Last night I went to the Madonna concert. A friend had wanted to go so I got us some tickets. I was lucky enough to score seats in a box (I’m not a fan of concert crowds and standing during the whole show and being forced to dance and wave my hands, etc.). Madonna is not my favorite artist, but hers is a concert that I’d always wanted to see for the pure spectacle of it (Michael Jackson and Prince would be two others on my list for the same reasons).
I wasn’t disappointed. In fact I was pretty surprised. The show was really good and highly recommended. The stage was huge with a huge catwalk extending all the way up to the ½ way point of the Wachovia Center. Also there were two side catwalks extending diagonally out into the first 15 or so rows of the side audience sections. On these catwalks were the other performers in the show doing all kinds of stuff.. dancing, running, jumping, skating, singing, etc. The band was made up of 4 guys on the stage, each on their own moving platform. They didn’t do much except play in perfect synchronicity with the 3 huge video screens playing cool video clips (including one that made huge fun of GWB). The band also had a costume change which was pretty impressive since the rest of the show seemed to change clothes for every song. The lights were cool and there were all kinds of surprises. She did mostly new songs so I didn’t know them at all. But they were all pretty good.
Madonna herself was quite good for a 48 year old. First off, she looked amazing and was in incredible shape. She was pretty skilled at pacing herself so she looked like she was doing a lot of running around but she really wasn’t. Even though she wasn’t going crazy the whole time, she entertained quite well. It was if she was thinking “hey, I’ve done this too many times now, I know how to pace myself perfectly.. no need to act like a speed freak”.
So, now for the moron. Most stupid things people say and do these days seem to really disappoint me but I’m hardly ever surprised. Last night I was genuinely shocked at what happened. One of the people in Madonna’s show was this Indian looking guy who played this cool Middle Eastern horn and did some singing as well. The reason I said he was Indian looking was his complexion and his turban. After a few songs Madonna sat down on a stool with a guitar to sing and this guy sat next to her. Madonna joked “This is my friend James [I think that was his name], he walked all the way here from Yemen”. So I was off a little bit. The guy was probably a Yemeni Hindu.
Next thing I hear is a genuine exclamation of terror from a woman in the next box: “What the fuck is a terrorist doing on stage?”. This was impressive since it was quite loud there at the concert and it’s hard to hear anything other than the show. But I heard this lady. Throughout the entire song all she would do is complain to whoever (I couldn’t turn around much to see since it would be too obvious) she was in the box with that they should leave immediately because (and I’m sure I heard this right) “We shouldn’t give her our money since she supports terrorists!”. They must have told her she was an idiot because then she started arguing with someone and said “He’s got a bomb under his fucking yarmulke! This is bullshit! Yemen is where the terrorists come from!”.. and on and on.
Do I even have to explain how shocked I was at this? I mean, seriously. I can understand some ignorance and stupidity, but this lady was past that and in a fury over something that clearly was a delusion. More than that, her delusion was obviously a symptom of the fear mongering by the BWH combined with the general group conditioning to not use ones brain that has been being going on with the GOP followers.
I don’t like the two party system, but I still can envision one that encourages debate and I can respect the Republican party, but this woman is an example (here in a Blue state, in a cosmopolitan city) of how bad it is becoming with our citizens. People are past intelligent debate and are turning into deaf and blind followers of the new Nazi party. People like this woman (that I had heretofore considered only existing in the southern Red states) instill me with all kinds of fear and dread. Wow.. we are worse off than I thought!
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Should plants be illegal?
Isn't it about time that we start a national discussion on why it is illegal to grow certain types of plants in our backyards? Two of them that I know of are listed as Schedule 1 drugs by the DEA and posession of them will lead to serious jailtime. Mushrooms of a certain breed and a certain weed are two completely natural substances (no different than dirt as far as nature is concerned). Why is it that it is illegal to have them growing on your own property?
And don't tell me that its for our own good. Pot has been proven safe and useful in any number of studies and it seems that mushrooms are on the same path. Imagine that. Imagine that a natural substance could be harmless to us. For those of you God people out there, think of it this way: If god gave us the earth, why would he have created these plants? I bet after you thought about it for a while, all you could come up with to counter me is to say something like "God the Lord put them on this earth to tempt us and we should fight the temptation. They are a test that we should all strive to pass. Praise Jesus!". I say that if we allow the government to keep us from them then they are blocking the will of god since they are effectively making us skip gods test.
But enough of this religious crap. This is just plain stupid and we as a people need to start realizing that.
And don't tell me that its for our own good. Pot has been proven safe and useful in any number of studies and it seems that mushrooms are on the same path. Imagine that. Imagine that a natural substance could be harmless to us. For those of you God people out there, think of it this way: If god gave us the earth, why would he have created these plants? I bet after you thought about it for a while, all you could come up with to counter me is to say something like "God the Lord put them on this earth to tempt us and we should fight the temptation. They are a test that we should all strive to pass. Praise Jesus!". I say that if we allow the government to keep us from them then they are blocking the will of god since they are effectively making us skip gods test.
But enough of this religious crap. This is just plain stupid and we as a people need to start realizing that.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Conformity
In the early 50's a man named Solomon Asch did an experiment that essentially proved that people in groups on average believe what the majority of the group believes, no matter how illogical. This was more than peer pressure, this was actual belief.
