Sometimes a ride just isn’t a ride.
On the DC New Frontier DVD, they’ve packaged a few episodes of Justice League. I was watching one of the episodes – Dark Heart. In it, the Justice League fights some kind of self-replicating entity that necessitates them getting The Atom to help in the battle. The Atom is a character they have to shuttle to the battle site and then shuttle him close enough to the creature in question so that he can voyage inside the thing.
Well, Superman goes to get The Atom and he hitches a ride in Superman’s ear canal.
Fine, a little gross but fine nonetheless.
Wonder Woman is the hero that has to get The Atom close to the creature. So, of course The Atom hitches along in her ear canal as well, right?
Wrong, The Atom of course takes up residence in Wonder Woman’s cleavage!
There’s this great moment when The Atom jumps out between Wonder Woman’s breasts and into the creature.
Now, this scene is just laden for all kinds of smarmy comments. First off, it’s amazing The Atom could show the discipline to tear himself away from those voluptuous Amazonian orbs. What I was surprised by though is that I can’t really remember anyone catching this and creating an uproar over it.
I mean, wouldn’t the equivalent been if The Atom had caught a ride in Superman’s taint?*
Like... ewwww!
*NOTE – since writing this entry, I kept thinking about an old Jim Croce song, You Don’t Mess Around with Jim except the lyric would be: You don’t ride in Superman’s taint!
Jun 11, 2008
Jun 10, 2008
Computer hell.
I am just livid!
For the last two weeks or so I’ve been slowly descending down the levels of computer hell and somewhere around the seventh ring are those indescribable f**ks from Adobe. Don’t worry; the idiots from Apple are round about the fifth ring so they’re there too.
It’s times like these I really, really miss the world before OSX.
A week or two back, I made the mistake of trying to install another Apple update (10.4.11). The update is the last update where my trusty G4 is supported; Leopard just isn’t supported on G4s (at least that’s my understanding). So, I tried installing the thing and of course, blewy!
I’ve been down this path before now – twice I think, maybe three times, you would think I would know better. It always happens at the most inconvenient time imaginable (of course, is there ever a time when it’s convenient to waste hour reinstalling software and trying to recover your data?
So, for two weeks now I’ve been rebuilding.
It’s slow work.
Reformatting the drive, reinstalling software, backing up, downloading updates, downloading them again because they don’t verify... oh, I could go on and on.
I learn a few things in the process though... for the next time.
First, Safe Booting. They don’t have it written down as prominently as they should but, you should know to launch into Safe Boot mode before doing installs. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, hold down the shift key during startup.
Apple describes it thusly:
Apple’s message boards are laden with people going through this kind of angst and woe.
In a word, gggggrrrrrreeeeeeeaaaaaattttttt.
Getting back to the subject at hand though, the other thing that isn’t written down anywhere is that if you are experiencing problems after installing an update before fearing the worst you might want to try one very simple thing - launch from a bootable cd/dvd or partition and run the disk utility on the drive you just updated repairing permissions.
REPAIRING PERMISSIONS?!?!?
Yep, I actually found that during the whole installing of further update process at one point when things weren’t ‘taking’ like they should that just running disk utility and repairing permissions did the trick (and I haven’t found that one written down, ANYWHERE!).
So, that’s the Apple side of things. At this point though, I’ve got a good build of the OS on three of the six partitions I use, all of them with duplicate accounts (the only thing I have to do now is burn disc images to DVD of them) so on that side of things matter are settled.
But Adobe... what a bunch of clueless f**ks.
I don’t know what happened to Adobe, I really don’t. They used to be such a good company. Maybe it‘s the fact that they’ve had less and less competition in the marketplace as they’ve knocked off competitors but, boy are they sucking it up lately.
First off, around Christmas time I tried installing the CS3 suite – what a mistake. I tried downloading the trial versions and installing them and even went as far as to order the upgrade (the Premium upgrade meaning I get royally screwed). It was just a world of pain and suffering. Never mind the month of back and forth with Adobe, what an incredible bunch of non-responsive and clueless idiots.
Don’t believe me? Try calling Adobe customer service and see what I mean. It’s like talking to a dog and trying to explain the concept of the color blue. It’s not that they are unhelpful, just wildly obtuse.
In the meantime, Adobe has gotten so concerned with piracy that using and installing their products has become a nightmare. When you have a software package that costs me time and money because I can’t get it to properly run the time has come to look for alternatives – it’s funny because Adobe is in the same position that Quark was in a bunch of years back when they were known infamously for their customer service (or lack thereof). Well, we see how that worked out. I can only hope Adobe experiences the same pain after what I have gone through trying to get their products to work over the last six months.
The latest jewel was the nice error I got when trying to get Illustrator CS to run. I can’t waste time on trying to fix buggy software that should work – Adobe get your act together!
I am just livid!
For the last two weeks or so I’ve been slowly descending down the levels of computer hell and somewhere around the seventh ring are those indescribable f**ks from Adobe. Don’t worry; the idiots from Apple are round about the fifth ring so they’re there too.
It’s times like these I really, really miss the world before OSX.
A week or two back, I made the mistake of trying to install another Apple update (10.4.11). The update is the last update where my trusty G4 is supported; Leopard just isn’t supported on G4s (at least that’s my understanding). So, I tried installing the thing and of course, blewy!
I’ve been down this path before now – twice I think, maybe three times, you would think I would know better. It always happens at the most inconvenient time imaginable (of course, is there ever a time when it’s convenient to waste hour reinstalling software and trying to recover your data?
So, for two weeks now I’ve been rebuilding.
It’s slow work.
Reformatting the drive, reinstalling software, backing up, downloading updates, downloading them again because they don’t verify... oh, I could go on and on.
I learn a few things in the process though... for the next time.
First, Safe Booting. They don’t have it written down as prominently as they should but, you should know to launch into Safe Boot mode before doing installs. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, hold down the shift key during startup.
