And a response to the latest comment....

I sadly have not been following the Massachusetts governors’ race. I guess I had just assumed I’d vote for Kerry Healey. I’m not sure where she stands on too much, but I’m certain it’s bound to be better than Patrick. I’m thinking Patrick might just be a shoe in however unless someone has some good dirt on the guy.

I couldn’t vote for Patrick even if I had wanted too, because I’m not a democrat. If independents can vote in primaries in Mass., I’m not aware.

Before I switch over into the next subject I thought I would include this excellent description which even goes as far to separate, Christian, Jewish, and Islamic Fundamentalism.

What in the Name of God?Religious Fundamentalism, Fear & Terrorism

And now, let’s change the subject to Christian Fundamentalism. It’s a fine line Tim. They really aren’t that different. And you need to remind yourself that the people blowing themselves up are extremists, not the average Fundamentalist Islamic faithful. However I think that can be a boundary all too easily crossed.

First Tim wrote:

“People have every right to their beliefs and to believe I'm a fool for not
agreeing with them. Let them - they're not inhibiting my freedom. Of course,
I'll take some issue if they try to spread their influence in places it doesn't
belong. I've never had a problem with crèches in city commons, for instance, but
I think trying to indoctrinate via the schools is not right - that's what church
and Sunday school is for. But when they use their beliefs as justification for
taking my life away from me, that's when I've got a bit of a problem with them.
Best as I can tell, that's not the preferred method of conversion for Southern
Christians.”

First, they want to inhibit freedoms. They want to sensor, they want to prohibit yamikas and burqas, but crucifixes are just fine. They even want to do silly things like ban Halloween.

Luckily we are civilized enough as a Nation where we generally don’t shoot missiles at people throwing rocks. In recent times our “persecution” of people who are different has been almost nonexistent. There are areas of prejudice, and some occasional rights issues that need addressing, but we’ve come a long way in a couple hundred years. Just 70 years ago people probably would not take much time to investigate the murder of a black person. I’m actually quite certain in many ways the government even promoted it. We have improved our system of law and order even though it still has many flaws.

If there wasn’t the risk of jail, or consequences, you can bet that not just the fundamentalists but slowly people all around us would start killing. They would be only a select few at first but it would spread like the plague.

We may be a lot more reluctant to kill on our doorsteps but not so much when the violence can’t be seen.

Our country is currently using the beliefs of a group of people as justification for taking the lives away from others. Yes… we take precautions to avoid civilian casualties. But we know they will happen, we didn’t have a solid cause for battle, and yet we proceeded. To the Islamic mother who lost her ten year old to shrapnel, she very much sees a nation willing to kill for what it believes in.

Now I don’t know about you but I was taught (By people who would disagree most of what I say in this blog) that killing is wrong unless it is life or death. Iraq was not life or death.

When we funded the Taliban in the 80s and Saddam in the 80s it was not life or death. We did it because we did not want Communism to spread; we aided Saddam to fight Iran. So he happened to be committing genocide at the same time? It was no hair off our chests because all we cared about was that the Communists and their friends were being pestered. Pretty ironic that Bush constantly uses the genocide that we funded as a case to justify his removal of Saddam. Even more ironic is that Donald Rumsfeld is the guy that helped make Saddam more powerful to begin with.

Now I know I’ve gone off on a tangent… but hear me out. It has a purpose, it isn’t just a diversion.

Fundamentalism is divisive. Division leads to hate. Hate leads to fighting and violence.

You tell people that they worship the one true god, and that everyone else is trying to destroy that and has been corrupted by the devil… You do these things, and ONLY bad things will come of it. Prayer in school is the least of our concerns. We are a people who under the right circumstances are willing to kill for what we believe in.

If I had to kill an attacker to save my own life I would or I’d probably die trying.

People are being convinced by greedy leaders that they are being attacked. Fundamentalist preachers (Not Billy Graham as I’ll explain below) are teaching that “different” people aren’t just misguided but that they are BAD.

The fundamentalists don’t want to live amongst people who are unique. They want you to be like them. I guess to some degree it’s a bit of human nature, but I think it is a primitive animal instinct.

Change can happen really fast. Not many expected that the tidy 50s would give way to the hedonistic abandon of the 60s and the 70s but it did.

A hate fueled group of people could promote a lot of change.

First off a literal interpretation of a book that contains several different, often contradicting versions of the same story doesn’t make any sense. While relative, it goes down a path I don’t want to necessarily take in this rebuttal but I believe it merits a mention.

Next let’s go on to mainstream “Christian” American icons, since you brought them up.

Billy Graham is a bad example: The excerpts below are from Wikipedia (hope that doesn’t take away the legitimacy of the information :D !)

Politically, Graham has been a registered member of the Democratic Party, although in recent years he has adopted a flexible position, choosing to cast his vote with either party, depending on which he considers most appropriate at the time. He has had close relationships with Lyndon B. Johnson and Bill Clinton, but he is also very close to the Bush family.

Graham has been criticized for years by many Christian Fundamentalists for his inclusive message and his close relationship with the Roman Catholic Church (especially for his friendship with the late Pope John Paul II).
Christian fundamentalism emphasizes doctrinal purity, Believer's baptism, and separatism, while Graham has taken a more evangelical position of cooperation wherever possible with other Christian denominations. In 2006, Newsweek reporter Jon Meacham characterized Graham's brand of Christianity as "conservative but not fundamentalist.”

I personally don’t think of Graham as a fundamentalist either, but, to support that belief, one might bring this up which is sort of an example of the behavior I was talking about.

