Last post of the year

2008 has come and gone and we still don't have flying cars. However, 2009 looks promising. Not for flying cars, but at least for some positive change: New president, World Cup Qualifying matches, Liverpool leading the EPL, lower gas prices, large hadron collider, etc.

I also need to make some positive changes. Less weight, less TV, more reading, more vegetables, more cleaning (the same promises I make every year), but I feel a renewed sense of motivation to meet my goals. A new house will force me off the couch to make repairs and improvements. Although I just bought a new TV, I am growing weary of reality TV and most sitcoms blow. In the moving process I also realized just how many unread books I have. Got to get on that.

My predictions for 2009:
1. The U.S. will easily qualify for World Cup 2010 - in the process beating Mexico in Mexico City for the first time.
2. 20% less Jeff.
3. economic recovery starting around October
4. Gas prices back up to at least $2.75
5. the fall of one major authoritarian government (Russia, Iran, Venezuela, or some other oil-based authoritarian rule). Yes, I know that calling these leaders authoritarian is a stretch, but its the best we got.
6. Famous/celebrity deaths: O.J., Hugh Hefner, Amy Winehouse, Ernest Borgnine, Ted Stevens
7. A record number of species go extinct, including one major (tiger, polar bear, Asian elephant)
8. One of the country's major newspapers will shut down (L.A. Times, Washington Post, etc.)

I know that some of these are pretty general, but I'm not pulling some Nostradamus bullshit and being all cryptic so I can claim that my prediction came true no matter what happens. Plus, some of my predictions are more like things that I fear are coming true.

In any case, enjoy the new year. Do something good this year.

Americans are assholes

I have hated Wal-Mart for a very long time. Although the number one issue fueling this hatred has always been their treatment of employees, the annoying people who shop there come in a close second.

They may have switched places yesterday.

In case you haven't read this yet, a man was killed yesterday at a Wal-Mart in the Long Island area. No, he wasn't robbed and killed in the parking lot, or crushed by a collapsing roof panel, but he was trampled to death by the people rushing in at 5am to do their Christmas shopping. Apparently they could not wait long enough for him to get the doors open and broke through the partially open doors. According to the story, they also trampled other Wal-Mart employees trying to help the dying man. Along with the death, one pregnant woman was trampled, causing her to miscarry.

What for? A cheap TV? A discount XBox? A $9 Hulk DVD? Well, if this video has anything to say about it, people have clearly let their material possessions become more important than the people around them.

Who is to blame for this? Certainly Wal-Mart at some level. They, along with every other store hype the super deals on Black Friday, only to offer a few products at that price. This definitely contributes to the frenzy. The news gets a little piece as well, as they add to the hype of Black Friday shopping. And I guess you have to blame the 2000 idiots lined up at Wal-Mart at 5am.

How do we stop it? Maybe we can't. I guarantee Wal-Mart will get sued a few times for this. The first article says that police are looking to identify the people that trampled the man and 4 other injured customers. Maybe $100 million from Wal-Mart and a couple of 20-year sentences will get people to think a little differently.

Although I highly doubt it. That's why we are assholes.

The numbers of moving

8 incompetent Sears employees that I dealt with.
2 things that the plumber broke while trying to fix something else
4 times paying more than the original estimate
1 new home that I love
1 mortgage that is way more than rent
0 more months throwing money away to rent
12 gallons of paint
2 wax rings for the toilet (one that was the wrong size)
3 times laughing silently when I said the word "caulk"
6 hours letting other people move our stuff for us
29 days of anticipation from closing escrow to moving in
55 things I will do differently next time that I buy
8 people who we will ever be thankful to for helping us paint
4000 dollars worth of new wood flooring
1 patio that will be awesome in the spring
923 times being called "boss" by someone in the service industry
1 father-in-law who bravely climbed onto a jerry-rigged scaffold to paint one foot of wall
10 hours spent trying to take up tile (worst job ever - worse than jizz-mopper)
17 trips to various hardware stores (Home Depot, Ace, Lowe's, OSH)
97 cents in change found in the couch cushions
1 previous owner who clearly took no pride in ownership (which helped our price)
2 great views
countless hours of labor
zero regrets

A couple of things

Two things I want to mention:

First, if you are an opponent to the recently passed California Proposition 8 then I suggest that you tune in tonight to the Fox"News" program Hannity and Colmes. The rector of my church, Ed Bacon, will be on tonight to talk about Prop 8.

Second, I want to congratulate a good friend of mine, Jose Navarro, on being named one of five California State Teachers of the Year. He deserves that award more than anyone I know. He works tirelessly for our students and I've certainly learned a lot from him. It also highlights the impossibility of my job. Every 11th grade student he has moves on to my class in the 12th grade. I have to follow after the state teacher of the year. No pressure there.

Ben Affleck does a pretty good Keith Olbermann:

Wow!

In December 2006 I was traveling to an economics conference in Wichita, Kansas. During my travels, I read Barack Obama's Audacity of Hope. Having read it, I found myself completely sold on ideas that seemed fair, just, and just plain common sense. It was then that I knew that I could support his run for the presidency.

Words can't describe how proud I am to be American today. I can't wait for inauguration day.

"And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand."

My pride in California, however, has taken a huge hit. Let's hope the numbers on Prop 8 change in the next few hours.

funny cartoons

During this last year I have had the pleasure of working with a really fun art teacher at my school. Although she is now a high school art teacher, she was formerly an animator for the Simpsons amongst other well-known cartoons. Her husband continues to direct episodes of Family Guy.

In any case, she turned me on to this really cool animator named Don Hertzfeldt. Below is the first Hertzfeldt cartoon that she showed me. Its simple but awesome.

Notes on the Race #7

I was talking with my wife last weekend about why I like Obama's tax plan a lot better than McCain's. In my explanation, I mentioned how often people in the upper tax brackets forget that, although maybe their hard work got them the success that they well deserve, that they need the people below them to fuel that success. In last night's debate, the two candidates got bogged down forever talking about Joe the plumber (who, by the way, is not a licensed plumber). Joe and McCain insisted that Obama's tax plan was going to punish average guys like Joe for being successful. In the actual conversation that Obama had with Joe the (not) Plumber, he said this:

"For folks like me who have worked hard, but frankly also been lucky, I don't mind paying just a little bit more than the waitress that I just met over there who's -- things are slow and she can barely make the rent.

My attitude is that if the economy's good for folks from the bottom up, it's gonna be good for everybody. If you've got a plumbing business, you're going to be better off if you've got a whole bunch of customers who can afford to hire you, and right now everybody's so pinched that business is bad for everybody, and I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."

What a novel fucking idea. Look out for the other guy - not just yourself. In the current "What's in it for me" era, we often forget that there are other people around who need help. PEOPLE. HUMANS. Some need help because they never got it from their parents or family. Why not help them a bit? Some got their by making a few mistakes. Why not give them a second chance? That seems like a big teaching of Christianity. What might come of this help for the other guy? Maybe, just maybe, you'll benefit in turn.

As McCain continues to push for privatization of everything and rails against any kind of government help, let's remember that there are some who don't have the knowledge or experience to handle their own retirement. Let's remember that the government saved our economy in the 1930s (and 2008), which is not a bad thing. Maybe we should look into solving our problems together instead of always going it on our own.

Notes on the Race #6

OK, so it has been a while since I said that I would write more after the debates. Here's my less-than-five-sentence review of the VP debates and the TownHall debate with Obama and McCain: Sarah Palin would be a good debater if she knew what she was talking about. Joe Biden did a good job not looking like a sexist while still showing that he knows way more than her. The TownHall debate, my friends, was boring. I hope Wednesday is better.

