Who knew fighting fires in Connecticut could get so racial?
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday in a 5-4 ruling that said the city of New Haven, Connecticut was wrong to throw out test scores used to determine promotions in the New Haven Fire Department. The city thought the test must have been racially biased.
The exam consisted of two parts. The first part was a 100 multiple-choice question test that concentrated on technical knowledge. It was worth 60% of the total score. The second part was an oral exam that was worth 40%. It was conducted by a panel that evaluated how well the firefighters could assess a situation and direct others.
None of the African-American firefighters scored high enough in the written exam to be promoted. They did better in the oral exams.
I don’t really understand how exactly a 100 multiple-choice question test about firefighting technical knowledge can be racially biased. When taking a multiple-choice question test, you either know the correct answers or you don’t. Race has nothing to do with it.
Now if the African-American firefighters did well in the written exams, but poorly in the oral exams, and if the panel conducting the oral exams consisted of nothing but white people, then I might be willing to suspect a racial bias. That’s not the case here. It’s the complete opposite.
What I really hate about this case is the split decision. Nine supposedly well qualified, knowledgeable justices and somehow they could not all agree on the law on discrimination. Maybe they are the ones that need to take a test.
Comic Collector iPhone App: Clz Comics
The iPhone App for Comic Collector 4 is now out. If you use the Comic Collector software to keep track of your comics collection and you have an iPhone, buying this app is really a no-brainer.
I was more than a little surprised to see at least one person actually complain about the $9.99 price. Ten bucks seems like a small price to pay for the ability to take a complete record of your comic book collection with you everywhere you go.
Before this app, the only way you could take a record of your collection with you on your iPod was if you exported collection as a text file and used a notes program on your iPod to access it. I did just that a few years ago when I went to the Pittsburgh Comic-Con and it turned out to be more cumbersome than I thought it would be.
I don’t think that will be a problem with this app. It looks extremely easy to use.
Worshiping Michael Jackson
A local church held a special service on Sunday not to honor Jesus, their Christ and savior, but Michael Jackson, singer of songs and molester of children.
As part of the service, members of the Asbury United Methodist church of Frederick, Maryland signed a special guest book that will be sent to the Jackson family.
That wonderful, loving Jackson family.
I haven’t been this creeped out by people worshiping since that Planet of the Apes movie where people lived underground and prayed to a nuclear bomb. With that said, at least those freaks didn’t sign a guest book.
Billy Mays 1958 – 2009
America’s favorite pitchman is dead. Billy Mays was found dead in his bed this morning by his wife, Deborah Mays. He was 50 years old.
He was on board a U.S. Airways flight to Tampa yesterday that blew two front tires on landing. He reportedly bumped his head in the incident, but joked about it.
I always liked Billy Mays. He seemed like good people. He made cleaning products or whatever else he was selling seem, I don’t know, exciting.
He will be missed.
I guess this means a lot of Mormon college kids are checking out ‘Chocolate Rain’ for the very first time
I knew Mormons weren’t allowed to drink an ice cold Coca-Cola on a hot Utah day or enjoy a grande double latte from Starbucks, but I didn’t know they weren’t allowed to watch dumb videos on YouTube. From the Washington Post:
Brigham Young University, the Mormon church school where students agree to live a chaste and virtuous life, has lifted its almost three-year policy of blocking access to YouTube.
Administrators at the Provo, Utah, university lifted the ban Friday, citing an increasing amount of educational material on the popular video-sharing site, university spokeswoman Carri Jenkins said.
YouTube has its own filters for pornography, but BYU added it to the list of Web sites blocked by campus online filters in 2006 because administrators felt there was too much content that could violate the school’s strict standards.
Like most people, I figured their special holy Mormon long underwear protected them against any of the evil running around YouTube. I guess not.
Oh yeah, Farrah Fawcett died too
With all the hullabaloo surrounding the death of Michael Jackson, it’s almost easy to forget that Farrah Fawcett succumbed to cancer the same day Michael Jackson overdosed on narcotics and had a heart attack.
Like most men my age, as a boy I had a Farrah Fawcett poster on my wall. I’m far from unique in this regard. I’d be surprised to find many men my age who grew up in the 70’s that could not say that same unless of course they are gay. Maybe that’s one of the first things in their life that made them realize they were gay- that they didn’t want a Farrah Fawcett red swimsuit poster on their bedroom wall.
Farrah Fawcett had a somewhat limited acting career. She was on Charlie’s Angels for only one season. I seem to remember he being in the science fiction movie Logan’s Run. I’m sure she was a few more too, but her major claim to fame was not television or movies, it was that red swimsuit poster.
Sirius XM raising their rates
Remember when the FCC and Congress stepped in and changed the laws that allowed XM Radio and Sirius Radio to merge? Part of the deal included the agreement that the merged company could not raise it’s rates for a predefined amount of time. I don’t remember how long the price freeze was going to be in place, and I’m too lazy to go look it up right now, but I know that it was going to be a while before my rates went up.
That’s about to change. I got an email today from XM Radio telling me that my monthly fee is going up an additional $1.98 a month. From the email:
Music royalty rights were established by the U.S. Congress as part of the Copyright Act. This Act requires payment of copyright music royalties to recording artists, musicians and recording companies who hold copyrights in sound recordings.
These royalties have recently increased dramatically, principally as a result of a decision made by the Copyright Royalty Board, which is designated by the Library of Congress to set royalty rates for sound recordings. Beginning on July 29, 2009, a “U.S. Music Royalty Fee” of $1.98/month* for primary subscriptions and $.97/month* for multi-receiver subscriptions will be effective upon your next renewal. This fee will be used directly to offset increased payments from XM to the recording industry.
The real kicker is that I don’t even listen to music on XM Radio. They canceled the only music channel I ever listened to, the Punk Channel. When I want to listen to recorded music, I listen to my iPod.