In 2002, declassified "Richard Nixon tapes" revealed remarks made by Graham to President Richard M. Nixon decades earlier. Graham openly voiced his belief that Jews control the American media, calling it a "stranglehold" during a 1972 conversation with Nixon. "This stranglehold has got to be broken or the country's going down the drain," said Graham, agreeing with Nixon's comments about Jews and their influence in American life. Later, Graham mentions that he has friends in the media who are Jewish, saying they "swarm around me and are friendly to me." But, he confides to Nixon, "They don't know how I really feel about what they're doing to this country." These remarks were highly controversial, with many characterizing them as anti-Semitic.

When the tapes were released, Graham apologized for his remarks, stating that
"although I have no memory of the occasion, I deeply regret comments I
apparently made ... They do not reflect my views, and I sincerely apologize for
any offense caused by the remarks. If it wasn't on tape, I would not have
believed it. I guess I was trying to please... I went to a meeting with Jewish
leaders and I told them I would crawl to them to ask their forgiveness."
According to Newsweek magazine, "the shock of the revelation was magnified
because of Graham's longtime support of Israel and his refusal to join in calls
for the conversion of the Jews."

NOW… I thought I’d move on to someone who is dangerous in my opinion, and he has his own television program. Pat Robertson. These quotes are from his letters to supporters and from the 700 club.

“If Christian people work together, they can succeed during this decade in winning back control of the institutions that have been taken from them over the past 70 years. Expect confrontations that will be not only unpleasant but at times physically bloody.... This decade will not be for the faint of heart, but the resolute. Institutions will be plunged into wrenching change. We will be
living through one of the most tumultuous periods of human history. When it is over, I am convinced God's people will emerge victorious.” (Physically bloody…. Nothing at all like Islamic Fundamentalist’s rhetoric or public relations tactics, no comparison, none at all)

As I add in more quotes lets remember that Robertson’s followers are in the tens of thousands and increasing. He has a syndicated T.V. program that appears on major and cable networks. They don’t give too much air time to things people don’t watch.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I want to say this very clearly. If the people of the United States -- all across America, in their churches and in their civic groups and in their legislatures -- decide that they're not going to allow the Supreme Court to dominate their lives in the fashion that it has been in this nation, the Supreme Court does not have the power to change that. They are not going to be able to overturn the will of a hundred million American people. And I think the time has come that we throw off the shackles of this dictatorship that's been imposed upon us. We had a war in 1776 that set us free from the shackles of the arbitrary rule of the British crown, and I think what's going on in Corbin, Kentucky, boy, those people like to live free. And I think the time has come that we do that...”

So from Robertson’s tone you’d think this was a serious, serious, offense… actually this is simply Pat getting excited about not being able to put the Ten Commandments on public property.

“I know this is painful for the ladies to hear, but if you get married, you have accepted the headship of a man, your husband. Christ is the head of the household and the husband is the head of the wife, and that's the way it is, period.”

(And Pat wonders why many women in today’s “evil” world decide against men in their lives)

“If the widespread practice of homosexuality will bring about the destruction of your nation, if it will bring about terrorist bombs, if it'll bring about earthquakes, tornadoes and possibly a meteor, it isn't necessarily something we ought to open our arms to.”

“I think we ought to close Halloween down. Do you want your children to dress up as witches? The Druids used to dress up like this when they were doing human sacrifice... [Your children] are acting out Satanic rituals and participating in it, and don't even realize it.”

This is a sentiment that seems to catch on more every year as trick or treaters disappear and many “fundamentalists” communities, most of which reside in the south, have banned celebration of the holiday. What’s that? We have freedom of religion in the U.S. you say?
Apparently someone didn’t get the memo.

Pat Roberson promotes an agenda of hatred. Hatred promotes violence.
Now don’t get me wrong…. I don’t think we should stifle these fundamentalists with legislation and definitely not force, but acceptance over exclusion needs to be promoted in this world.

And then there is Jerry Falwell:

“Liberal civil liberties groups, feminists, homosexuals and abortion rights supporters bear partial responsibility...because their actions have turned God's anger against America." (You’re right Tim they are sooo different)

In an interview given on September 30, 2002, for the October 6 edition of 60 Minutes, Falwell said: "I think Muhammad was a terrorist. I read enough by both Muslims and non-Muslims, [to decide] that he was a violent man, a man of war."
The following Friday, Mohsen Mojtahed Shabestari, the spokesman of Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khameini, issued a fatwa for Falwell's death, saying that Falwell was a "mercenary and must be killed," and, "The death of that man is a religious duty, but his case should not be tied to the Christian community."

The irony is how non Christian, all these champions of modern U.S. Christianity are.
Of course if you get into the “defining Christianity” debate that is yet another can of worms I’ll leave alone.

Our battle in Iraq and religion are NOT mutually exclusive. Religion is very much a part of it. Religion, or religious extremists are very much the cause. Regardless of whether you think Bush is on a crusade, or whether he is simply retaliating against an extremist Islamic crusade, the difference in beliefs are the root.

In WWII, greed was the factor, yet religion, and religious differences, they were motivators. Politicians, much like religious figures, motivate people by dividing.

Bush’s plan was to invade Iraq to set up a base to bring American values and lifestyle to all of the Middle East. Bush has said himself, that he feels that he was chosen by God. Bush has called the mission a crusade. This is a culture war, and sadly both sides could probably make a decent argument about who began the whole fiasco. The only way to change this is to accept people who are different.

Now, I’m not saying it would be a bad thing if woman could walk around with equal rights, and people weren’t suicide bombing each other. The problem is, sure, we’re better than the terrorists, BUT, we are still killing to spread what we believe. I happen to think there may have been a better way, but this way had so much more emotion behind it… not to mention the profits of spreading fear for politicians and old military strategists. Haliburton! (Ahem) excuse me I sneezed.

