From the not-so-distant past: AIG TV commercials.
Put down the gun!
Showing posts with label Venting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Venting. Show all posts
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Matt Taibbi is my Hero (again)
Matt Taibbi has helped me make sense of why I should be so angry about the whole Economic Meltdown in his new article in Rolling Stone.
Read it and wonder how capitalism and democracy can co-exist for much longer.
NOW (more than ever)!
Do you feel that the shine has come off our Rock Star Pres?
I got the answer:
Nuff Said!
I got the answer:
Nuff Said!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Update from Sportsville
Editor's Note: This was written last Sunday, prior to Cowboys-Redskins. I'm not sure that changes anything. Just thought you should know.
I need to apologize to all my fans.
I have let you down. I have let myself down. My blogging has been HORRIBLE this football season. If you were to take a peek into the chaos that is the inside of my melon, you might cut me some slack.
Well, some of you might cut me some slack.
OK, none of you would cut me any slack whatsoever. In fact, you'd likely give me a lot more grief than you have.
I feel guilty for abandoning you during one of the greatest college football seasons ever in the history of ever. I've forced you to turn to the likes of Frank DeFord, Rick Reilly, and other ink-stained wretches for your sports insight. What have any of THOSE guys ever done?
I'm so sorry.
My goodness, what a season it has been in D-1 college football, hasn't it? Any debate left regarding the identity of the premier football conference in the land? I didn't think so. You can have your SEC, which is still a fine conference full of outstanding teams. I will take that Big Twelve Conference, if you don't mind. This has been the first weekend since late Sept when there wasn't a titanic clash of national powers somewhere on the Plains, and the pace picks right back up next Sat night in Norman. The delicious scenario of a three-way tie for the Big 12 South looms likely, as I am betting both my kidneys and all of my lungs (what?) on Oklahoma to beat Tech.
I mean, come on. If you're gambling major organs, who do you trust more? Stoops, or that pirate guy?
The poll, bowl, and Championship scenarios are too many, and too complex, for my simple little pea-brain to grasp. All I know is this could be precedent-setting, historical, and a hell of a lot of fun.
And thank the sweet, sweet Creator of Us All we have D-1 college football to hold our attention. Because the local pro sports scene is the worst it has EVER been.
I need to apologize to all my fans.
I have let you down. I have let myself down. My blogging has been HORRIBLE this football season. If you were to take a peek into the chaos that is the inside of my melon, you might cut me some slack.
Well, some of you might cut me some slack.
OK, none of you would cut me any slack whatsoever. In fact, you'd likely give me a lot more grief than you have.
I feel guilty for abandoning you during one of the greatest college football seasons ever in the history of ever. I've forced you to turn to the likes of Frank DeFord, Rick Reilly, and other ink-stained wretches for your sports insight. What have any of THOSE guys ever done?
I'm so sorry.
My goodness, what a season it has been in D-1 college football, hasn't it? Any debate left regarding the identity of the premier football conference in the land? I didn't think so. You can have your SEC, which is still a fine conference full of outstanding teams. I will take that Big Twelve Conference, if you don't mind. This has been the first weekend since late Sept when there wasn't a titanic clash of national powers somewhere on the Plains, and the pace picks right back up next Sat night in Norman. The delicious scenario of a three-way tie for the Big 12 South looms likely, as I am betting both my kidneys and all of my lungs (what?) on Oklahoma to beat Tech.
I mean, come on. If you're gambling major organs, who do you trust more? Stoops, or that pirate guy?
The poll, bowl, and Championship scenarios are too many, and too complex, for my simple little pea-brain to grasp. All I know is this could be precedent-setting, historical, and a hell of a lot of fun.
And thank the sweet, sweet Creator of Us All we have D-1 college football to hold our attention. Because the local pro sports scene is the worst it has EVER been.
The Rangers are dead, buried, forgotten, etc for the rest of the year, giving us some measure of relief from that misery. However, the boys of Autumn and Winter are faring no better.
The Mavericks? My God, has a window ever slammed shut with so much force and finality as the Mavericks' championship opportunity? This team SUCKS. Somewhere, Avery Johnson is doing shots of Tabasco sauce, soaking his feet in pots of jambalaya, and laughing his New Orleans ass off. The Kidd trade was a disaster, and we're only now seeing just how big a disaster it was. Cuban has proven to be far too much of a player's owner. Donnie Nelson is hiding under his desk, attempting to avoid the public and thus blame for this mess. Dirk is sitting in a massive leather wing chair in his darkened map room, wearing only BVDs and a helmet with a spike on it, taking the occasional slug from a bottle of schnapps, and wondering how his career turned into such a mess. And Rick Carlyle is trying to remember why this job looked like a good idea 4 months ago.
The Mavericks are done. They will not be good again for at least 5 years. The only question worth pondering right now is what does Dirk have to do to get into the Hall of Fame without a ring.
Sad.
The Stars are no better, although it's harder to figure out what the heck has happened at the StarCenter in Frisco. What, exactly, is different this year? Were the now-departed spares like Matty Norstrom so important?
I have no idea. However, it seems like a coaching change may be enough to spark this bunch. I hate to say that, as Tippett hasn't done anything really badly, and he's a stand-up guy. However, for whatever reason, he seems to have lost his room. A new voice may be what's needed. The talent seems to be here – last year's playoff run would sorta indicate it, I think. I see reasons to hope for the Stars, but something has to be done to shake the thing up before it's too late.
And the Cowboys? The biggest disappointment of them all, and the most unexpected. We should know pretty quick tonight whether there is anything left to look forward to this season. If the Cowboys can come out, slow the Redskins a bit, and get the ball down the field some, things may be OK. If we get a whole bunch of drops and Marion Barber 2 yard dive plays, and a couple of three-and-outs, I think we're done.
How were we fooled so badly? How did this team, which looked so good at times last year and early this year, implode so quickly and so completely? How did the coach respected as a defensive visionary fail to build a competent defense out of so many high draft picks and expensive free agents?
It has been more than 30 years since Dallas was completely shut out of the playoffs in every major sport. I fear that streak is about to end.
Friday, November 07, 2008
Sunday, June 08, 2008
I HATE TicketMaster!!
Every summer, I take the fam to see Ringling Bros. circus. The kids love the show, esp Drew who has been ga-ga over elephants since the first time we saw them three years ago. The tickets are expensive, but not outrageously so - compared to sports tickets, they're an absolute steal. The AAC is a great venue, and we always look forward to the whole bit.
Except for one part: TicketMaster.
If you're going to buy tickets to the circus (and many other events) online or over the phone, you are going to have to deal with TicketMaster, which is easily the biggest rip-off in the entertainment industry. And just think about all the giant rip-offs there are in the entertainment industry, right? I mean, from bands touring with one guy from the original line-up to Robbie Knieval, there is no shortage of rip-offs out there. TicketMaster, however, is the worst.
First, their crapola Web site: Would you like to pick your seats from among those available in a section or price range? Well, too bad, because the TicketMaster site doesn't let you do that. Instead, you choose a price and the site shows you the "best seats available". Are they really the "best available"? Hell, I don't know, because that's all you get to see. If you don't like those seats, you have to go thru the entire process again, and more often than not, you'll see the exact same seats.
Beaten yet? Oh, it gets MUCH worse.
Once you finally give up and take the "best seats available" (I will bet you $500 that I see better seats unfilled at the performance we go to, and not just a few), you're ready for the real screw job.
How about some fees for you? Let's start with a 10% "convenience fee" PER TICKET! Then, let's tack on a $3 "processing fee" PER TICKET! What, the "convenience fee" doesn't cover the processing by these crooks?
Wait, we're not done.