On to other matters.

1. A bipartisan legislative panel found that Sarah Palin indeed abused her power as governor when she fired the Alaska Public Safety Commissioner. If you haven't read about it before, she pressured the commissioner to fire a trooper that was her former brother-in-law. She not only violated ethics rules, but she also lied about violating ethics rules.

2. The poll numbers really don't look good for McCain. (Note: I still think that national poll numbers don't really show what will happen on election night.) The numbers that I prefer deal with electoral predictions. Those numbers look worse.

3. How does the saying go? You reap what you sew. McCain is finding out what happens when you fan the flames of fear and hate.

Here are some videos of McCain supporters in line to get into one of his rallies:





And one from a rally where the supporter scolds McCain:




Yesterday McCain finally had to deal with the monster he created:



I give McCain some credit for finally telling his own supporters that they are wrong, but this was only after a week of pushing these ideas on them. Once you decide to turn to fear over issues, you have a problem in your campaign. When the Secret Service has to investigate death threats directed towards your opponent coming from your supporters at one of your rallies - you have a really big problem.

4. Finally, in the scariest story of the day, sharks are reproducing asexually. I was sure that the big animal takeover would be led by monkeys, but my fears may have been misdirected. However, an even bigger fear would be a monkey-shark alliance.

Notes on the Race #5

Just a quick on tonight. More after the debates.

1. McCain suspends (but not actually suspends, just says that he does) his campaign to deal with the economic crisis. Two things about this: 1. Nobody's buying this. The poll numbers were down and he needed something to give him a boost. Palin is losing her popularity so he needs a new "hail mary" to get him back in the news. I don' think that worked out for him. 2. Really? Do presidents get to call time out when there are too many crisis to deal with?

2. I am done telling people to vote for Obama. You heard me right. There's nothing more I can say about Obama that the undecided voters don't know. My new focus is to get people to not vote for McCain. My number one argument? Sarah Palin.

Here's my favorite clip from her interview with Katie Couric (who is well known for hard-hitting interviews...right?)



And here's Jack Cafferty's take on Palin (with another clip from the interview)



It should be easy to tell why Jack Cafferty is a hero in the Austin/Kimball household.

How can you watch those clips and honestly vote for McCain knowing that: (a) he chose her, (b) she could easily become president, and (b) she's even too dangerous as vice-president? I really, really, really need to talk to a full-on Republican that can tell me why McCain is still the best choice.

Great dancers

You need to stick around for this one, but I feel that its worth it.



This one, however, is short and to the point. And funny.

Notes on the Race #4

1. How is it possible that people still consider McCain a good candidate while we are facing this tremendous economic crisis? People - he admitted not knowing much about economics!

2. Weird article about Sarah Palin's husband Todd. No, its not about his personal life, but how he more or less inserted himself into the Alaska state government through his wife.

3. The news keeps showing us national presidential polls despite the fact that the national vote doesn't matter. Its called the electoral college. Look it up.

4. Want to know more legitimate election numbers? This is a good site.

5. Michigan Republicans may look to block many people from voting because they lost their homes to foreclosure, thus ending their residency at those addresses. Nice.

6. Sarah Palin bought a tanning bed with her own money to use in the Alaskan Governor's mansion. How is that news?

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin

We all knew it would be awesome. Check it out.

Notes on the Race #3

First, I enjoyed these Obama pics. Amanda actually had the idea for the first one early in the primaries. Yes, they are corny, but I like them.




Second, in case you wanted some real numbers on comparing the Obama tax plan with the McCain tax plan, then check out this article. It has this easy-to-read graph. The short version is rich people aren't going to benefit from Obama, but how many of them were going to vote Democrat anyways?



Finally, I can't believe the hub-bub over the pig/lipstick comment. How often does McCain want to show his desperation?

Remember to vote.

Notes on the Race #2

OK, so Amanda and I were watching McCain give his acceptance/attack/no details speech the other night and she asked what the building in the picture behind him was. I said that I thought it was one of his seven giant houses. Here's the picture:



They did a similar thing with Giuliani having the New York skyline behind him. I thought that it was weird that they would put this giant mansion behind him when they have been trying to paint Obama as the elitist. However, once again I was wrong. It was supposed to be Walter Reed Medical Center. I say "supposed to be" because it was actually Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood. Good job.

Numbers. I also saw an article that talks about voter registration numbers in the last 3-8 months. In all but one of the states that he could find information for, the Democrats got more new registrants than the Republicans. In some cases, it was WAY more. The only state with more new Republicans? Alaska. The New York Times confirms this trend going back a few years.

John McCain likes women enough to marry one and to choose one as his running mate, but not enough to vote for equal-pay legislation. Let me explain. I was outraged earlier this year by the Supreme Court's decision in the case of Ledbetter vs. Goodyear in which 5 of the 9 justices ruled against Lilly Ledbetter. She was suing Goodyear Tire Company because she found out that for 19 years they had paid her significantly less then every other person in her position - she was the only female. Although she was awarded $3 million in the original lawsuit, Goodyear won on appeal because she sued after the 180-day waiting period. Here's the deal: you have to sue within 180 days of the specific act of discrimination. According to the law, she could have sued within 180 days of every paycheck. However, she didn't find out within that 180-day period. So the bastards at Goodyear win. And McCain doesn't want to fix it. He didn't even show up to vote. The bill passed the House, but Republicans in the Senate vowed to filibuster and the Democrats didn't have enough votes to stop them. McCain has stated that he would have voted against the bill.

What do Franki Valli, Orleans, Heart, Jackson Browne, and Van Halen all have in common? John McCain is illegally using their music during campaign events and has been asked to stop.

Notes on the race #1

I feel like I've had a lot of thoughts about the presidential race lately, so I'm going to regularly post them. Here are some for tonight:

- 134 U.S. troops stationed abroad have donated a total of $60, 642 to the Obama campaign. 26 have donated a total of $10,665 to McCain. Not huge numbers considering the $50 million plus Obama has pulled in each of the last couple of months, but those are some huge differences. Oh, and Ron Paul got over $45,000 from just short of 100 troops.

- 2,380 delegates at the RNC. 36 African-Americans (1.5%) The Democrats had 24.5% African-American delegates. How can they still keep a straight face when they call themselves the "Party of Lincoln"?

- I was so (pardon the language) mother-fucking angry last night watching the parade of attacks.

- I take back the mean things I've said about Cindy "dead behind the eyes" McCain. She seems OK. However, estimates say that her outfit last night at the RNC cost over $300,000 - including 3 carat diamond earrings. Obama's the elitist?

- I you haven't seen Jon Stewart talking about Sarah Palin you need to. Its about the funniest thing I've seen all week. Here it is:

Anger

I got more than a little angry tonight listening to Republicans. Mostly Giuliani. However, I want to throw two quotes out there for you to think about in light of recent hot topics in the presidential race.

"Drill baby drill" - Rudy Giuliani, prompted by chants at the RNC convention tonight.

"Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because Janet Reno is her father." John McCain in 1998 about a then 17 year-old Chelsea Clinton.

Do I need to say anything else?

A slew of things

Where does the time go? I'm not going to say that I feel guilty for not posting. It probably means that I have a life. Here are some tidbits about said life:

We had a movie night at Pete and Lauri's to watch The Last Dragon. The following Tuesday, Julius Carrey, who plays Sho' Nuff/Shogun of Harlem died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 56.

