So...

I’m trying to get everything done in stages, including packing. I don’t want to come up to the day of the move and have 20 different things I’m still trying to do.

Not Ronald Reagan or Oprah Winfrey

This month’s Smithsonian contains a list of some of the most culturally influential people of our generation called Innovators of Our Time. Not necessarily the most famous or most powerful, but the artist, scientists and adavocates whose innovations have made a lasting difference in world culturally and physically in the last 30 to 40 years.

On the list are:

Wynton Marsalis – Musician & Composer
Margaret Burbidge – Astronomer
Bill Gates – Software Mogul and Philanthropist
Mark Plotkin – Ethnobotinist
Richard Leaky – Anthropologist and Conservationist
Annie Leibovitz – Photographer
Clyde Roper – Zoologist
Jane Mt. Pleasant – Native Agriculturalist
Andy Goldsworthy – Natural Artist
Robert Langridge – Computer Imaging Geneticist
Daphne Sheldrick – Conservationist
Julie Taymor – Set Designer
Wendell Berry – Poet
Edward O. Wilson – Sociobiologist
John Dobson – Astronomer
Mark Lehner – Archeologist
Sally Ride – Astronaut
Gordon Parks – Composer, Biographer, Poet
D.A. Hendrson – Doctor
Renee’ Flemming – Soprano
David Attenborouh – Natural History Filmmaker
Tim Berbers-Lee – Computer Programmer
James Watson – Scientist
Wes Jackson – Agriculturalist
Maya Angelou – Poet, Biographer, Activist
Yo-Yo Ma – Cellist & Humanitarian
Dan Janzen – Naturalist & Conservationist
Ed Bears – Historical Conservationist
Frank Gehry – Architect
Janis Carter – Naturalist and Conservationist
Robert Moses – Civil Rights Activist and Mathematician
Maya Lin – Architect
Douglas Owsley – Forensic Anthropologist
Chuck Close – Artist
Steve Spielberg – Filmmaker

You probably haven’t heard of most of them, heck other than David Attenborough, who’s “Life on Earth” and other nature specials inspired me to go into biology (alas, for my mathematic skills) and Maya Angelou whose “Phenomenal Woman” I first encountered in my teens, with a handful of others, I hadn’t heard of many of them. But their contributions are such that while we may not know their name, our children probably will. So pick up the latest issue or click on the link above and learn a little more about who is really moving and shaking our world.

2000

I did not participate in this vigil because I did feel that it was arbitrarily exploitive. The first soldier to die for the president’s lies, stupid bravado and incompetence should be as equally mourned as the 2000th or 2016th. The whole thing is a tragedy, not just arbitrary mathematical landmarks.

Atlanta – Now THAT’s what I’m Talkin’ About!

Now that was a race, long green flag runs and few cautions on a multi-groove track that allowed three and four wide racing made for a great race! Atlanta isn’t just fast, it fast with guys hairy masses of 20 cars all jockeying for position while the lead is swapped back and forth by guys running high, running low and just running all out. Dale had a great day leading, dominating the most laps *Yes!*, though Mark Martin, Jeffy-Pop and Carl Edwards cars all came in late in the race to push him back to 4th. Elliot had a frustrating day in he started out in the lead and hanging out in the top 5, but a caution caught him on pit road, putting him a lap down and then he got lapped. He managed to claw his way back to 10th. *Bravo!* Mark came in 3rd, advancing him yet another spot in the Championship, but he is 143 points out with three races left so it’s a real long shot.

My friend has gotten me a ticket to one of those meet-and-greet events drivers do. This one is for Dale Jr. She’s more worked up than I am and she’s a Robby Gordon fan. Last time we talked she was talking about dressing me up, doing my make-up and curling my poker-straight hair, etc. etc, etc. Making sure I am “ready”.

Am I meeting Dale Jr. or King Kong? Jeezus. ;)

Halloween

Halloween is a great time for the kids and a lot of fun for adults too. The weather here in So Cal is balmy and mild, perfect for trick-or-treating…or partying out on the patio of the Blue Café. It’s all good (as long as everyone is safe). But to my faith, Samhain (pronounced Sow-wan) is one the biggest holidays of the year.

Samhain (which is the word for November in Old Irish) is the Celtic Day of the Dead. Our year follows the life cycle of the God as represented by the Sun moving though the seasons. Samhain is the time of the Gods death in the last harvest and therefore one of the time the veil between the worlds is the thinnest therefore rituals will often include contacting the dead. I happen to think the dead have other concerns. :) But it is also the end of our ritual year as we enter “the Dark Time”, a period of rest and planning for the coming year beginning with the Gods rebirth in the Winter Solstice. It a time to wrap things up, process all that has occurred in the last year and leave it behind, taking with you only that which will do you good.

So to all you non-Pagans, have a wonderful Happy Halloween and to all my Pagan friends, a Peaceful and Merry Samhain.

Long Time No Type.

