I Finally Gave In.

I'm holding off on my official Christmas post until after another gathering tomorrow night. I hope you've all been having a great time. The post is about a different topic that has slowly been wearing me down until I finally gave in today and decided to post on it.

A few days ago I watched the national news program on one of the major networks. I honestly don't remember which one, but it further reinforced my previous policy of not watching network news. Here are the top three stories with accompanied network spin:

1. News: Thousands take to the streets of Baghdad to protest the election results. Spin: The democratic process in Iraq is on the verge of collapse.

2. News: New Orleans police shoot a man after he lunged at an officer with a knife. Spin: The New Orleans Police Department is over-stressed, under-trained, and lacks adequate decision making skills.

3. News: Auto parts manufacturer, Delphi, is planning on cutting jobs and slashing salaries in the near future. Spin: Corporate executives are greedy and immoral.

I will now provide you with my response to the above:

1. Apparently democracy in the US has been teetering on self destruction for some time now, because I am hard pressed to remember a single year in my lifetime when thousands of people haven't taken to the streets of Washington DC in protest of some sort of political issue. The broadcast totally ignored the fact that the people in Baghdad were protesting instead of blowing up cars, police stations, etc. which I kind of thought was significant.

2. As many of you know I don't have a terribly high opinion of the NOPD, and that goes back further than Katrina, but in this case I think that they're getting screwed. What were the officers supposed to do when the guy came at them with a knife? Give him a hug? As far as the whole over-stressed and under-trained thing goes, it could very well be true, but to criticize them for shooting in this situation is ridiculous. What do we have police officers for if not to shoot men marauding the streets with knives? What is more ridiculous is that this story made national news. There was a nearly identical incident at my local Wal-Mart last month that didn't get national attention. What's the difference? Like Iraq, the national media has a fetish for anything that they can make to appear to be going wrong in New Orleans.

3. I actually agreed with the news on this one. Delphi is cutting jobs and salaries at the production level while raising salaries for top executives. Interesting considering the fact that the top executives, not the production level workers, were the ones who led the company into its current financial woes. Although I agreed with the spin of the story I was still offended by it. Why? Read on.

Final Thought. Where does the media get off on putting a spin on anything? What ever happened to "who, what, when, where, and why." I don't remember "what's your opinion on it" being listed in there. I constantly hear people complaining about how biased CNN or Fox, depending on who's brainwashing them that week, is in their reporting. The sad fact of the matter is that you pretty much have to watch both CNN and Fox to get anything close to a balanced view of what's going on in the world. Forget watching the major networks, they would be hard pressed to give you an unbiased report on the state of craters on the Moon (if there even is a Moon). I guess my overall point is that the media sucks. Much like the Democratic Party I don't have any practical solution to this problem, I just wanted to complain.

Apparently Fox Doesn't Pay So Well.

The betrothed of rover finally returned from her surgical rotation on Friday, and last night we went out to celebrate the end of months of separation. We had a nice dinner at Isaac's, where I was served by the entire cast of "The O.C." and then went to see Narnia. I'll start with my thoughts on Narnia.

The movie was good. The Fiance really liked it, but she's never read the books either. I had some complaints. It just wasn't enough for me. The White Witch wasn't evil enough. Aslan wasn't scary enough. Tumnus wasn't weasely enough. Everything was a bit too easy. I didn't get the feeling that the characters were involved in a grand struggle with epic implications. They didn't take the time to develop the characters and the plot, it was just rushed. Maybe I'm a bit too wrapped up in the allegory of the whole thing, or maybe Kong has me expecting a bit much out of films lately, but I felt that Narnia could have been better. My final complaint about the film was that there was no blood shown (other than a few scrapes and bruises). I realize that the film was geared more towards kids, but come on people! This is a story where Father Christmas gives swords and bows to children and them encourages them to wage war. Eliminating the blood isn't going to change the fact that this is a violent film. I'm not asking for Braveheart here, but any kid who's watched the Discovery Channel knows that a lion's beard turns red after a kill. Anyway, it was a good movie, but it wasn't the awesome I was looking for.

After the movie we decided to go back to my place to hang out for a while. So, as we were watching TV I began to hear two men speaking loudly in the street outside of my apartment. Initially I thought that is was just some drunks walking home from the bar. The thing is that they never left. They just stood outside of my apartment yelling at each other. I then began to think that they might be fighting over a parking space (parking spaces are a delicate issue in my neighborhood). I couldn't really hear what they were saying, and figured that since my TV viewing was being interrupted I might as well know what's going on. As I muted the TV I was treated to the following conversation:

"If you're gonna kill me, then kill me!"