As long as we are insecure as a people, then we will be manipulated for the non stop power struggle by those we’ve allowed sit in the thrones.
Some other links:

The Rise of Neo-Fundamentalism

The rise of global fundamentalism From the National Catholic Reporter

The Evidence Builds....

Check it out, the Washington Post is catching on!

Both Parties Sensing Tighter House Races: Republican Fortunes Appear to Turn Rosier

"The obvious battle is over whether voters on Nov. 7 will be thinking more about the violence in Iraq, which pushes them the Democrats' way, or more about the broader war on terror.
In this skirmish, Republicans can chalk up modest but real gains. The Pew Research Center found that the proportion of voters who listed terrorism as the most important problem facing the country rose from 5 percent last May to 14 percent this month. Significantly, the proportion of independents who listed terror as the key issue rose from 5 percent to 13 percent." (See link below)

Good News for Republicans?

That being said, here's Newt (I miss you Newty....) Gingrich leaving Congress was the beginning of the end of my attachment to the GOP. When he left the budget cutting and reform ended, and the divisive anti flag burning and prayer in school crap (which even if you favor these the Supreme Court will, and has in the past, shoot them down for being unconstitutional). It moved away from politics that accomplish something, and basically became a battle of ideals that went no where.

"You now have a Republican Party in danger of being in a recession. The party is
confused as to its identity. And I don't see a very large market for a pro-pork,
centrist Republican Party."

-Newt Gingrich (from the real clear politics interview, see link below)

Newt Gingrich on the Direction of the GOP

Here's an interesting interview with Karen Hughes, who cites the clash of American culture with Islamic values as a major point of growing tension. While I am sympathetic to their disdain, at the same time, I don't think we should censor ourselves for their benefit. However, I'm quite certain that Hughes thinks a bit of censorship may be in our best interests as well. This would be counterintuitive to our desire to "liberate" people.

AP Interview: Longtime Bush aide says it could take decades to alter anti-American feelings around the world

Too late...

To write very much.

"The idea of trying to cast blame on President Clinton is just wrong for many, many reasons, not the least of which is I don't think he deserves it, I don't think President
Bush deserves it. The people who deserve blame for Sept. 11, I think we should remind ourselves, are the terrorists - the Islamic fanatics - who came here and killed us and want to come here again and do it."

Right on Rudolph!

Giuliani defends Clinton on 9/11 efforts

I don't believe that the Democrats will win the House or Senate, at least not both. Yes, yes, I know what the polls say but we'll see. W's approval rating has started a slight upward creep as of late. AND... and, gas prices are dropping. Since Americans have the attention spans of gnats, they'll be less enraged by a distant confrontation that should not have happened. And last... the South, the South, the South!!! Our very own home brewed fascistvengeancece laden, red-blooded fundamentalism is on the rise... and I's a reckoninthere'ses ain't gonna be no messin with that there.

The blue state folks don't get it. They didn't quite understand in the last election when they thought they were going to get a victory, and they definitely don't get it now. They think just because everyone who's polled on the streets of NYC, L.A., and yes dear old Beantown, they believe that because of this trend, the country must all be thinking the same way. WELL THEY ARE WRONG!

You heard it here first. The Democrats will be screaming foul, and citing corruption, when their loss come November, will be nothing more than simple cluelessness about America as a whole.

Some articles:

Are women key to Democratic chances in the South?

Rethinking Red States This is a bit dated, Allen is having a tough time due to the fact he's been a wee bit too open on his personal prejudices.

Anyway... That's all for now.

We are closing in on the weekend!

Tuesday & the Clinton interview

Another lovely evening at the gym. It really is becoming perhaps my favorite part of the day, although I admit, it feels good when I stop running, etc. The orange line has started running to Wellington again, where the shuttle now begins. This cuts a little bit of time off of the journey. It will give me an excuse to go to the new Kelly's Roast beef (at Wellington station) at some point too.

"Earlier Tuesday, President Bush angrily lambasted a media report that said the document asserted the Iraq war had increased the terrorist threat to the United States."-CNN

Hmmmm.... Just read about the article, then decide for yourself.
NIE: Al Qaeda 'damaged,' becoming more scattered

The following are the two halves of the controversial Clinton interview with Chris Wallace on Fox. It is excellent, and showcases just what a sharp guy Clinton was. The first part is the best, however, I especially like at the beginning of the second interview where Clinton brings up how the right accused him of a "Wag the Dog" scenario when he tried to go after Bin Laden. I remember because at the time I bought into the criticism. Hind sight is 20/20 and unfortunately it took George W. Bush to make me really appreciate Clinton, in light of his short comings.... which I might add are pretty much non issues comparatively. (I now wonder just how much truth there was to all of the crap and conspiracy theory that was out there)

Monday, Monday.....

Monday morning and it was a dreadful semi-wakefulness that colored my palate of consciousness. I struggled through the morning listening to a coworker explain the beauty of the Water's (inc) HPLC software. More frustrating was that he ignored my basic need to get data fast... and wanted to go into way too much detail for the overview that was inteded to be cursory. I mean, it was meant to be a quick overview, and, additionally I was feeling light headed and still was floating in and out of a dream state, despite my motor functions and reflexes which managed to keep me upright.

Eventually a slice of pizza and a side salad replentished my blood sugar. It was a productive day after all organizing the newly acquired data (which I improvised acquiring my own way in spite of my morning tutoring... tsk, tsk...) . I also had to go over some ethanol storage regulation for the city of Cambridge. They have some new absurd enforcements and I've been dubbed the "Alcohol Administrator" for our group. I have to work with our safety department to get up to code and keep track of our inventory.

Work concluded and I was eagerly off to the gym. I did well tonight burning 1000 theoretical calories (or so the digital interfaces would have me believe). Some left over Chinese take-out served as a late supper, along with a bowl of salad. Honestly I sneaked a couple of mini-Reeses peanut butter cups too. I had previously bought a Halloween sack of the treats at Walgreen's in a rather pointless purchase, just to get smaller bills for laundry change.