So a black guy is officially nominated for President of the U.S. However corny you may think it is, I'm feeling a little more American pride today.

McCain's nominee is pretty hot. She also has a sketchy background that may include lying about opposing the "bridge to nowhere" funding, trying to get her sister's ex-husband fired by using her influence as governor, and possibly covering up her teenage daughter's pregnancy by claiming the child as hers. OK, the last one is still pretty sketchy, but it has been mentioned on DrudgeReport. We'll see where this goes.

I changed my wine tracking software to CellarTracker, which is better than Cork'd. Cork'd was supposed to be renovated, but nothing has happened in over a year. If you click on my list is is completely updated including purchases from my wine-tasting day in Paso Robles.

Speaking of trips, we took two short trips in the last 10 days. First, we went "camping" with my brother, his wife, and my niece. I put it in quotes because my brother has a 20-foot trailer. Amanda and I slept in the tent, but it didn't feel quite right since no meals were prepared outdoors. It was still nice to sit by a campfire and drink beers. Plus, my niece is super-cute and she was wildly entertaining. However, we were constantly being harassed by a band of six marauding geese. I also went fishing, which was everything I hoped it would be minus the catching of fish.

The second trip was a three-nighter in Cambria. Don't ever go there. I only say that because I don't want you to make it more crowded. It is one of my favorite trips ever. I got to do a day of tasting in Paso. Went to Hug, Lone Madrone, L'Aventure, Linne Calodo, and Denner. Paso is better than Napa. Yes, I said it. Cambria never got hotter than 73 or so and there was a regular dry fog. We did a lot of reading, ate a lot of great food, hiked, saw elephant seals, and even watched the Cambria PineDorado parade while eating breakfast. Amanda got to pet a horse and we saw a hawk fly off with a squirrel in its talons. Its a great place.

School starts Wednesday. Back to work. I'm actually excited. I like my job and I'm excited about teaching AP World History. Things will be crazy, but I'm thinking that this could be a good year.

Galaxy are still struggling. Winless since June. Liverpool are looking pretty good, but there are 35 more games to go. Michigan lost its opener again, but I'm caring less and less about the pointy-ball these days.

Did you watch the Olympics? I did. They sucked. Michael Phelps did pretty good, trampoline is retarded, only Nigeria brought a table-tennis team without a member of Chinese descent, gymnastics proved to be a farce again (nothing is a sport if it involves judges giving you scores), Jamaicans run fast, race-walking may be lamer than trampoline, Argentina killed Brazil in soccer and the U.S. women took the gold after a great final against Brazil. There was a lot of diving on TV, which the Chinese are really good at. I credit their flat asses. American chicks have too much junk in the trunk.

In taco truck news, L.A. Superior Court Judge Dennis Aichroth ruled against the county's anti-taco truck law. He went as far to say that it was "arbitrary and not based upon any rational, intrinsic or natural basis". The main part of his argument was that it was an illegal restraint on trade. I'm guessing that the county will appeal, so the fight goes on. I propose a taco truck night in the next week or so in honor of free competition. Salva las trocas.

Ten years ago I was starting my last year of college. Man, I'm old. In fact, I turned 31 last Saturday. Pete, however, is older by 363 days. My dad is even older than that.

Welcome September.

after a month's absence...

...no excuses for not posting. Just a few notes.

After essentially no time off since December, I finally get to relax a bit. I closed out the year at my regular school, started summer school after the weekend, finished summer school, had one free Saturday, then did a week-long conference in Claremont. Two days in a conference next week, then back to work at the beginning of September. FYI, most teachers who care about their jobs do a crapload of work during the summer even though school is not in session.

I'm trying to get amped for the upcoming elections, but I don't think the campaigns are in full swing yet. Granted, McCain has come up with some doosies comparing Obama to Brittney Spears and Paris Hilton and by making a mountain from a molehill from Obama's suggestion that people keep watch on their tire pressure as a way to save gas (which works by the way), but there still seems to be little urgency - which I think is just fine. Once we get through the party conventions things will get rolling.

Soccer? The Galaxy are not doing so well right now. No wins since June 14th. Dropped from 1st to 4th. Heads are gonna roll soon. Players? Maybe. Management? For Sure. Liverpool, on the other hand, are looking good. We picked up another serious striker in Robbie Keane and are poised to pick up an absolutely outstanding left midfielder in Gareth Barry. We are looking good for our August 16th opener against Sunderland. Pub anyone?

I want to end this on a serious and sad note. First, my family lost a very dear friend, Dalton Vick, on Saturday. "Donk" was a serious good-ol' boy from Texas with only a few teeth left from his days of chewing. He loved people, life, and Coors Light. If you can imagine an 80+ year-old version of Boomhauer from King of the Hill, that was Dalt. A great guy that loved his family and, although I could only understand half of what he said, I know that it was all said to bring fun and entertainment. A great character in my life story.

Second, my "weekend family" from March to November, the L.A. Riot Squad, lost a dear friend. Jair Garcia was serving our country in Afghanistan on Friday when the vehicle he was in hit a roadside bomb and he was killed. Most of us knew him from his activities in the first picture - playing soccer and supporting the Galaxy. The rest of the world now knows him as one of the 4,000+ that has given their lives in our "war on terror". I won't get into my political views on this subject, but I will say that it hits home a little more when someone you knew is on that list. Jair leaves behind a 9 year-old son and wife.




Both of them will be missed.

America...love it or leave it

That's maybe my favorite lame catch phrase used in uber-conservative arguments. It might be second to "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve". Either way, if you use these slogans you are a moron. In any case, here are some thoughts for your 4th of July.

In the story of the year, a school in New Jersey went into lockdown for 30 minutes because a student saw a ninja in the woods. There are two problems with this story. First, you would never see the ninja sneaking up on you. Second, a locked school door would never stop a ninja.

A great American hero, Jesse Helms, died this morning. Of course, he was only a great American hero to racists, homophobes, and the tobacco industry - but whose counting?

Spain deservedly won Euro 2004. I placed 66th out of what appears to be about 70,000 people who entered ESPN's Euro Pick 'em competition. I'm awesome.

Maybe they found the big chink in Obama's armor: FISA. I'm not terribly happy about this. On a positive note, I don't think McCain can say much about it.

How do you rescue 16 hostages from a guerrilla army that has been fighting the government for 40 years? You tell them that you are one of them, land a helicopter, and take the hostages to freedom. Sounds pretty lame, but it worked in Colombia. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall at the FARC meeting when these idiots had to explain the story to their leader.

The American Family Association is telling people to boycott McDonald's because they promote the gay agenda. No joke.

Random thoughts for a summer evening.

So I'm one glass into a bottle of 2006 Pascual Tosa Malbec (which is outrageously good for $10) and feeling the need to write something.

POLITICS. Four months ago I predicted that Obama would win the nomination. It finally came through. Now we just need to beat angry John McCain.

SPORTS. I know many people don't want to hear this, but I was happy to see a Celtic victory. Its been a while and although Boston fans can be assholes, they are passionate and unwavering. The Lakers cater to the wealthy and fill their first 10 rows with people looking to be seen. Its a business to them and I can't deal with that. Of course, my favorite soccer team went out and spent $250 million to fill some seats so what do I know.

BEER. What's up with July 4th? Who is hosting the BBQ? Let me know. FYI, my top beer for the summer is going to be Firestone Double Barrel. That and sapphire and tonics.

