Traveling Through Life Without a Map

Incredible Satellite Images of Obama Inauguration

2009-01-30T09:55:00.000-08:00

One of the benefits of having clear blue skies on such an historic occasion as the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama is that someone can gather a satellite image of it.

The someone in this case is GeoEye.

Just take a look at some of these spectacular shots (courtesy of GeoEye and Cnet.com)

An overview of the eastern half of the National Mall during the January 20th Inauguration of Barack Obama. Click on the image to see it in high-resolution.

(Crowds with tickets to the inauguration (left) gather in chairs and standing areas at the base of the capitol steps (center). On the right, the US Capitol.

(Two large crowds gather around jumbotron screens at the base of the Washington Monument (center). Notice the line of buses along the street and the line of port-a-johns along the edge of the mall (top).

Out of the Mouths of Babes...

2008-12-19T08:03:00.000-08:00

Ronald Reagan endorses Obama?!

2008-10-29T14:05:00.001-07:00

Waaassuuup: 2008

2008-10-25T16:34:00.000-07:00

Palin is not McCain's Running Mate, but his Trophy Wife

2008-09-24T20:49:00.001-07:00

A trophy wife, by definition, is an attractive, younger wife married to an older, affluent man, and she is regarded as a status symbol.

So, let's think... Sarah Palin is a younger woman paired to an older, affluent man as his vice-presidential running mate.

But is she, like a trophy wife, regarded as a status symbol by the McCain campaign?

Well, to answer that let's look at first, their reason to pick Palin. Was she selected for the GOPVP slot because of her experience and capabilities, or because she is a status symbol - an attractive conservative woman?

Well, if she was selected because of her experience and capabilities, then the McCain campaign would have no second thoughts proving her ability to be 2nd in command. She would be able to step into the political arena, answer the tough questions, defend her credentials, and survive the vetting process just as Hillary Clinton rode out the slings and arrows directed at her throughout her 2008 campaign.

If she were selected simply because she is regarded as a status symbol by the McCain campaign, then they would be very hesitant to allow any situation where she could be properly vetted or forced to answer tough questions. They would know she wasn't up to task and would go to great lengths to keep that from happening. Instead, they would parade her around to show off their status symbol and not let anyone hear what she really thought lest it embarrass the campaign.

So, let's reconsider the past month. How has the McCain campaign treated Sarah Palin. So far the McCain campaign has paraded Palin around for campaign stop appearances and had her recite stump speeches written for her by campaign staffers. Most notably, though, is that Palin has not yet held a single press conference. She has had an interview with Charlie Gibson where she did horribly, an interview with Sean Hannity where Hannity basically did all the work for her, supplying all the answers for her within his own question, and recently she was interviewed with Katie Couric, where she 'had to get back to ya' on McCain's experience in regulating. There was almost a press conference, but only the photographers and cameramen were allowed in, but then the McCain recanted and let the press in - for 40 seconds, then once again changed their mind and had the press escorted out of the building.

I just saw footage of her, as governor of Alaska, walking to work on some local hiking show. Surely she does not fear media exposure. So I can't imagine that it is Palin's own choice that she be shielded from the vetting process. And considering how badly she performed in these 3 interviews, I can only imagine her lack of media exposure is because the McCain campaign is trying to avoid being embarrassed by her lack of qualifications for the job.

So, will we get to see Palin debate? If my theory holds true, then the McCain campaign, seeing her not as a qualified running mate but as a 'trophy wife' status symbol, will work to derail her debate with Joe Biden.

Already the McCain campaign has called for changes to the format of the vice-presidential debate. My guess is that this is to help Palin out since she will be unevenly matched up against Joe Biden.

And today, sure enough, McCain is playing politics to withdraw himself and Sarah Palin from the presidential debates. I cannot imagine that he's doing it because he's too busy (Bush did the debate with Kerry in 2004 while serving as president).

Considering the manner in which McCain's campaign treats Sarah Palin, I conclude that she is not considered as a running mate, but as a trophy wife by the campaign.

Not as a partner, but as a token to score political points.

A woman objectified by a sexist campaign into nothing more than a status symbol.

Jon Stewart is awesome!

2008-09-12T08:40:00.001-07:00

Freakin' Hilarious

Palin - pinhead, inexperienced, and playing the gender card. So say the right-wing pundits.

Moving Away

2008-08-20T09:13:00.001-07:00

Kelly & I are moving away from Toledo to Washington DC. The movers have come and boxed up all of our things yesterday. Today the truck gets loaded, and by this time tomorrow Kelly & I will be on the road to DC looking for a new home. We have some leads in Kensington and Silver Spring so far, and by the end of the day we should have a lease hammered out.

Toledo has been my home for the past 18 years. Half of my life. I first arrived as a college student fresh out of high school from Canton Ohio at the age of 18. Over the years I made many friends, all of which are now scattered across the US (and Japan), while I stayed behind in Toledo to "hold the fort".

Well, I'm finally leaving Toledo. I'll make sure to get the lights on my way out...

Obama announces his VP...

2008-08-10T22:47:00.000-07:00

Gerrymandering Upstate New York

2008-06-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

Holy Shit!

2008-06-03T08:14:00.001-07:00

How can people over at Fox get away with this?

My Response to Sarah Churchwell

2008-05-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

This is in response to an Independent UK Article:

Sarah Churchwell: Hang on in there, Hillary. It's too soon to quit

If you bother to read the article, it is obviously biased as pro-Clinton. The telling mark is this line:

"Meanwhile, that much-vaunted primary "popular vote" that Clinton has lost doesn't take account of the Democrats or independents in Michigan or Florida, both of which will be swing states in November; or that only 60,000 popular votes separate Clinton and Obama"

First of all the popular vote has been the Clinton campaign rallying cry since she realized she won't win on delegates. Secondly, many of the states held caucuses, not primaries, so popular vote numbers in these states are estimates. Third, in Obama was not even on the ballot. Obama supporters in Michigan voted for "uncomittedwhich won 35% of the vote. These numbers are not added to Obama's tally when this author computed the popular vote. And lastly, even using the author's slanted metrics, Obama is ahead by almost 90,000 votes, not 60,000.
Giving Obama the votes tallied as "uncommited" would extend this lead by another 210,000. to 300,000.

But the race is about the delegates, not the popular vote. At this point, if Clinton could somehow get 60% of all the remaining delegates in WV, KY, OR, MT, SD, and Puerto Rico, she would still need to have the support of 70% of the remaining superdelegates. The odds keep getting slimmer and slimmer, and reality has to sink in before we get into summer.

It is interesting how the author also glosses over the fact that whenever a party (Democrat or Republican) waits until the summer or up to the convention to name their frontrunner, they almost always lose. No one contests that Clinton has a right to keep going. But yes, history shows that if she drags this out the odds are it will mean a President McCain in 2009.

Anyway, that is my retort to this article. I find it insulting that the author saw the need to raise the ghost of the 2000 election as a rallying cry for Clinton. The 2000 election crisis is in no way comparable to this.

Spring on Campus

2008-05-02T08:19:00.000-07:00

This blossoming dogwood is part of my morning walk into work.
Apart from the allergies, this is my favorite time of year!

Yay Water!!

2008-04-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

No more Well Water!

As of last Thursday we were finally hooked up to the local water supply. Also, we recently discovered that the cable company has ran lines out by our house so we can get cable too if we desire. Slowly but surely, all the conveniences of suburbia are creeping in to our rural slice of farm country.

Today we had the water softener removed. Our well sits on top of a huge pyrite deposit (sulfur & iron), so without the water softener we get smelly orange water. The softener took care of that, but made rinsing off in the shower take forever. Also, when the water evaporated, it left white salt deposits behind. The salt also made the water undrinkable - I couldn't stand the taste, and noticed my nails became rather brittle when I was still drinking it. So for the past year I have been filling up gallon jugs of water over at the nearby water utility for a quarter a pop.

And now we have that very same water coming out of our tap!

Yay water!!

Ditzy Cam!

2008-04-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

New camera - New Ditzy pictures

New Camera

2008-04-24T11:59:00.000-07:00

Just picked up a new Kodak digital camera a few weeks ago. It even has a panoramic setting.

Here is a panoramic picture of my home on the farm...

Me + Mondays = Bleh!

2008-04-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

Fun BSG Quiz...

2008-04-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

Which Battlestar Galactica Character Are You?

More on Battlestar Galactica. Created by BuddyTV

My Two minutes of fame

2008-03-27T07:40:00.000-07:00

I made it onto the local news station this week as part of WTOL 11's EcoTrack segment.

I can't say I was given any warning. My boss let me know about an hour before the camera crews came. Luckily I shaved that morning!

Watch the video

EcoTrack 11 Report: A GIS to help farmers and growers

Posted: Mar 24, 2008 6:07 PM EST

The University of Toledo's Geography department is rolling out a new mapping tool that all farmers and growers should see. It's called the Maumee Basin GIS, reports News 11's James Canterbury.

"It's an information management service web site where you can interactively look at some maps of the Maumee River Basin and its watershed," explains Timothy Ault, senior researcher in University of Toledo's geography department. "You go through and basically see where streams, roads are and other info like what kind of soil is found in what area."

Not only will the Maumee Basin GIS help gardeners select the right plants for their soil type, but Ault hopes it will make environmental differences by tracking erosion in the watershed.

"Many of these fields have an entire drainage system and ditches, which means anything draining into the ditches is going to immediately get to Lake Erie through these ditches," Ault explains.

Ault says area farmers may be able to prevent harsh chemicals from getting into the water supply by using a conservation practice called no-tilling. It prevents erosion but also means more money in growers' pockets.

"The nutrients that are in the farmer's land and soil are very important," Ault says. "They are what help the crop. So if that is getting washed away, that means the farmer is going to spend more money to have to treat the field again in the Spring."

To see if the Maumee Basin GIS would help you get ready for the growing season, visit www.maumee.utoledo.edu.

Clinton forgets 2008; plans for 2012 presidential bid

2008-03-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

As Hillary Clinton's probability of gaining the Democratic nomination becomes more and more remote, I wonder why it is she stays in the race, slinging mud against the Obama campaign.

I think I have just figured out the the Clintons' strategy.

Her goal is not a 2008 victory, but a 2012 one.

The game plan is this:

1) Clinton can't win the Democratic nomination. The math is against her. She will not have a chance in Nov. 2008. Even with Pennsylvania. Not possible

2) If Obama wins, then it may well be another 8 years before she gets a chance again to run for president. And, by then, she would be considered a has-been.

3) If McCain wins, then Obama just couldn't close the deal in Nov. 2008. The Dems picked the wrong candidate. With McCain, we will have a 72yr. old president. Most likely a one-termer.

4) A McCain presidency means she could run again in 2012 as the Democratic nominee that should have been nominated in 2008.

Thus, to win the White House, she needs to make sure that Obama loses in Novemeber.

Now, with that in mind, consider this Hillary Clinton soundbyte:

"Now, I think you'll be able to imagine many things Senator McCain will be able to say. He's never been the president, but he will put forth his lifetime of experience. I will put forth my lifetime of experience. Senator Obama will put forth an [anti-war] speech he made in 2002."

She'll endorse McCain before she'll endorse Obama.

Anything to win.

Clinton's University of Toledo Rally Draws Few

2008-03-03T08:32:00.000-08:00

One day to go before Ohio goes to the polls to choose between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. In the past month, Clinton has gone from a certain double-digit lead over Obama to uncertainty. Two recent polls are in conflict: the Columbus Dispatch pegs Clinton with a 16 point lead while the Cleveland Plain Dealer indicates a statistical tie.

Last Sunday (2/24) Barack Obama visited The University of Toledo's Savage Hall (the largest auditorium facility on campus). The line stretched across campus and over the Ottawa River. In the end, a few thousand were turned away because the hall was packed.

Today marks the first day of Spring Break, one of the earliest Spring Breaks I have ever heard of. I cannot help but recall that age old college tradition of taking the trip to a lower latitudes,spending a lazy week on the Gulf coast. But back in my day we were not on a semester system, and spring break fell on the last week of March. Nowadays, these students get to celebrate spring weeks before it truly arrives to this region. And on the gulf coast? Well, for those going this year, it looks like Mother Nature will be kind, at least during the day. I doubt there will be many nights walking along the beach in a bathing suit with temperatures in the 40s.

But I digress. The point is, this week there isn't much happening on campus. The cafeterias are closed, Starbucks is cutting its hours short. Students, normally making this a rather lively campus, are nowhere to be seen.

Or so I thought. On my way into campus this morning I noticed a considerable police presence, and a sign pointing to my normal lot indicating "Clinton Parking -->". Odd, I thought, campus seems pretty much dead. So I pulled into my lot, and easily found a space to park, a rare feat during the normal school year.

On the walk to my office I noticed the Clinton campaign bus parked behind the Student Union building and how this contrasted against a campus where the only activity was coming from the construction workers restoring the Field House.

An hour later my office mate joined me. He and another coworker decided on a whim to attend the event. They had no difficulty getting in at the last minute. Their estimate of the crowd there to see Clinton was between 300-400 total; 150-200 if you don't include the press and security staffed.

Not a good showing for Toledo, Ohio - a typical Ohio blue-collar town.

I also can't help but wonder: How out of touch is her advance team to schedule a campus event right on the beginning of Spring Break? Granted, other Ohio Universities have their spring breaks later in the month, but didn't anyone on her staff bother to check? Even despite all that, why such a low turnout?! Toledo is not a college town. You would think, with such a Democratic presence and so many blue-collar, union workers, Clinton could have drummed up a larger crowd.

My analysis: this does not bode well for Ms. Clinton's chances of taking Ohio, no matter what the polls say.

Ralph Nader: End Game for Clinton

2008-02-27T07:52:00.001-08:00

While I was sitting at the Stewart-Newburgh terminal last Monday morning, I saw on the television that Ralph Nader has once again thrown his hat into the presidential ring. At first I thought of it as another Quixotic campaign by this consumer advocate the 70s forgot, but then I got to thinking about the 2000 election, and how some accused Nader of siphoning enough votes off of Gore to sway the election (even though the statistics never backed up this claim). In 2004, Nader's presidential campaign had lost a lot of tractions because of this perception.But today, would anyone support Nader for president. I mean, isn't the guy a modern day Pat Paulsen?

Not if Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic Party nomination for president.

Even if Clinton carries both Ohio and Texas this Tuesday and then later gets Pennsylvania, she will not gain enough of a margin of victory to make a difference between hers and Barack Obama's delegate count. Since the Democratic party splits their delegates proportionally, in Ohio the most Clinton can hope for, considering recent polls is a +5 delegate advantage. Consider the fact that Obama and Clinton are in a dead heat in Texas, and that Texas uses a combination primary-caucus system (Obama does well in caucuses), and expect, at best, a wash or an advantage of less than +5 delegates. So, realistically, the best Clinton can hope for is to close the delegate gap of around 100 behind Obama down to 90. Expecting a slim margin of victory, can Clinton make two slim wins justify hanging on until the Pennsylvania primary next month?