Well enough of the mundane... I guess I thought I'd put down some quotes of interest in recent news and pop culture, and then follow it up with a couple of links.

"Life beats you down occasionally and when it does, you just have to not
try. But I am the eternal optimist. No mater how rough it gets, there's always
light somewhere. The rest of the sky may be cloudy, but that little bit of blue
draws me on," -Recent Quote by Paul McCartney

"And you've got that little smirk on your face and you think you're so clever.
But I had responsibility for trying to protect this country. I tried and I
failed to get bin Laden. I regret it," -Bill Clinton in Fox News Interview (see
link provided below)

"I just don't know about it," he said. "I guess I was taken aback by the
harshness of the words." -President George W. Bush when asked about claim that
Armitage threatened the Pakistan government immediately following 911

MY NEWS SELECTIONS FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT

Bill Clinton: I got closer to killing bin Laden

Bush plays mediator in praising Pakistani, Afghan leaders

The sky is falling! The sky is falling! No seriously.... there's a strange wind a blowing....Earth may be at warmest point in 1 million years

Keep on droppin! I plan on getting the old college loans paid off soon, if the constellations stay in alignment. I'm just hankering for some new debt.
Home prices: 1st drop in 11 years

Leisure on an overcast weekend

This weekend was a simple leisurely one highlighted by Chinese food take out and a walk in the warm early fall weather. I wish it could have lasted longer.

I have, as usual, a busy week ahead of me. I have to assemble data on a recent experiment, and I'll likely be presenting it on Thursday.

I'm really at a lack of words right now... or I'm feeling a bit un-inspired because it is late, and I really need to head to bed so I can be ready for the new week.

Here's an amusing example of Fundamentalism at its finest in America:

Falwell: Hillary Clinton beats devil in drawing No votes

Here's another fine example of why we should make a gamble at reprimanding the current Republican house and senate.

Candidate: Dems must stop GOP plans for Social Security

While I agree with the idea that we should have more control over our retirement plan... I strongly disagree with this particular action. We already have a government regulated retirement plan which has its foundations in stock market investment. It is called 401k, and right now it is under utilized, and individuals are too restricted when it comes to controlling their plans. FIX THIS.

Social Security has enough monetary problems, and it will go bankrupt without taking money out of the coffers for private investment. The idea of privatizing part of it may be appealing to younger generations, however elder generations who have been putting money into this system their entire life will be hurt by a lack of funds. The current retirees rely on current workers to fund their benefits. If the resources are already stretched thin, and we have a growing elderly population, and shrinking work force... HOW is this going to work? It isn't going to, it's nothing more than another set of lies that Bush and company is distributing in order to help corporate America and investors.

To play devils advocate, Democrats do need to address the future problems with Social Security.

And leading up to the election an interesting article:

GOP Keeping President Bush Under Wraps During Campaign Season

Monkey Business

From Kids in the hall



From The Family Guy


From The state


Enjoy my silence.

It was a Dark and Stormy Night....

My muscles still tingled and twiched from the exertion of what passes as 21st century leisure. I trudged in my dirty work clothes which I had hastily thrown on after a quick shower at the gym. The shuttle bus seemed longer than usual this evening. Perhaps it was the rain, perhaps it was that everyone seemed to be going to the end of the line, or maybe it was just my occasional impatience with the reality I persist in.

Impatience is an unusual thing. We spend our childhood being impatient about achieving that next big milestone. When will Christmas arrive? When will I get my first bicycle? When will the school year end? High school, your drivers license, college, and your 21st birthday. None of them seem to arrive soon enough. But then you reach that point, Its like the immense hill on a old fashioned wooden roller coaster. The trains clink along bringing you closer and closer to that titillating climax where everything will suddenly fall into place in a exhilarating moment. However when we reach that hilltop, when we are witness to reality, we tend to find a very gradual slope and the tracks stretch far into the distance leaving future thrills to our imagination.

If any of us were asked out right if we thought this little fantasy timeline had any base in rational thought, nearly all of us, save a few pampered or perhaps arrogant souls would thing "fat chance". Yet I think these blissful ideals persist festering in the back of our minds.

As we get older, our anticipation changes from those "events" and seems to be replaced by, When is it going to be lunch? When am I going to get to the end of this line so I call actually eat this food I just purchased?.... When is the end of the day going to get here? When the hell is the subway going to arrive? Why isn't the time going by quicker on this treadmill? When is the damn subway going to arrive? When am I getting off this God forsaken shuttle bus?

Bring us back... And so the bus stops and I hastily get out onto the wet sidewalk and notice the rain is intensifying right before my very eyes! And just in time for my walk home. I plodded along suffering slightly with each sopping wet step. The orange street lamps cast a glistening array over a glaze of water coating nearly everything in sight. Cars buzz by, and I walk as far from the road as I can without walking over one lawn after another. There are no teenage boys out tonight to shout obscenities at me, no joggers, no pedestrians what so ever. In the long line of meaningless, fruitless, pointless questions, I wonder "How long is it going to take me to get back to the apartment? Why is it taking so long? Why is it raining? When is the rain going to stop?"

And all of these questions make me realize....Impatience... friend or foe? Is is a way of dealing? Why am I asking more questions when pondering why we ask so many stupid questions?

I'm divided.

Impatience drives us. If we were never impatient, we would never get anywhere in life. We would never try to change an otherwise inefficient unsatisfactory environment. Also... what would I be thinking about if not stupid questions? Perhaps I would dwell upon negativity, because after all it is tragedy that seems to define our species, rather than the moments of triumph. And usually one person's triumph, always seems to be another's tragedy. And perhaps if I weren't spending ungodly amounts of time thinking about when the traffic signals will change... I'd be one sad and crazy stooge.