Apple describes it thusly:
Safe Boot is a special way to start Mac OS X 10.2 or later when troubleshooting. Safe Mode is the state Mac OS X is in after a Safe Boot.See, Apple doesn’t really talk about that in great detail unless you go looking for it (and you’re not going to until after you have a problem).
Starting up into Safe Mode does three things to simplify the startup and operation of your computer:Taken together, these changes can work around issues caused by software or directory damage on the startup volume.
- It forces a directory check of the startup volume.
- It loads only required kernel extensions (some of the items in /System/Library/Extensions).
- In Mac OS X 10.3.9 or earlier, it runs only Apple-installed startup items (some of the items in /Library/StartupItems and /System/Library/StartupItems - and different than login items).
- Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger only: It disables all fonts other than those in /System/Library/Fonts.
- Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger only: It moves to the Trash all font caches normally stored in /Library/Caches/com.apple.ATS/(uid)/ , where (uid) is a user ID number such as 501.
- Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger only: It disables all startup items and any Login Items.
Some features don't work in Safe Mode
Safe Mode can be useful for troubleshooting. However, certain Mac OS X features do not work when you are started up in Safe Mode. For example, you can't use DVD Player, capture video in iMovie, use an AirPort card, use audio input or output devices, or use an internal or external USB modem.
Apple’s message boards are laden with people going through this kind of angst and woe.
In a word, gggggrrrrrreeeeeeeaaaaaattttttt.
Getting back to the subject at hand though, the other thing that isn’t written down anywhere is that if you are experiencing problems after installing an update before fearing the worst you might want to try one very simple thing - launch from a bootable cd/dvd or partition and run the disk utility on the drive you just updated repairing permissions.
REPAIRING PERMISSIONS?!?!?
Yep, I actually found that during the whole installing of further update process at one point when things weren’t ‘taking’ like they should that just running disk utility and repairing permissions did the trick (and I haven’t found that one written down, ANYWHERE!).
So, that’s the Apple side of things. At this point though, I’ve got a good build of the OS on three of the six partitions I use, all of them with duplicate accounts (the only thing I have to do now is burn disc images to DVD of them) so on that side of things matter are settled.
But Adobe... what a bunch of clueless f**ks.
I don’t know what happened to Adobe, I really don’t. They used to be such a good company. Maybe it‘s the fact that they’ve had less and less competition in the marketplace as they’ve knocked off competitors but, boy are they sucking it up lately.
First off, around Christmas time I tried installing the CS3 suite – what a mistake. I tried downloading the trial versions and installing them and even went as far as to order the upgrade (the Premium upgrade meaning I get royally screwed). It was just a world of pain and suffering. Never mind the month of back and forth with Adobe, what an incredible bunch of non-responsive and clueless idiots.
Don’t believe me? Try calling Adobe customer service and see what I mean. It’s like talking to a dog and trying to explain the concept of the color blue. It’s not that they are unhelpful, just wildly obtuse.
In the meantime, Adobe has gotten so concerned with piracy that using and installing their products has become a nightmare. When you have a software package that costs me time and money because I can’t get it to properly run the time has come to look for alternatives – it’s funny because Adobe is in the same position that Quark was in a bunch of years back when they were known infamously for their customer service (or lack thereof). Well, we see how that worked out. I can only hope Adobe experiences the same pain after what I have gone through trying to get their products to work over the last six months.
The latest jewel was the nice error I got when trying to get Illustrator CS to run. I can’t waste time on trying to fix buggy software that should work – Adobe get your act together!
Jun 8, 2008
Singular sensation.
A few days back, I was getting all nostalgic for the 80’s and mentioning Max Headroom. The truth is that the eighties are in many ways the forgotten decade for me for more reasons than I care to number.
Talking about Max Headroom though, there was an interesting story regarding the character and something that happened in the Chicago area back then. It involved the theft of a broadcast signal.
We often fail to acknowledge the increasing power TV has on our lives, shaping both our opinions and world view. Anyway, that’s what makes this story all the more interesting.
If you want to, you can see a tape of the original signal hijack here and also here (with cleaned up audio).
I just got to thinking wouldn’t it be cool if they used it in the new Doctor Who series as a story element.
A few days back, I was getting all nostalgic for the 80’s and mentioning Max Headroom. The truth is that the eighties are in many ways the forgotten decade for me for more reasons than I care to number.
Talking about Max Headroom though, there was an interesting story regarding the character and something that happened in the Chicago area back then. It involved the theft of a broadcast signal.
The Max Headroom broadcast signal intrusion incident was a television signal hijacking in Chicago, Illinois on the evening of November 22, 1987; it is an example of what is known in the television business as broadcast signal intrusion. The intruder was successful in interrupting two television stations within three hours. Neither the hijacker nor his accomplices have ever been found or identified.It’s unheard of for your television signal to get hijacked, it just doesn’t happen. It’s usually the stuff of sci-fi stories, movies and tv. TV as a medium, is a closed system, so much so we take it for granted a lot of the time.
We often fail to acknowledge the increasing power TV has on our lives, shaping both our opinions and world view. Anyway, that’s what makes this story all the more interesting.
If you want to, you can see a tape of the original signal hijack here and also here (with cleaned up audio).
I just got to thinking wouldn’t it be cool if they used it in the new Doctor Who series as a story element.
Jun 7, 2008
One of the better comics-related events.
If you are in and around the New York Metro area this weekend, I strongly urge you to check out the MoCCA ArtFest over at the Puck Building.
I’ve gone myself twice now (out of I think the three that they have held) and it’s always a heart-lifting experience. MoCCA’s ArtFest is different from other cons because there is more balanced male to female ratio, markedly different from your usual con.
Also, the breadth of the work is well beyond the normal superhero focus of the big two with a lot of space being given over to people who self-publish. It’s nice to see a place where comics are being used as a medium and elevated as an art form. There are a series of panels as well so if you’re basking in the heat with nothing to do...