I only listen to XM Radio for the live talk. I listen to Opie and Anthony, Ron and Fez, the Dan Patrick Show, the Steve Czaban Show, CNN, and Howard Stern. I used to listen to World Soccer Daily until they started asking listening for “donations”.
Why should a person like me who only listens to talk radio have to pay royalties to the music industry?
The answer is that I shouldn’t, but I have no way of stopping it. If I want to continue listening to live talk and news on satellite radio, I will have to pay it.
I’m already paying $4.04 more each month to listen to the “Best of Sirius”. Mostly that’s so I can listen to Howard Stern. I’m also paying another $2.99 a month to listen to Sirius XM on the computer and my iPhone. Since he only does a show four days a week, and his show for some reason is not available on the iPhone, I’m going to go ahead and cancel the “Best of Sirius”.
Michael Jackson 1958 – 2009
NBC is reporting that legendary performer and accused pedophile Michael Jackson has died. He was 50.
Looking at the creepy man he turned out to be, it’s easy to forget what a pop music icon he was. His 1982 album Thriller is one of the greatest albums ever made. It hit right at the time MTV was just making the music video popular and Jackson made music videos into mini movies.
In a way, I feel like Michael Jackson died a long time ago.
Who knew the Appalachian Trail went all the way down to Argentina?
Republican South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford is no longer AWOL. He was spotted in Atlanta coming off a plane from Argentina where it turns out he had been visiting his mistress. He spoke at a press conference yesterday where he apologized to his wife and children for his indiscretion.
At least he didn’t drag his wife to the press conference. I hate when politicians do that.
It was originally believed that Sanford was off hiking the Appalachian Trail because that is where he told his staff he was going. To hike the Appalachian Trail like some kind of godless, unwashed hippie. Instead, he flew down to Buenos Aires to spend seven days with his mistress.
Evidently Governor Sanford’s wife Jenny Sanford kicked him out of their home two weeks ago. Good for her.
When Mark Sanford was a U.S. Congressman, he voted to impeach President Clinton for having an extramarital affair with Monica Lewinsky. There’s no word yet if he plans on resigning as South Carolina governor. My guess is that he will have to.
USA shocks the world
Landon Donovan (AP)
The U.S. men’s national soccer team shocked the world today and beat Spain, the best team on the planet in the Confederations Cup semi-final. Spain hasn’t lost in 35 games.
Until today.
Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey both scored and Tim Howard kept the ball out of the back of the onion bag.
This is the greatest win in U.S. soccer history. It’s a shame that most Americans don’t have a clue how massive this is.
Richard Nixon was all for aborting mixed-race babies
More tapes from the Nixon White House were released Tuesday and it appears President Nixon had an opinion about the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision that struck down state laws that banned abortion. It appears he wasn’t against abortion in all cases. From the New York Times:
Nixon worried that greater access to abortions would foster “permissiveness,” and said that “it breaks the family.” But he also saw a need for abortion in some cases, such as interracial pregnancies.
“There are times when an abortion is necessary. I know that. When you have a black and a white,” he told an aide, before adding: “Or a rape.”
I wonder what President Nixon would think about today’s Commander-in-chief? President Obama is the son of a white mother and a black father. The irony in that is really quite something.
Jon and Kate call it quits
Shocker of all shockers, Jon and Kate Gosselin are legally separating. They filled papers and everything.
If you have never watched their reality show, Jon and Kate Plus 8 and you were only were going by what you’ve seen in the tabloids (or this video) you might just think that Kate Gosselin is the victim in all this.
I can assure you that she is not.
She has got to be one of the meanest, nastiest woman to have ever appeared on the reality TV show. And that’s saying a lot. I don’t know who she treats worse – her soon to be ex-husband or her eight kids.
They both say in this video that they are going to share custody of their eight children and that the children will remain living in the home while the parents rotate in and out. If you’ve watched the show, you know that Kate is rarely ever home. She’s usually traveling around giving speeches on how to be a terrific mother or to pimp one of her books.
My guess is that they will both end of seeking sole custody of the eight kids. The parent that doesn’t get custody will end up owing the other parent about a bazillion dollars in child support every month. That could be problematic since neither Jon or Kate has a job.
D.C. metro death toll reaches 9
The number of dead is now up to nine people in the crash between two metro trains on the Red line near the Washington D.C./Maryland border. The number of injured is at 70. The crash happened in north-east Washington D.C. between Fort Totten and Takoma. Evidently one train was sitting still on the track waiting for another train to clear the station up ahead (Fort Totten) when another train plowed into it from behind. Fort Totten serves as a stop for both the Red line and the Green line (map).
The impact was so bad that the trailing train jumped the track and landed on top the other train.
The death toll includes the operator of the trailing train, Jeanice McMillan of Springfield, Virginia.
The accident happened near 5:00 p.m., the height of rush hour in the Washington D.C. area. I can only imagine the trains were packed with commuters when the accident happened. Considering how many people were on both trains, along with the force of the impact, it’s a miracle the death toll isn’t much higher.
Iranians cannot protest their way to freedom
As demonstrations in Iran continue, more and more blood is being shad on the part of the protesters. It’s a pity really. Though freedom unfortunately has often required bloodshed, the Iranian people that are being killed while protesting aren’t accomplishing anything other than getting themselves killed.
Granted, the needless death of innocent protesters is turning world opinion against the Iranian government, but Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Majlis that control Iran don’t care what the world thinks about them. In fact, they don’t even care what the Iranian people think about them.
And that is the problem. It doesn’t matter who wins the rigged election for president. The Ayatollah is the one that wields all the power in Iran. If the Iranian people truly want to be free, they need to get rid of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Majlis. If anyone needs to die in the streets of Tehran for the sake of freedom, it needs to be the Ayatollah and the Majlis.
Until they are gone, the Iranian people will never be free. If the Iranian people aren’t willing to do that, they might as well go back to whatever they were doing before the protests.