And then there are Rhode Island, Vermont, Wyoming, Mississippi, Indiana, North Carolina, Nebraska, West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, Montana, and South Dakota to consider. Smaller states where Obama has been picking up by 15-20% margins. Any gains she makes in Texas, Ohio, or PA will be erased by these smaller primaries.

By the time of the convention, if Clinton is still in the race behind Obama by about the same (or more) amount of delegates, her only hope to victory will be to appeal to the superdelegates and Edwards (who has yet to determine which candidate to support with his 26 delegates). If the Democratic Convention ends up cancelling out the will of the people and instead lets the party 'elders' decide Clinton is the better nominee, it will demoralize and injure the Democratic Party.

And here's where Nader steps in, just in time to remind the disenchanted Obamaniacs and leftists that Clinton is 'Republican-Lite', just as he did to Gore back in 2000. The hurt Nader could put on Clinton's popular support will not cause her to lose states like California or New York, but it could mean losing Ohio, Missouri, and Florida, and catapult McCain into the White House.

Before the Nader equation, party elders might have been considering supporting Clinton despite her poor showing in the primary. With Nader, their need to win in 2009 will overweigh their support for the Clinton family.

Maybe Nader isn't just another Don Quiote this time around. Maybe his campaign is a shrewd play to ensure Obama wins the Democratic Nomination....

Who will lose the 2008 election? Boomers.

2008-02-21T13:50:00.000-08:00

From Bill Clinton's sexual indiscretions to George W. Bush's gross incompetence, Baby Boomers may have ran their course in presidential politics.

Barring a miracle in Texas & Ohio, or a Democratic Convention that will make the one from 1968 look civilized, Clinton will not receive the Democratic nomination for president. This leaves Barack Obama as the likely nominee for the Democrats. On the Republican side, the contest was settled weeks ago when Mitt Romney, another Baby Boomer, suspended his campaign and later endorsed John McCain as Republican nominee for president.

Come November, it is most likely that the voters will be faced with a choice between Barack Obama, a member of Generation X, or John McCain, a member of the Silent Generation, and, most likely, the last of his generation with a shot at the presidency.

Gen Xers, or 13ers, as the generation is named by Neil Howe and William Strauss, were born between 1961-1982. Their childhood featured a time in history when having children was discouraged, efforts to protect children were at their weakest, and funding to support their upbringing and general welfare was its thinnest. Many in this generation were exposed early in life to the realities of the world such as divorce, sexuality, drugs, and violence.

Recently Michelle Obama, wife of the presidential candidate, was quoted as saying, "For the first time in my adult life, I can say I'm proud to be an American." This quote has led to many Right-Wing talking points these past days. But let's consider the Xer's viewpoint of a history of politics in the USA since 1961. From a political perspective, Xers are too young to remember Kennedy, which means they became aware of, first, the Johnson admin. ending with the 1968 Democratic Convention disaster. Next Nixon and Watergate. Then Ford and Carter. Next Reagan and Bush. Say what you might (depending on which side of the political fence you site), but this is the time when Xers came of age and went out into the workforce only to find out that all the well-paying jobs the Boomers enjoyed had dried up while our gov't took on massive debt. And then came Clinton and Bush, the Boomer presidents, and the culture wars.

Is it a small wonder that Xers don't trust the gov't or any institution like the Boomers, Greatest Generation, or the Silents do/did? Xers, liberal or conservative, believe that institutions in their current state cannot solve problems. Liberal Xers hate waste and seek to streamline the government efficiently (some even leaning technocrat - see Bloomberg's popularity in NYC), while conservative Xers lean to a libertarian perspective that the governtment that governs least governs best. For these Xers, Ron Paul is the epitome of their ideas on governing. Ultimately, the libertarian position is bound to lose, just as Ron Paul, with a wide internet presence and support, couldn't make waves in the Republican primaries. So, come November, I am not sure where these conservative Xers will cast their votes, but I suspect that many of them will stay home.

For the Democratic Party, the primaries have been a rebuke of George W. Bush. That is why Clinton has done so poorly.

Yes, I think that Hillary's lack of the support she suspected to have is because of GWB. The reason, I believe is generational.

Boomers have held the White House since 1993. Their reign has been an us vs. them culture war based on ideology with no room for middle ground. That shouldn't be surprising. They have been fighting a culture war since their campus days in the 60s. And it isn't based on things like abortion, same-sex marriage, or evolution. It is based on ideological grounds with no room for compromise. the only way things can get done in this political climate is to ramrod them through congress with slim majorities and signed by presidents half the country cannot stand. Clinton, from 1993 to 2001, was constantly at odds with conservative (neocon) Boomers like Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich. The feuding became so petty between Gingrich and Clinton that the federal government was shut down over what some insiders determined was a fit over having to enter Air Force One through the rear entrance. Clinton Crotch Watch '98 and the resulting impeachment trial were the defining moments of the Clinton presidency, and, unfortunately, will go down in history as his legacy. But even this was nothing compared to what the next president, a Baby Boomer Republican, has wrought upon the USA.

Bush sold himself in the 2000 campaign as the uniter, not divider. He promised to restore integrity to the oval office. In truth he was neither. true to his Boomer generation, he was an idealogue, a culture warrior unwilling to take into account dissent or, for that matter, reality when it countered his ideals. Instead, through his own gross incompetence he let down America's guard on 9-11, then invaded a country that had nothing to do with it with no plan. Even today, with 20/20 hindsight, his ideology will not let him concede that he really mussed this one up. Rahter, he has changed the line from removeing weapons of mass destruction to overthrowing a brutal dictator to bringing democracy to the Middle East. With a majority so slim in the Senate that Cheney had to cast the tie-breaking vote, he ramrodded massive tax cuts, played my-way-or-the-hiway politics with his opposition, and even some of his republican cohorts in congress back in 2006 talked about using the "Nuclear Option", effectively ended the process of filibuster. Things have gotten so partisan and nasty, us vs. them, that Bush has pushed the country prematurely to exhaustion with the Boomers' politics of division.

So exhausted, that we, even Democrats 100% opposed to Bush's policies, cannot even stomach the idea of Hillary, a fellow Boomer, continuing the nation down this road, even when we believe in her goals. Fellow Xers, Millenials, and Silents will agree with my analysis. Boomers, being inherently ideological and divisive, will think this is a load of hooey. And let us not forget that there are still many Boomers in power in the House, Senate, and Supreme Court, and they aren't going anywhere soon. They will try to cast Obama or McCain as divisive since this is their world view, still go on fighting the revenge strategies they hatched back in their college days. After all, they changed the world back in the 60s through activism and protests. Yet, in the prime of their political power, come 2009 one of their own won't be president of the US.

I'm not too worried - whether we have President McCain or President Obama, because neither will have this divisive world view. It will still suck to have a Republican president, because it will mean at least another 4 years before the mistakes of Bush 43 can be corrected.

With Obama, Xers and some of the Millenials can maybe for once see a gov't that doesn't disgust them, but inspires them. Just maybe...

Good Ol' Geography Jokes

2007-09-07T07:26:00.001-07:00

Love Savage Chickens.... definitely a comic strip worth checking out!

Teaching

2007-08-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

I'm into my second week of teaching. I have to say I never realized the amount of additional work it takes to take your own knowledge and convey it into an organized and understandable format for others. So far I have the "new teacher syndrome": I talk way too fast and I don't give the students enough time to write down what I say.

So far some more experienced teachers have let me know that rambling is normal for a new teacher. They suggested that I make myself write down everything I say to slow myself down, some recommended that I count to ten after each statement to allow for the students to take notes.

Right now I'm all about the powerpoints for cool diagrams and charts, and I'm using chalk! For someone who has been a student for so long (24 years of my life), sometimes I just find myself in amazement that I'm the one in front of the class spouting ideas for others to learn.

Amazed....

Blindsided

2007-08-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

I just found out last Wednesday that one of our professors isn't coming back this fall and that I've been tapped to teach one of his classes - Remote Sensing of the Environment. The course is an undergraduate/graduate level mixed course, and I have had 5 days to prepare.

Wow.

I have never taught a university level course, nor have I ever been a TA or graded papers or the like, but I do use Remote Sensing on an almost daily basis in my research. So at least I have that.

And, some of the professors who had previously taught the course were nice enough to provide me with their course materials so I can use their notes and powerpoint presentations to craft my own.

When I was asked to help bail out the dept., my boss said "You look like a deer caught in the headlights"

Well, I did feel like a deer caught in the headlights... but I'm better now.

There's nothing like sailing into unknown waters to bring out the exhilaration that is life.

Class starts in a half hour... here I go...

ArcGIS Server up and running

2007-08-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

fter slogging along with ArcGIS Server, I finally have it installed and running a web service.

I went ahead and took an Agricultural NonPoint Source Pollution study (AGNPS) I did on the Rock Creek watershed in Seneca County Ohio and published it in our new ArcGIS server.

Like a Led Zeppelin

2007-07-31T12:55:00.000-07:00

Yeah... so that was a fun experiment in the new customizable blogger.

To the point: 'customizable' is not the word I would use to describe updating from steaming pile alpha to steaming pile beta.

So, here I am back to the old version. But I will play with the look some bit.

New Look

2007-07-30T14:21:00.000-07:00

I've finally decided to go ahead and let the new Blogger futz around with my oh-so-carefully-bodged-together template file. So now that blogger has a GUI-enhanced template generator, I can go ahead and get the generic layout all fixed, then go into the template file and muss it up some more. Hooray!!! (I mean, c'mon... what is the idea of not giving me a target="_blank" option on my links list?!). Then there's the whole can't set your background image to something else deal, etc. etc..... sheesh!

To Heck with John McCain

2007-07-28T17:21:00.000-07:00

...I'm the Maverick!

Walking the path

2007-07-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

Here's an excerpt from Stephen Batchelor's "Living with the Devil"

" Yet the well-intentioned urge to preserve a religion runs the risk of mummifying it. Although you might succeed in preserving its institutions and dogmas for a while, you cannot preserve a path any more than you can preserve the current of a river or the whistling of a wind. Insidiously Mara (the devil) attempts to secure what by nature is open and fluid. The survival of a path is achieved not by preserving it but by walking it-- even when you have no clear idea where it will lead.
As religions grow from humble beginnings into churches and orthodoxies, the narrow path turns into a brightly lit highway. The risk of embarking on a journey into the unknown is replaced by the confidence of setting off on a well-planned excursion. Homelessness starts to feel like home again. The freedom of the open road is replaced by the drudgery of repeating a cycle of routines. As we proceed along the well-trodden paths of Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, or Islam, we may begin to weary of their certainties. Perilous trails that branch off the main track and peter out in the anarchy of wilderness catch our attention. We realize that the path we are taking might too disappear into a pathless land."

So much to absorb, but the passage in a way describes where I am right now.

I can sense the dessication of the preserved religions, their dogmas, institutions.
The drudgery of routines and cycles leaves me uninspired to continue down the highway.
The journey is no longer into the unknown but is one of confident certainties.
I am wearied of their certainties, their misplaced confidence.
I see the narrow path, perilous, as it branches out into the anarchy of the wild.
I long for the unknown, for the journey, for the freedom, for the uncertainty.
I seek the narrow path, one preserved only by my walking it.

A 'Berry' Good Day

2007-06-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

Last evening Kelly & I rode our bikes down to a nearby raspberry farm, Pullins Raspberries.

We've been driving by the farm on our way to work since last winter, and for the past month we've been waiting for the sign to change from 'closed' to 'open'. So last night after work we got out our bicycles, made space in the trunk pack I have attached to mine, and rode off to get some fresh fruit.

Soon enough we made it there and pulled into their gravel driveway, heading around back to register pavillion. We met the owner and he handed us some paper cartons. Then he took us out to the field to show us where the best berries could be picked. We started with the black raspberries.

Now I have picked black raspberries in the wild but they never were as big as the ones on the farm. We didn't have to go very far to find the good ones here.

They were plentiful and in no time Kelly & I had a carton each filled.

We resisted our temptation to eat them right there (okay - one just for a taste!) and brought them back to the register. Next were the red raspberries.

Now I had never picked red ones, nor seen them growing in the wild, but the owner took us out and showed us what to look for... or better still, what to feel for. Since the berries are already red, he said, you have to feel them. They should be soft and should pull off the stem with little resistance. It is still a little early for the reds, so the going was slow. Kelly & I scoured and eventually filled up a single carton until it was overflowing.

The owner rang us up, and for 3 cartons of berries the grand total was $5.35... not bad compared to buying store-bought, and no contest when compared to freshness.

I wrapped the containers in plastic bags, placed them in my bike trunk, and we rode back home.

That night we made pancakes, and by this morning all the red raspberries were gone.

Guess we'll just have to go back in a few days once the reds are riper.

Pullins is open for a few more weeks. If you'd like a chance to get out, enjoy the fresh air, and pick some good raspberries, here is their contact info:

20780 Liberty Hi Road, Bowling Green, Ohio 43402.
Phone: (419)823-3024.
Open: Mon-Sat 8am-8pm; Sun 12-6pm.
Picking starts Sun 6/24/07.
Black Raspberries and Red Raspberries.

Hangin' in the Bunny Garden

2007-06-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

With the pleasant weather last weekend, I had the opportunity to bust out the grill and cook Kelly & I some veggies (and meat for me... I can't quite go all veg like Kelly). The grill is a little 10,000 BTU tabletop grill, not much but plenty big enough to cook dinner for two. We grilled up some freshly picked radishes, some onions, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, and burgers.

We've finally got the backyard set up how we like it... a screened in pavillion tent, chaise lounge for two, wind chimes, and prayer flags. Ditzy has a new cat harness and I've attached a long leash to the clothesline to make a cat-run. So while we were waiting for the food to cook we relaxed and wathced Ditzy 'stalk' the bunnies running in and out of the cornfields. It was also a good opportunity to read. I am just starting to read one of Kelly's condensed versions of the Dhammapada.. a very enlightening read (pun intended). Only the occasional drone of farm machinery lurching down the country lane disturbed the serenity of our bunny garden. (Kelly & I affectionately call our backyard the Bunny Garden, though we have yet to see any bunnies actually help themselves to the contents of our garden.)

And our garden has really grown. We found our first green tomatoes this weekend. And we learned a lesson about planting our veggies too close together for next year... it looked like they would have so much space when we first planted them!

Dinner turned out great, though the cooking took longer than expected due to my overenjoyment of a quiet Sunday evening. I had to change to spent propane canister that I thought was still cooking our dinner. Wow those things go fast!

Speaking of going fast, soon we found our day had come to an end. Long shadows cast across the bunny garden and into the farm fields. Eventually only the faraway barn had any sunlight to share, and then even that was gone.

We we took a moment to watch the sun set behind the clouds. Then we tidied up our mess and headed inside to prepare for the looming work week. With us both working full-time, it is nice to have a little place like the bunny garden to sit and unwind for a spell.

May you all have your own bunny gardens!

Evening Bike Rides

2007-06-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

Kelly just bought a bike a few weeks ago, a cute little Trek 7100 WSD.

