In Sunshine or in Shadow

There is an old wives tale that when someone famous dies, within a couple of days two more will drop dead.  Famous people die in threes.  The last few days have seen three famous actors pass away.

Dennis Weaver of the television show Gunsmoke.  He was 81.

Don Knotts of the Andy Griffith show (and many others).

Darren McGavin, 83, was probably best known for playing the father in the movie "A Christmas Story". 

It's odd how actors dying in threes usually happens.  I have even read that once a famous actor dies, people in Hollywood start getting really nervous.  At any rate, here's to three fine careers.  The rest of Hollywood should be safe for the time being ;)

I figure that people will do searches on nude beach volleyball and I'll get more hits this way...

This time last year I was talking about buying Rhode Island with my T-bucks and turning it into a Nude Beach volleyball colony.  I should think about doing that again. 

I have a much more imaginative post coming up, this is just me killing time before lunch....

Before I begin, I would like to ask everyone for a little assistance.  You see, I need help making this blog look better.  Right now it looks bland.  It's like baked chicken--plain and blah.  By the way, have you ever had plain baked chicken and a glass of milk?  My word.  Anyone who can help me spice this up--t mail me.  I am looking to make a cool banner.  Consider me a html retard too.  I mean it.  I am not the brightest kid in class when it comes to this stuff.  I can though, burp real loud.  Ok here is my list....

Ten things I like about chicken.

10. When it's cooked and on your plate, it doesn't talk back to you.

9. You can make it with anything (well, not fruit loops.), and it works.

8. It tastes like frog legs and any other obscure food.

7. Have you ever had a shredded chicken sandwich?  Holy mother of God!

6. It rhymes with "pickin"

5. If you leave raw chicken residue in the garbage, it let's you know that it's time to clean.

4. One bottle of Caribbean Jerk sauce, 4 chicken leg quarters, cook in pan for 90 minutes together. Serve with rice.  Better than sex.

3. KFC has enough sodium in it for the entire country of Guam.  That's pretty cool.

2. Chicken ka-bobs.  That kind of sounds like Kneel and Bob.  No, not really.

1. Let's be honest.  Without chicken our lives and how we think about food would be just plain crappy.  Yay chicken!

"Tough times never last. Tough people do."
- Robert Schuller

"No man or woman of the humblest sort can really be strong, gentle and good, without the world being better for it, without somebody being helped and comforted by the very existence of that goodness."

- Phillips Brooks

As you well know, I have issues with local newscasts.  In a nutshell they are stupid, over-hyped, extremely dramatic and overdone.  News at 5, at 5:30, at 6:00.  It's fast, it's first and the weather is forecast using Triple Doppler Radar.  Big freaking whoop-dee-do.

It hit rock bottom the other day when they sent a guy out for a live spot in the middle of the road to cover the snow flurries.  Yes, the snow flurries.  Not inches or feet of snow, not even a dusting.  Flurries.  So we get this live report..."I'm here at the corner of blank and blank and as you can see the snow has not yet begun to fall.  You still need to exercize caution out there on the roads.  As you can see my hand is wet (he bent down and touched the road) which indicates that the roads might be a little slick."

Jesus H. Christ.  Have we become this ridiculous?  If it's not video footage of gang members brawling (They were first to bring you this story), it's exclusive interviews with fire chiefs on their new "Stop drop and roll" technique.  They always brag about being first, wherever news hits.  Like I care....All I know is watching local news is worse than watching soaps.  I used to watch those and now when I see one on TV all I can do is laugh at the ridiculous acting...

Spring is on the way and I can't wait.  Golf, golf and more golf.  Who needs local news?

As I have mentioned before, I like watching the olympics.  Honestly, I couldn't less about nordic combined skiing or ice dancing and many of the other sports they compete in.  I do though enjoy the mytique of the Olympics and have since I was a kid. 

I wasn't going to blog about this, but it bothered me enough to spend part of tonight typing away.  The other day, a new Olympic sport, the snowboard cross, made it's Olympic debut.  The favorite and current world champion was American Lindsey Jacobellis, a 20-year old snowboarder from Vermont.  In the gold medal race, she had a commanding lead going into the final jump, which requires no style-jump of any kind.  It is simply a final obstacle. 