The experiment went like this. A person was ushered into a room along with a group of other test subjects. The other test subjects were all plants so this person was the only person actually being tested though she/he wasn't aware of this. The people in the room were shown a drawing with one line on one side and a number of lines on the other side of varying lengths. Each 'subject' in the room was asked to announce which of the lines matched the first line on the drawing. The fake subjects (all going before the real subject) announced an obvious incorrect answer. When it came to the test subject, a number of the times they announced the same answer. In some cases it was found that the subjects had done more than just go along with the crowd, they had actually believed the lines were the same length!
On the web I've seen a number of reports on the experiment like this one, this one and this one, all have varying statistics so I don't know which to trust.. however the gyst is always the same, people follow the group and sometimes for non-obvious reasons. It's interesting to see that this phenominon exists and has been proven. Now think about it on a larger scale. Think about how it influences our society and our beliefs and our values. Think for a moment how someone manuipulating the group thoughts can gain a huge amount of power. Think about the BWH fear mantras. Think about the Right Wing talking points..
Most of all, try, and try hard to think for yourself. Challenge what the group thinks once and a while, you may find that the group is wrong.
The experiment went like this. A person was ushered into a room along with a group of other test subjects. The other test subjects were all plants so this person was the only person actually being tested though she/he wasn't aware of this. The people in the room were shown a drawing with one line on one side and a number of lines on the other side of varying lengths. Each 'subject' in the room was asked to announce which of the lines matched the first line on the drawing. The fake subjects (all going before the real subject) announced an obvious incorrect answer. When it came to the test subject, a number of the times they announced the same answer. In some cases it was found that the subjects had done more than just go along with the crowd, they had actually believed the lines were the same length!
On the web I've seen a number of reports on the experiment like this one, this one and this one, all have varying statistics so I don't know which to trust.. however the gyst is always the same, people follow the group and sometimes for non-obvious reasons. It's interesting to see that this phenominon exists and has been proven. Now think about it on a larger scale. Think about how it influences our society and our beliefs and our values. Think for a moment how someone manuipulating the group thoughts can gain a huge amount of power. Think about the BWH fear mantras. Think about the Right Wing talking points..
Most of all, try, and try hard to think for yourself. Challenge what the group thinks once and a while, you may find that the group is wrong.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Should it be Illegal to not disclose STDs?
There is a man in Pennsylvania who is going to be charged with a criminal act for having someone perform oral sex on them while he knowingly was HIV positive (story here). While I find it reprehensible that someone would do such a thing I still wonder if this case will set a dangerous precedent.
Fist off, this case could easily be extended to include other STDs since they are potentially life threatening as well. Secondly, will all sex acts now be classified depending on their risk to others? What about kissing? Is that the same as oral sex? Is it different if its man to woman? woman to man? woman to woman? man to man?
I have a hard time understanding the law and that's part of the reason I never became a lawyer. In my world everything follows some logic and can be objectively tied to everything else. I am fully aware that even the most objective things can be subjectively broken down : what defines an Apple? What is gender? How do we define a color? But at least in my world things are relatively objectively defined.
In the law, that's far from the case. Everything is subject to some interpretation and it's up to you as a lawyer to argue that your definition is more correct than your opponent. I suppose because I can see these distinctions I would actually be a wonderful lawyer but I really couldn't morally accept the fact that I was manipulating things and in a sense cheating.
I don't know if this guy should go to jail for what he did. To me on the surface what he did was wrong but I'm not sure that it was criminal. I don't know what the odds are that you could transmit an STD to someone orally. I don't know (and nobody could know) that the victim here wasn't HIV positive already and should have disclosed that as well. I don't know that the underlying law was meant to be interpreted this way. I don't know what this precedent will do in the future. What do you all think?
Fist off, this case could easily be extended to include other STDs since they are potentially life threatening as well. Secondly, will all sex acts now be classified depending on their risk to others? What about kissing? Is that the same as oral sex? Is it different if its man to woman? woman to man? woman to woman? man to man?
I have a hard time understanding the law and that's part of the reason I never became a lawyer. In my world everything follows some logic and can be objectively tied to everything else. I am fully aware that even the most objective things can be subjectively broken down : what defines an Apple? What is gender? How do we define a color? But at least in my world things are relatively objectively defined.
In the law, that's far from the case. Everything is subject to some interpretation and it's up to you as a lawyer to argue that your definition is more correct than your opponent. I suppose because I can see these distinctions I would actually be a wonderful lawyer but I really couldn't morally accept the fact that I was manipulating things and in a sense cheating.
I don't know if this guy should go to jail for what he did. To me on the surface what he did was wrong but I'm not sure that it was criminal. I don't know what the odds are that you could transmit an STD to someone orally. I don't know (and nobody could know) that the victim here wasn't HIV positive already and should have disclosed that as well. I don't know that the underlying law was meant to be interpreted this way. I don't know what this precedent will do in the future. What do you all think?
You can't wear that T-shirt Man!!
Just in case Howard and I have blog readers that differ, I offer you this story that I saw linked to on his blog. Apparently a vet was arrested in a VA hospital for an "offensive T-shirt".. Really, what is going on and when will it stop?