Hey folks, I apologize for the unannounced hiatus. Things have been crazy with trying to arrange my finances, my housing, transporting myself and my furry heard cross-country and packing. What time I have had at the front desk here I have been spending getting all my photos in order so I don’t show up in a new place with a box full of loose photos that I will never get to.

So…

Good things have been happening. Tom Delay was charged and Scooter Libby has been indicted. Harriet Miers withdrew and Tom Noe in Ohio has been indicted for illegally funneling fund into Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign.

Wow, they are really getting it from all sides. YES!

I will say I listened to Fitzgerald's press conference on NPR during lunch today and was glad to hear that the prosecution is going to steer clear of the Iraq War during the case and focus on the actual laws that were broken, though...why isn't revealing a covert CIA operative to the press not against the law?

Hoooray! Thank you Republican Party for taking yourselves back!

If that is (Please Gods let it be so) what is happening.

I'll get into more detail later.

Recreation

I’ve been stressing so it’s been pretty mindless to tell the truth. Sunday was the race at Martinsville which was another caution-fest with frustrating days for my drivers :P Truth be told I didn’t watch closely, I just kept the TV on while I packed. This week: Atlanta, one of NASCAR’s fastest tracks. Best of luck to the 8, 38 and 6 Teams. Have a great race fellas!

Beyond that, I have been re-reading the Aubery-Maturin series which I have discussed before, and watching a lot of CSI which is easy because it seems like there is at least some version of the show on 24/7. Vegas of course is the best, the most engaging and realistic characters with very natural feeling relationships and their stories have an edge of realism that really pulls you in. Catherine is a great character, plus I think I am in love with Gil Grissom (Not William Petersen, Gill Grissom...with the beard. Geek Beefcake like Fox Mulder was.) CSI:NY is o.k.. Gary Sinese rocks the house of course and the character of Danny Messer is really cool and Flack is funny, but for some reason it just isn’t quite as compelling, perhaps because they were so limited in their ensemble during the first season. We’ll see how things shape up, though I am bummed they dumped Aidan. CSI:Miami just needs to go. *gag* Melodrama city. I like David Caruso, but my Gawd does he overdo it sometimes. And does he have to stand like a GQ model every time he enters the scene? And who the heck is that chick talking in monotone the entire time? Ah *Thhpbt!*

But that has been pretty much it for me at the moment. Boring stuff. I’ll get back to commentary next week, but until then have a great weekend everyone!

If I Think About It Too Much....

“Why are we talking about Chewbacca! I don’t know, it doesn’t make any sense! It if doesn’t make any sense, you must acquit!”

*pause*

“Lookit this funny monkey…”

*Juror’s head explodes.*

O.K. one of the local channels here started running South Park nightly from 11pm to midnight and cannot keep watching it...I can’t.

Really.

*Yawn* :)

I’m Really Getting Sick Of This.

Baltimore Tunnels Shut Down for Terrorist Scare.

What.

The.

FUCK is going on with our Homeland Security office? First of all, are we a bunch of keystone cops? Are we going to shut down every major thoroughfare and building for every bomb threat phoned in by a bunch of stoned teenagers?

Congratulations Mr. Bin Laden. You’ve won. The Country is utterly terrified. Good Job.

Actually, I'm sorry. The credit really goes to our Illustrious Leaders and their sterling examples of strength.

“AHH, he might hit me! He might hit me! I gotta shoot him! AAAAIIGH!”

I think every adult has encountered someone with control issues in their life, if not when they wake up and look in the mirror every morning. The root of control issues is fear. Fear of being out of control. Fear of trusting portions of your life, physical and emotional, to others. Controlling people are scared what might happen when someone else makes choices so they try to control everything that does happen. That is not strength. That’s clinginess. That's panic. That's hysteria. Strength is living your life and allowing other to live theirs. Strength is trust, it is faith, it is dealing with problems as they occur not "making the other shoe drop". It is not, “She might break up with me, so I’m going to monitor her every move.” and it is not “They might attack us so we should invade their country.”

The fact of the matter is since 9-11, our own government has propagated more fear than bin Laden ever could.

The problem is people are not buying it anymore. The NYC subways, the Asian bird flu and now this? The first reaction of the majority of Farkers who read about the tunnels was, “So when are the indictments coming down?” No one buys it anymore. They automatically assume that the government does this to distract the American people from the failures in the Middle East, the corrupt leadership of the Republican party reaching into the White House, the completely unsuitable and tethered supreme court nominee, the failing economy, the mismanagement of FEMA, the mismanagement of tax dollars.

Gods, I could go on and on and on.

And the truly frightening part is that they use these scares to make inroads against our personal freedoms. Note:

NYC Subway Scare a Hoax

“Two unnamed law enforcement officials have told The Associated Press that the suspects in custody in Iraq insist they never planned to coordinate attacks with operatives in New York.

They have even passed polygraph tests on that very question.