MUSIC. New Kids on the Block reunion tour? You heard right. October 8th and November 26th at Staples (now you don't need to look it up Randy)

WORK. I turned in grades today. Now, most of you have never experience the behind-the-scenes world of school. (All of those rumors you heard about certain teachers that smoked weed and did crazy shit are probably true) We all saw the world of education through the eyes of a student, but there is so much that we don't catch. In this case, you don't realize how stressful turning in grades can be. Here is the process for me:

1. I have to submit grades on the internet. This is very ironic since LAUSD still uses a DOS-based system for its student database. Somehow these two combine, with often disastrous results. I submit grades four times during a semester.
2. At the 10-week and 15-week submissions, I must put a warning that the student is in danger of failing. If I don't I can't fail them at the end of the semester.
3. Seniors are a special case. At the 18-week point I have to submit a list of seniors that are going to fail for sure. At least that's what the letter says. The school then sends a letter home telling the parent that their kid will not be graduating. Here's the catch. There are still two weeks left. According to the school, I can't fail a kid that doesn't get a letter sent home, but I'm also not supposed to pass a kid once they receive the letter. If I feel the need to change my mind and pass them, then I have to fill out a form for every kid that I change from failing to passing. That number was six this year. I originally submitted 24 as sure-to-fail. The administrator in charge complained that I did this. I complained that their system was retarded.
4. Once I submit these grade online I have to generate a 13-page report, print it, double-check that I did it right, and sign all 13 pages. This report is due tomorrow. I had a final today. The "window" to submit grades closed at 6:00 tonight. So I had about 7 hours from the end of the last final to finish grading everything and submit the grades.
5. The last step is to submit a gradebook that justifies all of my grades. LAUSD requires that I have two grades for every week of the semester. Besides an account of every assignment for every student, I have to also include a log of parent contacts, course syllabi, grading scales, and attendance records. I've worked out a system where this is super-easy for me, but I didn't know about this my first year and I got killed.
6. OK, so there is one more optional step. I have to listen to seniors cry about how my class is the only reason they didn't graduate. I think that will be avoided this year.

DRUNKS. Check out the Pete and Randy Podcast at Rat Race. Good times.

Finally, SOCCER. Galaxy are doing good. Join me at a game sometime, I promise beer and festive times. Euro 2008 is moving into the quarterfinals. This is basically like World Cup with only European teams. Its a huge deal. As of Sunday, I was #60 out of more than 60,000 in the ESPN Euro pick 'em contest. I've dropped to 278, which I still think is very respectable. Last year's winners, Greece, are out. England didn't even qualify. Both hosts (Austria and Switzerland) are out. Favorites Germany struggled in the group stage as did reigning World champs Italy. The new favorites? Netherlands. They destroyed France and Italy and their backups beat Romania. Record 9 goals in their three games. Total Football is back. The quarterfinal games are at 11:45am every day for the next four days (Thursday-Sunday). I predict that Germany will get a tough victory over Portugal (I have the least confidence in this pick), Croatia will beat Turkey, Netherlands will crush Russia Saturday morning, and Spain will win a shootout with Italy Sunday morning. These should be some great games and you should check them out.

The next step in porn... or any other video I guess

My brother sent me a link to a website called Immersive Media. They are the people that handle the Google "street view" option. If you don't know what I am talking about go here, enter your home address, and click on "street view. In any case, once you are watching the video you can click and drag on the screen to see the entire 360-degrees around you and up and down. Its pretty cool. Check it out.

WTF?

It may be getting blown out of proportion a bit, but Hillary doesn't seem to have a problem attacking Obama over the words of another person, Jeremiah Wright, so she should understand why she will get torn up for words she actually spoke.

Do you think Hillary still wants to brag about West Virginia?

On the night of the West Virginia primary, I got a text from an unnamed person that said "West Virginia is racist". I laughed it off as a joke, but this report by West Virginia Public Radio says that it was no joke at all.

Some wonderful quotes by West Virginia voters:

"Well, it’s his name that messes me up, that Muslim name. Them Muslims, they’re a terrorist, buddy, they almost want to be a terrorist."

"There’s no way under the heavens I’d vote for Obama, because of his beliefs. I’m a born again Christian, and he’s of the Muslim faith or whatever. From what I understand, he don’t believe in God, and we don’t need nobody to ruin our country who don’t believe in God."

"And I don’t like the Hussein thing. I’ve had enough of Hussein."

"You know I didn’t vote for no colored."

Back on the soapbox

Let me go on the record about something. Republicans are trying to attack Obama for his suggestion that we should have unconditional talks with "enemies" like Iran. Bush even compared Obama's belief with the policy of appeasement used with Hitler at the start of WWII. I have to say that these people are so completely retarded that they should reconsider their careers as politicians. Do you know why we should talk to our enemies? BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T FUCKING DIE WHEN YOU ARE TALKING!! Its called diplomacy. I know that Bush only uses it with his Saudi oil buddies, but I support the idea of talking to your enemies first, with or without conditions, in order to avoid killing a bunch of people with an unnecessary war. Talking does not show weakness - it shows reasoning, confidence, and strength. Its easy to just say "fuck it - shoot 'em" when you are sitting in an office and someone else has to take the risks.

John McCain has gone after Obama for this idea as well. However, this ad (yes, it was funded by MoveOn.org, but all of the facts are verifiably true) shows that McCain has no problem working with people who not only talk to the world's enemies, but also lobby for them.



Is this really the decision-making ability that we are looking for in a President? I don't necessarily approve of the type of advertising that I'm sure groups on both sides will be making during this summer/fall campaign, but this one was certainly eye-opening.

...and this one too

Make sure you stay 'til the end (or fast forward if you must)

One less reason to drink in the morning

This weekend brings the end of the English Premier League season. Its not an end to all soccer as the Galaxy are in full swing, but I don't get to go to the pub and have a pint at 7am to watch MLS. In any case, European soccer leagues don't work like American sports. There are no playoffs. All 20 teams in England are in one league and whoever ends up in first place in the standings ("top of the table" we say) is the champion. This season, my beloved Liverpool once again left me slightly disappointed with a 4th place finish. However, there are incentives to finish in various spots in the table. Second place (along with the champion) automatically qualify for the group stage of the Champions League, maybe the biggest tournament for clubs in the world. 3rd and 4th enter the qualifying stages of the Champions League, which means that they have to beat up on the 2nd place team from Latvia or something to get into the group stages. 5th place gets you a spot in the UEFA Cup, which is like the "not quite good enough for the Champions League" tournament. After that, the only spots that matter are 18-20 since the lowest three teams in the table are sent down (relegated) to the lower division (called the Championship). The top 3 championship teams are moved up into the Premier League. Next year, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion will move into the premiership along with the winner of a 4-team playoff.

So, if I haven't yet lost you, here's a run-down of the last games of the Premier League season and why they matter. Pay close attention because even the league championship is yet to be decided.

Sunderland v. Arsenal, Tottenham v. Liverpool, and Middlesboro v. Manchester City won't have an effect on anything except pride and maybe a manager's job.

Birmingham vs. Blackburn. Blackburn have nothing to play for, but Birmingham needs a win along with a loss by Fulham and a loss/tie by Reading to avoid relegation. I recommend rooting for Blackburn not only because American Brad Friedel minds their net, but for another reason that I'll explain later.

Chelsea v. Bolton. Bolton are safe unless they lose by 4+ to Chelsea. Chelsea are tied for the league lead, but need to get more points (1 for tie, 3 for win) than ManU to win the title since ManU have a greater goal differential (goals scored minus goals given up)

Derby v. Reading. Derby sucks and are going to be relegated no matter what. That sucks for the two Americans (Eddie Lewis and Benny Failhaber) on their roster. Reading (another American keeper here - Marcus Hanneman) need a win and a Fulham loss to stay in the Premiership.