I have joined the iPhone revolution
Sheri and I stopped by our local neighborhood AT&T store and purchased iPhones. Instead of getting the fancy brand new 3G S iPhones, we purchased the regular old 3G iPhones. Even if we wanted the newest model, AT&T were all sold out. I heard them telling someone else that they only initially received 18 of the newest models and they sold out the first day. They didn’t think they would get any more for at least a month.
I didn’t see how the newer 3G S iPhones were that much of an improvement. Essentially the biggest difference was that it was capable of shooting video. I couldn’t care less about that.
I picked up a white 16 gig model and Sheri chose a black 8 gig model.
I’ve got to admit that I’m even more impressed with the iPhone than I thought I was going to be. Having constant access to the World Wide Internet Web is a life changer. While sitting on the sofa yesterday at my mother-in-law’s house, I was able to read my email and delete a spam comment here on my blog.
Speaking of my blog, I installed a special WordPress theme made specifically for iPhones or other smartphones, Carrington Mobile 1.0.2. Visitors reading this from a computer see the regular theme, visitors from an iPhone see a different theme all together that’s much easier to read on a tiny screen.
So far my favorite App is the Sirius XM App. It allows me to listen to Sirius XM directly from my iPhone either over the 3G network or any WiFi network. This is huge. This means that I can listen to Sirius XM anywhere I go. Oddly enough, just about everything that I listen to on Sirius XM is available on the iPhone except Howard Stern. His show is strangely absent from the lineup. What’s weird about this is he’s been speaking about a Sirius XM iPhone app for months. One finally comes out and his show is not on it? That’s weird. I guess he wants more money.
Evidently $500 million isn’t enough.
Opie and Anthony and Ron and Fez are on it, so it’s not that big of a deal. The thing that gets me is that I pay extra to for a Best of Sirius package that allows me to listen to Howard Stern (and the NFL). I also pay extra to be able to listen to Sirius XM over the Internet. I can listen to Howard Stern over the Internet on a computer, but not from my iPhone.
That’s really weird.
Stalin’s Order Number 270
I’ve been listening to a really fantastic history podcast, Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History. The most recent episode is Ghosts of the Ostfront II. It is the second part of a show that deals with what the Russians refer to as The Great Patriotic War, the theatre of war between the German Third Reich and the old Soviet Union during World War Two.
I learned something I had never heard of before, something called Order No. 270.
At the onset of war between Germany and the Soviets, German troops, thanks to their blitzkrieg tactics, were making great strides deep into the Soviet Union. Large groups of Soviet soldiers were simply giving up and surrendering to the advancing Germans without putting up much of a fight.
On August 16, 1941, Joseph Stalin issued Order No. 270. It stated that any Soviet soldier that willingly surrendered to the Germans would be considered a “malicious deserter”. Their family would be arrested as a family of an “oath breaker” and betrayer of the Motherland. Soviet soldiers that found themselves encircled by German soldiers were to fight to the death or to try to reach their own lines. Those who chose to be captured instead of escaping or committing suicide were to be killed if at all possible. Family members of Soviet soldiers captured by the Germans would be totally cut off from all state allowances and assistance.
How completely crazy is this? Could you imagine if a soldier in Iraq was captured by insurgents and his or her family back home was rounded up by the FBI and thrown into jail?
Talk about not supporting the troops.
‘Star Wars’ trash compactor bookends
Though this looks totally awesome, I’m not sure it’s worth the $189.99 the official Star Wars shop is charging for it. It’s made by Gentle Giant Studios and as the photo demonstrates, it’s the perfect size to use with DVDs.
It doesn’t come out until April 2010, so I guess that gives people time to save up their dimes and nickels. It states that you can pre-order it now, and your credit card wont be charge until it ships.
There is nothing more American than deferred debt.
Steve Jobs had a liver transplant
Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, recently had a liver transplant.
From the Wall Street Journal:
Steve Jobs, who has been on medical leave from Apple Inc. since January to treat an undisclosed medical condition, received a liver transplant in Tennessee about two months ago. The chief executive has been recovering well and is expected to return to work on schedule later this month, though he may work part-time initially.
His health has been the subject of rumors for a while now. He lost a lot of weight and had been looking extremely gaunt.
A story like this shows why it’s important to become an organ donor.
Pedophiles don’t get better
State’s Attorney Charlie Smith weighed in on the Samuel Huffer, Fredericktown Players controversy. Smith was the one that prosecuted Huffer in 2001 for buying child porn. He spoke with Fox 5, the Washington D.C. Fox Network affiliate and had this to say:
People don’t get better. Pedophiles, which is what medically he is. They don’t get better– they’re hard-wired this way. You don’t tell somebody not to like men anymore. You don’t tell somebody not to like women any more and, quite frankly, you can’t tell them not to like children any more.
Yes, pedophiles don’t get better.
My real problem with Samuel Huffer and people like him is that when he realized he was sexually attracted to young boys, he did nothing to mitigate the problem. He didn’t seek therapy or counseling or anything else that would help him curb his sexual desires. He also didn’t do the most important thing he could ever do; he didn’t avoid young boys. In fact, he did the complete opposite. He became a teacher.
He chose a profession that would force him to interact with the thing he desired sexually, but couldn’t have.
That’s what I have a problem with.
When he went on a Yahoo chat room and purchased child porn from an undercover Postal Inspector, he clearly demonstrated that he could not control his sexual impulses. He had to know that what he was doing was wrong, but he chose to do it anyway.
Samuel Huffer owes it his community to not put himself in situations where he will come into contact with underage boys. Is he doing that? No, he is not. In fact, he’s doing the complete opposite. He’s directing a musical where half the cast is made up of children. The audience will undoubtedly consist of lots of children, unless parents decide not to take them to a musical directed by a registered child sex offender.
If Samuel Huffer has any remorse for what he did, he sure isn’t showing it. Not putting himself in situations where he will be around children would be a good start.