"The people supposedly standing by in New York probably were never there," one of the officials told AP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

On Monday, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly announced that random bag searches and other precautions would remain in place, but security on the system would be gradually scaled back."

So much of the Small Government Party. Whats next, having to present your ID or passport (ie. “Papers”) on demand?

They are driving this country straight into the ground; it’s economy, it’s people, what the word “America” itself means, lining their pockets the entire way. I’m so frustrated and sick of what these people are doing to this country!

AAAIGH!

And they have three more years.

The Bush administration needs to go. They need to be removed from office. Now Congress may have found it’s balls and be doing something. Rumors are that Cheney may be the ultimate target of the Wilson Probe, please Gods, let this be an Agnew-Nixon 1-2 punch.

Of course, rumors are that Condi Rice would be the one to take over Cheney’s role…Like I really want the woman who was promoted for being asleep at the wheel during 9-11 as Commander in Chief.

The situation is absolutely Byzantine.

On To Lighter Matters.

Charlotte.

:P

Charlotte was in dire need of resurfacing, but instead of doing so, the owner of the track lavigated or ground the track down to smooth it. Unfortunately, the texture of the track surface was so rough that even though the cars were moving 4 mph faster, someone was blowing out a tire every twenty laps.

No, kidding, practically like clockwork. *bam* Someone's fender has blown out and they're spinning into the wall.

This unfortunately happened to Dale Jr. as he was moving up through the pack and later to Elliott, who had been hanging out in the top three for the entire race.

Fudge.

NASCAR had two mandatory caution periods for people to come in a change their tires, mandated tire pressures and even Red Flagged the race at one point (man it had to suck for the folks in the stands) to clean the track, but the tire attrition continued, even nailing the car to beat, Tony Stewart. Leaving 2of2, Mini-Me, Jimmie Johnson to take his forth win at Lowes Motor Speedway.

O.k. Yes, he survived a hellish race with alternator troubles and fully deserved to be in victory lane....

But....

*grumbling* jj sucks* grumbling*

Like I said, its sports, I can be as biased as I wanna be! :D

Driver. That's It.

The other interesting thing the media seems to have latched onto from the world of auto racing is “Dancia Patrick hit somebody!” Farkers had a fun time with this one.

The fact is if you have been reading this blog, you are well aware at how prevalent personal violence is in motor sports. Better to have two guys with bruises than a field of wrecked cars is my theory. The fact is had Patrick been a he, no one outside of IRL would have heard of this. But since she is a she, it’s world news.

Ignoring those posts form the unknowledgeable about how childish she is, etc. etc. etc., what surprised me is the number of guys who took the opportunity to condemn Danica for her personality: arrogant and serious/focused.

Huh, that’s funny. Most drivers are arrogant and serious/focused, especially as rookies.

To quote one Farker:

“I not only expect Danica Patrick to be arrogant, I would be shocked if she was anything but one of the most arrogant drivers in Indy racing. You don't race at that level as young as she is and not think you are 12 ft. tall and bullet proof. Now if she were to be as arrogant at 35 and not mellow out somewhat...then I'll declare her to be a cast iron biatch. Until then, or until she proves she can't hack it at that level, she gets a pass.” ~ hdhale.

*applause*

The sad fact is that because she is a woman, she is arbitrarily held to a different standard of behavior than other race car drivers. People need to stop looking just at her alone and see rather how her behavior compares to that of her peers. I think they’ll see that they all get angry, they all hit/push/poke someone at least once and they all started out arrogant and “self absorbed”. She isn't a novelty, she's a driver and should be judged as such.

Just A Quick Note…

To wish everyone luck at Charlotte tomorrow night, from what I have read about the Busch race this evening, it sounds like they are going to need it. Congrats to Elliott on his third pole of the season. Good luck to Dale, Elliott, Mark and their crews and everyone stay safe!

"The ability to learn faster than your competitors may be only sustainable competitive advantage." ~ Arie de Geus

Gloomy Days

...and for that matter...

How about the AIDS epidemic in Africa and the U.S.? That doesn’t even make headline news anymore.

Things that make you go “Hrrrmm.”

Where Do We Go From Here....?

Last Friday evening/Saturday Morning, the Northern mountains of Pakistan and India, on the eastern edge of the Himalayas, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake brought down mountainsides and destroyed towns and villages in a tragedy who’s death toll now reaches 35,000 across the two countries.

Today, authorities in Guatemala called off the search for bodies in the wake of massive mudslides that swallowed up entire villages during Hurricane Stan. They estimate the death toll at 2,000.

The death toll for Hurricane Katrina last stood (to my knowledge) at 1033 .

In July the floods in the Maharastra region of India took over a thousand lives.

Much of S.E. Asia is still rebuilding from the devastation of the Tsunamis of last year that killed 26,000 which was followed in March by a 6.0 earthquake in Sumatra that killed 1,300.

The AIDS epidemic in Africa is literally killing millions.