With a huge lead, it appeared as if Jacobellis got a little cocky and did a style jump, causing her to land funny and fall.  The next closest competitor slid past her, leaving Lindsey with the silver medal.  Clearly distraught by the turn of events, Jacobellis was left to just stand there while the world passed judgement.  It started with ESPN and spread to CNN and every media outlet in the world.  The headlines were brutal, and the corresponding articles tasteless and off-base in their comparison of this blunder to some of the greatest in sports history.

NBC took it to a whole new level.  Jimmy Roberts, who does a nightly introspective on particular athletes, described Lindsey's failure to simply finish as one of the worst decisions in Olympic history, and perhaps in sports history.  Together, he and Bob Costas made it sound as if the world as we know it had ended.  For two such journalists of their calibre, it was very disappointing and disheartening to see them add to the typical American sensationalism that always occurs in such situations.

So a 20-year old's olympic memory is forever destroyed by the exploits of a hovering media, who has yet to understand one fundamental concept of the ever so popular extreme sports generation.  Medalling isn't as important as the experience.  We have to let go of this fascination of winning the gold.  It doesn't mean what it used to.  First off, the Olympics have been infiltrated by professional athletes, which was never the intent of the games.  Second, athletes are now being paid for winning.  A gold medal is worth $25,000, silver $15,000 and bronze I believe $10,000.  When this began is beyond me.  I always thought the medal itself was worth more than money.

For a sport (snowboarding) which defies convention and snears at the establishment, it sure is popular among the masses.  It's fast becoming one of the centerpieces of what otherwise is a rather bland compilation of winter "sports".  If we are going to jump on board and embrace these new athletes who partake in extreme olympic sports, it's time we understand the culture of the competitions.  Showmanship is part of what they do.  It's a free for all mentality and they love every second of it.  Let's not make it out to be the end of the world when a poorly-timed blunder changes the color of Lindsey Jacobellis's experience from gold to silver.  I'm sure she is disappointed in herself and will always remember that one jump.  We don't need to add it to the all-time great mishaps in sports.  It just doesn't equate.

I don't know why it bothers me so much.  Maybe it's because I see how much time and effort these athletes put into their craft, and it bothers me when it a snowboard cross race means more to the rest of us than the athlete herself.  I lost a great deal of respect for NBC and those covering the event.  Bob Costas and Jimmy Roberts, two of the best in the business messed up the jump just as much as Jacobellis did. 

The only thing is, Lindsey had snow on her face after the fall, which is much better than the egg which adorned the face of every scornful media-type who made this sound like sports as we know it will never be the same.  Go home to Vermont Lindsey, and be proud that you were there and tried.  We'll see you in Vancouver.

I must say that with each passing Winter Olympics, one thing is clear.  Alternative sports, or "extreme sports" are taking over the Olympics--and I couldn't be happier.   They are fun to watch and take as much or more skill and endurance.  I really like the snowboard cross--it is very interesting.  Much more fun to watch than ice dancing.  At any rate--stay tuned in Vancouver, I think you'll see more of these sports pop up for the 2010 games.  I'd really like to be there for those.

Let's talk Ginger Ale shall we?  I'd like to announce my top 5 in order:

1. Canada Dry  2. Schwepps  3. Vernors  4. Faygo  5. Big K

Ginger Ale rankings....you can't beat that ;)

With each passing day, the Muslim world'd true colors keep shining through.  Now it's a bounty on the head of the cartoonist....

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) - A Pakistani cleric announced Friday a $1 million bounty for killing a cartoonist who drew Prophet Muhammad, as thousands joined street protests and Denmark temporarily closed its embassy and advised its citizens to leave the country.

Police confined the former leader of an Islamic militant group to his home to prevent him from addressing supporters over the cartoons, amid fears he could incite violence, after riots this week killed five people.

Unbelieveable.  What's next?  A bounty on the entire family and future generations of that family? 

Hi everyone...

 You can find me here now...

http://spaces.msn.com/irishcsred/?_c02_owne r=1" title="http://spaces.msn.com/irishcsred/?_c02_owne r=1" target="_blank"http://spaces.msn.com/irishcs...

I guess understanding America is realizing you don't understand it at all...

Fighting a war costs money--I realize this.  We need the best equipment to keep our troops strong and above all, safe.  We committed to this war long ago--I realize this.  Crying about it won't change anything.  We support our troops, who continue to represent this great country of ours.  I love them for that.

