grab between these ethnic tribes. That these tribes would simply kidnap and turn in their enemies in order to gain US bounties is clearly not far fetched. Another reason it is fair to say some (perhaps many) Gitmo prisoners are innocent is because they have been able to tell their stories of innocence, with collaboration (thanks to legal counsel, something the Bush Admin wants to restrict). Take for instance the story of Adel Hamad. Project Hamad, the deeply informative website dedicated to Hamad's release, details how weak the case against Hamad is. Hamad was a teacher and hospital worker who was arrested in the middle of night by the ISI (Pakistan's Intelligence Agency). For those not familiar with the ISI, it is a suspicious, notorious agency which knowingly supported the Taliban in the past (and still has some ties). The ISI really needs its own post, but the point I want to make is the ISI is hardly a trustworthy agency. Anyway, take a good look through Project Hamad. It is a great resource, like this page full of US government quotes acknowledging that many Gitmo prisoners are likely innocent.

And even the Bush Admin knows that Gitmo is holding many innocents. Therefore they have, quietly, released around 300 to 400 prisoners (I do not know the peak number of prisoners, but it might be around 700 to 800 according to wikipedia and/or Slate).

Unfortunately, even after release the hellish nightmare does not end for innocent Gitmo prisoners. Take for example the heartbreaking, kafkaesque story of Chinese Uighurs who were imprisoned in Gitmo. The Uighurs, who are muslim, are an ethnic minority in China who, not surprisingly, have had their fair share of oppression from China's Communist government. Before they found themselves in Gitmo, the Uighurs traveled to Afghanistan to find work and escape Chinese government harassment. When we (the US) bombed Afghanistan to fight the Taliban and Al Qaeda, the Uighur village was simply collateral damage and the Uighurs fled to Pakistan. The Pakistani villagers initially fed and sheltered them, but then turned them over to US Military (in exchange for a bounty no doubt). After their ordeal in Gitmo, they were released to Albania. The Chinese government considers them terrorists due to a Uighur separatist movement, therefore sending them back to China would end very badly for the Uighurs. The crackerjack solution seems to be to hand them over to Albania, a staunch US ally. Unfortunately this is only the start of the Uighurs kafkaesque episode: they're unable to find work, or even leave their refugee center. Most of these men have families; families they are desperate to return to. It is truly a sad and grave episode that illustrates the tragic symbol Gitmo has become in the eyes of the international community.

PS - I'd just like to add that I have not mentioned anything about the alleged torture and humiliation many Gitmo prisoners endured. It is a post in its own right. For more information, wikipedia isn't a bad place to start here and here.

The NY Times article on the tragic plight of the Uighurs is a solid, sobering read. Please also swing by Project Hamad which is a deeply informative website. And check out this excellent Slate piece by the outstanding Dahlia Lithwick, a great article on Gitmo that I've linked to earlier in the post.

And, for those wondering what others have to say about Romney's quote, check out this the Onion "American Voices" piece.

Good Reads

2007-06-14T17:21:00.000-07:00

Here are three great articles on important issues I am rather passionate about and find very interesting. Enjoy!

People are dying in the Darfur. We all know this. And yet it has turned out to be quite difficult for the violence, genocide, ethnic cleansing to be stopped. The issue of Darfur illustrates how complex the realpolitik of geopolitics (or international relations) truly is. And at the same time it showcases how difficult it is to deny the clichéd statement: Money rules the world. The violence in Darfur is supported by the Sudanese government. So the question naturally arises, How do we pressure the Sudanese government to change its behavior? One way would be economically. We can prohibit US and European companies from doing business with the Sudanese government. And for the most part, this already occurs. But Sudan is oil rich and getting the vast majority of its foreign investment from the oil sector. And one of the nations doing business with Sudan is China, which needs a lot of oil for its booming economy. And China, ever the bastion of human rights, doesn't want to pressure Sudan (and perhaps lose a lucrative, steady oil deal). So the next step is to pressure China. This, of course, is quite a bit more difficult. Yet, we could try to simply focus on the China-Sudan oil business. And here is where it gets a little more interesting. Because one of the biggest companies in the world is, indirectly, invested in the China-Sudan oil business. The company is based in Omaha, Nebraska and trades in many mutual funds. The company is Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) and is run by Warren Buffett, considered one of the greatest investors of our day. BRK is considered a great investment and has an outstanding track record. And BRK shareholders aren't your average investors. So much so, that a group of them organized a shareholder petition calling on company management to divest its controversial (and lucrative, turning $500 million into $3 billion) investment (PetroChina). Unfortunately, Buffett and most shareholders voted against this divestment. Now I don't want to call Buffett venal and callous, but from what I've read it is hard to view Buffett in a decent (if not good) light. But I'll let people read this informative piece by the Motley Fool and do their own google and lexis searches. But the point I'm trying to make is that it is hard to believe that money isn't an issue and an obstacle in getting pressure where it needs to be to improve the crisis in Darfur. For a good read about how shareholder activism and/or organized divestment can help the Darfur crisis, check out this piece from Domini Social Investments.

PS - Also check out sudandivestment.org for more info and a handy mutual fund screener which will let you know if a particular fund has ties to the Sudanese government.

Clearly I have to mention a Slate piece. I've posted before how I find it beyond absurd that AG Alberto Gonzales is still in office. My post was before all the Senate testimony. That Gonzales is still in office, after the enormous evidence showcasing his amazing ability to lie and fire people for political reasons (the latter, an ability which he shared with counterparts in the White House), is devastating to those of us who believe in accountability and a government of the people. While it is a bit difficult to admit, it seems to be true: Gonzales has outlasted this scandal. W is probably doing this to protect White House officials, and is able to do this because how can his approval rating go any lower (though if anything could lower that rating, I really wouldn't be surprised if it was US Attorney-gate). The great reporters at Slate seem to agree and have ended their "Gonzo-meter" (a regularly updated column counting down to Gonzales' departure). For those interested, they have an incisive "ending" column which states their "giving up" and details some of the major points of the scandal.

I'll post about the third article over the weekend.

It's just not the same.

2007-06-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

TheIdleReceptionist writes a great blog. She doesn't post as much as she used to, back when she was an actual idle receptionist. But she'll still churn out an entertaining gem like this recent post on the straight girl's favorite place: the gay bar.

As Idle mentions, hetero women really enjoy gay bars. Unfortunately, I don't hear so much about straight dudes hitting up the lesbian bar circuit. It's just not the same. Though I kind of wonder what it might be like ....

I'm a skinny guy; I have a thin frame. And while I do work out, my arms are still going to be rather slim. I think it would be kind of cool to walk into a lesbian bar with a sleeveless t-shirt and have some of the buffest arms in the room. Maybe Bernice* will walk up to me, playfully punch me in the arm, and say, "Hey! Check out the guns!" And I'll be all, "Oh, stop it Bernie! I barely work out." And then we'll talk about the NBA and WNBA. And it would be cool to hear the ladies ask me about my facial hair and call my shaved head 'cool' --- instead of asking why I have a lot of hair on my face and not much on top of my head, like the straight gals do.

Or maybe one day my car will blow a gasket near the bar. And not only will the lesbians at the bar be kind enough to fix my car, but they'll soup it up and add some rims. And then we'll all pile in and head to a STAR TREK:TNG marathon viewing.

Yeah, I gotta admit, that would be pretty rad.

But yeah, that's probably not what happens when a hetero guy walks into a lesbian bar, but a boy can dream. Hah.

*My apologies to lesbians and people named Bernice everywhere. I know it is a bad stereotype to think women named Bernice are lesbians. And I don't. I'm just using it for humor, and duly noting it.

The NBA Finals

2007-06-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

I know for many blog neighbors, basketball isn't exactly your thing. So check out this stellar anti-Hummer H2 website that was recommended by the fabulous Princess in Galoshes (and check out her blog as well, it's a bundle of wit, fun, and, um, ~~sinister~~ high maintenance cats).

The NBA season is coming to a close. The San Antonio Spurs will battle the Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA Championship. To show my basketball acumen, I picked neither team to make the finals. Hooray. Basically I underestimated LeBron James (something I will not do again) and I picked the underdog Utah Jazz because the Spurs have a tainted season after suspension-gate. So, clearly, I'm going to pick the Cavs in 6. Yeah, the Spurs are the smart pick, they have the experience, the dominant big man, the star supporting players, and they play great defense. But the Cavs have LeBron James which means the Spurs are definitely going to have their hands full. The Cavs are also a bit underrated. They play decent defense themselves, and are an excellent rebounding team. And in the rise of rookie Daniel Gibson they seem to have filled out a solid cast of supporting players as well. How well Larry Hughes (and Gibson to an extent) guard Tony Parker will be a major factor. I think Hughes (if healthy) is up to the task. I'm not sure who will guard Manu Ginobli, but if need be, I think LeBron will slow him down. This is definitely going to be a long series in my opinion. I think (and hope) the Cavs have just enough to win this battle. In any case, it looks to be a very exciting series and with LeBron making his finals debut, a lot of people are going to watch.

The Showmercial

2007-06-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

I dislike advertising. I admit we do need advertising. Many companies make wonderful products and they need to advertise their wares. The problem is that mainstream advertising treats us (the public) with such disregard and callousness that print ads and tv commercials are not only annoying, but ultimately insulting.

I recently viewed an H2 Hummer commercial in which the vehicle's highway mileage ("20 MPG Highway") was flashed on screen. At a time when gas prices are near record highs and many of us are going to great lengths to curb CO2 emissions, it's a little insulting to flash the H2's MPG. As if we're dumb enough to think 20 MPG Highway suddenly turns the H2 into a Prius.

I must admit I do enjoy a few commercials. For example, the GEICO Cavemen ads. What can I say, I find them funny. The self-referential nature of the ads, the quirky humor, and the lightweight satire (of tv pundits, for instance) all add up to a pretty entertaining 30 seconds. But what about 30 minutes? As you may have heard, ABC will be debuting a half-hour sitcom called "CAVEMEN" in the fall. The sitcom is completely based on the GEICO ads. I doubt this is going to work, but the notion of the sitcom stemming from the tv commercial doesn't bother me so much. At least in this instance. From what I've read, GEICO seems to have nothing to do with the sitcom. So it won't be one long commercial for GEICO. In any case, whether it succeeds as a sitcom will not depend on its provenance but will depend on the talent associated with the show. Because a sitcom isn't funny and smart due to a clever idea for a sitcom, it's funny and smart because of the people who create it. So, if the people behind "CAVEMEN" are talented enough, it'll be funny. ABC has posted a 30 second clip from one of the shows. It's really not that funny, for me at least. But I'll withhold judgement until I see a complete episode. There is a bit of irony about the clip though. In the clip, as in the GEICO ads, the discussion the Cavemen have lightly touches on race/ethnicity* relations. Now I understand it is very difficult to talk about race/ethnicity* relations in general, doubly hard on a broadcast network. But it is a bit ironic that a network sitcom is broaching the subject by not actually talking about it since "Caveman" isn't a real ethnicity.*

I remember thinking tv was in major trouble several years ago when Dick Wolf (creator-producer of the "Law&Order" franchises) went into a multi-million product placement contract with Coke. Product placement has steadily crept into much of television and I think it is especially dangerous and egregious because it insidiously blurs the line between the artistic and the commercial. Though it would seem even product placement has its limits, the sponsor/advertiser doesn't get to shape the story and characters. Well they do now. The USA network recently debuted a 6-hour miniseries called "The Starter Wife" starring Debra Messing. The miniseries is "presented by Ponds" which actually turns out to mean Ponds had a lot of say into how the story and character would progress and how best to place their product into the miniseries. The Slate piece is rather fascinating and a good read. I understand that there is some relief in knowing this type of undue corporate influence is only finding its way into a third-rate mini-series that Lifetime probably rejected. But the problem is that people are watching "The Starter Wife" and they have no idea that Ponds went to great lengths to shape the entertainment with its products. It's something they deserve to be told.

* I must note that I do not believe in "race" as a term with any scientific merit. There's only the human race and the overlapping ethnicities that inhabit humanity. The term "race", as we use it in mainstream language is a social construct that is overly simplistic (therefore its wide use) and ancient. For more info please check out this wiki entry on race as social construction, and this excellent book by Dr. Spencer Wells, The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey and it's wonderful companion PBS documentary.

King Humility

2007-06-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if anyone remembers my NBA Playoff posts. Even though I injected some humor in them, I was a bit serious with my predictions. You see, I actually think I know a thing or two about basketball. Therefore I should make some reliable predictions. Unfortunately that hasn't really been the case, especially after the first round of the playoffs. For example, let's take the Conference Finals:

In the West we had the San Antonio Spurs vs the Utah Jazz. I thought this would be close, at least 6 games. I also had the Utah Jazz winning. And while emotion played a factor in picking the Jazz (I still claim the Spurs' win over the Suns is a bit tainted thanks to the suspension incident), I actually thought the Jazz would win 3 games rather reasonably. They ended up winning 1. They did suffer a major setback when their star point guard Deron Williams had to play while ill and, later, with a bum ankle. Still, they were resoundingly beaten by the Spurs in 5 games. So, I was wrong.

In the East we, still, have the Detroit Pistons vs the Cleveland ~~LeBrons~~ Cavs. I thought this would go easily in favor of the Pistons. Tonight will be game 6 in Cleveland with the Cavs up 3 games to 2. Yes, the Cavs were in a similar position last year only to lose the last 2 games and go home. But this year seems to be different for one major reason. The Cavs won game 5 in Detroit thanks to an amazingly spectacular performance by LeBron James. I'm not sure how many people saw the game or highlights, but it was a performance for the ages. LeBron simply willed his team to victory by scoring the last 25 points for his team, and the last 29 out of 30. King James came to play in game 5. I highly doubt BronBron will drop 48 tonight. But his previous performance should inspire his teammates to outperform, giving LeBron a chance (at the least) in the 4th to seal victory. Of course, his teammates could simply expect another incredible performance and stand around watching him all game long, which would result in defeat. But I doubt that will happen, mainly because LeBron is an amazingly unselfish player who will make sure to get his teammates involved early in game 6. And that's why I think the Cavs will win tonight and beat the Pistons in 6 games. Which, once again, would prove my prediction to be strikingly wrong.

So the question clearly arises, why am I so wrong. I believe one of the reasons has to be that basketball, as any professional sport, is a very complex activity filled with nuance and information that the dedicated, but casual viewer will find difficult to thoroughly account for. There's also the possibility that maybe I don't know as much basketball as I like to think I do. Now, let's not jump to any rash conclusions.

AC Slate

2007-05-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

I simply love Slate. Sorry for being repetitious, I have mentioned this before and I'll certainly mention it again. I haven't been reading as much Slate as I would like, certain decisions have taken a good deal of my time. Fortunately the Slate I have been reading has been superb.

Slate's TV critic, Troy Patterson, writes with a smugness that is both an obnoxious TV critic trend, and a necessity when writing about TV. He is, however, quite funny and his columns will clearly hold your attention, if not thoroughly entertain. He's clearly won me over (for the most part). Check out his insightful and probing column on a recent episode of Entourage and the large blip of melodrama and not funny that was Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

For anyone wondering how silly and inane the network upfronts (their new shows for the upcoming television season) are, and simply curious about them, take a gander at Patterson's recent writeups from the events:
NBC Upfront
ABC Upfront
CBS Upfront
CW/FOX Upfronts

For me, Patterson seems to be at his best when he's skewering the empty, crass absurdity that is, unfortunately, much of modern television. The E! Network, always a sign of the apocalypse, recently debuted a reality series about a tanning salon. In his latest column, Patterson reviews Sunset Tan. It's a funny, sobering read. A mother takes her pre-teen daughter to the salon in preparation for her school pictures. Learning that Lindsay Lohan uses a particular procedure, the mother asks the young'n if she'd like to look like Lohan. The cost? $1300. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

A little help ...

2007-05-24T18:08:00.000-07:00

So after I ~~get a six-pack~~ lose a few more pounds, I'm going to be heading back into the wonderful world of online dating. Yeah, I know what you're thinking, "online dating is for weirdos", "everyone lies", "yadda, yadda, yadda". First of all, that's not what you should be thinking. You should be thinking, "What? Doesn't a suave, charming, sophisticated man with a glorious hairy belly like yourself only date fashion models?" Sadly dear reader that is not the case.

Moving on. While my experience with online dating has been short, it has been rather normal. This might sound ~~a little sad~~ strange, but I actually like the idea behind online dating. You get to potentially meet a variety of people you might not otherwise run into at a local bar or similar place. It takes some time to get familiar with (for lack of a better term) reading profiles and tweaking your own profile (though some of us are far more clueless than others: I wasn't even smiling in my first photograph).

Anyway I still consider myself an online dating novice. I've only signed up for one website in the past, a medium sized network that affiliated itself with some popular, quality websites (The Village Voice, The Onion, etc). I believe a year or so ago it was bought by another company and changed quite a bit. They actually have a "most viewed profile" list now and while the men's side is peppered with professional 40-somethings with all their hair---Actually I just re-logged in to see how the lists look like now. Things have changed. The men's side actually has a majority of 30-somethings and in the top slot is a buff bartender (complete with tight t-shirt photos) who's looking for "Women for a short term relationship, a friend or play." Lol. The women's side is also filled with 30-somethings though skewing a little younger. The last time I regularly checked this website, the women's top spot was solidified by a very attractive lady in her late 20s who entered fitness model pageants and was a doctor --- I kid you not. She's no longer on the list. Looks like she found someone. I guess there's hope for us all.

In any case, I'm not sure if I should stick with this site (it's run by a company named FastCupid) or try a more popular site like Match.com or Yahoo! Personals. I know this is a personal matter, but if anyone out there has some advice or personal experience with dating websites than please leave a comment. Also, while I hate to admit it, what do people think of "match-making" sites like eHarmony and Chemistry.com? Chemistry.com is Match.com's answer to eHarmony --- basically using a personality profile/quiz to match people up. I wouldn't use eHarmony because for some insane reason they don't match homosexual (or bisexual) people. Even though I am heterosexual (enter clever emasculating joke here) I'm not going to affiliate in any way with a company that blatantly discriminates. But what about Chemistry.com? Right now I think it seems a little too serious. But I guess I am a little intrigued by the idea of matching on similar views and interests. Though a well written profile should help do just that.

My Fellow Americans

2007-05-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

This is a bit of a political post. I thought I would just state that from the outset.

I'm not sure what Europeans, Asians, Africans, South Americans, my age specifically think about when they hear the words "American" and "USA." I don't know many people outside of North America, so it is difficult to tell what they must specifically think. I'm sure they see President Bush and other administration officials, and must be quite angry and cynical (and rightfully so) at the incompetence and corruption this administration has so successfully executed. I wonder if they conclude the administration is typical of the US, we did after all vote this administration into office twice (well, at least once). But I hope their view isn't so monolithic.

Broadcast laws in the United States have an Equal Time rule that makes sure if one political candidate gets air time, the other candidates get equal time. I wish there was something similar when it came to American voices overseas. For every time a Bush administration official would douchebaggedly opine things are going well in Iraq, equal time should be given to an American who genuinely upholds this nation's values.

