Florida is long, and other random thoughts

People in other states don't realize how freaking LONG Florida is.  When I lived in New Jersey, I could drive from one end of the state to the other in two hours.  In fact, I used to do it all the time for work.  Well, on Wednesday, I had to drive from where I now live to Pensacola.  I got in my car and started driving.........and then I kept driving and driving and driving.  After about 4+ hours, I finally got to the state capital, Tallahassee.  The most depressing thing was realizing that I had another three hours of driving ahead of me.  I live in the northeastern part of the state.  Imagine if someone was doing that drive from the Miami area, or even worse, the Keys.  The drive would take about 11 or 12 hours.  That's just crazy............

The story of Malaysian Airlines Fight 370 is one of the most bizarre stories in a long time.  If it's even possible, let's leave aside for the most the fact that there are just under 240 people on the flight who have seemingly vanished into thin air.  First, there was the story of those stolen passports, the users of whom ended up on the flight.  That seems to have become a non-story.  Then, there were the two Iranians on the flight, and that fact alone caused alarm bells to go off before that too became a non-story.  Now, we have the latest wrinkle, which is that the flight was diverted hundreds of miles off course, according to tracking by military radar.  I have to be honest; I suspected terrorism from the get-go, because planes do not suddenly go wildly off course and then vanish with not a single word from the pilots, or some indication of a mechanical problem.  On the other hand, terrorist groups invariably like to take credit for doing stuff like this. The silence after this plane vanished  has been deafening.  Not a word from any of the "usual suspects" (al Qaeda or one of its affiliates; Hezbollah; etc., etc.), or even some lesser-known outfit.  I just hope that this mystery is solved sooner rather that later, as the families of the passengers and flight crews deserve some type of answer as to what happened to their loved ones............

Am I the only person who is utterly repulsed by the entire Kardashian family? Honestly, what have any of them contributed to the world?  ANYTHING?  They seem to be incredibly good at self-promotion, I'll give them that.  Yet, they draw fans from all over the world--Kim Kardashian, who might be the trashiest of them all, has over 17,000,000 fans according to her Facebook page.  To me, that just means that there are over 17,000,000 stupid people on the planet who take their cues in life from a vapid "celebrity".  I get that we live in a celebrity-obsessed culture.  I don't like it, but such is life.  The thing is, the Kardashians aren't even famous for any particular reason.  The women are pretty.  Well, so what, there are millions of pretty women in this country and elsewhere in the world.  They're not smart in the conventional sense (though they're certainly savvy enough to turn their inexplicable popularity into dollars).  They've contributed nothing to the world.  Can anyone explain their popularity to me?????

I'm a grammar freak.  It drives me up a wall when I see people confuse the words "they're, there and their", not to mention "your" and "you're".  They are NOT the same words and they do NOT mean the same thing. People who can't tell the difference look like idiots.