I mean seriously. This is America. This is supposed to be the land of the free. How is it that we have so many seemingly subjective things that we are not allowed to do? I've talked about being arrested for having brass knuckles on your possesion or a glass pipe or for selling a plastic tube in store.. it all makes no sense. This is America people, we should be not only allowed but encouraged to do what we want to. By wearing the T-shirt, this guy was being the most patriotic fellow there....
Idiots
I mean seriously. This is America. This is supposed to be the land of the free. How is it that we have so many seemingly subjective things that we are not allowed to do? I've talked about being arrested for having brass knuckles on your possesion or a glass pipe or for selling a plastic tube in store.. it all makes no sense. This is America people, we should be not only allowed but encouraged to do what we want to. By wearing the T-shirt, this guy was being the most patriotic fellow there....
Idiots
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Before the Internet, this wouldn't ever have happened
I've complained about the net off and on but there is one thing that it does really well and that's allowing people to connect on virutally anything. What I mean is that no matter what your hobby, idea, fetish is, there is always someone else who you can chat with. Before the internet existed, making contact with those people was incredibly difficult. Now, it's not easy, but it's certainly not as hard anymore.
So, with that said I direct you to the story of the guy who traded a paperclip for a house. Sure he may have been able to do it w/o the net, but I bet it would have been majorly hard to do...
So, with that said I direct you to the story of the guy who traded a paperclip for a house. Sure he may have been able to do it w/o the net, but I bet it would have been majorly hard to do...
Friday, July 07, 2006
PayPal now charging fees
I've used Paypal literally since it began. I've always been quite happy with the servive over the years, simple, fast, efficianet, popular. So you could imagine that it came as a huge surprise that when I looked at my last ebay sale payment, I was charged a fee for the transaction. The fee is a huge 3%. Now, I've never complained when they held my balances for 20 or so days with no interest and I've never charged them for the free advertising they get when on my eBay auctions I state "will accept paypal only". But they decided to charge me to use their service out of the blue.
I'm sure they sent me an email on the subject at some point, but I never read any paypal emails since 80% of them are phishing attempts (something else I never complained to them about.. and never charged them for my services in helping them track down phishers)..
So, they can go fuck themselves. I'm not using their service again until they drop these fees. I'm sure my business is nothing to them, but if I can spread the word, perhpas I can affect them in some way. Besides, what they are doing is just plain wrong. Bummer.. dumb asses...
I'm sure they sent me an email on the subject at some point, but I never read any paypal emails since 80% of them are phishing attempts (something else I never complained to them about.. and never charged them for my services in helping them track down phishers)..
So, they can go fuck themselves. I'm not using their service again until they drop these fees. I'm sure my business is nothing to them, but if I can spread the word, perhpas I can affect them in some way. Besides, what they are doing is just plain wrong. Bummer.. dumb asses...
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Korea
Some anonymous reader asked me my opinion on N. Korea and I sort of formed one for him/her in the comments section of this post. While on the subject, I saw this post on the Mighty Middle by Michael Reynolds that seemed to sum up the situation pretty well.
It seems to me that our country has a myopic and shortsighted view towards foreign policy. It seems to me that we try to solve foreign problems as they come. It seems to me that these problems pop up because of poor foreign policy decisions we've made in the past. I'm no diplomat and I'm no genius, but I think we should think about the global repercussions of our actions.
It seems to me that our country has a myopic and shortsighted view towards foreign policy. It seems to me that we try to solve foreign problems as they come. It seems to me that these problems pop up because of poor foreign policy decisions we've made in the past. I'm no diplomat and I'm no genius, but I think we should think about the global repercussions of our actions.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
A Sad Truth
I’m quite embarrassed to say that my mom and her husband are hardcore Bush/GOP supporters. But even so, I was shocked to learn that they haven’t seen “An Inconvenient Truth” yet. My mom was instantly opposed to it because apparently they used a penguin in the marketing of the film and she thought that was pandering to the “March of the Penguins” crowd. My stepfather said they just hadn’t had time to see it and he was interested to learn more about this issue of climate change. With them being clueless Red State Sheep I understood this reason quite clearly.
Of course you all know I’ve seen the film and found it really amazing (as did most others as well). Also, I knew that it was partially a Gore campaign ad and I knew that would be a hard thing for my mom and stepfather to deal with so I told them that it was in there, but easy to separate. I was confident that the rock solid facts and science in it would trump any party crap. I told them that no matter what party we were in, or nationality, it was really important to see this film.
So, I convinced them to go see it. At one point to bring it all home I said “Listen, compared to the Energy industry, what possible financial motivation could Gore (and others) have to push for the climate change cause?”. I did this in hopes to tell them that Al made the film to educate America, and not so he could get rich. They didn’t get my point.
Anyway, they watched the film and hated it. In a 5 page email, they told me that the EPA has all this info on their website and that the Bush Administration is well aware of this issue and is on top of it. Further they went on to tell me that Kyoto was bad for American jobs and that Bush was right to not sign it. Then they finished up their argument with this statement “Al did not discover this problem any more than he discovered the internet.”. My lord!
Now their response was surprising but now that I think about it, I would imagine not very extraordinary. They are a typical Red State family and just refuse to see logic even though they are both quite intelligent. Sadly their kind is representative of most of America (D and R) who simply buys what is fed to them on TV because it paints a rosy healthy happy picture all the time.