I tend to be skeptical about divine intervention in the natural processes of the planet we are on. But at this moment that is very hard. I mean, do you ever get the feeling that someone is bitch slapping the human race and saying “Wake Up!” ? That we’ve officially gone beyond someone’s “Don’t-Make-Me-Pull-This-Car-Over”-Phase and are now pinned against the back seat as that someone screams and shakes us?

Call whomever that being is whatever name you prefer, or call it our carelessness catching up with us, whatever, but personally I think these events are making clear that the human race is headed in the wrong directions with it’s petty conflicts to support our lifestyles and ideologies while people live in poverty and die in disasters such as these. We ignore having a long-term goal for the short-term gain. The coming together of nations during these crises is both remarkably heartwarming and hope giving. Hope not only for those immediately in need, but for the peace and preservation of the human race into the next millennia because we aren’t going to go forward tearing at each other like wolves while we ignore the environment we live in.

IF we can take not only the attitude of cooperation but the lessons learned from these tragedies. This mean not simply rebuilding exactly as things were before, but better and safer. We have to look at the construction of human communities differently before we ever thrust a single shovel in the ground. Creating towns and villages that can live in concert with their environment so that people can live in better safety for both themselves and the world around them. But we must cooperate with one another. It’s been 5000 years of human civilization and we are still fighting wars over resources and religious ideologies just as people in Summer did. 5,000 years and our leaders have not moved forward an iota.

Enough.

I’m not a peacenik. For wars of defense, like WWII, I am fully ready to cast my vote and do my part to support our troops and our coutnry. However with everything that is going on, it’s time for the bullshit to end and for us to look really at where we are going as Americans and as members of the human race in this new millennium.

Anyway, I think it’s great that not only have India and Pakistan, who have been bumping heads for the last 70 years, put their differences aside for this but to see workers from China, Britain, France America and so on coming together to help these people is just an amazing thing. Prayers to all those who have suffered and lost in the Kasmir quakes and Guatemalan mudslides and to those there to help.

Eeyore Rules.

Sunday Mark Martin held off Greg Biffle to win at the Kansas Speedway. I love it because once again one of the veterans spanks some young gun butt. I also love it because Mark is such a downer. Last year he won at Dover. “It was all luck…” this year he won and “I’m like to thank my team for making on old man a winner..” When asked about his Championship hopes (he’s now in 7th position). “Oh, it’s too late for us, but we’re going to out there and try…”

You can practically hear the low gloomy voice from the movie. *chuckle*

Actually, he and his team have done a great job through the latter half of this year and the Chase so far. If they can keep it kicked up a notch *with some crossing fingers* they still have a shot.

I think the way he approaches life is similar to the way much of my family does *nudge Dad*. We anticipate the worst because we will be prepared for it then and if things go our way, we’ll just be that much more pleased. However, it is kind of spending your entire life waiting for the shoe to drop, which can be a pain in the ass for people around you. Some may call it a defeatist attitude, but hey, Mark Martin is where he is and my family isn’t doing that badly either, so who’s to say? *shrug*

It was a good race. People call Kansas boring because it is one of those mile and a half tracks with low banking that is hard to pass. Not too many high-risk situations to keep the crowd on the edge of their seats and few lead changes, but it was still entertaining…especially when *someone* drifted up the track in a turn and spun out a rookie. *ahem*

Dale has a typical flat track day for him, sorry to say. He didn’t have the car and a speeding penalty on Pit Road trapped him a total of two laps back. :( Bummer. Gotta work on those guys! I hear they’re moving their chassis program in house and there’s a rumor in the wind about DEI engine program and Menards teaming up permanently in their own shop. Ooooo! *rubs hands together*

Elliotts day was an exercise in patience (especially after being taken out early in the Busch race the day prior) as they had a long run car. Meaning the restart were crappy and it took the car a while for the handling to come in, but once it did it was great. (I’ve often seen his cars do this. Hrmm.) But he did o.k.; finishing 12th and maintaining his 13th place in the standings, only couple points out of 1st with Jamie McMurray and Happy Harvick between him and a million bucks and a place at the Banquet at the end of the year. Elliott can smoke those two, easy. :D

Short Entry

I was away from a PC all day yesterday so first of all Hippo Birdies to Michael! and Happy Belated B-Day to Dale Jr.!

Now...

Some Perspective.

In the face of the 117 human cases of Asian Avian Flu reported by the World Health Organization that the media if having fits over, here’s a little something you may have missed a few years back: over million cases of Dengue & Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever in South America over 2000 and 2001 South America is a heck of a lot closer to this country than Turkey is. This epidemic actually made it as far as Panama before it was stopped by the WHO, PAHO (The Pan American Health Organization) and the CDC.

Hear anything about it?

Didn’t think so.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be concerned, of course we should. We should be working on vaccines and the CDC, NCID, FDA, Immigration and local health organizations should be on their toes and prepared for this. But I do find it interesting that the Bush administration and the American media is doing their best to incite panic over a 117 cases when 5 years ago when 24 thousand people in Venezuela didn’t even raise a blip on the radar screen.