It's a perfect match to my own Trek 7100 that I purchased two years ago when I first started this blog.

So anyways we have matching bicycles!

We've been making it a habit to get out and ride 3-4 days each week in the evening when the weather starts to cool. Kelly hasn't biked for a while, but with every bike ride we go further and further as she builds her endurance back up. The land is rather flat out here so hills aren't a problem.

For the past several days it has been grotesquely hot... in the 90s w/ a heat index of 100°, but last night it cooled back down into the 70s. Wonderful weather for a bike ride.

To the south were a bunch of swirling cirrostratus clouds. They were catching the light from the setting sun, changing colors from orange to pink to purple.

We stopped once we reached Cross Creek & Tontogany Rd. to watch the sunset.

Camera phones can be very convenient sometimes, especially when treated with such a lovely evening. I had to stop on our ride back home to capture the moment.

Between the red & purple clouds, blue sky, green corn & trees, yellow wheat fields, and orange sunset and riding along with my Kelly I really felt peaceful and wonderfully grateful for being able to live out in the country.

I'm hoping that everyone else is able to enjoy moments like this. I am so lucky.

Eating from the Garden

2007-06-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

Kelly & I have a little garden going this year.... my 1st attempt at gardening. We planted in early May thinking that we were late in getting it started, only to find out from other gardening friends that we planted way early!

But, luckily the weather was somewhat warm in May, with only 1 frost warning. The plants languished in the cool weather but survived.

We left them to the elements without our amateur interventions as we went on vacation over the end of May. When we returned the plants had experienced a growth spurt.

And since then, we've been trimming and picking veggies for our meals.

The current list of planted goodies includes:
3 varieties of tomatoes,
Zucchini
Yellow squash
Red bell pepper
Cucumbers
Green Onions
Spinach
Radishes
Swiss Chard
(and now for our potted herbs)
Basil
Cilantro
Parsley
Peppermint
Sage
Chives

Last weekend we picked some of the radishes and spinach (only 40 days and they're ready to eat... wow that is fast!). Last night Kelly cooked up the spinach to make Spinach Catalan. She found the recipe over at the Gutsy Gourmet

Here is the recipe:
•1/2 cup golden or regular raisins
•Salt & pepper to taste
•1/3 cup olive oil
•5 garlic cloves, crushed
•3 large spinach bunches (about 30 ounces), trimmed, rinsed, well drained
•1/3 cup pine nuts (Roasted in pan previously)

PREPARATION:
•Place raisins in bowl. Cover with hot water and let soak 10 minutes. Drain.

•Heat olive oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Discard garlic. Increase heat to high and add spinach. Cover and cook until wilted, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Uncover, add raisins and pine nuts and stir until cooking liquid evaporates, about 4 minutes. Season spinach to taste with salt and pepper. Serve spinach immediately.

Hippie Trifecta

2007-05-31T12:57:00.001-07:00

Today I scored 3/3 on the Hippie must-see tour.

First, there was North Beach SF, origin of the beatnicks:

Next was Haight-Asbury SF, home of the West Coast Hippies

And today, Woodstock NY...

God help me.... I've gone native!

Not too bad of a coffee addict

2007-05-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

I am 73% Addicted to Coffee

Mingle² - Free Online Dating

Though I'm sure my friend Matt will score a 99%!
(the challenge has been issued!) -:)

Hangin' in the CatsKills

2007-05-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

Stopped by Ithaca NY on the way. Here's a bit of the Taughannock Falls...

Here's a taste of the Catskill mountains.

And a rocky creek...

Even found a nearby Episcopal Church - St. James.

Loving it out here....

:)

Off to the Catskills

2007-05-24T09:37:00.001-07:00

"Road Trip!"

Kelly & I will be taking a weeks vacation together next week to go see the Catskills. Meanwhile, my parents have offered to catsit Ditzy. I'm looking forward to seeing the land of Irving's Rip Van Winkle. Interestingly enough, my favorite author, HP Lovecraft, set two of his stories: "The Lurking Fear" and "Beyond the Wall of Sleep" in the Catskills.

I've been practicing how to drive a stickshift since my Kelly's AWD is a manual and we'll be taking turns driving. We'll do some camping and stay in some B&Bs later when we're tired of tents.

In my research of things to do for next week, I found some great resources.

Google Earth, of course, is great at viewing the maps of the region, but the 3D feature just adds oh so much to the visualizations. Also, check out the Panoramio buttons on the map. Each one is a picture taken at that particular spot. The catskills are loaded with snapshots... so much to see, so little time.

Wikipedia has a really good entry on the Catskills. What I found most interesting, spatial scientist that I am, was the geologic history of the region. Turns out it's the easternmost portion of the Allegheny Plateau. I grew up in the westernmost portion of the Alleghenies, so I'm sure I'll feel right at home nestled up amongst the eroded mountain peaks. NW Ohio is too flat. Sometimes my thirst for hills drives me crazy out here in the flatland.

Also, the Catskills are a place for fossils! We're be staying for a few days around Gilboa, where they found fossilized tree stumps... the oldest discovered forest known on Earth! I'm planning on seeing them and I'm going to take along some fossil hunting equipment - hammer, brush, etc.. I hope I can find a place where I'm permitted to dig in the rocks.

Now to start the arduous process of making the final preparations.

An Indiana Easter

2007-05-02T07:45:00.000-07:00

This Easter Kelly and I took some time off and headed down to southern Indiana to spend the weekend.

We were originally going to head north up to Frankfort, MI and stay on the shores of Lake Michigan, but a late winter storm had us making last minute preparations for somewhere south.

We were lucky to find a nice place to stay at the Patoka Lake 4 Seasons... there were a few cabins still available and we were able to find one with a jacuzzi and fireplace.

After a long 6-hour drive from NW Ohio through Cincinnati and Louisville, KY, we finally headed west on I-64 into southern Indiana.

These pictures from their site are from the very cabin we rented for the weekend. It really looks that nice in person...

I have to say that the staff was great, the cabins were well kept and overall we had a nice experience. I'd definitely go back.

Kelly and I had never ventured into southern Indiana, and what struck us the most was how this area has been skipped over my commercialization. There is very little in the way of chain restaurants, grocery stores, or chain store shopping. The geography of the area - a mostly rural, sparsely populated, hilly country, part of the Hoosier National Forest, and economically depressed, have somehow protected these hills from becoming an Anytown, USA and have left their original character in tact. We drove through little towns like Birdseye, Eckerty, Mifflin, Taswell... places that at best had a little general store on the corner covered with hand-painted advertisements. At worst the town was a collection of dilapidated houses clustered around an intersection.

On Saturday we decided to head south towards the Ohio River. On the way we stopped by St. Meinrad, one of only 2 archabbeys in the United States.

It was the day before Easter, so none of the 150+ monks in residence were anywhere in sight. We checked out the book store, saw a pickup truck driving around with a lamb in a cage in the back, and then took a peek into the church.

Despite the church being fairly old, the interior is rather contemporary. The pews have been removed and replaced with chairs. What also struck Kelly & I was how plain the nave was. Then again, it was during Easter vigil, so odds are they had stripped the nave as per the Good Friday ritual.

We didn't spend too long at the church. Soon we were back on the road winding through the Hoosier National forest and headed for another quirky place hidden in southern Indiana: Santa Claus!

Santa Claus, Indiana. With landmarks like Frosty's Place, Santa's Candy Castle, and Christmas Lake, this town definitely lives up to its name. Here's Kelly standing in front of the Santa Claus Post Office. Statues of Santa like this one can be found all over town. And a big one sits on top of the tallest hill in town.

This statue, at the bottom reads "Dedicated to the children of the world in memory of an undying love." When it was erected it was said to be made of granite, but now that it is aged it is obvious that the statue is made of concrete.

Just down the lane from the statue site Santa's Candy Castle. The castle was originally ran by the same people that made the Baby Ruth candy bar. It has sat in disrepair for decades. But just recently, a developer bought the property and started restoring it. The candy castle just opened last year. In its heyday, Santa's Candy Castle included a toy workshop and even Santa's shooting range. The inside of Santa's candy castle includes many archival photos and artifacts from its earlier days. And on the day we visited, the Easter Bunny had made an appearance. Several families had brought their children to come do some Easter activites (Egg Hunt, coloring contest, dyeing eggs, etc.) and they all seemed to be having a great time. We ordered some fudge to snack on and sent out some postcards to our friends and family from the land of Santa Claus.

After getting turned around a few times, we were back on our way towards the Ohio River when this little roadside decoration caught my eye: The Bunny express

There it was, within 10 feet of the road out on the side of a cornfield. Cute, and well built for just a decoration. The folks in Santa Claus sure love their holidays. In fact, they have an amusement park in town named Holiday World, where the rides are themed to major American Holidays like Christmas, Halloween, Independence Day, and Thanksgiving.

We finally made it to the Ohio River, and drove alongside it for a ways. We reached Troy, IN, and headed back north. On one of our maps a covered bridge was marked and we wanted to check it out. Eventually, we found it. The entrance above the bridge says "Huffman Mill Bridge - Built in 1863 - Cost: $5,700". We took a walk across the bridge. The timbers making up the floor creaked as we walked out to the middle. This bridge is definitely old and I'm sure has seen better days. About this time we were getting hungry. There isn't much in the way of restaurants down in this section of Indiana, but we had brought plenty of groceries with us, so we headed back to the cabin to prepare supper and then just kick back, relax, and enjoy our weekend.

And what a relaxing weekend it was! If you want a weekend away from it all, southern Indiana is a pretty remote place!

Kurt Vonnegut, Dead

2007-04-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

America has just lost a national treasure....

I just read that Kurt Vonnegut, an author I love and respect, just passed away.

Vonnegut's writings were always relevant to me, addressing the big issues we face today. With a wry humor akin of HL Mencken and Mark Twain, he commented on the absurdities of our society, its great triumphs, and its deplorable vices.

He was a humanist, honorary president of the American Humanists Association (AHA), succeeding Isaac Asimov for the title. vonnegut once said of the humanist

"being a Humanist means trying to behave decently without expectation of rewards or punishment after you are dead."

When Vonnegut spoke to the AHA after Asimov's death, Vonnegut recollected in his book "A Man without a country"

We had a memorial service for Isaac a few years back, and I spoke and said at one point, "Isaac is up in heaven now." It was the funniest thing I could have said to an audience of humanists. I rolled them in the aisles. It was several minutes before order could be restored. And if I should ever die, God forbid, I hope you will say, "Kurt is up in heaven now." That's my favorite joke.

So, please join me and take a moment to say, "Kurt is up in heaven now."

Wikipedia - more on Kurt Vonnegut

my previous blogs on Kurt Vonnegut...
Vonnegut tells it like it is
More from Kurt Vonnegut
See the cat? See the cradle?

Jumping on the Bandwagon

2007-04-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

I saw this over at my friend's blog site....

It's a cute quiz. You should give it a try.

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Artistic Nerd Whether it's painting, sewing, drawing, arts and crafts; or just splashing paint onto a canvas and calling it art; you mostly fit this description. Lots of people envy the artists, but be humble and keep working on it. There is a shortage of true artists today who actually contribute anything to society.
Literature Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Musician
Social Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Drama Nerd
Anime Nerd
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

Okay... not so nerdy....

2006-12-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

DitzyCam is back

2006-11-30T09:33:00.000-08:00

ditzycam
Originally uploaded by AultTimIT.

My brother took some pics, so I have more material for the DitzyCam!

Here's Ditzy hanging out in his favorite place at my parents' house - right above the steps.

Looks like he's about to pounce an unwelcome guest.

Another fun quiz...

2006-11-15T15:14:00.000-08:00

Which Animal Spirit Totem Are You?

Your soul is bound to the Fourth Totem, Solomon: The Owl.Solomon appears as an azure feathered owl. He embodies wisdom, judgement, reason, and stability. He is associated with the color azure, the season of autumn, and the element of water. His downfall is farsightedness.You are most compatible with Ravens and Monkeys.
Take this quiz!

Quizilla
Join
Make A Quiz More Quizzes Grab Code

2006-10-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

Triumph The Insult Comic Dog with Ladysmith Black Mambazo

A great finale to comedy Central's "Night of Too Many stars"

...Come back Marion Barry!

And now for a fun quiz...

2006-10-13T07:15:00.000-07:00

M over at Brash, Dramatic, & Outspoken posted up the results of a neat quiz on her personal DNA, so I thought I'd take it too.

Here are my results:

My Personal Dna Report

2006-10-05T00:04:00.002-07:00

Republicans blame liberals for Foley

And the Republicans sink to an all new low

2006-10-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

Olbermann Traces Bush Admin's Pre-9/11 Actions

Here's the video of the previous post.... very hard hitting, tough questions that have been left unanswered.

Olbermann's Litany of Incompetence

2006-09-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

Here's an eye opening playback of the chain of incompetence seen by the Bush people in the 8 months leading up to 9/11. "Do nothing" seems to be the operative word. And as for Bin Laden? Well, he's gotten away with it. Let's face it. conservatives are all talk. When it comes to getting the job done, they can't deliver.

But hey, it's okay to go back and attack Clinton for not doing enough.... so let's see if Bush did enough too...

Transcript from "Countdown with Keith Olbermann", 9/27/2006

In a sense, we are all still detainees in the wake of 9/11, but there is some unrest among the inmates, being asked what steps he took to stop al Qaeda, President Clinton freeing many to ask what steps, if any, his successor took in the most critical time before the plot.

Yesterday, President Bush declined to address Mr. Clinton‘s remarks, saying, “We‘ve already had the look back this and look back that.” But if we are to look forward with any clarity, it is important to know the facts about where we have been and how we got where we are.

Thus tonight, a special investigation. Mr. Clinton is not in office, Mr. Bush is. His policies determine how the U.S. fights al Qaeda, so it is important that we understand how he has done so in the past. Comparing the two presidents is valid, necessary, to illuminate the capacities of the office. Mr. Clinton said it plainly, he failed to get bin Laden. Mr. Bush has acknowledged no such failure.

But while it has become conventional wisdom, although debunked by the 9/11 report, that Mr. Clinton dropped an offer from Sudan to hand over bin Laden, it is rare to hear anyone discuss whether similar but real feelers were ever extended to Mr. Bush. And it is, we suspect, even more rare to see this tape of the Bush White House addressing reports of such feelers in February 2001, after the government knew al Qaeda had attacked the U.S.S. “Cole.”

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, February 27, 2001)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Taliban in Afghanistan, they have offered that they are ready to hand over Osama bin Laden to Saudi Arabia if the United States drops its sanctions, and the—they have a kind of deal that they want to make with the United States. Do you have any comments (INAUDIBLE)?

ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS Secretary: Let me take that and get back to you on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN: There is no record of any subsequent discussion on that matter.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, of course, responded to President Clinton by defending the Bush record. “We were not left a comprehensive strategy to fight al Qaeda,” she said.

Our goal in this report is to rise to Mr. Clinton‘s challenge and assess the record of Mr. Bush‘s efforts against al Qaeda in his first eight months in office.

