Too much to do...

And so the blog and my Internet presence are going to likely suffer until after The holidays.

I wanted to take the time to thank John Madden for putting a Romney Ad on my myspace page. I've been debating whether to delete it or follow suit with an Obama ad out of spite... but honestly, I can't even jokingly come to terms with putting one of the presidential ads anywhere, especially out of this lot. Giuliani is a poor campaigner, he should have run as an independent, I bet he would have been more successful. McCain... well he's been shaky at best, although he seems to be regaining some composure as of late. Hillary is the best Democratic candidate... and we all know how I feel about Hillary. Obama is all pizazz.... Edwards revolts me, Huckabee is a little "out there". Thompson is like some old geezer that tells you about how they had to walk through ten miles of slush bare foot. Romney = Kerry. Ron Paul is borderline mad, and Kucinich is a squeaky nuisance. Hunter and Richardson are largely forgettable.

Anyway, enough rambling... I have to go work on my project, and do other Holiday related crap. Sorry.... I mean, I have to get back to the "Joy of the Season".

A Songwriter Passes away...

Despite the juicy news (McCain endorsements galore!) I thought I would take a break from the politics.

Today has been so gloomy with the nor'easter pounding on my window panes. It is days like these that cause one to reflect on the past, and how fleeting the present is. I had a great weekend. It wasn't particularly eventful. My mother and Aunt came down to Massachusetts to visit on Saturday. Saturday night and Sunday I spent time with Kate and we reminisced of the Christmases gone past. We exchanged presents to some classic Christmas music. I found myself unable to sing along with Bing, or Mr. Como. It wasn't because of rusty singing chops, but because I was so overflowing with the feeling of time passage and nostalgia, that my voice cracked when I tried.

This evening I discovered that Dan Fogelberg passed away of prostate cancer at the young age of 56. Folgelberg had one or two songs that had radio play in the 70s and 80s. They still can be heard occasionally on easy listening stations. They are the types of songs that many people like, but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, depending on his perspective) I think name recognition would be fuzzy at best. A couple of them tell stories, reflections of the past. "Leader of the Band" is probably one of the better known songs.



"Longer" is, cheesy... but that is why it is so good. It is simple, elegant, and comes off like a reassuring lullaby. This video is a youtube user's interpretation with nature scenes. I was looking for another live performance or official Fogelberg video, however this was the best of my findings. Fogelberg had the high tenor's octave that was perfect for the material. The video has a rather literal interpretation of the lyrics, which is a bit corny but whoever put it together did choose some nice photographs.



Lastly Fogelberg performed a melancholy Christmas song (Same Old Lang Syne) about a past love, which is very sad, yet beautiful. His lyrics are real, and in this song in particular they capture the unpredictable nature of the world and the amazing speed at which life flows by. The songs seem so simple, and yet it seems so difficult for many to match this type of writing that the listener really connects with. I especially like the ending of the song:

"As I turned to make my way back home, the snow turned into rain" followed by the sax crying out the familiar notes of Auld Lang Syne.

The following is a video someone supplied for this song. This video kind of bites, but the song is great... so close your eyes, picture what you may.

White House Press Secretary

What a revolutionary idea!

Make the White House Press Secretary an attractive young woman.

Since Tony Snow had to step down due to a relapse in his colon cancer, Dana Perino has stepped up to fill his shoes. Perino makes me stop and listen to C-Span as I'm flipping through the channels. Typically there had to be some big news or a scandal to get me to sit there and veg out to hear reporters ask questions. Nothing particularly interesting today, although I did laugh when a reporter asked her whether the administration thought Syria was involved in the recent Lebanon terrorist attack. Her response was something along the line of "I don't want to speculate.." Then she went on to say "but Syria has been involved in the past". I guess she didn't say "I won't speculate".

Honestly I was surprised to find out she was only 35, although Scott McClellan was only 38 at the end of his reign in the position. Perhaps it is her stuffy politician suits that make her appear older.

Huckabee dissing Mormonism now, then apologizing to Romney. I'm telling you... this guy's a piece of work.

Huckabee apologizes for comments on Mormons

I guess he does want the Utah vote... probably AIDS patients wouldn't vote for Huckabee anyway, so he probably figures why bother with that one.

Uncertainty with the Huckabee

I'm against Huckabee on his social issues, abortion, gay rights, and I think we need someone who distances their faith from their work. I think his ego is large, and perhaps goes a long way to explain his composure and charisma in this campaign. On the issues that count, the economy, federal spending, foreign policy, and immigration, I can't say I'm sold.