Portsmouth v. Fulham. Portsmouth have nothing to play for. Fulham can stay in the league with a win or losses by both Reading and Birmingham. This is my #1 game for the weekend since 5 Americans play for Fulham (Brian McBride, Kasey Keller, Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey, and Eddie Johnson).

West Ham United v. Aston Villa. If Villa win and Everton loses Villa will move into the UEFA Cup spot (5th place). As a Liverpool fan I have to hate Everton since they are our closest rival, but they also have American Tim Howard in goal so I want them to stay up. (F.Y.I. - there are four Americans playing keeper in the Premier League - all starters)

Wigan v. ManUre (get it - manure, like cow shit? cuz I fucking hate ManU. But not as much as Chelsea). ManU wins and they are champs. If they don't win, they need Chelsea to do the same or worse than them. I'll explain at the end.

Everton v. Newcastle. I'm not sure how Newcastle managed to stay up since they blew goats all year, but they did and this game doesn't matter for them. However, Everton need to at least tie or have Villa not win to keep their spot in the UEFA Cup, which will be good for Tim Howard and the U.S.

Got all that? OK. Here's what I hope happens in the race for the title. I hope ManU lose - big. Then, I want Chelsea to take a one-goal lead into the last part of the game, only to give up two and lose the title in the last 5-10 minutes. That way, those See You Next Tuesdays (think about it) at Chelsea don't get the title and ManU can't celebrate. I hate both of them.

ALL GAMES START AT 7AM!

Hooray for Friday

New Democratic Ad

Today's List - 4/19/08

1. The Galaxy season is underway. Things aren't looking good at the start, but there's signs of improvement.

2. Its 2008. We have cell phones that go on the internet and take pictures, cars that adjust the stereo and seats automatically for each user, and iPods smaller than a box of matches. How is this all possible, yet we have food riots?

3. An interesting article in today's L.A. Times: Cardinal Mahony of the L.A. Catholic Diocese is asking individual parishes to help cover $50 million of the total $720 million in settlements made with victims of sexual abuse by clergy. That sounds pretty ballsy to me.

4. FoxNews and MSNBC reported that Obama may have flipped off Hillary during a speech.



Two things: really?!?! and last I checked flipping a person off involved one finger - Obama used two to scratch his face. Must be a slow news day.

5. Pennsylvania primary is on Tuesday. I think Obama's got the nomination locked up, so I don't care that much about the result. However, it would be nice if he won so we could move on to the business of beating crazy McCain.

6. In case you weren't aware, the end of the Earth is near. You can read the article, but it talks about an atom smasher in Switzerland is closing in on its operating date. The hoped result? The first sighting of the Higgs particle (smaller than a quark, which is smaller than an atom). Another possible result? A black hole that will swallow the Earth.

7. I'm not sure anybody noticed, but the NBA playoffs start this weekend. The NBA playoffs are possibly the most drawn-out pointless event in the world. They make the Democratic nomination process look like an episode of Metalocalypse. At least in the nominating process the result matters. For example, the Lakers will play the Nuggets (we had a friend that called his balls his nuggets) tomorrow and the series goes until MAY 4th!! Two weeks for the first round? This sport is ridiculous. The NCAA tournament has 64 teams and they are done in less than a month.

8. Earth Day is coming. Recycle motherfuckers!

9. My Earth Day challenge to anyone who reads this: stop buying bottled water. Get a re-usable bottle and a Pur or Brita filter. Amanda and I have been doing this for a long time. REI has a wide selection of bottles. Water is a public resource and people are paying more for water than gas. Really. One gallon of gas goes for about $4. One 16-ounce bottle of water goes for about $1. It takes 8 of those bottles to make a gallon. $8/gallon for water?

10. My $10 wine recommendation of the month: 2006 Pascual Toso Malbec. This shit drinks like wines 3-4 times its price and its still young. We've put away two bottles and have three more waiting. Readily available at your local BevMo.

I Google'd "Transgender dancing Hillary Clinton lookalike midget"

Watch the whole thing

I'm not saying that I agree 100% with the way he presented the idea, but what does he say in this sermon that is so wrong?



I guess if you only play the "God damn America" quote it looks bad, but in context not as much.

Just sayin'

Today's List - 3/4/08

So I have been a bad blogger since I haven't posted in a while, but there are many lame excuses including the worst cold in the universe, too much school work, etc. Here are some things:

1. If you haven't been to this website yet you need to check it out: Stuff White People Like. I like 49/80, which makes me 61.25% authentic white. It nails us pretty good.

2. The candidates may be more or less decided upon after tonight. I'm not tired of elections so much as I am tired of listening to a certain candidate that is acting completely desperate.

3. If you want to see a really gross soccer injury go to YouTube and look up Eduardo. Double compound fracture.

4. Did my taxes and got back a good chunk of change. You still have 6 more weeks to figure it out. I used to like to do my taxes early and then wait until the last day and drive to the post office and wait in the car line and drop it off. Since then I have gotten over my need to feel part of society so I do them early and file online.

5. Pete texted me (he never actually calls people on the phone - just text) about a Last Starfighter sequel. I thought that he was mocking me, but it may actually be true and may feature the star of the original, Lance Guest. (FYI - I did not have to search for the name of the star of the original - Lance Guest is a regular topic of conversation in our home.)

6. Other movies in the works to be excited about: Thundercats (FYI - it'll be CGI, not live action), G.I. Joe (although the cast looks kind weak), and Indiana Jones.

7. Point Break Live. Who's in? In case you don't follow the link, its a theater version of the movie Point Break where Keanu Reeves's role of Johnny Utah is played by a member of the audience. Maybe get a few cocktails at Conrad's and then head downtown? That's what I'm talking about.

Sunday Fun-day

There are a few things that I want to get off my chest. Most involve politics, so if you are not interested this won't be fun for you.

1. As part of my complete technological overhaul I got a new cell phone. Its one of those giant Palm Treo deals. I got it because I wanted something that would also keep me organized. Since it has a scheduler function that beeps at me when I need to do things. However, it most impressed me when I discovered that I could sync it with my computer wirelessly through bluetooth. Shit is crazy man. I swear to god the robots are going to take over.

2. There have been a number of people that have asked me for recommendations on cheap wine. OK, it was one person, but I feel like I could provide this service for many readers. Here you go: Goats do Roam. $6-8 at Vons. Tons of flavor, good mouthfeel (not watery), and not too sweet. Big House Red: actually made by the Bonny Doon people who put out really good zinfandel. I know Pete has had this and I've seen others too. Good flavor, a little more on the sweet side, but not too much. Unknown wine: Trader Joe's is currently carrying this Spanish style blend that is really good. Its a mix of syrah, bobal, and tempranillo. $10 and they had a ton when I checked last. Trader Joe's also carries the Prosperity Red that I like a lot. None of these are "holy crap that is so fucking good", but they are good "bang for the buck" wines. There is one, Four Vines Zinfandel that I think is a pretty damn good bottle for $11-12. On the higher end, the Ravenswood Tedeschi Zinfandel has been getting rave reviews and is actually a value at $25-30 since its been scoring at the 94-95 range. Drop me an e-mail if you want more specific recommendations.

OK, that's it for the non-politics stuff.