Be forewarned though, I kind of remember them not having A/C in years previous – something I hope changed for this year because otherwise it will be oppressively hot.
While you’re there though be sure to swing by and say hello to the always affable Keith Williams or check out the gregarious and gorgeous Molly Crabapple.
If you are in and around the New York Metro area this weekend, I strongly urge you to check out the MoCCA ArtFest over at the Puck Building.
I’ve gone myself twice now (out of I think the three that they have held) and it’s always a heart-lifting experience. MoCCA’s ArtFest is different from other cons because there is more balanced male to female ratio, markedly different from your usual con.
Also, the breadth of the work is well beyond the normal superhero focus of the big two with a lot of space being given over to people who self-publish. It’s nice to see a place where comics are being used as a medium and elevated as an art form. There are a series of panels as well so if you’re basking in the heat with nothing to do...
Be forewarned though, I kind of remember them not having A/C in years previous – something I hope changed for this year because otherwise it will be oppressively hot.
While you’re there though be sure to swing by and say hello to the always affable Keith Williams or check out the gregarious and gorgeous Molly Crabapple.
Candidate and cockblocks.
So, it looks like we’re winding up with our final two in the national version of Survivor. I’m still on the fence having apprehensions in regard to both candidates but, I will say that when I heard the conversation at the end of this post and read the story referenced below I was mightily impressed!
So, it looks like we’re winding up with our final two in the national version of Survivor. I’m still on the fence having apprehensions in regard to both candidates but, I will say that when I heard the conversation at the end of this post and read the story referenced below I was mightily impressed!
Alas, the “pretty young thing” was laughing, too. And, after that humiliating episode, she was no longer interested in Lovelady’s “tricks of the trade.” “Obama owes me a public apology for making me look like a court jester and for blocking my shot,” Lovelady’s column concludes. “Until that time, Hillary or Giuliani will get my vote.”Read the story first and then click on this link and you’ll understand what I found so laudable.
Jun 6, 2008
If you’re going to do something,
it’s good to be the best (or worst) at it.
it’s good to be the best (or worst) at it.
Vince Colletta’s name has become synonymous with bad inking.Erik Larsen talks about Vince Colletta. I’ve run across a bunch of people and heard a load of stories about Colletta through the years and the Larsen column only touches the surface but, it’s definitely worth a read.
For many, Vinnie is the gold standard of bad inking — a veritable poster boy for hacking. To many he is the worst inker to ever put pen to paper.
But that’s overstating it, I think.
Jun 5, 2008
VIDEO VAULT THURSDAY!
(because exclamation points make all the difference)
So, I’m trying to get into the habit of doing things regularly but, it requires discipline. The same principles that need to be applied to my quest to exercise and lose a little weight.
Anyway... so, I have a couple of videos I’ve already squirreled away for future VIDEO VAULT THURSDAYS and this one in particular is an interesting marriage.
The band whose video it is, is The Art of Noise.
I’m not really quite sure what about the Art of Noise exactly it was that clicked with me. The cover of the Peter Gunn theme resonated at a time when I spent much of my day behind the wheel of a car – coincidentally the Peter Gunn theme was the background music for another favorite of mine, Spy Hunter.
Anyway, were not talking about the Peter Gunn theme this week, instead we’re talking about another Art of Noise tune, Paranomia:
What makes this video so special isn’t so much the video itself – rather it’s the combination of the song and who they sampled for the song.
Max Headroom, I guess looking back is very much a trite fixture of the eighties but, if you were around back then you can understand how radical the whole concept of Max Headroom was.
This is the extended mix, apparently made using effects from Video Toaster. Again, it’s not overwhelming now but, at the time it was playing around and seeing what these new tools could do.
(because exclamation points make all the difference)
So, I’m trying to get into the habit of doing things regularly but, it requires discipline. The same principles that need to be applied to my quest to exercise and lose a little weight.
Anyway... so, I have a couple of videos I’ve already squirreled away for future VIDEO VAULT THURSDAYS and this one in particular is an interesting marriage.
The band whose video it is, is The Art of Noise.
I’m not really quite sure what about the Art of Noise exactly it was that clicked with me. The cover of the Peter Gunn theme resonated at a time when I spent much of my day behind the wheel of a car – coincidentally the Peter Gunn theme was the background music for another favorite of mine, Spy Hunter.
Anyway, were not talking about the Peter Gunn theme this week, instead we’re talking about another Art of Noise tune, Paranomia:
What makes this video so special isn’t so much the video itself – rather it’s the combination of the song and who they sampled for the song.
Max Headroom, I guess looking back is very much a trite fixture of the eighties but, if you were around back then you can understand how radical the whole concept of Max Headroom was.
Max Headroom is the name of a fictional British artificial intelligence, known for his surreal wit and stuttering, distorted, electronically sampled voice. The character was created by George Stone, Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton and performed by Matt Frewer. Max Headroom was featured in a music video program, a feature film, a dramatic television series and television commercials.This whole period doesn’t seem that long ago even though it’s two decades past now! Thing is, we are talking about a time when home computers were the exception rather than the rule and this ‘lo-tech’ simulation of ‘hi-tech’ reallly was cutting edge.
This is the extended mix, apparently made using effects from Video Toaster. Again, it’s not overwhelming now but, at the time it was playing around and seeing what these new tools could do.
Jun 2, 2008
Out in the cold!
So for reasons not worth relating I’ve been denied a guilty favorite of mine. Friday nights have been a big deal because of the back to back broadcasts of Doctor Who and the reimaged BSG and I’m a bit disappointed to be denied.
Fortunately, there is more than one way to skin a cat and between YouTube and internet broadcasting I don’t have to go without.
One of the other nice things about YouTube is that you can come across jewels like this one that don’t get broadcast:
So for reasons not worth relating I’ve been denied a guilty favorite of mine. Friday nights have been a big deal because of the back to back broadcasts of Doctor Who and the reimaged BSG and I’m a bit disappointed to be denied.
