Questions from the GOP debate

Thompson drones on like the animated corpse he is... but makes sense in the process. In fact his answer is actually so long (uncharacteristic for him from what I've seen) I think Romney forgot what the question was when he had to follow up. I tend to like candidates that actually pay attention during a debate, but perhaps I'm crazy.



In this one I believe the question comes from someone who isn't a fundamentalist due to his sarcastic tone... "Do you believe every word of the bible?" While I agree with Giuliani's answer the best, Huckabee (The Minister) also came off strong and sensible. Who would have guessed. Romney's head almost exploded as he struggled to answer it.



Its the economy stupid... namely the National debt.. weighing us down, destroying the value of the dollar. McCain was feisty! I really liked the suggestion to reveal the names of representatives attached to pork spending in press briefings. It will be a cold day in hell when it happens. Romney's answer was weak and confused, he starts by agreeing with McCain... and then he brings up his Mass health care plan as an example of fiscal responsibility. The same Massachusetts health care plan that Hillary has praised, adopted as her own, mandates health care with tax penalties, and is already over budget in it's first year. Imagine that? Giuliani gave the best answer. It was filled with statistics and was based on innovation, something lacking in most of these candidates.

This was my first Republican Primary debate for this election process. It was hyped to be an interesting one since the dates for the first couple of primaries are drawing near. I think I'm going to have to watch the Democrats next debate just to be fair and balanced.

As you can see I'm routing against Romney... I could even be forced to vote for Hillary (excuse me while I choke on vomit) If he ends up being the GOP candidate. Of course Giuliani is the only one I like... It would take a lot of internalizing and inner conflict to get myself to vote for one of the others. I refuse to vote for Romney..... well maybe if he ran against Kucinich ;)

wow

Just when I thought they couldn't get any dumber..... they go and do something like this.....

Massachusetts Proposal Would Outlaw Spanking

Imagine getting taken from your parents because they spanked you..... It is a scary world.

Friday: NYC trip III part 2

T.Rex at the Natural History Museum in NYC. This was a great day, the museum was loads of fun and honestly I could have spent a lot more time there. Kate and I sort of breezed through a lot of the cultural exhibits and there were many exhibits we didn't even see. The dinosaur exhibit seemed worthy of some photos. We actually didn't even get to all of this exhibit as there was more skeletons on display in a second floor rotunda that we didn't get to. My favorite parts of the museum was probably the geology and "living planet" section which went into climate change as a function of the planets natural cycles, cataclysmic events, and the influence of man. There were displays on calderas such as Yellowstone which is showing increased activity in the past few years. There was also a timeline associated with an ice core from Antarctica which I was pretty geeked out over. Kate's favorite exhibits were the the hall of minerals, and the Asian culture exhibit.
There were some fossils of dinosaur gizzards which were pretty gosh darned cool too! I like to imagine these giant beasts running around going "Tweet tweet!!"
Here I am chillin with Triceratops. We had a killer lunch in the museum cafe. We both opted for an overpriced slice of cheese pizza. For some reason it tasted really good, but in actuality it was essentially a fancy slice of Elio's pizza, complete with that crust that has tiny holes in the bottom of it. We split a cookie for desert and slugged back our Diet Cokes in the bowels of the museum before fitting in another couple of hours of exhibits.

That evening we headed out to the Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn to see "Three" which was a show put on by an Israeli dance company called the Batsheva Dance Company. It was very ummm... avant garde? It was abstract, incorporating everything from Brian Eno music to the Beach Boys. I read about it when looking for things to do in the evening and thought it would be a pretty unique activity. It was put on by BAM or the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Three was part of the "Next Wave" festival which was supposed to highlight up and coming innovative artists from across the world. The dancers were great, and the compositions were heavy on themes of sexuality and equality in a chaotic world..... or at least that's what I got from it. I'm far from being an expert on interpreting modern dance. I was amused by the introductions of each part of the show by a man holding a computer monitor. He walked out on stage with it, and turned the monitor on while holding it over his stomach. On the screen appeared his face which proceeded to tell us the contents of the next act in broken "Max Headroom" style English.