Belated Happy Thanksgiving

1) It's been a few weeks since my last post, during which time Thanksgiving has come and gone. I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday, and that you were able to give thanks for all the blessings we have in this country. Yes, economic times are tough (more about that below), and dangers abound all over the world (more about those below, too), but honestly, would you trade places with residents of any other country on the planet right now?
2) It appears as though President Obama is going to make his official decision about the Administration's Afghanistan policy next week. If leaked reports are correct, he will recommend a "surge" of 34,000 U.S. troops. It took him too long to make the decision, but this IS the right choice and he deserves credit for making it. We can't bug out, and that leaves the only alternative as staying in there to win the war. There is more than a little bit of irony in this situation, however. All during the 2008 election campaign, Democrats ran by clamoring that we had focused on the "wrong war" (Iraq), and that if their candidate were elected, he would shift the focus to winning the war on which we should have focused. No sooner does President Obama take office than the inevitable happened, and Democrats started mumbling about "exit strategies" for Afghanistan, a euphemism for "How do we bail out without saying that we're bailing out?" President Obama better be ready for what's coming his way next week--the left in this country is NOT going to be happy. It wants us out of both Iraq and Afghanistan immediately, the consequences be damned.
3) Gotta love those those Iranian Mullahs. They have confiscated the Nobel Peace Prize of Dr. Shirin Ebadi, the lawyer who in 2003 received the prize for her championing of women's and human rights in Iran. Outside of a few bleats of international protest, the move has largely been met with silence. No condemnations from the U.N. Security Counsel or General Assembly (yeah, big shock there, I know). Nothing from the odious U.N. Human Rights Commission. The E.U. has also kept its tongue (wouldn't want to "offend" the Iranians when it loves to buy their oil, or when that might result in the jeopardizing of business contacts now, would it?). And this is the truly evil regime with which the Obama Administration "wants to engage". When a government does something like this, what possible "engagement" could you have with it?
4) There are rumblings out of Israel that a deal could soon be in the works between Israel and Hamas which would see longtime hostage Gilad Shalit traded back to Israel in exchange for one thousand Hamas terrorists. While I hate deals like this, I can certainly understand the motivation behind them. Shalit has been a hostage since June of 2006, and his long ordeal has become a neverending nightmare for Israelis. Unlike the Palestinians, Israel values human life, the despicable portrayals of it in the MSM notwithstanding. It won't rest until its soldiers come home, alive or dead. That is why it gave up truly evil "human beings" like Samir Kuntar in exchange for the bodies of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, and that is why it will eventually release terrorists who will certainly do their best to murder more Jews in order to obtain Gilad Shalit.
5) Another economic nightmare might be heading our way. Dubai World has indicated that it will not be able to meet its debt payments. The potential economic failure of the biggest corporation in the oil-rich state, had sent tremors throughout the world community which is rightfully concerned about this potential collapse starting another wave of corporate collapses. However, it seems as though those fears are fortunately misplaced, if for no other reason than the fact that the Dubai government could easily pay off the Dubai World's $60 BILLION debt without a second thought. The incredible irony of the situation? This might result in the strengthening of the devalued U.S. dollar, which had to this point apparently been heading for parity with the Mexican Peso.
6) It's neither political nor sports-related, but I have a confession to make. I am a gaming addict. Not video or computer games. BOARD games. There is one in particular that I absolutely love, a game called "Smallworld". It's fun, intellectually challenging, and better yet, it can be played by entire families. If you want to try something really different, but incredibly fun at the same time, give it a shot. Trust me on this one........
7) One football game I didn't get so see last weekend but would love to have watched was the Repus Bowl, matching 1-8 Detroit against 1-8 Cleveland. My thought that it would be like watching a car wreck--I wouldn't be able to turn away. Those who saw the game ended up seeing a phenomenally entertaining matchup, ultimately won 38-37 by the Lions. The resistible force ended up topping the movable object...........
8) This week's Top Five in College Football:
i) Alabama Crimson Tide (12-0, #1): It wasn't pretty yesterday against Auburn, and you could make a case that the Tide should have lost the game, but it didn't. Alabama did what winning teams do when they're struggling, which was to dig deeper and find a way to get the "W".
ii) Texas Longhorns (12-o, #2): I don't expect the Longhorns to have much trouble with the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Big Twelve title game, and that's all that stands between Texas and a matchup with either Alabama or Florida.