3. John McCain is crazy. I could just refer to his singing "bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran" or him saying publicly that he hopes Fidel Castro gets to meet Marx really soon, but there is more to it than that. In the comments section of a previous post, I said that I was surprised to see my Texan friend Peter (as opposed to California Pete) say that he would consider voting for Hillary in the primaries because she would be "a slightly less worse president then Obama". He also said that McCain has not changed his mind on issues. First, the one thing that McCain has not changed his mind on is Iraq. I will 100% agree on that. Now, supporting Bush on Iraq is clearly not popular, but is also (in my view) not something that many people will want to vote for. However, here is a list of things that McCain has indeed changed his mind on:

A. In his 2000 campaign McCain called the confederate flag a "symbol of heritage". Why? He was afraid that he could not win the nomination without winning South Carolina. One person even said that this was an "act of political cowardice". Who was that person? John McCain himself.
B. In 2000 McCain called Jerry Falwell an "agent of intolerance" but he gave the 2006 commencement address at Falwell's Liberty University. Yes, the same Jerry Falwell who said that blame for the 9-11 attacks should be placed on Americans because we took God out of schools and allow abortions among other things.
C. In 2003, McCain said that ethanol wouldn't exist if it weren't for Congress. Once he was considering his run for 2008 he changed his mind. Amazingly, Tim Russert called him on it.
D. McCain was a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act, which allows the children of illegal immigrants to gain legal status once they graduate high school. Now? He opposes it. Weird, could it possibly be because he needs to win over conservative voters?
E. Bush's Tax Cuts. McCain in 2001: "I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us at the expense of middle-class Americans who need tax relief". Today? In favor of Bush's tax cuts.
F. McCain on abortion in 1999: "in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade." McCain on abortion after being called on it by conservatives: "I share our common goal of reducing the staggering number of abortions currently performed in this country and overturning the Roe vs. Wade decision." Looks like he changed his mind.
So, as it turns out, McCain changes his mind on important issues quite a bit.

4. Hillary Clinton. I've already called the race for Obama and I think it will be more or less official come March 5th (day after Texas and Ohio primaries) However, I really want to say something about her campaign: it stinks. First, she pulls out the attack ads in South Carolina. Then she calls Obama a plagiarist for using, with permission and encouragement, two sentences from his friend and endorsers speech. However, her campaign would not say that they had never done the same thing. Finally, yesterday, she busted out the "shame on you Barack Obama" because he was sending out fliers that she said were not true. #1: They were pretty much true although they are designed a little bit deceptively. #2: These things have been out for 2 weeks now. Where was the "shame on you" then? Well, it was in a conference call where one of here supporters compared it to "having Nazis march through Skokie, Ill". A little overboard? Yes, especially since she sent out mailers in New Hampshire, Nevada, and Wisconsin that were not arguably false, but completely false. So I guess it should be "shame on you Hillary Clinton".

Bush is a dirty spy, Part 7

Decision '08

The Evil Twin of William Jennings Bryan has looked at the numbers and we are able to make a call in the race for the Democratic nomination for President:

I'm not just being a dick about this either. According to the numbers, there is very little chance that Hillary can catch Obama. Here's why: Obama currently leads in the pledged delegate (not superdelegate) count by a little more than 120 or so delegates. Not an insurmountable lead - or is it? This idea makes several assumptions: First, there are certain states (i.e. Wisconsin) that Obama is likely going to win. Second, there are states that Hillary is likely to win (i.e. Texas and Ohio). If we assume that Obama wins by no more than 10% in the states that he is likely to win than it Hillary would need more than 60% of the vote in both Texas and Ohio - a feat that current trends show is not probable. (look about 2/3 of the way down to see the numbers)

OK, granted, I am being a little presumptuous, but things are looking pretty good.

Today's List - 2/11/08

1. Happy Birthday Mom!! (She's way younger than you think for having twin sons that are 30. I had the unfortunate pleasure of hearing that we were "too much wine at Thanksgiving" babies.) In any case, I will be bringing presents to the 909 this weekend.

2. This is my first post on my new computer.
2.1 I got a Mac Mini. We are now a 1/2 Mac and 1/2 PC household
2.2 I'm digging the mac, especially now that it has the "mighty mouse" which has a left and right click.
2.3 It doesn't have solitaire. That makes me sad.
2.4 It does have chess. However, when I make superior, yet confusing, moves it just stops playing. No check mate, just freezes.
2.5 The keyboard is way space-age.
2.6 When at the Apple Store I looked at the "Air" and its really thin.
2.7 Its nice to have a computer at home that works so the wife can take hers to school. So really its more like a gift for her, which means I'm off the hook for Valentine's Day.

3. Things are looking pretty good for Obama. There should be a couple more victories tomorrow night.

4. Remember that really cool Obama video? If not, go here. Here is a funny one about McCain.



Cheap shot? Whatever. The guy is bonkers.

5. Best album Grammy went to Herbie Hancock. Only 2nd jazz artist to win the award.

6. The Clinton camp was offended by the MSNBC person that said that they were "pimping out" Chelsea. Today she had breakfast with a 21 year-old superdelegate from Wisconsin. She may not be trading sex for votes (and I emphasize may), but pimping seems like the right term for it.

7. I left the TV in the other room on ABC when I came in here. Now I am hearing what I believe is Miami Sound Machine which leads me to believe that there is some sort of reality dance competition on... just checked and confirmed. Dance War. Turned it to American Gladiators for Pete.

8. Before Pete makes any comments like "Whatever Jeff, I know you were watching Dance War" I want to remind him that he was watching a dog show.

9. Went to Ruth's Chris the other night. That shit is good.

Today's Short List - Super Tuesday

1. Go vote. People all over the world kill and are killed over voting. You don't have to do either so there's really no excuse. Polls are open at 7am and should remain open until 8pm.

2. I think its clear who I am voting for, which means this is a very nervous day for me. I don't completely buy into polls, but all of them are showing tremendous gains for Obama in all states and in the head-to-heads. Either way, I don't think the Democrats will have a candidate picked tonight. The Republicans might though. Here's a hint: he's fucking nuts.

3. U.S. vs. Mexico tomorrow night at 6pm. Pasadena locals whould head to Lucky Baldwin's if you want to experience a good soccer environment. That's where I'll be. Prediction is easy: 2-0 to the U.S. as usual.

4. I am approaching visitor #9,000. Disturbing. I usually offer up a prize for landmark visitors and then never actually give the prize. This time I will do the same.

Today's List - Super Bowl Sunday

1. My Super Bowl prediction wasn't too far off. Although I picked the Pats to win I did say that the Giants would cover (they won so that counts) and I called the under on the over/under. Also, I predicted that it would be an ungodly boring game, which it was until the 4th quarter. It was close all game, but it got pretty slow in the middle.

2. My cousin commented on the previous post about a package that was sent to me. Here are the contents of said mysterious package: various jerkies, all in small ziploc sandwich bags, labeled on blue masking tape: beef (made in Brady), buffalo, turkey, and young fawn venison. If you are ever looking for a random Labor Day trip, check out the World Championship BBQ Goat cook-off in Brady, Texas - where my uncle and cousin live. Its honestly a good time and I have never seen more Coors Light consumed in my entire life.

3. This video has been burning up the net for the last day or two. It features the speech that Barack Obama gave after the New Hampshire primaries. It was created by will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.



Now, I know that there are many that would call this corny, but I think that those who consider it corny may not be used to the idea that our leaders don't just have to be talking heads full of policies and statistics. They used to give us hope. Lincoln, FDR, JFK, and even Reagan. Why mention Reagan? Because even many right-wing blogs are reacting positively to this video. I may not care for many of Reagan's policies, but I still get chills when I hear his speech honoring the crew of the Challenger. I'm constantly getting more and more excited about the possibilities that this election is bringing.