Then there's a delivery fee. I didn't even look at the mailing prices. I, instead, chose to print my tickets at home. All TicketMaster has to do is email me a .pdf, right? How much effort is involved in that? Not much, esp since I got my email within 3 minutes on Sunday afternoon. Not a lot of human-power expended on this. Yet, for reasons I cannot even begin to fathom (oh, wait, yes I can - the reason is TicketMaster is out to gouge as much dough out of me as possible), I have to pay $2.50 PER TICKET to print them out.
Tickets and a parking permit, which cost $195 face value, wound up costing me $223.
Listen, if that's the price, then that's the price. What absolutely chaps my posterior is this is not the price. For the privilege of using their automated systems and never asking them to expend one second of a human's time, I have to fork over $30 to those crooks at TicketMaster.
I hate those guys. I wish I could avoid them.
Except for one part: TicketMaster.
If you're going to buy tickets to the circus (and many other events) online or over the phone, you are going to have to deal with TicketMaster, which is easily the biggest rip-off in the entertainment industry. And just think about all the giant rip-offs there are in the entertainment industry, right? I mean, from bands touring with one guy from the original line-up to Robbie Knieval, there is no shortage of rip-offs out there. TicketMaster, however, is the worst.
First, their crapola Web site: Would you like to pick your seats from among those available in a section or price range? Well, too bad, because the TicketMaster site doesn't let you do that. Instead, you choose a price and the site shows you the "best seats available". Are they really the "best available"? Hell, I don't know, because that's all you get to see. If you don't like those seats, you have to go thru the entire process again, and more often than not, you'll see the exact same seats.
Beaten yet? Oh, it gets MUCH worse.
Once you finally give up and take the "best seats available" (I will bet you $500 that I see better seats unfilled at the performance we go to, and not just a few), you're ready for the real screw job.
How about some fees for you? Let's start with a 10% "convenience fee" PER TICKET! Then, let's tack on a $3 "processing fee" PER TICKET! What, the "convenience fee" doesn't cover the processing by these crooks?
Wait, we're not done.
Then there's a delivery fee. I didn't even look at the mailing prices. I, instead, chose to print my tickets at home. All TicketMaster has to do is email me a .pdf, right? How much effort is involved in that? Not much, esp since I got my email within 3 minutes on Sunday afternoon. Not a lot of human-power expended on this. Yet, for reasons I cannot even begin to fathom (oh, wait, yes I can - the reason is TicketMaster is out to gouge as much dough out of me as possible), I have to pay $2.50 PER TICKET to print them out.
Tickets and a parking permit, which cost $195 face value, wound up costing me $223.
Listen, if that's the price, then that's the price. What absolutely chaps my posterior is this is not the price. For the privilege of using their automated systems and never asking them to expend one second of a human's time, I have to fork over $30 to those crooks at TicketMaster.
I hate those guys. I wish I could avoid them.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Oil, again: Pemex, the left, and why we should care
As a follow-up to yesterday's post about $10/gallon gasoline, this morning's DMN business page has a column by Jim Landers regarding the condition and immediate future of Mexico's state-owned oil monopoly, Pemex.
Pemex is, in short, a disaster. At a time when the Mexican government should be rolling in tax pesos from it's abundant oil reserves, Pemex, which is the only company allowed to drill for and extract Mexican oil, can't find the resources to buy equipment or hire people. Years of mismanagement and lack of incentive have made it essentially impossible for Pemex, as it exists now, to drill in deep water in the Gulf, which is where any new production is going to come from.
President Felipe Calderón , who is fighting an uphill battle in so many areas, recently introduced legislation intended to start modernizing Pemex and make it competitive again. This legislation stops well short of allowing anyone else into the market - Pemex is a state-sponsored monopoly and is going to stay that way. But Calderón is at least attempting to get it moving, so that Mexico can start to realize the benefits of being an energy producer in this insane energy market.
But, this is Mexico, where no pro-business idea, no matter how good, gets by the rabid left unscathed.
Opposition leader Andres Manuel López Obrador, the man who narrowly lost the Presidential election to Calderón a few years ago and who nearly destroyed the country by refusing to concede, immediately shut down the legislature to protest. His claim: Calderón is trying to give away Mexico's sovereignty.
And you thought only college football fans could knee jerk that hard.
López Obrador, who never met a microphone he didn't like, has used the proposed legislation to propel himself back into the spotlight as the leader of the always-vocal opposition. But he really cares for the people of Mexico, don'tcha know?
I know, I know. Everyone does it. And I shouldn't let it exasperate me the way it does. But it just drains my life force the way politics gets in the way of actually getting things accomplished so often. López Obrador, like politicians of every stripe in every country, is, of course, FAR more interested in keeping his smiling mug on page one than he is in spreading Mexico's oil wealth among the people.
So, why do we care if Mexico can't get it's bleep together? Its not like this is new, right?
Did you know the US gets more if its oil from Mexico than anywhere else besides Canada and Saudi Arabia? Wouldn't you rather buy oil from Mexico than, say, Iran? Wouldn't our dough, if it's going to have to go out the door, be better spent in Mexico than in Russia, Sudan, or Venezuela? If the Mexicans can produce more, I'm all for buying it from them rather than (insert name of your favorite petro-fascist here). Conversely, if Mexican production continues to fall (and it has fallen dramatically since Pemex was nationalized), we're, at least for now, going to have to buy more from people who want us dead.
I really feel for the people of Mexico. They have been crapped on for centuries, and the people who claim to be looking out for them now are the worst kinds of demagogues; people who are far more interested in preserving their power than they are in actually doing something for their country and for the people the profess to care about.
Pemex is, in short, a disaster. At a time when the Mexican government should be rolling in tax pesos from it's abundant oil reserves, Pemex, which is the only company allowed to drill for and extract Mexican oil, can't find the resources to buy equipment or hire people. Years of mismanagement and lack of incentive have made it essentially impossible for Pemex, as it exists now, to drill in deep water in the Gulf, which is where any new production is going to come from.
President Felipe Calderón , who is fighting an uphill battle in so many areas, recently introduced legislation intended to start modernizing Pemex and make it competitive again. This legislation stops well short of allowing anyone else into the market - Pemex is a state-sponsored monopoly and is going to stay that way. But Calderón is at least attempting to get it moving, so that Mexico can start to realize the benefits of being an energy producer in this insane energy market.
But, this is Mexico, where no pro-business idea, no matter how good, gets by the rabid left unscathed.
Opposition leader Andres Manuel López Obrador, the man who narrowly lost the Presidential election to Calderón a few years ago and who nearly destroyed the country by refusing to concede, immediately shut down the legislature to protest. His claim: Calderón is trying to give away Mexico's sovereignty.
And you thought only college football fans could knee jerk that hard.
López Obrador, who never met a microphone he didn't like, has used the proposed legislation to propel himself back into the spotlight as the leader of the always-vocal opposition. But he really cares for the people of Mexico, don'tcha know?
I know, I know. Everyone does it. And I shouldn't let it exasperate me the way it does. But it just drains my life force the way politics gets in the way of actually getting things accomplished so often. López Obrador, like politicians of every stripe in every country, is, of course, FAR more interested in keeping his smiling mug on page one than he is in spreading Mexico's oil wealth among the people.
So, why do we care if Mexico can't get it's bleep together? Its not like this is new, right?
Did you know the US gets more if its oil from Mexico than anywhere else besides Canada and Saudi Arabia? Wouldn't you rather buy oil from Mexico than, say, Iran? Wouldn't our dough, if it's going to have to go out the door, be better spent in Mexico than in Russia, Sudan, or Venezuela? If the Mexicans can produce more, I'm all for buying it from them rather than (insert name of your favorite petro-fascist here). Conversely, if Mexican production continues to fall (and it has fallen dramatically since Pemex was nationalized), we're, at least for now, going to have to buy more from people who want us dead.