We begin with Rice‘s claim that Clinton left no strategy to fight al Qaeda.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, January 20, 2001)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So help me God.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN (voice-over): On January 25, 2001, five days after Mr. Bush took office, counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke sent Rice a memo, attaching to it a document entitled “Strategy for Eliminating the Threat of al Qaeda.” It was, Clarke, wrote, “developed by the last administration to give to you, incorporating diplomatic, economic, military, public diplomacy, and intelligence tools.”

Clarke‘s memo requested a follow-up cabinet-level meeting to address time-sensitive questions about al Qaeda. But President Bush had downgraded counterterrorism from a cabinet-level job, so Clarke now dealt instead with deputy secretaries.

RICHARD CLARKE, FORMER COUNTERTERRORISM CZAR: It slowed it down enormously, by months. First of all, the deputies‘ committee didn‘t meet urgently in January or February.

OLBERMANN: Why the delay? Rice later tried to explain.

RICE: America‘s al Qaeda policy wasn‘t working because our Afghanistan policy wasn‘t working, and our Afghanistan policy wasn‘t working because our Pakistan policy wasn‘t working. We recognized that America‘s counterterrorism policy had to be connected to our regional strategies, and to our overall foreign policy.

OLBERMANN: That, although Clarke‘s January 25 memo specifically warned, “Al Qaeda is not some narrow little terrorist issue that needs to be included in broader regional policy. By proceeding with separate policy reviews on Central Asia, etc., we would deal inadequately with the need for a comprehensive multiregional policy on al Qaeda.”

Clarke‘s deputies‘ meeting came in April, when, he says, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz insisted the real terrorism threat was not al Qaeda, but Iraq.

By July 16, the deputies had a proposal for dealing with al Qaeda, a proposal, Clarke says, was essentially the same plan he gave Rice five months earlier, and it still had to go to the principals, the cabinet secretaries.

CLARKE: But the principals‘ calendar was full, and then they went on vacation, many of them, in August, so we couldn‘t meet in August. And therefore the principals met in September.

OLBERMANN: Although the principals had already met on other issues, their first meeting on al Qaeda was not until after Labor Day, on September 4, 2001.

But what were Mr. Bush and his top advisers doing during this time? Mr. Bush was personally briefed about al Qaeda even before the election, in November 2000. During the transition, President Clinton and his national security adviser, Sandy Berger, say they told Bush and his team of the urgency of getting al Qaeda.

Three days before President Bush took office, Berger spoke at a passing-the-baton event, which Rice attended.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, January 17, 2001)

SANDY BERGER, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: With (ph) survivors of the U.S.S. “Cole” reinforced the reality that America is in a deadly struggle with a new breed of anti-Western jihadists. Nothing less than a war, I think, is fair to describe this.

OLBERMANN: Eight days later, Clarke sent Rice the strategy Clinton had developed for retaliating in the event that al Qaeda was found to have been behind the previous October‘s attack on the U.S.S. “Cole.” The next day, the FBI conclusively pinned the “Cole” attack on al Qaeda.

Mr. Bush ordered no military strike, no escalation of existing Clinton measures. Instead, he repeated Clinton‘s previous diplomatic efforts, writing a letter to Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf in February and another on August 4.

Until September 11, even when Mr. Bush was asked about the “Cole,” an attack carried out on water by men in a boat, he offered a consistent prescription for keeping America safe, one he reiterated upon taking office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: To protect our own people, our allies and friends, we must develop and we must deploy effective missile defenses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN: Democrats, who controlled the Senate, warned that his focus was misplaced.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D): I‘m also concerned that we may not be putting enough emphasis on countering the most likely threats to our national security and to the security of our forces deployed around the world, those asymmetric threats, like terrorist attacks on the U.S.S. “Cole,” on our barracks and our embassies around the world, on the World Trade Center.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN: He was not alone. The executive director of the Hart-Rudmann Commission‘s request to brief Bush and Cheney on the terror threats they had studied was denied.

On February 26, 2001, Paul Bremer said of the administration, quote, “What they will do is stagger along until there‘s a major incident, and then suddenly say, Oh, my God, shouldn‘t we be organized to deal with this?”

According to the 9/11 Commission report, even bin Laden expected Bush to respond militarily to the “Cole” bombing. Quote, “In February 2001, according to a source, bin Laden wanted the United States to attack, and if it did not, he would launch something bigger.”

The most famous warning came in the August 6 presidential daily briefing, reporting “patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York.”

According to the 9/11 report, “Bush did not recall discussing the August 6 report with the attorney general, or whether Rice had done so. We have found no indication of any further discussion before September 11 among the president and his top advisers of the possibility of a threat of an al Qaeda attack in the United States. Tenet does not recall any discussions with the president of the domestic threat during this period. Domestic agencies did not know what to do, and no one gave them direction. The borders were not hardened, transportation systems were not fortified, electronic surveillance was not targeted against the domestic threat, state and local law enforcement were not marshaled to augment the FBI‘s efforts. The public was not warned.”

Explanations after the fact suggested a lack of familiarity with the recent history of terrorism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

RICE: I don‘t think anybody could have predicted that these people would take an airplane and slam it into the World Trade Center.

(Subtitle: 1994, France disrupts plot to fly a jet into Eiffel Tower.)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There wasn‘t any

way then we could have anticipated what was about to happen, of course, in

on 9/11.

(Subtitle: 1995, Philippines uncovers plot to fly planes into Pentagon and World Trade Center.)

(Subtitle: September 1999, U.S. study: Al Qaeda might crash planes into Pentagon.)

(Subtitle: Spring 2001, New York City trial testimony: Bin Laden sending agents to acquire planes.)

BUSH: These terrorists had burrowed in our country for over two years. They were well organized. They were well planned. They struck in a way that was unimaginable.

(Subtitle: July 2001, FBI told of Zacarias Moussaoui‘s interest in flying jumbo jets.)

(Subtitle: September 2001, FBI memo: Moussaoui could fly something into the World Trade Center.)

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

OLBERMANN: On September 10, 2001, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California requested a meeting with Vice President Cheney to press the case for aggressive counterterrorism measures. She is told Mr. Cheney will need some time to prepare first, six months.

That same day, the NSA intercepted a communique from Afghanistan to Saudi Arabia, stating, “Tomorrow is zero hour.” That communique was only translated into English on September 12.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OLBERMANN: It appears now that the operative word in the phrase “We could not have anticipated” was the word “we.”

I'm in Nerd-Denial

2006-09-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

Dammit! I'm a scientist, not a nerd.

Olbermann: This Hole in the Ground

2006-09-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

I can't think of any other journalist out there as eloquent as Keith Olbermann. I have Tivo'd his "Countdown" show for the past month. He exhibits a strong sense of reality, makes good arguments, is eloquent in speech, and has the kind of humor tghat speaks to an Xer like me. Seth McFarlane of Family Guy fame does voice-overs as Stewie Griffin to introduce his "Monumental Earth Shattering News" segment, a blatant mockery of the "Fox News Alert", in which Olberman just ends up announcing a trifling tidbit of ET news about who got bumped off "Dancing with the Stars".

Watch this video, Olbermann's commentary on the 5th anniversary of 9/11, to see firsthand why Keith Olbermann is by far the best anchor on TV.

Geotagged Photos

2006-08-30T21:41:00.000-07:00

Finally, technology that lets you make an electronic travelogue.
I have recently been going through my Flickr photos and assigning latitude and longitude coordinates to them. This way they can be placed onto an interactive map.

Click here to check out my geotagged photos so far

2006-08-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

The Energy Crisis is Solved!

Scientists have discovered how to harness cats' desire for food, a limitless resource...

As Dana Carvey's Bush Sr. said

2006-08-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

"If you wanrt to get elected, you gotta be on the right for your base, but for the public you gotta do that middle dance"...

So, if you haven't heard,

McCain faults administration on Iraq

Gee, that McCain, he's such a maverick, criticizing the president like that...

So here's the question, McCain, why didn't you say something back in 2004?!?!?

Hmm... let's fire up the wayback machine to the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City...

[an excerpt from McCain's Speech]

"I believe as strongly today as ever, the mission was necessary, achievable and noble.
For his determination to undertake it and for his unflagging resolve to see it through to a just end, President Bush deserves not only our support, but our admiration."

So much for the "straight talk"...

Face it, McCain is no maverick, and this action is no where near "straight talk". McCain is a GOP shill looking to twist his words into the Whitehouse in 2008. And to do so, he's distancing himself from an unpopular president that he endorsed for reelection in 2004, criticizing an unpopular war that he once supported, and kowtowing to the religious right that can make or break his support in the Republican party, just look at his "evolving" view on intelligent design...

...careful John, don't pull away too far from their agenda, they may drop their support. Read his transcript statements in the interview on NPR with Tom Ashbrook. I listened to this show last year, and McCain was basically spouting that ID should be taught in school under the guise of "all points of view". It was as if he was towing the party line but didn't believe a lick of it... SHILL!

straight talk... more like
bullshit.

Is it Southpaw or $outhpaw?

2006-08-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

How about that... a new scientific study says us southpaws make more money
than right-handers.

So, when is this going to help me out? According to this study, I'm supposed to be getting paid 26% more than rightys, but I'm just not seeing it (yet)...

Who knows....

Eye Candy for Political Junkies

2006-08-08T08:49:00.000-07:00

I just found this nifty resource over at the New York Times. It's an interactive map for the 2006 midterm/gubernatorial elections. You can pick, senate, house, or governor, and it indicates who is running in each race, recent poll numbers, a color-coded interactive map breaking down past election trends, tossups, you can make your own predictions... and waste away several hours in the process..

See for yourself:

2006-07-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

Ali G - sandwich war

We went to war over sandwiches... check around the 2:20 mark...

2006-07-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

If Dave Chappelle were Howard Dean

Byaaaaah!

2006-06-27T07:21:00.000-07:00

A Terrifying Message from Al Gore

You have to appreciate the self-deprication Al Gore can put himself through.

Bike to the Bay Year 2... Some people never learn ;)

2006-06-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, June 24-25, 2006, I participated in my second MS Reeves Northup Memorial Bike to the Bay ride. This year I was joined by some of my coworkers at The University of Toledo. Five of us formed the "UT Rocket Riders" team and together collected over $1000 in pledges to benefit the fight to cure MS.

Three of our team members decided to get a later start, but Tom and I showed up early and started off at about 7:45. It was a gorgeous day... sunny, no clouds, 75 degrees for the high temp. The only drawback was that the wind was coming from the NE, an unusual pattern for this area. This meant that for the first day we were riding into the wind.

←Here I am in Tontogany sporting a UT Rockets Flag.

By the time Tom and I hit the 1st rest stop south of Waterville, the rest of the UT Rocket Riders - Sarah & Guy (a married couple from my UT Department) and Matt (Sarah's father) were getting ready to start off. We continued on, and on the way to Tontogany I head a metallic 'pop' sound come from my bike. At the Tontogany rest stop, I ran into to Ginny, our church's secretary. She was volunteering and cutting up apples. Tontogany's stop is known for their brownies, so I went ahead and had one... very delicious. At Tom's insistence, I also took my bike over to Reggie's truck for them to inspect my bike. Turns out that I busted a spoke. They didn't have a spare one, but the fellow from Wersells had a spare one, so they were able to cooperate and get my bike back into shape and ready for the rest of the ride.

←Tom celebrates our progress in Tontogany.

We went at a good pace, skipping the Devil's Hole Road rest stop and pedalling on to lunch in Pemberville. By then I noticed that I had forgotten to apply sunscreen and was sporting a lot of red skin. I applied sunscreen, then as we sat down for lunch I met up with Julie, the woman I rode bike to the bay with last year during the return trip. She was there with her friend Joyce.

Just as we were leaving from lunch to get back on the rode, the rest of our UT rocket riders team, Sarah, Guy, and Matt arrived. We had our group photo taken and then went our separate ways, continuing on after lunch...
←Here's the UT rocket riders Team (left to right) Tim, Tom, Sarah, Matt, and Guy

Water levels were high from the recent heavy rain and flooding in the area. Our next stop was Gibsonburg. A parade was taking place, Gibsonburg's annual homecoming parade, so we saw a few pontoon boats turned floats going down the street. Tom remembered that his aunt and cousins live in Gibsonburg, so after a short rest (and popsicles...ummm) we took a 3 block side trip so he could pop in and say hello. His cousin's son was cutting the grass, and I waited outside while he went in to say hello. About ten minutes later we set back off for Port Clinton. We rode across route 20 through Lindsey, then across the turnpike and stopped at the Oak Harbor 1 rest stop behind a small church. There we met Dave, an older man who has done bike to the bay for 13 years. Apparently his son was also doing the ride but was well ahead of him. As we went to finish the last 2 legs of the 1st day, Tom found his second wind and went flying on his 10 speed (an orange Pugenout he picked up during his army days in Germany in 1975). He was well ahead of me. At the last stop before Port Clinton, I caught up with him, only for him to pull far ahead of me by the time we crossed route 53. Only a few miles left, and I crossed the route 2 overpass, flew down the hill and turned into the finish line at Port Clinton HS. The time was 3:45.

←Didn't anyone read the sign?!

I signed in and picked up my Jet Express pass... last year I didn't use them, but this year I was definitely going to go to Put-in-Bay... I wanted a beer. Tom & I put our bikes in the bike corral l-a baseball field with an ironic warning that no bikes were allowed, ate supper, set up our tents, cleaned up, and set off for Put-In-bay.

←Home sweet home for the evening.

←Getting on the Jet Express to DrunkLand...er... Put-In-Bay.

The view of Lake Erie was spectacular. I had never seen clearer conditions. I could see the Monroe Power station's smokestacks, Fermi's cooling towers in Detroit, Kelley's Island, South Bass and Middle Bass Island, and West Sister Island off in the distance.

←The famous Boat-House made from the hull of a ship.

The Jet Express definitely is fast for a boat. As we neared Put-In-Bay, we passed by the boat house, that is, a house made from the hull of a ship, rattlesnake island, and I could also see Pelee Island off in the distance, which technically is Canada.

As we departed the Jet Express, a place that is most for upper middle class b we noticed boaters to go and get hammered, we were greeted with a sign reading...

←"We're glad you road the Jet Express."

...it's rode, drunkass (dumbass might apply, but I'm certain this was an alcohol-induced misspelling from my experience on the island).

Our first stop was the Roundhouse Bar, a dirty old building filled with obnoxious, predominantly-white drunks yelling and smoking up a storm, but the place had a good selection of beer on draft. I ordered a blacksmith (half Guinness, half Smithwicks), the bartender had no idea what it was. I clued him in and was rewarded with the beer I had looked forward to all day. Tom and I hung around for a few minutes as we watched one rich arrogant bastard yelling at a bartender (it was too loud to hear what he was saying, but I think he spoke in 4-letter words) and he was throwing dollar bills, one at a time, in the poor fellow's face. Classy!

←The Perry Monument on Put-in-Bay... closed for repairs from the recent storm.