Off the top of my head, I'd have the Tillman family, Jessica Lynch, and members of C.I.V.I.C. slotted in the counter programming.

The Tillman family and Jessica Lynch testified last month as to how the Army and Government lied about and manipulated events in order to quell the potential for military criticism (in the case of Pat Tillman) and to propel a military PR bonanza (in the case of Jessica Lynch).

Most Americans know at least a little about the everyday heroism of Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch. While Pat Tillman died by tragic friendly fire and not in the Rambo-esque, so-called "heroic" manner the military first claimed, he was already a hero. Here's a man who gave up a multi-million dollar NFL contract and joined the military to bring justice to the perpetrators of 9/11. He was a genuine everyday US hero, who like many Americans continued to read about his government's policies and, as his mother mentions, came (or seemed to be leaning) to the conclusion that the (at the time) nascent Iraq War was illegal and/or not in the US' best interest. (For more info on Tillman's political views during his stint in Afghanistan check out the wiki entry on him.) His family now heroically fights to get a thorough investigation of his death.

Jessica Lynch received a hero's welcome and rightfully so. Yet the publicized events surrounding her capture and rescue were greatly exaggerated by the US military, government, and news media. And we know this in large part because she told the truth and testified to it. It's a stark contrast to the "I don't recall" of the testimony of Attorney General Gonzales.

This past April 16th marked two years to the date that the world lost someone incredibly special. Marla Ruzicka would have been 30 today. She was a young firebrand who started the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC). She tirelessly advocated on behalf of the civilian victims of war and before her death was able to secure US Government funds for civilian victims in Iraq and Afghanistan. Her wonderful mission continues today through the amazing organization she started.

Marla died along with CIVIC's Iraqi head Faiz Ali Salim by suicide car bomb in Iraq on April 16, 2005.

PS - If you do any online shopping from websites such as eBay, orbitz, shoes.com, staples, target, amazon.com, macy's, drugstore.com, etc. then check out CIVIC's FreePledge page. If you buy your merchandise by clicking through FreePledge, CIVIC will receive a portion of your purchase. FreePledge can be used with other non-profits as well.

PPS - Also check out Mixed Market. Mixed Market does the same thing as FreePledge but you cannot choose which charity your proceeds will go to. They evenly donate amongst 5 charities (4 permanent, 1 revolving). Special thanks to Yllwdaisies for suggesting Mixed Market.

PPPS - By the by, both FreePledge and Mixed Market are for-profit companies themselves. But they are doing a good deed and from what I've read, they're more efficient than those "good cause" ad campaigns retailers run ever so often. So the next time you shop online, think about FreePledge and Mixed Market ... I definitely will.

NBA Playoff Picks

2007-05-20T11:44:00.000-07:00

I know no one cares, but I must make my picks before the Conference Finals begin. My second round predictions turned out quite bad. Out of 4 series, I picked 1 correct winner. So let's not dwell on the second round and move on to my next predictions which shall be magnanimous! Yes, that makes little sense.

Western Conference Finals:

This one is truly difficult as the Spurs are playing exceptionally well and look to continue their reign (1999, 2003, 2005) with another championship. However, I really like Utah. They are the younger team and playing with a cohesive passion that will make them very tough to beat. The smart pick would be the Spurs as they have home court advantage and are the (way) more experienced team. However it is difficult for me not to characterize their win over the Suns as tainted after the suspension incident. So I'm going with the Utah Jazz in 6.

Eastern Conference Finals:

This one is easy (sorry Yllwdaisies). Cleveland has King James, but that's about all they have. Detroit has a well-oiled basketball machine running on all cylinders. If BronBron shows up, he might win the Cavs a game or two. The Detroit Pistons in 5.

Harpo was the funniest

2007-05-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the Onion is just too hilarious.

Oprah Stuns Audience With Free Man Giveaway

POSSESSION (2002)

2007-05-12T17:20:00.000-07:00

POSSESSION (2002)
Dir: Neil LaBute
Writers: David Henry Hwang, Laura Jones, LaBute; adapted from a novel by A.S. Byatt
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Ehle, Jeremy Northam

Rating: ***** out of 5 stars

Before I begin I'd just like to say that if you are even a minor fan of Byatt, Hwang, Jones, or LaBute, and you've asked yourself why Hollywood has such trouble in capturing authentic romance ... then you'll want to stop reading this post and track down a copy of the film. It's really that good.

I'd stop short of calling the film a masterpiece and that's mainly because I'm guessing the novel (of the same name) by A.S. Byatt is almost certainly the true masterwork which birthed this charming cinematic gem. While I haven't read the novel, that it won the 1990 Booker Prize seems to support my guess that it's a darn good book. Now I'm certainly not a fan of the novel-to-screen process, as I've ranted on before. My main qualms stem from H-wood's insane focus on commercialization as well as the inherent differences between a novel and a screenplay. Novels are written quite differently (than a screenplay) and we (the public reader/viewer) experience them quite differently. I could go into more detail but this post is already getting long and I haven't even begun discussing the film. In any case, one of the main differences is that a novel's plot can detail and juggle numerous actions, sub-stories, and characters. Something that is a bit more difficult in a screenplay, which the super smart studio people understand so well that they immediately buy a bestseller and have Joe Hack screenwriter produce a 120 page screenplay. The sheer page/time limit is such an obstacle that the screenplay and movie become a complete bastardization of the original novel.

Of course POSSESSION is the exception that proves the rule. Having Hwang, Jones, and LaBute adapt Byatt's novel is a stellar start. They're skillful wordsmiths who have crafted an elegant screenplay. LaBute's artful direction brings the script to vivid, probing life. Now I understand certain folk find Gwyneth Paltrow to have a bit of a "persona" (for lack of a better word) but from her turns in SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE and POSSESSION, she is a terrific actor (and singer, the Aussie's are with me on this, lol). Paltrow and Eckhart are wonderful as the leads, while Northam and Ehle steal a scene or three.

POSSESSION will engage you with its literary history adventure, and completely enthrall you with its dive into the always tenuous triangle of romance, love, and relationships. And yes, I cannot wait to read the book.

Links:
IMBb entry of the film
Wikipedia entry of the book
Chicago Reader capsule review of the film

Brady's Day Out

2007-05-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

By now, most (if not all) of you have seen this. It is a photograph of one Tom Brady wearing a Yankees hat as he walks around with ~~my future wife~~ Gisele Bundchen. Anyway, if you haven't heard, the crazy people up in Boston nearly lost their collective minds to see their golden boy sporting a Yankees cap. Now I'm a long time Yankees fan so, yes, I am biased, but Tom Brady should be able to wear whatever hat he chooses. Was it a poor choice by Brady? Oh yeah. But he was in New York and who knows, maybe he's buddies with Jeter or A-Rod or something.

What he shouldn't be allowed to wear and definitely is a poor choice is the damn man purse!?!?! I mean how is this not the main story. And there is no ambiguity here, it is a "murse" that Brady is sporting. Hey Brady, can't go the whole day without your hair gel and make-up?

I read something kind of random that stated one of Brady's purported reasons for wearing the Yankees hat was to blend in and hide from photographers. Well what's the reason for the murse? To hide from heterosexual women?

Now I'm a very open-minded person and if a guy wants to carry a purse, more power to him. But let's get one thing clear, there's no way the man purse actually looks good. And I'm sure every metrosexual in Europe has one, but c'mon, doesn't a sleek back or shoulder pack look so much better? I mean check out Brady in the photograph. He's wearing shorts and sneakers! A nice columbia sportswear or timberland pack would fashionably accentuate his look here. Am I right people? I am.

[image sources: INF Daily and Just Jared]

Even More NBA Playoffs!

2007-05-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

If anyone cares (and most of you will not), in the previous post I recap my first round predictions and the actual results. I also explain why I didn't update my first playoff post, which I will cut and paste below:

I was supposed to update my previous (and first) NBA Playoffs post but I thought I would ~~spare everyone~~ ration out my wondrous bball wisdom. The real reason is that I was lame and went with the lazy pick of the Mavs over the Warriors (the Bay Area team!) and then quickly (okay, okay, midway through the series, but after I actually watched a game) jumped upon the Golden State bandwagon. So why did I not post anything on this? Because if I had I would have jinxed the Warriors into losing the series. Some may call this a bit superstitious, we sports fans call it hard science.

So to recap, GO WARRIORS!!!! Whoooooo!!!!

Also, I want to post my 2nd Round predictions so that I can pat myself on the back when they, no doubt, come true.

Eastern Conference:

#5 Chicago vs #1 Detroit (Chicago in 6)

Everyone and their grandma is probably going to pick the Detroit Pistons. And while the Pistons are a solid team, it is the Baby Bulls that are going to be victorious. The Bulls have a great complete team (as does Detroit) and they have a solid interior defense thanks to acquiring Ben Wallace (which Detroit is now lacking). This series can easily go 7, and since Detroit has home court I'd say the Bulls have a 50/50 chance at winning it on the road. Therefore they'll take care of business in 6. This seems like it will be a very interesting matchup.

#6 New Jersey vs #2 Cleveland (New Jersey in 6)

I hate to go against Bron-Bron, but it seems this is not his year. The team just isn't gelling around him, more their fault (or the GM's), and he's also playing a bit injured. On the other hand, New Jersey is clicking on all cylinders and playing great. I still think King James will keep things close, but the Nets should emerge victorious, only to lose in the next round.

Western Conference:

#3 San Antonio vs #2 Phoenix (San Antonio in 6)

This could easily be the West Finals. Going into the playoffs San Antonio seemed to be playing the best, in my opinion. I still think so (but with Chicago and Golden State right there behind them). Phoenix does have a major inside presence (Amare Stoudemire) which they lacked last year when Amare was injured. I'm unsure how big of an impact Amare will be, and he could easily shift momentum to the Suns. But I'll stick with the impressive Spurs' defense and playoff experience.

#8 Golden State vs #? (Golden State in 6)

The Warriors are playing exciting, team basketball. It is really something special to see. Baron Davis is controlling the tempo and getting to anyplace on the court he wishes. The Warriors play a very constricting defense which forces many turnovers, which leads to their wonderful fast break points. Whether they play Houston or Utah, they are going to win and make it to the West Finals. GO WARRIORS!!

More NBA Playoffs!

2007-05-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to update my previous (and first) NBA Playoffs post but I thought I would ~~spare everyone~~ ration out my wondrous bball wisdom. The real reason is that I was lame and went with the lazy pick of the Mavs over the Warriors (the Bay Area team!) and then quickly (okay, okay, midway through the series, but after I actually watched a game) jumped upon the Golden State bandwagon. So why did I not post anything on this? Because if I had I would have jinxed the Warriors into losing the series. Some may call this a bit superstitious, we sports fans call it hard science. Now that the amazing Warriors have pulled off the greatest upset in NBA history, I will be posting a bit more about them. I think they will make the Conference Finals, beating either Houston or Utah. But first let's check how my predictions did:

Eastern Conference:

#4 Miami vs #5 Chicago (Chicago in 7)

I was right about Chicago winning, but they swept the defending champs (Miami) in 4 games. I think the Baby Bulls will go very far. More on that later.

#8 Orlando vs #1 Detroit (Detroit in 5)

I did much better here. Detroit won in 4.

#7 Washington vs #2 Cleveland (Cleveland in 5)

Cleveland also swept in 4, though the deeply injured Washington Wizards went down fighting. I know the Cavs swept, but things don't look good for Bron-Bron.

#6 New Jersey vs #3 Toronto (Toronto in 6)

I got this series wrong. New Jersey actually won in 6. I should have known something was up when the Nets beat the Bulls in a very important final game of the regular season. But I thought Bosh would be big, and he was a bit iffy. In all fairness, it was his first playoff series ever and he is still a young player. New Jersey was simply the better team.

Western Conference:

#7 Los Angeles vs #2 Phoenix (Phoenix in 6)

Once again I was close, Phoenix actually won in 5.

#6 Denver vs #3 San Antonio (San Antonio in 5)

I actually got this right on the money. I'm a bit torn about A.I. and I think if he focuses on a more all-around (facilitator) game, then Denver will be very tough next year. That said, I truly believe he shot Denver out of at least 2 games. But to be fair, he took two big shots down the stretch in game 4 and both were in and out types, had they fallen maybe it's San Antonio in 6 instead of 5.

*Seriously, if you read this far you are a trooper and a good buddy! I thank you kindly.

#8 Golden State vs #1 Dallas (Dallas in 6)

Boy was I wrong on this one. It turned out that Golden State completed the greatest NBA playoff upset in 6 games. All I have to say is this: GO WARRIORS!!!!!!! Whoooo!!!!!

#4 Utah vs #5 Houston (Houston in 6)

This series is still active with game 7 scheduled for Saturday evening. I had a feeling it was going to go 7 games but I'm a big Houston (T-Mac and Yao) fan and I don't like their chances in a game 7. Yes they have home court and only the home team has won in the series, but I still think game 7 is 50/50 which isn't such a good thing for Houston who was favored at the start of the series.

So here's the wrap up:

Out of 8 total series, 7 have been completed. I picked the winners in 5 out of the 7. And I picked the correct winner and number of games in 1 of the 5. Even if the remaining game goes against my prediction, I'll be above 50% which isn't so bad. In any case, the predictions will be a bit more difficult in the next round. More on that in my next post.

Will Ferrell no pay rent

2007-05-01T13:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday while checking out the blog 'hood I discovered what might be the funniest vid in the history of the universe. Thanks to the super-fab Marcia, I came across this:
"The Landlord"

When I grow up ...

2007-04-25T17:44:00.000-07:00

I want to be Radar Magazine. This magazine always has hilarious, insightful stuff and has even survived 30 demises. It is unstoppable, that's how good it is.

Speaking of arranged marriages, the other day in Manhattan there was a speed dating event where the men had to prove they made 500k a year and had at least 1mill in the bank. And the women had to prove they were super hot by submitting 5 photographs of themselves. I am not making this up. The courageous investigative reporters at Radar went undercover and got their super-funny Neel Shah into the event. The piece shows the event to be as absurd and hysterical as you think it is.

PS - Be sure to view the CNN clip ... Human Rights Lawyer my arse ... and CNN reporter lady, of course that guy is straight, look at his sweater?!?!?! No need to insult the gay community.

The NBA Playoffs!

2007-04-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

UPDATED: 4-22-07

Last year's playoffs were very intriguing and made for some amazing match ups and games. I believe tv ratings for last year's NBA playoffs were up over 10%. I hope that trend continues, because this year's match ups seem even better than last year.

Here's how they will go:

Eastern Conference:

#6 New Jersey vs #3 Toronto (Toronto in 6)

This is a very interesting match up. New Jersey has underachieved all season, though they can point to injuries to explain some of that. They are now somewhat healthy and have their big three (Carter, Jefferson, Kidd) rolling.

#4 Miami vs #5 Chicago (Chicago in 7)

#8 Orlando vs #1 Detroit (Detroit in 5)

#7 Washington vs #2 Cleveland (Cleveland in 5)

Western Conference:

#4 Utah vs #5 Houston (Houston in 6)

#7 Los Angeles vs #2 Phoenix (Phoenix in 6)

#6 Denver vs #3 San Antonio (San Antonio in 5)

#8 Golden State vs #1 Dallas (Dallas in 6)

*I will be detailing my thoughts in the next couple of days and updating this post. I understand no one who regularly reads my blog will care (maybe Diane?) but just humor me folks!?!?!?! Hah. And seriously people, I am a basketball sage! Behold as my playoff picks, one by one, come true!

I say: Bad Advice

2007-04-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

****[Poster's Note: This is a long post. It's probably overly long. It's my worked up ramblings over a particular letter and response in an advice column. Check out the previous post to read the letter and response. In any case, I would highly suggest to simply skim over this post to get the gist of my ramblings. I'm not entirely sure why I have gotten so worked up over this but I simply believe it was bad advice, glaringly bad. That might be an overreaction on my part. I dunno. I feel a little silly to have gotten so worked up, but whatever, I thought the advice was bad. However, I just want to make sure that my post doesn't sound like marriage is the ultimate answer for every woman (or man). I actually think it is the arranged marriage that foments this stereotype, that everyone should be married by 35 AND have children. In reality the opposite is quite true. Marriage is not for everyone, and neither is having children. Some marry later in life, and just as (if not more) happily. While some have children first then get married down the road. And still others enjoy a rich, full life without the so-called "institution" of marriage. This is what I believe and I hope the wording of my post doesn't sound in opposition to this. Wow. This post just keeps getting longer and longer.] 4-22-07

I'd like to thank everyone for sharing their thoughts on the Dear Prudence letter I posted. The comments ran the gamut and I must say I was both surprised and intrigued.

The reason I posted was because I (basically) went temporarily insane when I first read the letter and response. I have read Emily Yoffe's articles (mostly Human Guinea Pig) for a couple years now and find her to be a very astute and witty person. Never would I have thought she would respond to Confused in the way she did. As I mentioned earlier I do not read the Dear Prudence column regularly, but I've read enough to concur with my earlier assessment of Yoffe. So I was simply dumbfounded to read Yoffe's response to Confused. I even emailed Yoffe thinking she must be a little naive in her understanding of what an Indian Arranged Marriage is. She was kind enough to email back, but it was a perfunctory "I appreciate your thoughts" along with an example of happily arranged married Indian Male Doctor, though she did add that she wasn't very familiar with an Indian arranged marriage. I, naturally, thought she didn't comprehend the impact of such a tradition from the female (potential bride's) perspective and fired off another email pointing out the problems in her reasoning. She was kind enough again to give me a "I appreciate your thoughts" reply, though this time the reply more than hinted at her conclusion that I must be a crazy person. I must admit that I stupidly used the Shilpa Shetty/Richard Gere incident as support of my argument, but I hadn't seen the video. So I had to reply with an apology for bringing up Richard "Dirty Old Man" Gere, but (clearly) the absurd response by Indian/Hindu Nationalists gives my argument a few points. In any case, more of the Shetty/Gere incident later. Along with my apology reply I added "no need to return a perfunctory reply" and I haven't heard from Prudie since.

I'd like to discuss, in-depth, my problems with the Indian/Traditional Arranged Marriage (especially in today's context) but the more I think (and get worked up) about it, the more my thoughts touch on other matters dealing with the subject of modern relationships. But I must first explain why I find Prudie's response such bad advice.

I must start with this important thought: That whether one thinks Prudie's response is good or bad advice rests, a good deal, in how they define an arranged marriage (especially in this particular case) and in how they characterize Confused. Confused describes herself as "very independent" and living life on her own terms. As she is a (relatively) young immigrant from India, I find this to mean that she does not subscribe to all the traditions (and let's face it, patriarchy) of her native land. She also calls the idea of an arranged marriage "archaic" and "almost mortifying." So the question arises why is she even thinking about an arranged marriage. Well there are two interconnected answers. First, she's a bit panicky. She's from a culture in which being 30 and single is, absurdly, frowned upon and considered socially unfavorable. Even in our (USA) society and culture, things get a bit hectic for women the closer they get to 40. I can understand the childbearing element in this. But to panic at the age of 30, after a couple of relationships didn't work out is almost preposterous to me. Second, Confused comes from a culture in which the parents make a lot of decisions, especially when it comes to women. Her parents are most likely even more panicky than she is and want grandchildren yesterday, so they're applying some parental pressure towards the arranged marriage. I find it funny that she's moved to the US to become independent but now wonders if she should depend on tradition and her parents to find her a husband.

