A Glimpse into the Gap

Slow Down, Technology!

This is positively brilliant. A near-perfectly done, and very funny, article in the style of someone who isn't funny but thinks he is. I stand amazed, Roger Dudek. Amazed. I'm not sure if this is a look at a generational gap, a hipness gap, perspective gap, etc., but this article seems to embody something that a lot of us have wrestled with, meaning, something akin to the question of "what does he see that I don't or vice versa, and how can he honestly be entertained by this drivel?" One's sense of humor is a strange thing--and an insight into how the person thinks and sees the world, I would submit.

Patton Oswald

This is old and probably overdone already, but I'll bring it back up again just because it was so brilliant. Enjoy (and no, prolly not work-safe):

Birthday Cake

I had breakfast with my mother this morning at one our favorite breakfast places and she brought along a birthday present for me in an enormous gift bag that left no guessing as to what the occasion was. Our waitress asked who's birthday it was and wished me a happy one once she knew it was mine. We continued to have breakfast, enjoyed our conversation together, and then our waitress brought out a piece of birthday cake for me. She took the time to decorate the whipped cream, put a candle in it, asked me to make a wish, and all I could think of was "let this woman be my Lord and Master."

Doubt that will happen--particularly since I'm probably old enough to be at least her uncle--but she became the most beautiful woman in the world in an instant. I have not had the best few months lately and, without getting into any form of a sob story, her timing could not have been better. I actually almost became emotional. Yes, me. It's both scary and nice to think that small gestures like that can cut right through me.

So if you are ever in or around Mesa, AZ and are looking for a great breakfast place, go to TC Eggington's. You will very likely have to wait, but it's worth it. And if your waitress is an angelic looking young woman by the name of Tricia, count yourself doubly lucky--and give her a huge tip.

YESSS!

The Onion at its best here:


Poll: Bullshit Is Most Important Issue For 2008 Voters

"Hillary is wearing a pink rose sweater, a very warm color." I've heard that out loud by CNN "reporters." For a great take on Baby Boomer and MSM bullshit, look no further than here (wait for a couple minutes before he goes on a rant).

German "Eccentrics" Again

Not for the queasy.  A story of cannibalism.

The kicker: "Police estimate that around 10,000 people in Germany alone share Meiwes' fascination with cannibalism -- either eating human flesh or being eaten."  What is with Germans?

Another Possible Reason to Visit New Zealand

I knew it was a beautiful place, but didn't know this...

Anatomy lesson in Pettiness

Perhaps the ugliest and most irrational quality in human beings exampled here. At least she's fighting back.

The World is Upside Down

I'm not the biggest rugby fan, but wow! Not only did both the Aussies and the New Zealanders lose in the semi-finals of the World Rugby Cup, but the French beat the All Blacks of New Zealand. That's like the Canadians beating the Brazilians in the World Cup. No one is invincible, I suppose.

Damn Hillarah Redux

I keep droning, and so does this guy and Andrew Sullivan, but too few are interested in listening thus far. Hillarah continues to be thrown up as the one with the experience and ability for the presidency, but just what the hell has she ever done in government? Thus far, her political career has been as a junior Senator and woman responsible for banging her husband (and, apparently, she's not too good at that or her hubby wouldn't be chasing the chubby chick at the office for a quick hummer). She did try to push Billy's health care agenda that, of course, was a complete disaster and that was close to 15 years ago.

Don't give me "politically active" crap, Hillarah. Jerry Falwell and Sean Penn qualify for that--doesn't mean they are experienced politicians or were ever fit for the Presidency of the United States. And everyone on the stage running against you has held elected office longer than you, save John Edwards. Yes, even Obama has more when including his state legislature experience. What have you done, Woman, officially, while in office?

And why are the D's so goddammed convinced that she is the answer for the GOP in a general election? A baby boomer with a warehouse full of baggage, intensely disliked by millions across the nation before she even opens her mouth, with nothing in the way of success to point toward political achievement, who is distrusted and even disliked by much of the base, almost no cross-over appeal, disliked by every single military person I've ever met (and I was in the Army during the Clinton administration), and is more transparent than ziploc bag in her feigned sincerity. Yep, there's a winner!

Does anyone honestly see any of the GOP candidates beating Edwards or Obama? Please. Hell, Biden or Dodd would pummel the GOP candidate as well. Gravel or Kucinich...ok fine, they can't win, but Good Lord! This year has to be year to win or it's time to dismantle the party. Can we not get out of this baby boomer psycho drama and elect someone who has actually had an original idea or two in his life? Someone who is not running as "GOP-lite?" Someone who can actually define an alternative to the current political landscape beyond some collection of boring wonk bills?