Just something to think about.

P.S. I told you it was a bunch of stoned Iraqi Teenagers.

I'm really tried of people trying to scare me, whoever the hell they are. I'm just sick of it.

I’ll be back with Devastation and Reaction and Why Eeyore Kicks Butt, right after this…

So Much to Bitch About, So Little Time

:D

Is It Just Me...

...or is it highly coincidental that a day after Bush announced that the United States has foiled ten terrorist plots that the intelligence analysts seem to have never heard of that we suddenly get a rash of bomb scares?

New York

Washington

Either Bush is trying to keep you from looking at “The Man Behind the Curtain”, ie. Karl Rove, and prove that his presidency really is worth something or there’s a room full of stoned teenage Iraqi insurgents having too much fun.

Are The Republicans Going to Take Their Party Back?

In wake of the investigation of Karl Rove, VP Cheney’s staff members John Hannah $ Lewis Libby, Bill Frist and the double indictment of Tom Delay as well as the backlash at Bush himself from Hurricane Katrina and the Meir nomination as well as the falling support for the Iraq War (I like that the News has finally started calling it the Iraq War rather than the “War on Terror”, since it’s been pretty obvious to most of us from, oh, a couple years now, that what’s happening in Iraq isn’t stopping terror one damn bit) the moderate Republicans have an opportunity to separate the radical evangelical neo-conservative far-right from their power base and take the party back It will be interesting to see if they actually do it.

Weren’t We Just Talking Bout This?

Oct 9th is National Porn Sunday.

1.“I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.
2.I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.
3.I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?
4.My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.
5.I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. ~ Song of Solomon, Chapter 5

I need to get me some religion! :D

I had an interesting thought the other day. When I was growing up, we were not allowed to watch Hogans Heros’. Mom had lived in Germany when her father was stationed there after the war and had seen the horrific effect of Nazi POW and concentration Camps on people personally and did not think it a suitable subject for humor, so we were not allowed to watch it.

Do you think I have ever seen an episode of Hogan’s Heroes to this day?

*shakes head*

Like I said, if you have to rely on the government to keep porn out of your children’s hands, you’re doing something wrong.

Good Night and Good Luck

This film looks really, really good. I like the angle and David Strathairn is one of those working actors who has been in practically everything, but is so good, so natural in the role, you forget he’s there. Reviews on this are generally great and I plan on seeing this, hopefully this weekend. It’s creation and release in today’s political environment seems especially poignant.

Something that I discovered a couple years ago was that I liked George Clooney. Yes, yes I know he’s handsome. But he was always such a media approved and marketed heartthrob, “You *will* lust after this man”, he never held much interest for me. “Ah, whatever. Fluff.”

A couple years ago I was running down some of the films in recent years with a friend of mine when.

“Well, Three Kings was fuckin’ awesome, waaay underrated film.” (which BTW, is quietly becoming a classic.)

And a little later on…

“Oh Brother Where Art Thou seriously rocked!”

and a little later on…

“Well, The Perfect Storm, I mean how can you go wrong with that material?”

and then…

“Well, Peacemaker was not *that* bad. It was a solid action film. I don’t know what the people were expecting…”

When I added up that I had also really enjoyed Oceans 11, I suddenly realized, to my utter shock, “Damn. I like George Clooney. The guy may have a smarmy personae, but he’s been picking first rate projects the last few years."

So, between Strathairn and this being Clooney’s second cruise behind the camera, and the History of course ;), I’m looking forward to it.

Random

Y’Know, This Is Just Frightening. It's like hummingbirds on expresso...but worse. ;)

Racing.

Well the furor died down on Tuesday when Jimmie Johnson apologized for causing the wreck at Talladega which is almost good enough for me (though y’know, it’d be nice if he apologized to Dale Jr. for blaming him). That and a lot of practice sessions at Talladega would be good enough for me. His track record there sucks; caused three wrecks in four races there.

If you would like to get inkling of what is it like being behind the wheel at a Superspeedway, this article describing Dale Sr.'s last win at Talladega has audio files from 7 competitors (including Dale Jr.) who shared the track with him that day. It has been my experience that you can learn more about racing listening to a driver talk for 5 minutes than you can reading 50 different articles, books and websites. Worth a listen if you are curious what it’s like out there.

On that note: Good luck and safe race to all at Kansas. Mark, kick some ass and get back up there in the standings. Elliott, kick some ass and get in 11th place. And Dale Jr., just kick ass. ;)

RAmen

Aw, Heyull No!

O.K. Bush Has Officially Crossed Into Frightening.

I will speak on the nomination of Harriet Miers in a bit but first this:

"I'm concerned about what an avian flu outbreak could mean for the United States and the world," he told reporters during a Rose Garden news conference. Such an deadly event would raise difficult questions, such as how a quarantine might be enforced, he said.