4. We start a new semester on Tuesday, which means I start teaching Econ again. It has become my favorite subject to teach. This year I am going to do a lot of work talking about Economics and the environment. I'm pretty amped about it.

5. I generally get pretty excited about World Cup, Champions League, and even the Olympics when it comes to soccer tournaments. Well, I am beginning to get excited for another tournament, as are soccer fans all over the world - the African Cup of Nations. There were tons of exciting games in the group stages and the two big favorites (in my view) - Ghana and Ivory Coast, have already booked their spot in the semis. Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o, who also stars for FC Barcelona in Spain, is the tournament's leading scorer. Africa may soon be producing national teams completely capable of winning a world cup. Its not there yet, but they are certainly producing a buttload of major world stars.

6. Super Tuesday is coming. You should go vote. Normally I would create some form of voter's guide on the propositions, but I'm too busy to do that. My brief synopsis: Prop 91 is moot so vote NO. 92 looks pretty good so I'm voting yes, and then a big NO on 93. It sounds OK on the surface, but its really a big sham created by members of the state legislature to allow them to keep their jobs longer through a loophole. Most of the sponsors of the bill are scheduled to be removed soon through term limits and this law would let them stay longer. I call bullshit. I am also voting NO on 94-97 simply because I think we can get a better deal and that this bill gives the tribes tons of room to manipulate how the fees they pay us are determined. However, its more money than we are getting now so I could see someone voting YES with the thought that its OK for now.

This speaks for itself I think

26

Today's List - 1/29

1. It looks like Giuliani may drop out if he doesn't win in Florida tonight. I don't think he will win, so that's one more jerk candidate out of the running. However, its kind of scary because Itchy-trigger-finger McCain is looking pretty strong. I'm glad I'm not Republican - how do you chose between crazy McCain and fake Romney.

2. Both Clinton and Obama really want an endorsement from Bill Richardson. He said that if he is going to endorse a candidate it will likely be by the end of the week and that "it's going to be a gut feeling. It's not going to be about statistics, about past ties." In the same article he tells a story about one of the debates where he stopped listening when a question was directed at another candidate, sort of taking a mental break, when the moderator directed the same question to him "So, Gov. Richardson, what do you think of that?" As he desperately looked for a clue before asking the mod to repeat the question Barack Obama went "Katrina, Katrina" saving Richardson's ass a bit. After what Billary has done in the campaign over the last few weeks do you think she would have helped or fed him to the wolves. I'm going with choice B. So I'm thinking that his "gut" might just tell him that Obama is the way to go.

3. I also think that, although Richardson barely got a word in during his last few debates he was trying to maintain some level of civility - another reason why I think he might choose Obama if anybody.

4. I also think he should choose wisely since I am hoping that he is on the top of the shortlist for VP possibilities. Imagine a VP with some actual positive international experience.

5. Bush did a good job highlighting his presidency last night: an economy crashing under the weight of lenders screwing over poor borrowers and nearly a trillion spent on a war started for false reasons, a Damoclean education program with lofty goals and no funding to back it, and the reputation of an imperialist internationally.

6. My pick for the Super Bowl? OK, its easy to pick the Patriots, but I will also say that the Giants will cover the 13-point spread and that betters should go with the "under" in the over/under, which I think is sitting at around 53 or so. I'm thinking 27-17 in an ungodly boring game.

7. It looks like the Galaxy will pick up another somewhat well-known European player. Celestine Babayaro played for 7 years or so for Chelsea and was last at Newcastle before being waved due to injury issues. If he becomes consistently healthy he will be part of a very solid backline with Abel Xavier, Ty Harden(maybe?), and an undetermined 3rd defender.

8. The proposed tax refund should get most people around $600 and couples around $1200. If you're getting that money, what would you do with it? I more or less spent it on a new Mac Mini that I haven't technically bought yet.

Today's List - 1/25

1. FYI: Its raining. A lot. That means you need to take it a little easy on the freeway. I saw one accident happen and 3 that had already happened on the freeway on the way to work today. I'm looking at you Mercedes and BMW drivers.

2. Since Derrick asked I will answer: Yeah, I think it sucks that there were a million people waiting to snap a photo of a bodybag with dead Heath Ledger. And I think the coverage of him, Britney Spears, Anna Nicole, et al goes way overboard. I don't blame the paparazzi though. They are doing a job, albeit a sleazy job, but they are only meeting the public's demand for that kind of shit.

3. Wow. Obama absolutely thrashed Hillary in South Carolina. I'm waiting to see if this changes some of the polls in other states. She needed to get her ass handed to her after the dirty campaign that she has been running. Bill needs to get his nuts put in the grinder as well. That whole week before the primaries shows exactly why I don't like her - she doesn't care about what is right, she only cares about what will get her success. Both of those douchebag Clintons should be ashamed of what they are doing. Slate's John Dickerson has a good article about it.

4. I went to Wal-Mart yesterday. No, I did not buy anything. I was only the driver on the trip and I felt like I should let my sister-in-law go where she wanted since it was her daughter in the hospital that brought me back to the 909 yesterday. In any case, that place is quite possibly the closest I will ever get to hell on Earth. Its dirty, crowded, unorganized, and I can't look at the employees without feeling the deepest sympathy for them. I see the t-shirt for $6 and know that it only needs to be $7 in order for the company to pay their employees fair wages and get them some kind of insurance.

5. I feel so much better about the universe today. I have in the past written about my students' poor taste in movies. This weekend many of them went to see "Meet the Spartans" and the majority said that they walked out during the movie and snuck into Rambo. I don't condone theater hopping, but I'm impressed with their decision.

6. On a hypocritical note - has anyone done the theater-hopping thing before. I don't mean buying tickets to one show and going to a different one. I mean you buy for one movie, watch that movie, then sneak into another theater for another movie. I think I might check that out one of these days, maybe check out 3 movies in one day. The problem is that I'm not sure if there will ever be 3 movies in theaters that I want to see at the same time.

7. Read this on a website that I can't find again: "Wolf [from American Gladiators] is the new Chuck Norris". Blasphemy.

I want to do that, but I can't because...I know

So there is a certain actor that is allegedly crazy, we'll call him Com Truise. He did an interview about a certain religion that I will call Tienscology. Its really funny. So funny that the Tienscologists had it pulled from YouTube, but not this site. Check it out before they pull this one.

"We have to go around the world with a tambourine and a tin cup."

Today's List - 1/17/08

1. The quote in the title is by Ross Perot. Remember him? Ran for President in '92 as the Reform Party candidate? Big Ears? Well, he said this in reference to the current economy and the practice by large banks of borrowing money from foreign countries. Also talks a lot of shit about McCain. Kind of a funny article.

2. (got this from Lauri). Did you know that there is a person suing the government for 3 quadrillion dollars. Here it is in all its glory: 3,000,000,000,000,000. That's a lot of zeros. There are actually almost 500,000 claims filed against the government for its failure to build good levees to protect New Orleans. One lawyer who represents a bunch of Katrina victims says that a lot of the suits are being filed just to make a point. I think there is a difference between making a point and making an ass out of yourself.

3. I want to give tons of recognition to Jamie Carragher. Most of you don't know who he is, but this week he played his 500th game for Liverpool. What makes this story better is that Liverpool is his hometown team that he supported as a kid and he has never played, nor likely will ever play, for any other team. That's pretty rare in sports these days.