I really feel for the people of Mexico. They have been crapped on for centuries, and the people who claim to be looking out for them now are the worst kinds of demagogues; people who are far more interested in preserving their power than they are in actually doing something for their country and for the people the profess to care about.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Mavericks: Is it over yet?
The Mavericks got destroyed by New Orleans last night 127 - 103. And, brother, it wasn't that close.Where do we even start on this thing?
Avery's defensive "plan" for slowing down superstar-in-the-making Chris Paul (why do the Mavs always seem to run up against the "superstar-in-making"? Remember D-Wade's coming out party in the 2006 Finals?) was ineffective, to put it mildly. How does 32-17-5 grab you? That was Paul's line. Sound like the defense was clamping down on him?
The rest of the Hornets' line-up looked like the Harlem Globetrotters as well, throwing up circus shots from all over the floor and giggling like schoolgirls. And why not? It's got to be fun to completely have your way with a playoff opponent on national TV. Except TNT got as bored as everyone else and bailed on the game in the fourth quarter.
Dirk and Brandon Bass played like the game meant something. They were alone in their effort. Why is Avery so resistant to putting Kidd and Terry on the floor together? Stackhouse, God bless him, has NOTHING. By the time Avery got Terry on the court with Kidd, it was waaaayyyy too late.
And can we say a bit about Josh Howard? I hear from some quarters that he is hurt. I hope so. I hope he has an excuse for the way he's played the last few months. He appears clueless out there - unable to drive or post up, and unable to shoot from outside, he is killing this team.
For the first time ever, I really wonder if Dirk isn't looking around and thinking to himself, "Screw this. I am never going to win anything with this bunch of head cases. I need to get myself out of here."
I wouldn't blame him, if he is.
Well, whatever. The Mavericks season has a shelf life of two more games. I hope these clowns sack up and show a little fight. Last night was awful.
Oh, and the Rangers got killed again last night. By the Tigers, who broke the tie they were in with the Rangers for the worst record in the AL.
Go Stars. Please.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Rangers: It's happening again
Your Texas Rangers are headed for the cellar again. Today's debacle was as ugly an 8-3 loss (to the Red Sox, who completed the four-game sweep) as you'll ever see, with another pitching and fielding implosion occurring in the 4th inning.
This team has shown an absolutely life-force-draining ineptitude in the field, at the plate with runners in scoring position, and in the bullpen. The only race which appears to hold any interest for the rest of this season appears to be which number will be the largest: wins, errors, or bullpen ERA.
I wanted to be a Jon Daniels fan. I wanted to be a Ron Washington fan. I tried. Really. I can't do it. Both of these guys need to be fired right now. You can replace them, on an interim basis, with Abbott and Costello, Harold and Kumar, or biscuits and gravy. I don't care. It's obvious this season is gone (in April, for God's sake). Get me someone to blow this thing to itty-bitty pieces and rebuild from the farm up.
I hate being a baseball fan.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Thursday, December 06, 2007
A Taste of Walt
"Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes."
You know, in High School, when I first was assigned to read selections from Walt's poetic opus, Leaves of Grass, I found myself confused and slightly turned off. Who was this Old Man from an Old Time using Old Words and what could it possibly have to do with my life as an awkward teen in Dallas, Texas full of romantic notions of Bukowski and Brautigan, Kerouac and Ginsberg? My ear attunded to the sound of fear, the sound of desperation -- beat, punk, down.
"Mr. Williams, sir, what do you hope will happen when I read this man's words," I asked.
"Something profound...."
It still resonates in my ear. Mr. Williams, my sophomore English Teacher, was like a god to me. This man took me and turned me inside out, causing my eyes to be filled with worlds I had never dreamed of in my quest for depravity. If Mr. Williams told me it was going to be profound, then I had to believe him.
And your very flesh shall be a great poem.
What is it about Walt that makes me float above all my self-doubt, all my self-destruction, all my self-loathing? Walt uses the large words, the transcendent words. He makes you understand that the insignificant, the maimed, the downtrodden, the eagles, the ants, the leaves of grass are all part of the greatness that is creation. As we connect, we expand and fill the void. You can hear it in every word he drops on to the page.
I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars.
When I turned 40 I had every intention of tattooing Walt's words on my body. Money kept me from making it permanent, so I drew the following on my forearm with a black Bic pen (it is #52):
The spotted hawk swoops by and accuses me, he complains of my gab and my loitering.
I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable,
I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.
The last scud of day holds back for me,
It flings my likeness after the rest and true as any on the shadow'd wilds,
It coaxes me to the vapor and the dusk.
I depart as air, I shake my white locks at the runaway sun,
I effuse my flesh in eddies, and drift it in lacy jags.
I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love,
if you want me again look for me under your boot-soles.
You will hardly know who I am or what I mean,
But I shall be good health to you nevertheless,
And filter and fibre your blood.
Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged,
Missing me one place search another,
I stop somewhere waiting for you.
See what I mean... Everytime I speak it or read it or type as just now, I fall. And as I fall I am caught on waves of wind lifting me as I collapse upon my self.
I have a picture of Walt in my office. When the kids come in to talk to me, or they have been sent to talk to me, Walt looks them all in the eye before they begin. I wonder if they connect with him as I do?
I try to talk softly when I talk to myself outloud. It puts everyone else in a more comfortable position.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
An acronym so good, it deserves its own post
Hell, this probably deserves a Wikipedia entry:
TSBFPMEMBACEHE – The Single Biggest Foreign Policy Mistake Ever Made By Any Country Ever in the History of Ever. A new name for the bone-headed, wasteful-in-every-manner, option-killing, economy-crippling, moral-authority-destroying, foreign-policy-emasculating-for-the-next-20-years, ally-alienating, enemy-making, next-three-generations-of-Islamic-terrorists-training FIASCO which is the entire US campaign in Iraq.
For the record, I oppose a pull-out, as I believe it will just make all of the above worse. And I know its crying over spilled milk, but, GOD ALMIGHTY, we should never have invaded in the first place!
TSBFPMEMBACEHE – The Single Biggest Foreign Policy Mistake Ever Made By Any Country Ever in the History of Ever. A new name for the bone-headed, wasteful-in-every-manner, option-killing, economy-crippling, moral-authority-destroying, foreign-policy-emasculating-for-the-next-20-years, ally-alienating, enemy-making, next-three-generations-of-Islamic-terrorists-training FIASCO which is the entire US campaign in Iraq.
For the record, I oppose a pull-out, as I believe it will just make all of the above worse. And I know its crying over spilled milk, but, GOD ALMIGHTY, we should never have invaded in the first place!
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
It ain’t easy being a Dallas sports fan
OK, I’m finally over my Maverick-induced depression. A little time, a little Prozac, and a lot of cheap wine, and I’m finally ready to address the plight of the Dallas sports fan.
First off, this generalization: Man, we take a LOT of crap.
What did we do to deserve this?
Let’s start with the lowly Rangers. A bad team with no history when they arrived in town in the early 70s (for those of you who didn’t know or had forgotten, the Rangers started life as the Washington Senators and were actually the second go-around for a franchise with that name; the first Senators are now the Twins), the Rangers have given us precious few baseball memories in their 35+ years in Arlington.
Oh, sure, we had those playoff appearances in the late 90s, but the mighty Yankees smashed the life out of the team before the fans even had a chance to get excited.
Other than that, what have we got? Nolan Ryan’s 6th and 7th no-hitters, Ryan’s 5,000th K, Kenny Rogers’ perfecto, and…
Oh, yeah. What am I thinking? We’ve also got that homer off Jose Canseco’s melon in Boston. We’ve got Frankie Francisco’s chair-toss in Oakland. We’ve got Billy Martin rants, Eddie Chiles getting mad, and Bobby V’s restaurant. We’ve got Canseco’s (him again?) pitching appearance, FAILED trades (Eaton and Otsuka for Chris Young and Adrian Gonzales? Wanna do that one over? Or, for that matter, Sundberg for Yost?), idiot free-agent moves (did someone say Pudge Rodriguez was going to break down in 2003?), and BAD BAD BAD signings (Gay-Rod, Mike Henneman, Chan friggin’ Ho friggin’ Park).