Who knew the NFL had a problem with players getting drunk and killing people?
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has indefinitely suspended Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth for getting his drink on, getting behind the wheel of this 2005 Bentley, and killing a man.
From the Miami-Herald:
“The conduct reflected in (Stallworth’s) guilty plea resulted in the tragic loss of life and was inexcusable,” said Goodell in a letter to Stallworth. “While the criminal justice system has determined the legal consequences of this incident, it is my responsibility as NFL Commissioner to determine appropriate league discipline for your actions, which have caused irreparable harm to the victim and his family, your club, your fellow players and the NFL.”
Stallworth received only a 30-day jail sentence after agreeing to plead guilty to DUI manslaughter. Like most people, I was surprised by the leniency of the plea agreement. I figured getting drunk and killing a man would earn Stallworth at least six weeks in jail, possibly even eight weeks.
Roger Goodell is a tough disciplinarian. Football players should try to avoid killing people on his watch.
Smuggled video out of Iran: ‘we want freedom, democracy and equality’
From a video smuggled out of Tehran:
“We didn’t want to rebel, but we want freedom, democracy and equality. We can’t use the Internet to get the news, all websites have been filtered and mobiles are jammed. FriendFeed, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and all social networks are also filtered. All the news agencies are also filtered and some newspapers have closed.
[The authorities] have lowered Internet speed to such a low rate that we cannot follow the news with it. Our state media is also cooperating with the government — they don’t show any news at all. All these things signify what we’re going through right now.”
If you can read the words “freedom, democracy and equality“, and not feel moved, I don’t know what to tell you. You and I are just not wired that same.
I don’t know what I find more remarkable – the way the Iranian people are standing up against the oppressive and very non-democratic theocratic thugs that control their country, or the way the Internet has allowed the entire world to know about what’s going on.
The best source of news coming out if Iran that I’ve found is Andrew Sullivan’s most excellent blog, The Daily Dish.
NFL player kills a man and gets a whopping 30 days in jail
Donte’ Stallworth, wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns, got behind the wheel of his black 2005 Bentley after a night of drinking at a Miami Beach bar and hit and killed a pedestrian, 59-year old construction worker Mario Reyes. Stallworth was arrested for DUI manslaughter and faced a possible 15 years in prison. He first reached a financial agreement with Reyes’ family and he then accepted a plea deal from the Miami prosecutor that gave him only 30 days in jail.
Get drunk, get behind the wheel, kill a man, and get only 30 days in jail.
Good thing he only killed a man and not pit bulls. Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick ran a dog fighting ring and spent 23 month federal prison. He was also kicked out of the NFL. Will Donte’ Stallworth also get the heave-ho from the league?
We shall see.
Registered child sex offender directing children’s musical
Samuel Huffer is the director of a summer production of Annie put on by the Fredericktown Players, a community theater group located in Frederick, Maryland. The popular children’s musical opens towards the end of July. The cast is made up of around 50 actors and actresses, about half of them being children.
Samuel Huffer is also a convicted child sex offender.
He used to work as a drama teacher at Walkersville High School. On June 9, 2001, officials raided his home armed with a search warrant. He had purchased child pornography over the Internet. When they searched his home, they found pornographic tapes of boys along with cocaine, opium, and marijuana. Four months later, he pleaded guilty to one count of receiving three video tapes containing child pornography.
He spent 21 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised probation. He was also ordered to register as a child sex offender.
Not only does Samuel Huffer appear on the Maryland Sex Offender Registry, he’s a well known person in the Frederick area. It’s not like he was convicted of possessing child pornography in a faraway land. When he was caught with child pornography and drugs, it happened here in this area. It was in all the newspapers.
How is Samuel Huffer allowed to be in a position where he has unfettered access to young children?
It’s 2009. How is it that parents today aren’t using the the online sex offender registry to verify the people that are interacting with their children? If I was a parent of a young child, I’d be checking everyone that interacted with my kid. Not only would I run them through the sex offender registry, I’d be doing a quick Google search on them too. If the parents had done either one of these two things, they would have quickly learned that Samuel Huffer was not someone they should trust around their kid.
Is Howard Stern going back to regular radio?
There’s currently a rumor going around the World Wide Internet Web involving Howard Stern. Rumor has it that the King of All Media will be leaving Sirius XM Radio at the end of his current contract (December 18, 2010) and returning to good old fashioned regular terrestrial radio.
I’m not buying it.
I don’t think he wants to do regular radio any more than he wants to do satellite radio. I fully expect him to leave radio entirely, both terrestrial and satellite, when his current contract is over.
When he left CBS Radio for Sirius at the end of 2005, he signed a five year contract for $500 million. With that kind of money, he never has work ever again. If he ever were to do radio again, it would be solely because he wanted to do it. It would be because he loved his craft so much, he just had to do it.
If Howard Stern loves radio so much, why does he take each and every Friday off?
Part of his original contract with Sirius stipulated that not only did he get ten (10) weeks of vacation a year, he only has to work four (4) days a week. He only does a live radio show Monday through Thursday. On Friday, the show is a montage of segments from that week.
Howard Stern doesn’t have to take every Friday off. Sirius XM is not forcing him to take three-days off every week. He doesn’t do a live show on Fridays because he doesn’t have to.
Once his contract his up at the end of 2010, I don’t see him doing any more radio, terrestrial or satellite.
43rd day on Humira and these are the results [pic]
I don’t know, something tells me that nobody will be approaching me from Abbott Laboratories, the makers of the psoriasis drug Humira, to be one of their spokesmen. This is the 43rd day of being on the medication and I’m not seeing any results. In fact, my psoriasis may quite possibly be even worse. It’s hard to really tell.
Every day I have psoriasis seems the worse.