iii) Florida Gators (11-0, #3): Florida will be 12-0 after it annihilates the Florida State Seminoles tonight. Then, it's off to the SEC title game, which is effectively a "play-in" game for the B(C)S title game.
iv) Cincinnati Bearcats (11-0, #4): Cincinnati still has one obstacle remaining to an undefeated season, a matchup with 9-2 Pittsburgh. The biggest challenge for the Bearcats might be to find a way to keep coach Brian Kelly, who is reported to be high on Notre Dame's wish list one the Fighting Irish get around to firing current coach Charlie Weis.
v) Boise State Broncos (12-0, #5): Pity the Broncos--they may very well not get into a BCS Bowl while a team they beat soundly, the Oregon Ducks, only needs to beat in-state rival Oregon State to go to the Rose Bowl.
Dropped out: No team.
9) The Top Five and Bottom Five in the NFL this week, with the team's record and last week's ranking in brackets:
Top Five
i) New Orleans Saints (10-0, #1): Monday night's game against the high-flying New England Patriots has all the promise of a 41-38 barnburner. Watch it turn out to be a 13-7 snoozefest.
ii) Indianapolis Colts (10-0, #2): The Colts are just three wins away from clinching their division, and four from clinching home field throughout the AFC playoffs.
iii) Minnesota Vikings (9-1, #3): Despite my desire for him to do so, Brett Favre has yet to fall on his face.
iv) San Diego Chargers (7-3, no ranking): That slow start is all but forgotten now, and the Chargers are playing as well as any team in the league.
v) New England Patriots (7-3, #4): The Pats lost an inexplicable game against the Colts, when Bill Bellichick went for a first down on fourth and two on his own 28 yard line with his team holding a 34-28 lead and just a few minutes left in the game. They failed, and it took Peyton Manning exactly four plays to get the Colts into the end zone. Final score, 35-34 for Indianapolis. But, that said, the Pats are still clicking offensively.
Dropped out: Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4, #5)
Bottom Five
i) Cleveland Browns (1-9, #2): See my comment on the game above. And, reports are that team coach Eric Mangini is among the most despised coaches in the NFL. Yup, that's quite the party they have going on in Cleveland.
ii) St. Louis Rams (1-9, #3): Even when healthy, they stank. Now, injuries are knocking out their starters.
iii) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-9, #4): Bring back the creamsicle uniforms--it's the only way they can win.
iv) Buffalo Bills (3-7, no ranking): Counterfeit Bills.
v) Detroit Lions (2-9, #1): Worry not, Lions fans. The coveted title of "worst team in the league" is still well within reach, and getting shellacqued 34-12 by the Packers on Thanksgiving Day is ample evidence of that fact.
Dropped out: Kansas City Chiefs (3-7, #5).
The Top Five and Bottom Five in the NHL this week, with the team's record and last ranking in brackets:
Top Five
i) San Jose Sharks (17-6-4, #1): The Sharks are as talented as ever, but we've seen great regular seasons out of them before.
ii) Chicago Black Hawks (16-6-2, no ranking): And now they have Marian Hossa back in the fold. We know he won't do anything in the playoffs, but he'll make an already offense even better.
iii) Calgary Flames (15-6-3, #3): They just shut out the suddenly struggling Red Wings in Detroit last night.
iv) New Jersey Devils (16-6-1, #5): Give the Devils their due, there is no more consistent a team in the NHL.
v) Washington Capitals (14-5-6, #2): The Caps have cooled off a little bit, but are still playing like an elite team.
Dropped out: Colorado Avalanche (14-8-4, #3)
Bottom Five
i) Carolina Hurricanes (5-15-5, #1): Three straight losses keep the 'Canes in last place.
ii) Toronto Maple Laughs (6-11-7, #3): The Maple Laughs have actually won two in a row.
iii) Minnesota Wild (9-12-3, #4): The Wild are an abysmal 2-9-2 on the road.
iv) Edmonton Oilers (10-12-4, no ranking): Like their division-mates in Minnesota, the Oilers are terrible on the road.
v) Montreal Canadiens (12-12-1, #5): The Hab-nots are just hanging until the team's best defenseman, Andrei Markov, hopefully returns in January.
Dropped out: Florida Panthers (10-10-4, #2)
11) The Top Five and the Bottom Five in the NBA this week, with the team's record and last ranking in brackets:
Top Five
i) Los Angeles Lakers (11-3, #1): And now they have Pau Gasol back.
ii) Phoenix Suns (13-3, #2): Running and gunning like they always do, but it's never proven to be a formula for success in the playoffs.
iii) Denver Nuggets (12-4, #5): The Nuggets are still unbeaten (7-0) at home.
iv) Atlanta Hawks (12-4, no ranking): The Hawks are a fun team to watch, and they're young, too. Too bad no one in Atlanta cares.
v) Dallas Mavericks (12-4, no ranking): Dirk Nowitzki just seems to get better with age.
Dropped out (Boston Celtics (12-4, #3), Miami Heat (9-6, #4)
Bottom Five
i) New Jersey Nets (0-16, #1): It goes from bad to worse for the Nets, who got crushed by a thoroughly-mediocre Sacramento Kings team last night.
ii) Minnesota Wild (1-15, #3): If not for the ineptitude of the Nets, the Wild would have a hammerlock on the "worst team in the league" title.
iii) New York Knicks (3-13, #2): Even the Knicks beat up on the Nets recently.
iv) Detroit Pistons (5-11, no ranking): Seven straight losses (and counting) for the misfiring Pistons.
v) Philadelphia 76ers (5-11, no ranking): Doesn't it say a lot that three of the worst teams in the league (and you could make a case that Toronto should be in this group, too) are in the same division?