Still, I can understand Confused asking her parents to set her up with serious-minded suitors, something that eHarmony can do as well. But, I'm almost certain, that's not what her parents have in mind. They'll be finding potential husbands in India and across the US, I mean what are the chances the family they go to has a son who is in Confused's zip code? I mean she can't just go grab a coffee with these guys. And that brings me to the "dates" or meetings Confused will be having with her suitors. They might be chaperoned (it's not unheard of). And how many of these meetings will she be able to have before having to say "I do"? I'm guessing something like 3. And let's remember the tradition of an arranged marriage wasn't to benefit the brides. I mean what are these potential grooms expecting? Someone from India could be expecting a green card, it's not something that wouldn't matter. What I'm trying to say is that I don't really see how this is any less crazy than using something like eHarmony. But from Prudie's response, it's eHarmony that seems like the crazy choice. As I emailed, why not tell Confused to use both, sign up for eHarmony as well as ask the parents to introduce serious-minded suitors. In fact, the traditional Indian arranged marriage has made the digital revolution, check out a website like Shaadi.com (shaadi = marriage in Hindi).

Once again, whether or not you find Prudie's advice good or bad rests with how you characterize Confused and what type of arranged marriage you believe her parents are setting up for her.

I think Prudie gave Confused bad advice because it seems Confused is just a bit panicked and depressed she hasn't found a husband yet. She, like many of us, most likely feels lonely and her biological clock is ticking. But she's still young, I mean she's only 30. (I wonder if Prudie would give the same advice if Confused was 25? And if not, why is it suitable to a woman only 5 years older? I just don't get it.) I would suggest Confused go ahead and sign up for eHarmony, Match.com, and other more serious-minded dating sites, as well as join as many extracurricular and activity clubs as she can (I understand finding a potential husband isn't as easy as joining a book club, but it wouldn't hurt to join one). At the same time Confused should ask her parents to be on the look out for serious-minded suitors, but they must understand that the potential couple must be able to get to know each other on some personal level before deciding to get married. If this doesn't work or fit in a traditional Indian Arranged Marriage, then she should reject that option.

To those who agree with Prudie, I must ask, what type of arranged marriage do you think Confused's parents have in store for her? Because I'd be okay with the advice, even with my anti-arranged marriage bent, if this was simply major-league, very serious setting up by the parents. But I'm almost certain it is not. Unlike using something like eHarmony, Confused is flying to meet someone and she must make a decision within a handful of "meetings". And while Confused mentions her parents will not force her to marry someone she doesn't like, does anyone think her parents will be okay if she quickly rejects a string of candidates? And there are so many terrible situations that arise from an atmosphere like this. Let's say she kind of likes the guy but isn't completely sure just yet. The guy is "smitten" and wants an answer quickly, will her parents not add some pressure if they like the guy? What if instead of liking the guy, she just doesn't mind him. Now she's facing some parental pressure for a man she's ambiguous about. And, once again I ask, how many rejections will her parents be okay with, until they add more pressure.

But what if things go well? She is set up with a decent fellow and they hit it off? What's wrong with them dating for a couple months? Or moving in together? And that's where my problems with an arranged marriage (especially of the Indian tradition) arise. It stems from a religiosity and conservatism in which pre-marital sex is considered taboo and living together is frowned upon. If it was up to me, I'd suggest each couple start to live together when they get engaged. I haven't had a relationship reach this level of seriousness, but I am almost certain that even if the couple are simpatico on several levels, living together will add a new wrinkle to the relationship, as well as will be great preparation. Anyway, that's just a personal opinion and I understand many (if not most) married couples do well even without living together pre-marriage. I'll stop here before I keep on rambling and people find me even more crazy.

I'd like to re-thank everyone for commenting. And reading through this long post.

PS - I guess I must be a bit honest in admitting this letter hits a little close to home (though not entirely people!?!?!). I'm a couple years away from 30 and I've yet to have a relationship that I would consider to have reached the "serious" level, the pre-pre-marriage level. But an arranged marriage is and will be the farthest thing from my mind. Perhaps this is why the letter and response resonated so much with me. I'd like to think I have a good deal of dating left, even though (of course) I'd like to meet my soul mate sooner than later. But Prudie's response to Confused takes on an anti-dating fatalism that seems absurd to me. Yes, Confused wants to be married but other than that doesn't find the Indian Arranged Marriage process all that inviting. To me it's clear, this means she should date seriously, which means signing up for dating websites which cater to more serious-minded daters (eHarmony, etc) as well as allow her friends and family to set her up with like-minded, serious suitors. But, for me at least, this doesn't mean she must go into a closed-minded process in which she's to select/attract a potential husband based on 90 minutes worth of so-called meetings and the good word of her parents (who don't really know the guy either). I'm sorry but I find that type of process limited and tenuous, or perhaps better described as archaic and almost mortifying.

Good or Bad Advice?

2007-04-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

I love Slate. It's an online news magazine filled with insightful and enlightening articles and commentary. It's mainly hard news, but there are softer sides as well. One of which is the very popular advice column titled Dear Prudence. I don't regularly read it, but it's quite popular and regularly makes the websites most read section. Last week's column was particularly intriguing because the first letter dealt with the subject of arranged marriages. In any case, I am very curious as to what people think of Prudie's advice to this particular person. I have my own opinions on the matter and will immediately post them if anyone wants to know, but I thought I would just post the letter and response first and read what people have to say without my perspective. But, if anyone would rather I share my opinion first before asking of others' please let me know and I will do so ASAP.

Here's a link to the original column (it also has the other letters Prudie answered last week). Below is an excerpt of the first letter and response:

Dear Prudie,
I am a 30-year-old single woman who has been living in the United States for the past few years. I am considered smart, successful, and attractive and have an interesting and fulfilling life. But my family, who live in India, are worried that I'm still single, and have been trying to arrange my marriage. While I do want to be married, I've had a couple of relationships that didn't work out; I've been very independent and have lived life on my own terms—so I now find it hard to go through the arranged marriage setup. I know my parents will never force me to marry someone I don't like, but the idea of having an arranged marriage seems archaic and almost mortifying. I'd also like to believe that marriages should be based in love and there should be an element of romance involved. My mother thinks that as long as two people have a certain compatibility and mutual respect, love can happen later. What should I do?
—Confused

Dear Confused,
Now that I have a daughter, I've come to see the wisdom of arranged marriages. What's she going to know about picking a mate? Right now, I have a few candidates I'm keeping my eye on—since my daughter is only 11, I have plenty of time to monitor how these boys turn out. You say you would like to find a husband, but haven't been successful at it. I understand your aversion to the idea of an arranged marriage, but as long as everyone understands you will not be pressured to wed the guy, why not see who your parents come up with? Certainly their knowledge of you, the young man, and the qualities two people need to get along has to be as good as the algorithms of Match.com. Yes, there is an archaic quality to the notion of being introduced to someone you are supposed to marry, but that's the ultimate, if unstated, goal of most fix-ups. As for romance versus compatibility—you and your mother are both right. If you meet the man in question and you two fall in love, what a story of romantic destiny! And romance without compatibility and mutual respect—no matter how you two got together—is destined to be a relationship that didn't work out.
—Prudie

PS - I think I must add that the woman who currently authors Dear Prudence (Emily Yoffe) is a professional journalist who also pens Slate's very entertaining and insightful Human Guinea Pig column.

A-Rod and Biff

2007-04-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

A-Rod is a bit of a sports enigma. He's one of today's best baseball players, without a doubt. He's on track to challenge the new HR record that Barry Bonds will soon make. Many people say A-Rod is a savvy, charming person. But then a few people label him a bit fake or disingenuous; they say he doesn't always sign autographs and thinks about his image too much. I don't know A-Rod so I have no idea what type of person he is, but if he can play a little better in the playoffs, I'll be a very happy person. In any case, if you haven't seen this yet, A-Rod invited Biff Henderson (Stage Manager of The Late Show with David Letterman) to spring training to sharpen his baseball skills:

Here's the link. Click on the spring training 2007 clip. You will need realplayer or a realplayer plugin to view the clip.

Hooray, I found a direct link to the clip.

Music Post Numero Dos

2007-04-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

So I'm trying to get back into shape. The last year or so has been all over the map for me fitness wise. I started out in great shape (don't make me post the photographs! ... actually if I do post them I might just give up and cry ... okay probably not, but let's not risk it) only to slack off and fall back into the dreaded skinny-fat-guy body. I got back on track towards the end of last year and I'll actually be posting about it and my current exercise and diet regimen sometime in the near future.

But let's get back to this post, which is a Music Post, and for those of you scoring at home this is numero dos. So ~~I'm still a bit lazy~~ I'm gradually easing my way back into my running regimen. One aid has been music. And so here is my current playlist while running:

1. Beyonce - Irreplaceable
2. Katherine McPhee - Over It
3. Nelly Furtado - Say It Right
4. Kylie Minogue - Love at First Sight
5. JoJo - Too Little, Too Late
6. Pink - Just Like a Pill
7. Avril Lavigne - Keep Holding On
8. Akon - Don't Matter

I am not making this up. I must add that I haven't bought any of these tracks. And I also listen to other tracks that I have left out (like S-Mac, Indigo Girls, Dolores O'riordan, Tori Amos, etc) because then this post won't be as funny. Still, I think the above playlist says a lot about me:

1. I am either gay or a thirteen year-old girl.
2. My man has done me wrong!
3. One day I'm going to be an independent diva, just like Beyonce.

Seriously though, why does every female pop music artist have to have a song about how her man did her wrong? There's Beyonce, McPhee, JoJo, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, etc. I know men cheat. But every single man? And if someone gorgeous and rich, like Beyonce, can't find a good man, I guess no woman can.

(Uses deep voice) But girl, that's just plain wrong. Let me break it down (do people even say that anymore?) for y'all:

Dear Beyonce and ~~fly honeys~~ bootylicious ladies everywhere,

I know men are dogs. But I'm here to let you know that's not always true. I know it can be difficult to not get cynical and pass on love and looks for money (you knowles who you are), but that's not the way to happiness. Many guys are honest and decent --- aw girl, this is getting too personal ...

(Clears throat, choking back the sniffles) Remember JuJu, when we were young and in love? All the way back in the Y2K? Things were going so well. But then one night you said you had to leave me at home because the club was jumpin', jumpin'. And then something about ballers and pockets full grown --- aw girl why'd you do me like that?!?! Awwww, it hurt so bad girl, it hurt so bad!?!?!

Anyway, that was a long time ago. And I'm here to let you know I'm over it, they'll be no more crying in the rain. He may believe you, but I never will. Never again. It's just too little, too late. In the end, You must not know 'bout me.

THE END.

Good lord I hope someone finds this funny. This is my lame attempt at satire. Is it not a bit funny (if not ironic, disingenuous) that a pop singer is talking about being cheated on when years ago she had a song basically promoting cheating? Anyway, my lame attempt was funny when I hit the "publish" button, so it's not my fault. It must be a blogger error, or a translation problem.

And, yes, I know I need to get a life. I'm working on it.

PS - For some stellar music, head on over to Tori Amos' website and listen to three amazing songs from her new album.

Music Post Numero Uno

2007-04-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

You may find the title to this post a bit strange. But it is not. Because this post will be followed by Music Post Numero Dos which will say a good deal about me, in a strange way, actually I'm a little embarrassed about it, but I won't chicken out and not post it. In any case, on with this post.

I just want to give a blog shout out (blog out?) (and is "shout out" still in contemporary vocabulary?) (and can I just string along parenthetical statements one after the other?) to two good songs.

The first song is a wonderful pop-folk paean to life. The song is "Blessed" by Brett Dennen. In order to hear it, visit Dennen's myspace page and select the song. Dennen also has a bunch of youtube vids, but none are of Blessed. Also, for anyone interested, here's a link to the lyrics of the song.

I do have the YouTube vid for the second amazing song. It's "Galileo" by the Indigo Girls. This is simply a cool song, check out the lyrics here. I do wish the chorus was little stronger, but perhaps I'm nitpicking. And in any case, I'm glad I have an Indigo Girls song I can name-drop to look coolly sensitive (which I am) and at the same time give me indie-cred. ~~Fly honeys~~ Empowered feminists, be on the look out for me.

Company Man

2007-04-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

I really cannot stand the Bush Administration right now. And it's not like I can remember a time when I could stand them. But 7 years ago, as a naive and idealistic college student, I thought Al Gore was a sellout for not embracing Nader and the issues he was championing. And while, even then, I realized Bush would be bad news for this country ... I must admit that when the Supreme Court (basically) handed Bush the presidency I thought to myself, how bad could it really be. Ayup, I actually said that to myself. In my defense, at the time I had no idea the Bush campaign had push-polled McCain so egregiously in South Carolina, nor that minority voters in Florida had been disenfranchised.

After 7 years of corruption, incompetence, and draconian measures the answer, for me at least, is quite clear. Though it took 6 years for most of the nation to see through the veil, something I find equally appalling but that's for another post (though I'm not even sure how that post would begin: "umm, thank you former pro-Bush'rs for realizing you made a colossal mistake"?!?!?). In any case, the Bush Admin is currently in the news for two major, tragic fiascoes.

The first is the widely reported and discussed firings of US Attorneys due to their views not being in line with the Bush Admin's. Not only does the utterly retarded Atty General, Alberto Gonzales, represent a corrupt and incompetent regime, he got the job in the first place because he's uber-loyal to Bush and Company. For those that are not familiar with "Fire-Gate" here's the cliff notes version (also check out Slate's coverage of the fiasco which was very, very early):
1. US Attys were fired, they claimed it was political.
2. AG and the Bush Admin said this was not the case.
3. Evidence (like emails which basically say, "Hey, how about we fire people that don't agree with us?") shows the firings were political.
4. AG and Bush Admin basically say, "Okay, maybe they were political, but no one at the top knew anything about it."
5. Evidence, in the form of AG's chief of staff testifying in front of Congress, shows that AG knew about everything and had meetings about the firings.

How the hell is Alberto Gonzales (AG) still in office? I mean this is beyond ludicrous. I really have no clue why AG is still around. And the worst part is that I don't want to be cynical and pessimistic, but it is so hard not to when a venal Attorney General should be fired and yet, absurdly, remains in office.

2008 cannot come any sooner.

Still a bit AFK; More Tourney Talk; Plus Some Good News

2007-03-31T15:38:00.000-07:00

I really need to get back into blogging high gear but it is just a bit difficult right now. As is returning to my healthy diet, it's like Chili's made Southwestern Eggrolls extra delicious just to make it difficult for me. Actually 1 serving of the eggrolls isn't THAT bad (some may argue it is a bit of a small serving). In a related matter, I think I may have discovered the world's most unhealthy dish (thanks to perusing Chili's website and their helpful menu nutrition pdf). It is Chili's own Awesome Blossom, seriously check out these "awesome" stats:
2710 Calories
203 grams of Fat
194 grams of Carbs
24 grams of Protein
15 grams of Fiber
6360 milligrams of Sodium

And for those wondering what the FDA's Daily Recommendations are:
2000 Calories
less than 65 grams of Fat
less than 2400 milligrams of Sodium

And let's remember this is recommended for an entire day.

In other news, my NCAA Tourney Bracket is looking mighty fine. Kids, it is not good to gamble on sports (though if you do make sure to do your homework as it's not easy to beat the odds consistently, though not impossible). But if there was ever a time I should have gambled it was this year. And by gamble I mean head to a sportsbook website and drop a grand or a couple hundred (and by the by, can I borrow a couple hundred?) Anyway, I have filled out only one bracket and it's the same one I have on ESPN's free Tourney Game. Currently I'm ranked at the 98% (97.9 to be exact). I have no clue how much moohla this would have turned into, but I'm going to guess it would have been some decent coin. But oh well, this was mostly luck and I clearly don't have this success every year, lol. But just to toot my own horn a little longer, I picked the entire West region correctly, 6 out of 8 for the Elite Eight, and I have all 4 of the Final Four. So hooray for me. Diane's bracket looks strong too so hooray for her as well. And Diane, I have G-Town over Florida ... but Florida looks extremely strong so I think your pick is safe (by the by, who do you have losing to Florida in the final?).

PS - I'll be posting a political post or two because while I've kicked back on my Slate and Google News addiction recently, I just cannot post on the absurd incompetence and selfish greed this presidential administration is guilty of. Words cannot describe how insanely tragic this administration's era will be seen (if not seen already). So be on the lookout or skip the next post or two, whatever is your fancy.

PPS - Oh yeah, the good news. The other day I received my first law school acceptance letter. It's from the University of Maine which is far away and in a cold, cold state. But it's a decent school and, more importantly, it's my first acceptance so I can relax a bit knowing at least one law school will gladly have me.

I'm fat. And the NCAA Tourney.

2007-03-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

I'll start with the good news. My bracket is looking very, very sharp. Thanks to UCLA and Ohio State (the team of destiny), I'm 2 for 2 in my final four. I picked 6 out of the Elite 8 and would have 7 if the stellar Acie Law didn't run into some bad luck. In any case only Diane is still reading this paragraph and so I say, Diane, it seems many are unhappy with this year's tourney due to the lack of crazy (or any major) upsets. I'm much more of an NBA fan, but I've found the games enjoyable and I'm pretty happy with this year's tourney, though much of this might have to do with having picked a stellar bracket, lol. Anyway, I hope your bracket is doing well too.

And Sage, I'm sorry to have to say this, but your beloved UNC will fall to G-town
today.

Now the bad news. Late last year I decided to get back into shape. I was able to stay on my exercise regimen for a couple months, and stayed on my healthy, low-calorie diet even longer. Unfortunately, I've abandoned both for a month or two. I've gained weight (like 10 lbs), but it is actually worse than that because I've gained fat and lost muscle. And because I'm one of the lucky people whose problem area is their belly, the fat has concentrated there. But, there's a silver lining, I simply can't stand being a skinny guy with a belly. I mean if I'm unlucky enough to not have any muscles, at least help me out with a flat stomach. Am I right people? Unfortunately my DNA code doesn't seem to agree. So I've restarted my exercise program and I've started to watch what I eat (I will gradually return to my former caloric intake). Anyway, more about this in my next post.

Short Break

2007-03-20T21:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry folks. Once again things have become hectic and I've taken a short break from all things blogging. I should be back soon, but I'm not exactly sure when. And if I can't post, I definitely will comment, so be on the look out, lol. Seriously, sorry for the down time. I hope to be back in high blogging gear in no time. I hope all is well for everyone.