4. Should I explain the Flying Space Monkey vs. Orangutan battle? Maybe, but I think a lot of the blame rests squarely on Lauri's shoulders.

5. Another funny quote from the Ross Perot article. Well, not so much a quote as it is a bumper-sticker that he got in the mail. "Monica Lewinsky's ex-boyfriend's wife for Pres."

6. If you haven't checked out The Onion recently you should think about it.

7. Who is going to check out Cloverfield? I'm getting tempted and may break down and see it this weekend.

8. Speaking of this weekend: U.S. vs. Sweden at the Home Depot Center Saturday evening. I may have two extra tickets and a few extra beers in the cooler. Let me know.

Dates to take note of

January 28th: Bush's last State of the Union Address. Drinks that night? Concensus says yes. (Read that phrase again. LAST State of the Union address.)

February 5th: Super Tuesday. Tons of primaries and caucuses. Candidates should be decided that night. The League of Space Monkey Voters is hosting a results watching gathering. We extend an invitation to our orangutan brothers in an effort to unite under the hopes for a good Democratic candidate. The show starts when you show up - but maybe not until after 5:00. The CA results should start rolling in at 8:00.

Resolutions

Every year I make the same lame-ass resolutions and break them by Martin Luther King Day, which is next week. I always say that I'm going to read more and watch less TV, then they put awesome shows on the air like American Gladiators, Ghost Hunters, Deadliest Catch, The Office, etc. I always say that I will work out more and lose some weight, but then In N' Out stays open and beer continues to be legal. I swear that I will do a better job keeping things clean and organized and then I break the other two amendments again.

Well this year I'm not only renewing all of those resolutions, but I am taking on a new one that I think everyone reading this should take on as well. I am going to be more green. It will be easy since Amanda has bought into the idea as well (thanks to Oprah, who always tells Amanda what to do). My challenge to all who read this is to be more green as well. Here are some of the ways that I am changing my lifestyle to be more environmentally friendly:

No more plastic or paper grocery bags. We already take re-usable bags to Trader Joe's. In fact, Amanda and I both have a set of three in our cars so either of us can do the shopping. How easy is it? The bags cost 99-cents at Trader Joe's and when you use them they enter you into a drawing for a $25 gift card. I know other places carry them as well. Americans go through an unreal amount of grocery bags and the plastic ones just sit in landfills forever or end up in the ocean. The paper ones just kill more trees.

High Efficiency bulbs. Pete and Lauri inspired me to take this one more seriously. I bought a package of these more than a year ago at Costco, but they weren't bright enough. Well, there are CFL bulbs out these days that have the same output as 100-watt incandescents. Yes, they cost more, but they are getting cheaper and they last forever and they supposedly have an effect on your electricity bill. By the end of January I will replace all of my old bulbs with CFL bulbs. Except the chandelier, which has small bulbs. I will replace those when I find small CFLs.

Use less paper products. We use way too many paper towels and paper napkins. We have more-or-less ditched the use of paper plates, but napkins are a great convenience. Our goal is to use more cloth napkins when eating, use sponges that can be re-used to wipe down counters, and cloth towels whenever possible.

Take shorter showers. This is easier said than done on cold winter mornings, but your water heater is one of the top 3 users of energy in your home. Plus, it looks like water shortages may be an issue in the years to come.

Unplug things that are not being used. Even when your appliances are turned off they are using power. We have started unplugging things like the toaster and coffee maker when we are not using them. An alternative would be to buy "smart strips" which are power strips that cut off all power to the appliances with the flip of a switch. I may not invest in these yet, but we are working on unplugging things.

I know that there are many more things that we can do to be more green, save energy, etc. I have already decided that my next car will be a hybrid. When we get a house we will look into solar panels. My feeling is that as "green living" becomes more popular companies will be more willing to produce more green products in large numbers, thus reducing their prices. In fact, you can already see this with the CFL bulbs.

What drove me to this resolution? Lots of things. I think that there are only a few foolish people left that are still doubting global warming - mostly because they have a lot to lose by doing so. I want to help with that problem. Also, I think that we have become so dependent on oil as an energy resource that we are held hostage by the price of a barrel and the countries that provide the oil we use. If we can transfer our dependence to more renewable sources (some of which are free like wind and the sun) then we won't need to keep feeding these sometimes sketchy oil barons. Global warming is not our only environmental problem despite its prevalence in the press. We are dumping tons of trash into the environment, especially the oceans. To see what got my attention on this issue check out the special that the L.A. Times ran last year about the oceans.

Again, I hope that many of you reading will also take up the challenge to be more green and get the people around you to do the same.

And don't vote Republican - that will help as well.

Sitting in a dark band room with Bagger Vance

That's literally what I am doing right now. The band teacher is out and they couldn't get a real sub for him so I am sitting here in the dark band room while the students watch "Legend of Bagger Vance". What does that movie have to do with band? I don't know but that's what the teacher left for them. So, to fill the time, I am going to rant a bit.

First, have you realized that we are going to elect a new president this year?!? Nice. For me, I am almost as excited about the process of electing that new president as I am about the fact that we won't have Bush anymore. I'm pretty sure that most of you know that I am a pretty serious Obama supporter and I'm also pretty excited that there are a lot of people around me that I am jumping on board. Having said that, I want to give my view about where I think this thing is going.

Republicans: I guess its obvious that its down to Giuliani, McCain, Huckabee, and Romney. Let's get serious though. I think Rudy is done. 6th and 4th in the two big state contests doesn't spell victory. Also, I'm not sure he's "America's Mayor" anymore. My real surprise is still how any true Republican can take this guy seriously when he has so many liberal views on issues like abortion. In the end, I don't think Americans still believe in the politics of fear and 9-11 is still Giuliani's calling card. I also don't see much of a shot for Huckabee, but that's more of a hunch than a real theory based on polls or anything. That leaves McCain and Romney. Yesterday, Romney decided to shed a few tears of his own when talking about his father. Maybe they were legit and maybe he wanted to use the Hillary crying tactic. Either way people will see it as fake and that doesn't go well. Somehow Republicans are also ignoring the fact that McCain is crazy and should not be elected president. However, I don't really have a real opinion about who I think will win. I do think that Democrats are rooting for McCain because any debate between McCain and any Democrat ends with the fact that McCain still supports the war in Iraq.

Democrats: Unless something crazy happens in the next week its really down to Clinton and Obama. She won't be able to use the tears again, so that card is out. I'm also wondering how she feels legitimate using the desire for change as the basis for her campaign. Obama went with that back when he wrote his book. Now everyone is running with it. Also, I am still trying to figure out where her 35 years experience is. Obama is often called the inexperienced candidate, but he doesn't have that much less experience than Clinton. Also, he is really the only candidate that seems like he is really speaking honestly. The others seem scripted. I think it will come down to Obama's ability to motivate people and those people will be the ones that give him the nomination after Super Tuesday (February 5th).

That's my very disorganized view of the elections as they stand. I am signing off because the bell is going to ring and I hate the band room.

A new level of nerd-dom

Today I became a Level 3 Answerer at Yahoo! Answers. Here is the answer that put me over the top. I am also proud that 25% of my answers have been picked as the best answer. Proud in a very nerdy way.

2008 Post #1

Check out the new Giuliani ad:



In other words - for for him or you will die.

Nice message.

Here's Obama's speech from Iowa last night (its pretty long - 13 minutes). He won the Democratic caucus, Giuliani got 6th in his.



That one is just a little more positive.