I’m scheduled to take my final Humira shot this Sunday, June 21. After that, I have to be seen by my dermatologist before taking any more of the Humira. The problem is, she is all booked up til July 20. I would find it hard to believe that she would continue having me take Humira, but even if she did, I’ll be going at least a month between doses.
That’s probably not good.
Take my advise and don’t ever get a skin related disease. Granted, psoriasis is not a skin disease, but an autoimmune disease, but the medical community insists that you see a dermatologist to treat your psoriasis. The problem with this is that there aren’t that many good and competent dermatologists. Worse, many dermatologists today dedicate a good portion of their practice to elective cosmetic procedures.
This means that if you have a legitimate health problem and you need to be seen by your dermatologist, he or she may be too busy injecting botox into wrinkly foreheads or doing laser hair removal to see you.
The Los Angeles Lakers are NBA champs
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic, 99-86, last night to win the 2009 NBA Championship, 4 games to 1. It makes the 15th NBA title for the Lakers and the fourth title for Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher. It’s also the first title for Bryant and Fisher without Shaquille O’Neal.
Maybe you’ve heard of him. Shaquille O’Neal. He’s a really big guy that likes to pretend he’s a cop.
This makes the 10th NBA championship for Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, one more than Boston Celtics Red Auerbach.
The Pittsburgh Penguins win Lord Stanley’s gigantic fancy silver cup
The National Hockey League has a champion and it’s not the Detroit Red Wings. The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings, 2008 NHL champions, Friday night in game seven of the 2009 Stanley Cup.
It’s the Pen’s first Stanley Cup championship in 17-years. It makes the third time they’ve won.
The Red Wings beat the Penguins in last year’s Stanley Cup. This year was a rematch with a much different outcome.
I guess I was rooting for the Red Wings. I figured with the collapse of the American auto industry, motor city deserved a win. Plus, I’ve learned that there really is nothing more obnoxious than a Pittsburgh sports fan. I’m of course only referring to the fans of the Steelers and the Penguins.
The Pirates don’t have any fans. Mouth breathing, yellow towel waiving Pittsburgh fans conveniently forget that they have a really bad Major League Baseball team.
I then saw Muhammad Ali in a luxury box wearing a Red Wings sweater (jersey for all you non-hockey nerds) and I suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to root for the other team.
David Letterman learns that some people do not appriciate jokes about 14-year old girls having sex
David Letterman has found himself in a bit of hot water over a joke he made concerning former Republican vice-presidential candidate Alaskan governor Sarah Palin. For whatever reason, Governor Palin was in New York doing something or other. While she was there, she and her 14-year old daughter Willow attended a Yankees game. Letterman used the occasion in his opening monologue on Monday night to make a joke.
This is what he said:
One awkward moment for Sarah Palin at the Yankee game. During the seventh inning, her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez.
Letterman later claimed he wasn’t referring to 14-year old Willow Palin, the Palin girl that was actually at the game, but to 18-year old single mother Bristol Palin. The Palin girl that recently appeared on the cover of People magazine in her high school graduation cap and gown while holding her baby.
How classy.
Sarah Palin has done a series of interviews where she claims that the 62-year old Letterman is cracking jokes about her 14-year old daughter being raped. She doesn’t believe Letterman’s excuse and has stated that anybody that does is being “naive”.
I don’t know who to believe, nor do I really care. What I do know is that Sarah Palin has seeming never missed an opportunity to parade her children out in the public spotlight. During the 2008 Republican National Convention, she not only put her pregnant 17-year old daughter Bristol on public display, but also Levi Johnston, the 18-year old high school drop out that knocked her up. Can Letterman (or the writter who penned the joke) really be blamed for getting the daughters confused?
The one person in this whole mess that really has a reason to be angry is Alex Rodriguez. Say what you will about A-Rod, he doesn’t have a history of inpregnating teenage girls, especially during a game.
United Nations imposes santions on North Korea
The United Nations Security Council imposed brand new sanctions today on North Korea for its second nuclear test. That will teach them. Now that they have even more sanctions on them, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before North Korea shapes up and starts flying right.
There is nothing as powerful as a sanction from the United Nations. It’s right up there with signing an online petition or writing a sternly worded letter. If the United Nations really want to get serious, they ought to think about leaving them negative feedback on eBay.
Maybe they’re saving that as a last resort.
If Chastity Bono is now a man, is (s)he still gay?
Chastity Bono, daughter of Cher and Sonny Bono and gay-rights activist has released a statement announcing that she is now a man. From CCN:
Chastity Bono, gay-rights activist and child of performer Cher and the late entertainer and politician Sonny Bono, is in the early stages of transitioning from a female to a male and will be known as Chaz, his spokesman said Thursday.
“Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity,” Howard Bragman said in a written statement.
“He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by his loved ones. It is Chaz’s hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his ‘coming out’ did nearly 20 years ago.”
So does this mean that Chaz is no longer gay? If he is a man who is attracted sexually to women, I don’t understand exactly how he can still be a gay-rights activist. Then again, I’m as straight as the day is long and I fully believe gay people should have all the same rights and privileges has heterosexual people.
I’ll be honest and admit I don’t understand the transgendered. I don’t understand how someone can be born a man and feel that they are really a woman. Or vise verse as in Chaz Bono’s case. Then again, I don’t understand the physics involved with a Black Hole or how people can enjoy the music of Jimmy Buffet.
Just because I don’t understand it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
Cristiano Ronaldo finally leaves Manchester United for Real Madrid
Shocker of all shockers, Cristiano Ronaldo is packing up his hair gel and is leaving 2009 English Premiere League Champion Manchester United for the Spanish League’s Real Madrid.
Finally.
It feels like this transfer has been in the works since I first started watching real football (soccer). I think he mentioned last year that he wanted to leave Man U and go play for Real. Cristiano Ronaldo is from Portugal and I seem to remember learning in 9th grade geography that Portugal was next door neighbors to Spain.