A follow up to previous posts:

Huckabee 'very willing' to meet with AIDS victim's mother
That would be interesting... if it were to ever happen.

From Article: "It's so alarming to me," she said in a telephone interview Monday with The Associated Press from her home in Leesburg, Florida.
"It's very important to me that we don't live in the darkness" when people thought AIDS was transmitted through casual contact, such as by "kissing, tears, sweat and saliva," White-Ginder said. "We have to treat this disease like a disease, and like Ryan always said, not like a dirty word."

Many of you may remember White who was the poster-child for the random AIDS victim. White actually contracted AIDS through a mistake in a blood transfusion, as opposed to from an action of his own.

Poll: Huckabee would lose to top Democrats by double digits

Yes it is a poll, and an early poll. Many would argue that it doesn't mean much, and in fact to some level that is even stated within this article. However the enormity at which Huckabee is behind I believe outlines the predicament of the GOP primary. If the radical Christian right is allowed to hijack the party on issues which aren't critical to the masses, we are going to have an unelectable candidate. I think Huckabee's handling of the AIDS comment and the prisoner-parole fiasco were poor. There is a level of arrogance there that America is tired of. It is expected from the Bushes, and the Clintons, but I'm not certain how much tolerance there will be when it is from an outsider.

A piece by Dick Morris, former Clinton advisor offers some comfort in the way of Huckabee's Fiscal Conservatism. Huckabee is a Fiscal Conservative Additionally, Morris's theorizing on the upcoming early primaries is also interesting.

From article: So what happens if Huckabee wins in Iowa? With New Hampshire only five days later, his momentum will be formidable. The key may boil down to how Hillary does in Iowa. Hillary? Yes. If she loses in Iowa, most of the independents in New Hampshire will flock to the Democratic primary to vote for her or against her. That will move the Republican electorate to the right in New Hampshire -- bad news for Rudy, good news for Huckabee. But if she wins in Iowa, there will be no point in voting in the Democratic primary and a goodly number will enter the GOP contest, giving Rudy a big boost.

They're all MAD I tell you.... MAD!

Well the news today in the social/ political landscape of America is nothing short of stomach churning.

First off we have the Vigilante "Joe Horn" from Houston... who is nothing more than an ignorant trigger happy redneck. People are making him out to be a hero after he shot a robber IN THE BACK who was one of two burglarizing at his neighbors home. He called 911, and told the police he was going to go out and try to shoot them. The police repeatedly told Mr. Horn to stay in his house, not just for his own safety, but for the safety of his officers. There were supposedly undercover cops on the ground nearby. A police officer witnessed the altercation which essentially amounted to Horn jumping out of his house and surprising the thieves as they fled, only to shoot one of them dead.... in the back. If you listen to the phone call you can almost sense that he is giddy over the prospect of getting to potentially kill them. Of course the robbers turned out to be illegal immigrants.... and a large contingent of the public seems pleased that Mr. Horn... much like the robbers, has total disregard for the law. In my opinion Horn is no better than the inner city kids shooting each other. His pea-brained intellect glorifies violence as a solution to a petty crime such as theft. People shouldn't even be talking about whether he should be prosecuted or not. Not only should he be prosecuted... he should be prosecuted for premeditated murder, and disobeying the police. The wild west should be long gone.... and people like horn, and all of those who are singing his praises need to be taught this.

The sad thing is he'll get off... Texas apparently passed a law allowing people to shoot at others to prevent "crimes". This is WRONG this is so so so very wrong. I'm all for the right to bear arms... but outside of shooting deer, or saving your life, I DO NOT believe you should be able to go on the OFFENSIVE. That is up to the police or the military. Texas has passed and approved anarchy. It is a double standard. Some kid who shoots someone in the projects... even because he is legitimately being threatened will go to jail. I believe rightfully so. This should not be ANY different.

Read the call transcript: Man Kills Suspects While On Phone With 911

If you heard his voice I don't know how you possibly could stand by and say this guy was right. There was lust in his voice. He probably considers himself a good "Christian" too.

From the article/ transcript, this is Mr. Horn:
"Boom! You're dead!" he shouts. A loud bang is heard, then a shotgun being cocked and fired again, and then again.

A word for the wise... If you live in Texas, don't lock yourself out of your house, someone might shoot you when you are trying to get in your window.