Impatience... it can also push us over the edge, perhaps if I wasn't using so much of my mind asking WHY in the hell? Perhaps if I could get around these questions I would put my brain to better use.

I think it all comes down to who you are. Stephen Hawking for example, had to push much of his impatience aside after being forced to live with Lou motor neurone disease disease. The result: an un-tethered mind, a genius. Granted he was one smart cookie to begin with, But... if he hadn't been given a death sentence, I think Hawking seems to be the first to admit that he would not have accomplished what he has to date.

For me, I need my impatience. It defines me, and I connect more with the "pros" of having it than I do with a life of no impatience leading to positive results. I do however, feel we need to, or at least I need to balance it out. If I could reduce the amount of time I spend wondering "Why" about silly things by, hmmm I don't know, lets say, 1/3, I think I would be a vastly improved human being.

And thus concludes tonight's random stream of consciousness.

We-elll.....

We-elll......

It was a nice day today. Did some more painful technical writing and documentation today. Hopefully I will have gone a long way to reduce the amount I'll have in the immediate future.

I'm enjoying "The World According to Garp" by John Irving. I thought I'd take a break from Irving after completing "The Water Method Man", but low and behold I plowed right on into one of his more famous work, probably trumped only by "The Cider House Rules" and its popularity as a film (screenplay also by Irving).

I made it to Bally's tonight and enjoyed my time on the elliptical and other exercise instruments of torture. Seriously, when I get in the habit of going to the gym, I really enjoy it... and I plan to start bending over backwards to make it happen now because I just have way too much free time. (cough).

This morning on the T, I read an add in the metro for a 5k walk/run on the Charles esplanade on September 30th. I was pretty hyped to see it, because I hadn't worked in another run since the Millennium Multiple Myeloma benefit this spring. So... I'm definitely looking forward to that. It is at 10:00 am. If you sign up online it has a $15 fee, on the day of the race it is $20. It looks like it may be not exactly T friendly... but it is probably accessible fine with a fifteen minute walk from a stop. I'm going to have to research it. I signed up online already. Check out the page... their directions are unfortunately poor, just a mapquest.

http://www.samaritanshope.org/5k.html
It talks about the cause etc... because I kind of suck, my fifteen dollars and participation will be my donation.

We-elll......

I thought I'd weigh in on the whole Pope controversy.
I think the Pope's "reading" was taken a bit out of context, however I do think it was in poor taste for someone of his stature and influence to amplify these words in such volatile times.
The most irritating part about it, is with my cursory knowledge of Islam... while calling it "evil" I think is a bit extreme, it is my understanding that violence IS very much a part of the Koran and Islamic beliefs, contrary to politically correct ideals that are being promoted (and for good cause of course... to reduce incidences of the very crap we now are seeing). The thing that really bugs me is that these Islamic protesters, and now Al Qaeda are proving this medieval text quoted by the pope to be correct. They are seeking to spread their faith by the sword.

This of course is not representative of all of Islam. Christianity is not without its "evil" content. Gospels promote antisemitism at times, and then Judaism has the whole eye for an eye bit which is just fodder to perpetuate violence. But it is up to the educated and civilized world to lead by example. People can have faith without being caustic to the differences around them. We need to understand and accept one another, not try to convert everyone. (Although I can't say I'm big on jihads, multiple wives, sexism, capitol punishment, burkas, etc... I do think these things are just... wrong). Everything is so complicated... ain't it?

I need to take the time to learn a bit more on Islam since it plays such a crucial part of the world scene currently. I think we all could serve to do this.

We-elll......

Here are some links to articles of interest:

Al Qaeda threat over pope speech
These folks have the temperament of junkyard dogs, school yard bullies, and that token drunk guy at a party who's eyes dart all around looking for a confrontation.

Pope's statement in full
The Pope's statement is actually very well thought out and eloquent. It is very impressive, and I think he said the right things. Unfortunately none of this matters because the people fire bombing churches and killing nuns aren't interested in "getting along".

Pope: Conversion by violence not of God
Honestly... while I think it may not have been a exceptionally wise choice of passages to quote, I think it is true. Really, I almost have to be willing to give the Pope credit to be brave enough to say what dozens of world leaders will not. And I think he touches upon the problem well... there isn't anything wrong with Islam, but it should not be spread through violence, and the faith's history and culture is embedded with these methods, right back to Mohammed.

While W may personally want to convert people, generally the West does not... yes we want to influence the middle east. Mainly we want stability and friendlier relations... most people could give a rats ass who they worship. Its just this whole fondness of suicide bombing thing that bugs us. That and I suppose a few people are concerned with some of that inky crap that sits beneath the desert. :S Ahhh well, what are you going to do.

So if you are wondering why I keep typing "We-elll....", for some reason I have that sort of old school over used folk music transition stuck in my head. Think the Kingston Trio, and Peter Paul and Mary. Vibrato, nasally crescendo dividing two faster paced lyrical stanzas.... Have you seen "A Mighty Wind?" Bingo!

We-elll.....

Bad man's blunder lyrics

Old Joe's Place lyrics

Journey to Jamaica Pond...or rather, greasy Chinese food.

It was Sunday afternoon in Boston and a glimpse of summer sun settled on the expanses of asphalt and lawns. This day in mid September was unexpectedly inviting beckoning us forth into its warmth. Kate and I lingered a bit preparing for our day, but in time we made our way into the urban landscape to enjoy the fruit of the fading season.