And I have Georgetown, UCLA, Florida, and Ohio State in my Final Four. My Final Four is still intact! Though barely, thanks to Ron Lewis. I still have 7 of my final 8 left.

And I have the G-town Hoyas winning it all!

For the Birds

2007-03-10T16:17:00.000-08:00

I've been feeding the local wild birds by leaving bird seed and pieces of bread in the backyard. They're definitely not pets but maybe this is something like what a pet chicken would be like, though probably not since chickens can't fly away and are a bit more sociable (at least the internets say so). But it is a tad bit entertaining watching the various wild birds, especially their behavior to feeding and each other. I'm not sure if this is what bird watching is about (I'm guessing bird watchers trek into the wild to observe rarer birds, in their natural habitat), but, for me, it's fun to check out the birds ... for like 5 minutes.

If you're not already bored with this post you soon will be. But I do have some photographs so hopefully that will help.

We have a good deal of crows around here. I think they're American Crows but I really have no clue. The wiki article says they're quite intelligent and I'd have to agree. They're the first to arrive and kind of Bogart the area calling their friends. They prefer the bread pieces and will try to take as many pieces as they can fit in their beaks (3 to 5 from what I've noticed), not worrying if a piece falls as they fly to their eating area. And while it seems they tend to keep other birds away, it's only when it comes to the bread pieces. I spread out the food and so when the smaller birds come to feed on the bird seed (which is a bit apart from the bread pieces), the crows don't make much of a bother.

The smaller birds are fun to watch as they are a bit timid compared to the crows. They perch on the bare pare tree and wait until ready to drop down and peck at seed. I don't know what types of birds they are, and I think there's more than one type. Though in these photographs I just have a group of one type, the most common small birds. Hopefully someone might know what bird family they belong to?

Recently some medium sized birds have joined the party. I have no clue what kind of birds they are, and so I refer to them with the scientific "medium sized" moniker. Anyway, they also prefer the bird seed. But they're far more comfortable, pecking away with almost disregard. After they're full (I'm guessing) or there's no more seed, they perch on the back fence as if they're relaxing on the porch before their next meal.

If anyone can help identify these birds, that would be great.

The bread pieces and bird seed are only on the weekends and maybe another day. I don't want the wild birds to become depedent, though a wild bird website said the only worry is a waste of energy if they expect it on certain days but even then it is only harmful in areas of truly cold weather. If anyone knows otherwise, please let me know. The last thing I want to do is harm these wild birds.

So that's my bird post. Thanks for making it to the end.

TALLADEGA NIGHTS (2006)

2007-03-07T18:12:00.000-08:00

I have to admit I didn't know what to expect going into viewing TALLADEGA NIGHTS (2006). That's mainly because while I think Will Ferrell is a comic genius, I was thoroughly disappointed with ANCHORMAN (2004). I know most people found it hysterical, I just did not. Completely. But that wasn't the case with TALLADEGA NIGHTS.

Now I can't say TALLADEGA NIGHTS is a movie you should run out to see. It is pretty silly. But while there isn't much detailed substance, there is a wonderful, hokey charm that will (or might) win you over. Ferrell plays a bumbling young midwesterner who gets the chance to become a NASCAR driver and takes the sport by storm, only to hit rock bottom after a crash and the introduction of a nemesis: a gay, french Formula One driver who enters NASCAR (brilliantly played by Sacha Baron Cohen). The triumphant comeback is both predictable and randomly funny, with a great ending. However, for me, the real gem of the film is the funny, odd best buddy relationship between the characters played by Ferrell and John C. Reilly. I can't really describe it in detail only to say that the buddy relationship takes up a good part of the story and showcases some stellar oddball humor.

All in all, this is one of those flicks I would recommend to those people who are already interested in it. Yeah, a rousing endorsement. If you're not familiar with the Ferrell/Adam McKay (director) brand of humor, this might be a long two hours. But if you found Ferrell funny on SNL and enjoyed the previews, this will probably be a fun afternoon.

Pet Update and Photographs

2007-03-04T10:30:00.000-08:00

So I might not be getting a pet after all. A pet chicken, while convenient, is probably just too messy for me. And while I think they might be sociable (as the shelter and websites claim), the level of friendliness is probably far lower than what I am imagining. Though I might head down to the shelter and check them out. And that ties into my new idea. Actually it's not my idea, but someone else's. But it is a terriffic idea. Someone suggested that shelter's are always in need of dog walkers. And that sounds perfect to me. I've always thought about volunteering at an animal shelter to learn more about pet animals. Since I don't know much about shelters, I never realized they would need dog walkers. But they must, and that sounds like the perfect way to learn and prepare for a pet dog sometime in the future. I still haven't called nearby shelters so this dog walking idea is way in the future, but I think it's the best idea for me and I'll post more about it when new info arrives. Again, thanks everyone for the great ideas and thoughts on the pet chicken matter and pets in general.

In other news, last week was a stellar time for blog photographs. Both Diane and Sage posted photos of their recent trips. For those of you who haven't caught the photos from Diane's exciting trip to Yellowstone, head over to her blog and scroll down for them. And Sage has some wonderful beach photos of his trip. Another great source of photos is Norm. He's posted some wonderful photos (here and here starring his adventuresome dog Stinky) of the winter wonderland that is his backyard.

So, taking a cue from these wonderful bloggers I took some photos and now I'm going to share them. They're pretty mundane. Just some rain (perhaps hail) from a couple days ago; mainly to show it gets cold here in the Bay Area (California) too. But I just checked the forecast and today's high is 70. So I guess it is true. We don't get cold weather.

I'm back.

2007-03-01T10:33:00.000-08:00

So that was my break. One whole week. There's no way I can stay away from blogger. I have to admit I really, truly enjoy blogging ... especially visiting and sharing in everyone's wonderful blogs. And I've decided I am going to embrace blogging a bit fuller. Or in other words, I am going to return to my blogging roots, lol. What I'm trying, so uneloquently, to say is that I shall be posting two or three times a week. So go ahead and stop by more often, if you'd like.

In other news, I am thinking about getting a pet. I've wanted a dog for a decent amount of time, because let's face it, they are man's best friend. But, unfortunately, I cannot get a dog at this time. However, scrolling the websites of animal shelters in my area, I came across this pet idea: the chicken. This shelter states that chickens are always available (rather sad that so many people abuse and neglect them) and that they make surprisingly good pets. A chicken would also be a convenient pet (I feel kind of bad that I am choosing a pet for convenience) since it remains outdoors. I can set up a small chicken home (many sites say a dog carrier type enclosure will do) in the backyard and that should be it. They eat common pet store pellets and drink water, and love cheerios and chex mix as tasty treats. This informative article even says they can be trained a bit and are rather sociable. From what I've read, I'm really looking into getting a pet chicken. But, I briefly asked a fellow blogger on gchat about the pet chicken idea and her response was that it probably wasn't a good idea. That the chicken would not be very social or pet like and would simply crap all over the place. So I'm asking anyone out there, blog buddies, neighbors, first-time visitors, everyone ... do you think a chicken would make a good pet?

PS - Perhaps this is a sign, but Slate has a piece about a peculiar chicken. It's a great read and be sure to check out the author's other pieces about his livestock and farm.

PPS - Most of you are probably familiar with the lovely and witty Diane. But if you don't visit her wonderful blog, Nanners and Noodles, do so now and scroll down until you find her amazing photographs from her recent trip to Yellowstone.

We still don't know his first name.

2007-02-27T10:15:00.000-08:00

Of course I'm talking about the mysterious (though a little less so now) Mr. Bennet from the show HEROES. If you have Monday nights at 9pm open, you may want to check out NBC's engaging and entertaining new drama.

I've posted about HEROES before and I've thought of it as a pleasant surprise with great potential. But, for me, last night's extraordinary episode has unveiled that potential. It was simply an all-around great episode in which a decent amount of backstory was uncovered, while nicely setting up new plotlines. I still think the cast may be a little bit more pretty than skilled, at times, but last night's episode was full of acting prowess, perhaps helped by such sharp writing. The comic book storyline has been smoothly building, sprinkled with great twists and surprise characters. Last night's episode did not disappoint, and, true to form, ended in a juicy cliffhanger that will keep us engaged for the coming episodes.

For those of you who haven't seen an episode this season, it is of course best to wait for the DVDs this summer and catch the whole season in sequence. For those of us following this solid drama, are you also pleasantly surprised at just how good this show is getting?

Short Break

2007-02-20T10:27:00.000-08:00

I'll be taking a short break from blogging due to school and some other stuff. But I wanted to thank everyone (the blog buddies/neighbors) for visiting/commenting, and for allowing me to enjoy and share a small part of your lives by reading your wonderful blogs.

I would also like to end this post with four of my favorite films. Here they are in alphabetical order.

Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001)

This is an absolutely touching and heartbreaking masterpiece. I've seen many of Spielberg's films and, in my opinion, this one is head and shoulders above the others (which are pretty good). I think some (if not much) of this had to do with the film being a collaboration with Stanley Kubrick.

Blade Runner (1982)

I guess I kinda like sci-fi. This amazing sci-fi action thriller is still visually engrossing after all these years. However it is much more than a superb action flick, dealing with eternal, in-depth themes like the confrontation and intersection of man and machine.

Dr. Strangelove (1964)

A brilliantly absurd satire of the military-political construct. It is still hilarious, as well as sharp. Plus it is a Kubrick film.

Sansho the Bailiff (1954)

A work of pure art that is both beautiful and sad. This is a masterwork of the utmost quality by the Japanese master Kenji Mizoguchi. Beware, it will break your heart.

Kiva, ACCION, and DonorsChoose

2007-02-18T12:13:00.000-08:00

I talked about Kiva and ACCION back in November. They are both microfinance non-profits. They help the world's poorer folks with microloans they cannot find any place else and at reasonable rates. Check out the November post for more info.

ACCION is a major organization which accepts donations and takes care of the microfinance details on its own. Kiva, a smaller organization, has brought a novel approach to microfinance thanks to the internet. Kiva matches lenders and borrowers. You can visit the website and view several entries of borrowers explaining what they need the money for, what type of business they run, a little about their background, and other wonderful information. Lenders also have similar style entries, if they want (one can always remain anonymous). In any case, lenders (you, me, anyone with $25 bucks) can visit the website and decide which borrower they want to lend to. And technically this isn't charity because the money will be paid back, though with no interest. The lender can then lend the money to another borrower or cash out.

I am lucky to say that I have now learned about DonorsChoose. DonorsChoose is very similar to Kiva accept the it is a charity organization instead of dealing with microfinance. And DonorsChoose specifically helps public school teachers. The gist is the same, teachers post about their need for a digital camcorder or a rug and donors visit the website and decide which teacher/school they will donate too. This is not a loan, so it will not be paid back. For more info on this wonderful charity, check out this great Slate piece on it.

And finally, I'd like to drop a note on Charity Navigator. If you're ever wondering how well your favorite charity is organized, efficient, helpful, etc then check out the Charity Navigator website where they have in depth ratings and information on many, many charities.

And if you're wondering, both ACCION and DonorsChoose have the top rating. Kiva is not listed, perhaps it is too small or too new.

More Slate and THE OFFICE, 30 ROCK, SCRUBS

2007-02-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

I just had to post about 2 more Slate articles.

It seems FOX NEWS has succumbed to the adage: "If you can't beat them, join them." This Sunday the network will debut THE 1/2 HOUR NEWS HOUR. A conservative version of a fake, satiric news cast. Clearly the success of THE DAILY SHOW and THE COLBERT REPORT has irked them, or given them another idea to make money. In any case, I (as someone who considers himself a progressive but can be all over the place on a given issue) would actually watch it if it was funny. And that's the problem. Slate's TV critic, Troy Patterson, has a solid piece on the debut as well as a link to a 2min YouTube segment from the show. I've seen the 2min vid, and while Stewart, Colbert, and Weekend Update are funny, this was not. Maybe it's because I don't share the views of FOX NEWS, but I really think that's not the reason. And it is important to note that TDS and TCR poke fun at both sides and often venture outside of politics to skewer the media and other targets. I'm not sure T1/2HNH will do the same.

Slate has a wonderful, but infrequent, column titled "The Good Word" which deals with language. The most recent installment (posted today) has some very interesting thoughts and insight into how new interjections like awwa, meh, feh, and heh have come about thanks to the internet and how they're now being used in conversation. The piece is an excellent read.

Who saw THE OFFICE last night? I must say it was pretty hilarious, and particularly sharply put together. If you missed it, try and find it online or keep an eye out for the rerun. But I was a little disappointed in how the Pam/Roy saga continued. All it took was getting back together and an art show for the writers to turn Roy back into caveman boyfriend. We all know Pam and Jim will get together. What we don't know is how long the writers will try and drag it out.

30 ROCK is easily turning into one of my favorite shows. Each week it is witty and keenly written. I can't remember a recent episode which even slightly disappointed. If you are missing out on this stellar sitcom, you are missing out on something special.

I adored SCRUBS when it debuted. Then due to timeslot problems and other things I stopped watching the program a couple seasons back. But I've seen most of the episodes this season and the show has been really good. Plus I have Comedy Central to thank for viewing a couple reruns as well.

Slate Rundown

2007-02-15T10:13:00.000-08:00

As you most likely know, I enjoy reading Slate from time to time. Okay, perhaps that is an understatement. In any case, Slate has something engaging and interesting for almost everyone.

Everyone wants to lose fat (well, except those who are already toned). And we do this by burning more calories than we use. One way is to increase our calorie burn by exercising more. And while that works, the more direct way (and, optimally we need to do both) is to cut back on the calories we take in. It depends on the person, but the first step is to cut back to under 2000 calories, and then progress lower until you see the fat loss you desire. Of course, once you have the desired fat loss, you can return to higher calories and simply maintain weight. However, new data says that cutting down to 1500 calories greatly increases life. Not sure how many of us want to live to 120, but Emily Yoffe tried to stay on a 1500 calorie diet in her column and as always, she writes a very entertaining and informative piece.

Slate's lovely film critic, Dana Stevens, has a couple fun reviews on two recent flicks aimed at the ladies. First she asks why Diane "freakin'" Keaton cannot find better roles. Then she waxes lovey-dovey for the pleasant surprise that is the Drew-Hugh rom-com. And check out Slate's Road to the Oscars coverage, especially the Hollywoodland column which always has something interesting to write about.

The world lost a wonderful, funny, witty writer in the passing of Molly Ivins. I know her from reading and hearing some of her biting political thoughts. She was a Texas liberal, so she knew her way around a political scuffle or three. Slate's Dahlia Lithwick, another writer I admire, has a moving obit for Ivins. Here's a great line from it: Ivins' bag of comedic tricks included the perfect metaphor: "Being Canadian" was "like living next door to the Simpsons"; being "attacked by Rush Limbaugh on the air" was like "being gummed by a newt. It doesn't actually hurt but it leaves you with slimy stuff on your ankle."

The Future is Rama

2007-02-13T10:32:00.000-08:00

That's right folks. The quirky, funny animated sitcom FUTURAMA will return next year for at least 13 episodes on Comedy Central.

I think FUTURAMA definitely had its highs and lows but overall was a stellar comedy with a fantastic visual style. Towards the end of the first run of the show I remember some extremely memorable episodes such as one in which Bender became a planet for a civilization, and another in which Fry saved the universe from the Brains and their supercomputer, with a little help from the Nibbler people. So it is good news that the animated series will return. Any other FUTURAMA fans out there?

LEGALLY BLONDE (2001)

2007-02-10T11:43:00.000-08:00

I really don't know what to make of LEGALLY BLONDE (2001). This comedic chick flick (is it okay to call it that ladies?) starring the aptly cast Reese Witherspoon came on cable the other day and, let's keep this between us, I watched it. One of the reasons I sat through it was because of this semi-rave from Lisa Alspector (a former film critic at the Chicago Reader). I've mentioned the Chicago Reader's film section a few times and that's because I'm a big fan of their main critic (Jonathan Rosenbaum). But I also like their other critics though Alspector was a bit quirky, or tough to decipher. I remember, at first, disliking her capsule reviews because while they were packed with great detail and info, it was a bit ambiguous whether or not she panned or recommended the film. But then I began to respect her capsule reviews and conclude that she most likely felt the reader could determine if the film was for them or not. And she was a bit more emphatic in her raves.

One of which is LEGALLY BLONDE (I think, lol). I must say I enjoyed the movie and found parts of it quite hilarious. On the other hand, the story and (mainly) the plot were at times down right, for lack of a better term, incredibly dumb. The defense case Witherspoon's character works on in the final act is not only strangely dumbed down, but also a bit glib. And I would say the same about the ultra happy ending. But I can see how this movie is a crowd pleaser and while I may not be as emphatic about it as Alspector, I'd recommend it to people who were already interested in it (yes, a truly robust recommendation). The movie's messages of Rocky-like persistance and triumph, and of not judging a book by its cover no matter how shiny, are great morals and fun to watch. That Witherspoon's Elle Woods chooses what is important to her over the paternalistic stereotype of holding on to a selfish Ken doll is also fun to watch. And while this is only pop feminism (or simply a semblance of it) it will definitely give you a good chuckle or three; it's not a bad way to spend a lazy afternoon.

I'm ready for the Super Bowl

2007-02-02T17:57:00.000-08:00

So the big game is in two days and I'm ready to see a good game. I'm rooting for both teams though leaning towards the Colts because of Manning, Harrison, Dungy, Saturday, Sanders, Freeney and simply the remarkable transformation of the defense in the postseason. There's also my crude football brain which says the AFC should crush the NFC, and that the Bears don't have enough consistent offense to win. But it seems that everyone feels the Colts will win and by a touchdown or two (or three). This overlooking of the Bears may turn into Chicago's advantage. And I definitely think, as someone who is a bit suspicious of popular (mob) opinion, that this means the Bears will give the Colts somewhat of a fight with their tough defense. But in the end I don't see the Bears offense scoring enough points. So here's my prediction: Colts over Bears, 24 to 20.

Since it is Super Sunday, there's the yearly onslaught of Super Bowl commercials. I'm not sure if those of you in Canada (Mishy and Ffleur) witness the hype that surrounds these commercials but it is almost as instense as the hype for the game. And this is something I really do not understand. Well, I can understand it. We, the US, are an unabashedly, perhaps problematically commercial and material culture. Let's face it, we buy things ... and then we buy some more stuff. But this is also why many of us are in debt. Though I understand coporate power and our politicians have had a large hand in keeping wages down (or stagnant), increasing income/wealth inequality, and destroying labor rights ... all of which results in lower purchase power which leads to amassing debt. Now I also realize that many of these commercials are funny and entertaining. But for us, as a society, to build up such a frenzy over commercials, 60 second videos trying to sell unhealthy food or an inflated corporate image, is a bit absurd. I mean I have no other way to say it but "hey, people!?!? it's just commercials!??!?" Now, I understand non-football fans might say something similar about getting into a trance or frenzy over a football game. But I must mention that the football players this Sunday are not trying to sell you anything. They're playing a game of physical prowess, mental acumen, and clashing wills at the highest level. And even if no one was watching, most of these players would still be playing this game. And yes, in the end it is just a game. But I guess in the end the Nutcracker is just a dance, and Mozart's Symphony No. 40 is just a song. Here's to a good game.

