Bill O'Reilly Flips Out — DANCE REMIX

Queen - A Kind Of Magic

Proud To Be An American

January 20, 2009 -The end of an error.

2008 World Series Champions!

I remember like yesterday when Tug McGraw threw up his hands after striking out the last Royals batter to win the Phillies their first championship in 1980. And like that special moment I will always remember Brad Lidge falling to his knees, arms raised, getting embraced by first Carlos Ruiz and then piled on by the whole team. The Phillies have broken my heart too many times over the years, and over this season, but it sure was worth every moment.

God, I love baseball.

You Blinded Me With Prejudice

Science is like a good friend: sometimes it tells you things you don't want to hear

* Charlie Brooker
*
o Charlie Brooker
o The Guardian,
o Saturday August 2 2008
o Article history

Must be frustrating being a scientist. There you are, incrementally discovering how the universe works via a series of complex tests and experiments, for the benefit of all mankind - and what thanks do you get? People call you "egghead" or "boffin" or "heretic", and they cave your face in with a rock and bury you out in the wilderness.

Not literally - not in this day and age - but you get the idea. Scientists are mistrusted by huge swathes of the general public, who see them as emotionless lab-coated meddlers-with-nature rather than, say, fellow human beings who've actually bothered getting off their arses to work this shit out. The wariness stems from three popular misconceptions:

1) Scientists want to fill our world with chemicals and killer robots; 2) They don't appreciate the raw beauty of nature, maaan; and

3) They're always spoiling our fun, pointing out homeopathy doesn't work or ghosts don't exist EVEN THOUGH they KNOW we REALLY, REALLY want to believe in them.

That last delusion is the most insidious. Science is like a good friend: sometimes it tells you things you don't want to hear. It tells you the truth. And we all know how much that can hurt, don't we, fatso?

Many people find bald, unvarnished truths so disturbing, they prefer to ram their heads in the sand and start dreaming at the first sign of scientific reality. The more contrary evidence mounts up, the harder they'll ignore it. And even the greatest, most widely-admired scientists can provoke this reaction. Take Darwin. Or rather, take The Genius Of Darwin (Mon, 8pm, C4), the latest documentary from professional God-hatin' Professor Yaffle impersonator Richard Dawkins, which sets out to calmly and lucidly explain a) Why Darwin was so ace, and b) Just how much evidence there is to support his findings.

Darwin's theory of evolution was simple, beautiful, majestic and awe-inspiring. But because it contradicts the allegorical babblings of a bunch of made-up old books, it's been under attack since day one. That's just tough luck for Darwin. If the Bible had contained a passage that claimed gravity is caused by God pulling objects toward the ground with magic invisible threads, we'd still be debating Newton with idiots too.

Since Darwin's death, Dawkins points out, the evidence confirming his discovery has piled up and up and up, many thousand feet above the point of dispute. And yet heroically, many still dispute it. They're like couch potatoes watching Finding Nemo on DVD who've suffered some kind of brain haemorrhage which has led them to believe the story they're watching is real, that their screen is filled with water and talking fish, and that that's all there is to reality - just them and that screen and Nemo - and when you run into the room and point out the DVD player and the cables connecting it to the screen, and you open the windows and point outside and describe how overwhelming the real world is - when you do all that, it only spooks them. So they go on believing in Nemo, with gritted teeth if necessary.

What was it that spooked them so? Probably natural selection's lack of reassuring narrative. It lays the ruthless, godless world pretty bloody bare. As Dawkins says: "The total amount of suffering in the natural world is beyond all decent contemplation. During the minute it takes me to say these words, thousands of animals are running for their lives, whimpering with fear, feeling teeth sink into their throats. Thousands are dying from starvation or disease or feeling a parasite rasping away from within. There is no central authority; no safety net. For most animals the reality of life is struggling, suffering and death."

Woo-hoo! Compare and contrast with the plot of Finding Nemo and it's easy to understand why people would rather believe in the purdy singing clown fish. But this is our reality, people. Like the man says, there's no safety net - so since we're all in this together, we'll have to make our own. And we can't do that with our eyes and minds shut now, can we?