We both had enough of this spot, so we ventured down Delaware Ave to the Beer Barrel Saloon. Pat Dailey was playing right then... Tom had been talking about going to see Pat Dailey perform 20some years ago when he was younger, so he was excited to have such fortunate timing. The place seemed a bit crowded and I wasn't sure about going in, but Tom was nice enough to pay my way in despite my reservations. We sat down in the crowded room to hear him perform, and I must admit, he is pretty good; his songs are a bit vulgar and just what the drunk crowd of regulars wanted.

←Pat Dailey performs at Put-In-bay.

Tom went to get a beer, and I was surprised that he brought me one too! We listened and laughed at his song and antics for about an hour then decided to go walk around some. On the way out I ran into S and her daughter from my church. They had sailed in and we were both surprised to see each other there. I got a congrats for completing day one and then Tom and I went off to walk around the town. We walked over by St. Paul's Episcopal and Mother of Sorrows church when Sarah and Guy called saying they were catching the next ferry to Put-in-Bay, so we walked back to the main part of town to wait for them. As part of our Jet Express passes, we were also given coupons for a place called Del Sol to receive a free color-changing tote bag with a $5 purchase. I expected the place to be just another gift shop, and I needed to buy batteries for my camera and some ibuprofen for my sore muscles, but instead it ended up being a sparse shop selling nothing but color-changing trinkets. I looked around, but there was nothing I really wanted. So I bought 3 $2 keychains and got a free totebag. The clerk didn't seem too happy, but then again, if he had more to sell...

We waited and waited for Sarah and Guy. Tom and I were tired and wanted to leave the island at about 10pm since we were getting up at 6am for day 2. BTW: Sarah and Guy have a cottage nearby. Sarah's dad had ridden with them, and her mom was waiting in Port Clinton with their 2 children to pick them up and take them there, so they left just after they hit the finish line and were going to spend some family time instead of doing the return trip. The closest ferry leaving around 10pm back was the 9:45 one, and as we were picking up our boarding passes to head back, Sarah and Guy arrived long enough for us to say hi and then get on the ferry home.

←Sunset at Put-In-Bay.

I sat next to a drunk on the way back who had scarfed down some pizza and, IMHO, was close to sending the eaten pizza flying as we hit some choppy water. The night was near a new moon, and the stars were brilliant in the clear dark sky over Lake Erie. If only I had brought my binoculars... We made it back to the tent city around the school.. now filled with dew, and went to bed.

Day 2:

We got up at 6am, packed up our gear, and retrieved our bikes. Inside the High School we were treated to breakfast including flying pancakes. Basically they cook the pancakes and then fling them at you for you to catch. Tom and I sat down for pancakes, sausage, coffee, and cereal, then got our bikes to take off for day 2. Tom went to the bike techs to check his tire's air pressure, when they noticed a crack running around the axle (inner cone) of his front rim. Apparently the spokes were too tight and it looked like the bearings inside the axle had seized, making the bike unsafe and definitely not ridable until it got a new rim. His front rim is a Wolber, which the old mechanic said was made when he first started in the business in the 70s and the kid working on Tom's bike wasn't even born when they stopped making them. It was an original rim, collector's item, but busted. The mechanic called around to all the bike techs on the route searching for a replacement rim, but there was none to be found. So Tom went ahead and called his wife to come pick him up. I was off on my own, and what's a real shame is that Tom was in much better shape than me to ride the return trip to Toledo.

I started off at around 8am after hanging out hoping they could fix Tom's bike. I slowly made progress, having been one of the last ones out, I passed by several people along the first 2 stops. Then the Toledo Bike Police team went cruising by me. They had started even later and flew by me in a group, drafting off each other. At each rest stop I would leave just before them only to be passed up a bit later. At the Woodville rest stop, I left at the same time as the Bike Police Team. Another rider and I decided to see if we could keep up with them and drafted along with them behind their last person. I kept up for about 3 miles before it became too much to endure. But in that time we must've passed about 60 riders. At lunch I met up with the other fellow trying to keep up with them. He only lasted about a mile more after I gave up. I have to give the Toledo Bike Police their due, they are a tough bunch, and if you're a fleeing criminal with one of them on your tail, just give up because you can't outrun them.

←Just finished lunch in Pemberville-75% done!

At lunch I called my family to say hello just before my mom took off for Reno, Nevada. I also ran into Dave, the 13 year bike to the bay vet, and his friend Stephen, who was doing his 16th year. We ate lunch together. After a good meal, I was back on the road. This time another group drafting off each other passed me. I recognized them from last year. They were some people that had finished the last 2 legs of the return trip with Julie and me last year. I was able to keep up with their pace, so I continued on with them. As I got to know them along the route, I found out that they call themselves the "Beer Nuts", since they like to drink beer.

Drafting, for those who don't know, is where you ride close together to minimize wind resistance. It takes a lot of communication and control of the bicycle to do. The return trip was my first experience truly drafting in a group, but I learned fast what to do, and the beer nuts group was nice enough to correct any mistakes I made without getting mad. Good bunch of people...

The last half of the ride was all country roads, and bumpy, uneven country roads at that. The constant jarring of the bike lead to numb hands. In addition, some of the legs were northern, right into the wind, making the riding tougher. After our last rest stop in Waterville, we all took a detour from the approved MS B2B path and jumped on the Wabash Cannonball bike Trail. It was not a short cut, it probably added another 200 yards to the trip, but the trail has no automobile traffic to worry about and is paved much better than the shoulder of the approved road. Finally, we crossed the Anthony Wayne trail, rode through downtown Maumee, and ended Day 2 at the finish line at the Rec center. We all sat down for a BBQ chicken dinner and picked up our gear and completion certificates. I said goodbye to the beer nuts and headed home for a long, hot bath.

Today, Monday, my legs are a bit sore, but I found out that we had a total of 1,041 riders for the event, and that just over $263,000 was pledged for the ride, with the amount raised for the ride (which will be known by the end of July) to be much higher than that. My ride was sponsored by several friends and family members for a total of $270. Thanks Guys!

This is definitely going to be an annual event for me as long as I live in the area. It's for a good cause, filled with great people, and a wonderful way to make new friends!

-Tim

Now I live in lakefront property!

2006-06-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

I just got back into Toledo last night... and we've had one of the worst thunderstorm in the past 25 years... 4inches fell in one hour! Laast evening I got a chance to visit my friend Steve in Cleveland, and as I left we were starting to get hit with a massive storm. I drove down the turnpike from Cleveland to Toledo right through severe thunder, some hail, and heavy rain with about 30 yard visibility... which meant I wasn't going much faster than 40mph.

today Steve sent me an image he saved from weather underground of the total rainfall from last night... what a storm!

When I turned down my street to pull into my driveway, I found it flooded! I had to drive up and across the lawn to avoid the water... and overnight thw water kept rising. By the is morning it looks like there's a lake in my front yard.

Also, at the end of the road Glenway there is a small brick house. This one is not built up on top of the hill like the others... its lawn has disappeared and it looks like their 1st floor is under 2 feet of water... worst yet, I saw the house up for sale a few weeks ago. Talk about bad luck...

In all my 8 years of living here, I've never seen anything like this. I'm sure Ditzy hasn't either in all of his 3 years of life... but cats are curious. I'm sure he's wondering if there's any fish to be found in there.

This is all spill over from a ditch adjacent to the street. It has overflowed its banks, washing some beer bottles, litter, and plant debris up onto the lawn.

The concrete tunnel the drains the nearby ditch into the Ottawa River has vanished. The only signs of it are these massive gurgling sounds coming from the water where its submerged.

The city was by this morning to inspect the flooding, as were a few neighbors. I checked the Toledo Blade today, but somehow they missed this street in their article... well that's somewhat to be expected. This area is pretty secluded, which is why I like it so.

And now that its lakefront property, I hope the rent won't get raised!

-Tim

A little perspective...

2006-05-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

Leave it to Bizarro's sunday comic to address the history of religious intolerance so eloquently...

...and yes, I'm a southpaw... I guess that means I'm an abomination...

School's out already?

2006-05-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

Cinco de Mayo today... and the last day of finals week for UT. Tomorrow is the big graduation day for many families, and many students have already moved back home for summer jobs.

Just when the weather started to turn nice.

Welcome to the Semester System.

Back around 1998 the University of Toledo converted from the Quarter System to the current semester System. Rather than have three 10-week terms, Fall, Winter, and Spring (and Summer if ya watned) during the academic year, now there are 2 15-week terms, Fall and Spring (yeah yeah yeah summer too).

But here's the big difference: under the semester term, classes start around Labor Day and End in early May. In the quarter system, classes started around the middle of September and ended in the middle of June.

That's right, the middle of June. Sure, that meant everyone else has a head-start on you for summer employment (missed many a summer-opportunity because of this), but it also meant:

warm days on centennial mall
hanging out at the Old West End festival with your college buddies
walking to class through a blizzard of cottonwood snow along the Ottawa river.
Frisbee, outdoor events on a warm day, lounging in shorts & sandals while student government hopefuls went about their busy-ness in hot Oxford shirts, slacks, and ties.
Outdoor classes out under a shade tree
outdoor lab exercises collecting measurements of the campus
sneaking onto the roof of the Student Union to enjoy a day of sun.

...I'm a year-round UT employee now, so I still get to experience the season on campus. Just wish everyone else still did.

Star Lords: Where's Jimmy Castor when you need him?

2006-05-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

Well, the inevitable has happened: someone has combined Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. The montage of rearranged and edited clips starts off rather slow and boring, but then...

It goes funkadelic. Wayyyy DiscoFunk.

Unashamedly, over the top disco, complete with cleverly back-and-forth edited dance scenes by all our favorite characters.

Even the cantina band joins in the fun while Gandalf does the "Curly Shuffle".

It's worth a look (or cringe)... but those of you who know me well know that when things get this cheesy I just can't turn away!

Brought to you by MisShapenFeatures

And that music: "It's Just Begun" by Jimmy Castor, circa 1972

Republican's Scheme to Bribe Americans

2006-04-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

Question: With faltering congressional and presidential approval ratings, a White House cabinet stocked full of Ex-Oil Executives, record profits for Oil Companies, a spike in gas prices, and the 2006 Midterm elections looming... what's a Republican to do?

Answer: Give Americans a $100 "Gas Rebate".

So where is the $100 rebate coming from? Are we taking the money from the Oil Companies' windfall profits?

Nope, it'll come from our TAX Money (or from our deficit, which means they're borrowing the rebate now and our TAX money will be used to pay it back later, with interest.)

I can't help but think of bread and circuses here, folks. People are upset with our Republican "leadership", so instead of addressing the problem (which they can't because they're in bed with the oil companies), they just throw around some Benjamins as a sort of "hush money" or bribe.

But there's a catch (isn't there always)... the proposal also contains a provision to open up ANWR for oil drilling, cause senior Republican Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska (yes, the same Ted Stevens building the alaskan Bridge to Nowhere, and the the same one who brought the Oil Executives to testify then refused to have them sworn in to testify) has a boner for ANWR oil.

So, this is the "solution" the Republican Senate proposes to alleviate our energy crisis: We know you need gas and we've let the price at the pump get out of control, so let us drill in ANWR, and we'll give you $100 of your own tax money as a "rebate". And we'll tie this proposal as an amendment to an emergency spending measure that funds the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina rebuilding, that way if the Democrats vote against it, they don't support our troops and they're "dragging their feet" to help out the Katrina victims.

Tell them we don't need their bribe, and let's send this group of incompetent miscreants packing in November.

From the UT Daily Message System

2006-04-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine pointed out this message on our University of Toledo Daily Message Center

3). Praise and Worship Night

Praise & Worship Night

April 25th

7:00 p.m.

Come out for a free concert

-Refreshments will be served

-Please bring canned goods for donations to Katrina victims

-Come Praise the Lord for how good he is!!!!!

...I love the juxtaposition of the last two lines in a sort of cynical way. I know what they mean, but their wording could be better...

You know it's bad when....

2006-04-20T11:51:00.000-07:00

...Fox News' Opinion Dynamics Poll puts Bush's approval rating at 33%.

With the poll pegging Bush's disapproval rating at 57%, that's a whopping 44% difference between the two, and very reminiscent of Nixon.

...of course, the spin is for the GOP will be to dump their lame duck president and distance themselves from his political troubles just in time for the 2006 elections and the 2008 Presidential Race.

Eat the Damn Apple!

2006-04-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

My tolerance for Churchianity continues to wane. My church, I fear, has become an institution more concerned with its own continued existence rather than follow the mission that bore its creation. Centuries of order, rules, and standards set to most effieciently do God's work have been perverted into a cumbersome system that has lost its way. Rules are to be obeyed, even when unjust, over the extraordinary circumstances that the call of the Holy Spirit calls just. The words of Jesus the Son are lost in the cacophony of theological psychobabble of the "church leaders". What is simple is made complex. What was straightforward in the Gospels is bent and twisted to accomodate the wills of men over the ages. Just War. Love with conditions. Exclusivity in God's Kingdom. Fractured denomiations out of communion when all of them bless the bread and wine in God's name. How is it we humans can make such work out of something practically given to us?

God has given us an apple to spiritually nourish us, and instead of eating it we investigate it for worms, guess it's size, its species, even run DNA tests so we can determine what tree the apple came from. And while we meet and confer in commitee and "take it all in", that apple rots before our very eyes.

Why can't we just eat the damn apple?!

After attending a Vestry meeting today we talked about meeting with our bishop. This is something I dread because I can't think of anything he can do or say that will make me feel much differently about him. Some think I hate him, yet I don't. I just see him as another person. His position as bishop doesn't mean anything to the Baptist in me. Just another fancy title. I fear the problem is that he sees his title as important. That somehow in the grand cosmic scale of things this makes what he says and believes more important in an antiquated patriarchal way. Not that there aren't great spiritual leaders in the world. He just isn't one of them. Anymore, this bishops seems more to represent the CEO of subsidiary nonprofit than the role of a Shepherd for God. Maybe it's because that in this day and age his position is spread so thin that it takes a bishop 2-3 years to visit each church in their diocese, that their jobs are less and less to be shepherds than it is to shuffle paperwork, make "clerical" decisions for the doicese and the other type of day-to-day operations you'd expect more from a business than a church.
I haven't had the chance yet to sit with him face to face, so I don't know if I'm angry with him or with the system in which he is so ingrained.

Some on the vestry told me I should learn to live with it, that this is the way things are. I can't help but believe that we should never be satisfied with how they are and should demand change in the direction towards God. While we squabble on who can and cannot bless the bread and wine, who can and cannot become bishops, or the injustice and twisted theology of Churchianity, I, as R+ once put, fell my inner prophet.

That led me to turn to Isaiah, one of the big prophets. I wanted to read what he was saying. I started at the beginning, and this passage just seems to resonate with me right now.