I thought “Truth” would appeal to everyone and really be a catalyst for rapid change and acceptance of this issue, I was wrong. Al Gore, by using his celebrity to sell this issue has in some ways planted it firmly to the Left in our sad, pathetic political culture war and that’s really too bad.
Of course you all know I’ve seen the film and found it really amazing (as did most others as well). Also, I knew that it was partially a Gore campaign ad and I knew that would be a hard thing for my mom and stepfather to deal with so I told them that it was in there, but easy to separate. I was confident that the rock solid facts and science in it would trump any party crap. I told them that no matter what party we were in, or nationality, it was really important to see this film.
So, I convinced them to go see it. At one point to bring it all home I said “Listen, compared to the Energy industry, what possible financial motivation could Gore (and others) have to push for the climate change cause?”. I did this in hopes to tell them that Al made the film to educate America, and not so he could get rich. They didn’t get my point.
Anyway, they watched the film and hated it. In a 5 page email, they told me that the EPA has all this info on their website and that the Bush Administration is well aware of this issue and is on top of it. Further they went on to tell me that Kyoto was bad for American jobs and that Bush was right to not sign it. Then they finished up their argument with this statement “Al did not discover this problem any more than he discovered the internet.”. My lord!
Now their response was surprising but now that I think about it, I would imagine not very extraordinary. They are a typical Red State family and just refuse to see logic even though they are both quite intelligent. Sadly their kind is representative of most of America (D and R) who simply buys what is fed to them on TV because it paints a rosy healthy happy picture all the time.
I thought “Truth” would appeal to everyone and really be a catalyst for rapid change and acceptance of this issue, I was wrong. Al Gore, by using his celebrity to sell this issue has in some ways planted it firmly to the Left in our sad, pathetic political culture war and that’s really too bad.
Rush Gets Off
I don't get it at all. Rush Limbaugh is not going to be charged for his recient embarressment with the bottle of Viagra that wasn't his. What I don't understand is how this isn't the same thing as what he was arrested for in the first place and why he is on probation.
I wonder if the average joe would have gotten the same treatment.
Charges in the Viagra case could have nullified a deal Limbaugh reached with prosecutors last month in which a single “doctor shopping” charge was deferred for 18 months, so long as Limbaugh does not get arrested for any reason.
Authorities had accused Limbaugh of illegally deceiving multiple doctors to get overlapping painkiller prescriptions. Limbaugh denied the charges but admitted he was addicted to painkillers.
I wonder if the average joe would have gotten the same treatment.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
We have to get the troops out of Iraq
So, a girl was raped by our troops and then killed along with her family. I can totally believe it. Look I am a huge fan our our troops. But lets be realistic here. These guys are doing a job they were not trained for (occupying a country), most have been there way too long (multiple manditory tours), and I would imagine that they have no idea why they are still there.
These are men who are trained to see other humans as targets and not as people. We want them to be this way, that makes them good at what they are supposed to be doing, but if you sit them in a town under immense stress and over long periods of time, can you even fault them for not behaving as normal humans in society?
But we don't care do we? The BWH will do it's best to kill this story and I would imagine that the troops involved will be court marshaled and that will be the end of it. No discussion on the real reason why it occured. No discussion on the effects of this occupation on our troops and the Iraqis. We have to get them out of there. Admit we made a huge mistake and pull them out. It is time.
These are men who are trained to see other humans as targets and not as people. We want them to be this way, that makes them good at what they are supposed to be doing, but if you sit them in a town under immense stress and over long periods of time, can you even fault them for not behaving as normal humans in society?
But we don't care do we? The BWH will do it's best to kill this story and I would imagine that the troops involved will be court marshaled and that will be the end of it. No discussion on the real reason why it occured. No discussion on the effects of this occupation on our troops and the Iraqis. We have to get them out of there. Admit we made a huge mistake and pull them out. It is time.
Flag Burning
Dammit. I'm such a slacker. I've been ready and willing to write something about this issue for a few weeks now but I just couldn't seem to get started on it. Now my friend Howard at Smedly Log beat me to it perfectly. He doesn't really get into a personal viewpoint, but he has a great quote up there by Scott Adams (the Dilbert guy) that when you read the full text sums up what I feel almost perfectly.
First off, let me say that it should be obvious that the GOP is setting up an issue for the next presidential election and possibly the mid-terms as well. They failed on the gay marriage amendment and now they are on their second candidate. It is so sad that our government is wasting time on this issue. Even though the american people feel that this issue is at the bottom of their list of important things to deal with (see question 12 on page 5 of this FOX news poll) the GOP knows that if it makes it to a ballot somewhere it can swing an election.
Lets just stop and consider this amendment for a second. How would it be written? If it will be illegal to burn a flag, how will 'flag' be defined? Would it be just a cloth flag of certain dimensions? Or would it be any representations? Say a paper one, or a photo of one? How about the flag jacket that out Philadelphia mayor Street wore after 9/11? Does that count? I don't want to get too technical here but what I'm trying to say is that a flag in the traditional sense is not unlike other symbols of America (like bunting and those goofy pins everyone wears).
Lastly, like it said in the Smeadly post, if the flag is a direct representation of our country and our country is the land of the free then would the burning of this symbol be an expression of that very freedom and by it's nature be one of the most purely patriotic events that could occur? I think that it clearly is. So on this fourth of July where it is illegal in most states to light of fireworks (god knows why), I say that we burn american flags as a sign of our independence...