"Where were you man? You were supposed to be my back up, my hook up!"

"I was there man, I was. Look I've got $5,000 in my pocket."

Yeah, that's when I called the cops. Although I was a bit tempted to head out into the street and grab me five grand. The police took the info and informed me that I wasn't the only caller. I hung up and began to peek out of my window like some crotchety old lady, waiting for the troops to arrive. And arrive they did. It was only a minute or two until my street was filled with flashing lights and a voice commanding "GET ON THE GROUND!" Hoodlum #1 was stunned and dropped immediately. #2 tried to run to the North, but was welcomed by the muzzle of a Glock. It really was quite the impressive performance. A total of four officers arrived, completely dominated the situation, established nice contact and cover with the cover officers triangulating fire on both subjects, and had both in handcuffs in less than a minute. I know that doesn't mean much to the casual observer, but it was one nice piece of police work. In the ensuing search of the amazingly large amount of packages and bags that the two had with them the officers must have found something of interest because they loaded the hoodlums up and swept them off to the station. It was the kind of well organized police action that they just don't show on Cops. Strong display, but not use, of force. Good teamwork. I love those guys.

So that was my Saturday night. I'm now averaging two calls to the police a year since moving to this town. It's just great. On another note I've made some changes to my blog links. I deleted some blogs that haven't been updated in months, and added a new one. Catholic Poster Girl is it's name. I discovered it during my worktime ramblings. No, it isn't posters of Catholic school girls, sorry Brechty. It is the blog of a Catholic girl who provides thoughts and opinions on all sorts of topics. Since I felt that we don't have nearly enough disagreements amongst ourselves I threw another one into the mix. Have fun.

30 Facts About Chuck Norris.

After previous posts by Brechty and Proteinstar I had to post this link.

Here's a little teaser:

Chuck Norris sold his soul to the devil for his rugged good looks and
unparalleled martial arts ability. Shortly after the transaction was finalized,
Chuck roundhouse kicked the devil in the face and took his soul back. The devil,
who appreciates irony, couldn't stay mad and admitted he should have seen it
coming. They now play poker every second Wednesday of the month.

Kong

I'm sure similar reviews will pop up on other blogs, but I've got to get my two cents in. Last night I attended a midnight viewing of King Kong. I must say that my expectations weren't all that high because the trailers made the film look like another Hulk, with a big CGI monster ravaging about the screen in a film that is otherwise devoid of content. Despite this feeling I was encouraged by the fact that the movie was 3 hours long, and was directed by Peter Jackson. And let's be honest, what else am I going to do with my time? I knew within the first 20 minutes of the movie that my expectations had been greatly exceeded. I can't praise Jackson enough for realizing that a monster film must be founded on a plot line that is more solid than a marauding beast. I actually think that, with a few modifications, the film could have been very entertaining without King Kong. Jackson's character development was superb. Kong himself was awesome. I really loved that Jackson kept the original time era of the film, rather than falling for the temptation of a modern setting that contributed to the demise of Godzilla. After years of repeated disappointment from Hollywood, I just can't praise this film enough. It is quality, sheer quality. If Hollywood has the intelligence (ha!) to follow this trend, we could be witnessing the beginning of a new golden era of film.

In other news, I began my bowling league last night, and I officially suck. My claim to fame for the evening was that I almost didn't finish in last. For those of you who were curious, we do have a team name: Team Two. Just rolls off of your tongue doesn't it? Overall it was a very fun night, and I'm really looking forward to next week.

New Link

I have attached a new link at the left under "A Few of My Favorite Places." It is the website of a European guy who spends his freetime visiting abandoned factories, mines, castles, hospitals etc. His photography is awesome. This guy has balls (sorry but there's no other way to describe it). He, often illegally, makes entry to buildings that have been abandoned for years just to take pictures. Some of the buildings are rumored to be haunted, some are guarded by security dogs, and some are occupied by looting bands of vagabonds. If you have some free time I highly recommend browsing his galleries. Initially I thought the site was really cool, then a little weird, then flat out creepy, but now I'm back to cool again. Certainly not how I'd spend my days off (maybe if I lived in Europe and had 3 months a year to waste), but you should check it out.