Fortunately, there is more than one way to skin a cat and between YouTube and internet broadcasting I don’t have to go without.
One of the other nice things about YouTube is that you can come across jewels like this one that don’t get broadcast:
Jun 1, 2008
The email I never got.
Thankfully:
Thankfully:
Hey Guys! Big news... I have grown so fat I actually managed to get my HMO to pay for surgery... now I can continue to eat and lose weight... won't it be great... I have absolutely no self-control whatsoever.... I want to blame the fact that I cannot resist stuffing my face with junk... that and the fact I can’t be bothered to exert myself in the least amount to burn off some calories.
May 31, 2008
Why clutter is a bad thing.
I’ve been spending a lot of my time recently trying to pare down a lot of the clutter that has built up around here over the last bunch of years. I never quite realized how bad the problem was until it was too late. So, to that end I’ve gotten these two books I’ve been using as a bit of a bible to combat the problem (more on that another day).
The subject arises in the context of this news article I came across yesterday:
I’ve been spending a lot of my time recently trying to pare down a lot of the clutter that has built up around here over the last bunch of years. I never quite realized how bad the problem was until it was too late. So, to that end I’ve gotten these two books I’ve been using as a bit of a bible to combat the problem (more on that another day).
The subject arises in the context of this news article I came across yesterday:
A homeless woman who sneaked into a man’s house and lived undetected in his closet for a year was arrested in Japan after he became suspicious when food mysteriously began disappearing.
Police found the 58-year-old woman Thursday hiding in the top compartment of the man’s closet and arrested her for trespassing, police spokesman Hiroki Itakura from southern Kasuya town said Friday.
May 30, 2008
In space... no one can hear you flush.
“It is very inconvenient at this time because it requires a lot of manual intervention,” said Kirk Shireman, deputy International Space Station program manager.Some things you just can’t make up. It’s times like these though that you begin to realize what they truly mean when they talk about ‘vital systems.’
May 29, 2008
VIDEO VAULT THURSDAY!
You know before Flavor Flav had women competing for his attention on reality TV, he actually was a part of one of the more important bands to come down the pike in the last few decades. If you’re not familiar with the band I’m talking about, Public Enemy, you really need to go back and check out some of their stuff.
I know I’m just an old white boy nowadays but, I grew up in and around the neighborhoods that spawned rap. Consequently, there’s some rap I really, really like. Not because I’m a whigga, as much as someone who grew up in the same kind of environment and recognizes the truths inherent in some rap lyrics.
And... This week‘s video uses claymation!
I love claymation! And who doesn’t love claymation, I ask you! Even more so, who doesn’t love a claymation version of Flavor Flav!?
Anyway, though rap sometimes gets short shrift in our society, there are rap songs conveying important messages about what is going on in around us. I’m not talking about the misogynistic stuff or the glorification of gangstaism, the video for this week‘s entry if anything, goes entirely against the grain of that.
And I like it! It takes what is normally presented as a lifestyle to be emulated and turns it on its head exposing it is means to disenfranchise people and keep them down. Well, I’m probably overcomplicating it, so just click and enjoy because it’s a great video and a great song:
GIVE IT UP - PUBLIC ENEMY
You know before Flavor Flav had women competing for his attention on reality TV, he actually was a part of one of the more important bands to come down the pike in the last few decades. If you’re not familiar with the band I’m talking about, Public Enemy, you really need to go back and check out some of their stuff.
I know I’m just an old white boy nowadays but, I grew up in and around the neighborhoods that spawned rap. Consequently, there’s some rap I really, really like. Not because I’m a whigga, as much as someone who grew up in the same kind of environment and recognizes the truths inherent in some rap lyrics.
And... This week‘s video uses claymation!
I love claymation! And who doesn’t love claymation, I ask you! Even more so, who doesn’t love a claymation version of Flavor Flav!?
Anyway, though rap sometimes gets short shrift in our society, there are rap songs conveying important messages about what is going on in around us. I’m not talking about the misogynistic stuff or the glorification of gangstaism, the video for this week‘s entry if anything, goes entirely against the grain of that.
And I like it! It takes what is normally presented as a lifestyle to be emulated and turns it on its head exposing it is means to disenfranchise people and keep them down. Well, I’m probably overcomplicating it, so just click and enjoy because it’s a great video and a great song:
May 28, 2008
File under...
So, a few days back I posted something snidely about the failure of the Clinton campaign to secure the Democratic nomination and how it might be the work of the infamous ‘Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.’
Little did I know how deeply the roots of that paranoia have hold within the Clinton camp. Just a few days later, the former President made the following remarks:
Even better still is the logic of the popular vote argument:
A DNC committee is meeting to consider what to do with the two states this weekend and will probably come up with a compromise to partially seat the delegations. There’s still the embarrassment that if the votes from Florida and Michigan (where Obama pulled his name from the ballot and technically received no votes) are counted in popular-vote totals, Hillary very narrowly has more votes than Obama. He’s probably going to get the nomination through superdelegates - defying the popular will as measured by that old-fashioned yardstick of votes.
I have yet to hear it mentioned by anyone in HRC’s camp when they go on about the popular vote or seating the delegates from the aforementioned states that she was the only candidate whose name was on the ballot. No mention of how her opponents honored their parties’ directives – of course, this isn’t about the party though is it?
Probably that‘s why there was such an furor of those remarks last week, aside from theat they were factually incorrect, because it becomes apparent even to members within her own party just what this candidacy is about:
So, a few days back I posted something snidely about the failure of the Clinton campaign to secure the Democratic nomination and how it might be the work of the infamous ‘Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.’
Little did I know how deeply the roots of that paranoia have hold within the Clinton camp. Just a few days later, the former President made the following remarks:
Clinton also suggested that some were trying to “cover up” Hillary Clinton’s chances of winning in key states that Democrats will have to win in the general election.I could find this laughable if we weren’t discussing Presidential politics. The ‘aw-shucks’ attitude, the ‘we know she is supposed to win’ along with the implication that any other alternative must by default indicate there is something amiss, a right denied.