PS. as a public service, here is an amazing site dedicated to the issue.
First off, let me say that it should be obvious that the GOP is setting up an issue for the next presidential election and possibly the mid-terms as well. They failed on the gay marriage amendment and now they are on their second candidate. It is so sad that our government is wasting time on this issue. Even though the american people feel that this issue is at the bottom of their list of important things to deal with (see question 12 on page 5 of this FOX news poll) the GOP knows that if it makes it to a ballot somewhere it can swing an election.
Lets just stop and consider this amendment for a second. How would it be written? If it will be illegal to burn a flag, how will 'flag' be defined? Would it be just a cloth flag of certain dimensions? Or would it be any representations? Say a paper one, or a photo of one? How about the flag jacket that out Philadelphia mayor Street wore after 9/11? Does that count? I don't want to get too technical here but what I'm trying to say is that a flag in the traditional sense is not unlike other symbols of America (like bunting and those goofy pins everyone wears).
Lastly, like it said in the Smeadly post, if the flag is a direct representation of our country and our country is the land of the free then would the burning of this symbol be an expression of that very freedom and by it's nature be one of the most purely patriotic events that could occur? I think that it clearly is. So on this fourth of July where it is illegal in most states to light of fireworks (god knows why), I say that we burn american flags as a sign of our independence...
PS. as a public service, here is an amazing site dedicated to the issue.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Le Tour de France
Last year I had the most amazing time watching the Tour (see here, here and here for some old posts). It was the first time I'd actually sat down and actually watched it. Previously I'd seen highlights and kept up with it in the paper, but boy I'm glad I got to see it. I'm so glad I got to see Lance Armstrong, the most amazing athlete I've ever seen in my life (and I've seen a few).
So, Lance is retired and now the Tour is looking for a new champion. Who will it be? What will happen this year? You can totally find out by watching OLN starting Saturday. The race is 3 weeks of hell to ride but just amazing to watch. I know.. I know it seems like watching a bike race would be like watching paint dry but it really isn't. It's a team sport with tactics and athleticism. It's a thinking mans sport. It's amazing.
I urge you all to give it a shot. But I need to give you an idea of what you are going to see. Each day is a stage (there will be 20 this year) and each stage is different. Everyone has a time for finishing the stages and when added together, they have what is called the General Classification. The person with the lowest GC at the end is the winner. At the end of each stage the person with the lowest GC also gets awarded the Yellow jersey.
Anyway, there are essentially 4 stage types. The first is a time trial. This is an individual race against the clock where riders try to finish a course as fast as they can. They are on the course alone while they ride. (There is also a team time trial, but not in the Tour this year). The other stages are all done as a group (well, they start that way). The second type is a flat stage where they ride a course that averages about 200 km (or 125 miles). It is the type of stage where riders will generally stay in the main pack (called the peleton) and finish all within a few seconds of each other. Sometimes a group of riders will break away from the peleton and try to make up some GC time. Depending on how high up they are in the GC, the peleton may or may not decide to chase them down. The flat stages are peaceful and beautiful to watch. The third stage type is similar to the flat stage but has a few relatively small mountains or hills in it. This is called a rolling stage and it begins to test the riders. The last stage type is the mountain stage and I can't even begin to describe what happens here. It is in the mountains (which begin on July 12) that the real race is generally fought.
So, on Saturday you'll see a time trial and then in the following days a number of flat and rolling stages. You should try to check out one or two days to get a feel for the riders and who is looking like they have the legs to ride the whole thing to the end. If you watch nothing else, watch a mountain stage in its entirety, you will not be disappointed.
Ok.. so that's my little blurb on the Tour. Of course I need to give you my predictions for the finish. Here is my top 10 in the GC followed by the Green and the Poka Dot jersey winners:
1. Jan Ullrich
2. Ivan Basso
3. Alexander Vinokourov (could win if he has a strong team effort)
4. George Hincapie (will have an incredible team with him but had a bad crash earlier this year)
5. Floyd Landis
6. Alejandro Valverde
7. Levi Leipheimer
8. Yaroslav Popovych
9. Cadel Evans
10. Christophe Moreau
green jersey : Thor Hushovd (with Tom Boonan a very close second)
poka dot : rassmussen
Vive Le Tour!
So, Lance is retired and now the Tour is looking for a new champion. Who will it be? What will happen this year? You can totally find out by watching OLN starting Saturday. The race is 3 weeks of hell to ride but just amazing to watch. I know.. I know it seems like watching a bike race would be like watching paint dry but it really isn't. It's a team sport with tactics and athleticism. It's a thinking mans sport. It's amazing.
I urge you all to give it a shot. But I need to give you an idea of what you are going to see. Each day is a stage (there will be 20 this year) and each stage is different. Everyone has a time for finishing the stages and when added together, they have what is called the General Classification. The person with the lowest GC at the end is the winner. At the end of each stage the person with the lowest GC also gets awarded the Yellow jersey.