How great is our country?  I wonder this all the time.  It's the land of the free.  I'm free, you are free.  We are free together to choose and to live as we wish.  That is of course if you have health insurance, and good health insurance at that.  Otherwise, you aren't free to live as you wish.  You don't then live in the land of the free.  What if you get sick and need major surgery?  My grandfather had open heart surgery 10 years ago.  The bill (covered by insurance) was over $250,000, which included extended therapy and hospital stay.  What if your heart goes bad in America today?  Are you one of 40 million or so Americans who would experience complete financial ruin in that case?  How many of you would die before the surgery because you wouldn't get adequate care.  Afterall, you don't have insurance. 

You live in the home of the free, but millions of you have been shafted by the Government in this latest round of budget cuts.  We listen year after year about "affordable health care", and yet once again, more cuts to the health care budget.  In trying to understand America, I can't figure out how I live in a Democracy where we pride ourselves on Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness, and over half of us couldn't pursue jack squat if we tried because if we get sick, it will cost us hundreds of dollars for one doctor visit and a prescription. 

Is liberty the right to allow this continue?  I have the right to listen to the President say I am addicted to oil.  Ok...how does President Bush get from place to place?  How are those White House dinners for 500$ a plate financed?  Is Air Force One a hybrid?  Life...paying $2.50 a gallon for gasoline.  Liberty...the right to choose a health care provider, provided it's on the HMO list.  The pursuit of happiness...as long as you are willing to pay a fixed 6.8% interest rate on student loans that 2 years ago were at 2.77%.  By the way, I haven't even mentioned the deep cuts in education funding that have occured.

We need scientists and mathematicians.  We need artists and performers.  We need more young wide-eyed dreamers who look beyond their circumstances to make this world a better place.  When they are talented or provide us with knowledge, we scoop them up and let them make America better.  America cares for these people...provided they stay healthy and can pay for it themselves.

This is getting out of hand, and fast.  Tens of thousands of Muslims around the world are upset over a cartoon that was published dipicting Mohammed.  In the cartoon he is wearing a turbin shaped like a bomb with a lit fuse.

There have been demonstrations outside the Denmark consulate and the Austrian Embassy.  There have been bomb threats (IRONIC ISN'T IT??  HOW CAN YOU BE UPSET AT THE CARTOON AND SEND IN BOMB THREATS???), in Paris, raging mobs in Pakistan and Indonesia.  Rocks thrown, blood, injured police, and now two protesters killed.

Knock it off people.  Yes, the cartoon was offensive, but this complete outrageous display of aggression is only making Islam look even worse in the eyes of the world.  Why not take all of that anger and protest against ALL OF THE RADICAL ISLAMIST GROUPS WHO BOMB, KILL and TERRORIZE??  How do you think it looks when your mobs, screaming about a cartoon, are out of control and now are the aggressors?  I was a little sympathetic when I saw the cartoon, but now I am just fed up with all the anger and violence it has created.  In Somalia?  Indonesia?  Pakistan?

If you want a reason to shout and scream out at the world, do so against the members of your religion who are more concerned with Jihad than the religion itself.

Stop throwing rocks and acting like children.

A few observations on this lovely Monday morning...

The Superbowl was a Superdud.  The game itself was bland and was tarnished by suspect calls (and I was rooting for Pittsburgh.)  Pittsburgh won, and completed one of the greatest playoff runs in NFL history.  Worst of all--the commercials were extremely lame.  I sat there after so many of them thinking "THIS is what they are spending 2 million dollars for 30 seconds on?"  Overall, disappointing.

It's great to see a touch of winter back here in Ohio.  We got snow on Saturday and the world looks wonderful again.  I was getting spring fever way too soon.  In Ohio the weather can turn on a dime.

There are some great, high quality blogs out there (some people plagarize articles and flaunt them as their own, which is sad.)  Overall though since t blog changed over, the number of top notch blogs has skyrocketed. 

I am happy and excited to be at work today....I wonder why?  Maybe there is a lot to be thankful for this week.  Maybe there is a lot to be thankful for in general.

PS: Rocky, the comments need to be tweaked.  We need to go back to the comment threads!

Some people are so incredibly rude.  When did we become so impatient that we can't wait in line for an extra 30 seconds to buy a gallon of chocolate milk?  What makes people react so terribly to a grocery check out girl's register locking up and delaying the check out process by a minute or so?

 I'm seriously scared for American society.  I am starting to see the rat-race mentality creep into the tiny villages and hamlets.  Even there, where most are still friendly and accomodating, this need to get everything done right now--is even infiltrating Mayberry USA. 