“‘Oh, this is so terrible: The people they want her. Oh, this is so terrible: She is winning the general election, and he is not. Oh, my goodness, we have to cover this up.’”
Clinton did not expound on who he was accusing.
The former president added that his wife had not been given the respect she deserved as a legitimate presidential candidate.
“She is winning the general election today, and he is not, according to all the evidence,” Clinton said. “And I have never seen anything like it. I have never seen a candidate treated so disrespectfully just for running.”
Even better still is the logic of the popular vote argument:
A DNC committee is meeting to consider what to do with the two states this weekend and will probably come up with a compromise to partially seat the delegations. There’s still the embarrassment that if the votes from Florida and Michigan (where Obama pulled his name from the ballot and technically received no votes) are counted in popular-vote totals, Hillary very narrowly has more votes than Obama. He’s probably going to get the nomination through superdelegates - defying the popular will as measured by that old-fashioned yardstick of votes.
I have yet to hear it mentioned by anyone in HRC’s camp when they go on about the popular vote or seating the delegates from the aforementioned states that she was the only candidate whose name was on the ballot. No mention of how her opponents honored their parties’ directives – of course, this isn’t about the party though is it?
Probably that‘s why there was such an furor of those remarks last week, aside from theat they were factually incorrect, because it becomes apparent even to members within her own party just what this candidacy is about:
Clinton has poured more than $11 million of her own money into the campaign, with no guarantee of ever getting it back. She has changed slogans and themes the way Obama changes his ties. She has been the first major-party presidential candidate in memory to tout her appeal to white voters. She has abandoned any pretense of consistency, inventing new rationales for continuing her candidacy and new yardsticks for measuring its success whenever the old rationales and yardsticks begin to favor Obama.Is it surprising to see many in HRC’s camp succumbing so deeply to self denial? Not really, because we’ve been down this road before.
May 25, 2008
The great mistake.
I have a lot to say about baseball... always.
I am fascinated by the game and my love for the sport grows with each passing year.
This week, the Yankees made what will turn out to be one of the most disastrous decisions of the last several years and one that could well impact the team for years to come.
This past week, the Yankees decided to begin the process of moving Joba Chamberlain to the starting rotation:
The reason I believe it is such a mistake is because Yankee fans are truly spoiled.
Spoiled?
Well, up until ’95 I was a Yankee fan and a big one at that. I went through 12 years of being a Yankee fan, before that time I can’t really admit to being a follower of the sport to any great extent although I did go to the ’76 World Series and a helleva lot of Yankee games because someone connected to the family was a ballboy.
Those years of being a Yankee fan gave me a great appreciation of Mariano Rivera.
See, I can remember Mariano’s first start (yes, that’s start). It was a spot start against the California Angels and Mariano got lit up but good. I specifically remembered if because the next day when I went into work another Yankee fan was commenting on the performance of the rookie pitcher and there was something about Mariano’s mound presence that really stuck with me.
Pitchers are funny, they control the game more than any other player on the field. Some of that has to do with ability but, a lot of that has to do with confidence as well.
If you’re a baseball fan, you know that even though a guy can throw hard, eventually major league hitters will catch up to a guy and hit that fastball. Great pitchers can throw hard but they have guile as well. They are tricksters but, like any magician a big part of it is believing in one’s own magic.
Mariano’s first performance was noticeable because even though he was knocked around by the Angels, you could see on his face he wasn’t intimidated. It probably sounds simple but, sometimes you can see a pitcher out on the mound and realize just how lonely a job pitching can be. A bad day for a pitcher means failing in front of thousands, not an easy thing. If you look close, you can read it on a guy’s face, they look close to tears on a bad day. Those are the guys who won’t have long careers in the majors. The guys who stick around are the ones who can have a bad day and tough it out, Mariano is just such an example.
Before Mariano was designated closer for the Yankees, as a fan I suffered through quite a few nail biting eighth and ninth innings.
Dave Righetti was the Yankee closer for a long time and anyone who followed the Yankees back then will tell you what a nail biting experience it was when Righetti came into a game. You never quite knew which Righetti you were going to get, the guy who threw darts or the guy who couldn’t find the plate and quickly dug a hole for himself.
After Righetti left the Yanks, unthinkably he looked better and better as the Yankees struggled to find the answer that later came in the form of a skinny Panamanian kid.
Righetti left in 1990 and even before he left the Yankees were sorely trying to find alternatives. The list is long and filled with some interesting names: Jay Howell, Mike Armstrong, Jose Rijo, Brian Fisher, Rich Bordi, Bob Shirley, Neil Allen, Rod Scurry, Alfonso Pulido, Tim Stoddard, Pat Clements, Cecilio Guante, Charles Hudson, Dale Mohorcic, Lee Gutterman, Lance McCullers, Greg Cadaret, John Habyan, Steve Howe.
Finally, when the Yankees got Steve Farr they thought they’d found the answer but it wouldn’t last.
People forget Lee Smith pitched for the Yankees, they tried Bob Wickman out and went back to using Steve Howe. Xavier Hernandez, Sterling Hitchcock and Jeff Reardon would all record saves until the Yankees swung a deal and landed John Wetteland.
Wettland would be the bridge and mentor to Mariano Rivera but, looking through that list of names it took an awfully long time to find someone like Mariano.
Mariano signed a four year contract in the off-season so he’ll be 41 when his contract is up. funny thing about closers though is that when they go, it isn’t a gradual thing. Mariano has been a sure thing for Yankee fans for so long, they’ve forgotten the uncertainty of what life was like before Mariano and in Chamberlain, they could well have Mariano’s heir apparent.
Chamberlain will be 25 at the end of Mariano’s contract and there is no reason to believe that Mariano will be as dominant at 41 as he has been up to this point. Plus, Chamberlain has already proven himself to be the perfect bridge to Mariano, effectively closing the door in the 8th inning of games.