Charlie Brooker
The Guardian

****************************************

In the past eight years (probably longer), I think we as a nation have gone backwards as far as science and reasoning go. It goes from cutting funding for science education to people burying their heads in the sand whenever a new finding conflicts with some doctrine they follow. While I feel religion teaches us a lot and has a place in this world, I really don't think it can replace reason.

And if you can have an open mind about science, it can really open you up to the beauty of this world and universe. A beauty that is truly divine.

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Change It (live) Manor TX 4.7.1986

Amazing.

I Got To Get My Heart On

I should listen to my heart. A couple of posts ago I said my heart told me the Flyers would make it to the conference finals but my head said otherwise. Well, they did make it to the conference finals, which no one would've thought after considering last year. It sure was great watching them go deep in the playoffs. (Thanks for the beer Vinny)

I hate to be of those guys that always say, "Wait till next year," but I like this team's chances. With Gagne coming back from injury, Briere, Prospal, Richards, the whole offense should be something to watch. And their defense looks pretty good going into next year led by Kimmo Timonen and backed up by Marty Biron, who I think is on the verge of becoming a premier goalie in the NHL.

I don't want to wish the summer away, but I can't wait till October.

Go Flyers

May The Force Be With You

Benny Hinn would be great at parties.

Beer Me!

While there's a beer for all seasons, I really enjoy it when the weather's warm. There's nothing better on a warm day than sitting outside in the sun with a cold beer.

And there's a lot of them I like. For instance Appalachian Wheat from ABC Brewing in Harrisburg is a favorite. It's really good when you're grilling burgers, hot dogs, or steaks. Troegs Brewing, also in Harrisburg makes Rugged Trail Ale which I really enjoy.

That's just two of my favorites, the tip of the iceberg. Let me know what you like.

NHL Playoffs

This has got to be my favorite time of the year. It's the start of another baseball season and the beginning of playoff hockey. There is nothing quite so intense, dramatic, heartbreaking, and exciting as playoff hockey. And joyous too as the Flyers make the playoffs after a dismal last season. They face the Capitals in the first round and it should be a good series.

And now the predictions. First in the Eastern Conference my heart tells me the Flyers will make it to the conference finals. Despite injuries to key players, they were able to turn it around from last year, come together as a team and I would love to see them go deep in the playoffs. But my head is telling me something else. It's telling me that the Flyers will beat the Washington Capitals in five or six games but lose to the Canadians in the second round. After finishing off the Rangers in the first round, New Jersey will beat the Penguins in the second. Then the Montreal Canadians will beat the New Jersey Devils to go to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Canadians have been playing real good all season and if they stay healthy, I believe they'll be in the Finals.

For the Western Conference I think the Detroit Red Wings will beat the San Jose Sharks to go to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Red Wings should take care of the Predators in the first round and then Colorado in the second. Also, the Sharks take their first round from Calgary and then beat the Ducks in the second round.

Then for the Stanley Cup I think the Red Wings will beat the Canadians in six games.

Let me know what you think and what your predictions are. Once the playoffs start, I'm sure I'll be amending those picks.


Go Flyers

Home Sweet Home

I made it home. After flying into Baltimore from Chicago, I got ride home from my sister and got home around midnight. My dogs were real happy to see me and it was so good to sleep in my own bed. I had to go back to work the next night and I fell right back into the same old routine again. It was like I never left. And that sucks. I need to find another job.

Anyways, Chicago was great and I would love to go back when the weather's warmer.

And I miss my son.

Unfortunately, This Wasn't Taken In Chicago

The temperature got as "high" as 1 degree today. That's not a typo. One gotdam degree. With the winds blowing, the National Weather Service website said it felt like the -20's. I didn't leave my hotel room today because of the bitter cold except for walking to lunch at Hooter's next door and that was enough. I have a lot of respect for those poor girls in their skimpy outfits. A lot of appreciation too.

Anyways, it was just a lazy day holed up in the hotel room watching a couple of hockey games online. Tomorrow I head back home, which means, once again I have to negotiate the maze that is O'Hare Airport.

The Windy City

I went to downtown Chicago to have a look around. The first thing I did while there was have lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. Wonderful place, and the food was good, but damn expensive.

After lunch I drove around the city looking at the buildings. I have a slight interest in architecture and Chicago has some beautiful buildings and bridges. The Chicago Public Library had to have been my favorite. Unfortunately, the batteries in my camera died and I didn't get any pictures of it. I went up to the Skydeck in the Sears Towers and though it was an overcast sky, the views were awesome. The picture in this post I took from the Skydeck.