Reportedly Real shelled out $130 million to Man U for the rights to Cristiano Ronaldo. That my friends is a lot of money. This was even after acquiring the rights to Kaka from AC Milan for a bazillion dollars.
This means that the three best players in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, and Lionel Messe, will be playing in Spain. Fox Soccer Channel does not have the rights to La Liga, so I guess this means I wont get to watch the three best players in the world play soccer. It also means I wont have to watch Cristiano Ronaldo taking dives and flopping around like a fish.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a phenomenal player, but he pretends to be fouled far too much.
Who knew white supremacists drove Hyundais?
James von Brunn, the 88-year old white supremacist whack job that opened fire with a .22 rifle at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, was charged today with murder. Evidently he’s in fairly bad shape. He was shot at least eight times. He even took a bullet to the face.
He left a note in his car saying, “You want my weapons — this is how you’ll get them. The Holocaust is a lie. Obama was created by Jews”
Obama was created by Jews? What does he think President Obama is, a Jewish robot from the future? I thought he was supposed to be a secret Muslim? Which is he, a Jewish robot from the future or a secret Muslim from the radical Islamic jungles of Hawaii?
I can’t keep the crackpot theories straight.
And speaking of his car, would you believe that he drove a car made in South Korea? From the article (via Yahoo!):
He said authorities have contacted or visited any people or places named in documents found in von Brunn’s car. Authorities searched the red 2002 Hyundai for explosives, but found none.
The man lived for a time in Idaho with neo-Nazis. You’d think he would drive a Volkswagen or something. Instead he drove a Hyundai?
Iraqi policemen get a good talking to
Too bad this Army officer doesn’t speak Arabic and must rely on his interpreter to translate what he is saying to this group of Iraqi policemen.
Fair warning, if salty language is something that offends you, perhaps watching this video is not something you should do.
White Supremacist opens fire at U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
James Von Brunn, an 88-year-old white supremacist and convicted felon, went to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. today and opened fire with a .22 caliber rifle, fatally wounding a security guard before being shot himself by other officers.
The guard was Stephen T. Johns, a six-year veteran of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
This makes me mad for a lot of reasons. A man was killed doing his duty and a museum dedicated to the victims of the world’s most infamous white supremacist, Adolf Hitler. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum ought to be a place of honor and respect to the millions of people that were killed for no other reason than because they were born.
James Von Brunn is just as much a terrorist as someone that straps on an explosive vest and walks onto a crowded bus. Did he do this thinking that he would die in the process? I can’t help but think that the fact that he’s 88 years old might have had a special meaning. To white supremacists and neo-Nazis, the number 88 is code for “Heil Hitler”. The letter “H” is the eighth letter of the alphabet.
Granted, it’s stupid, but so are white supremacists.
I’m having a hard time feeling sorry for Laura Ling and Euna Lee
I’m having a hard time feeling sorry for Laura Ling and Euna Lee, the two Current TV reporters that wondered into North Korea to do a story and got caught by North Korean border guards. What did they think would happen to them?
It’s North Korea.
What’s not clear is if they planned on going into North Korea or they were just being sloppy and accidentally wondered across the boarder from China. I read that they walked across the frozen Tumen river that separates China and North Korea while filming a story on North Korean refugees. If they didn’t know that the Tumen river separated China from North Korea, they should have done better research. Maybe they should have bought a map or looked it up on Wikipedia.
Aren’t reporters supposed to do research?
City of Hagerstown might examine unpopular sidewalk repair policy
Hagerstown’s City Council tonight is discussing whether or not to create a special task force to review the city’s unpopular curb and sidewalk policy. Currently, the city of Hagerstown requires the owner of the home in which a broken or damaged curb or sidewalk sits in front of to pay for the repair.
These repairs cost anywhere from $2,000 to $3,000.
For years, Hagerstown home owners have complained about getting hit with these repair charges. They don’t own the sidewalk or curb, it’s public property. Why should they be saddled with the repair costs? What’s next, will they be stuck with paying to have the street in front of their homes repaired too?
Maybe I shouldn’t give anyone any ideas.
I think it’s absurd that the city council is even contemplating whether or not to form a special task force to look into this issue. I think they are doing it because they don’t want to be responsible for making the unpopular decision of continuing to stick it to home owners.
A task force should only be formed to catch a serial killer, not to figure out a way to pay for sidewalk repairs.
I was looking forward to wearing an AC Milan jersey with Kaka on it
Brazilian midfielder Kaka finalized his move to Real Madrid on Monday, marking the end of a “soap opera” and the start of a new phase of his career in Spain.“Now the soap opera is over,” said Kaka, decked out in a yellow Brazilian national team jersey after a practice session ahead of Wednesday’s Brazil-Paraguay qualifier in the northeastern coastal city of Recife. “The only leftover details were the medical exams, and I’ve done them. The negotiations are closed and I have sealed my transfer to Real Madrid.”
Real Madrid announced the signing earlier Monday of the attacking midfielder from AC Milan, the 2007 FIFA player of the year. The Spanish club gave no financial details but reports said Madrid will pay Milan 65 million euros ($92 million) for Kaka, making it the richest deal in soccer history.
I thought the term “soap opera” was uniquely American. I guess this means Kaka wont be with AC Milan next month in Baltimore when they play Chelsea FC in the World Soccer Challenge. I wonder how long it will take the event organizers to remove Kaka’s image from their promotions.
An authentic renaissance festival comes to Hagerstown
We stopped by the Hagerstown City Park to check out the Renaissance Festival that was taking place there yesterday. I must say, it was very interesting. Members of the Society for Creative Anachronism dressed in historic, authentic pre-17th-century European garb and demonstrated what life was like back then.
I really learned a lot.
I never knew people back then used duct tape. Not just regular old silver duct tape either, but fancy colored duct tape. Nor did I realize that the use of PVC plastic pipe was so prevalent back then. Before yesterday, I would have assumed that PVC didn’t hit the scene until some time in the late 20th century. I also didn’t realize that not only did people in pre-17th-century Europe wear eye glasses, evidently many of them even wore sunglasses. Not that I could blame them. The glare from the bright medieval Sun can be quite bright.