Some miscellaneous thoughts for a Manic Monday

Some random thoughts from across the political and sporting world on a cold, windy Monday morning.

1) History is occurring in the Motor City, where the Detroit Lions, at 0-15, are just one loss at Green Bay away from completing the first 0-16 season in NFL history. Now, I was on the record last year as saying that I didn't think that a team could go 16-0, and the Patriots went out and proved me wrong. I've always thought that it's more difficult for a team to go winless than undefeated--at some point, the law of averages was going to kick in and a bad team was going to catch a nearly-as-bad team on day where the latter squad wasn't playing well. The Packers are hardly a powerhouse, but given the way Detroit rolled over and played dead yesterday at home in its 42-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints, it's hard to see the de-clawed Lions putting up much of a fight in the cold of Green Bay. So, let's all look forward to next Sunday, when Detroit (hopefully) makes football history!

2) So the feds are going to bail out the Big Three automakers after all. More of tax dollars go down the tubes. Yes, I understand the logic behind this--the ripple effect on the economy would be devastating if any of them failed (it wouldn't just be car manufacturer, after all; it would also be the dealerships, the parts suppliers and manufacturers, etc.), but the bailout provides no incentive to the Big Three to do anything to change their ways. They'll still be paying exorbitant wages to their union workers and the bailout doesn't provide for any wage rollback. How smart is that? Not very, I'd say. So, my guess is that in a few months, we'll be right back at this point, with them begging for more money.

3) Russia is selling advanced weapons to Iran, including the most advanced anti-missile weaponry the Russians have. As hard as it is to deal with Iran now, can you imagine how hard it will be to confront them after they have these weapons? Memo to President-Elect Obama: Cut the crap about Russia being our strategic partner. It isn't. It IS our enemy, and every one of its actions is designed to convey that fact to us.

4) If New York Yankees-haters such as myself weren't already dispirited enough by the Bronx Bombers' signings of A.J. Burnett and C.C. Sabathia, now NBC Sports is reporting that the Yankees may sign Manny Ramirez. Honestly, at what point does this end? I know that New York is by far the wealthiest franchise in Baseball (and probably the richest professional sports franchise in North America), but does this team REALLY need an All-Star at every position? I guess that Yankees fans will smugly respond with a "yes"................

5) Merry Christmas to all 0f my Christian readers and a Happy Hannukah to those who are Jewish. No generic "Season's Greetings" or "Holiday Wishes" to anyone. I hate that. I may be as Jewish as they come, but I am never offended by anyone who wishes me a Merry Christmas, because I know that the sentiment behind the expression, a wish that everyone have a wonderful holiday, is sincere and motivated by the best of intentions. So, feel free to wish me a Merry Christmas if you're so inclined!

Sun-set

One of my favourite newspapers, the New York Sun, has ceased publication as of today. This is a very sad development for any fan of unbiased media coverage, or for those who weren't all that fond of (for example) the consistently amoral, pro-Palestinian slant found in 99% of the newspapers across the country. The closing editorial can be found here: http://www.nysun.com/opinion/ideal-of-the-scoop/86858/. For more on the newspaper's history, go here: http://www.nysun.com/obituaries/picking-up-the-flag-of-the-sun/86844/.

The paper will be sadly missed.........

Goodbye to one of my favourite comic strips

I have been a devoted fan of the daily comic strip "For Better or for Worse" for as long as I can remember. I always loved the fact that the characters evolved. Michael WASN'T always in high school. Elizateth turned from a child who couldn't yet speak into an adult woman who, in the concluding series of the strip, got married. Now, sadly, Lynn Johnston, one of the most gifted cartoonists of our time, is ending the strip so that she can pursue other opportunities (including a re-writing of the stip from the begining): http://www.fborfw.com/news/. Here is a Chicago Tribune article on her decision: http://www.fborfw.com/pdf/TribuneArticle.pdf. The final strips: http://www.fborfw.com/strip_fix/archives/003335.php,
http://www.fborfw.com/strip_fix/archives/003336.php.