"One option is the use of a military that's able to plan and move," he said. "So that's why I put it on the table. I think it's an important debate for Congress to have.”...

“"I think the president ought to have all options on the table," Bush said, then corrected himself, "all assets on the table -- to be able to deal with something this significant."

The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 bans the military from participating in police-type activity on U.S. soil.

Bush began discussing the possibility of changing the law last month, in the aftermath of the government's sluggish response to civil unrest following Hurricane Katrina.

"I want there to be a robust discussion about the best way for the federal government, in certain extreme circumstances, to be able to rally assets for the good of the people," he told reporters September 26.

Gene Healy, a senior editor at the conservative Cato Institute, said Bush would risk undermining "a fundamental principle of American law" by tinkering with the act, which does not hinder the military's ability to respond to a crisis.

What the president seems to forget is that already have an entire national agency devoted to contagious disease containment. It’s called the Centers for Disease Control.

Do you have any idea how much power what he proposes would give him? The ability to lock down neighborhoods, detain people, restrict travel between states? To effectively put areas of the country under martial law?

My Gawd.

And before everyone tells me I’m over reacting, what happened when we gave this man the power to declare war without congressional approval?

Yeah.

So let’s get on those representatives people, right away.

House

Senate

Fool Me Once...

But the nomination by the President of Harriet Mier is more of the same. As much as President Bush complains about judges “legislating from the bench”, he continues to put up under-qualified nominees who have long standing connections to him or his family that if they do not feel indebted to him, probably share his viewpoints on Constitutional Law enough to vote the way he wants. Not that we know that since Mier has not written one word on Constitutional Law. And not that every president before hasn’t tried to stack the bench, but we’ve never had someone this unqualified and so obviously in the presidents pocket. Heck, he keeps publicly reassuring the Conservatives that she is in his pocket. Given the uproar over the posting of Michael Brown, it’s amazing he would to so idiotic as to engage in a piece of cronyism so blatant as to have Pat Buchanan pitching a fit on Good Morning America.

Call me paranoid, but I have a feeling that Bush is hoping that the Right will get so incensed that the Left will support her nomination for her just to piss them off. Either that, or he’s an idiot.

The fact is the Supreme Court is a separate branch of the out government intended to check the power of the Executive and Legislative branches by examining new laws against the Constitution. That is it’s job. That why judicial appointments to the Supreme Court are for life, so that no one is holding anything over the judges heads. But when you have someone so closely politically and personally connected with the President, someone who has never even tried a single case in her life, she is not going to forget who put her there

And then there the recent ruling by the GAO that the adminstartion was in fact illegally diseminating propaganda through the News.

Can I say he's evil now Karen? Please?

Games and Fun

GRRRR!

The Cup race at Talladega Super Speedway this weekend was very, very aggravating for me as all three of my drivers got taken out in lap 18 by a bonehead.

Super Speedway racing is very much it’s own animal. Daytona and Talladega are both long track, 2 miles + with such steep banking that a driver never has to take his foot off the gas. They can go flat out, using the brake lightly to help steer or slow the car if necessary. Originally, it was a “Who has the most powerful drive train” situation, but with the advent of “restrictor plates” which limits the amount of air coming into the engine, all the cars pack up together on the track. The only way they could make in progress (and I believe it was Dale Earnhardt Sr. that really perfected this) was to team up with people and “use the draft.” When you are going 190 mph, aerodynamics matters. One car punching a hole through the air can be fast, but not as fast as two cars, nose to tail. The car behind is sucked up into the vacuum of the car in front and he can “bump draft” by hitting the car in front of him to make it go even faster (CC’s will build the cars which extra steel bars in the bumpers for this reason alone). (I wonder if the actual length of the line, how far back from the nose to the final vacuum at the tail end of the line also has significant effect.) Two cars are not as fast as three cars and so on. The more cars in a line, the faster a line goes, depending on how good the car in front is.

Trying to pass is difficult because if you step out of line, you lose the draft and are instantly sliding back down the track. If you are going to pass you have to find someone to step out of line with you, someone who will not “hang you out to dry” by just stepping back into line leaving you all by your lonesome watching the race go by. So the day is spent making deals, either through intuition, hand signals or by CC and spotters running messages. Ideally, teammates work together and help each other out but while all cars may look alike, not all cars are alike. One car may have an aerodynamic package that your car may run better with than you teammate so guess who you new best pal is? So super speedway races are thinking races, lots of strategy, lots of deal making.

Bump drafting on the straightaway is fine and dandy, bump drafting a car the is not directly in front of yours, say a car that is making a turn, usually results in turning that car around. And because everyone is bunched up what would be an accident involving a couple cars will involve a dozen or more commonly referred to as “The Big One”. Announcers speak of the “The Big One” as an inevitability. Some drivers prefer to run up front and hope it happens behind them. Some drivers prefer to run in the back for most of the race and hope it happens far enough in front of them they can avoid it.