The D's have turned into battered wives. They hate it when they get beaten, but still go back to the same old crap because it's all they know and are afraid of making a stand on their own or changing their environment in any substantial way. It's ironically almost a reactionary, ultra-conservative stance. Hillarah is not a statement. Hillarah is an attempt to go into a cacoon of familiarity and a misguided attempt at not taking a risk. It might end up costing them the general election. But it will definitely cost them a chance to win a generation.

A New Day Dawns

The Onion's crack reporting reveals an exciting new development in the Bush Administration.

Churchill was Right

About this, anyway, "Americans will always make the right decision after they've exhausted all other options." I may not have that verbatim, and corrections are welcome, but I believe I have the gist of it. Here we see Biden, the only person amongst the Democratic candidates talking like an adult with an idea or two regarding Iraq, finally gaining traction in the Senate.

It has gone almost ignored in the MSM, but a tri-partition settlement seems to make the most sense and, as mentioned in the above posting, it has large GOP support as well. What are the other options? How else can we save Kurdistan, keep a civil war from continuing unchecked, not give up the second (possibly the first) largest oil reserve in the world to terrorist organizations, and still get out before any of us die? I'm sure Senator Biden would be all ears should you have a better idea, but he has actually been in similar situations before and, nobly, called for action in Bosnia when Europe was inexplicably detained from doing anything about the genocide. He further helped craft agreements that stabilized the region after hostilities ceased. I see him far more qualified than any presidential candidate running for either party to address the issue and certainly more qualified to address the issue than our standing President, but who isn't?

I can only hope this gains even more traction. An idea that has this much support on both sides of the aisle must have some sort of compelling notion to it. I am hesitant to jump on the bandwagon with the majority most of the time, but this is far from populist and has been the minority view for quite sometime now. It's finally being viewed as the only real option left after, as I referenced above, all other options have been exhausted--and it has probably been the best idea for sometime.

Get em' Billy

Maybe having Hillarah in there wouldn't be so awful. I still think it's stupid, but Bill is even more entertaining these days, it seems. For a great article on the GOP outrage over the MoveOn.org add, look here.

Sarah Chang

She is only 25 now, so that or younger when this was performed. Good to see my favorite tenor, Placido Domingo, as conductor as well. Two musical phenoms humbling the hell out of me here:

Friends and Family

So I spent Friday night at my cousin's 30th bday party and then Saturday night playing a gig with friends for a charity event in front of a couple hundred police officers, then went to a friend's 30th bday party later that night. I had a great time doing all of them and, however sappy or cliche it might sound, I can't help by feeling so fortunate for my family and friends.

At my cousin's place, the exception to the rule was when people were not laughing. Old and new stories, off-color jokes, some booze, some food, and...well, love. It's a good way to be.

At my friend's place, I didn't know too many people there and, truthfully, she's more of my brother's friend than mine, but she's a fantastic woman and I was just flattered that I was invited. One of her friends from childhood flew in all the way from Maryland to come to the party (we are in Phoenix, AZ). And, as I was excusing myself for the evening, that same friend had left just prior to go back to Maryland. S (the birthday girl) was in tears, and I've never seen her emotional before. When I asked why she was crying, she just said, "because my best friend left again." It was enough.

I've always been distrustful of people that can't have deep emotional attachments to people, and S isn't one of them. Neither is my cousin, or members of my family, or the many friends I'm fortunate enough to have. It makes us messy, emotional, sometimes impractical, sometimes illogical, flawed, silly, and vulnerable, but human in the best way. And beautiful.

French Badass?

Meet Monsieur Chabal. Ireland still beat the French in the Rugby Union World Cup, but France was at least able to make a couple statements as to how seriously they take the sport. They don't like it in the same way as the Aussies or Kiwis do, but who does?

Chabal impact
Uploaded by Ricard66

No Mercy

Saw "No End in Sight" this weekend, the newest documentary about the Iraq war.



It was actually hard to sit through. The level of incompetency could not be captured in this close to two hour film and I can only hope that a documentary series comes out about this failed effort someday so we can have a fuller understanding. What really got me was the part when a former Iraqi general came to our Director of Strategic Policy (an Army Colonel) and said, during the height of the looting and lawlessness immediately after the fall of Baghdad, "I can have 10,000 troops on the street here next week," and it wasn't acted upon. The Colonel wanted to take him up on the offer, mind you, but couldn't get word from Washington. It's a theme throughout. In fact, he found out that the Iraqi Army was disbanded via TV news. Apparently, so did the President.

It would be a failed effort to try to go through all the things in the documentary that makes one cringe, so just go see the thing. Regardless of Party or principle, I find it hard not to call this President the worst that has ever sat at 1400 Pennsylvania Avenue in at least 100 years. It actually almost numbs the mind to think of. The damage done by this administration is just too painful to even fathom at this point.

Radical Moderate?