Anyway, there are essentially 4 stage types. The first is a time trial. This is an individual race against the clock where riders try to finish a course as fast as they can. They are on the course alone while they ride. (There is also a team time trial, but not in the Tour this year). The other stages are all done as a group (well, they start that way). The second type is a flat stage where they ride a course that averages about 200 km (or 125 miles). It is the type of stage where riders will generally stay in the main pack (called the peleton) and finish all within a few seconds of each other. Sometimes a group of riders will break away from the peleton and try to make up some GC time. Depending on how high up they are in the GC, the peleton may or may not decide to chase them down. The flat stages are peaceful and beautiful to watch. The third stage type is similar to the flat stage but has a few relatively small mountains or hills in it. This is called a rolling stage and it begins to test the riders. The last stage type is the mountain stage and I can't even begin to describe what happens here. It is in the mountains (which begin on July 12) that the real race is generally fought.
So, on Saturday you'll see a time trial and then in the following days a number of flat and rolling stages. You should try to check out one or two days to get a feel for the riders and who is looking like they have the legs to ride the whole thing to the end. If you watch nothing else, watch a mountain stage in its entirety, you will not be disappointed.
Ok.. so that's my little blurb on the Tour. Of course I need to give you my predictions for the finish. Here is my top 10 in the GC followed by the Green and the Poka Dot jersey winners:
1. Jan Ullrich
2. Ivan Basso
3. Alexander Vinokourov (could win if he has a strong team effort)
4. George Hincapie (will have an incredible team with him but had a bad crash earlier this year)
5. Floyd Landis
6. Alejandro Valverde
7. Levi Leipheimer
8. Yaroslav Popovych
9. Cadel Evans
10. Christophe Moreau
green jersey : Thor Hushovd (with Tom Boonan a very close second)
poka dot : rassmussen
Vive Le Tour!
Our Floods and Climate Change
Hmn... I wonder if all of our floods lately are related to climate change? You know, there was an interesting statistic in the Gore movie (which you should go see if you haven't) that talks about the fact that in a sample of 1000 peer reviewed papers, 0 of them denied that climate change is real and that we have caused it. It then says that of a sample of news reports over the past few years, 55% of them gave rise to doubt that climate change is real. Disenfranchise folks.
So, I don't have the tools or the time to do a survey today, but from what I saw on our local news yesterday and what I've seen in the papers today, there was not one mention of the possible reason for the increased rains we've been having. In the Inky article I linked to above there is this quote : "Meteorologists described the spell of rain that began last Thursday as a remarkable one.".
Obviously in my mind there should be at least an attempt to get some scientist to tell us why the rains are occurring and what the possible connecting causes could be. But of course there was none. Perhaps we could feel like weather patterns are more science like if we started calling weather forecasters by some other title instead of "meteorologist". Think about that name for a minute.. does it really make you think of a trained professional? Or does it make you think of a fortune teller? The name is from the middle ages and it's just embarrassing that we still use it.
Point is, climate change is real and it's behind all of this and we are taking way to long to make the connection in our minds. We have to wake up and smell the coffee before we're all living in it.
So, I don't have the tools or the time to do a survey today, but from what I saw on our local news yesterday and what I've seen in the papers today, there was not one mention of the possible reason for the increased rains we've been having. In the Inky article I linked to above there is this quote : "Meteorologists described the spell of rain that began last Thursday as a remarkable one.".
Obviously in my mind there should be at least an attempt to get some scientist to tell us why the rains are occurring and what the possible connecting causes could be. But of course there was none. Perhaps we could feel like weather patterns are more science like if we started calling weather forecasters by some other title instead of "meteorologist". Think about that name for a minute.. does it really make you think of a trained professional? Or does it make you think of a fortune teller? The name is from the middle ages and it's just embarrassing that we still use it.
Point is, climate change is real and it's behind all of this and we are taking way to long to make the connection in our minds. We have to wake up and smell the coffee before we're all living in it.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
I don't know
No.. that's not true.. I know why I've not been very inspired to write lately.. I've got topics in my head (Genos, Flag Burning, The Tour, Green Stocks, the new Windows Media Player beta) but I just can't seem to sit down and write. I think the reason is that I feel like writing here really makes no difference. When I changed focus from personal crap to topical stuff I had envisioned that I would get comments and emails and references... I thought what I would write would actually make a change in the world. I'm not so idealistic anymore. My 2 Questions post was a big one. I had it in my head for a while and I really thought it would generate interest. But like most of my ideas, they are only great in my own head.
For those of you who read regularly, I thank you but I don't know.. lately I just can't keep up my pace.. I'm just not inspired enough. But I imagine that I won't stop since this is my primary outlet (I don't get out much).
Who knows..
For those of you who read regularly, I thank you but I don't know.. lately I just can't keep up my pace.. I'm just not inspired enough. But I imagine that I won't stop since this is my primary outlet (I don't get out much).
Who knows..
Saturday, June 24, 2006
The 2 Questions
I want to ask you to go along with me here for a moment. I want you think big, I want you to forget about borders and races and religions and just think about one thing. Think about the human race. Be inclusive. Count everyone since we all really are the same. We all have the same inner sprit and life and we all can learn and question things. In fact we all have a drive, a need to learn and question things. We may suppress that need, but it’s there in everyone and you and I both know it.
I would argue that the human race is the single most important entity that we all can conceive of in the universe. Ultimately, everything we do and everything we are about serves us as a species. The most important thing in all the universe to us is to simply protect our race. To live. If we were all dead, nothing is relevant.
So, in my world, everything should measure up against one yardstick. How does it serve our species? Our ultimate goal is to survive as a race. But why do we need to survive? Why are we here in the first place? What would happen if all humans were extinct? And, no matter what religion or science tells us, we all know the answer. Deep down we all know that the answer is simple: “We have no idea”.