Good closers are hard to find.
And as much as Yankee fans may think this is a good idea, remember last year everyone was going on about how Phil Hughes was the second coming of Roger Clemens. Well, we see how that went, don’t we?
I have a lot to say about baseball... always.
I am fascinated by the game and my love for the sport grows with each passing year.
This week, the Yankees made what will turn out to be one of the most disastrous decisions of the last several years and one that could well impact the team for years to come.
This past week, the Yankees decided to begin the process of moving Joba Chamberlain to the starting rotation:
It was not a tough decision for the 22-year-old pitcher, whose role has been the subject of debate since he came up to the majors last August.
“We sat down and talked and I said I’d rather be out there and competing for eight innings rather than one inning,” Chamberlain said of the Tuesday afternoon meeting that included Girardi, general manager Brian Cashman and pitching coach Dave Eiland. “So it’s gonna be a great adjustment, but I am excited about it.”
The reason I believe it is such a mistake is because Yankee fans are truly spoiled.
Spoiled?
Well, up until ’95 I was a Yankee fan and a big one at that. I went through 12 years of being a Yankee fan, before that time I can’t really admit to being a follower of the sport to any great extent although I did go to the ’76 World Series and a helleva lot of Yankee games because someone connected to the family was a ballboy.
Those years of being a Yankee fan gave me a great appreciation of Mariano Rivera.
See, I can remember Mariano’s first start (yes, that’s start). It was a spot start against the California Angels and Mariano got lit up but good. I specifically remembered if because the next day when I went into work another Yankee fan was commenting on the performance of the rookie pitcher and there was something about Mariano’s mound presence that really stuck with me.
Pitchers are funny, they control the game more than any other player on the field. Some of that has to do with ability but, a lot of that has to do with confidence as well.
If you’re a baseball fan, you know that even though a guy can throw hard, eventually major league hitters will catch up to a guy and hit that fastball. Great pitchers can throw hard but they have guile as well. They are tricksters but, like any magician a big part of it is believing in one’s own magic.
Mariano’s first performance was noticeable because even though he was knocked around by the Angels, you could see on his face he wasn’t intimidated. It probably sounds simple but, sometimes you can see a pitcher out on the mound and realize just how lonely a job pitching can be. A bad day for a pitcher means failing in front of thousands, not an easy thing. If you look close, you can read it on a guy’s face, they look close to tears on a bad day. Those are the guys who won’t have long careers in the majors. The guys who stick around are the ones who can have a bad day and tough it out, Mariano is just such an example.
Before Mariano was designated closer for the Yankees, as a fan I suffered through quite a few nail biting eighth and ninth innings.
Dave Righetti was the Yankee closer for a long time and anyone who followed the Yankees back then will tell you what a nail biting experience it was when Righetti came into a game. You never quite knew which Righetti you were going to get, the guy who threw darts or the guy who couldn’t find the plate and quickly dug a hole for himself.
After Righetti left the Yanks, unthinkably he looked better and better as the Yankees struggled to find the answer that later came in the form of a skinny Panamanian kid.
Righetti left in 1990 and even before he left the Yankees were sorely trying to find alternatives. The list is long and filled with some interesting names: Jay Howell, Mike Armstrong, Jose Rijo, Brian Fisher, Rich Bordi, Bob Shirley, Neil Allen, Rod Scurry, Alfonso Pulido, Tim Stoddard, Pat Clements, Cecilio Guante, Charles Hudson, Dale Mohorcic, Lee Gutterman, Lance McCullers, Greg Cadaret, John Habyan, Steve Howe.
Finally, when the Yankees got Steve Farr they thought they’d found the answer but it wouldn’t last.
People forget Lee Smith pitched for the Yankees, they tried Bob Wickman out and went back to using Steve Howe. Xavier Hernandez, Sterling Hitchcock and Jeff Reardon would all record saves until the Yankees swung a deal and landed John Wetteland.
Wettland would be the bridge and mentor to Mariano Rivera but, looking through that list of names it took an awfully long time to find someone like Mariano.
Mariano signed a four year contract in the off-season so he’ll be 41 when his contract is up. funny thing about closers though is that when they go, it isn’t a gradual thing. Mariano has been a sure thing for Yankee fans for so long, they’ve forgotten the uncertainty of what life was like before Mariano and in Chamberlain, they could well have Mariano’s heir apparent.
Chamberlain will be 25 at the end of Mariano’s contract and there is no reason to believe that Mariano will be as dominant at 41 as he has been up to this point. Plus, Chamberlain has already proven himself to be the perfect bridge to Mariano, effectively closing the door in the 8th inning of games.
Good closers are hard to find.
And as much as Yankee fans may think this is a good idea, remember last year everyone was going on about how Phil Hughes was the second coming of Roger Clemens. Well, we see how that went, don’t we?
Flailing wildly.
I don’t know how much to read in the comments of HRC within the last 24 hours. I caught this excessive rant by Keith Olbermann last night and found myself smirking. Olbermann, who is the darling of the left when he’s ripping Georgie Jr. a new one, suddenly becomes a little less lovable when he turns his caustic comments on the Madonna of the Democratic party.
(you can watch the thing here)
I don’t know, is it shock and awe?
Shock, that the presumptive nominee is watching her campaign falter and trying to figure out just what the strategy is to save some face or awe, that she has actually been outplayed at the game she thought she was the master of.
There are a generation of HRC supporters who figured her reward for sticking by her man as he disrespected her with his extramarital activities would be to ultimately capture the presidency for herself. It was all part of that grand design that saw an eventual return to the White House after a brief sojourn gaining political cred as a Senator from New York.
So, the question is, will we one day be seeing HRC sporting a shirt stating, ‘I stuck it out with this cheater and all I got was a lousy Senate seat.’