Well.

The race started yesterday with the Robert Yates drivers Elliott Sadler on the pole and Dale Jarrett on the outside. Mark and Dale Jr. both qualified back in the pack, but by lap 20 they had moved up into the top ten. Elliott’s car was strong, I mean REALLY strong. He could maintain his lead even without someone behind him. It was looking like a damn good day for my guys. Elliott would cement is 11th place in the standings, Mark would get up there to 2nd or 3rd place in the Chase poised to make a run for the Cup and Dale had a shot to place well, if not win, bolstering team confidence and get things ready for 2006.

When Jimmie Johnson decided he wanted to bump draft going into the turn, either that or he was trying to run Elliott over. He got up too far under the #38 taking the air off Elliott's spoiler, lightening the amount of downforce his rear wheels had on the track, and then bumped him, turning him completely around so that his drivers window was looking right at Dale Jr.’s drivers window and it just got worse from there. Dale had nowhere to go and Mark got into the back of him and then bounced off the wall. The chain reaction sent Michael Waltrip into a barrel roll down the track that ripped off his rear axle.

Same thing happened later on lap 65 when Ryan Newman also tried to bump draft through the tri-oval starting another chain reaction that ended up with Scott Riggs car flipping and spinning end over end casting of sheet metal like the Dance of the Seven Veils. I believe it was Jeff Burton’s in-car camera who was right there as Riggs turned those nasty pirouettes 20 feet from him, looking for the entire world like some postindustrial apocalypse.

First of all, all the drivers walked away from their respective wrecks. Testament to the safety features in these cars and thank you Gods. Now, after the race the camera cornered Ryan Newman and while he waffled and hemmed and hawed, So and so and thus and such and racin’ deal and...“Yeah, I might be responsible for that…”. Jimmie however outright, before he even got out of the car "The #8 got into me”

Uhm…Jimmie, the #8 was two to three car lengths behind you.

He kept singing the same song when he got out of the car too. “It's a little tough when you've got somebody tucked under your butt pushing you as hard as that."

“Tucked up” from two car lengths back? Wow! Must be super secret P-sycic powers. “You will move forward!” *zap* That’s what all those hand signals are: They’re casting curses out there! “By the name of the all powerful Yarborough I smite thee! Wreck damn you! Wreck!”

I dinnae buy it Jimmie Lad.

As has been pointed out Jimmie caused a Big One this last spring and also last fall as well I believe. His record at Talladega is crap. 2of2/Mini-Me gets nervous in Super Speedway traffic and nervous means twitchy and twitchy at 190 mph means wrecks.

That aside, of course after every Talladega race the question comes up of how do they keep The Big One from happening. The first suggestion that always surfaces is to pop off the restrictor plates and let the cars go so that the field is more strung out. Last year Rusty Wallace was testing there and for kicks he popped off the restrictor plate and made a run. 228 mph. We’ve lost drivers at 150 mph. Granted the safety measures are better now than they were 5 years ago, but I do not want to think of the impact of a 228 mph wreck on the human frame. I just don’t. And that’s not counting when cars go airborne which is why they started putting the restrictor plates on in the first place. In 1987, Bobby Allison got turned in the corner and was going so fast the car went airborne into the stands. If it hadn’t been for the chain link fence….very, very bad.

Another suggestion has been smaller engines. But from what I understand that would pretty much have the same result. A smaller engine trying to push a 3400 lb car is still going to have a hard time accelerating and passing. Not to mention it would be far more prone to burning out. Pulling the banking down was suggested but then you’re looking at a 2.5 mile Fontana which would be better for the drivers but jeez, people are complaining about “cookie cutter tracks” as it is.

Could the gears be played with to limit speed while stringing the field out?

In the end, it’s all just racing. These guys know what they are getting into every time they strap in. That’s why they get the big money and why it’s such thrill ride for us to watch. I just feel like crap for Dale, Elliott and Mark. Karma at least made sure JJ lost a tire blowing out his left rear quarter panel. He finished 31st.

But the day was made when Dale Jarrett, the veteran who had been hanging around in the back sprinted up the field during the last 20 laps of the race to challenge Tony Stewart, who had been battling on overheating car all day, for the win. A late caution bunched the filed back up for a green-white-checker/2 lap dash for the finish line and it was some good clean, awesome racing to watch those two dogs fight it out with Dale Jarrett in the lead when the caution flag dropped once and for all when Kyle Petty wrecked on the last lap. Jarrett showed what a class act he was by holding off the victory lap and the burn out while Kyle limped his car across the start finish line.

I love it when the Young Guns get their butt whopped by Veterans. :D Great race all the same.

Serenity

Yes, some of the Geek Posse and I ran out to see Serenity opening night.

First of all, even if you have never seen the show it is still a great ride. The story is good, characters are good, the dialogue is great, fights are awesome and the effects are just bitchin’. Especially the space battle, that is some seriously hot stuff and Firefly’s camera style is very unique. They will actually do zooms and the camera will shake slightly sometimes as if you’re watching a documentary. It’s pretty cool.