Isaiah 1 (from The Message//Remix)

11"Why this frenzy of sacrifices?"
GOD's asking.
"Don't you think I've had my fill of burnt sacrifices,
rams and plump grain-fed calves?
Don't you think I've had my fill
of blood from bulls, lambs, and goats?
12When you come before me,
who ever gave you the idea of acting like this,
Running here and there, doing this and that--
all this sheer commotion in the place provided for worship?
13"Quit your worship charades.
I can't stand your trivial religious games:
Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings--
meetings, meetings, meetings--I can't stand one more!
14Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them!
You've worn me out!
I'm sick of your religion, religion, religion,
while you go right on sinning.
15When you put on your next prayer-performance,
I'll be looking the other way.
No matter how long or loud or often you pray,
I'll not be listening.
And do you know why? Because you've been tearing
people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.

Are we just going through the motions of playing 'church'? Saying the right words at the right times like that somehow makes a difference? Perpetuating an institution for the sake of perpetuating the institution? More concerned about the houses men built than for God's house until we can't tell which is which? While I can see the institution's shortcomings, what about my own? At least those I can control. Still, I want my church to become something better. Likewise, I hope that I will become better myself, because I'd be a liar if I said I'm not the same.

I think I need to take another bite of that apple.

Atonement theology schmeology

2006-04-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

Recently during our choir rehearsals we have been mentioning the amount of atonement theology found in our musical selections, especially this time of year. Atonement theology, basically, is the notion that Christ died on the cross to pay a ransom for the sin of mankind, and only through this sacrifice could we find our salvation. While some hold this belief, there are many who do not. And I am one of those that reject atonement theology.

Simply put, I cannot imagine a world where God demands blood to atone for the very shortcomings he created us to have.

Palm Sunday I was absent from our Sunday service to visit family. Yet my reason for absence was twofold. At the end of the Palm Sunday service comes the veneration of the cross. A cross is brought into the nave and it is venerated. That's fine and all for those who see that cross as a symbol of salvation, but for me all I see is a representation of the device used to murder.

As we end Maunday Thursday and head into "Good" Friday, I found myself wondering why I feel the significance of it? The agony in the garden, the crucification, etc. if I don't ascribe to atonement theology? As I stood through the reading of Christ in Gethsemane in a darkened nave underneath this huge, crude wooden cross, I chewed on what ineffible thing it was that gave this story importance.

Throughout my life I have dreamed of something better. You could say it's the optimist in me, but I'm sure I'm not the only one with that trait. Ideal job, ideal home, ideal partner, ideal church, ideal club, ideal blah blah blah. But they are just ideas, not reality. We humans aspire to make our dreams real. To form that little utopia. Sometimes we even stumble upon something that seems close enough to ideal. A club, a partner, a church. Yet what we see happen over and over again is our attempt to make our dreams real ran afoul. As Yeats wrote, "things fall apart". Nothing we make is permanent. Eventually this 'good thing' we've found will end. We will ourselves change and lose interest in what we once treasured, our vision of utopia will be hijacked and ran aground by others with different visions, our treasures are ransacked by greed and envy, and eventually all we have of our great big plans are dust.

Jesus had a great vision of the Kingdom of God. A new society, a new way to relate to one another, a new set of values based in spirit rather than material. And what happened when he worked to make it a reality?

They washed their hands of him. They betrayed him. They denied him. They stole from him. They conspired against him.

And then they killed him.

As a Gen X'er, I find this to be in tune with the notion that our generation doesn't trust anything. It's not quite true, we trust very few things, butwe just have given up on institutions and we are a bit fatalistic that nothing good ever lasts. How many X'ers come from broken homes, or a one driven nearly into poverty by Reaganomics, or attended a deteriorating public school? How many of us have emerged from our youthful innocence to face a world where our parents' generation is borrowing away our future, housing prices so high we may never own a home, and to be the first American generation not to do better than our parents?

Of course, the problem here is that He wouldn't stay dead. That kinda makes your message hard to kill...

I wish I was more articulate than a 2am rambling, but I've found a rather eloquent paragraph from Sarah Hinlicky's article Talking to Generation X over at First Things. I wish I had found the link earlier (have I mentioned how much I love google?)

Mostly, though, turn us towards God hanging on the cross. That is what the world does to the holy. Where the cities of God and Man intersect, there is a crucifixion. The best–laid plans are swept aside; the blueprints for the perfect society are divided among the spoilers. We recognize this world: ripped from the start by our parents' divorces, spoiled by our own bad choices, threatened by war and poverty, pain and meaninglessness. Ours is a world where inconvenient lives are aborted and inconvenient loves are abandoned. We know all too well that we, too, would betray the only one who could save us.

Read the whole article. It's really good, and almost makes the same points I'm making, if not more articulately.

Doing the Happy Dance

2006-04-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

Today, after 3 years of research and 2 years of writing (okay, 6 months of writing and 18 months of edits), my research paper has finally been submitted to a journal for publication.

That's not to say that they still won't reject it, but I'm still doing the happy dance because it is done.

One thing I know about myself is that my 'shadow side' likes to start a project, get about 90% of the way done, and then abandon it, never to finish. That's a part of myself I don't like, so today's submission for me is a celebration, a triumph, so to speak, over that part of me that tends to leave things undone.

Yay!!!!

...now to do the dishes. [sigh]

I'm a what?

2006-04-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

Great. Now, can anyone tell me what a Mandarin is (other than an orange, a language or a collar)?

I'm a Mandarin!

You're an intellectual, and you've worked hard to get where you are now. You're a strong believer in education, and you think many of the world's problems could be solved if people were more informed and more rational. You have no tolerance for sloppy or lazy thinking. It frustrates you when people who are ignorant or dishonest rise to positions of power. You believe that people can make a difference in the world, and you're determined to try.

Talent: 46%
Lifer: 31%
Mandarin: 62%

Take the Talent, Lifer, or Mandarin quiz.

Would you use this service?

2006-04-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

Today I just listened to one of our grad students give his thesis defense on the viability of a TARTA (toledo area regional transit authority) shuttle bus to the airport. Unsurprisingly, his findings, based on modeling, statistics, and ridership of the pilot program showed it to be a failure. His findings concluded that the Toledo Express Airport does not provide enough passenger flights to make the route viable.

Everyone here in Toledo flies out of Detroit Metro (DTW). It's an hour away and offers direct flights all over the world. The airport is also one of the world's biggest. Little Toledo Express can't match it in service, and most flights taken out of Toledo Express just put you on a small plane heading to Detroit for a transfer that takes a few hours (a wasteful option since you can drive yourself there in one hour).

So what's the down side to flying out of Detroit for the average Toledoan? Parking.

Unless you can have a friend drop you off at the terminal, you're going to have to park your car there for the duration of the trip, which can get rather expensive. Plus, there's the 100 mile round trip to consider. For a car with 20mpg highway and $2.75/gallon, that's $13.75 in the fuel alone.

More Toledoans fly out of Detroit than Toledo because it makes more sense. The fares zre cheaper and it takes less time out of our day. So, as our department chair asked the grad student, why doesn't TARTA offer a service to Detriot?

The answer, of course, is politics. the Toledo Port Authority would balk at one of their entities servicing a rival airport in lieu of their precious Toledo Express. So, TARTA will, for political reasons, never provide the service.

So, the next question he presented to the grad student was, instead of the Airport shuttle bus going to Toledo Express Airport winding around through the Central Business District to the commercial districts and eventually to the airport, why not have a huge free parking lot where Toledoans could park their car, get on the bus, and have non-stop service to Toledo Express?

The answer why TARTA doesn't consider this is, once aagain, politics. TARTA has promised the business and commercial community that it would not provide free long-term parking for its riders, especially since this would hurt the CBD parking businesses. Thus, the idea of cutting down transit time with a direct line rather than curbside stops is also out of the question.

So, if we can't depend on TARTA, a publically-funded transit entity to provide services where demand lies, what about the private sector?

Yep, that's right. A lefty-liberal progressive like me said private sector.

Think about it:

A private business senses a need for a direct transit shuttle to the Detroit Metro Airport. The potential riders would be locals heading out on a trip. Odds are, if they can afford to take the trip, then they can afford personal transportation. Now, how can we make using our shuttle service a more enticing option for these people compared to them driving there themselves? Answer: money and time.
If the fuel cost alone is $13.75 per vehicle and the time is one hour of driving, and at least $7 to park the car and have a friend drive it home, then a $10 ticket one-way to the airport taking about 1 hour 15 minutes doesn't seem that bad...

...especially when the service offers free, long term parking.

Toledo is right in the center of the rust belt. We used to be a much bigger city. Now where there were once buildings and houses there are vacant lots and parking lots. If there is one thing Toledo doesn't lack, it is available unused land.

Imagine if you would:

On the edge of the city lies a derelict shopping center (Toledo has four locations to choose from here). Let's go with Southwyck Shopping Center in this example. A private entity could easily buy up one of them and utilize the parking spaces for long term parking. They would run a shuttle service, let's call it the blue-line, from Southwyck to Detriot Metro Airport for $10. The shuttle leaves every 2 hours. The parking lot is monitored by security, fenced in, and safe. Also, the Southwyck Shopping Center is reconfigured to not only offer shopping, but also car rentals, food, and a shortbus to the nearby hotels on Reynolds.

Would you use this service? Could it make money?

Ditzy Cam... Kitty Jail

2006-03-21T19:59:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of Ditzy from back around Christmas. We're getting ready to head back up to Toledo, and Ditzy is ready in his carrier for the trip My brother Gary took the pic with his new digital camera.

He wasn't too happy about leaving. While at my parent's place, he had 2 other cats and a dog to play with/harass.

But he should consider himself lucky to have such a roomy cat carrier. At least this isn't his cat carrier...

Another Non-substantive post

2006-03-21T08:56:00.000-08:00

Just another online quiz.... I need to sit down and actually write something of substance soon...

You Are Guinness

You know beer well, and you'll only drink the best beers in the world.

Watered down beers disgust you, as do the people who drink them.

When you drink, you tend to become a bit of a know it all - especially about subjects you don't know well.

But your friends tolerate your drunken ways, because you introduce them to the best beers around.

What's Your Beer Personality?

...and I drink that stuff!

2006-03-09T13:55:00.000-08:00

Who would've thought that Mentos are the new Pop-Rocks?

At least I now know a cool recipe for killer belches!

Ultimate Pen Tricks...

2006-03-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

Damn SPs!

Just one more reason....

2006-02-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

....to get out of Ohio. The one good candidate the Democrats have to defeat Mike DeWine for US Senate has been squeezed out by HIS OWN PARTY. It seems the party wants Sherrod Brown to run instead (and most liekly lose). This area is so backward thinking that it drives me crazy.

And to think I was going to volunteer for the Hackett campaign, stick around until November... well, hell with that!

Here's the press statement:

Today I am announcing that I am withdrawing from the race for United States Senate. I made this decision reluctantly, only after repeated requests by party leaders, as well as behind the scenes machinations, that were intended to hurt my campaign.

But there was no quid pro quo. I will not be running in the Second Congressional District nor for any other elective office. This decision is final, and not subject to reconsideration.

I told the voters from the beginning that I am not a career politician and never aspired to be--that I was about leadership, service and commitment.

Similarly, I told party officials that I had given my word to other good Democrats, who will take the fight to the Second District, that I would not run. In reliance on my word they entered the race. I said it. I meant it. I stand by it. At the end of the day, my word is my bond and I will take it to my grave.

Thus ends my 11 month political career. Although it is an overused political cliché, I really will be spending more time with my family, something I wasn't able to do because my service to country in the political realm continued after my return from Iraq. Perhaps my wonderful wife Suzi said it best after we made this decision when she said "Honey, welcome home." I really did marry up.

To my friends and supporters, I pledge that I will continue to fight and to speak out on the issues I believe in. As long as I have the microphone, I will serve as your voice.

It is with my deepest respect and humility that I thank each and every one of you for the support you extended to our campaign to take back America, and personally to me and my family. Together we made a difference. We changed the debate on the Iraq War, we inspired countless veterans to continue their service by running for office as Democrats and we made people believe again. We must continue to believe.

Remember, we must retool our party. We must do more than simply aspire to deliver greatness; we must have the commitment and will to fight for what is great about our party and our country; Peace, prosperity and the freedoms that define our democracy.

Paul Hackett

...and once again the Democrats snatch Defeat from the jaws of Victory.

When you have these kind of moronic decisions being made, it is time for the Democratic Party to either change or die. Or, simply put, if they don't change, they will die.

As an Ohioan, I can tell you that Hackett was Ohio's best chance for US Senate. Now they'll just have to contend with the weak sacrificial-lamb candidates they always send up to lose the election.

And the chances of an Ohio pickup go flushing down the toilet...

Ditzy Wants Attention

2006-02-08T09:31:00.000-08:00

IM001082
Originally uploaded by AultTimIT.

I was trying to play with my new Mac, but Ditzy got jealous and jumped on my lap.

Dangerous

2006-02-05T17:29:00.000-08:00

For those of you that know me well, you know I usually don't write anything this personal. But today this was an epiphany. Where I once was distraught, beat down, and dejected, I am now certain, resolute, and reenergized. I now know where I stand.

What I say I don't say lightly, and I don't know who else may feel this way. But this is my path, and I will follow it because I think it's right.

As some of you may know, in the past month our rector was forced to leave our parish. The circumstances were tragic, and the outcome unwanted by our parish. Ultimately, the decision was made by our new bishop. A decision made in a vacuum, without a single visit to our congregation, or, for that matter, any true relationship or attempt to make an informed decision. We were told this decision was done in our best interests by someone who doesn't even know us to know what our best interests are. Now, our rector is gone and we have only ourselves, the bishop, and the diocese to contend with as we begin the process of looking for a new rector. In the meantime, we have a revolving door of supply priests coming and going while we search for an interim rector (and the list of candidates is infuriatingly small).

It had left me in a bad way. Our rector's departure exposed all of the ugliness of the politics that I pretended weren't there. I've been left disillusioned, apathetic, angry, and a bit withdrawn. But most of all, I've been disgusted. Disgusted that this is the structure we, as human beings, have put into place to worship God. A God whose very nature is the opposite to this institution. This hypocrisy is the very reason I stopped going to church for 12 years.

So, Would I eventually stop coming again? Would that solve anything, or is it just running away from the problem so that it won't get to me? Normally, our previous rector would be there to say the right thing, like he oh so knows how to do, but this time I'm on my own.

Unless our supply priest makes me start thinking...

Today our supply priest somehow thought it wise to give a sermon on loss and suffering, considering our circumstances. His sermon was long winded and, at first, frustrating. At first he gave out a long list of the ways we might be feeling right now, angry, hurt, withdrawn, etc... yet he failed to mention mine: disgust. Disgust of a system that could allow this to happen. Contempt for an institution more concerned about its own rules self-perpetuation, and structure than in doing Christ's bidding. As he droned on and on, I drifted off into my own thoughts, and I began to wonder...

What do you do when Churchianity is ruining your Christianity?

Today, because of the rules and regulations set up by the Episcopal Church, we have turned to supply priests to perform the sacrament of Eucharist for us. For those of you who don't know, apparently, by Episcopal Church rules, only an ordained priest of the Episcopal or Lutheran Church is allowed to say the blessing and conduct the sacrament of communion. Somehow, anyone else's blessing of the bread and wine within the 4 walls of an Episcopal Church is null and void – only an Episcopal Church-approved priest can say the magic words.