I Have Surprised Even Myself

I'm not a big fan of bowling. It just isn't my thing. The sport itself isn't all that terrible, but the bowling atmosphere has always turned me off. When you say "bowling alley" my mind immediately conjures up images of a filthy smoke filled building occupied by fat men drinking beer and teenage cowboy wannabes. I know that this isn't exactly a fair representation, but that's what pops into my head. In light of this I was a bit surprised when a coworker invited me to join a bowling team, and I said yes. I'm not sure why, but the bowling shirt and free ball may have had something to do with it. I guess I also just wanted to get out and do something fun, and judging by my teammates buffoonery will certainly ensue. In other news, the "international" assessment team has officially passed under the shadow of the big clock and left my office, not to be seen for another three years. According to the big bosses my department passed the evaluation with flying colors. Not that I ever doubted that we did a good job, but it is nice to hear it from someone else. It's also nice to have the whole process done with for awhile. I had a inkling that things were going well all week when those in direct contact with the assessment team were in unusually high spirits, this hasn't always been the case in the past. Anyway, the official word has come done and now I can return to such innocent pleasures and wearing jeans, putting my feet on the desk, and watching F1 while at work.

Buddy Lee Is A Punk.

Remember those Buddy Lee commercials a few years back where this little doll, Buddy Lee, tested blue jeans by jumping out of airplanes with them and such? At the end they would declare the jeans "Buddy Lee Tested: Can't Bust 'Em!" Well, while in a crisis of clean laundry this week I dug deep into the depths of my dresser drawers and pulled out an old pair of jeans. I was quite pleased with them because they appeared to be perfectly worn, cowboy worn, if you know what I mean. I even began to wonder if they couldn't be returned to rotation. As I unfolded the jeans I noticed the "Buddy Lee Tested: Can't Bust 'Em!" patch on the back pocket. "Ah, good old Buddy Lee" I thought to myself as I turned the jeans over and noticed a hole in the knee. My line of thought then began to more closely reflect the post title, Buddy Lee is a punk. Apparently Buddy Lee isn't all that tough. I mean he tested these jeans and couldn't bust 'em. I put a hole in them and don't even remember how I did it. Some would say that this is just another example of a cheap corporate marketing ploy, but I, in my unflagging trust of the corporate megacomplex, refuse to believe that they would intentionally deceive me like that. Instead I choose to blame Buddy Lee and am officially calling him out. Bring it on little plastic man, I'm ready. I think I might return the jeans to regular rotation in order to proudly display to the world that I am tougher than a small plastic doll.

Possible Summer Bicycle Trip?

I ran into this little historical gem while searching for info on another possible summer trip. That trip was going to be to an abandoned highway bridge where a friend and I would rappel into the river below. Before I got very far in that investigation I discovered the link from above and was tantalized! Ten miles of abandoned turnpike, including two tunnels! It is almost too good to be true. The tunnels, one being over a mile long, are reported to be in sound structural condition, but have no lighting. There are also several side rooms and ventilation areas in the tunnels as well. This portion of the turnpike was in use in the 1960's but was abandoned because the tunnels were not big enough to handle increasing traffic demands. Access to the highway is just off of the Breezewood exit of the current PA Turnpike, so it isn't terribly far away. Apparently the entire stretch of highway has been purchased by a private company with plans to turn it into a bicycle superhighway. Until then the owners are happy to let would be adventurers explore to their heart's delight. I was going to give you photos, but it doesn't want to work. Here's a photo page. Anyway, It is certainly going on my list for warm weather adventure.

I Guess Its My Turn

Five Places I Would Like To Visit:

1. Kilimanjaro
2. Machu Pichu
3. Isla De Mona
4. The Pyramids
5. Cuba

My Five Favorite Restaurants:

1. El Rodeo
2. The Lampost
3. Red Lobster
4. Taco Bell
5. Lucy's

Five Sporting Events I Would Like To Attend:

1. The Monaco Grand Prix
2. The San Marino Grand Prix
3. Any Other Formula One Grand Prix
4. El Classico (FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid)
5. Paris-Roubaix (Pro bike race over cobblestone roads)

Five People Are Going To El Rodeo With Me:

1. Moses
2. Paul
3. Winston Churchill
4. Michael Schumacher (he's driving)
5. George Patton
6. Steve Irwin - He's not coming to dinner, I just want him in the car to provide commentary on Michael's driving.

Five Things I Don't Know:

1. Math.
2. The thought processes some people use to formulate their belief systems.
3. How the Flux Capacitor worked.
4. What I don't know (now that's deep baby).
5. How to get all three of my cats to use the litter pan on a regular basis.

And I tag Brechty, like I had a choice.