The strip was largely based on Johnston's home life, though occasional deviations (the birth of April, etc.) took place. I have always felt privileged to have read the goings-on in the Patterson household, which at times were so much like my own. I wish Lynn Johnston and her entire family success in their future endeavours, and I'll miss watching the Pattersons evolve further.

I'm glad to say that I aced this test

So did Charles Johnson, the brilliant blogger extraordinaire who runs Little Green Footballs. The Pew Research Trust has a news "IQ Test" to determine how aware one is of current events, and it can be found here: http://pewresearch.org/newsiq/. I urge you all to take it. The test is short, and if you're reasonably aware of what's going on in the country, you'll do fairly well.

Tony Snow, 1955-2008

Tony Snow, former White House Press Secretary, radio talk show host and Fox News pundit, has died of colon cancer at the young age of 53: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,381250,00.html. Snow always seemed like a good and decent man, an impression of mine that seems to have been echoed by everyone who knew and met him. He had a tough job as the White House Press Secretary, but he did it with zeal and a twinkle in his eye.

Rest in peace, Tony, and cue the inevitable hatefest at the Daily Kos and Huffington Post.......

Some early morning examples of the love from the Daily Kos:

"Yes, let us all be hypocrites, and speak well of Snow. The man was an unapologetic liar, and helped send American troops to die in a war that should never have been fought. No matter what else he did. Cancer is kinder than what he gave to so many."

"if you know that in life your role was an alienating character on the world stage to half the listeners, wouldn't you kind of expect not to be remembered well when you left the stage?
And I don't think Tony really cares at the moment, nor did he when he was at the microphone."

"Hard to reconcile the two, can sit in church all day and then go to your job where you spread deceit and disinformation. Make me think one of these lives was a lie.
Sorry, I hope his family and friends get past this as smoothly as possible, but I had a real problem with this guy."

"Just saying, to me your diary made him seem like a real scumbag - i.e., spreading death and destruction at the behest of the Bush Cabal, not because he actually believed in it, instead, it was just his job.

I will leave it to the reader to do their own search on "the banality of evil" . . .

And of course somebody's friends will find good in them - for crying out loud, that's why they're their friends!"

"Yes, he was a hatemonger. Everytime anyone of of any notoriety dies we must weep the tragedy of death. Thousands of people die every hour, I would rather salute those who have lived the truth and lived wiht honor rather than this vile hate merchant. I listened to his Friday O'Reilly substitute on the radio and he was all hate. Just a month ago he was trying to argue that every thug should be calling Barack with his middle name. He was doing the Wright rehash, and mocking Obama's patriotism and bringing up every thug talking point. Sadly, there are other thug Snow replacement haters lining up to fill his hateful boots."

"Jesse Helms gets no compassion. Neither does Snow. No difference. I always remind myself of how different America would be today if Snow and co were doing their hateful thing during the civil rights and jim crow era in the 40's, 50's and 60's. Would we have had the same change, or would it have been suppressed and codified into our laws instead?

My compassion is not for Snow. I salute him in the same way as I diaried Helms. I will pour a beer on your grave, Snow, but not before it has been filtered through my kidneys."

"If it's any comfort to you, colon cancer is a horrendous, painful way to die. The suffering he went through is a pretty thorough kind of karma for his past misdeeds."

"I had an uncle who died 20 years ago. He trained his german sheperd to attack blacks and hippies in the 60's. he would bring up klan and other hate filled derogatory racist lies at the drop of a hat. He loved me. He died. I felt nothing, as I could never reconcile his terrible beliefs. My mother and father understood my indifference and respected it. After all these years, I still feel he was a wrongful hate merchant whose passing I did not dwell on. Same with Snow."

"On the one hand, I appreciate the reminder that even Bush cronies have friends who will mourn their deaths.

On the other hand, we do choose our work in this country. And our employers."

"You know, maybe he didn't even know what he was doing.
Consider for example, a locomotive engineer who drove a train from Berlin to Auschwitz a couple times a week.