We’ve got all that, and more. What am I complaining about?
This year, our hopes are pinned on Kevin Millwood (currently on DL), Eric Gagne (just off the DL and a reclamation project of the highest order), Brandon McCarthy, Mike Young (who seems to have forgotten how to swing a bat), Mark Texeira (TRADE HIM NOW), and assorted other spares. Not to mention passed-over-many-times-in-Oakland Ron Washington, the new, chatty skip.
It’s going to be the longest of long summers. This team, to quote someone who knows a lot more about baseball than me, SUCKS.
The second most lowly team in town is the now-irrelevant Dallas Stars. It’s amazing to me that this franchise, KINGS of the town after winning the Stanley Cup in ’99 and returning to defend (unsuccessfully, but returning nonetheless) in 2000, have dropped so far off the radar. Well, that’s what three straight first-round playoff exits will do for you.
The Stars have kept a nucleus of popular, but under-achieving, players around for YEARS. Mike Modano is cute and skates well (or used to), but his intestinal fortitude is questionable. Dude is the American, ice-skating version of Dirk Nowitzki (more about that in a moment). What’s not to like about Lehtinen, Zubov, Sydor, Morrow, Ott, Robidas, and the rest? They’re all swell guys. But there isn’t a CHAMPION among them. A guy with the killer instinct of Brett Hull, Guy Carbonneau, Mike Keane, Pat Verbeek, or any of the other over-achievers from the Cup team is sorely needed at the Frisco StarsCenter.
And, please, don’t get me started on Marty “The Head Case” Turco. With his strange, cross-eyed stare, Marty is lucky he’s made millions (and will make millions more in the years to come) playing great regular-season hockey. It’s a sad state of affairs when you look back on Ed Belfour as your sanest goalie in the past 10 years.
I’m afraid the best we can hope for in the next few years out of this bunch is for Dave Tippett to regrow his truly awe-inspiring mustache. And Ralphie-n-Razor’s never-tiresome bits.
We’re only halfway home, folks. The real soul-crushing is still ahead of us.
Let’s examine our heroes, the Dallas Cowboys, shall we?
The owners of the longest playoff victory drought in town (yep, you read that right; even the ridiculous Rangers have won a playoff game more recently than the Cowboys, who last won a Wild Card game in Washington in 1996), the Cowboys are well on their way to turning into the Oakland Raiders. A once-dominant team owned by an egomaniac who was in the past a mad genius but has become increasingly erratic and eccentric, the Cowboys, like Al Davis’ Raiders, are quickly fading into NFL obscurity. As coaches come and go, QBs rotate through, each touted as the Savior, and the team grows more faceless and non-descript each year.
Forget about Aikman, Irvin, Smith, Nate Newton, Charles Haley, or Kenny Norton. All the guys with any kind of personality are long gone. Who’s the most interesting dude on this team? Easy – TO Owens, but he’s interesting in a bad way. Who else?
Romo? His girlfriend is a LOT more interesting than he is. And I’m not sold on his ability to be The Man yet, either.
Terry Glenn? The last freckled black man I wanted to listen to was Dennis Johnson, and he’s dead.
Wade Phillips? Wait. Let me cancel my Lunesta prescription.
How am I supposed to get excited about this team? Are they going to be better than last year, when they barely squeaked into the playoffs, only to lose the Wild Card game, again? Well, the Pear Shaped Football Genius is gone, so the condescension and derision (focused on the fans, not the players) ought to be toned down. However, I have no idea why this team would be any better. The draft was underwhelming, free agency was an exercise in paying way too much for very little.
Yippee.
And those little Mavericks. I had retired the “little” last year, but the performance we just witnessed can only be described as “little”. Maybe “gutless”. Or “choke of historic proportions”. Any of those, I guess.
What, in the name of God, went wrong? How does a team handle all comers 67 times in the regular season, only to lose four out of six to the #8 seed? How is this even possible?
How can Dirk Nowitzki get serious MVP consideration, then, in the space of less than two weeks, disappear completely?
How can second-year player Devin Harris be the only guy on this team not scared to go to the rack?
How can big, goofy (but sorta loveable) Don Nelson have his old team’s number so thoroughly? What did he ever do to curry favor with the basketball gods? Or has he been possessed by the ghost of Red Auerbach?
How is it possible that a team coached by Avery Johnson has one guy, one friggin’ guy, who’s still talking when it’s put-up-or-shut-up time? That guy, by the way, is Jerry Stackhouse. The rest of these very little Mavericks ran home to their mommies when it got tough. How did Avery, one of the mentally toughest players ever in the NBA, not vomit his guts out right there on the sideline?
The total give-up we witnessed in that series makes you appreciate guys like Bird, Magic, and Jordan all the more. Guys who had tons of ability, sure, but who also were CHAMPIONS, who refused to lose, who wanted the ball when it came to nut-cuttin’ time, money players, cold-blooded crunch time guys.
There aren’t many of those guys out there. I can’t think of more than a handful going right now. Tiger, of course, leads the list. After that, I guess there’s Tom Brady, Peyton Manning (MAYBE, now that he’s got the monkey off his back – we’ll see), Curt Schilling, Roger Federer, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, and not many more, if any. Beckham in his day, perhaps. I’m reaching now.
It’s obvious the Mavericks have none of these money guys. Stackhouse has the mental make-up, but no longer has the skills. Dirk has the skills, but not the stuff between his ears or in his chest. Devin Harris may yet be one of those guys, but he’s not there yet.
Many here are saying if the Mavs had played anyone but Golden State in the first round, they would have won. That may be, but Golden State exposed this team’s mental weakness. Even if the Mavs had wiped the floor with the Clippers instead, crunch time was going to come against Utah, PHX/SA, or the East champ. It had to happen. And we now know the Mavs would not have had the stones to stand up. This team folded so badly and so quickly that I really question if they were going to beat anyone, Clippers included, this post season. I can make the argument they would not.
When you take this failure and add it to the failure in Miami last year, the finished picture is not pretty. Oh sure, the Mavs rolled through the regular season like a steamroller. Who cares? That only makes it hurt worse, makes the shock more shocking. We sure thought they were good. Were they really?
The answer to that last question is unequivocally YES. They were good. When the pressure is not on, this team rocks. The skill guys have got skill. Avery Johnson is magic on bench. But add some pressure, and the wheels go flying in all directions.
So, what do you do if you’re Mark (Please Shave That Goatee) Cuban? Blow it up? Stand pat?
I think we’re too close to blow it all up. I think you’ve got a cast with few equals assembled here. Dirk has talent coming out his ears, as do Howard, Harris, and Diop. Stackhouse is a tough guy who I want on my team. Dampier is a functional big man and teams well with Diop. Terry… well, that’s the question, or at least one of them.
Isn’t it interesting that the two best point guards going right now, Nash and Kidd, were both Mavericks once upon a time? I have no idea what to make of that, but the irony is hard to escape.
It’s just as clear that you can’t bring this bunch back intact. Many of the supporting cast turned out to be huge disappointments. Weren’t Devean George, Greg Buckner, and Austin Croshere brought here to provide experience, esp playoff experience? Then how come none of them played more than a few minutes in the Golden State series? If they can’t get on the floor when your team is getting humiliated by an 8 seed, it’s time for them to go.