Why is this? ...I'm not really sure myself. While some of the may argue tradition, or job security, or what have you, I believe anyone should be able to do it. It boils down to one thing: Who gives the ultimate authority of the sacrament of Euharist: God, or Men?

A few months ago, while our previous rector was away, our Sunday service was one without a priest, thus without communion. In what I saw as approprite irony, our reading from the Gospel was the story of the Pharisees inquiring of Jesus by whose authority he did his ministry. To this Jesus asked of them by whose authority did John the Baptist baptise, by God or by Men? The Pharisees, knowing John the Baptist was popular among the people, were in a quagmire. If they said “Men”, then John didn't have the authority, and the people would turn on them. If they said “God”, then they admitted their lack of authority on such matters. So they said “We don't know.” In turn Jesus said, “then know that by that same authority I minister.”

So here we were, not performing Eucharist because no one had the authority of MEN. Any one of us could have stepped in and performed the sacrament since deciding who can and cannot perform it are ultimately God's domain, not man's.

But we didn't go that path. We followed the Episcopacy's rules that day.

If only we had the conviction to listen to God's authority that day, what would have happened? We probably would have been in hot water with the diocese, and they would do quite a bit to make our lives uncomfortable to assure future compliance, and, once again, the need to preserve their institution would trump their commitment to follow the path of Christ. All in all, in this circumstance, following Christ's path is the dangerous one. Defying the diocesan insitution would exact retribution.

I personally wish we would have done it – performed communion that day. But why do I wish we'd done it? Was it so I could feel the satisfaction of thumbing my nose at them because I didn't like their decisions?

...Or was it because I thought doing it was the right thing to do in God's eyes?

I honestly wasn't sure, I would have felt rather good at defying them. I know I shouldn't but I'm no saint. So while I contemplated this, I tuned the supply priest back in. His sermon now dealt with our reading from Isaiah, in which the prophet encourages them not to despair or give up while in exile in Babylon. He noted that many of the changes in Judaism occurred during the exile. That these changes: their realization that they didn't need an heir of David as king, their new belief that God was the God of all people, not just of the Israelites, etc. came out of the exile. For the Jews, a great growth and transformation came out of their loss of home and their suffering in servitude. He then compared our situation to those once in exile, noting that this loss we have suffered will help us grow and transform. He then went on to tie this to Jesus, and how he also sought to transform the way we worship God, even to the point of suffering on the cross for that transformation to happen.

That was enough for me to tune him out and start thinking again. Surely, Jesus did quite a bit to disturb the Pharisees and religious scholars in power back then. And they sure did everything they could to stop him. They even killed him.

But did Jesus buck their system just for the satisfation of defying them, or because it was the right thing to do?

Worded this way, the answer was obvious – because his way was the right way. In my circumstance, my disgust for Churchianity was rooted in the fact that their way is wrong and out of a sense of principle I wanted to see it fail. When I wished we did our own communion that day, I realized I should want to do it because it was right. Also, I should take no satisfaction out of overcoming the shortcomings of other men. That feeling is no good, sinful you may say. If anything, I should pity them because they don't understand. My understanding has outgrown them, but I must never confuse this with any idea of superiority, for this is certainly not the case. We are all children of God. There are no favorites.

My dilemma was solved.

I told myself:

Don't defy the manifestations of Churchianity on these matters because you want to be a pain in their side. Do it because you think it is the right thing to do. If you're uncertain where your heart is, then stop! Think about your motives. Make sure they lie with God, not with your lesser desires.

Oh, and one more thing: don't expect to make any friends this way. To go up against an institution like Churchianity is certainly a losing battle, and dangerous! Even Christ himself was killed by holy men for opposing them. There will be consequences.

About this time I tuned the supply priest back in, he was talking about Jesus out in the wilderness, and compared our situation to being in the wilderness. But it seemed to me that his conclusion may have unintended consequences. He said that our time in the wilderness will be a time of great growth. And it just may be.

I think we may, as a community, outgrow our diocese. I know I have.

And that's dangerous.

Stupid Mac Tricks: Vol. 1

2006-02-03T08:33:00.000-08:00

This is my first experiment with my new Mac and Garageband. I basically took a choral piece we're performing at my church and sight-read all 4 parts (to the best of my vocal range). The recording is a pale comparison to how this song sounds with a full compliment of singers...It's rough and not very refined (more practice on my part could help!), but I'm amazed that something like this can be done on a computer right out of the box!!

BTW: The song is "An American Thanksgiving - I. Webster" from the Songs of the Sacred Harp, by Carol Barnett. I found a sample clip of the piece online. It's worth hearing!

First Blog from the ibook

2006-02-01T21:09:00.000-08:00

new ibook
Originally uploaded by AultTimIT.

Well, the new Mac arrived tonight, and I've spent the last few hours setting it up, downloading software, and now, blogging.

I even had the good fortune to catch my friend Steve on the ichat. Nice to hear from him!

As of today, I'm going Mac

2006-01-25T12:38:00.000-08:00

So, I just ordered a new personal computer today to replace my Windows98 dinosaur (the best the year 1999 had to offer). I guess you could say I was overdue for an upgrade. I just couldn't take another Blue screen O' Death, let alone the video gobblygook that appeared whenever I closed a window (random pixels, trailing multiple afterimages whenever I moved it, etc.), or the surfing 20 web pages then the computer freezing. I don't understand how a company can put out an OS this bad and have people continue to come back and buy more stuff from them. I'm tired of feeding the beast that is Microsoft. So I checked out the Apple store for refurbished computers - they're supposed to have good deals (according to the IT guys here at work), along with the standard warranty you'd get from a new one. And wouldn't you know, there, for $719, was a refurbished G4 1.2GHz ibook. I didn't expect to find a laptop, but it seems like a good deal. I should have it in 2 weeks.

ThunderBlizzard! ........ThunderBlizzard?!? WTF?

2006-01-24T18:04:00.000-08:00

For a while I always liked to use the term thunderblizzard to describe the wackiest type of weather I thought possible. I thought is was impossible or at least extremely rare weather at best.

...well, as I live and breathe....

I just returned from the grocery store tonight. It was sprinkling a little as I brought in the groceries. As I was preparing supper I looked out the window and in just 10 minutes the ground and streets were covered in snow. While I was preheating the oven and watching TV I saw a bright blue flash. I thought maybe one of the kitchen lights had gone out when

KABOOOMMMmmmm..

Thunder. Blizzard. .... ThunderBlizzard...

WTF? No way!

But here I am, in Toledo, Ohio, witnessing an honest to God ThunderBlizzard.

Still, it's wacky weather, but what do you expect for this area of the country?

ADDENDUM: rather than use my name, thunderblizzard, this phenomenon is oficially called thundersnow. Wikipedia has a good writeup on it.

Also, on last night's Colbert Report, Steven Colbert did a good ribbing on thundersnow. It replays a few times today on Comedy Central. He claims this is proof that God is mad at us, and we should also expect sleet-tsunamis and flood tornados. Catch it if you can...

Republicans: Mind your own business!

2006-01-20T08:19:00.000-08:00

See the San Jose Mercury News for more info in their editorial...

So now the Republican Bush Administration wants Google to hand over 1 million random web addresses from its search records along with the search info users typed into its search engine over a one-week period.

Why? So they can further their crusade against porn.

Right now the government is trying to legally defend the constitutionality of the Child Online Protection Act. This 1998 law makes it illegal for web sites to post material that is ``harmful to minors'' unless they ensure that only adults can access it. The law, as currently written, could criminalize protected speech like dating and sex advice articles, web sites dealing with reproductive health or gay issues, and even those of some art galleries and bookstores. The U.S. Supreme Court has already cast doubt on its constitutionality.

So basically, we have a Republican Party being ran be religious fanatics that just can't abide to the idea of staying out of people's private lives. So they need to snoop into people's searches and see what kind of things they're querying. All so they can defend a poorly written law to keep sex censored.

And they say they're doing it for the kids. The same kids who can find a liitle of the ultraviolence at the drop of a bowler. We have action movies, computer games, tv shows, and the 6 O'Clock news for that.

...not to mention sports brawls and a war in Iraq. I'm sure they think our kids should be exposed to that.

But when it comes to love, dating, sex, the nude body, and those aspects of humanity?

Not in their America, buddy. These right-wing elitists know what is best, and they will invade your privacy to make sure you comply with the standards of decency defined by their religious-fanatic core.

Then again, I think the Bush Administration is just expressing sour grapes with Google over the search terms "miserable failure" and "worst president ever"

Another Theological Quiz

2006-01-20T08:02:00.000-08:00

I swear, this paragraph below reads like the Episcopal Church's Via Media program, especially the idea that learning takes place in dialogue...

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern. You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this.

Emergent/Postmodern

64%

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

64%

Classical Liberal

57%

Modern Liberal

50%

Neo orthodox

46%

Roman Catholic

43%

Charismatic/Pentecostal

36%

Reformed Evangelical

11%

Fundamentalist

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

I'm not a heretic!...?

2006-01-17T07:52:00.000-08:00

By this test though, even a Hindu would come out as a Chalcedon compliant.

...I guess my heresies don't have a name attributed to them :)

You scored as Chalcedon compliant. You are Chalcedon compliant. Congratulations, you're not a heretic. You believe that Jesus is truly God and truly man and like us in every respect, apart from sin. Officially approved in 451.

Chalcedon compliant

75%

Pelagianism

67%

Modalism

50%

Gnosticism

33%

Monophysitism

33%

Nestorianism

17%

Apollanarian

17%

Socinianism

Adoptionist

Arianism

Donatism

Albigensianism

Monarchianism

Docetism

Are you a heretic?
created with QuizFarm.com

Shameless low blow...

2006-01-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

Hey check out the silly clown... and the painting.

...yeah yeah yeah, I know it's petty. There are so many legitimate criticisms to make of Bush that I don't need to stoop to this... but it was wayyy too tempting.

When is torture legal?

2006-01-09T19:15:00.000-08:00

When you live in Bushworld.

In Bushworld, the following is a solid defense.

From...
A Lie a Day: I Guess He Has To Go Free Now

$%!@ Weather!

2006-01-03T07:11:00.000-08:00

The weather here in Ohio has really been dragging me down recently.

Every day is overcast and gloomy. Every night is wet and foggy. It has been over a week since I've seen the sun, blue sky, or even the night sky. Winter is the best time to look at the stars, but you can't even see them here in Toledo.

Yesterday the security light behind my place, which has an electric eye so it only comes on at night, never shut off! That's how dark daytime is thanks to this 'lovely' weather.

...and it rained! In January, when we should be getting snow! ...I'm talking downpour, thunder, lightning, and all.

In January!

Winter Blahs?

2005-12-30T10:15:00.000-08:00

I found this little quip from the movie WarGames to be a good allegory to my state of mind today...

"A strange game, the only way to win is not to play."

...it fits on so many levels.

On one side, it means "Be concerned, yet detached."
on the other hand, it means "fuck it. I'm going home."

...and right now I'm somewhere in between.

Machiavelli Would be Proud...

2005-12-16T10:15:00.000-08:00

Recently, all the news is how Bush is going to relent to McCain and allow his amendment banning torture to pass into law. After all, as Bush has said "We do not torture"

See, McCain's amendment uses the Army Field Manual's definition of torture., which, as per the Washington Post...

"By contrast, the Army's Field Manual 34-52, titled "Intelligence Interrogations," sets more restrictive rules. For example, the Army prohibits pain induced by chemicals or bondage; forcing an individual to stand, sit or kneel in abnormal positions for prolonged periods of time; and food deprivation. Under mental torture, the Army prohibits mock executions, sleep deprivation and chemically induced psychosis."

So, when you want to still torture, but you don't want to say it out loud, what to do?... what to do?

Change the definition of torture.

Recently, the Bush Administration has made classified changes to the Army Field Manual's section on torture and interrogation. Just the thing: rewrite the definition of "torture" so you have all the loopholes you need and none of the loss of "moral character".

So now, when bush confidently says, "We do not torture"

we know that depends on your definition of the word "torture"
(that's ok for Bush to do), but if you parse the definition of the word "is", look out! That's grounds for impeachment!!!

With that said, I leave you with this bumpersticker...

Those Who fail to Learn from the Past Are Doomed to Repeat It...

2005-11-30T11:13:00.000-08:00

From Bush's November 30, 2005 speech at the US Naval Academy and Nixon's "Silent Majority" speech from November 3, 1969.

BUSH: "We will increasingly move out of Iraqi cities, reduce the number of bases from which we operate and conduct fewer patrols and convoys.

NIXON: "As South Vietnamese forces become stronger, the rate of American withdrawal can become greater."

BUSH: "As the Iraqi forces gain experience and the political progress advances, we will be able to decrease our troop levels in Iraq without losing our capability to defeat the terrorists."

NIXON: "We have adopted a plan which we have worked out in cooperation with the South Vietnamese for the complete withdrawal of all U.S. combat ground forces, and their replacement by South Vietnamese forces on an orderly scheduled timetable. This withdrawal will be made from strength and not from weakness."

BUSH: "These decisions about troop levels will be driven by the conditions on the ground in Iraq and the good judgment of our commanders, not by artificial timetables set by politicians in Washington. Some are calling for a deadline for withdrawal. Many advocating an artificial timetable for withdrawing our troops are sincere, but I believe they're sincerely wrong."

NIXON: "I have not and do not intend to announce the timetable for our program. And there are obvious reasons for this decision which I am sure you will understand. As I have indicated on several occasions, the rate of withdrawal will depend on developments on three fronts."

BUSH: "Pulling our troops out before they've achieved their purpose is not a plan for victory. As Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman said recently, "Setting an artificial timetable would discourage our troops because it seems to be heading for the door. It will encourage the terrorists. It will confuse the Iraqi people. Senator Lieberman is right: Setting an artificial deadline to withdraw would send a message across the world that America is weak and an unreliable ally."

NIXON: "An announcement of a fixed timetable for our withdrawal would completely remove any incentive for the enemy to negotiate an agreement. They would simply wait until our forces had withdrawn and then move in."

Though both Bush and Nixon reject setting a timetable for withdrawal, one group does want one set in stone: The Democratically Elected Iraqi Government.

...On November 22, 2005, the democratically-elected leaders and ruling body of the Iraqi people agreed on "calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops according to a timetable, through putting in place an immediate national program to rebuild the armed forces ... control the borders and the security situation"

Furthermore, they added that "insurgents should not be labeled as terrorists if their operations do not target innocent civilians or institutions designed to provide for the welfare of Iraqi citizens."

Did you get that? These Iraqis, in an expression of their liberty, freedom, and democracy, just legalized insurgent attacks on US troops.

Talk about not being wanted.

At this point, it's time to pack up, say "we did it - they have a democratic government", and go home. Iraq's future will be decided by their own self-determination, not by the spending of our tax dollars.

Why stay when you're not welcome?

Worst President Ever!

2005-11-22T13:52:00.000-08:00

Leave it to PollKatz to give a good comparison.