It's the 5 extra seconds at the stoplight.  It's people running yellow (very yellow) lights because God forbid they have to stop.  It's not even yellow anymore here in the midwest.  I am seeing the same red-light runners--people who think they can make it before the yellow runs out, that I used to see everyday in Boston and NYC when I lived there. 

People are just angrier now than they used to be.  I see it in restaurants all the time.  If a steak isn't cooked absolutely perfect, they don't just send it back--they act like their house has just been reposessed.  I see it at Target where people walking behind you get angry if you are walking too slow, and get right behind you with their cart--the classic human tailgate.  (Do we need to start wearing bumper stickers on our asses that say "I brake for tailgaters"?)

As the population in America increases, and the space around us gets smaller, we have to find a better way to live with one another.  It's only going to get worse.  Traffic is going to tie up even more, stores are going to be less crowded and yes, our steaks are going to continue to be cooked medium-rare instead of medium.  It starts with you.  You can make a difference and change the way society functions.  Start with yourself.  When your steak isn't cooked right, be polite and ask for it to be sent back.  When it returns to your table, be nice and say thank you.  Live life the right way and don't sweat the small stuff. 

Life is going to get a whole lot faster and much more crowded, people.  Adaptation with a pinch of human kindness is vital to a friendly society.  Your milk won't curdle if you have to wait an extra 30 seconds to take it home....

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Truckers want Coca-Cola to slam the brakes on a planned Super Bowl ad for its Full Throttle energy drink.  The American Trucking Associations has written a letter to Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO E. Neville Isdell urging that the ad be pulled or changed. Coke is the sponsor of the "Full Throttle Kick-Off Show" on ABC just before the Super Bowl, and the 60-second ad is the last one that will be shown on the broadcast. It includes the slogan "Let Your Man Out."

 I have to agree with the ATA on this one.  We have a negative view on truckers as drivers as it is.  Let's not add fuel to the fire by making it look like they are always jacked up on Red Bull and drinks like that.

NEW YORK - A New York City man jumped to his death Wednesday afternoon from the Empire State Building in an apparent suicide, police said Thursday.  Lt. John Grimpel said Dovid Abramowitz, 21, jumped from a vacant office on the 66th floor.  Officials discovered his body on a landing on the sixth floor of the building, one of New York's key tourist destinations.

Now you know why hotel windows won't open, and why huge screen adorn the roof of buildings like the Empire State Building.  If you let hotel windows open freely, and had easy access to high rooftops, the suicide rate in this country would increase TEN fold--maybe more.  Not only that, innocent people, just walking about would die too--having been struck by falling bodies.  It's just a sad reality of American life.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Truckers want Coca-Cola to slam the brakes on a planned Super Bowl ad for its Full Throttle energy drink.  The American Trucking Associations has written a letter to Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO E. Neville Isdell urging that the ad be pulled or changed. Coke is the sponsor of the "Full Throttle Kick-Off Show" on ABC just before the Super Bowl, and the 60-second ad is the last one that will be shown on the broadcast. It includes the slogan "Let Your Man Out."

 I have to agree with the ATA on this one.  We have a negative view on truckers as drivers as it is.  Let's not add fuel to the fire by making it look like they are always jacked up on Red Bull and drinks like that.

NEW YORK - A New York City man jumped to his death Wednesday afternoon from the Empire State Building in an apparent suicide, police said Thursday.  Lt. John Grimpel said Dovid Abramowitz, 21, jumped from a vacant office on the 66th floor.  Officials discovered his body on a landing on the sixth floor of the building, one of New York's key tourist destinations.

Now you know why hotel windows won't open, and why huge screen adorn the roof of buildings like the Empire State Building.  If you let hotel windows open freely, and had easy access to high rooftops, the suicide rate in this country would increase TEN fold--maybe more.  Not only that, innocent people, just walking about would die too--having been struck by falling bodies.  It's just a sad reality of American life.

Why America gives a crap about this girl is beyond me.  But apparently she hurt herself again, so it's front page news.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Lindsay Lohan was treated at a London hospital last week after she cut her leg in an accident at Bryan Adams' home, according to published reports.

The 19-year-old "Mean Girls" star had 10 stitches to close a gash on her shin after she slipped on a set of stairs Friday. Lohan was released from the hospital later that day, the reports said.

 In other news that is so EARTH SHATTERING...

I ate a cookie for breakfast and drank a cup of coffee.

The sun is out today and a leaf blew from a tree outside my office.