Whedon does set it up so that audience members unfamiliar with the show Firefly will get enough of the background to keep up with the story and the story is a real ride, very fast moving because they were trying to wrap up most of the major story lines and very dire, moments when you believe that nobody is going to make it out alive. (And in fact some of the characters don’t.) Characters and dialogue is what Whedon is famous for, he never works in archetypes but created full human beings each distinct and multilayered with they’re own brand of humor. No one writes snappy patter anymore, Whedon provides it by the bucket load with a flow and spontaneity that feels completely natural, as if you are sitting in on a old friends of a family. The humor buoys a storyline that becomes pretty dark. The darkness of the story sometimes limits the full range of the characters that people familiar with the show are used to. Mal for example is pretty dark in this film, thought we do get to see some lively interchanges when Inara walks back on the scene, but given the circumstances the crew is in it’s understandable. Simon’s quiet but deadly sarcasm isn’t given full flight, but there is definitely enough humor to keep the story from getting operatic. The trailers are only giving you a taste, trust me.

For those that don’t want to walk into the theatre completely blind, I provided some background on the world and the characters in a prior post that I will repeat here.

“Firefly is the working man’s SciFi. This isn’t about intrepid explorers in uniforms “going where no man has gone before”, this is about a bunch of truck drivers/smugglers/thieves just trying to get by around the gritty edges of a future that is not so clean and positive. No aliens, no esoteric space phenomena. Just trying to keep their ship, Serenity, fueled and food on the table.

The “World” is all human, most of the stories happening on or around the outer colonies (all of which environmentally resemble Southern California *chuckle*), after a future in which the the human culture has melded into an expression of the two strongest: American and Chinese. It is ten years after a civil war much like our own in which the colony worlds attempted to secede from “The Alliance”. (This effect is felt strongly as the Captain of the vessel was a Captain in the Colonial infantry and the second officer was his sergeant.)

As with Buffy, the real pillars of strength of this series ia A. The characters, three dimensional beings with sense of humor and secrets that even the most obnoxious you come to enjoy. B. The dialogue, very witty and probably the most quotable of any show ever. And C. The story lines that run through all the shows, the most powerful of which is River, a genius child from a wealthy family who was kidnapped and experimented on by the Alliance who is, as the Captain Mal puts it “Not quite right…”, who is on the lamb with her high strung, preoccupied and recovering snob brother Simon, who serves as the ships doctor in exchange for their passage. As he becomes more comforatble with the surroundings his quiet, whip like sarcasm begins to surface. River is highly intelligent, precocious and very random. Sometimes lucid, something completely disconnected with what is going on aroudn her. Occasionally with fits of violence.

Then there’s, Zoe, the cool, deadly, disciplined second officer who is married to the wise cracking, goofy and lighthearted Wash, the ships pilot, in probably the most realistic portrayal of a married couple seen in film or TV science fiction. Coziness, arguments and all.

Kaylee, the ship’s engineer has earthy wisdom, yet retains an air of innocence and sweetness that everyone is protective of her. Think of her as the country mouse to Simon’s city mouse.

Book, who originally signed on as a passenger and stuck around, is a monk on sabbatical, yet several clues have come out that he may have held a position in Alliance military of intelligence. He knows way too much about weapons for one thing.

Jayne is the most amoral character of the bunch. Jayne is a mercenary hired to track down Mal and Zoe who jumped ship when they gave him a better offer. He has tried to sell out Simon and River before but ended up saving them when it became obvious the Alliance was not only going kill him, but deny him payment. To people seeing this movie, Jayne may appear the epitome of the block headed brute, but he regularly sends money back home to his mom and his sister, is a rock under stress and occasionally shows flashes of intelligence that seem beyond him. In short, he’s a survivor.

Inara, who is the ship’s main source of steady income. Innara is a courtesan in the old sense of the word as prostitution is not only legal, but regulated by a guild which trains and looks after it’s members. Inara has stepped outside the normal realm of Companions by renting out a shuttle on Serenity and “freelancing” at each of the planets they stop at. She is elegant, refined, cosmopolitian, delicate and tough as nails.

She and Mal, the surly, down to earth yet humorous captain, have an attraction that was becoming problematic just as the show was drop-kicked off the air. Having lost his faith in the War, Mal can be embittered and cynical, but he also has an almost whismcal wit sometimes. Mal’s entire life is this ship and her crew is his family, though you'll never hear him say it.

*Mal as River and Kaylee run around laughing and shrieking in the cargo hold below him.*: “Ah, the pitter patter of little feet in combat boots. SHU-UT UP! One of you is going to fall and die and I am not going to clean it up.”

The story focuses on wrapping up the River storyline river storyline, which makes sense since the series began when Simon and River came on board. It’s a complex and action packed adventure. Lots of fun. Check it out!