In the evenings, he'd have a beer with his friends, on Sunday he'd take his family to church, where everyone loved him because of his wonderful singing in the choir.

The next day, it'd be back to driving the train to Auschwitz. It was just his job to keep the coal shoveled into the boiler and the steam pressure up, heck, he didn't even know what the train's cargo was. That was not his concern.

He couldn't possibly have been a bad person, could he?"

"We did know him because people are judged on their deeds and actions, not on whether they are good friends to people in their private lives.

Tony Snow was the voice of the Bush administration. He shilled for their policies and spun their lies and half-truths in order to prop up an illegal war and an outrageously unethical and even criminal administration.

His friends and family are free to remember the Tony Snow they want to remember. I, as a citizen, however, am free to remember Tony Snow as a man who brought harm to this nation and its citizens."

"And Snow was the frontman for these atrocities... His death at an early age makes a case for the existence of Karma.

Yours in Justice, Celtic Merlin

Bush & McCain - as inseparable as Shit & Stink."

"Well...Jesse Helms treated his dogs well and went to church regularly, so Like Tony, we must ignore the evil he championed."

"Sorry for his family..but..I will shed no tears for anyone who was part of the death of 1000's of our own if Iraq and Afghanistan.."

"Many People Grow Wiser From Cancer, Tony probably not so much. He was probably sneering and smirking right to the end, and proud of his strength for doing so."

"There's a new Snowball in Hell today."

"Dying does not equal redemption - at least here. If you choose to support those who are doing evil, and even try to deceive others about it, you too are doing evil. By dying, one doesn't automatically erase the bad acts they did in life. Maybe people can redeem themselves in some afterlife, but I believe you've got to do the right thing while you're here. And I don't believe we owe any debt of sympathy or compassion to this man, and what he has done."

" NO EULOGY HERE. I can't join with you uys in the faux mourning of this cat.
Good riddance. Oh well."

Here are a couple of voices in the wilderness:

"I think judge not, lest yea be judged is a good policy, guys. By all accounts Tony Snow was a decent man in his private life. In his public life he fought for the beliefs he believed in, even if we despise them. That does not make him a horrible man. If he himself committed a crime then he should of been arrested, but simply working for the Bush administration does not make you a bad man. I am sorry to see him go, and pray for his friends and family."

" Cancer is such a brutally horrible disease. My prayers to Tony Snow's family and friends."

UPDATE (9:43 a.m., July 13, 2008): Still MORE love out of the Daily Kos! It can be found here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/7/12/9943/75678/728/550496. This is why the Angry Left is what it is......

Is the net making us stupid?

It's a valid question, I think. We have so much information available to us, and so easily available at that. We no longer have to retain any memories, or not many of them, anyway. There is an excellent article in The Atlantic magazine titled, "Is Google making us stupid?", and it can be found here: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google.

I wonder whether we as a society have lost our ability to research things, and to do basic "thinking". If we haven't we're not that far away from doing so..........

The end of the line for a longstanding sports media team?

New York Newsday is reporting that sports talk show legends (and after 20 years together, that's a fair description) Mike Francesa and Chris "Mad Dog" Russo may be splitting up, perhaps as early as this summer: http://www.newsday.com/sports/ny-spmike0622,0,842426.story. For those who aren't sports fans, or who have never heard the show, you've missed on what is probably the seminal sports talk show of our generation. They didn't restrict their subjects to New York area teams, though that was obviously the main focus of their show. Here's hoping that they work out their differences and continue the show.............

Tim Russert, redux

The tributes to the late Tim Russert continue to pour in, five days after his sudden passing last Friday. A number of people have commented that maybe the coverage of his death is a little over the top. Perhaps it is, but there is a reason for that in my mind. Russert was part of what is unfortunately a dying breed; journalists who are respected equally by politicians of both stripes. He was always honest about the perspective from which he was coming (generally liberal), but at the same time, he was clearly genuinely interested in what those on the other side of the political spectrum had to say. In fact, he felt that it was necessary to hear their viewpoint, as related by Bernard Goldberg: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121375187453382965.html?mod=djemEditorialPage.