There is a poll on whether he should be prosecuted here: http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/outintheopen/
Unfortunately people seem to think that shooting someone for taking a stereo is an OK thing to do.

AND THEN THERE'S HUCKABEE

I think what really gets me going is how the people who are going to vote for Huck... just aren't going to care about his obvious displays of ignorance. I'm really afraid this guy will be the GOP candidate... even more afraid than I am of Mitt Romney. I think Romney's already bit the dust. Even George Bush and his cronies understood that AIDS isn't a plague whose victims should be quarantined. For Huckabee to say something like that... and then STAND BY IT! MAN! You can't get much dimmer than that. I'm actually beginning to debate on whether I should register as a Republican again so I can go vote for Giuliani in the primaries. It would my the first time in the party ranks since 1998 when I defected as an Independent.

Huckabee refuses to retract '92 remarks on AIDS patients

And on the other Huckabee issue:

Huck: "There are families who are truly, understandably and reasonably, grief-stricken," Huckabee said. "And for people to now politicize these deaths and to try to make a political case out of it rather than to simply understand that a system failed and that we ought to extend our grief and heartfelt sorrow to these families, I just regret politics is reduced to that."

Well Huckabee, it came right out of your mouth. "The system failed" System failure is supposed to be what politicians prevent, am I wrong? So for you to suggest that it shouldn't be politicized because it is inconvenient to your election, I think that's laughable.

Iceland High School Student Dials Bush's Phone Number

This one isn't a domestic issue, but it is pretty absurd that some teenager is being considered for the "no-fly-list" over this.

Kate & George's weekend

Well, here's another one of my creations. Be warned the music came out a little too loud relative to the movie. That's one of many problems I had making it however... ENJOY!

And its Huckabee's turn

I've gotta say...

This guy seemed like he had his head on straight, but now it appears otherwise. I disagree with his social conservative views, but I would fully expect them from a minister. The fact that Jimmy Carter was such a lousy president sort of makes me wonder if hiring another minister for the job would be such a wise idea. Especially since our sitting commander in chief has fallen under criticism for using religion to dictate policy.

But all this aside.... he is charismatic and well spoken... and he seemed to be the real thing. But wait, after this I think you have no choice but to question his intelligence, but also how he interprets his own faith. I don't see how someone "Christian" who believes in God & forgiveness could think like this.... Although the "fire & brimstone God" ideologies would probably support such thinking.

Huckabee Wanted to Isolate AIDS Patients

from article: Mike Huckabee once advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general public, opposed increased federal funding in the search for a cure and said homosexuality could "pose a dangerous public health risk."

More: "If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague," Huckabee wrote.
"It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents."

"In light of the extraordinary funds already being given for AIDS research, it does not seem that additional federal spending can be justified," Huckabee wrote. "An alternative would be to request that multimillionaire celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor (,) Madonna and others who are pushing for more AIDS funding be encouraged to give out of their own personal treasuries increased amounts for AIDS research."

ALSO: When Huckabee wrote his answers in 1992, it was common knowledge that AIDS could not be spread by casual contact. In late 1991, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 195,718 AIDS patients in the country and that 126,159 people had died from the syndrome.

If Huckabee had stuck to a "AIDS gets more than its fair share of funding" rhetoric... there may have been a legitimate argument. After all AIDS is only caught through an accident like blood transfusion, dirty drug needles, or promiscuous sexuality. You can see where heart disease and cancer should legitimately be getting more funding.

To play devil's advocate, AIDS creates immune compromised patients, who in their later stage can become incubators for disease. In 3rd world populations this can be devastating... and ripple effects will be felt in the industrialized world. This is a different reason to fight AIDS than that espoused by pop culture... but an important one.

I've got to say as a man of science and reason, THIS is SCARY! Huckabee just dropped behind Romney in my view.... and as you may have read, that's pretty low.

This news made me re-examine the stuff about Huckabee I've been ignoring.
Huckabee: Politicization of rape victims' deaths 'heartbreaking'

So just read the title... the politicization is heartbreaking? How about the deaths of the victims? How about the rape? That is heart breaking!

Now there is NO question that the media is inflating this story. Huckabee basically accepted that this prisoner (who would rape & kill upon getting released) could be considered for early parole. The system fails occasionally, and Huckabee... in this particular instance bears no responsibility other than he acted as many governors across the system act. (bear in mind that once again.... this is a MINISTER!!)

That being said:

from the article: The case of the rapist, Wayne DuMond, began in 1985, when he was accused of raping a 17-year-old girl. He was later convicted and sentenced to a life term.