Similarly, Jason Terry has disappeared too many times. When he’s on, he can be a huge difference maker. But, seriously, how hard is it to find a jump-shooting two guard with questionable heart? This team so desperately needs another guy who doesn’t wet his pants at the thought of driving to the rim, another Manu Ginobilli, a guy who can help Harris break a defense, who can drive and dish, or take it all the way himself. Where do we get one of those?
You’re as set as you can expect in the middle. You’re not going to improve on your rotation of Dampier and Diop.
Down low, you need someone who can play down low. Dirk may never excel at the low post, but he can certainly improve. Howard may do well there. But a real, big-butt power forward is a need as well.
And you need a bench that can play some when the pressure is on. I still don’t get this. The bench contributed during the regular season, and many thought the Mavs were the deepest team in the Association. Depth that was nowhere to be seen against GS.
It’s hard to be hopeful about any of the local teams. The Mavs still seem closest to being a power, but this embarrassment makes you question everything. The Cowboys' only good moves in the past 10 years are the new stadium and getting Parcells out of here. The Rangers are going nowhere, and look bad doing so. And with the Stars, Modano’s fiancé is a lot more interesting to watch than the game on the ice.
Well, there’s always UT football. And card tricks.
First off, this generalization: Man, we take a LOT of crap.
What did we do to deserve this?
Let’s start with the lowly Rangers. A bad team with no history when they arrived in town in the early 70s (for those of you who didn’t know or had forgotten, the Rangers started life as the Washington Senators and were actually the second go-around for a franchise with that name; the first Senators are now the Twins), the Rangers have given us precious few baseball memories in their 35+ years in Arlington.
Oh, sure, we had those playoff appearances in the late 90s, but the mighty Yankees smashed the life out of the team before the fans even had a chance to get excited.
Other than that, what have we got? Nolan Ryan’s 6th and 7th no-hitters, Ryan’s 5,000th K, Kenny Rogers’ perfecto, and…
Oh, yeah. What am I thinking? We’ve also got that homer off Jose Canseco’s melon in Boston. We’ve got Frankie Francisco’s chair-toss in Oakland. We’ve got Billy Martin rants, Eddie Chiles getting mad, and Bobby V’s restaurant. We’ve got Canseco’s (him again?) pitching appearance, FAILED trades (Eaton and Otsuka for Chris Young and Adrian Gonzales? Wanna do that one over? Or, for that matter, Sundberg for Yost?), idiot free-agent moves (did someone say Pudge Rodriguez was going to break down in 2003?), and BAD BAD BAD signings (Gay-Rod, Mike Henneman, Chan friggin’ Ho friggin’ Park).
We’ve got all that, and more. What am I complaining about?
This year, our hopes are pinned on Kevin Millwood (currently on DL), Eric Gagne (just off the DL and a reclamation project of the highest order), Brandon McCarthy, Mike Young (who seems to have forgotten how to swing a bat), Mark Texeira (TRADE HIM NOW), and assorted other spares. Not to mention passed-over-many-times-in-Oakland Ron Washington, the new, chatty skip.
It’s going to be the longest of long summers. This team, to quote someone who knows a lot more about baseball than me, SUCKS.
The second most lowly team in town is the now-irrelevant Dallas Stars. It’s amazing to me that this franchise, KINGS of the town after winning the Stanley Cup in ’99 and returning to defend (unsuccessfully, but returning nonetheless) in 2000, have dropped so far off the radar. Well, that’s what three straight first-round playoff exits will do for you.
The Stars have kept a nucleus of popular, but under-achieving, players around for YEARS. Mike Modano is cute and skates well (or used to), but his intestinal fortitude is questionable. Dude is the American, ice-skating version of Dirk Nowitzki (more about that in a moment). What’s not to like about Lehtinen, Zubov, Sydor, Morrow, Ott, Robidas, and the rest? They’re all swell guys. But there isn’t a CHAMPION among them. A guy with the killer instinct of Brett Hull, Guy Carbonneau, Mike Keane, Pat Verbeek, or any of the other over-achievers from the Cup team is sorely needed at the Frisco StarsCenter.
And, please, don’t get me started on Marty “The Head Case” Turco. With his strange, cross-eyed stare, Marty is lucky he’s made millions (and will make millions more in the years to come) playing great regular-season hockey. It’s a sad state of affairs when you look back on Ed Belfour as your sanest goalie in the past 10 years.
I’m afraid the best we can hope for in the next few years out of this bunch is for Dave Tippett to regrow his truly awe-inspiring mustache. And Ralphie-n-Razor’s never-tiresome bits.
We’re only halfway home, folks. The real soul-crushing is still ahead of us.
Let’s examine our heroes, the Dallas Cowboys, shall we?
The owners of the longest playoff victory drought in town (yep, you read that right; even the ridiculous Rangers have won a playoff game more recently than the Cowboys, who last won a Wild Card game in Washington in 1996), the Cowboys are well on their way to turning into the Oakland Raiders. A once-dominant team owned by an egomaniac who was in the past a mad genius but has become increasingly erratic and eccentric, the Cowboys, like Al Davis’ Raiders, are quickly fading into NFL obscurity. As coaches come and go, QBs rotate through, each touted as the Savior, and the team grows more faceless and non-descript each year.
Forget about Aikman, Irvin, Smith, Nate Newton, Charles Haley, or Kenny Norton. All the guys with any kind of personality are long gone. Who’s the most interesting dude on this team? Easy – TO Owens, but he’s interesting in a bad way. Who else?
Romo? His girlfriend is a LOT more interesting than he is. And I’m not sold on his ability to be The Man yet, either.
Terry Glenn? The last freckled black man I wanted to listen to was Dennis Johnson, and he’s dead.
Wade Phillips? Wait. Let me cancel my Lunesta prescription.
How am I supposed to get excited about this team? Are they going to be better than last year, when they barely squeaked into the playoffs, only to lose the Wild Card game, again? Well, the Pear Shaped Football Genius is gone, so the condescension and derision (focused on the fans, not the players) ought to be toned down. However, I have no idea why this team would be any better. The draft was underwhelming, free agency was an exercise in paying way too much for very little.
Yippee.
And those little Mavericks. I had retired the “little” last year, but the performance we just witnessed can only be described as “little”. Maybe “gutless”. Or “choke of historic proportions”. Any of those, I guess.
What, in the name of God, went wrong? How does a team handle all comers 67 times in the regular season, only to lose four out of six to the #8 seed? How is this even possible?
How can Dirk Nowitzki get serious MVP consideration, then, in the space of less than two weeks, disappear completely?
How can second-year player Devin Harris be the only guy on this team not scared to go to the rack?
How can big, goofy (but sorta loveable) Don Nelson have his old team’s number so thoroughly? What did he ever do to curry favor with the basketball gods? Or has he been possessed by the ghost of Red Auerbach?
How is it possible that a team coached by Avery Johnson has one guy, one friggin’ guy, who’s still talking when it’s put-up-or-shut-up time? That guy, by the way, is Jerry Stackhouse. The rest of these very little Mavericks ran home to their mommies when it got tough. How did Avery, one of the mentally toughest players ever in the NBA, not vomit his guts out right there on the sideline?
The total give-up we witnessed in that series makes you appreciate guys like Bird, Magic, and Jordan all the more. Guys who had tons of ability, sure, but who also were CHAMPIONS, who refused to lose, who wanted the ball when it came to nut-cuttin’ time, money players, cold-blooded crunch time guys.
There aren’t many of those guys out there. I can’t think of more than a handful going right now. Tiger, of course, leads the list. After that, I guess there’s Tom Brady, Peyton Manning (MAYBE, now that he’s got the monkey off his back – we’ll see), Curt Schilling, Roger Federer, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, and not many more, if any. Beckham in his day, perhaps. I’m reaching now.
It’s obvious the Mavericks have none of these money guys. Stackhouse has the mental make-up, but no longer has the skills. Dirk has the skills, but not the stuff between his ears or in his chest. Devin Harris may yet be one of those guys, but he’s not there yet.