And not only did fighting men back then wear armor on the battlefield, as the above photo shows, they also wore wristwatches. What better way of telling what time it is? You could look to the sky to see where the Sun is, but you might get hit in the head with a giant yellow foam arrow.
I also learned, sadly, the cigarette smoking was as prevalent back then that it is today. Evidently not only did pre-17th-century Europeans smoke cigarettes, they even smoked filtered cigarettes.
I really learned a lot. I look forward to the next renaissance festival where I can once again see history come alive.
Jon Miller takes on that wacky thing called the World Wide Internet Web
Dan Steinberg, blogger for the Washington Post and now also of the The Sporting Blog, talked with Giants and ESPN broadcaster Jon Miller about all sorts of stuff, including the Internet. Steinberg asked Miller what he thought of the Internet and if he read blogs. Personally, this is always my favorite old guy question. Miller concerning the Internet:
But if somebody just says, this guy sucks, or he stinks? Well, that’s not interesting to me. You know, there’s nothing I can do with it. With Joe, you know, Joe knows a LOT about the game. Whether occasionally he mangles the language or says something that maybe comes out different from what he meant to say, like a million other ballplayers, that all could be. But they told me that there’s a Web site called FireJoeMorgan.com or something. Well, what’s the point of that? That’s just mean, mean-spirited. I mean, what is the actual point?
What’s the point of Fire Joe Morgan? It’s purpose couldn’t be more clear. It’s to get ESPN to fire Joe Morgan.
Joe Morgan is the worst baseball broadcaster currently working behind a mike. The fact that he broadcasts to a national audience is ridiculous. When he’s not butchering the English language, he is getting a facts or statistics wrong. When he’s not doing that, he’s just making stuff up.
The only reason he has a job with ESPN is because he used to play baseball a long time ago. He’s in the Hall of Fame so he must have been pretty good. He hasn’t played in over 25 years, so it’s hard to remember. The fact of the matter is that a good many of today’s baseball players weren’t even born yet when he played baseball.
Why would anyone assume that Morgan possess some kind of special knowledge that makes him uniquely qualified to broadcast a baseball game? Because he used to play baseball? I don’t get that. He’s no more qualified to call a baseball game then a guy with a good radio voice is qualified to turn a double play.
Z-Cult FM to shut down
It looks as though the one-time popular comic book BitTorrent tracker Z-Cult FM is shutting down. Site owner “Serj” posted a statement that he was shutting it down. The reason he is shutting it down is one of money. He posted the following comment on the Z-Cult FM message board:
Main reason the site is being closed is money issues. The site was on a dedicated server as at time before Marvel etc shut down the site was popular and needed a dedicated server to run but since then I never changed the server hoping that one day we could get all users back but this has never happened. So server is gonna get killed and site put offline for bit.
Even though Marvel and DC both enjoyed a steady increase in sales during the time Z-Cult FM was in existence, both took steps at trying to get Z-Cult FM shut down. At the time it appeared they were successful. Not that this stopped people from downloading comics via BitTorrent. People just switched over to the popular music and video trackers such as The Pirate Bay and Mininova.
So I have been told.
Eventually Z-Cult FM came back, but I think most people just continued downloading comics through the other BitTorrent trackers. If anything, news of the actions by Marvel and DC only made the practice of downloading comics more popular. People who didn’t know that you could download entire issues, even entire runs of comic books, all of a sudden knew about it.
So I have been told.
I’ve always believed, unlike the music or movie industry, file sharing helped the comic book industry. It allowed people to read comics that they wouldn’t normally be able to read. People might be more inclined to starting buying a comic book if they could first go and read the preceding issues in digital form. Unlike the music and movie industry, the digital version of a comic book is a lot different than the version sold in stores.
So I have been told.
Who knew handicapped men in Kentucky were so hateful?
Something tells me this guy didn’t vote for Obama this past presidential election. Click the photo to see a larger, more hateful version.
Who says teaching doesn’t pay?
Charlene Schmitz, a former Alabama high school reading teacher, was convicted on federal charges for using texts and instant messages to seduce a 14-year-old student.
Even though she will be sitting in a federal detention center in Tallahassee, Florida for the next 10 years, she’s still getting paid her $51,000-a-year teaching salary.
She was officially fired a month after being convicted. Under Alabama state law, she will continue receiving her teaching salary until she’s allowed to appeal her firing with the school board. That wont happen until she’s exhausted any and all available appeals connected to her federal conviction.
Who knew high school reading teachers made so much money? It’s not like she has skills that she can use a whole host of places.
David Carradine: 1936 – 2009
David Carradine was found dead today in his Bangkok hotel room. Supposedly he hung himself. The New York Times reported that was there filming a movie. He was 72-years old.
My favorite TV show as a kid was Kung Fu. Carradine played Kwai Chang Caine, a martial arts master raised by Shaolin monks in China wondering the 19th century wild west looking for his American biological father. I think his father was supposed to be a sailor or something.
Caine would often think back to his childhood growing up in the Shaolin monastery where he would remember valuable life lessons taught to him by his teachers, the blind Master Po and Master Kan. The younger teenage Caine, known as “Grasshopper”, was played by David Carradine’s younger brother Keith Carradine.
I can’t stress enough how much I loved this show.
David Carradine later went on to play the title character in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies. He of course was great as the part of the villain.
The news of his death, the fact that it happened so far from his loved ones and possibly by his own hand, makes me feel incredibly sad.
New Hampshire legalizes gay marriage
New Hampshire becomes the sixth state to allow gay couples to marry. Governor John Lynch signed the same-sex marriage bill into law yesterday.