The show definitely turned out to be a little more "shock theater" than I anticipated. Kate described it as though they were "trying too hard" to be different or controversial. This culminated when several of the dancers mooned us, and others eventually dropped their trousers to give us a brief glimpse of the frontal regions where the sun don't shine. While we were a little weirded out by this... it was generally a unique and enjoyable experience. I'm not sure we'd pick modern dance again however.... if we do we'll have to find some dumbed down Disney-fied version perhaps.

At what point...

does Atheism become a religion itself?

Sunday School for Atheists

I think for many it has become just that. Many Atheists are so rabid in their disdain for the various established faiths that they embark on campaigns to prohibit the public expression of anything related to "God". My question is if you simply don't believe, why should there be such "religious" fervor to fight those that do? It sounds a bit like the radical fundamentalism of the established faiths that I often express my disapproval of. While an Atheist can not technically be a "fundamentalist" they can have the same passion. These passions are based largely in fear, and they create the zero tolerance attitude projected at those who don't share the same beliefs.

I must say, despite being raised Catholic I consider myself amongst the "14%" non-religious population. While I understand the separation of church and state and often even support some initiatives related to this, many of these "Atheists" step far beyond their disbelief and try instead to prohibit the beliefs of the faithful, even if they are expressed in an individual way separate from government support.

I'd be interested in listening to the content of the course being taught to the children. It teaches that it is OK not to believe.... fine, but does it teach that is OK for others to believe? It is funny how religious tolerance only seems to be supported when it is self serving.

I hope everyone had a good Turkey day... and for those abroad, I hope you had a nice weekend.

I will continue with the NYC posts shortly.

Thursday Night: NYC trip III part 1

The bartender at this BBQ joint in the upper east side took our picture after we finished our meal. A bit blurry.... but it is what it is... The bartender may have been a manager as well because he seemed really eager to please. He came out and talked to us before we decided to eat there. He again ran out when he saw me snapping the picture, guess he's hoping for some word of mouth publicity. We ate here shortly after arriving in NYC. Brother Jimmy's appears to be a NYC establishment with a handful of locations on Manhattan.

We initially had a couple of other options we were seeking out, however this place looked really cozy so we changed our plans. Both Kate & I had pulled pork sandwiches although I had beans and coleslaw with mine and Kate had curly fries. I enjoyed a Old Brown Dog (beer) with my meal. After the bus ride from Boston it definitely hit the spot.
Moving right along this is me out front of the Old Carnegie Mansion, now the National Design Museum operated by the Smithsonian Institute. (The Cooper-Hewitt Museum)
Next this was a pretty Baptist church in the Upper East side. A door man spotted me unsuccessfully trying to snap a statue of a trumpeting angel perched on the church's corner. He offered to take this shot which turned out to be really unflattering, more so for me than for Kate. I've censored our faces appropriately.
The night pictures were tough for me, this was another church... the best of a couple photos. I learned a new setting later in the trip that I think helped with my focusing problems, unfortunately it was on the last full day in the city.
This is the Entrance to the Apple store on 5th avenue. This was pretty much the highlight attraction of that night. The store is located beneath street level and you enter through this glass elevator or swiveling staircase which descends into the middle of the store. The store used to be open 24 hours, I'm not certain if it still is. It was around 2-3 times the size of any of the mall locations for Apple that I've seen. Inside there were extensive displays of Ipods, and computers. Some were set up so you could play games (which we of course did). Even the line to purchase things was pretty cool. You basically put in your name, and an employee would call you when it was your turn.

Anyway, that's going to be all for now.

Flushing Queens: Our temporary home away from home

The hotel that we stayed at in Flushing, HoJo's, is a classy joint... I think the wire framed Christmas (holiday) decorations were a nice touch. The polar bear, snowman and palm tree really added a certain something. And if you notice the decor continued on the inside too! Yes I'm passed out on the bed after a long day, and yes... that is a fake palm tree in the corner. That's Kate's backpack I'm hugging. I find that hugging something at night makes me feel more secure. Stay tuned for more NYC blog... I'll try and keep my long narratives to a minimum.

Amusing

Anti-Bush Sign Has Bridge World in an Uproar
Apparently Bridge is pretty popular amongst Bush fans.