Slate rundown and Football!

2007-01-27T17:24:00.000-08:00

So I used to, how do I put this, not be the biggest fan of Slate's previous Film and TV reviewers (David Edelstein and Virginia Heffernan, respectively). But I am on board with the current twosome, Dana Stevens and Troy Patterson (especially Stevens). Currently, Stevens has a solid review denouncing the pseudo-Tarantino lemming that is SMOKIN' ACES. I haven't seen this movie, but if you're looking for a second opinion I'd suggest Jonathan Rosenbaum's capsule review which is even more strident. I understand a certain segment of the population (dumb kids, usually male though, surprisingly, of all ages) enjoys amoral, nihilistic, insipid, ultraviolent shoot-em-ups injected with explosions (and that Jerry Bruckheimer owes his mansion, jet, diamond encrusted diamonds, etc to this segment). But I'm sorry, it doesn't make these empty exercises in camerawork, editing, and pyrotechnics any good or worthwhile.

I'm a big fan of THE OFFICE but recently I might even say that I'm a bigger fan of 30 ROCK. Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin head up a high-larious cast and the show's writing is crisp and witty. The show effortlessly tackles everything from the absurdity of corporate "synergy" product placement to the absurdity that is Liz Lemon's on-and-off again romance with the Beeper King. And the show brings about funny line after funny line in everything it tackles. In any case, Slate's TV reviewer (Patterson) seems to agree and has a nice review of 30 ROCK, placing the very, very talented Tina Fey front and center.

And now for some football. I'm sure everyone is gearing up for the Super Bowl. I think it will be a solid game though I'm not sure it will be as competitive as the Colts/Pats AFC championship. I'll have a prediction some time next week. But I just want to type a few words in defense of the Saints. Last week I thought the Saints would beat the Bears, and the reality of the game resulted in a blowout by the Bears. However, if you look at the the turnover discrepancy (4 to 0 in favor of the Bears) you'll see how the game turned strongly in favor for the Bears. And only 1 turnover was a Drew Brees interception, and it was late in the game when the tide had already turned. The 3 back breaking turnovers were fumbles. Which is a bit lucky, but also goes to show how tough this Chicago defense really is. I'm not sure the Bears can do the same in the Super Bowl, but that is definitely a path they should be focusing on.

NFL Playoff Picks

2007-01-20T17:51:00.000-08:00

I'm going with the Saints over the Bears. I guess it will be cold as hell in Chicago but everyone will be sending the Saints warm thoughts. The Saints offense is simply too versatile and strong for the good, but depleted Bears defense. And the underrated Saints defense will put enough pressure on the Rexy one. Though, the Saints defense seems to give up the big play which is Rexy's specialty. In any case, Saints over the Bears 31-24.

In the late game I'm going with Colts over the Pats. This is mainly because of my pro-Colts and anti-Pats bias. I mean seriously, it's about time Dungy, Harrison, and LaserRocketArm got to the playoffs. And it's about time the Dynastic Pats lost a game (especially after that partial gimme by lady luck against the Chargers). But there's a bit of analysis in my pick as well. Nobody really knows how, (perhaps by adding the Bob Sanders coefficient into the cover-2 formula) but the Colts defense has recently become spectacular. Especially stopping the run. However, this means for the Pats the game will be in Brady's hands. Unfortunately, the Golden Boy hasn't been so shiny recently. And the Colts secondary may step up as well. In any case, Colts over the Pats 24-21.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

WATCHMEN

2007-01-20T16:47:00.000-08:00

I finished reading Alan Moore's WATCHMEN (illustrated by Dave Gibbons) a week or more ago. I've waited a short time before posting a review because this graphic novel is the type of fiction that stays with you long after you've finished reading it. It is a powerful, insightful, thoroughly entertaining work of fiction. If the thought of a gritty, noirish, retelling of the Superheroes story set in an alternative Cold War USA is the type of story that catches your interest, then WATCHMEN is definitely for you. But even if you find this to be a little too comic-booky (or geeky), WATCHMEN is still the type of fiction that will engage and move you. And that's because the book is a tour de force.

One of the reasons I read WATCHMEN is because I wanted to experience the genre of graphic novels. I think graphic novels are a wonderful medium. Especially because I feel they inhabit a space between moving pictures (film, tv) and the written word. The cinematic quality of graphic novels is something I find thoroughly appealing. And WATCHMEN certainly does not disappoint in this regard. In fact, WATCHMEN is known for its amazing pictorials, filled with great detail, superb action, and interesting motifs. The WATCHMEN is also known for its insightful, complex, tense, and dramatic story and plot. In other words, as far as graphic novels go, WATCHMEN definitely takes the medium to striking heights.

I simply cannot say enough good things about WATCHMEN. I'd highly, highly recommend reading about this wonderful graphic novel and for those even slightly interested, run out and buy it immediately. It is simply a captivating read.

Happy MLK Day!

2007-01-15T18:08:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful MLK Day!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr is a very special person in my book. He fought for equality and justice and the good of society. He gave his life to the struggle. But not before his words and teachings were indelibly sorched into the world. So that future generations would never forget the struggle and would always be able to learn of one man's dream of a better tomorrow. Unfortunately, sometimes that tomorrow seems ages away. But I hope, one day soon, that we wake up to that tomorrow.

Today there was a rare display of his papers and a couple corporate donations to the National Mall MLK memorial. I think this memorial should have been constructed years ago. MLK is without a doubt one of the most important figures of recent US (and world) history. To not have a prominent memorial for him in DC, next to Jefferson and Lincoln, is almost shameful.

To end, for those looking for some absolutely amazing pictures of MLK and the civil rights movement check out Slate's Today's Pictures section.

Who's Ready For Some Football?

2007-01-11T16:07:00.000-08:00

If you're a football fan you've probably viewed some stellar games the last two weeks. The Boise State vs OU game was simply spectacular. And then the Florida Gators stridently upset "The" Ohio State Buckeyes. The "the" always cracks me up.

And in the NFL there were some solid playoff matchups. The Cowboys unluckily lost to the Seahawks when Romo botched the hold. And he almost ran it in for the W but was stopped short by a great open field tackle. The other NFC game was also close as the Eagles outbattled the Giants. This weekend's games seem to hold even more intrigue and a whole lot of fans will definitely be watching. And even though no one cares, here are my predictions. I like Drew Brees. I like Deuce. I like Reggie Bush. I like that other Saints rookie Colston. So I'm definitely rooting for the Saints, but I must admit that Westbrook has been impressive and it will be close. Nevertheless, Saints over Eagles. The other Saturday game, Indy vs Balt, is one in which I have no clue as to who will win. If I had to guess I would go with the Ravens, but the Indy offense may be good enough to pull off the win. On Sunday, I'm rooting for the Chargers (with the game's best player, LT) over the Pats, but I am well aware that it is not very smart to bet against Belichick, Brady, and the rest of the Pats. I think all of Football America is really excited for these 3 games. I'm not so sure about the 4th, Seattle vs Chicago. Seattle is lucky to have made it this far and Chicago's QB (therefore offensive) problems have reached epic proportions. I am curious to see what happens, and perhaps this will turn out to be a stellar battle. Though I wouldn't bet on it and I have no clue who will win ... the refs? maybe it will end in a tie? In any case, this weekend seems to be a great one, for the most part, for football.

Before I forget ...

2007-01-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

As an avid viewer of PBS I'm hardly surprised to find a hidden gem in their programming. One such gem aired on PBS' Independent Lens program, which showcases excellent independent films and videos of every genre and duration.

The gem I'm talking about is called "MY LIFE ... DISORIENTED" and its a refreshing, well-written, and well-acted dramedy of about 30 minutes or so. It deals with the high school and family life of an anxious and memorable Asian-American teenager. There's a complete synopsis on the website. I'll admit that initially I wasn't expecting much, thinking this would be some half-assed ABC after-school special meets the OC. But I was pleasantly surprised to not only thoroughly enjoy it, but to fondly and not so fondly empathize with the high schooler as she navigated her way through a new school and a new stage in her family life.

Unfortunately, I'm not entirely sure how others can view it. They have clips on YouTube or the website, but if it's not the entire thing it probably isn't worth it. They also have a schedule of when it will air on local PBS stations, but I believe most of those airings were in December. But it is still worth checking out the schedule. And then try checking out the Independent Lens schedule for when they'll be repeating the particular broadcast.

If you do get a chance to view it, I highly recommend it. It is truly worthwhile and you will no doubt enjoy it, all the more so if you remember high school.

Let the procrastination begin!

2007-01-05T17:52:00.000-08:00

I should probably be finishing up my applications but I've already deemed today to be Lazy Thursday. I know what you're thinking, today is Friday. And that's just how lazy I was yesterday, I couldn't even finish my blog post. Man, I can be lazy.

Unfortunately I did pay a price for this by losing 2 hours of my life to the cinematic void that is the Coen Brothers' INTOLERABLE CRUELTY. And I'll be the first to admit that I can (and have) wasted 2 hours surfing the IMDb or Wikipedia or ESPN.com. So it's not really the 2 hours, but that I had to sit through such an ~~intolerably cruel~~ incessantly despicable movie.

Where to start with the craptacular that is INTOLERABLE CRUELTY. Well there is the title which is clearly a warning. The characters are thin and flimsy like cardboard. I guess they're supposed to be farcical cartoons from the cynical world of Coen-land, but they're simplistic, unsympathetic egomaniacs (even for a Coens flick). Since the Coens are involved, one would think the dialogue would be crackling, original, and funny. Far from it, unfortunately. If it's not a cliched, lame joke about lawyers then it's one about gold diggers. I imagine this is a Coens exercise in the romantic comedy genre. The problem is who wants to sit through this exercise of vapid, vain characters and empty, mindless dialogue. On top of this the rom-com elements are as absurd and annoying. I have no clue what the Coens' intent was in making such a terrible mess, other than their smart-alecky try at a bad SNL skit which goes on way too long and gets infinitely worse along the way.

This brings up the Coen Brothers in general. What do you people think about their flicks? I saw BARTON FINK and FARGO a good time ago and initially found them to be funny, idiosyncratic, original, and clever. But looking back on them after viewing a world of truly artful, poignant films, I'm not sure I can say the same about the work of the Coen Brothers (at least the work I've seen). After first viewing their work, I surfed the internet for a few reviews, like I usually do, and was surprised to see Jonathan Rosenbaum (film critic of the Chicago Reader) pan them a bit. But today I have to admit I feel he is mostly right. Rosenbaum is right to point out that there's a condescending bent to most of their work which intertwines with their penchant for smarm. They deal a lot in sick, demented, inept, foolish characters, and perhaps that is how they see people. There's also a forced ambiguity in their flicks (certainly BARTON FINK) that tries to mask itself as deep meaning.

That being said, I remember THE BIG LEBOWSKI being clever and impressive, if a bit meandering and forcedly ambiguious. I also enjoyed O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? though perhaps it was the enchanting music. For whatever it is worth, Rosenbaum found LEBOWSKI to be their best effort while calling O BROTHER "a piece of pop nihilism" and their worst.

In any case, I'm just curious to see what everyone else's take is on the work of the Coen Brothers.

And, once again, stay away from INTOLERABLE CRUELTY.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-03T17:42:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I guess the Holiday Season is coming to an end. And I guess 2006 has come to an end. 2006 was an up and down year for me, but mostly good. And especially because I got into blogging and was lucky enough to make some wonderful blog buddies. Anyway, this is going to be a smorgasbord (I actually spelled it correctly on my first try, hooray) of a post ... that might actually turn into two posts.

Speaking of the end of 2006, I guess I'm a year older. I don't really feel any older but I, usually, feel like an old man anyway. One recent event that has me a bit worried about getting old, is that I watched ANCHORMAN and barely laughed. I mean I chuckled here and there, but for the most part I found it unfunny ... stridently at times. Am I the only one who found this movie decidedly mediocre (at best)? And is it because I'm getting old? Though if finding 80 odor jokes unfunny is a sign of getting old, I'll gladly cop to getting older ... and wiser ... and more sensible. Though I'm not sure how much more sensible since I still want to see TALLADEGA NIGHTS.

I also saw WONDER BOYS which was really, truly funny. In the end I was a bit disappointed with the film but that's mostly because I had very, very high expectations. I felt similarly about last year's LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. Both are stellar, hilarious films but I went into both thinking they would transcend their genre of light dramedy and delve deep into the dynamic of what makes good fiction (WONDER BOYS) and the interpersonal dynamics of a contemporary extended family (SUNSHINE). And while both films touch on their respective subjects, they do so with a delicate, light hand ... never really digging deep enough to uncover the hidden gems, the profound social comments we find in the piercingly honest and introspective films. That being said, these are two exceptional films with amazing casts ... especially SUNSHINE which has more charm than George Clooney's hairpiece. (Okay, okay, that's probably his real hair. Whatever.)

And speaking of good films, two of my favorite film critics have posted their top films of the year. I no longer am as informed on film criticism as I once was (or thought I was) but I still believe one of the top film critics in the world is the Chicago Reader's Jonathan Rosenbaum. Here's a link to his list along with the list of the Reader's junior critic. I'm also a big fan of Slate's Dana Stevens, who became Slate's film critic this year. Here's a link to her Top 10 list. And for any fellow Rosenbaum fans who might pass by, the Chicago Reader has recently unveiled a film blog run by their film critics. Here's the link to the blog.

I thought this post would be about several things but so far its been about films and movies. I think I'll end this post now and save the other things for subsequent posts. One of these things is an update on my fat loss. I stopped exercising for a couple weeks when I had to focus on papers for school. Nevertheless, I really didn't ballon up at all. This is because I continued to watch what I ate, limiting my caloric (and, therefore indirectly, my fat) intake. I in fact lost weight, but most of that was muscle and I could see my stomach had gotten a slight bit flabbier. Anyway I've returned to working out regularly again and hope to make the most of winter break. However I'd like to note that I think the weeks off show just how important watching what you eat is in terms of losing fat. You can exercise all you want, but if you are not simultaneously limiting your calories and fat, you will have an awfully hard time losing any fat. Anyway, I'll have an entire post on this (hopefully short) in the next few days.

I hope 2007 is treating everyone well.

I'm Back!

2006-12-28T18:01:00.000-08:00

Okay who missed me? I'll take that silence as everyone. Well I missed yall too. I hope everyone had a lovely Xmas!

I really had to write up a storm the last couple of weeks. And while it might not be that much for a studious student, it was a hell of a lot for my lazy butt. Hah. (For the record it was about 12k words.)

Anyway, I finished everything just a couple of days ago and I'm looking forward to reading a good book or two, and watching a great NFL game or three. But I also have to deal with Law School applications. I'll be completing them ASAP.

Speaking of books, I've always been interested in learning more about graphic novels. It seems two of the powerhouses in the graphic novel venue are authors Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman. I've picked up two of the most celebrated graphic novels, Watchmen (by Moore) and The Sandman Series(by Gaiman). I've started Watchmen and I must say it is very interesting, compelling, engaging stuff. As a young'n I dabbled in superhero comic books, so it is refreshing to read Moore's noirish, deconstructed take on the superhero. That being said, Watchmen seems to be simply wonderful, top notch fiction, not something solely for comic book fans. I'll post a book review once I've completed it.

I know that Ffleur is a big graphic novel fan and expert, and she posts reviews of what she's reading from time to time. If anyone else is into graphic novels please comment or post a favorite of yours or something.

Anyway, continued Happy Holidays everyone! I understand everyone must be gearing up for New Year's Eve! Have a great one and stay safe folks! (designate a driver, call a taxi, or a sober friend, no matter how late!)

Still AWOL

2006-12-13T22:22:00.000-08:00

So I thought I'd quickly post something. It has been 14 days of no blogging whatsoever. I didn't think I would make it. Actually, the plan was no blogging until the semester ended on the 22nd. So I guess I sorta didn't make it. Whatever.

Anyway, I'm going back into blog hibernation. I still have another paper and a take-home exam to deal with. And then I'll return to finishing my original paper. If anyone wants to handle one of these papers for me, that would be swell. Plus I can pay you. Like 5 bucks.

But I'd like to leave you with two of the greatest songs in the history of the universe. Or something like that. The first is "Fidelity" by Regina Spektor.

The second is "One Step Closer To You" by Michael Franti featuring, of all people, Pink. To hear this song head on over to Franti's myspace page and wait for the myspace player to load it.

And just in case I'm tied up or praying to the term paper Gods, I'd like to wish everyone a very special Xmas and a merry New Year's! And designate a driver and stay safe folks! Happy Holidays!

AWOL

2006-11-29T19:40:00.000-08:00

I have like a gazillion papers due, so I'll be cutting back on the blogging for the next couple weeks. So if I don't visit your blog in the near future, it is because the Man is making me write about Foucault and Structural Adjustment Policies. Damn the Man! If I ever see the Man, I'll be sure to give him a swift kick in the balls.

The good news is that once I'm done with papers I'll be on winter recess. And that means more time for blogging. Oh yeah, and some time for applications. But, I must finish these papers first.

Anyway, sorry about the downtime folks. And please pray that the Writing Fairy blesses me with David Mamet-like focus and Stephen King-like dedication.

"Gone"

2006-11-27T00:11:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a love of film and an addiction to tv, I don't spend much time diving into music. This means I'm always a bit late in discovering a good song. Case in point, "Gone" by Jack Johnson. While many of you have probably already heard this song, I'd like to post the lyrics and a YouTube link to Jack Johnson performing the song in studio. You know, just in case someone isn't familiar with the song. It's simply a magical, mesmerizing tune.

Look at all those fancy clothes,
But these could keep us warm just like those.
And what about your soul? Is it cold?
Is it straight from the mold, and ready to be sold?

And cars and phones and diamond rings,
Bling, bling, because those are only removable things.
And what about your mind? Does it shine?
Are there things that concern you, more than your time?

Gone, going.
Gone, everything.
Gone, don’t give a damn.
Gone, be the birds, when they don’t wanna sing.
Gone, people, all awkward with their things,
Gone.

Look at you, out to make a deal.
You try to be appealing, but you lose your appeal.
And what about those shoes you’re in today?
They’ll do no good, on the bridges you burnt along the way.

And you're willing to sell, anything?
Gone, with your head.
Leave your footprints,
And we’ll shame them with our words.
Gone, people, all careless and consumed, gone

Gone, gone, gone, everything.
Gone, don’t give a damn.
Gone, be the birds, when they don’t wanna sing.
Gone, people, all awkward with their things, Gone.

YouTube clip of Jack Johnson performing "Gone"

Yes, you do like basketball.

2006-11-26T21:41:00.000-08:00

Below is a clip of a block in a recent NBA game. Two players are involved. One is 7'5" (Yao Ming). The other is 5'9" on a good day (Nate Robinson). Guess who blocks who ...