Many here are saying if the Mavs had played anyone but Golden State in the first round, they would have won. That may be, but Golden State exposed this team’s mental weakness. Even if the Mavs had wiped the floor with the Clippers instead, crunch time was going to come against Utah, PHX/SA, or the East champ. It had to happen. And we now know the Mavs would not have had the stones to stand up. This team folded so badly and so quickly that I really question if they were going to beat anyone, Clippers included, this post season. I can make the argument they would not.
When you take this failure and add it to the failure in Miami last year, the finished picture is not pretty. Oh sure, the Mavs rolled through the regular season like a steamroller. Who cares? That only makes it hurt worse, makes the shock more shocking. We sure thought they were good. Were they really?
The answer to that last question is unequivocally YES. They were good. When the pressure is not on, this team rocks. The skill guys have got skill. Avery Johnson is magic on bench. But add some pressure, and the wheels go flying in all directions.
So, what do you do if you’re Mark (Please Shave That Goatee) Cuban? Blow it up? Stand pat?
I think we’re too close to blow it all up. I think you’ve got a cast with few equals assembled here. Dirk has talent coming out his ears, as do Howard, Harris, and Diop. Stackhouse is a tough guy who I want on my team. Dampier is a functional big man and teams well with Diop. Terry… well, that’s the question, or at least one of them.
Isn’t it interesting that the two best point guards going right now, Nash and Kidd, were both Mavericks once upon a time? I have no idea what to make of that, but the irony is hard to escape.
It’s just as clear that you can’t bring this bunch back intact. Many of the supporting cast turned out to be huge disappointments. Weren’t Devean George, Greg Buckner, and Austin Croshere brought here to provide experience, esp playoff experience? Then how come none of them played more than a few minutes in the Golden State series? If they can’t get on the floor when your team is getting humiliated by an 8 seed, it’s time for them to go.
Similarly, Jason Terry has disappeared too many times. When he’s on, he can be a huge difference maker. But, seriously, how hard is it to find a jump-shooting two guard with questionable heart? This team so desperately needs another guy who doesn’t wet his pants at the thought of driving to the rim, another Manu Ginobilli, a guy who can help Harris break a defense, who can drive and dish, or take it all the way himself. Where do we get one of those?
You’re as set as you can expect in the middle. You’re not going to improve on your rotation of Dampier and Diop.
Down low, you need someone who can play down low. Dirk may never excel at the low post, but he can certainly improve. Howard may do well there. But a real, big-butt power forward is a need as well.
And you need a bench that can play some when the pressure is on. I still don’t get this. The bench contributed during the regular season, and many thought the Mavs were the deepest team in the Association. Depth that was nowhere to be seen against GS.
It’s hard to be hopeful about any of the local teams. The Mavs still seem closest to being a power, but this embarrassment makes you question everything. The Cowboys' only good moves in the past 10 years are the new stadium and getting Parcells out of here. The Rangers are going nowhere, and look bad doing so. And with the Stars, Modano’s fiancé is a lot more interesting to watch than the game on the ice.
Well, there’s always UT football. And card tricks.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Americans are stupid Muslim-haters, says CAIR. Again.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), those calm, non-reactionary types who gently remind Americans of their ignorance and intolerance whenever necessary, has a new event to be pissed off about.
This time, six Muslim imams were removed from a Northwest Airlines flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix. The reason? All six stood up from their seats and started praying in unison. The plane had not yet left the gate, so authorities were able to board and start asking questions. Ultimately, the six were taken for further questioning and the plane left without them.
OK, I get it. Muslims pray multiple times each day, and this is sacred to them. No problem. And I agree that it sucks for everyone when a group of men can't pray in public without raising suspicions. It shouldn't come to that in America.
But it has.
Had I been on the flight in question, I would have freaked out right along with some of the other passengers. I HATE to fly, I'm scared to death of it, and, these days, I'm not alone. Once that plane leaves the ground, everyone on it is incredibly vulnerable to any maniac who's cleared security. There's no such thing as a "minor" plane crash - you don't walk away with some bumps and bruises. Sure, flying is, statistically, safer than zipping your fly. It doesn't matter. When in-flight on a commercial airliner, you are more at the mercy of those around you than at any other time that doesn't involve you wearing diaper.
Given the situation, everyone on board should follow some very basic rules of etiquette. Passengers should just stay in their seats and shut the hell up. Don't do things you know are going to alarm those around you. Don't jump up and yell "fire!", don't drop on the floor and roll around in a fake seizure, don't run around singing "Wooly Bully", don't stand up as a group and start praying. All of these things freak your fellow passengers out. They are NOT cool.
And if you do feel the need to cause alarm, don't get all whiny irritated when people get freaked out, and when the authorities come hassle you. I don't really care about your rights - there are 100+ people around you who have a right not to be scared by your actions. Your rights are not more important than theirs.
And then there are those wonderfully helpful folks at CAIR, who over-react to anything they perceive as a slight to Islam.
We absolutely should have a group out there standing up for Islam in a non-violent way. There is clearly a need for someone to explain, in calm, rational terms, how, through our ignorance, we're putting a religion down unfairly. Too bad CAIR isn't that group.
This bunch of clowns has done more to poison Western attitudes about Islam than anyone west of Gaza and east of Jakarta. In their eyes, a Muslim has never done anything to warrant suspicion or questioning, and it's only American stupidity and insensitivity which causes conflict. I'm not sure how this casting of stones is supposed to help us all just get along. Does it really calm tensions and foster understanding to attack the vast majority of the country's populace whenever a minority draws attention to itself in a negative way?
This turned into quite a bit more of a rant than I had planned. I guess I'll close with this: I really do want to understand others around me, and I'm the ultimate get-along guy. But, at the same time, I realize this is America, where certain actions, beliefs, and conduct are the norm and other actions, beliefs, and conduct are not the norm. Everything is easier for everyone if we all try to meet in the center a bit more.
This time, six Muslim imams were removed from a Northwest Airlines flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix. The reason? All six stood up from their seats and started praying in unison. The plane had not yet left the gate, so authorities were able to board and start asking questions. Ultimately, the six were taken for further questioning and the plane left without them.
OK, I get it. Muslims pray multiple times each day, and this is sacred to them. No problem. And I agree that it sucks for everyone when a group of men can't pray in public without raising suspicions. It shouldn't come to that in America.
But it has.
Had I been on the flight in question, I would have freaked out right along with some of the other passengers. I HATE to fly, I'm scared to death of it, and, these days, I'm not alone. Once that plane leaves the ground, everyone on it is incredibly vulnerable to any maniac who's cleared security. There's no such thing as a "minor" plane crash - you don't walk away with some bumps and bruises. Sure, flying is, statistically, safer than zipping your fly. It doesn't matter. When in-flight on a commercial airliner, you are more at the mercy of those around you than at any other time that doesn't involve you wearing diaper.
Given the situation, everyone on board should follow some very basic rules of etiquette. Passengers should just stay in their seats and shut the hell up. Don't do things you know are going to alarm those around you. Don't jump up and yell "fire!", don't drop on the floor and roll around in a fake seizure, don't run around singing "Wooly Bully", don't stand up as a group and start praying. All of these things freak your fellow passengers out. They are NOT cool.
And if you do feel the need to cause alarm, don't get all whiny irritated when people get freaked out, and when the authorities come hassle you. I don't really care about your rights - there are 100+ people around you who have a right not to be scared by your actions. Your rights are not more important than theirs.
And then there are those wonderfully helpful folks at CAIR, who over-react to anything they perceive as a slight to Islam.
We absolutely should have a group out there standing up for Islam in a non-violent way. There is clearly a need for someone to explain, in calm, rational terms, how, through our ignorance, we're putting a religion down unfairly. Too bad CAIR isn't that group.