It's just one guy's perspective, but I think that Tim Russert will go down as one of the seminal journalists of our generation. We will come to view him the way our parents' generation viewed Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite.

Tim Russert, 1950-1958

Those who check out my blog from anywhere outside the United States will undoubtedly be bored by this post, if not completely uninterested. Tim Russert, moderator of Meet the Press and one of the journalistic giants of our age, passed away suddenly today of a heart attack at the young age of 58: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25145431/.

Obviously, my first thoughts are for his family and his close colleagues. He was one of those incredibly rare individuals who had the respect and admiration of politicians of either stripe. Just watching the tributes pour in about him is ample evidence of his tremendous character. It goes without saying that the Washington political scene and journalism in general will be the poorer for his departure. Rest in peace, Little Russ.................

A Hollywood great passes on

Growing up, I was a huge fan of the Carol Burnett show. The chemistry between the various cast members was amazing, but what I particularly loved was the interaction between Tim Conway and Harvey Korman, mainly because Conway used to completely crack up Korman. Sadly, Harvey passed away today: http://www.comcast.net/articles/tv/20080529/Obit.Korman/. With his passing, Hollywood has lost one of its most underappreciated yet funny stars............

When you've got it, flaunt it

I can't relate to the absurd amounts of money the rich and beautiful people spend on things, ranging from million-dollar cars to BILLION-dollar homes (you read that correctly): http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/30/home-india-billion-forbeslife-cx_mw_0430realestate.html.

That said, I don't begrudge them the ability to do buy these things. It's their money, they can do with it what they want...............

Don't like heights?

Then don't watch this: http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1438490562. I don't have many phobias. In fact, I don't have any........with ONE exception: Heights. Lock me in an enclosed space with spiders, snakes, etc., it won't bother me at all. Bring me up a high rise, and I turn into a jellyfish. It's quite sad, really..............

Rupert Murdoch on "The West"

The following is adapetd from a speech Mr. Murdoch recently gave: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120882641077833349.html?mod=djemEditorialPage. Say what you want about him, he is a tireless defender of western values and he truly gets it when it comes to dealing with the threats that western culture faces.

Summarizing the Sixties

A good friend of mine sent me a link to a website that has a great summary of the 1960s, which can be found here: http://moreoldfortyfives.com/TakeMeBackToTheSixties.htm. I found it absolutely fascinating, and I wonder if someday people in the 2040s will look back at the 2000s the way we regard the 1960s...............

If nothing else, the music during the retrospective is great!

Farewell to a literary pioneer

Science Fiction legend Arthur C. Clarke died today at the age of 90, in his home in Sri Lanka: http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/story.html?id=12f861db-fd4b-4269-b8a2-830d131019f8&k=93378. I always loved Sci-Fi when I was a kid, and used to devour Clarke's books, along with those of Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle, etc., etc. I still read some Sci-Fi today, but not as much, though whenever I do, it brings me back to my teenager years.

R.I.P., Mr. Clarke.........

San Francisco Recap

As it turned out, my one post from the City by the Bay was my only post from the place. Work duties prevented me from seeing as much of the city as I wanted, but I was able to see enough to know that I would like to go back someday soon, hopefully with Mrs. BHG. Those who can afford to live there are fortunate indeed................

San Francisco Blogging, Part One

I arrived mid-afternoon, and was fortunate enough to find out upon arrival that my meeting today was canceled. So, I made the most of the limited time I had and took in the Fisherman's Wharf area, which I thought was very cool (aside from the two people walking behind me who were discussing how Fidel Castro was an "underrated leader", and how this country would have been better off if he were the president instead of President Bush). I then took a drive down Lombard Street, and all I can say is this; if you haven't seen this street live, you are definitely missing something. The view from my hotel room, which is in the Financial District, is amazing. I am looking over virtually the entire San Francisco Bay. I can see why those people who live here are so attached to the place, the politics notwithstanding. I have business meetings pretty much all of the next two days, and then fly back home on Thursday. However, somehow, someway, I am hoping to squeeze in a visit to Alcatraz. We'll see if that actually happens.

More later!

Blogging will be light to nonexistent..........

............over the next four or so days, as I travel to San Francisco for work. I'll try to squeeze some in here and there, but it may not be possible.