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-23T11:46:00.000-08:00

Turkey Day is a very special holiday. While we celebrate what we are thankful for and get fat on turkey, the real treasure of Thanksgiving is, let's face it, pumpkin pie. In fact, I believe the holiday's full title is: Thanksgiving: Rise of the Pumpkin Pie. Pumpkin Pie is truly a magical dish. Just one bite will send waves of scrumtrulesence throughout your body. The Puritans actually left evil Britain because of pumpkin pie prohibition. That and they were allergic to dancing or something. So today, while you're enjoying the company of family and some turkey, make sure to celebrate Thanksgiving right and enjoy a slice of pumpkin pie. Your belly will thank you.

In other Turkey Day news, my Mom called some relatives in the UK and wished them a happy Thanksgiving. Little did she realize that they don't celebrate Thanksgiving in the UK. One reason being the Pilgrims and Puritans were basically trying to get away from the other British. Anyway, Happy Turkey Day to the Brits, and the Chinese, and the Kenyans, and the Vegans (Happy Tofurkey Day!), and to everyone else.

And I'll leave you all with this wonderful Turkey Day cartoon:

*Pumpkin Pie pic taken from cheesecake & dessert
**Cartoon taken from pmaco.com ("Happy Turkey Day!")

Links, Enjoy!

2006-11-20T18:20:00.000-08:00

Before I begin I just want to say that if any of you have gmail and want to add me to your contact list my addy is vitalfilm@gmail.com. And don't act like you don't want to add me. You know you want me to IM you at 2am and say, "Is there anything more wonderful than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Lightly toasted, natch."

Anyway, the other day Marse had a McSweeney's Internet Tendancy link on her gmail. I've known about McSweeney's Internet Tendancy for some time but I've been very lazy in consuming the works of literary genius that fill it. Anyway, I just want to link to three works and publicly affirm that I will be reading McSweeney's Internet Tendancy more often.

POSTCARDS FROM "THE EDGE."

AQUAMAN, KING OF THE SEVEN SEAS, HAS FUCKING HAD IT WITH YOU, MAN.

TRIPADVISOR.COM REVIEWS: JEKYLL & HYDE B&B.

And there's also this:

Theater Major Has Too Long Borne Shakespeare Teacher's Blunt Upbraidings, Bitter Scoffs

SMCWAPG vol. 2

2006-11-18T16:06:00.000-08:00

This is the second installment of my award winning series, "Straight Male Celebs Who Are Probably Gay". Also, please be on the look out for spin-offs to the series: "Gay Male Celebs Who Are Probably Straight" and "Straight Female Celebs Who Are Probably Gay".

The subject of this edition is the good-looking and talented Hugh Jackman. Why is he most likely gay? First of all, the guy's name is Hugh Jackman. Now I am very open minded. So I do think a gay porn star could make the transition to Hollywood leading man. However I would think he wouldn't be able to use his porn star moniker. Clearly, "Hugh Jackman" has proven me wrong.

Second, he's done musical theater throughout his career. Even after becoming a major movie star. I can understand singing and dancing to make some money or to get recognition, but once you've become a bankable star there's no need to go back to musical theater. Unless you actually enjoy it. And let's face it, only gay men and women enjoy musical theater. It is proven scientific fact that if a heterosexual man experiences more than one hour of musical theater, his testicles begin to shrink. After 90 minutes, he will begin to spontaneously sing Barbra Streisand tunes.

Third, he's extremely buff for a lanky guy. Here's photographic evidence:You see I have a theory. Which is really an irrational opinion. Which is really fact, like all my crazy opinions. According to this irrational, factual theory, gay men have a "buff gene" which greatly encourages them to lift weights in comparison to straight men. And it allows gay men to build bigger muscles faster. This explains why Hugh Jackman has bulging biceps and I look like a coat hanger. Nothing else could explain this discrepancy. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

Moving on. I hate to be mean but the final clue is that he's almost certainly married to his beard. Yes, she's only 8 years older, and if the genders were reversed we'd call Hugh Jackman old-fashioned for keeping the age difference within a decade. But while I'm sure she was a total babe when they met she seems to have let herself go a bit since then. Meanwhile Hugh certainly hasn't let himself go. Now I understand having children can alter a woman's body. But the Jackmans have adopted both their children. This leads me to conclude that everytime his "wife" has tried to bed him, Hugh runs out of the room screaming, "Kootie Contamination! I must be quarantined!" And other times screaming, "Oh my gawd! Did I just touch a booby? Hold me Rudolpho!"

Folks, the evidence is clear. Hugh Jackman, many a woman's fantasy, is actually just as interested in fashion and make-up and Prince and penises as they are.

Jackman bicep photo taken from All Hands On Deck.

PS - Please let me know if the part about Hugh Jackman being married to his beard was too mean. I was only trying to be funny but maybe calling his wife his beard is a bit over the line. For the record, I am clearly not trying to be mean but to be funny, which is harder than I expected. Anyway, if anyone thinks it isn't in good taste, please let me know. Thank you.

KIVA!

2006-11-14T16:58:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks back Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize. He shared the prize with the Grameen Bank which he founded. Yunus is a Bangladeshi economist, he received his PhD from Vanderbilt. He won the prize for his work on stimulating development through microcredit. In 1976 he created the Grameen Bank in order to facilitate loans to Bangladesh's rural poor.

I'm not sure if you have ever used a loan but they can be very effective and helpful. They (can!) help us buy large necessities we need to increase our future income. Such as a car or a college tuition. In the same vein, the entrepreneurial poor of the third world need loans to make their businesses more competitive, to expand their businesses, or even to get their businesses off the ground. Unfortunately, these individuals do not have access to the same lending institutions we do. Because of their lower economic status they are deemed too risky for loans by commercial institutions. Usually their only option is a local, exploitative loanshark who will lend money with astronomical interest rates (upwards of 100% is normal).

However, the Grameen Bank and other microfinance institutions changed all this by engaging with the poor and working out an effective credit delivery system. This has produced substantial results in developing nations where jobs are scarce and self-employment is a robust option. This has also produced a real trickle down effect as the income created gets invested locally. And this is also a feminist achievement as the vast majority of loan recipients are women. Women who have been historically neglected and discriminated. Women who organize together to receive loans and then help others in similar situations.

Another wonderful microfinance institution is Accion International. They have been around for a long time and have established large microfinance networks in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and even the United States. In addition to micofinance services, Accion Intl also provides small business training.

If you're wondering what the loan repayment rate is for both these organizations, it is over 97%.

A new microfinance organization that is bringing a personal, intimate touch to all of this is Kiva. Let's say you have an extra 100, 50, or 25 dollars. And by extra I mean you don't need to save it. Making a charitable donation would be a great idea. But what if an entrepreneurial single mother from Africa knocked on your door and asked if she could borrow the 25 bucks from you? That she needed it to expand her small but robust peanut butter business. And that she would pay you back in a year. Over that year she would send you updates as to how the loan has helped her business. Also, she's recommended as a perfect loan candidate by a local non-profit that has yet to recommended an individual who hasn't paid back their loan. If you'd like to loan her the 25 bucks, now you can! Thanks to Kiva!

Kiva is a small microloan non-profit in San Francisco. I learned about them when they were featured in a FRONTLINE/World documentary. You can view the video online at the website. Simply put, Kiva connects borrowers and lenders through the internet. They work with local, community-based non-profits who seek out good loan candidates. A profile of the borrower is posted on the Kiva website. It lists the type of business, how much money is needed, where the borrower is located, who has partnered with the borrower (the local non-profit), over what time period will the loan be repaid, and other pertinent information. It also gives some personal information about the borrower and their business and explains what the money will be used for. Once a loan is filled, the borrower keeps a journal informing everyone of how they have utilized the loan and how their business is going.

What Kiva has done is simply spectacular. It connects people of different ages, locations, economic status, etc in a very personal way. And it is not charity. You are lending money to someone who will not only use it in a profound way, but will ultimately pay you back. Currently, thanks to the attention brought by the FRONTLINE/World doc, Kiva has limited lending to 25 dollars per person. I think it is a great start, especially since that is within my budget, lol. Anyway, I haven't signed up yet but I will very soon. When I loan my 25 bucks I will post about Kiva again. Anyway, I hope you found this post interesting.

"LOST"

2006-11-12T14:12:00.000-08:00

I love "LOST". It's a phenomenal, original, epic story. One with a large, richly diverse, and extraordinarily talented cast. This week "LOST" aired its midseason finale. The show will return in February and air continuous episodes with no repeats. The main reason for this is because "LOST" pulls pitiful ratings during a repeat. So ABC has decided to scrap repeats all together and use the timeslot to introduce a new series (something called "Daybreak" starring Taye Diggs). It's funny, but what makes "LOST" so entertaining, intense, and clever is ultimately limiting its broadcast viewership. "LOST" tells the epic journey of plane crash victims as they survive and explore a mysterious island. There are of course multiple dimensions to this complex story, from the conspiratorial syndicate called "the others" to the lush backstories that bring insight to the various main characters as well as uncover how the characters are ultimately connected. Suffice it to say, it is a long, continuous, detailed, sophisticated, delicate story. One that is slowly unraveled, albeit with plenty of action and suspense, over multiple seasons. So while it is not impossible for a viewer to follow along with the show in the middle of a season or without viewing the vast majority of episodes, it is rather difficult. This means new viewers are rather rare, especially midseason, because it takes a rather large investment to get caught up with the show. The vast, vast majority of "LOST" viewers are dedicated fans who have seen virtually every episode. Since these fans do not miss a new episode, they rarely watch repeats, which results in the very low ratings a repeat episode gets. There's another way in which the show's intricate, epic story limits viewership. Some of the dedicated viewers are going to lose their patience with the show and simply stop watching. So while "LOST" opened to such popularity and fanfare in its debut season, from here on out it is going to slowly dwindle in viewership because its complex story makes it difficult to attract new viewers and its long pace causes impatient viewers to give up regular viewing. Fortunately, I doubt this means the show will ever be canceled. It still is relatively popular and does quite well in DVD sales. Also, I've read the creators will complete the series in six seasons. The erosion of viewership by season 6 doesn't seem to be astronomical. And in any case, I'm sure they would complete the show on DVD.

For me, "LOST" is both an exceptional sci-fi thriller and an intense, touching human drama. I'd describe "HEROES" in the same way, but as a lighter version. Both shows, because of their sci-fi subject matter and themes, lend themselves, at times, to melodrama (you certainly see this a bit more in "HEROES"). But, to a certain degree, that's to be expected.

****NOTE: From here on out there will be spoilers. Please beware.

Anyway, I'm just curious as to which characters are people's favorites. And which backstorylines do people find most interesting. I'm a huge Jack fan. I was surprised to hear on Slowly Boiling Frog that many fans actually don't like Jack. Early in the show, for a short time, I leaned towards Locke. The actor who plays Locke was on "THE X-FILES" and I really enjoyed his "The Island will tell us the answers" spooky spirituality. But he got a little crazy and irrational rather fast. And I felt bad that I betrayed Jack --- never again! Lol. I also like how Sayid has progressed and his backstory was very interesting. I like Jack's backstory but I think it got a little weak, especially his obsession over his ex-wife. Perhaps I can't see Jack's faults. But I think that's because he doesn't have any, lol. Sun and Kim are a cute couple but, at first, I wasn't a big fan of their backstory because Sun's father was such a villain. But then it turned out Sun was cheating. And their backstory got a lot more interesting. And how buff is Kim? That guy is ripped. I don't know who is buffer, Kim or Kate. Out of the newer characters, I'm a fan of Desmond. I'm looking forward to seeing more of this mysterious character and his backstory, brother. Anyway, if you're also a fan of "LOST" who are your favorite characters and backstories?

And, finally, I have a major plot question. If Ben and The Others can get things from outside the island (like the World Series tape) AND they claim to have a way to get Jack off the island (and presumably Michael and Walt utilized this option to get off the island), then why wouldn't Ben use this option to get off the island and have his tumor removed?

PS - For those of you wondering who Jacob is, I think I know. After scanning a few forums, I believe Jacob is this guy --- who is also Patchy. The forum link leds to the website Lostpedia, which seems like a wonderful resource.

Veterans Day

2006-11-11T13:15:00.000-08:00

To those who have served in the past. And to those who are currently serving. Thank you for your service and selflessness.

Um ...

2006-11-11T12:03:00.000-08:00

Apparently there's going to be a Fantasy Soap League. I kid you not.

This Dawn Commercial

2006-11-09T19:12:00.000-08:00

I have no idea if Dawn is really into the environment or if this is a PR stunt.

But now I want to bathe and clean a penguin.

And I know what you're thinking. That only girly girls and girly gays want to bathe and clean penguins. Clearly this is a stereotype and you should be ashamed of yourself. Furthermore, I think these penguins found themselves in some unhealthy chemicals so my wanting to bathe and clean them is purely motivated by environmental concerns. And ubermore, a lot of manly, virile (which, NOT coincidentally, is how my name is pronounced) men like to wash cute, cuddly animals. I'm sure many of you are familiar with the stories of Steve McQueen shampooing sea otters.

Speaking of sea otters and penguins, the super, amazing, brilliant Monterey Bay Aquarium has webcams of each (as well as other things). They're live from 7am to 7pm PST, but you can watch pre-recorded snippets in the off hours.

Dems take House, Senate up for grabs

2006-11-08T00:07:00.000-08:00

I must admit I didn't think the Senate would still be up for grabs but it is ... AND it actually looks as though the Dems might take it. At the time of this post, there are 2 Senate seats still undecided. The Dems do need to take both. But they are leading, ever so slightly, in each race.

The Dems did take control of the House, decidedly. Of course this doesn't mean everything is all of a sudden going to be roses. But, at the very least, we'll finally have some semblance of a check on the Bush Administration. Which, in case you're wondering, is a very, very, very, very good thing.

If the Dems do take the Senate, then a Dem led Legislative Branch will be a significant check on the Executive Branch. And, as importantly, the Dems will be able to push through some real, beneficial changes. Such as tax relief for the lower and middle classes, an energy policy that doesn't simply siphon money into the oil companies, a medicare prescription drug plan that puts the needs of retirees over drug companies, etc.

Clearly I hope the Dems take the Senate. I have a midterm tomorrow so I should get some rest. But I might stay up a bit to see how the Senate turns out. Lol.

Also, major props to Arizona (a red state!) for striking down a Gay Marriage Ban. Unfortunately it seems every other state that had a ban on the ballot has passed it. But also a few boos towards Arizona for passing some xenophobic anti-immigration measures.

In conclusion, the people have spoken for change (though maybe they should have come to their senses two years ago?!?! better late than never I guess). The Dems take control of the House and have a great shot at taking over the Senate. What's next? Obama in 2008!!

Spot the Lie Meme - Updated

2006-11-07T11:36:00.000-08:00

So the lie was numero 4. No one guessed it although Mishy was on the right track only to succumb to the sports related item. But I was very sneaky about number 4. Not only was it the blandest item, but I dropped in an X-Files reference which threw a few people off. See, I was very sneaky. Anyway, even the "truths" need a little explaining so here goes:

1. I never really made a living reading/reviewing scripts because I mostly did it for free. I was an intern (which means work for free) at the company and, like many interns, my primary duties were answering the phone (which rings 24-7, I still have nightmares) and reviewing the gazillion scripts that a company like that gets. And for those of you that think you'll get to read the next CASABLANCA or THE GODFATHER or BLADE RUNNER or A.I. or even THE MATRIX, ummm, think again. They say at the top companies 1 out of 100 scripts will get made. I think the ratio is probably higher. And in any case, the fact is, most of the scripts you read are crappy. Anyway, taking a page from Sage, I think in the winter recess I would like to post a bit about my time trying to get a job in the film development industry.

2. I love basketball and since college I've become a fairly decent player. But I'm no natural hoopster. I was so terrible as a young'n that I played 4 seasons of community-league basketball and scored a single basket. I can't believe I just admitted this.

3. There's some truthiness to this one. I went "part-time" at college for numerous reasons. And at the time I really got into poker and actually thought I could make some money from it. I was naive, foolish, and a bit too optimistic. You know the guy that sees something new and immediately goes, "I could do that. Hell, it ain't rocket science."? Well I'm that a-hole, lol. Well, it turns out poker is sort of like rocket science, in that it is quite complicated and it helps if you're good at math. For those who are curious, poker is actually a game of skill. It involves a good deal of luck, but in the end it is a game of strategy and skill. So for those who are amazing at it, the possibility of making a very good living is certainly there. But it is a very complicated profession that certainly is not easy or for the faint of heart, by any means. Anyway, maybe I can do a poker post in the future.

4. This one is the lie. Man, I was so sneaky. Sorry about that folks, I shouldn't have been that sneaky.

5. It is true folks. I do not drink alcohol nor partake in recreational drugs. I, however, have no qualms about other people doing either. This is just something I choose to do, for various reasons. I understand the 'no alcohol' portion seems a bit strange but I've never been curious about it. In high school I never had that urge (for lack of a better term) to see what it felt or tasted like. And I've not been curious about it ever since. Anyway, that't the best way I can explain it. Hopefully it doesn't sound so weird.

Remember to Vote!

2006-11-07T09:29:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder to vote. Though I highly doubt anyone is going to read this post and go, "Thanks for the reminder, I almost forgot to vote!" But if that does happen, I've done my job. Lol.

Anyway, if you're curious about polls check out Slate's Election Scorecard. Though polls are often incorrect. If I remember correctly, polls in 2004 were leaning towards Kerry.

And now something unrelated, except that it is also from Slate. Many guys like to say that they sleep around because it's in their genes. Well here's something that says women may have comparable genes. And, clearly coincidentally, this behavior doesn't work out so well for the males.

I, personally, feel gay-marriage is an equal-rights issue and should be allowed immediately. As well as marriage benefits and protections for any couple who has been living together for some time, and perhaps may have a family together. So I clearly think these Ban Gay-Marriage Amendments, like Virginia's (why are you red states so intolerent sometimes?), are wrong (I would say immoral). However, these amendments also have legal implications on domestic violence laws, adoption laws, and other issues dealing with unmarried couples. Slate's Dahlia Lithwick has a wonderful article on the subject.

Who saw "The Office"?

2006-11-05T21:03:00.000-08:00

First, I'll post an explanation of the "Spot the Lie" meme on Tuesday. My guess is that everyone who wanted to vote has voted and waiting until Tuesday for the unfashionably late commenters is a bit harsh for those wanting to know the answer already. But I'm going to have it both ways. For those of you that haven't voted scroll down (NOW!, right this very minute!) to the next post and leave a comment. For those wondering which is the lie it is: #4 (highlight for answer)

I was very sneaky with my version of the meme. Sorry about that folks. Anyway, I'll explain my sneakiness on Tuesday.