This bunch of clowns has done more to poison Western attitudes about Islam than anyone west of Gaza and east of Jakarta. In their eyes, a Muslim has never done anything to warrant suspicion or questioning, and it's only American stupidity and insensitivity which causes conflict. I'm not sure how this casting of stones is supposed to help us all just get along. Does it really calm tensions and foster understanding to attack the vast majority of the country's populace whenever a minority draws attention to itself in a negative way?
This turned into quite a bit more of a rant than I had planned. I guess I'll close with this: I really do want to understand others around me, and I'm the ultimate get-along guy. But, at the same time, I realize this is America, where certain actions, beliefs, and conduct are the norm and other actions, beliefs, and conduct are not the norm. Everything is easier for everyone if we all try to meet in the center a bit more.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Iranian Holocaust Cartoon-Fest update
The results are in and a Moroccan cartoonist won first prize in Iran's happy little Holocaust Cartoon Contest. The contest, mentioned here a few months ago, was run in Iran's best-selling daily newspaper, Hamshahri.
The cartoon, reprinted below (I hope no Jews come to burn down my house or decapitate me with swords), earned Abdellah Derkaoui the $12,000 first prize. That ought to buy him a few dozen swastika T shirts, and maybe an Ayatollah Khomenei-autographed copy of the Quran.
Well, fair's fair, I guess. If those damn racist Danes can inflame the peaceful Islamic faithful around the world by printing a horribly derogatory series of Mohammed cartoons, the certainly the thoughtful, non-reactionary, equal-opportunity, give-peace-a-chance Iranians can print delightful, humorous artwork gently poking fun at the mythical murder of 6,000,000 Jews. Right?
Wait, did that come out right?
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Frisco teacher imbroglio
I don't often comment on stories concerning our home town, lovely and crime-free Frisco TX, because the number of people who care is pretty darn small (but growing all the time). However, this story has gone national, and it's steaming my shorts a bit.
Perhaps you've heard of Frisco Independent School District's non-renewal of elementary school art teacher Sydney McGee's contract. This ending of employment has become national news because the national media has reported that a parent complained about his/her child seeing a piece of nude art during a field trip to an art museum during Ms. McGee's class. The connection has been made in the national media (assisted significantly by Ms. McGee and her attorney, Rogge Dunn) between the complaint and Ms. McGee's dismissal.
Since the beginning of the brouhaha, FISD has taken the high road. They've hinted there are additional facts in the case, Ms. McGee has other performance issues, and the dismissal is about those other issues and not the parent complaint. But, in accordance with the law and basic decency, they have not given any specifics and have, as a result, become the butt of jokes and scathing commentary from all over the place.
The time has finally come for FISD to defend itself, and thus they have requested Ms. McGee's permission to publicly open her personnel file. There's about zero chance Ms. McGee gives the go-ahead to do so, but this at least lets the public know FISD does have some additional ammo in their argument.
The lesson here for FISD (probably) is better communication with their teachers, especially those who are not performing adequately. There's no way of knowing if FISD really does (and did here) a good job of communicating in these situations and Ms. McGee is really a nut. Regardless, when a story blows up like this one has, you've got to take away some lessons.
For my part, I've been VERY pleased with FISD in my dealings with them. Both of my kids attend school in FISD, both enjoy school a great deal (a lot more than I did back in the day), both are excelling, and the teachers and administrators have been tremendously helpful and professional. I have no complaints.
I would ask parents who have personal knowledge of the facts of the McGee case to start posting them, writing letters to the editors of the DMN and other publications, and generally start spreading the news. FISD is not going to be able to defend itself adequately and needs our help.
Perhaps you've heard of Frisco Independent School District's non-renewal of elementary school art teacher Sydney McGee's contract. This ending of employment has become national news because the national media has reported that a parent complained about his/her child seeing a piece of nude art during a field trip to an art museum during Ms. McGee's class. The connection has been made in the national media (assisted significantly by Ms. McGee and her attorney, Rogge Dunn) between the complaint and Ms. McGee's dismissal.
Since the beginning of the brouhaha, FISD has taken the high road. They've hinted there are additional facts in the case, Ms. McGee has other performance issues, and the dismissal is about those other issues and not the parent complaint. But, in accordance with the law and basic decency, they have not given any specifics and have, as a result, become the butt of jokes and scathing commentary from all over the place.
The time has finally come for FISD to defend itself, and thus they have requested Ms. McGee's permission to publicly open her personnel file. There's about zero chance Ms. McGee gives the go-ahead to do so, but this at least lets the public know FISD does have some additional ammo in their argument.
The lesson here for FISD (probably) is better communication with their teachers, especially those who are not performing adequately. There's no way of knowing if FISD really does (and did here) a good job of communicating in these situations and Ms. McGee is really a nut. Regardless, when a story blows up like this one has, you've got to take away some lessons.
For my part, I've been VERY pleased with FISD in my dealings with them. Both of my kids attend school in FISD, both enjoy school a great deal (a lot more than I did back in the day), both are excelling, and the teachers and administrators have been tremendously helpful and professional. I have no complaints.
I would ask parents who have personal knowledge of the facts of the McGee case to start posting them, writing letters to the editors of the DMN and other publications, and generally start spreading the news. FISD is not going to be able to defend itself adequately and needs our help.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Pope apologizes, Muslims still pissed, and I'm not surprised
I've largely stayed away from the "Pope quotes a medieval text, Muslims get offended" imbroglio, as I have thought since the story broke that it was a ridiculous waste of time. However, as with many seemingly trivial things which involve the Muslim world, it just won't go away.
The latest is Pope Benedict's apology for offending Muslims by quoting something that was written 1000 years ago and which he specifically said (at the time and about 100 times since) did not reflect his own views.
Predictably, Muslim leaders who have been demanding an apology are not satisfied. They want the Pope to apologize for quoting the text, rather than for offending Muslims. It seems like splitting hairs to me, but apparently not to them. Riots in the streets of the Islamic world, followed by screaming protests in Western capitals, would not surprise me one bit.
The double standard and hypocrisy in the Muslim world is enough to gag a brontosaurus. The Iranians hold a Holocaust cartoon show, and you hear NOTHING from Muslim leaders. The Pope says something that takes a lot of creative thinking to turn into an offensive statement, apologizes, and they're still pissed.
Muslims (at least some) feel the West is "anti-Islam" and the War on Terror is, in fact, a War on Islam. While I disagree with both statements in the strongest possible terms, hypocritical acts like this one make it awfully difficult for the average guy in the West to feel much compassion for Islam.
UPDATE 9/18/2006 11:46 CT: Yep, here we go. I think this is called "being unreasonable".
The latest is Pope Benedict's apology for offending Muslims by quoting something that was written 1000 years ago and which he specifically said (at the time and about 100 times since) did not reflect his own views.
Predictably, Muslim leaders who have been demanding an apology are not satisfied. They want the Pope to apologize for quoting the text, rather than for offending Muslims. It seems like splitting hairs to me, but apparently not to them. Riots in the streets of the Islamic world, followed by screaming protests in Western capitals, would not surprise me one bit.
The double standard and hypocrisy in the Muslim world is enough to gag a brontosaurus. The Iranians hold a Holocaust cartoon show, and you hear NOTHING from Muslim leaders. The Pope says something that takes a lot of creative thinking to turn into an offensive statement, apologizes, and they're still pissed.
Muslims (at least some) feel the West is "anti-Islam" and the War on Terror is, in fact, a War on Islam. While I disagree with both statements in the strongest possible terms, hypocritical acts like this one make it awfully difficult for the average guy in the West to feel much compassion for Islam.
UPDATE 9/18/2006 11:46 CT: Yep, here we go. I think this is called "being unreasonable".