Andrew Sullivan pointed me to a link that's supposed to compare one with other Liberals and Conservatives to see just how liberal or conservative one is. Go here if interested. I leaned left on their questions, though I was more conservative than Conservatives on a few issues and more liberal than Liberals on others. I'm, apparently, whacko liberal on immigration, middle of the road on gun ownership, anti-authoritarian, but prize loyalty very highly. There were other things too, of course, but this is boring enough as it is.

What surprised me somewhat was their more general assessment in that, in the end, I'm more of a left-leaning moderate on the basics (see graph below). It seems like this invalidates their test somewhat. If I'm far left here and far right there, then I average a moderate? Whatever, it's a simple test. For your amusement:

Just About Perfect

Andrew Sullivan is at about the best I've ever heard him here. Note that he is not calling W stupid, just self-delusional and (unknowingly) deeply, deeply morally lazy.

I've always thought that the moment one calls President Bush stupid is the second one lets him of the hook. He is not stupid. He is not an irretrievable dolt. He is just lazy in his morals and cowardly in his conscience. He knows, he knows that things are terribly, terribly wrong in Iraq. He knows thousands of people are dying because of his incompetence. He knows it is only becoming worse. He knows all of it and, I would venture to say, feels at least much of it. But he lacks the courage to say "I was wrong." He will leave it to history to decide, leave it to the military to resolve, leave it to God to vindicate him and soothe his conscience, but will never, ever, until the day he dies, take responsibility precisely because it is too painful to admit to.

Bush is a leader, but an awful one. He is a leader that acts like a stressful teenager--put out of the mind all things that might be stressful. Stand aloft the critics, patronize those that disagree, scoff at those who howl, roll one's eyes at criticism as so much banter from the dirty people that "just don't get it." This is the method--juvenile behavior that condescends upon those that he knows are probably right. Selfishly, vainly, cruelly, and recklessly does he continue to wrap himself into a cacoon of happy thoughts of Jesus and vindication and prescience that no one seems to be able to understand but a select few--thus the huddle of sycophants he surrounds himself with.

It's simultaneously sickening and pathetic--beyond lugubrious, beyond rational, beyond Party, and beyond principle. And I say all of this as one who once supported this Iraqi war effort and, perhaps very naively, I think it had a chance. But no more. How anyone of even the slightest conscience can continue along this path of failure and death and insanity with this childish disaster of a leader at the helm is beyond me. To do so only feeds into the hands of the petty "no blood for oil" cliche Left and the just as petty "they hate us for our freedom" cliche Right--not to mention the continued mindless deaths of thousands more.

I don't envy W Bush, though I don't pity him either. LBJ made his mistakes in Vietnam and--though far from fully--accepted and apologized for his error. He retreated from politics, grew his hair out, privately admitted that he "felt the weight of all those dead boys," and it killed him--pretty much literally. But at least he died as a man. I fear, President Bush will die as he is, a self-righteous child.

Sex and Conscience

I've always been afraid that this could become my fate. Perhaps I should be more watchful of my behavior.

New World?

Slashdot actually has a very interesting story linked on their page (not the first time by any stretch, but this one is not pure geek). The end of agriculture as the dominant form of economy is upon us. This is, as Peter Magnusson notes, a change in 10,000 years of history. We in the West might want to think of ourselves as having passed that point some time ago, and it wouldn't be too far off, but still wrong. Until the 1980's agriculture was still the biggest form of wealth creation in the State of California--the richest state in the U.S. It is still a multi-billion dollar industry and will be for as long as we need food to live. But, though agriculture has shaped civilizations for millennia, in this age and for the first time in about 10,000 years, it's not the driving force of our world's economy.

I would still submit that it is the largest form of production and wealth creation, as services produce no wealth--they just pass money around. However, the development would still be silly to dismiss--and though we will likely not live long enough to know how it really effects society in the future--it seems reasonable to say that it will effect society greatly.

We may well have had some tastes of it already without knowing it. Agriculture in general, farming in particular, does force community. Community roads, markets, and water; fair land taxation, trade with neighboring areas. To a point, a reasonable agricultural society compels everyone from the richest to the poorest to take a common interest in, well, the dirt and everything that makes it yield production. In a service economy (and, of course in other modern industrial production), not so much. We still need markets and roads and the like, but we can pick and choose more easily from our modern abundance of options. We don't feel a common, communal suffering or a common success because we aren't nearly as dependent upon each other--or so it seems, anyway.

Perhaps now the emphasis is more upon the abstract as a result--individual liberties, privacy, equal opportunity, etc. since it's just that wide open and there is no true "common good" that is empirically obvious in nature. Perhaps we are now trying to define ourselves more as individuals and less as community members because we recognize the community as almost an abstraction itself. Or, most likely, I just don't know what I'm talking about. Still it's interesting to cerebate about.