Sure we have our theories and sure we have faith that there is a reason for life. I mean, if we didn’t, we’d really have no will to live would we? Most of us simply say to ourselves “Well, I don’t know why I’m here, but I’m sure there is a reason so I’ll just stick it out.”
Which leads me to what I believe. I believe that we may never totally know why we are here, but over time, we will continually get closer to knowing. Look at how much we’ve learned since the dawn of human existence. Look how far we have come. I believe that we as a race exist for one main reason: To know ourselves. With each passing generation, our knowledge grows. So, to me, our ultimate goal should be to keep humanity going.
Ok, so you can see where I’m going now. In my mind there are two things going on with one serving the other. Our reason for living is to figure out why we are here and understand who we are. We all agree that that reason can’t be realized in one lifetime. We need to continue on over time so we can get closer and closer to that realization. So we must make it our ultimate goal to survive as a species.
From all that I will argue that we can rate any person, any organized religion, any popular movement, any corporation, anything at all by simply asking two questions of them/it:
1. How has this thing contributed to our knowledge of ourselves?
2. How has this thing contributed to the propagation and continuance of our species?
Use these questions on yourself. Use these questions for your religion. Use these questions for your leaders. You will find, if you are really honest, that most people and institutions today really don’t stack up and that our direction as a species is horribly lost.
I would argue that the human race is the single most important entity that we all can conceive of in the universe. Ultimately, everything we do and everything we are about serves us as a species. The most important thing in all the universe to us is to simply protect our race. To live. If we were all dead, nothing is relevant.
So, in my world, everything should measure up against one yardstick. How does it serve our species? Our ultimate goal is to survive as a race. But why do we need to survive? Why are we here in the first place? What would happen if all humans were extinct? And, no matter what religion or science tells us, we all know the answer. Deep down we all know that the answer is simple: “We have no idea”.
Sure we have our theories and sure we have faith that there is a reason for life. I mean, if we didn’t, we’d really have no will to live would we? Most of us simply say to ourselves “Well, I don’t know why I’m here, but I’m sure there is a reason so I’ll just stick it out.”
Which leads me to what I believe. I believe that we may never totally know why we are here, but over time, we will continually get closer to knowing. Look at how much we’ve learned since the dawn of human existence. Look how far we have come. I believe that we as a race exist for one main reason: To know ourselves. With each passing generation, our knowledge grows. So, to me, our ultimate goal should be to keep humanity going.
Ok, so you can see where I’m going now. In my mind there are two things going on with one serving the other. Our reason for living is to figure out why we are here and understand who we are. We all agree that that reason can’t be realized in one lifetime. We need to continue on over time so we can get closer and closer to that realization. So we must make it our ultimate goal to survive as a species.
From all that I will argue that we can rate any person, any organized religion, any popular movement, any corporation, anything at all by simply asking two questions of them/it:
1. How has this thing contributed to our knowledge of ourselves?
2. How has this thing contributed to the propagation and continuance of our species?
Use these questions on yourself. Use these questions for your religion. Use these questions for your leaders. You will find, if you are really honest, that most people and institutions today really don’t stack up and that our direction as a species is horribly lost.
My Friday Night - Movie and a Dinner
My girlfriend and I went out last night with 2 of our friends. We went to see a movie and then to dinner afterwards. Here are my short reviews.
The film was "Thank you for Smoking". Right off the bat, I highly reccomend this movie. It's a comedy type film with a message. The polot is simple: we spend some time with the head lobbiest for the tobacco industry. Even though the film is clearly anti-smoking, we can't help but love the guy and respect how amazing a spokesman he is. The film is at times seriously hillarious and the main character is just perfectly played by Aaron Eckhart. If you are planning on going to the movies this weekend, go see "An Inconvenient Truth". If you've seen that and want to laugh, go see "Thank You for Smoking". Now if only I could convince all the sheep who are going to see the new Sandler film (which I can only assume will suck).
Since we were going to be at the Ritz 5 for the film, we wanted to eat somewhere nearby. There are so many cool places in Old City and we considered our favorite (Buddakan) but instead made reservations at Amada since we wanted to give it a shot and had heard such great things about it from Craig LeBan and others.
My gf and I had gone there once for appetizers to check it out and while she liked it quite a bit, I was totally unimpressed. This time we were doing it right. We had a 10pm reservation and were set up right in front of the stage where they do a set of Flamenco dancing.
We sat down just as the music was starting and boy was it loud. We couldn't hear anything but the music. Not each other, not the waitor, nothing. We considered leaving but we figued it wouldn't last all night. We were right. The set lasted about 20 minutes and then they just up and left. Not that I was complaining, but it was kind of odd that the would set up and play just one simple 20 minute set. I mean, there was a stage and it was a draw of the place.. but anyway.. ce la vi..
I'm not going to go into the food in detail. It's a tapas place and we ordered all kinds of stuff. Some stuff was pretty good, some was boring, and some was bland. Between the 4 of us, we weren't very impressed with me impressed the least. My rating was based on the fact that our per person check (with tip) ended up being over $75 per person. That's cool, but for that kind of money I want great food and great drinks. I had neither. So, after 2 visits to Amada, I give it a rating of C+.