Now, to the important stuff. Okay, last week's episode of "The Office" in which the employees went to a Diwali festival/party was beyond funny. Perhaps I found it a bit more hilarious in that I've been to several of these as a child. The episode was written by Mindy Kaling who plays Kelly on the show. I'm sure others had a hand in it, but it shows that Kaling is a skillful writer. She smoothly plays the East-Indian/Hindu culture card for smart laughs, and just as easily uses the new environment to accentuate the quirky idiosyncracies of the main cast --- the show's bread and butter source for its humor. Anyway, I admit it. It's fun to see a fellow Indo-American on TV and an episode that revolves around Diwali. And it doesn't hurt that the episode was BEYOND FUNNY! Seriously people, the episode might be worth two bucks. Maybe. But I'm cheap. Hello, I'm Indian!?!? Hah.

My favorite line from the ep:

Kelly's Mother (talking about Michael's date played by Nancy Walls): She's very fair.

Michael: Yes, she's very fair and kind.

For those who do not see it, this is a clever semi-gibe at the preference of lighter (fairer) skin by many developing nations. India is no different.

Anyway, now I'm going to turn this into a Mindy Kaling link post:
IMDb profile page
TVSquad profile
TVSquad interview
Go Fug Yourself fashion critique
Kaling sells soroity-comedy script

PS - On the Pam and Jim issue. Um, does anyone else feel bad for Roy? I mean he totally took Pam for granted and was a bad boyfriend/fiance. But I think he's a changed man. He got into shape and overtly misses and pines for Pam. I'm sorry but part of me thinks they can work it out, lol. Plus, clearly, Jim's coworker is going to take advantage of Jim's drunken state. I have to hand it to the writers. It's not easy to keep a semi-believeable and funny plot in which Jim and Pam remain apart for very long but they certainly seem to be doing it.

Spot the Lie Meme

2006-11-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

I'm not a big meme blogger but this one (which the lovely Princess in Galoshes tagged me with) is actually pretty fun and interesting. So here's the gist of it. Below will be 5 biographical statements, only 1 of them will be a lie. You'll have to guess which statement is the lie.

Now I'm a rather plain, boring guy so my version of the meme will be a bit vanilla. That's why I hope you check out others who have been tagged. AND. Rather than tag 5 bloggers I think everyone who comments should do the meme on their blog (as long as they have the time for it). Anyway here goes, guess which one is the lie:

1. I used to read scripts for Morgan Freeman's film development company.
2. My favorite sport (to play and watch) is basketball; I'm a major hoop-head. However, from age 9 to 12 I played in an open, community-based league and scored a total of 1 basket. That's 1 basket in 4 seasons of play.
3. Two years ago I went "part-time" at college and decided I would make a living playing poker.
4. I've been Han Solo, a Vulcan, and Agent Mulder for Halloween.
5. I have, to the best of my knowledge, never had an alcoholic beverage nor smoked tobacco, hash, weed, etc.

Something New! Kinda.

2006-10-31T18:45:00.000-08:00

I like making fun of celebrities. I just do. Most of the time the comments aren't so insulting as obvious, and let's face it, many are very deserving of laughter at their expense. I also think it is a good, if very light, form of social criticism.

Anyway, over a year ago I actually thought I could poke fun of celebs on a daily basis. Not only that, but that the world would laugh, and flock to the site. Like my short lived professional poker career, that didn't turn out so well.

However, I've decided that this current blog needs some supertaining posts every now and again. So I'm going to try something new. Though in the same vein as my original blog.

I'm introducing a new column called "Male Celebs who are almost certainly gay." I'm doing this for two reasons. First of all I have super gaydar. I have studied the gay extensively to see why women love the gay and not me. Second, and much more important, I need to squash the myth that these super-ripped, perfectly coiffed, sweater-vest wearing male celebs are heterosexual. And why do I need to squash this myth? Because you ladies think hetero guys can turn into this homo ideal, this homo-metro-uber man, if you will. I'm sorry ladies, but the reality is quite different. You're just going to have to choose amongst us hairy, bald, disheveled, husky truehetero men. Either that or go lesbian.

So for the first installment we have singer-songwriter James Blunt. I know what you're thinking, how can this smooth crooner, this sensitive ladies man actually be gay. Well it's actually quite easy. First of all he is British. That right there means a 60% chance of homosexuality. Secondly, he plays the piano. Hello? Elton John anyone? Thank you. Heterosexual men play video games, not pianos. We're afraid someone would call us a pianist. Something Mr. Blunt doesn't seem to afraid of. And finally, for those who still close their eyes from the obvious, here are some of his lyrics:

"Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me."

Only a gay man would use the term "lover". And notice the unisex quality of the terms "lover", "friend", and "the one". Clearly he's talking about Richard Simmons. I rest my case.

A Quote Post or why the Bush Admin must be stopped

2006-10-31T10:26:00.000-08:00

"However they put it, the Democrat approach in Iraq comes down to this: The terrorists win and America loses, (t)hat's what's at stake in this election. The Democrat goal is to get out of Iraq. The Republican goal is to win in Iraq."

That's a quote from the President of United States, George W. Bush. I have so many problems with this. First, how can anyone even begin to believe in such a simplistic and asinine, not to mention false, comment. He's calling Democrats traitors and those who will vote for them. The last time I checked about 50% of the voting public chose a Democrat. If you're going to call me a traitor Dubya, say it to my face. This just reeks of political desperation. The problem is that these tactics seem to work on a certain segment of the population. And it is a damn shame. And finally, Dubya, what exactly is "winning in Iraq"? Because you were all smiles with the "Mission Accomplished" banner behind you a couple years back. And if you think the current situation in Iraq is "winning" you are sadly mistaken. And are we fighting terrorists in Iraq or an insurgency? Or are we caught in a civil war which could lead to ethnic cleansing? Maybe all of the above? Well I'm glad you took the time to illustrate this complex issue in your quote.

For those who are wondering if there is a civil war in Iraq, check out this tidbit from Slate's Oct 29 edition of Today's Papers: The best Iraq piece of the day, however, comes from the Post's Anthony Shadid. He visits Baghdad again after covering mayhem elsewhere and offers his own take on whether, in fact, Iraq is engaged in civil war: "Civil war was perhaps too easy a term, a little too tidy."

Much of the Bush Administration and Republican talk on Iraq deals with security for the Iraqi people. The simplistic sound bite goes, once our troops train Iraqi Police to provide security we can start bringing the troops home. Well I wonder how that training is going. This is from today's TP column: The WP spent some time with U.S. troops in charge of training the Iraqi police and tries to explain why some believe it may take "decades" before local forces are able to take on responsibility for the country's security. The head of the police-transition team of a U.S. military battalion tells the paper 70 percent of the Iraqi police force has been infiltrated by militias. Although U.S. soldiers say they frequently gather evidence of militia ties from within the police ranks, Iraqi officials don't take action on this information and no one has been fired.

Ramblings On Beauty

2006-10-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

So the other day I linked to one of Yllwdaisies' posts in which she discussed an insightful vid from Dove. The vid basically displayed, in sped up time, the manpower, artistry, and digital magic needed to turn the good-looking gal on the street into the gorgeous face of a cosmetic ad. I understand that most of us are aware that the flawless images of celebrities and models we see in advertising and the media are "touched up" to some extent. However I would just like to stress how important it is that we remind ourselves of this fact by viewing media that critically shows the "enhancements" at work. Personally speaking, I may view something like the Dove vid once for every hundred of touched up images I see. And while I am aware these advertising and celebrity images are enhanced, when I view them I do not get to see the enhancement process the image went through ... I only see the finished product, which is presented as though it were real and natural.

I understand I must sound like a raging anti-advertising luddite/media critic. And, I admit, I basically am. But that's for another post. The basic point of this post is that it is of the utmost importance that we (the public, the consumers of this advertising and media) maintain a sort of critical vigilance when we consume these images. Therefore I'd like to return to Yllwdaisies' post. She has updated it with a link (that I believe she found on Nello's website) to a digital imaging company called FluidEffect. One of the company's services is retouching. However, a section of the website shows celebrity and model images after AND BEFORE digital enhancement. To get to the section you'll need to click on PORTFOLIO, then AGREE to their terms for viewing, and finally select their BEFORE/AFTER portfolio.

The before and after images are very enlightening. Take the Billy Bob Thornton photograph for example. While Billy Bob looks pretty good for a 50 year old in the before image. The after image shows him to have flawless skin with nary a wrinkle. The enhancement of his neck speaks volumes.

The enhancement of skin is a common characteristic in most of the images. As someone who has terrible skin it comes as a relief to truly see how unreal the flawless skin one sees in the world of advertising and celebrity is. Now I am not saying these celebs and models have terrible skin. Their before images show good, normal skin, though clearly not flawless. And this brings me to my final point.

When I walk to campus or down a busy city street I see beautiful faces everywhere. I would even argue that the vast majority of the faces are attractive. These faces have good, but not great skin and strong, but not chiseled features. Could they substitute for the faces of celebrities and models we see in advertising? Of course they could! --- once their images went through the same enhancement process. These faces I see everyday are just as beautiful as the faces of celebrities and models! However if I was to compare these faces with the finished, touched up images of celebs and models, perhaps I would come to a different conclusion. Perhaps I would think these everyday faces were attractive but they weren't flawlessly beautiful like the faces of celebrities and models. I may then conclude, this is the reason celebrities and models are used in advertising and the attractive person I just walked passed is not. Unfortunately were I to think this way, I would clearly be wrong.

And that's one of the powers of uncovering the enhancement process advertising and media images go through. Many people are blessed with good skin and nice facial features. As someone who isn't so blessed I think it is of primary importance that people who are, the majority of people, understand that they are the essence of beautiful. That it is impossible to compare their face to the unreal, enhanced images of advertising. And that if they had the $10K to pay for a team of professional stylists and digital retouchers, their face would also be plastered across Times Square.

You are as beautiful, perhaps more. It is just that simple.

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Wow. What a random, strange post from me. Well not that random because I do think about these things quite often. Anyway, I'm kind of afraid to post this but I'm clearly not going to waste the time and energy I put into this. So here goes.

PS - check out the COMPOSITE/MANIPULATION portfolio on the FluidEffect website; it doesn't show as much enhancement but there is some.

Almost Back to Normal.

2006-10-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks yall. Nothing like "get well" comments to fight a terrible cold. Seriously, thank you everyone. I'll probably return to regular posts towards the end of this week. But I wanted to link to something, quite simply, extraordinary. Some of you may have already seen this but for those of you who have not ... get ready to be awed ...

Six months ago a vid appeared on YouTube. A vid so amazing, so mesmerizing, so captivating that it has been viewed over 34 million times. It is the most viewed vid on YouTube and in comparison, the second place vid has been viewed a meager 16.7 million times. Behold blogfolks! The Evolution of Dance!

(it's 6 min in length)

Okay. So it's just this guy Judson Laipply dancing. But you must admit this dance anthropologist/motivational speaker/comedian is pretty darn good. And who says white guys can't dance? I guess Judson needs to add "stereotype buster" to his list of professions.

I have a cold.

2006-10-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

Yes. I am the first victim of the oncoming winter. I hope this means that I won't fall to the cold/flu bug again this winter.

Anyway, this means gallons of chicken noodle soup are in my future. This also means I probably won't be posting for the next few days. But I'd like to leave the bloghood with this post. I can't resist the chance to get sympathy comments. Yes, that is kinda sad. How dare you! Whatever.

So I'd like to talk about another tv show that I think is stellar. But before that, I'd like to point you towards Yllwdaisies' blog. She's posted a powerful short film from Dove. It's part of Dove's campaign on beauty and shows just what it takes to get a photograph onto a beauty advertisement. Most of us know about the process at work, but seeing it from start to finish in this short vid simply underscores the unreality of advertising. In any case, it is a striking short film.

And before I get to "Heroes" I must drop a Slate link. So what do you all think about Sophia Coppola? She has a new film out about Marie Antoinette. I have yet to see a Sophia Coppola film. I have seen her, umm, "role" in THE GODFATHER, PART III. And I am also aware of her meteoric rise to magazine (maybe critics') darling as a director. Anyway, Slate's Dana Stevens (a superb film reviewer, in my opinion) tackles Sophia Coppola and her new film in this very interesting review.

So I've posted about "Heroes" before and mentioned that I'm becoming a major fan of the show. Tonight, for those of you not watching the World Series or are on the West Coast, NBC is showing all 3 previously broadcasted episodes. If you're a sci-fi or comic book fan or once was, I strongly recommend you check out the episodes. "Heroes" is simply a sharp, smart show that embodies the creativity of sci-fi and the suspense of comic books. If you think the show is not believable and is soap-operatic melodrama (as I did before watching an episode), you will be pleasantly surprised. The show is building a methodical, intricate, and thoroughly entertaining tale of the "hero's journey" and supporting it with engaging side stories. If you are at all interested I strongly urge you to check the show out.

Jim and Pam

2006-10-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

I like "The Office" as much as the next person but do they really have to drag out this Jim and Pam thing?!?! They do not. But. I must admit they are handling it rather well. I thought the storyline would quickly lose its adorable charm but it hasn't for me. Umm, did I just admit being gay? Anyway, moving on. I can understand why Jim wouldn't make a move because he was so honest right before Pam's wedding and got a semi rejection. Which means this is sorta Pam's fault. I mean she totally has the greenlight to make even just a semblance of a move. See, I'm not gay. Because I (sorta, basically) blame Pam. And the writers, of course. And Pam better hurry because Jim's co-worker is pretty hot. Anyway everyone can now tell me how wrong I am.

FRONTLINE: the lost year in iraq

2006-10-19T17:31:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday (the 17th) FRONTLINE aired their latest investigative documentary. The doc (titled "The Lost Year in Iraq") detailed the first year of the US Occupation of Iraq. The details are not pretty. The doc shows a clueless and unprepared effort by the Dept of Defense and the CPA. One of the things that I found startling was that Rumsfeld and his buddies Wolfowitz and Feith thought they would be able to pull most soldiers out within the year (2003). To think that the Iraqi people will treat the soldiers as liberators is one thing, but to think that Iraq will transition to a stable and robust democracy (and no longer need US soldiers) in about a year is beyond ludicrous. Another startling matter is how the Bush Admin (Cheney, Rumsfeld, etc on down) replaced qualified experts in the CPA (the US Govt Agency in charge of the occupation and getting Iraq back on its feet) with inexperienced, unqualified political loyalists. The following quotes illustrate the point:

(These quotes are taken from the doc's website's extended interviews section.)

My favorite example of this was, on Garner's team, there's a guy named Skip Burkle, who's an assistant administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development [USAID]. Skip is described by his colleagues as one of the foremost experts in post-conflict public health around the world. It was his job to rehabilitate Iraq's health care system. Burkle has a medical degree, four postgraduate degrees. He's got purple hearts. He served in Kosovo and in Somalia, in Haiti.

But a week into it he gets an e-mail from his senior official back in Washington, a friend of his, saying the White House wants a loyalist on the job, and in his place was a guy named Jim Haveman. He was no doctor. He was the director of community health in Michigan. His pal, the Republican governor of Michigan, John Engler, contacted Tommy Thompson, the secretary of health and human services. He contacted Paul Wolfowitz and said, "Hey, this guy Haveman would be really good."

Haveman's international experience really was limited to sort of doing outreach for the Dutch Reform Church. He had worked previously at an adoption agency where they encouraged children not to have abortions. He'd never worked in the Middle East. He never had any experience in post-conflict health care. But he was the guy the administration saw fit to send out there.

He got out there, and he came up with ideas like not devoting much money to fixing Iraq's emergency rooms, even though injuries from car bombings and insurgent attacks were probably the single largest health crisis the country is facing. Instead, he brought in a team of people to go line by line through the list of drugs that the country was importing to try to figure out which ones could be taken off the list. He wanted to develop a new formula. Why did he want to do this? Because in Michigan, he had saved millions of taxpayer dollars doing this.

-Rajiv Chandrasekaran, who was WaPost Iraq Bureau Chief during the Lost Year.

The second quote deals with Lt. Gen. Garner and State Dept Official Warrick. In February of 2003 there is the first meeting of all US Govt Officials who are thinking about the future of Iraq (meaning post-war Iraq). The invasion is roughly six weeks away. Lt. Gen. Garner has been told he will be in charge of post-war Iraq. (In reality he will be usurped by J. Paul Bremer just before the invasion is over.) Garner is surprised at how chaotic the meeting is. However, over and over again one man seems to have most of the answers to his questions:

Finally at noon, as they're sitting down to lunch, Garner turns to this guy and says: "Who are you? Why have you got all of the answers?" The guy says: "Well, I'm Tom Warrick. I'm from the State Department, and I've been working on this Future of Iraq Project for over a year now." Garner says, "Well, as of Monday, you come to work for me." "OK," says Warrick. Finally somebody wants to know this stuff. Then, unfortunately, Garner runs into a bus. He's told not long afterward by Donald Rumsfeld, "By the way, you need to get rid of this Tom Warrick guy, and also that [Deputy National Security Adviser for Iraq and Afghanistan] Meghan O'Sullivan woman." Garner is deeply puzzled by this: "Wait a second. I need these people. I finally am finding the experts I need."

This goes back to the issue of the Bush administration not wanting expertise, because it was getting in the way; it was asking difficult questions. It was very shadowy to Garner. But his conclusion was that it was Vice President Cheney's office vetting people, really on their politics, and saying, "We don't like that Warrick guy; we don't like that Meghan O'Sullivan person," and telling Rumsfeld, "Get rid of those people."

-Thomas Ricks, WaPost Pentagon Correspondent

The next quote is Rajiv Chandrasekaran's response when he was asked about the DoD/CPA's hiring process and on who got hired:

It was a bunch of young kids -- had no experience managing finances -- who were given the task of running Iraq's budget. It turned out that this group of kids who had come over together couldn't quite figure out why they'd been chosen. They finally discovered that what had tied them together was that they had all applied for jobs at the Heritage Foundation, this conservative think tank in Washington.

What happened was that the hiring was done by the White House liaison to the Pentagon, an office of the Pentagon political appointee. This office served as the gatekeeper. Instead of casting out widely for people with knowledge of Arabic, knowledge of the Middle East, knowledge of post-conflict reconstruction, they went after the political loyalists and canvassed the offices of Republic congressmen, conservative think tanks and other places where they knew they would find people who would be unfailingly loyal to the president and to the president's mission in Iraq. ...

The hiring process involved questions that would have landed a private-sector employer in jail. They asked people what their views on Roe v. Wade were, whether they believed in capital punishment. A man of Middle Eastern descent was asked whether he was Muslim or Christian. People were asked who they voted for for president. ...

Bremer, after some months in Iraq, realized he needed more people to help, and as a former guy from the private sector, he had a pragmatic streak in him, and he dispatched one of his deputies back to Washington to scour the country and get some of the best people sent over to Baghdad.

This deputy, who was a former Goldman Sachs banker, did what anybody in the private sector might do. He contacted a couple of his friends who work for large executive headhunting firms, and he asked them to come to the Pentagon and help identify promising candidates to go to Baghdad.