(click to enlarge...)
Blue is Clinton, Yellow is Nixon, Red is Bush Jr.

Right now Bush's disapproval rating is the worst faced by any president except Nixon

World View Quiz

2005-11-22T09:38:00.000-08:00

...and 0% in the dreaded 'Fundamentalist' category.... booya!

You scored as Cultural Creative. Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational.

Cultural Creative

75%

Postmodernist

63%

Existentialist

56%

Romanticist

38%

Materialist

31%

Idealist

31%

Modernist

25%

Fundamentalist

What is Your World View? (updated)
created with QuizFarm.com

Ditzy Cam Returns

2005-11-15T06:27:00.000-08:00

ditzy_oct 006
Originally uploaded by AultTimIT.

C'mon Ditzy... in or out!

Okay.... whatever.

IRS uses double standards.

2005-11-08T08:47:00.000-08:00

From CNN...
Anti-war sermon imperils tax status

The Internal Revenue Service has warned a prominent liberal church it could lose its tax-exempt status because of an anti-war sermon a guest preacher gave on the eve of the 2004 presidential election, church officials say.

The Rev. George F. Regas did not urge parishioners at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena to support either President Bush or John Kerry, but he was critical of the Iraq war and Bush's tax cuts.

The IRS warned the church in June that its tax-exempt status was in jeopardy because such organizations are prohibited from intervening in political campaigns and elections.

...so what the hell did the IRS consider 'Just Us' Sunday, 'Just US Sunday II', and 'Porn Sunday'? I mean, they even had congressmen, right-wing nutcase congressmen, as their guest speakers, whining and moaning about... politics!

Does the IRS revoke or threaten to revoke the tax exempt status of those churches? Nooooo....

But a liberal one? Can't have that. Apparently the Iraq War and Tax Cuts for the rich are political topics. Senatorial proceedings aren't.

Seriously, how many of you think this isn't politically motivated, and the IRS is acting as a non-partisan group, and is not acting on a politcally motivated agenda?

Just one more sign that the conservative have changed the tone in Washington... for the worse.

What did I just say?!?!

2005-11-07T07:57:00.000-08:00

Oooh! Look mommy! A bicyclist!

From the ToledoBlade (our rather crappy Foundry Newspaper) (bold is MY emphasis.)

Nov. 6, 2005

Bikes on the sidewalks

Instead of ignoring a proposal to let adults ride bicycles on sidewalks on busier streets, perhaps a Toledo City Council committee could consider how to make it incumbent upon bicyclists to watch out for motor vehicles if they use sidewalks and penalize them for riding without due regard for safety.

A recent debate on the subject before council's law and criminal justice committee seemed to disregard why bicyclists prefer sidewalks on streets where the speed limit is above 35 mph.

Some adult bicyclists understandably feel their safety is jeopardized on streets that carry a lot of vehicular traffic. But city law only allows cyclists 14 and under to use sidewalks.

Councilman Ellen Grachek has proposed amending the law to permit older cyclists to also use sidewalks on such busy thoroughfares.

The idea springs from an adult cyclist's experience in July on Alexis Road. After the bike rider collided with a vehicle coming out of a driveway, he was slapped with a ticket and conviction, though he received no penalty.

He correctly notes that motorists today are more distracted, especially by cell phones. Motorists on the phone don't pay close attention to traffic in general, so they may not see bicyclists on busy streets.

At the same time, there are legitimate concerns about cyclists on sidewalks. Foremost among them: the worry that bicyclists could pose the same threat to pedestrians on sidewalks that cars and trucks represent to bikes on busy streets.

But there are ways to allow bikes on sidewalks and penalize careless operation. Bicyclists on sidewalks could be required to travel in the same direction as traffic, and motorists, not bicyclists, could have the right of way at intersections and driveways.

If youngsters are allowed to ride their bicycles on sidewalks, adults willing to do so responsibly should have the same right. Bikes don't belong on busy thoroughfares.

...this is the standard Foundry mentality I was just mentioning. Bicyclists risk getting hurt by careless drivers if they ride in the street like they're supposed to do. Someone says, "let them ride on the sidewalks," but give the automobile right-of-way in all cases. On top of that, if the road is too busy, bicycles should be banned from it.

In other words: "Everyone here uses cars, trucks, ans SUVs to go places. If you wanna be different and ride your little bicycle, find another route and get outta my way. You don't belong here."

It's no wonder bicyclists are looked upon here as oddities, like shriners in their little cars on parade. Everytime we venture out on the streets we run the mortal risk of getting plowed down by a driver too busy chatting on their cell phone and lighting their stogie.

And, according to The Blade, it's not the driver's fault.

Also, notice, not once, NOT ONCE, does this crappy newspaper editorial mention the idea of adding a bike lane to some streets. I guess the paint would cost too much (the lanes are wide enough already that no blacktop would be needed.)

So much for those people who value their physical fitness enough to get to work under their own power, or who are environmentally conscious enough to not waste gas on their daily commute. These people here in The Foundry are joined at the ass to their machines, gasoline addicts in an automobile-centered culture. And anyone who doesn't like it and wants to live differently can go somewhere else.

...and they wonder why people are leaving this region in droves...

Back to the Foundry

2005-11-04T08:26:00.000-08:00

(from Wikipedia)
Foundry: according to Joel Garreau, is a coherent nation made up of the eastern seaboard of the United States except New England, along with the Great Lakes region (including those parts of the Canadian province of Ontario which border the lakes) except for the Lake Superior shoreline, plus the Washington D.C. suburbs of Virginia and roughly the northern half of West Virginia, including both of the state's panhandles. Traditionally, this corresponds to the industrial core of North America. It is one of the Nine Nations of North America Garreau identified in his book of that title, published in 1981.

...Another term used to describe this region is The Rust Belt. And for a good reason.

Not only do things rust in the rust belt unlike in other areas of the country such as the south or west, but this region is falling into decline. This area was the manufacturing center of the United States. If you bought a manufactured good, odds are it came from the Foundry. Cars from Detroit. Tires from Akron. Cameras from Rochester. Glass from Toledo. Steel from Pittsburgh. each city in the Foundry was known for the product it produced. The Labor Movement started in the Foundry to oppose the brutal working conditions in the factory. Thanks to them we have the 8 hour workday and a thing called the weekend. Anglos, then Germans (Pennsylvania Dutch if you like), Irish, Poles, Italians, and Slavs migrated to this region. They were seeking a better life. A job at the factory ensured them status as middle class. But by 1981, this way of life ended. The Sun Belt, Globalization, and a new economy had emerged. And the Foundry started to decline. Factories closed, moved to the south, or relocated overseas. Today the Foundry's few remaining factories are but a spectre of their once great status. No more can you finish high school and get a good job at the factory. That way of life has ended.

...just don't tell anyone here in the Foundry. They haven't got the memo yet.

We are still a culture that looks to the big corporations to somehow 'save' us. Politicians still clamor about what their city or area can do to 'attract business', tripping over each other to lure a big business headquarters their way. The issues and agenda of the local governments are ran by a political machine of manufacturers, manufacturig Union members who still occupy the few and ever-dwindling factory jobs left in town. Much ado is made about keeping the few industries from moving away, throwing tax breaks and corporate welfare their way. Meanwhile, the new, growing sectors of the economy, service and high-tech, are suffering from neglect. Service sector jobs at a big box retailer pay a substandard wage, usually don't include health care, and are filled by people who can only dream of being middle class. Yet the manufacturing unions that control local politics don't dare take them on. They have the coveted factory jobs and control of the government. Empowering or organizing those in the service sectors would be costly and would erode their political base. And the young professionals who have the skills to work (and start their own) high-tech business find the atmosphere here toxic. They have no friendly ear in the politics ran by manufacturing labor tradesmen. The area is extremely social conservative. Like the factory mentality, the quantity of a good is much more important than its quality. More is better. A gallon of olive oil for a doallr at WalMart is better than a quart of Organic Portuguese Olive Oil - that's a no-brainer! People who are different in their looks, how they dress, what they do in the bedroom, etc. are oddities. Gays are denied civil rights. Immigrants are ridiculed about their 'strange' customs. Cyclists are gawked at like they are shriners in little cars but without a parade. They see an area with few options for people of their age (late 20s- early 40s) who are single or married without children. Truth is they have all moved away. This area holds little appeal for them, nor the incliniation to provide anything of interest. Just consider what the Foundry offers for leisure time. Leisure in the Foundry is geared toward family activities, things for the mom dad, and children. Science centers, zoos, ballparks, and fairs. Try finding a vodka bar in a mid-sized midwestern town. Ask a local about one and expect them to say "A vodka what?"

I have just spent 2 weeks in the San Francisco Area, labeled as Ecotopia in honor of the Callenbach book of the same name.

(once again, from Wikipedia)
In his 1981 book Nine Nations of North America, author Joel Garreau named one of his nations Ecotopia after Callenbach's book. Garreau's Ecotopia consists of Northern California, Western Oregon, Western Washington, coastal British Columbia, and southeastern Alaska and is one of the nine economic-cultural nations into which Garreau believed North America should be divided to correctly understand the true regional dynamics of the continent. This Ecotopia, like Callenbach's, is characterized culturally by its environmental sensibilities and focus on 'quality of life', and economically by its focus on renewable resources such as hydropower and forestry.

...here is a place that 'gets it'. Gone is the whole Foundry mentality. That of the factory, the job, the trade as being the identifing factor of oneself. Here people aren't expected to conform. Ties are rare accessories in Ecotopia, usually only worn by detectives. They are just that casual. Where those in the Foundry look for specialists in each field, Ecotopia looks for generalists who can be trained to do several unrelated tasks in their workday. Jobs here are booming. The manufacturing unions do not call the shots, and the political institution is not a 'good ol' boy' network. Big box retailers are not as prevalent. People are not interested in getting a 99 cent bottle of Olive Oil in Ecotopia; they want an $11 bottle of Organic Portuguese Olive Oil. Quality of life is more important than quantity. To them, that's a no-brainer! Sure, housing is out of control high, but when there is such a high demand for anything and a limited supply, what happens to the price? Just look at your gas bill.

I have to admit, I feel more more at home in Ecotopia than I do here in the Foundry, the place I was born and raised. My options in the Foundry are too limited. In my heart, Ecotopia is my new home.

With that, here is a view of the last sunset I saw in San Francisco. Hopefully I will see many more of them...

San Francisco Vacation : Biking the Marin Headlands

2005-10-26T00:05:00.000-07:00

My third visit to the city so far, and what a day it was! the first 2 visits were with my friends Matt & Jen, and they had been rather foggy... not chance for good views, though there's still plenty to do and see.

The view from Coit Tower looking westward on a foggy Saturday.. That's Lombard St., the crookedest street in the world, just left of center.

Today I headed into the city alone while Matt & Jen were working to get in a little biking. If I can't get out on 2 wheels, after a few days I feel rather lethargic. Besides, SF is the biking capital of the world (unofficially, of course).

...I expected fog today, all the weather reports predicted it. So I was going to bike the Presidio, or Golden Gate Park... places where the sights were up close and there was no vista for the fog to cover.

Imagine my surprise when I saw the sky as clear as a bell....

Change of plans. I have wanted to bike the Marin Headlands, and they're supposed to have the best views of the Bay, period. Today was my chance.

Here I am at the vista from the Spencer Battery, an artillery post that defended the Bay during WWII.... and there was much more hill to climb. In many stretches I was in first gear, but I didn't stop (except for photos, of course).

All in all the elevation change from where I started was about 1,500 feet. Then there is a HUGE drop off from Hawk Hill that is over a mile long. One fellow on a racing bike flew right by me (and I was going pretty fast too!), darting through each turn... he had to have done this plenty of times. There are only a few guard rails, sheer drops off the roadsides, and dozens of winding turns. Thank God they've made this a one-way street.

The long drop off from Hawk Hill to Point Bonita.

Three hours later, after many stops for side trips and photo opportunities, I made it back, muddy, a little sore, but I did it! I pushed my limits, challenged myself physically, and took on these hills I found big and intimidating. And I did it!

What an experience!

Yup, they pegged me...

2005-10-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

...how do they know?! How do they do that?!?

You Are Likely a First Born

At your darkest moments, you feel guilty.

At work and school, you do best when you're researching.

When you love someone, you tend to agree with them often.

In friendship, you are considerate and compromising.

Your ideal careers are: business, research, counseling, promotion, and speaking.

You will leave your mark on the world with discoveries, new information, and teaching people to dream.

The Birth Order Predictor

Traveling Through Life Without a Map

Incredible Satellite Images of Obama Inauguration

Out of the Mouths of Babes...

Ronald Reagan endorses Obama?!

Waaassuuup: 2008

Palin is not McCain's Running Mate, but his Trophy Wife

Jon Stewart is awesome!

Moving Away

Obama announces his VP...

Gerrymandering Upstate New York

Holy Shit!

My Response to Sarah Churchwell

Sarah Churchwell: Hang on in there, Hillary. It's too soon to quit

Spring on Campus

Yay Water!!

Ditzy Cam!

New Camera

Me + Mondays = Bleh!

Fun BSG Quiz...

My Two minutes of fame

Clinton forgets 2008; plans for 2012 presidential bid

Clinton's University of Toledo Rally Draws Few

Ralph Nader: End Game for Clinton

Who will lose the 2008 election? Boomers.

Good Ol' Geography Jokes

Teaching

Blindsided

ArcGIS Server up and running

Like a Led Zeppelin

New Look

To Heck with John McCain

Walking the path

A 'Berry' Good Day

Hangin' in the Bunny Garden

Evening Bike Rides

Eating from the Garden

Hippie Trifecta

Not too bad of a coffee addict

Hangin' in the CatsKills

Off to the Catskills

An Indiana Easter

Kurt Vonnegut, Dead

Jumping on the Bandwagon

Okay... not so nerdy....

DitzyCam is back

Another fun quiz...

And now for a fun quiz...

Olbermann's Litany of Incompetence

I'm in Nerd-Denial

Olbermann: This Hole in the Ground

Geotagged Photos

As Dana Carvey's Bush Sr. said

McCain faults administration on Iraq

Is it Southpaw or $outhpaw?

Eye Candy for Political Junkies

Bike to the Bay Year 2... Some people never learn ;)

Now I live in lakefront property!

A little perspective...

School's out already?

Star Lords: Where's Jimmy Castor when you need him?

Republican's Scheme to Bribe Americans

From the UT Daily Message System

You know it's bad when....

Eat the Damn Apple!

Atonement theology schmeology

Doing the Happy Dance

I'm a what?

I'm a Mandarin!

Talent: 46%Lifer: 31%Mandarin: 62%

Would you use this service?

Ditzy Cam... Kitty Jail

Another Non-substantive post

...and I drink that stuff!

Ultimate Pen Tricks...

Just one more reason....

Ditzy Wants Attention

Dangerous

Stupid Mac Tricks: Vol. 1

First Blog from the ibook

As of today, I'm going Mac

Talent: 46%
Lifer: 31%
Mandarin: 62%