Friday, August 04, 2006
TX DOT needs an a**-kicking
Last night, I drove the fam down from lovely, crime-free Frisco to San Antonio for a weekend of splashy fun at SeaWorld. We did an outstanding job of getting everyone organized and out of the house by about 7:00 p.m. and I anticipated a largely traffic-free, five hour run down I-35 to the Alamo City.
My theory held all the way to Austin. For 200+ miles, I averaged a nice, steady 75 mph or so, encountered very little traffic, and was basically feeling pretty good about things.
For reasons that are unclear to me, TX DOT closed the two right lanes on I-35 (three lanes wide at that point, btw) just north of the TX 290 interchange. While that in itself would probably have been enough to jam traffic but good, TX DOT was not satisfied with a mere jam. They wanted to full-on colossal balls-up. So, they left all of the on-ramps open, including those in the stretch of lane closure.
The resulting snarl was absolutely legendary. It took us an hour and fifteen minutes (and, I'm guessing, $15 in gas) to cover 4 miles.
We rolled into SA around 0200 this morning. I was PSYCHED!
Thanks, TX DOT. You guys rule! I'm gonna ask you guys to plan my next social event. I'll probably ask you to be guest speakers at the next PMI "How Not to Manage a Project" symposium.
Thank goodness I'm not bitter!
My theory held all the way to Austin. For 200+ miles, I averaged a nice, steady 75 mph or so, encountered very little traffic, and was basically feeling pretty good about things.
For reasons that are unclear to me, TX DOT closed the two right lanes on I-35 (three lanes wide at that point, btw) just north of the TX 290 interchange. While that in itself would probably have been enough to jam traffic but good, TX DOT was not satisfied with a mere jam. They wanted to full-on colossal balls-up. So, they left all of the on-ramps open, including those in the stretch of lane closure.
The resulting snarl was absolutely legendary. It took us an hour and fifteen minutes (and, I'm guessing, $15 in gas) to cover 4 miles.
We rolled into SA around 0200 this morning. I was PSYCHED!
Thanks, TX DOT. You guys rule! I'm gonna ask you guys to plan my next social event. I'll probably ask you to be guest speakers at the next PMI "How Not to Manage a Project" symposium.
Thank goodness I'm not bitter!
Friday, July 07, 2006
I totally don't get fashion
The North Face is selling replica Soviet athletic wear.
Which part of the gone-and-not-missed-one-bit Soviet Union are we romanticizing? The Gulag? Collectivization? The Prague Spring?
How soon we forget...
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
How much is that diamond REALLY worth?
One of the most fascinating stories I've ever run across is that of the diamond business. It's not widely known, although it's received a bit more attention recently, but it's the story of market manipulation, artificial scarcity, and the most successful long-term marketing strategy in the history of the world.
The story starts in the mid-1800s. At the time, diamonds were incredibly rare gemstones, found only in a very few riverbeds in South Asia and South America. The stones were so rare, and so sought after by royalty, their value was immense. That all changed when, in 1870, enormous diamond deposits were found in South Africa. It became apparent quickly that diamonds are, in fact, semi-precious gemstones at best, and not anywhere near as rare as once believed. In fact, there are many, many other, less-valued gemstones which are far more rare than diamonds.
However, in one of the most astute moves ever made by the business community, the folks in the diamond trade of the late 1800s realized that collusion was the only way they were going to save their market. They formed a company to control the entire world's supply of diamonds and named it DeBeers. Yep, the same DeBeers who's name appears at the end of those "Diamonds are Forever" TV ads.
Which takes us to the second part of the story.
DeBeers controls the supply of diamonds, but in order to maintain the value of the stones, the cartel also had to control demand. Thus, the "Diamonds are Forever" campaign was born. To be successful in the long term, DeBeers had to create the belief that true love MUST be signified by a diamond. In this, they've been more successful than they ever could have dreamed. Do you know anyone who has been married without buying a diamond? I don't. It was never even a question in my relationship with Robynne, and it's not even a question in the VAST majority of relationships in the Western (and, increasingly, in the Eastern) world.
But even that wasn't really enough to ensure DeBeers' long-term viability. Sure, everyone buys a diamond. But, if everyone subsequently SOLD those diamonds, it would all be in vain for the cartel. So, the more subtle, but vitally important, part of the marketing plan was born. The notion that, once purchased, a diamond becomes a family heirloom, never to be resold, was presented to the market and, remarkably, wholeheartedly embraced. Ever try to sell a diamond? Me neither. Know anyone who has? Diamonds shouldn't depreciate, right? The whole idea is they're "Forever". But they do. You'll never resell a diamond back to a jeweler for the same price you paid. No one sells a diamond, but those who do are penalized by the industry.
The reality is, if the diamond market were free, diamonds would be worth very little. There are millions of carats of diamonds still in the ground, easily mineable. There are further millions of carats of diamonds in warehouses around the world, all controlled by DeBeers and released only as a trickle. And there are uncountable millions of carats of diamonds in the hands of consumers, which will never be parted with except upon the deathbed and within the family.
This story used to piss me off. Now, all I can do is shake my head in admiration. The folks at DeBeers are unqualified geniuses. In addition to their control of both sides of the diamond market for the past 135 years, they've also done a remarkable job of staying out of the public eye.
Quite a story.
The story starts in the mid-1800s. At the time, diamonds were incredibly rare gemstones, found only in a very few riverbeds in South Asia and South America. The stones were so rare, and so sought after by royalty, their value was immense. That all changed when, in 1870, enormous diamond deposits were found in South Africa. It became apparent quickly that diamonds are, in fact, semi-precious gemstones at best, and not anywhere near as rare as once believed. In fact, there are many, many other, less-valued gemstones which are far more rare than diamonds.
However, in one of the most astute moves ever made by the business community, the folks in the diamond trade of the late 1800s realized that collusion was the only way they were going to save their market. They formed a company to control the entire world's supply of diamonds and named it DeBeers. Yep, the same DeBeers who's name appears at the end of those "Diamonds are Forever" TV ads.
Which takes us to the second part of the story.
DeBeers controls the supply of diamonds, but in order to maintain the value of the stones, the cartel also had to control demand. Thus, the "Diamonds are Forever" campaign was born. To be successful in the long term, DeBeers had to create the belief that true love MUST be signified by a diamond. In this, they've been more successful than they ever could have dreamed. Do you know anyone who has been married without buying a diamond? I don't. It was never even a question in my relationship with Robynne, and it's not even a question in the VAST majority of relationships in the Western (and, increasingly, in the Eastern) world.
But even that wasn't really enough to ensure DeBeers' long-term viability. Sure, everyone buys a diamond. But, if everyone subsequently SOLD those diamonds, it would all be in vain for the cartel. So, the more subtle, but vitally important, part of the marketing plan was born. The notion that, once purchased, a diamond becomes a family heirloom, never to be resold, was presented to the market and, remarkably, wholeheartedly embraced. Ever try to sell a diamond? Me neither. Know anyone who has? Diamonds shouldn't depreciate, right? The whole idea is they're "Forever". But they do. You'll never resell a diamond back to a jeweler for the same price you paid. No one sells a diamond, but those who do are penalized by the industry.
The reality is, if the diamond market were free, diamonds would be worth very little. There are millions of carats of diamonds still in the ground, easily mineable. There are further millions of carats of diamonds in warehouses around the world, all controlled by DeBeers and released only as a trickle. And there are uncountable millions of carats of diamonds in the hands of consumers, which will never be parted with except upon the deathbed and within the family.
This story used to piss me off. Now, all I can do is shake my head in admiration. The folks at DeBeers are unqualified geniuses. In addition to their control of both sides of the diamond market for the past 135 years, they've also done a remarkable job of staying out of the public eye.
Quite a story.
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