HRC is unquestionably a force in American politics, she is not without support but something has happened along the way to her coronation and it is a bitter pill to swallow. Somehow, in some way her status as the ‘anointed one’ was usurped.
So, were her comments wishful thinking on her part?
No, I would say not but, her memory of her husband’s candidacy is certainly in error as Billy tied up the nomination well before June. Also, primaries have been moved much, much earlier this year than in elections past so, part of the fascination with her doggedness in continuing to campaign in June has something to do with many of the primaries having long since concluded.
In the meantime, John McCain sits back and takes potshots at Barack Obama knowing full well that’s who he’ll be facing in the general election come November.
Speaking of which, if John McCain had said the same thing that HRC had said would there be less outrage over the comments or more?
I think the worry here (and justifiably so) is that as forward thinking a nation we might picture ourselves as being, there are still large swatches of the population given over to baser impulses as prejudice. While Barack Obama’s ascendancy is a cause for celebration there is a very real fear that it all could be spoiled by an idiot with a gun, a grudge and good aim.
It’s a sobering thing and I shudder to think of the kind of statement it would make to our country and the kind of response it would engender.
Of all the things to bring up though – it’s amazingly stupid and insensitive so, the question remains - why did she do it?
I don’t know how much to read in the comments of HRC within the last 24 hours. I caught this excessive rant by Keith Olbermann last night and found myself smirking. Olbermann, who is the darling of the left when he’s ripping Georgie Jr. a new one, suddenly becomes a little less lovable when he turns his caustic comments on the Madonna of the Democratic party.
Asked if her continuing fight for the nomination against Senator Obama hurts the Democratic party, Sen. Hillary Clinton replied, “I don’t. Because again, I’ve been around long enough. You know, my husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. You know, I just don’t understand it. You know, there’s lots of speculation about why it is.”
(you can watch the thing here)
I don’t know, is it shock and awe?
Shock, that the presumptive nominee is watching her campaign falter and trying to figure out just what the strategy is to save some face or awe, that she has actually been outplayed at the game she thought she was the master of.
There are a generation of HRC supporters who figured her reward for sticking by her man as he disrespected her with his extramarital activities would be to ultimately capture the presidency for herself. It was all part of that grand design that saw an eventual return to the White House after a brief sojourn gaining political cred as a Senator from New York.
So, the question is, will we one day be seeing HRC sporting a shirt stating, ‘I stuck it out with this cheater and all I got was a lousy Senate seat.’
HRC is unquestionably a force in American politics, she is not without support but something has happened along the way to her coronation and it is a bitter pill to swallow. Somehow, in some way her status as the ‘anointed one’ was usurped.
So, were her comments wishful thinking on her part?
No, I would say not but, her memory of her husband’s candidacy is certainly in error as Billy tied up the nomination well before June. Also, primaries have been moved much, much earlier this year than in elections past so, part of the fascination with her doggedness in continuing to campaign in June has something to do with many of the primaries having long since concluded.
In the meantime, John McCain sits back and takes potshots at Barack Obama knowing full well that’s who he’ll be facing in the general election come November.
Speaking of which, if John McCain had said the same thing that HRC had said would there be less outrage over the comments or more?
I think the worry here (and justifiably so) is that as forward thinking a nation we might picture ourselves as being, there are still large swatches of the population given over to baser impulses as prejudice. While Barack Obama’s ascendancy is a cause for celebration there is a very real fear that it all could be spoiled by an idiot with a gun, a grudge and good aim.
It’s a sobering thing and I shudder to think of the kind of statement it would make to our country and the kind of response it would engender.
Of all the things to bring up though – it’s amazingly stupid and insensitive so, the question remains - why did she do it?
May 22, 2008
Ah, the sweet if bitter irony of it all.
You know, there are times in life when you see things happen and it makes you smile inwardly. It’s because you’re not a part of what’s happening and because you saw it coming.
The topic I am dancing gingerly around is the flailing struggle called the race for the Democratic nomination.
It’s weird.
People are throwing accusations about, they’re name calling and what should be happening is they should be getting their act together for the November general election. If the Democrats through some incredible miscalculation lose the general election this coming November, they will have only themselves to blame.
Why?
The Republicans are in the most untenable position. They have a chief executive who has left a dubious legacy after his two terms in office. First by engaging in an increasingly unpopular ‘war’ over the last 7 years and second by spending the nation into oblivion.
I had a conversation a few weeks back with someone who supports Bush (they are out there). A basic argument Bush supporters at one time had was due to his family’s big oil connections, the price of a gallon of gasoline would remain low and Americans would be able to drive Hummers cheaply for decades to come.
Check the price of the pump lately?
I guess that advantage was put to rest by the Saudis recently when they told their lame duck friend to take a flying leap.
The other lovely thing about the increased energy costs is watching prices go up across the board while wages stay the same – let’s hear it for the global marketplace! Yes, the American worker now competes with workers on the other side of the world who are paid pennies on the dollar for their labor.
Wading into this morass is a Democratic party unable to capitalize on gains made in the last mid term election and consumed by in-fighting. So much so, there is actually a possibility they could lose!
Wow.
Even though I’m a registered Republican, I haven’t voted for the winner in any of the last three Presidential elections (that should tell you something). I did not pick the people who have been our chief executive. Whether it’s cynicism or just outright disdain for what the presidential race has become, I see our nation descending into a morass where out leaders are just not taking this country in a direction I would like to see it go.
Lately, a lot of people I ‘read,’ people whose opinions I respect have thrown down the gauntlet of sexism in regard to the continued campaign of HRC by suggesting that insults directed at her are too much wrapped around her gender.
Thing is, people have spent the last 8 years villifying the current administration and none of it has been that nice. So, is it okay when it’s not the person you support?
Are we being a little disingenuous here?
HRC is not my favorite person. I have a long memory and way, way back in ’92 I remember quite vividly the sales pitch I fell for.