When the White House [liaison] office to the Pentagon found out about this, they freaked, and they ordered those guys to pack up and leave that same day. Bremer's deputy interceded and managed to keep the headhunters around, but their jobs were relegated to sort of vetting people's résumés. The actual decisions of who's going to be brought in, that all rested with the White House and the White House's people at the Pentagon, and with people like Paul Wolfowitz and Don Rumsfeld. They were able to tap people.

So you wind up getting people like John Agresto to go run Iraq's higher education system instead of getting somebody who had, let's say, run a very large public university system. He was a former president of a small college in Santa Fe, N.M., with 500 students. But he had connections. He served on the National Endowment for the Humanities with Lynne Cheney; Joyce Rumsfeld sat on his board of directors at St. John's College.

For [Iraq's] primary and secondary education, [they] brought in a guy from the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, a very conservative think tank, who had written extensively on the need for school vouchers. This is not a guy who has any experience in rebuilding school systems in the Middle East.

We've talked about Jim Haveman, the guy from Michigan who had very little experience in public health, being brought over to rebuild Iraq's health care system. And the list goes on -- a bunch of political appointees with very little practical experience.

-Rajiv Chandrasekaran

These quotes show just how inept the Bush Administration was during, perhaps, the most important time of the Iraq Occupation. For those interested, "The Lost Year in Iraq" is a powerful, deeply informative documentary which goes on to show how inept Bush Administration policy was (not just execution) as well as how badly the Bush Admin/DoD/CPA handled such things as the insurgency. It is an incisive documentary and if you have an hour you can watch the entire doc at its website.

Sweet Coffee

2006-10-19T12:58:00.000-07:00

I don't know much about music. For that reason I try to stay away from most pop music on the radio. I know much of it is crappy, sentimental, and banal. But many times I cannot help myself and a catchy, crappy tune will hypnotize me. What I should be doing is reading up on and listening to alternative, independent musicians who inject art into the heart of their music. I also should be listening to the great songs of the past. For example classical music.

Which brings me to Tchaikovsky's "Coffee" from "The Nutcracker" ballet. It's an enchanting melody and I was lucky enough to come across it when my local PBS station broadcasted an enchanting short film called "Sweet". "Sweet" tells the tale of two soul mates, two neighbors with no dialogue and simply set to "Coffee". As the short film's title suggests, it is a bit syrupy, but if you have a spark of old-fashioned romance inside of you, then the short will definitely win you over. It's a wonderful classical music video and I wish there were more of them. For those interested you can view the short film below or go to its webpage on ifilm. Also, for more information on who made the short film check out its Imagemaker (PBS) webpage as well as its IMDb webpage. Enjoy!

FYI: The short's duration is 4min 20sec. Also there's a scene in which the lady wears lingerie or a nightgown. The film is completely tasteful so I would strongly say the short is safe for work. But I just wanted to mention it.

Watch FRONTLINE

2006-10-17T15:45:00.000-07:00

The Iraq Occupation has gone disastrously. One of the main reasons for this is the reported unpreparedness and ineptitude by those in power. In other words, by the Dept of Defense, the CPA, and ultimately, the Bush Administration.

Tonight on FRONTLINE the program will showcase a documentary investigating the lost year in Iraq. What is the lost year in Iraq? Well let me quote directly from the website:

"In the aftermath of the fall of Saddam Hussein, a group of Americans led by Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III set off to Baghdad to build a new nation and establish democracy in the Arab Middle East. One year later, with Bremer forced to secretly exit what some have called "the most dangerous place on earth," the group left behind lawlessness, insurgency, economic collapse, death, destruction--and much of their idealism. Three years later, as the U.S. continues to look for an exit strategy, the government the Americans helped create and the infrastructure they designed are being tested. FRONTLINE Producer Michael Kirk follows the early efforts and ideals of this group as they tried to seize control and disband the Iraqi police, army and Baathist government--and how they became hardened along the way to the realities of postwar Iraq."

Also, I forgot to post about last week's FRONTLINE episode. Last week FRONTLINE (in concert with the NYTimes) investigated the Government's claims that several high profile domestic terror arrests resulted in the capture of al Qaida connected operatives. And that significant terror plots were thwarted. Upon closer examination that does not seem to be the case. While a couple plots may have resulted in major harm and even death, there was no connection to AQ and the plot would be considered domestic terror that the police and the FBI handle. Nothing like 9/11 or the European Train Bombings. I would like to point out that an AQ connected plot has been thwarted. It was thwarted in 2000 by the border patrol (it is known as the LAX Millenium Bombing plot). For more info check out FRONTLINE's doc on the plot. Back to last week's FRONTLINE doc. I would like to point out that the plot case at the center of the documentary revolves around Pakistani-American individuals in Lodi. The doc strongly shows that the individuals involved had sympathies to AQ and the Taliban but they were not helping a terrorist organization in anyway. But this brings up another point. Many Muslim-Americans have sympathic views towards AQ and the Taliban. This in itself is not a crime. But it points to the larger war of ideas that perhaps we are not winning. If these individuals can be so easily brainwashed by islamic fundamentalist rhetoric, even when they live inside the United States, we must not be effectively handling the war of ideas. For interested you can watch last week's FRONTLINE doc in its entirety on the website.

Slate Rundown - Special Edition

2006-10-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a special edition of the Slate rundown in that the linked articles will all be connected by a theme. And that theme ... the corruption and ineptitude that is our (US) political parties. The criticism here is going to lean heavily towards the Republicans because they are in power and they screw up a lot. Though a couple of the links will show why the Democrats suck too and, especially, that they are not a party of the left but a moderate party. Which is completely fine, but at least admit it. Anyway, here we go.

Remember the Abramoff scandal? It's the one in which lobbyist Jack Abramoff gave hefty political contributions in order to get Congressional votes for his clients. It seems Abramoff's money was also welcomed by "independent" conservative nonprofits (aka "think tanks"). This WaPost article has the lowdown: "The report includes previously unreleased e-mails between the now-disgraced lobbyist and officers of the nonprofit groups, showing that Abramoff funneled money from his clients to the groups. In exchange, the groups, among other things, produced ostensibly independent newspaper op-ed columns or news releases that favored the clients' positions." One of the nonprofits is run by uber-Republican operative Grover Norquist (who is a prominent figure in the Abramoff scandal, naturally). Norquist is the type of libertarian, small-government idealogue who believes government agencies like the EPA are unnecessary. His insane views would simply be funny if he wasn't an advisor to the President on occasions.

In other Abramoff news, Representative Bob Ney (Republican, of course) pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the Abramoff scandal.

Since the Foley scandal midterm election polls are showing strong support for the Democrats. However, from what I heard the WaPost and NYTimes political reporters mention on the News Hour yesterday, while the Dems look poised to take over the House they still need some luck to take over the Senate. Therefore the reporters mentioned that the GOP would focus all its resources on the close Senate campaigns. I understand that this is going to sound extremely partisan but with all the overt corruption and ineptitude by the Republicans how can some of these races be so close? It's as if some of the Republican voters, who know of the corruption and mistakes, think voting for a Democrat would be unpatriotic or something. However, one of the most patriotic things a voter could do in this coming election is vote Democrat. The reason for this is that by giving the Democrats control of Congress the opposition party would be in control of the legislative branch. Now I'm not going to say that with the Dems in control they will immediately pounce on the abusive and inept Bush Administration/Republican policies and come up with wonderful alternatives. That is definitely not going to happen. But with the Dems in power of Congress they will, at the least, be the headache and obstacle that an opposition party with some power can be. They will be some semblance of a check on executive power by the Bush Admin. And for that reason alone the Dems need to take control of Congress.

I will now illustrate this point with the recent Detainee Bill passed in Congress. When the Detainee Bill was going through the Senate a number of prominent Republicans (McCain, Warner, Graham) cried foul and stated the Bill should uphold the Geneva Conventions. A compromise with the Bush Admin soon followed in which the public was told the Geneva Conventions would be upheld, therefore torture would be banned. However, as Dahlia Lithwick of Slate points out, it is unclear if the torture practices in question have been ruled out. Furthermore, an enemy combatant detainee cannot go to a court in order to claim Geneva Convention protection. It seems like a compromise in name only. Also, as Lisa points out in this post (and Lithwick does as well in her post), the Detainee Bill has stripped the courts of habeas-corpus jurisdiction. The legal doctrine of habeas-corpus runs all the way back to the 12th century (perhaps even earlier) and is basically the right of any detained (i.e. jailed/imprisoned) individual to ask the state to provide justification for his detainment to a neutral third party (a judge). This is extremely important if innocent individuals are being swept up when the state casts its wide detainment net. In Februrary of this year Slate's Dahlia Lithwick had an incisive article on 3 major Gitmo reports (I think I linked to it when it was first published). One of the reports strongly argued that the vast majority of Gitmo detainees did very little wrong and clearly are not terrorists. These two FRONTLINE docs touched on the subject as well. Without habeas corpus when would these detainees (many who are most likely innocent) get their day in court?

Now, would a Democratic Congress stop a bill like this? I'm not completely sure but they would have been a bigger obstacle to it and would have made public many of these points, at the least, strictly for political partisanship.

Anyway, if you are feeling a bit sad and gloomy because of this Detainee Bill, there is hope. The Bill will eventually reach the Supreme Court which has a greater appreciation for habeas corpus and the US Constitution. However, several of the Senators who voted for the Bill know this and are basically passing the buck to the Supreme Court.

Well, once again, I've written an overlong post. If you're still reading this thank you so very much. And I will be your bestest friend. And here is a little bit on why the Democrats, for the most part, suck.

Slate has a great piece on the lame leaders of the Dems.

Dem Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) is in the news because of a suspicious land deal he made in 2004 and for using campaign funds for personal use. He is also pro-life, anti-gun control, and anti-gay marriage. I'd just like to repeat here that this guy is the Senate** Majority Leader of the US political party for the left.

And back to the Detainee Bill that was just passed in the Senate. The Senate voting on the Bill was 65 to 34. Which means that 12 Democrats voted for the Bill (and one Republican voted against). So maybe even with the Democrats in control, the Senate will remain a rubber stamp for the Bush Administration. You can find out how the Senate voted here.

**EDIT: When I first published this post I mistakenly typed that Reid was the House Majority Leader. He is in fact a Senator, therefore the Senate Majority Leader. My mistake has now been corrected.

Ariel Levy on Colbert

2006-10-15T18:05:00.000-07:00

Here's the segment I was talking about in the previous post. In case anyone was interested in the author and her book. It's good stuff. Enjoy!

Books You Might Want to Read

2006-10-12T21:04:00.000-07:00

This is a slightly strange post. I'm going to recommend four books. Unfortunately I haven't read any of them. I've heard and seen interviews with three of the authors and I am a bit familiar with two of them. Now, granted, this isn't the best way to recommend a book ... but I'm a little busy reading books for school. So these are books that have piqued my interest and perhaps you'll find them interesting as well.

The Blind Side by Michael Lewis. You may remember Lewis from his critically acclaimed and popular book Moneyball. In his new book Lewis focuses on football and how the game has evolved to highly prize the left tackle offensive lineman. The prototypical left tackle would be 6'8", 330 lbs, and run a 40 yard dash in 4.5 seconds. Clearly it takes the rare male who can solidify an offensive line and protect the QB from ferocious, highly efficient defensive pash rushes. At the heart of Lewis' book is the story of such a talent. A young man who will one day start at left tackle for an NFL team. A young man who went from being a street kid who did not know his real name to a college football star. FYI: Lewis is married to Tabitha Soren. Yes, that Tabitha Soren. From MTV. Remember?!?!? Oh man I'm so old.

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. Dr. Dawkins is a prominent ethologist, evolutionary theorist, and popular sciencey guy (yes, the last one is a technical term). Dawkins is perhaps most famous for his 1979 book The Selfish Gene in which he argues evolution is gene centered. Another book I need to read. Anyway, in his new book Dawkins takes on religion and the existence of God. An outspoken atheist, Dawkins ardently criticizes religion and argues the existence of a supreme being is supremely improbable. On a planet where atheists are a clear minority, this book might seem controversial or, at the least, be treated as controversial. I strongly feel it shouldn't be. Here is one of the planet's intelligent and eloquent scientific minds and he is simply making an argument. To treat his detailed argument as controversial or taboo is simply irrational and intolerant. Anyway, as someone who fluctuates from pantheism to agnosticism to reluctant atheism perhaps I'm a bit afraid Dawkins' argument will be rather convincing. Like Agent Mulder, I want to believe.

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins. I'm the least familiar with this book and its author. I have yet to read or hear or view an interview with Perkins. However I am a bit familiar with the great corporate influence over globalization policies since taking a course of Global Political Economy and from currently reading The Bush Agenda (which I will post about very soon). And as a purported Economic Hit Man, Perkins states that he directly influenced the economic policy of developing nations. He makes very pointed allegations and because of that this is a controversial book. The B&N synopsis of the book reads:

"Perkins was one of those highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars by funneling development aid money into the coffers of huge corporations and a few wealthy families who control the planet's natural resources. Fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex, and murder are among their tools. He had begun to confess his role and expose the game since the early 1980s, but was always stopped by bribes or threats. September 11th was the final spur."

I'm not sure what evidence Perkins provides but the high indebtedness of many developing nations has continued under the structural adjustment policies that the IMF/World Bank has made developing nations implement in exchange for needed loans. More on this when I post about The Bush Agenda (a great book that I feel is slightly mis-titled). FYI, the US State Dept has a webpage refuting some of the book.

Female Chauvinist Pigs by Ariel Levy. I caught the lovely Ariel Levy on The Colbert Report. Her book critizes a segment of modern female culture which seems to have embraced and one-upped male chauvinism. Back when she was writing the book she followed a Girls Gone Wild camera crew and wrote a Dispatch column for Slate. (Yes people, it all turns back to Slate! Moving on.) Levy made insightful points on The Colbert Report. One was that the "female talent" of Girls Gone Wild are not paid. I remember reading about this in Levy's Slate piece. I also remember reading that a couple of the young ladies who were taped were graduate students (though I doubt Levy asked them for ID). I must admit I was a bit shocked (just a tad bit). But perhaps I'm just old and/or I don't see the feminist perspective (or empowerment) in the embrace of what Levy refers to as raunch culture.

WHY WE FIGHT (2005)

2006-10-12T12:17:00.000-07:00

WHY WE FIGHT (2005) is an incisive documentary by Eugene Jarecki that makes the argument that United States military policy (therefore foreign policy) is heavily influenced by the military industrial complex. The military industrial complex is a term coined by President Eisenhower during his presidential farewell address to the US public. It refers to the symbiotic and incestuous relationship between the military/Dept of Defense, the Defense Industry, and the elected officials who make policy. The Defense Industry receives huge contracts from the Department of Defense, therefore spending enormous resources to lobby and influence elected and military officials who write policy (that creates the need for weapons and logistical support) and award the contracts. As the documentary points out, this leads to the behemoth defense multinational corporations setting up factories in virtually every state so that the loss of a large contract will immediately lead to the loss of numerous jobs in a representative or senator's backyard. This complex also means that appointed and elected military and political officials are richly rewarded with a cushy job at a defense company after they have facilitated contracts. This "scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" procedure is referred to as the "revolving door" policy. And it can be seen in virtually every major corporate industry and signifies the greater problem of the large influence multinational corporations have over our government. For more info on the impact of the "revolving door" policy check out this Huffington Post piece by Charlie Cray. Of course the reason the military industrial complex is so influential is because it results in large amounts of money for all the sides involved. Many retired US generals who had influence over contracts find themselves on the boards of the corporations which were awarded the contracts. And it goes much higher than US generals. In 1992 the Department of Defense under SecDef Dick Cheney awarded a Halliburton subsidiary $9 million dollars to see if private corporations could take over the military's logistical support division. The Halliburton subsidiary responded with an affirmative. Since then Halliburton and its subsidiaries have received $2.5 billion dollars in logistical support contracts. And of course in 1995 Dick Cheney became Halliburton's CEO and Chairman. Posts he held until becoming Vice President in 2000. He still holds significant Halliburton stock which has tripled since the start of the War in Iraq.

The documentary also deals with the Iraq War. Something I am going to post about soon. One of the documentary's strengths is that the talking heads are sharp, insightful, credible, and informative. Two are recently retired US military (a General and a Lt. Colonel) whose criticisms illustrate the heart of the problem. There's also Joseph Cirincione and Charles Lewis. Lewis founded the Center for Public Integrity which is dedicated to independent investigative journalism. Currently on their website they have articles on the revolving door in state politics.

I saw the documentary in an Intl Relations class. However I highly recommend it to anyone who is curious about it.

More good music

2006-10-10T23:08:00.000-07:00

I'm not that familiar with John Fogerty but I recently came across a stellar song of his. It's from 2004 and was part of the Vote for Change tour that supported John Kerry in that year's presidential election. The song is titled Deja Vu (All Over Again). It is a political song about the Iraq War and resonanted with many in 2004. Perhaps it resonants with more today. But, regardless, it is simply a good song. The YouTube clip of the song has terrible audio, you'll probably have to increase the volume a good deal.

The next two are pretty popular so I'll briefly mention them. KT Tunstall and Corinne Bailey Rae. They're both from the United Kingdom as well. Tunstall is Scottish and Rae is British. Each one has a pretty popular tune right now, Suddenly I See for Tunstall and Put Your Records for Rae. Hmm, I just realized both songs are pretty girly. Man, I need to butch up.

And I'll do just that by mentioning a singer who's voice I have never heard. Robin Thicke. I think I saw an ad for his album or something. Anyway, upon seeing the last name I immediately thought of Alan Thicke. Yeap, the dad on "Growing Pains". It turns out Robin Thicke is Alan's son. Alan Thicke used to date Kristy Swanson when she was like 18 and he was 40. He also seemed like a douche for other reasons. Anyway, I checked out Robin Thicke's wikipedia entry and the guy doesn't seem so douchey. Seems like he's really into his music. And he's written a bunch of pop and R&B hits. Well more power to ya Robin! And your wife is hot. And, more importantly, near your age.

I like Macs ...

2006-10-10T16:30:00.000-07:00

Not those Macs. Though I keep hearing and reading those are better than these.

And not Big Macs. As Morgan can tell you, they are quite unhealthy.

I'm a big fan of T-Mac. With the rock he is poetry on the hardwood.

And I absolutely, absolutely adore S-Mac. This song, World on Fire, is from Sarah Maclachlan's 2003 album Afterglow. According to Wikipedia, in 2004 she released a wonderful music video of the song. It's the rare music video that moves you and makes you think while being simply mesmerizing. Plus S-Mac is looking super hot.

I've been a big S-Mac fan since Building a Mystery. Which is kinda late in the S-Mac game so some of you were probably on the S-Mac wagon before me. Nevertheless I simply adore her and her music. She's even married to an East-Indian guy (a Canadian, as is she). Now I just have to figure out a way to replace this guy. I mean we all look a like. If anything Sarah would think of it as an improvement. I mean I just know S-Mac is the kind of girl who cannot resist a hairy belly.

(Raise your hand if you are tired of hearing about my hairy belly.)