I'm not certain that I would consider parole for a person like this. I think most rape cases deserve a life sentence, especially if forceful and not statutory.

I'd say it is Mitt or Thompson's shot now.... time to make up lost ground in Iowa. Too bad Giuliani couldn't pull something together.

MSNBC's Presidential rating grid

This is a neat feature that lets you pick who's views you align with the most. Bright green is agree... the darker shades less so. Bright red is completely disagree... and as they get darker... you disagree with less intensity.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21116732

Note that I'm with Giuliani... what are the odds:

Not a morning person...

So this is me fooling around with my camera to try and get the hang of the movie feature. Getting the hang of the film editing software too.... Enjoy my practice work.

NYC Trip III The Grande Finale

Saturday in NYC was our Exploring day. We had no museums or shows on the schedule and instead roamed around. Now we did however have a rough sort of plan. We began the day with The Lower West Side. I had drawn up a little itinerary which took us North of the World Trade Center site, west towards the river front which is lined by parks. We took the Chambers street stop on the Subway and walked towards the waterfront past Washington Market Park and the new Stuyvesant High School which is specialized high school for mathematics, science and technology. The Tribeca Bridge for pedestrians took us over a major roadway towards the waterfront parks. The first park is called "River Terrace Park" and one of the first attractions is the Irish Hunger memorial which is nestled amongst the high rises just off the side of the park facing the city. It was quite creative and far exceeded my expectations. From the water side it appears to be nothing more than a structure of dark stone and marble with various quotes engraved on it. There is a tunnel leading into it, and it appears modern and foreboding. As you head into the tunnel it eventually rises up into the center of the structure and empties out into what looks like an old Irish stone farm house. The path curves around back towards the water outside of the old stone structure. If you look straight towards the Hudson up the grassy bluff which forms the top of the monument, you could forget that you are in the middle of Manhattan. Of course there is noise and high rises on either side of you. I took this great picture of Kate on the monument.
Further south we walked past the Commodities and Mercantile exchange and a sheltered Marina area called the North Cove link. Eventually as we journeyed down the esplanade we crossed south cove park, then Robert F. Wagner park where the Jewish Heritage Museum is located. It was a very modern looking structure that had some interesting looking sculptures outside it. One of the better of these is a cat and a monkey together as though they are a couple. It was so strange I just felt inspired to snap a picture of it.

Back on the water is Pier A, location of the fire boat house. Castle Clinton is further South. We walked into Castle Clinton and took a quick glance around. Some of the Ellis Island/ Statue of Liberty tours are purchased there so it was mobbed with people. While being very old (originally built to protect us from the British in the War of 1812) it did not seem as impressive as some of the Forts that dot the New England Coast, including Fort Independence on Castle Island in Southie, or Fort Popham up in Maine. At the end of Battery park is the U.S. Coast Guard building and a small shipyard. Further on is the Staten Island Ferry. Kate and I would be heading there eventually to get a close glimpse at the Statue of Liberty... but first things first. LUNCH!! We reluctantly decided to go to the South Street Seaport. We had initially wanted to find a deli or sandwich shop, however we didn't want to deviate too far from our objective. South Street Seaport seemed like a good compromise, although I was a little concerned it was too far away from the Staten Island Ferry. We needed to cross around the southern tip of Manhattan towards the East side. Additionally some reviews of the market called it a touristy chain filled location. When we did arrive we were pleasantly surprised. I imagine the reviewers that write in Lonely Planet were a little more high brow than Kate or I. However, we appreciated a food court that was dominated primarily by non-chain ethnic food establishments. The dining area had stunning views of the water, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the adjacent tall ships which are docked at the Seaport. Kate and I settled on some Mexican food which hit the spot.

Determined to milk our day and get as much out of it as we could, we got moving again as soon as I licked the remaining vestiges of salsa out of a plastic cup.

Onward to the Staten Island Ferry which is FREE! Yes free, imagine that right? And...get this, they even serve beer on the ferry... so if you lived on Staten Island, you could have a nice lager on the way home after a tough day at the office. Sounds sort of romantic to me. Honestly I might need a beer at the end of the day if that was my routine. The boat ride was nice, but I imagine if the water was rough, or if it was mid-winter it may have been less pleasant. I enjoyed looking at the cityscape, and getting some close up shots of the statue of Liberty. There was something comforting about these big old boats. I can't explain it really. I suppose it was the idea that generations of New Yorkers have experienced this, and that it is an integral part of their life. The enormity of the ferries makes them an icon of the city. They seem to have the presence of an old familiar building that a community looks to for a sense of identity.