The Clinton Files and The X-Files
Nothing incriminating or unusual here, I was just amused that UFO enthusiasts were amongst the first to request restricted Clinton administration files.

Minnesota bank held up twice in one day
Sucks to be those employees.... or the second thief for that matter.

The Drain

-photographed by Kate Fazio. Gillette Stadium Foxboro, MA. The Visitor's Locker room whirlpool drain. A clean exit.

Wicked November Weekend

I'm sitting here in my apartment on this Veterans Day weekend lounging about... unkempt and being totally lazy, and enjoying every minute of it. Kate and I are going to head over to Brookline soon and prepare a supper for her friend Jeff who is coming into town on business. Kate was searching for lasagna recipes earlier so it should be a fun & tasty evening.

The weekend began early for me on Friday since I took a half day. I went to "New Asia" in Cambridge for a Chinese buffet lunch. (Amusing restaurant name.... Jens?) Following this I went to get my hair trimmed, and then headed to the gym. The gym was great, no one was there since it was before the post work rush. I was exhausted that evening and passed out on my bed with the lights on while reading.

Saturday came and I picked up Kate to go to Foxboro and see Gillette stadium. Millennium had its yearly party for the employees there. It was a great time, they took us for a tour of the facilities. There was good snacking food and an open bar. Ex-New England Quarter back Steve Grogan was there as well signing autographs. After taking in the festive air for a couple of hours Kate and I returned to Melrose for an easy going evening. I made some bread sticks and we mindlessly watched TV.

On Sunday Kate and I had tickets to the Wicked show at the Opera House in Boston. The show was great! I was really impressed with the creativity of the story and I'm almost tempted to pick up the book and read it. The premise of the story is that the Wicked Witch of the West was really good and had her name dragged through the dirt by the corrupt Wizard of Oz. They really tied everything together well too so that it didn't tarnish the original story by L. Frank Baum.

Oil Junkies....

Mini to the max: Will the Smart car grow on U.S. drivers?

It's almost here... honestly it seems over priced, and when compared with several other cars already on the road here which are larger and have more horsepower... I guess I don't get the point. The Smart car has a 71 hp engine that is said to get at least 40 mpg.

The Toyota Corolla gets up to 35 mpg, has a 126 hp engine, and still maintains a sense of utility and practicality about it... and it starts at only ~$2-3,000 more than the $11,000 smart car which really can't be driven outside of an urban setting. I think MIT's shopping cart car (see prior post) has a better chance at success because it at least fills a certain niche.

Soooo... With Al Gore going on and on about ManBearPig and the world climate (political and physical) as it is, everyone is concerned about the oil crisis and it's impending potential to cause not just a domestic crunch, but an economic and relations disaster on a global scale.

Bernanke speaks and oil futures fluctuate
Drop after warning on economy; cost of gas maintains steady climb

You know what I don't get?? Where are the innovators? Where are the thinkers? Seriously... the best they can come up with are hybrid cars, tiny death traps, and wind mills? Where is solar power? Where is Mass Transit?

And for Mass Transit.... I guess I don't get why we can't use the very infrastructure we already have to support it. Ideally I think there could be large commuter stations along highways near major cities. It would work as follows... you drive your car to the highway commuter station and park it, etc, or... you take a bus or even walk to this commuter station. The station is set up as a private side exit on the highway, much like a rest area. There is no access to the highway here by private automobiles, only buses can access the exit. A station divides commuters from the outside and the buses on the highway.... really it works just like a train station with buses. Buses could travel an hour apart, or more frequently during rush hour. Large employers could be given incentives by the government to subsidize the fare for their employees.

It would be a huge public works project to implement such a plan, however I feel it would pay off in the long run.... and it would be a more realistic short term goal than rail service.

Additionally since many government workers are strictly 9-5, where applicable, I think they should be encouraged to use mass transit as a expression of their dedication to civil service. They should be obliged provide a leadership example to the rest of the country because preserving our livelihood is essentially their job.

As the world becomes more unstable, as demand for fossil fuels skyrockets with an expanding Chinese and Indian capitalist movement, and as our own oil consumption rises with population growth, the price of oil and gasoline WILL rise to unimaginable levels. For a nation that is largely rural, we had better be figuring out some solutions to the impending crisis that WILL change the way we live.