Well, the old saw goes: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
16 years later, any kind of reform of our health care system is further off than it was back then and if anything things continue to grow worse.
Also, I’ve written elsewhere that I don’t agree with one of the basic premises of HRC’s candidacy, an assertion sharing a bed with someone conveys special powers. Bedroom osmosis making a person more capable than another. The whole, ‘ready on day one’ because I’ve lived in the White House doesn’t fly with me.
Woman or man, if I am looking for a surgeon, a pilot or a mechanic, I want to find the best person to perform that job. Their spouse is not who I am seek no matter how much shop talk goes on after the lights are turned off for the night.
The other thing is this, politics is a dirty business. People are nasty and insulting to the other guy’s candidate. It’s the way things have always been. Am I to believe there is some vast left-wing conspiracy afoot out to deny HRC the nomination?
Suck it up – you lost.
You know, there are times in life when you see things happen and it makes you smile inwardly. It’s because you’re not a part of what’s happening and because you saw it coming.
The topic I am dancing gingerly around is the flailing struggle called the race for the Democratic nomination.
It’s weird.
People are throwing accusations about, they’re name calling and what should be happening is they should be getting their act together for the November general election. If the Democrats through some incredible miscalculation lose the general election this coming November, they will have only themselves to blame.
Why?
The Republicans are in the most untenable position. They have a chief executive who has left a dubious legacy after his two terms in office. First by engaging in an increasingly unpopular ‘war’ over the last 7 years and second by spending the nation into oblivion.
I had a conversation a few weeks back with someone who supports Bush (they are out there). A basic argument Bush supporters at one time had was due to his family’s big oil connections, the price of a gallon of gasoline would remain low and Americans would be able to drive Hummers cheaply for decades to come.
Check the price of the pump lately?
I guess that advantage was put to rest by the Saudis recently when they told their lame duck friend to take a flying leap.
The other lovely thing about the increased energy costs is watching prices go up across the board while wages stay the same – let’s hear it for the global marketplace! Yes, the American worker now competes with workers on the other side of the world who are paid pennies on the dollar for their labor.
Wading into this morass is a Democratic party unable to capitalize on gains made in the last mid term election and consumed by in-fighting. So much so, there is actually a possibility they could lose!
Wow.
Even though I’m a registered Republican, I haven’t voted for the winner in any of the last three Presidential elections (that should tell you something). I did not pick the people who have been our chief executive. Whether it’s cynicism or just outright disdain for what the presidential race has become, I see our nation descending into a morass where out leaders are just not taking this country in a direction I would like to see it go.
Lately, a lot of people I ‘read,’ people whose opinions I respect have thrown down the gauntlet of sexism in regard to the continued campaign of HRC by suggesting that insults directed at her are too much wrapped around her gender.
Thing is, people have spent the last 8 years villifying the current administration and none of it has been that nice. So, is it okay when it’s not the person you support?
Are we being a little disingenuous here?
HRC is not my favorite person. I have a long memory and way, way back in ’92 I remember quite vividly the sales pitch I fell for.
Well, the old saw goes: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
16 years later, any kind of reform of our health care system is further off than it was back then and if anything things continue to grow worse.
Also, I’ve written elsewhere that I don’t agree with one of the basic premises of HRC’s candidacy, an assertion sharing a bed with someone conveys special powers. Bedroom osmosis making a person more capable than another. The whole, ‘ready on day one’ because I’ve lived in the White House doesn’t fly with me.
Woman or man, if I am looking for a surgeon, a pilot or a mechanic, I want to find the best person to perform that job. Their spouse is not who I am seek no matter how much shop talk goes on after the lights are turned off for the night.
The other thing is this, politics is a dirty business. People are nasty and insulting to the other guy’s candidate. It’s the way things have always been. Am I to believe there is some vast left-wing conspiracy afoot out to deny HRC the nomination?
Suck it up – you lost.
Forget about health care reform.
Why?
Because everything in a capitalistic society is for sale and that includes political representation.
We talk about Republicans and Democrats, red states and blue states, liberals and conservatives but, at the end of the day it’s the green party that runs things.
Green as in the color of money.
We think new faces in our government will effect change but there is too much of an incentive to continue with business as usual. We see this not only in our health care system but also in our dependence on oil as an energy source.
There is simply too much money tied up in these institutions and far too much for powerful interests to lose, if there were actual change of any type.
Until we look at the underlying structures of our capitalistic society and admit to the contradictions inherent in building a society based upon capitalism we will fail to confront the schisms such a society produces.
We have been subjected as a nation to months and months of empty rhetoric. Candidates parade in front of cameras spouting falsehoods they themselves know to be untrue. Programs that are full of promise but highly unlikely to ever be put into force.
I may sound overly cynical but, it’s frustrating to see our nation distracted and polarized while the problems confronting us just worsen.
Why?
Because everything in a capitalistic society is for sale and that includes political representation.
“They’re shifting to the Democrats in large part because they understand the Democrats are going to have the majority in the next Congress and will be the party driving health policy and drug reimbursement policy,” Corrado said. “They want to position themselves to be able to defend against any regulatory efforts they believe are overly stringent.”
We talk about Republicans and Democrats, red states and blue states, liberals and conservatives but, at the end of the day it’s the green party that runs things.
Green as in the color of money.
We think new faces in our government will effect change but there is too much of an incentive to continue with business as usual. We see this not only in our health care system but also in our dependence on oil as an energy source.
There is simply too much money tied up in these institutions and far too much for powerful interests to lose, if there were actual change of any type.
Until we look at the underlying structures of our capitalistic society and admit to the contradictions inherent in building a society based upon capitalism we will fail to confront the schisms such a society produces.
We have been subjected as a nation to months and months of empty rhetoric. Candidates parade in front of cameras spouting falsehoods they themselves know to be untrue. Programs that are full of promise but highly unlikely to ever be put into force.
I may sound overly cynical but, it’s frustrating to see our nation distracted and polarized while the problems confronting us just worsen.
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