Words flowed off tongues about the "shop" and the "shuffle" as we proceeded to attend to an agenda previously conceived, but never achieved. Our feet flowed over concrete segments periodically cracked by natures gentle corrosion until we stepped off the platform. After a momentary hesitation the train which would bring us to our destination creaked to life. Oak Grove gave way to the Mystic, through industrial decay and tunnels we meandered until finally arriving at Forrest Hills in our metallic chauffeur.

Kate and I were admittedly a bit weary from the race that is life. A bit of insomnia, Kate with a cold, and some unrealized hunger made our quest a bit strained. We headed up a hill towards the Arnold Aboretum regardless of our circumstances.

The initial plan had been to check out the Aboretum, where I had never visited, then possibly walk around Jamaica Pond. Ultimately the anguished needs of our bellies and our heavy feet caused us to cut our expedition short and head back to the city. A dream of cheap Chinese food danced in our heads.

It was a gorgeous day, and despite our brief time in its peak, the summer heat was comforting and pleasant. Our walk was highlighted with the scurrying of small dog, the laughter of children, and leisurely gliding of cyclists. It is some place we will definitely have to return to.

I tell you what... The Sox/Yanks game tonight has turned out to be one for the books. Mike Myers allowing the game to get all tied up, then Coco Crisp reaching above the wall to rob Posada of a home run. It was a beautiful thing. I suppose it doesn't mean too much now, but it has made for some GREAT entertainment.

Oh... and Caprio & Hayes... the game I saw with Kate had DiNardo as the opener then Taveras (the righty--who is now starting... probably leading to my confusion) as the reliever. My memory sucks when it comes to things like the closer details of the game. I confess that my status of a Red Sox fan, while having been very loyal and steadfast has been much more casual through the years. I'm envious in a way... but in another I can't ever see myself dedicating the amount of time spent by some watching multiple games a week, instead of several a month.

Back to this game 5-4 in the 9th...

Well I'm going to go watch now!

Dok Bua

I guess that Whitney and Bobby just couldn't divide up the CRACK evenly as of late. Such a shame.

Kate and I ate at a funky little Thai joint just outside of Coolidge Corner in Brookline tonight called Dok Bua. I really dug the atmosphere and I thought the food was really good. I'd rank it second only to Brown Sugar Cafe for Thai food in the area. The restaurant had a very quirky decor. My favorite item was a rather barren looking fish tank with an asian eel-like fish swimming around. On top of the aquarium were two porcelain dolls which were wearing only pink and blue lamp shades. The woman's porcelain chest made that statue top heavy, while the man had sort of a beer belly with a small erect peter. I pointed it out when we walked in to Kate but she didn't notice the amusing obscenity because of all things "a leaf" was blocking the view of the crown jewels.

Here's a little review of the place. To the right I've included a picture of one of the nifty plates that our combo dishes were served on. The person appears to have already eaten their spring rolls which should have been accompanying the dish of sauce. Gluttons.

The food seemed quite healthy, not over fried. The soup had a little too much of a tomato base to it (I still enjoyed it), but other than that everything was excellent.

http://www.hiddenboston.com/DokBua.html

Well... I think I'm going to cut this short because it is past my bed time and that's saying a lot.

Taste the Rainbow

Well... I was having a real writers block when I saw a commercial on TV. It may well be... the best commercial ever made. See it here first (If you haven't all ready).




Awesome....

Post Number 200

yah... yah... yah!!!! WOOT WOOT!

Celebrate good times COME ON!!!! bah nah nah nah na-na-na naaah.....

I know everyone must be thrilled by this milestone of the 200th blog post... and to be a part of it. Aww shucks, I'm getting all emotional, time to change the subject.

Today I forgot my flip-flops... and as a result I did not go to the gym. I vowed not to eat dinner. Unfortunately, before I had even left the subway, I was already making plans to get a order of shrimp chow mein. I mistakenly ordered a large... which I proceeded to eat all of. Then I had cashews, beer, and chips and salsa. I'm pretty pissed at myself but it made for a really enjoyable night. I think I'll spend an extra half hour at the gym tomorrow, not that it will make too much difference... but it will help my conscience. Excuse me for a moment before I move on, I have to finish off this beer.

Ahhhhhh......

First off... because I'm such a HUGE tennis fan I thought I'd include a link to this sports illustrated gallery of Maria Sharapova... such determination, such grit, such......

A good hard news story:

Raccoon forces student to miss homework

And on a more serious note a blog entry by Ron Reagan (son of the former president) who's sentiments I can relate to. (You may need to scroll down once this link opens.)

Missed chances, squandered opportunities

Twenty-nine

The much anticipated.... WEEKEND SUMMARY
(imagine a tele-magazine "entry" jingle in your head.... Imagine it.... Imagine it...... fading... fading....fainter still, silence.. and now the news!)

This weekend I initiated the final countdown of what is to be the sunset of my third decade on earth. It was fitting that as the anniversary of my birth passed, the touches of autumn were leaving evident brush strokes on the perpetually changing environment in which I persist.

On the eve of my birthday, Mike Caprio, Tim Hayes, and myself convened for a nice meal at the Texas Roadhouse in Revere. (It's a real classy joint for those that haven't been....) While we consumed copious amounts of various meats, one must not forget the decadence that are the moist rolls provided as a complimentary garnish to the quintessential American servings. Provided with these intoxicating appetizers was creamed butter, heavily flavored with cinnamon. Tim at first commented that it would be nice to just have ten rolls... various scenario's rolled off of our tongues until the pinnacle suggestion by Tim. "Could I just have a vat of butter to roll around in while I eat this roll?"

Perhaps it was being over tired, maybe it was the influence of beer, but this source of self amusement had amounted to to a crescendo at this point. We were red in the face with laughter and snorting like dorks at the high-school lunch table. I think more than anything it was glimpse back to our past college years. It was though within the confines of the moment no time had past and we were still in the midst of those formative years. A taste of the pat-on-the back friendships that we cherished which were filled with camaraderie and optimism of the road ahead.