Chicago is a beautiful city and the people I met were all friendly. I would love to come back and visit again in the spring or summer. My only complaint was that I had to pay for parking 2 different times for a total of about three hours and it was 30 gotdam dollars!

A Great Day

I woke up around 4am Friday so I could drive the 40 or so miles up to Great Lakes Naval Training Center to see my son graduate boot camp. The roads around Great Lakes were pretty crappy due to a previous snow storm and it was still dark, so I got lost again. But I made it to the base with plenty of time to spare.

There was a marching band made up of recruits and a few speakers, but when the graduating class of over 300 marched it, it was pretty dramatic. The ceremony lasted about an hour and a half with all the new sailors standing at either rest or attention the whole time.

When it was over the audience was able to go down onto the drill deck with the sailors and that's where I found my son. He looked so great in his dress uniform and he gave me the biggest and strongest hug I ever had. After some pictures and more hugs, we went over to the Navy Exchange there on base where they have a couple of fast food places. Since it was his first pizza in two months, the new sailor wolfed it down fast. We all (His mother, sister, half-brother, and mother's boyfriend) just sat there in the restaurant talking and catching up. Before it was time to leave (He had to report back to his compartment since he was shipping out that night), we picked up some souviniers and stuff and said our goodbyes. His mother and them were driving back home to Pennsylvania that afternoon, so they took their time goodbying. Since Corwin was flying out of O'Hare to his next duty station and he would have about 3 hours to kill there, I met him at the airport later that day.

Just as I was finding a parking spot, he called me to tell me he was there. I met up with him and we were just walking around seeing things and bullshitting. We both were hungry so we went about finding a restaurant. When you're not looking for them, there's fast food joints all over O'Hare, but we couldn't find them. After walking around some more we ended up at the Hilton Hotel restaurant. Fancy place but after graduation I went back to the hotel and changed into jeans and a t shirt and that's probably why we were seated in the back.. Corwin was still in his dress uniform so he looked OK.

After dinner it was time for him to board his plane and I was allowed to go with him to the gate. We talked for awhile and when they announced his plane was boarding, we hugged and I told him how proud I am of him and that I love him very much. And then he was gone.

Travelin' Man

Getting to Baltimore to catch my flight to Chicago was a breeze. For one thing, I wasn't driving (Thanks Tam). After getting to the airport it was just a simple thing to get my boarding pass and go through security. I found my gate with no problems and just waited around till it was time to board the plane.

I was flying Economy class on an Airbus and we were packed in there pretty good. It was comfortable enough, but I wouldn't want travel cross country in it. Two hours to Chicago was enough.

The plane ride itself was pretty cool. We didn't get shot down or run into a mountain and I listened to some music the whole way out. We landed at Chicago's O'Hare airport about 20 minutes early and with all the signs, it was pretty easy to locate baggage claim and get my stuff.

The hard part was finding a rental car counter. I have never been to Chicago before so I didn't know how things were done. I kept following signs leading me towards rental cars, but they just pointed me out the door. I finally asked someone and he told me I had to wait by the curb until a shuttle bus from the rental company I was using showed up. When it did, it took me away from the airport but right to the rental company. I was booked for an economy car but they were not available, so I was upgrade to a mid-size for no extra charge.

When I got my car and left the parking lot, I was finally in control of my transportation. And that's when I got lost. I had the address of my hotel and had located it on a map, but a lot of good that did. I don't know if all streets in Chicago are like this, but the street I needed was broked up in two or three sections and when I was on the west section of the road, I was apparently on the wrong west section. Anyway, it took about an hour to find the place but I did. And it wouldn't be the last time I got lost here.

I'm Outta Here

Tomorrow (2/7) I'm flying to Chicago for the weekend to see my son graduate from Navy Recruit Training. (A very proud moment, I might add)

I don't get out much as this will be the first time in almost 32 years that I'll be on a plane. It can't be all that much different, can it?

Anyways, this will be my first trip to Chicago and I'll be posting pictures and comments about it here on the site. Hopefully someone will read it. I know it's been awhile since I've posted anything. But hey, who reads this shit anyway?

Spinal Tap - Hell Hole