The film was "Thank you for Smoking". Right off the bat, I highly reccomend this movie. It's a comedy type film with a message. The polot is simple: we spend some time with the head lobbiest for the tobacco industry. Even though the film is clearly anti-smoking, we can't help but love the guy and respect how amazing a spokesman he is. The film is at times seriously hillarious and the main character is just perfectly played by Aaron Eckhart. If you are planning on going to the movies this weekend, go see "An Inconvenient Truth". If you've seen that and want to laugh, go see "Thank You for Smoking". Now if only I could convince all the sheep who are going to see the new Sandler film (which I can only assume will suck).
Since we were going to be at the Ritz 5 for the film, we wanted to eat somewhere nearby. There are so many cool places in Old City and we considered our favorite (Buddakan) but instead made reservations at Amada since we wanted to give it a shot and had heard such great things about it from Craig LeBan and others.
My gf and I had gone there once for appetizers to check it out and while she liked it quite a bit, I was totally unimpressed. This time we were doing it right. We had a 10pm reservation and were set up right in front of the stage where they do a set of Flamenco dancing.
We sat down just as the music was starting and boy was it loud. We couldn't hear anything but the music. Not each other, not the waitor, nothing. We considered leaving but we figued it wouldn't last all night. We were right. The set lasted about 20 minutes and then they just up and left. Not that I was complaining, but it was kind of odd that the would set up and play just one simple 20 minute set. I mean, there was a stage and it was a draw of the place.. but anyway.. ce la vi..
I'm not going to go into the food in detail. It's a tapas place and we ordered all kinds of stuff. Some stuff was pretty good, some was boring, and some was bland. Between the 4 of us, we weren't very impressed with me impressed the least. My rating was based on the fact that our per person check (with tip) ended up being over $75 per person. That's cool, but for that kind of money I want great food and great drinks. I had neither. So, after 2 visits to Amada, I give it a rating of C+.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Gay Marriage in PA.. The saga continues
Well at least some senators have some sense. The bill passed the senate, but not without some key changes that protected domestic partnerships and essentially killed the amendment for quite a while. Overall I still say anyone voting yes on this bill should be voted out of office and anyone voting no should be applauded and allowed to stay. Like I said in a previous post, this bill is a perfect indicator of legislative integrity and it trancends the traditional party affiliations. The Inquirer piece listed the philly area senators voting yes and no. They are :
YES VOTES (mostly along party lines except for one):
Joe Conti (R., Bucks)
Edwin Erickson (R., Delaware)
Stewart Greenleaf (R., Montgomery)
Dominic Pileggi (R., Delaware)
John Rafferty Jr. (R., Chester)
Michael Stack (D., Phila.)
Robert Tomlinson (R., Bucks)
Robert Wonderling (R., Montgomery)
NO VOTES (Not one R was brave enough to stand up for what is right)
Andrew E. Dinniman (D., Chester)
Vincent J. Fumo (D., Phila.)
Vincent Hughes (D., Phila.)
Shirley Kitchen (D., Phila.)
Christine Tartaglione (D., Phila.)
LeAnna Washington (D., Phila.)
Constance Williams (D., Montgomery)
Anthony Williams (D., Phila.)
YES VOTES (mostly along party lines except for one):
Joe Conti (R., Bucks)
Edwin Erickson (R., Delaware)
Stewart Greenleaf (R., Montgomery)
Dominic Pileggi (R., Delaware)
John Rafferty Jr. (R., Chester)
Michael Stack (D., Phila.)
Robert Tomlinson (R., Bucks)
Robert Wonderling (R., Montgomery)
NO VOTES (Not one R was brave enough to stand up for what is right)
Andrew E. Dinniman (D., Chester)
Vincent J. Fumo (D., Phila.)
Vincent Hughes (D., Phila.)
Shirley Kitchen (D., Phila.)
Christine Tartaglione (D., Phila.)
LeAnna Washington (D., Phila.)
Constance Williams (D., Montgomery)
Anthony Williams (D., Phila.)
Monday, June 19, 2006
The CapTech Classic
So what is the CapTech Classic? It's a bike race that happens in Richmond, Va. Like the bike race here in Philly, it has a lot of professional presence. Unlike the Philly Bike race, it is really boring and the course is just sad. But you know what? Unlike the Philly bike race this year, the coverage on OLN was so good that I watched every last second of the race and thoroughly enjoyed it.
There were cameras all over the course, motorcycles with cameras, professional commentary, the works. There even was a 2 minute infomercial in the middle of it for Richmond. Richmond. Are you getting this? Not that Richmond is a pathetic city, but compared to Philly it really shouldn't be getting event coverage that is light years better.
The city should be ashamed at how poor our coverage was. I was ok with this at first, thinking, well, we don't deserve good coverage since America doesn't care much about cycling, but that until I saw this damn race on OLN on Saturday! What the hell man?
There were cameras all over the course, motorcycles with cameras, professional commentary, the works. There even was a 2 minute infomercial in the middle of it for Richmond. Richmond. Are you getting this? Not that Richmond is a pathetic city, but compared to Philly it really shouldn't be getting event coverage that is light years better.
The city should be ashamed at how poor our coverage was. I was ok with this at first, thinking, well, we don't deserve good coverage since America doesn't care much about cycling, but that until I saw this damn race on OLN on Saturday! What the hell man?
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