Speaking of this... Hey Scotty... when are we going to do good on that "rain check" for the nostalgic Chinese dinner?

My girlfriend, K ate was there to bring warmth and contentment into what was to be a pleasant weekend for my memories.

When we met up on late Friday night it is safe to say that we were both quite haggard, a little weary of the world. My mind was firing with an asynchronous nature, like a four cylinder engine with a bad spark plug. I was not intoxicated by any stretch of the imagination, but every part of me needed to recharge. When I walked it was with a random saunter, and at times I narrowly missed posts, of feared I would accidentally stumble and knock poor Kate into a bush.

Kate and I babbled semi-coherently about our week, and had those priceless conversations about anything and everything which. You know the type of conversation. They are those conversations that make Seinfeld so relevant, bringing legitimacy to the absurd. We may have been talking about nothing at times, but regardless, the discourse was a joy.

On Saturday Kate presented me with a lovely assortment of gifts, that had a lot of thought put into them. She gave me a great card and the gifts were carefully wrapped with bows and placed on my coffee table. (I finally have my own "therapeutic" copy of Office Space, oh and a half-eaten can of cashews... that's just a sample of the gift basket, thanks Kate!) Greater than all of the gifts Kate could give me was just the time that we spent together, walking through Boston & Cambridge and talking.

Kate treated me to a loaded large pan pizza from Pizza-Hut. Why Pizza-Hut? one might ask, well I think it is a little out the ordinary in our Papa Gino's and Greek Pizza dominated Greater Boston "pizza-scape". The main reason is that Pizza Hut is definitely a taste of fun childhood memories. It reminds me of the "Book-it" reading incentive plans of elementary school, or simply pizza with movie rentals on a Friday or Saturday night with my folks. So it is comfort food... but also I think the cheese breadsticks are to die for, I don't care what anyone says.

On Sunday Kate and I took a trip to visit the new L.L. Bean store in Burlington. It's a nice looking store in a brand new plaza. It is an interesting shopping experience of mostly high-end stores. It was creatively landscaped with gazebos and benches sprinkled in the parking lot near the mall side walk. It almost invokes a park experience in what would otherwise be a barren expanse of asphalt.

Well... The week ahead is sure to be a busy one. I'm hoping to go to the gym a few times. Kate and I are supposed to try out a Thai place she read about in the "Improper Bostonian" on Wednesday, so I look forward to that. Of course there is always the next weekend to anticipate :D !!

NEWS & COMMENTARY, by yours truly

In an excellent paring by CNN under the "Politics" section check out the first one, about one of our most notable lying creeps attempting to justify the realization of the administration's pipe-dream which has become a Nation's and perhaps the world's nightmare. It is collage of horrors that should have never been created, but now that it has, we have no choice but to try and fix it, crossing our fingers that our leaders won't make things worse.

The second article in the paring (really, kudos to the CNN editors on the placement) an article about how the CIA dismissed the very B.S. later utilized by the crusaders.

Cheney defends hard-line role

Senators: CIA dismissed Saddam-al Qaeda ties

From the first article: Cheney disputed polls suggesting that a majority of people in the United States do not believe the Bush administration's claim that the war in Iraq is the central front in the fight against terrorism.

There are major problems with both the polls and Cheney's assertion. First the question: Is the War in Iraq the central front against the war on terrorism?

My answer: Well that all depends...

The war in Iraq was promoted as something it was not. Even as the administration tried to justify ties to Al Qaeda, an overwhelming amount of evidence suggested otherwise. As we now know, the Administration did not have any solid plans on how to stabilize Iraq and was very-very short sighted on it... or were they?

One could argue that politicians, often students of Machiavelli could have crafted a scenario that they knew would disintegrate into anarchy. Why would they want this? Well, they can say, "See I told you they were terrorists" even though prior to our negative influence, certain outside contaminants were not tainted Iraq. It is complex, and to simple red-blooded Christian Americans, the simplistic "Us and Them" mentality is a lot easier to promote. Good vs. Evil is a time honored motivation tool that the terrorists themselves use for control. Ill informed and often bitter individuals are constantly looking for some scapegoat to drag to the gallows, and politicians salivate at this simple truth.

So back to the question, is the war in Iraq the central front on the war on terrorism? My conditional answer: Yes... But it should not have been. The administration chose to ignore information that almost liberated Saddam of the very things it attempted to accuse him of. If this were a trial, we could not say that Saddam was guilty "Beyond reasonable doubt", and therefore could not have convicted him. Investigative teams were in place, and controlling efforts were at the time proceeding with success. Bush and team used the emotional state of our nation to support a morally questionable gamble, that has proven to be a loss. The front should have been primarily Afghanistan's nation building, & homeland security, not creating new problems were there needn't be any.

So the real question that should be asked in the polls isn't "Is Iraq the front on the war on terrorism?" but "Was the decision to attack Iraq the right one?". Iraq is the front.... and unfortunately it is something we need to face.

Time, keeps flowing like a river.....

I was pondering the rapid processing of time that occurs in ones life. I can still vividly recall certain events from college and high school, even though many of them were now over ten years ago. It still seems like yesterday, and yet it also seems like ages ago. There are many things of course which are vague and have fallen into the recesses of the grey matter. It has been a theme for me these past few days, perhaps because I will be turning 29 Saturday. Twenty-nine. Its tough to fathom. Career-wise perhaps I've ascended to a point I'd expect to be at this stage. Outside of this, I have difficulty connecting myself with my age. I still enjoy new music, and dabble in pop culture, I still like to be silly, I still can't relate to ideas such as marriage or..... Gasp, children! While increasingly infrequent, I like attending gatherings with friends, and am still willing to stay up talking into the wee hours of the night about absolutely nothing. Some people say the thirties are the new twenties.... for my sake, I hope it is true.