After we returned to Manhattan we decided to head over to Roosevelt Island and take the tramway. I wish I had snapped a picture but they were so crowded it seemed somehow difficult to do. I have to say they were a bit intimidating. I couldn't believe how much the cables sagged down as the tramway passed over them.

Mike Caprio and I saw Dark Water a few years ago which is a J-horror film starring Jennifer Connelly. I've been a little fascinated by the island since then. Although far from being as creepy as it is in the movie, there is something unsettling about the place. Apparently it has recently gone through some renewal/ gentrification. Most of the foreboding apartment buildings now house luxury apartments and condos. They are also building several new towers on the island. We walked down the main drag out toward some public gardens and soccer fields on the north end of the island. For an island that supposedly is home to 10,000 people there isn't a ton of commerce. A handful of diners and takeout restaurants stood amongst a couple pharmacies and a small grocery store. We went in the grocery store looking for a restroom and the variety of food available was surprisingly diverse. The views of Manhattan were absolutely stunning. There is an eerie calm on the island despite being in the middle of such hustle and bustle. The grounds are very green and beautifully landscaped with shrubs, vines and small trees. The vines and shrubs seemed almost overgrown while the trees almost appeared stunted. After going for a nice walk on the river way (the dark picture) back towards the tram, we headed back into the Upper East side.

On the spur of the moment I decided it might be neat to go into Bloomingdales and walk around. I wanted to look at their holiday decorations and their Christmas ornament section. I have a tradition of buying my Aunt Gigi a Santa figurine for Christmas and was hoping to find something unique. While nothing in particular caught my eye, Kate and I enjoyed the store. It was hands down one of the most beautiful stores I've been in. The decor had a warmth to it, the white floors gleamed despite the heavy traffic, and it was early enough in the holiday shopping season where people were still in good spirits. We pondered having coffee, however ultimately we moved on.

We decided on Supper next and Kate found a pizza place in her guide book called Arturo's Coal Oven Pizza. Kate said it was inexpensive, considered a original Neapolitan Pizza joint in NYC, and also typically boasted live jazz. This place was amazing, and if I go back to NYC... generally I'm someone who always likes going someplace new... but Arturo's is worth another visit. It was probably the best pizza I've ever had... and if that wasn't enough we were seated right next to a woman playing the jazz piano beautifully. The atmosphere was great, dark, warm, and strangely familiar. It was everything you want out of a pizzeria. Still family run, busy yet relaxed, comforting, man... I could go on and on. We ended up picking Arturo's Specialty which was a sausage pizza with peppers, onions and mushrooms. It couldn't have been much better.

The pizza place was in Soho. After eating we walked around Soho, the meatpacking district and Greenwich Village. It was a blast, I enjoyed being amongst the nightlife, the bookstores, the galleries, and all of the students, hipsters, and intellectuals roaming the streets. Some of the bars had some really amusing themes one called "The Slaughtered Lamb Pub" was decorated with werewolf dolls skeletons and other horrors. It had the general appearance of a classic English pub with the exception of the goth accents.

Our night was coming to a close at this point. Earlier we had tried to go to Serendipity III for some pastries and hot chocolate. As our luck would have it, Serendipity was going through renovations... go figure. Another time.

Below is a cheesy slide show I put together of all of our NYC trips. It is a montage set to Nilsson music... making it even cheesier. Perhaps it will make you laugh. I'm potentially going to work on something like this for my mother so it was a bit of practice really... but I thought I'd post it all the same. Eventually I'll get some movies on youtube now that my digital camera is capable of taking them.

Lastly, Sunday morning we went and got some breakfast suitcases in tow. We went to a place called Chat and Chew. The decor was very similar to "Silly's" in Portland ME. Very bohemian, a lot of mismatched furniture, antiques, and brightly colored retro ads on the wall. The food was good, however it was a little pricey for what you got. I had some blueberry pancakes complete with blueberry infused butter. I believe Kate had a variant of Ham and eggs... but my memory might be failing me. We both enjoyed our food a lot. Chat & Chew was in a basement location in Manhattan between Union square and 5th avenue. Oddly enough when I look at the pictures on their web site it doesn't appear as I remember it. Here is Kate standing out front. Thus concludes our vacation... as we headed to the Port Authority afterward for the bus ride home.