This isn't about banning SUVs, but rather it is about encouraging people to do what is right for themselves, and right for the country.

Random Random Random......

In the News:

Illinois Middle School Student Gets Detention for Hugging Friends Serves her right, if she's not going to hug everyone she shouldn't hug anyone at all. (Equal Opportunity Hugging, taking a stand against discrimination)

'Drug' Made From Human Waste Causing Stink on Web, in Law Enforcement
Ohhhhh Man... that's good sh*t!

MIT Developers Plan Collapsible Car for City Driving
Um yes... I drive a Toyota, a Toyota shopping cart.

I pulled this description off of the BBC of a Science article. I could be wrong but isn't this a double negative? Honestly, I can't say I care about the article. It seems like they are discovering "planets" in distant solar systems on a weekly basis now, but perhaps that is an exaggeration. Astronomers in the US unveil a new planet, the fifth in a solar system said to be not unlike our own.

Follow up on the urine froth subject, courtesy of Jeremy Viles: "Did a little investigative work on the Froth subject. Apparently it is caused by proteins and waste products that are released naturally. The reason there is less froth as George correctly pointed out in the blog, is the alcohol and the the fact that the urine becomes less concentrated (watered down Gregs...(1)) KIDDING! So that solves the quandary. Also for the record males have naturally more froth than females (typically because of the higher blood volume and greater filtration). So just thought I would share."
(1) Gregs: Nickname of a Brian Gregoire, implication: pieces of Brian are released in his liquid waste product.

On a more serious note:

Laser treatment 'could kill HIV' Interesting, sounds like it could have potential for topical infections at least, perhaps Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)?

Returning from blogging absence

Yes, yes... I know I've been absent from the blogging scene lately. Honestly don't expect much from this post either as it is late and I fell asleep tonight prematurely. This robbed me of some time I intended to spend on a post. Anyway I thought I'd post the best of some un-exceptional pictures I took on Halloween. I need to take a course on using the digital camera or something because I really can't seem to get the focusing down when there is any motion, additionally night time seems to increase the difficulty of the process. Anyway.

This picture of the state house bearing the Red Sox victory banner was probably one of my better shots. It took me three takes to get a non blurry photo... and I still think it could have been better.... ahh well. Moving right along.

Here you can see my "blurry" problems. This was at Beacon Hill on Halloween. The picture totally does not capture the excitement of all the dressed up people (actually I don't even see any in this shot) nor does it show the beauty of the decorations. There were several archways of balloons which were on this road and they just can't be appreciated here. Actually I imagine this is sort of giving the experience of what the night may have seemed like if I was really drunk at this point.... despite my bad camera work I had no alcohol.

This picture of Kate wasn't bad but again, aside from Kate, the wall, and those vines everything else is a blur. I think I'm coming to accept while I may have some artistic skill in other forums... photography is definitely not my forte. I took several other shots of the decorations including some elaborately carved Jack-O-Lanterns, some park decorations, and additional street shots, however all of them are as bad or worse than what you've already seen so I'll spare you.

I had a decent weekend and hope everyone else did as well. Friday I did some needed errands. I actually fixed the water damaged bathroom vanity (sandpaper, brush & paint $15). I think it looks pretty good and makes the bathroom seem much cleaner. The vanity was pretty gnarly looking after a broken sink started running and and ran over when I wasn't home. (Not one of my better memories from 2007) Saturday I did some more house work, and Kate came over. We had Fuddruckers for supper. I was going to try a new pizza place, however it hadn't opened yet and we settled for some good burgers instead. Saturday morning we had a nice pancake breakfast at the apartment. Later we headed out and saw "Bee Movie" written and voiced by Jerry Seinfeld. It was pretty funny, the animation was beautiful and the colors vibrant. For Seinfeld fans there were definitely scenes where the bee babbled on about nothing as though he were sitting in a diner with George and Elaine. It even worked in a cover of arguably one of my favorite Beatles Songs penned by George Harrison.

Anyway... I think that's going to be all for now. Have a swell Monday.