OK.... PETA, where are you?
Power companies give squirrels a jolt

Going back to my call of vote for the non-incumbent:
Poll fore-shadows a midterm of discontent

As it turns out, this wasn't that bright of a move by the dems. We need a new third party to replace one of these parties.... at this point, I don't care which one goes.
GOP kills Rumsfeld no-confidence vote in Senate

There are two types of people in this world, which one are you?

I had a relaxing weekend. I took Friday off just to catch up on some needed rest. I baked some toll house cookies, because it seemed appropriate in the autumn like weather, I also knew Kate would definitely appreciate them. Saturday was a day of errands & house cleaning, and later Kate came over. We ate at Grimsby's, a locale restaurant/pub, and went for a walk in the damp night air. There were quite a few local teenagers, a few of them seemingly drunk, roaming the town center that night. I suppose it was the last hurrah of summer for them before heading back to highschool. Kate and I were approached once by one who must of thought we were teenagers until he got closer and saw otherwise. I've had trouble in the past on a couple occasions with some of the local "tough guys" that are bent on getting into a fight. Luckily this was avoided and his friends called him an idiot and dragged him back towards a group which was congregating in a convenient location: the middle of the street.

On Sunday Kate and I caught the latest in Indy-film success stories. "Little Miss Sunshine" which stars Greg Kinnear and Steve Carell is a dark comedy about a seemingly disfunctional family which pulls itself together to offer each other support in an array of various cathartic and emotionally trying events. We both enjoyed this movie quite a bit. While very funny at times, it really can be seen more as a drama. The movie was comprised of exaggerated symptoms that many people suffer on their paths through existence.

Review: Little Miss Sunshine

Monday we walked to Waltham from the Riverside T station. Waltham's Moody street was completely deserted on the weekend. We ate at Margurita's which was unfortunately the only restaurant out of a multitude of choices, which was open. Despite some initial disappointment, Margurita's hasn't disappointed me yet. I had a lovely plate of enchiladas and Kate had a sampler plate which was a enchilada, burrito, and a taco. Each dish came with beans and rice. We plowed through most of two baskets of chips and salsa too. I felt the need to "moo" intermittently as I grazed on the second basket of chips, after finishing most of my main entree.

After dinner we walked back to Watertown where we caught the "86" bus to Cleveland circle. From there we walked back to Kate's. Shortly later I headed home.

Crazy about Steve Irwin! Well, I guess considering the obstacles he was constantly putting himself through it doesn't seem that crazy, however, it is still awful. The real irony of it is supposedly the sting ray isn't that dangerous of an animal, and such an accident is quite rare. So a man who devoted much of his life to wrestling crocodiles and agitating poisonous reptiles, ultimately was done in by a usually harmless fish. Go figure.

Politics: I must say that this is a great move on the part of the democrats. It's about time.
Democrats raise Rumsfeld attacks to put GOP on defensive
Something like this is long overdue, and there are many situations where such activities could be done. Unfortunately the Democratic party has poor leadership currently, and many of the problems with the Republicans exist within the Democratic party as well, making it difficult to point the figure. Lastly Dean, the party leader, is currently to the left of a party that has been funding the Iraq war. The "pull the troops out" idea is unrealistic, and yet party leadership apparently doesn't get that.

I don't know. The elections will be interesting. I look forward to seeing if things will change. I somewhat doubt that they will. I kind of think these polls mean nothing. The polls are conducted usually in more urban areas, which trend to the left. Religion will determine elections in the south, there will be little change in blue states, and only a handful of seats may change hands. I don't think it will be enough to have any impact on the government. Come November I feel the story will be "Why didn't it happen?" rather than "How did it happen?" They'll be accusations of the left saying things were fixed etc., and perhaps some urban legend too. When it comes down to the nitty gritty, the problem will be bad polling. You need a break down of each state, then pull statistics from that. You can't say "55% want things to change" from a mass, non-specific cross country poll, because that is not how the make up of the congress is going to be decided. Its a safe bet that most of the new dissidence is coming from "blue states" which already have democrats in office, and that they place blame on the other state representatives rather than their own.

Unstructured ramblings.....

Today: I slept late, I woke, returned a video (The Matador with Pierce Brosnan... I dug it, check it out) I went to do groceries. I cooked and ate a piece of salmon baked with green peppers, onions in a lemon pepper marinade, covered with Swiss cheese. I enjoyed a few slices of Italian bread with butter. I watched a frontline documentary on the Iraq fiasco which basically painted W as a mere puppet of Cheney and Rumsfeld and discussed their lies in detail and how the CIA was furious about being used by the administration for an agenda based on theory rather than fact. I baked chocolate cookies. I ate two of them, the rest are coolingg on my stove top. I drank a glass of chocolate milk.... courtesy of Hershey's syrup and some 1% Garelick Farms Lowfat. I stir my chocolate milk with a butter knife. I find I can reach the corners of my glass where chocolate collects. Those corners are unreachable with a spoon. The chocolate milk was consumed quickly. I find the addition of chocolate makes it easier to consume and the subconscious mind quickens the rate I swallow. Perhaps it isn't subconscious, what the hell do I know. Next I ruminated for about five minutes about my fears of getting older... I'll turn 29 soon. I don't want to get old. This passed. I surfed the internet a bit, found a Youtube clip which is a combination of the Star Trek and Simpsons theme. I decided this clip is amusing and that I wanted to share it in my blog. I began writing my blog, and I embedded the youtube code. This brings us to this current moment where my recollection collides with the reality of the moment.


Here's an amusing use of the theremin..... Bizarre legacy of Brian Wilson