Good for New Hampshire. I guess they really mean it when they say New Hampshire is the “Live Free or Die” State. I read it on a license plate so it must be true.
Instead of passing special laws allowing gay couples to marry, how about just enacting a law that prohibits the state from asking a citizen if they are a man or a woman? I’ve often wondered why it’s any of the government’s business as to what sex organs I have. It’s really none of their business.
We are all created equal.
World Soccer Daily asks listeners for donations
Though I earlier defended Steven Cohen for comments he made about the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, I cannot defend what he is doing now. He is asking listeners of World Soccer Daily to give him money in the form of donations.
From the Help World Soccer Daily page on Fundable:
WSD is the only daily football/soccer show in America. The 7 year old caller-driven show deals with football around the world, especially the Premier League, MLS, and the US national team. WSD also has daily guests from around the globe, and correspondents in the major countries or continents of the game.
Recently a small group of people who disagree with some of the opinions stated by WSD hosts have decided to launch a smear campaign against the sponsors and public in order to get the show shut down. While they are welcome to decide for themselves whether to listen to the show or not, they are attempting to decide for everyone else by targeting advertisers of WSD. This is America; we do not approve of people who elect themselves as the moral voice for everyone else, especially when said people who aren’t even members of this country. If you don’t like what is said, you are always welcome to change the channel, but you’re not allowed to mute the voice.
World Soccer Daily is the fans [sic] show, and the fans can play a part beyond their welcome participation. A donation to WSD goes directly to keeping WSD on the air, and a percentage also goes to the Hillsborough Justice Campaign.
I pay to listen to World Soccer Daily. The show is on Sirius XM Radio every week day from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Sirius XM Radio is a paid, subscriber based radio service. I pay a monthly fee to listen to shows on XM Sirius Radio, including World Soccer Daily. Asking me to donate money to a sports talk show I already pay for is more than a little crass.
It’s embarrassing.
Steven Cohen needs to figure out how to get his advertisers back, not hit the listeners up for a handout. It’s not like these advertisers really have a lot of options when it comes to advertising to an American audience for soccer related products. If they want to advertise to American soccer fans, where are they going to go?
The last thing he needs to be doing is asking listeners for a handout.
What happened to Air France 447?
I’m still trying to wrap my brain around what happened to Air France 447. The Airbus A330-200 departed Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for Paris, France on 31 May at 7:03 p.m with 228 souls aboard. Brazilian air traffic control lost radar contact at approximately 10:48 p.m.
The aircrew didn’t radio in that they had any problems.
Though the aircrew failed to send out a proper radio distress, the aircraft did. It sent out an automated message that indicated that the aircraft had lost cabin pressure and that there was an electrical failure.
The Brazilian Air Force has located a 3-mile area 375 miles off the Brazilian coast that they say is wreckage from Flight 447.
So what happened?
Every time something like this happens, I put myself in the place of the poor people aboard the plane. The thought of being stuck in a plane as it plummets to the ground, powerless to do anything, scares the crap out of me. I really hope they find what caused this.
Suprise, suprise, man who killed abortion doctor is a right-wing whackjob
Details are starting to emerge concerning the man being held for the murder of Dr. George Tiller, Scott Roeder. From The Associated Press via MSNBC:
Roeder’s family life began unraveling more than a decade ago when he got involved with anti-government groups, and then became “very religious in an Old Testament, eye-for-an-eye way,” his former wife, Lindsey Roeder, told The Associated Press.
“The anti-tax stuff came first, and then it grew and grew. He became very anti-abortion,” said Lindsey Roeder, who was married to Scott Roeder for 10 years but “strongly disagrees with his beliefs.”
“That’s all he cared about is anti-abortion. `The church is this. God is this.’ Yadda yadda,” she said.
Yadda yadda indeed.
Anti-abortion groups shouldn’t be surprised that when they continuously refer to abortions a “baby killing” or “murder”, someone from within their ranks may listen to their visceral rhetoric and actually believe it.
Anyone that thinks late-term abortions are unnecessary needs to educate themselves on some of the horrific birth defects that make them necessary. Do a Google search of Anencephaly and look at some of the photos. If you can look at photos of stillborn babies that are born without most of their head and still believe that late-term abortions aren’t necessary, than you and I will just have to agree to disagree.
Doctor who performed late-term abortions is murdered at church
From the Associated Press via MSNBC:
Dr. George Tiller, who remained one of the nation’s few providers of late-term abortions through decades of protests and attacks, was shot and killed Sunday in a church where he was serving as an usher and his wife was in the choir.The gunman fled, but a 51-year-old suspect was arrested some 170 miles away in suburban Kansas City three hours after the shooting, Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said. Johnson County sheriff’s spokesman Tom Erickson identified the man in custody as Scott Roeder, who has not been charged in the slaying.
Just to be clear, this is just as much a terrorist act as flying an airliner into a building or walking into a pizzeria wearing a bomb. The intention is to cause fear. If this doesn’t discourage other doctors from performing late-term abortions, nothing will.
I not only blame the actual murderer, but the fanatics that encourage people like him. Troy Newman, Operation Rescue’s president, released a prepared statement yesterday. In in he said, “Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice.”
See him brought to justice? It’s comments like this that help agitate the mobs. Like it or not, abortions a legal in this country. No matter how many times groups like Operation Rescue proclaim that abortion is murder, it’s not. They can argue that a non-viable, non-developed fetus is the same think as a human being all day long and it doesn’t change anything.
Do groups like Operation Rescue think women want to receive a late-term abortion? For many woman, it’s the last thing they want to do. If they simply wanted to terminate the pregnancy, they could have simply gotten a abortion in the first trimester. Most times, a late-term abortion is used to either save the life of the mother or because the fetus has severe birth defects such as Anencephaly. It’s where the head fails to fully form. The fetus lacks most of it’s brain. What brain it does have is exposed without the top part of the skull.
Woman don’t get late-term abortions because they’re fun.
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