This Just Got Interesting

Everyone who thinks the Hillary/Rudy match-up is inevitable should slow down a bit. With Hillary dropping ideas like free cash for babies and the Religious Right ready to go third-party on us all, there's plenty of room for the unexpected. This could end up being one of the most interesting Presidential campaigns since 1912. Just thought everyone should be familiar with that election.

You Should Be Watching . . .

. . . the Ken Burns PBS documentary The War. If you do, you will be hard-pressed to disagree with Tom Brokaw that those Americans were indeed the Greatest Generation. I'm still catching up after DVRing the first three episodes but, if you want to start in tonight, they're showing D-Day. I'm sure they'll re-air it eventually, but it's absolutely riveting footage.

I can't imagine we could ever do that again.

Ouch

Up to this point I've withheld any thoughts about Taser-gate. The plight of rambunctious Andrew Meyer, the University of Florida student who was tased by campus police during a John Kerry speech has been viewed by 2million+ on the interwebs. Apparently the phrase, "Don't Tase Me, Bro" is now sweeping the nation, destined to be a catch phrase that could soon rival "That's hot" and "Deal or No Deal."

There are a lot of first amendment questions being raised here but what blurs the line is that Meyer was a jerk. He felt that he was entitled to publicly insult a US senator while using some questionable language towards him. That in itself is more than reason for him to be escorted out. He refuses to leave, then forcibly resists, while acting erratic [stop and think about this for a second: this is done with a few yards of a former Presidential candidate and still very public figure. If this was 2004, Secret Service would've beat the living crap out of him and no one says a word]. As he's being ushered out he begins to cry like a baby, still physically resisting security which, eventually, leads to the tasing, apparently distributed by Meyer's bro.

There are probably very legitimate concerns as to when and how tasers should be used but human rights officials would do well to avoid this case as an opportunity to convince the country. There's no way they can make a martyr out of this kid, especially when a majority of the country would've tased him sooner.

I'm Smiling As I Type This

So check out this resume:

Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Research Expert in Artificial Intelligence, specifically problem solving, knowledge representation, image processing, natural language, document classification, artificial neural network.

Research Professor in Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science.

Pretty impressive. I guess it's kinda unfortunate that when Dr. Scott Fahlman dies the only thing he'll be noted for is inventing this: :-)

Weekend Recap

Wednesday night is a little late to get this up, but we went non-stop last weekend enjoying two really cool events. The first was the Walnut Hills Festival. It resumed this year after a 15 year hiatus. It took place in the "rough part" of Walnut Hills but that didn't deter people from attending. Larry [good friend and our children's guy] and I helped out with odds and ends, running errands and managing the main stage. We received incredibly too much credit for little work. Talking with the lady who organized it, I think Echo will have a strong presence in helping out with it next year.

The second was my home church's 50-year anniversary. It was cool to reconnect with people that haven't seen me since I was a teenager [I think some were astonished that I found someone gullible enough to marry me]. I kept thinking what it will be like when Echo turns 50 but, then again, I might not be alive then.

This week isn't going to slow down, either. We have the Rett fundraiser Saturday and Echo's anniversary on Sunday.

We don't stop.

Learnt

So the professor of my Thursday night class is in India. So he wasn't there tonight. So we were supposed to have a sub. Sounds like junior high, huh? Shoutout: Melissa Hill.

So we watched a movie for class.

Again, sounds like junior high, huh? Shoutout: Cool Hand Luke [still not sure why we watched that in junior high].

The sub didn't show up, meaning there was no attendance taken, meaning I could've skipped altogether. But that's why you pay tuition, eh?

Why I really wrote all this: I had to walk an extra half mile to class tonight. Why? Because the campus was jammed-packed full of people. Why? There was a special event at the Cintas Center. Who were they there to see?

Dave Ramsey: financial guru. He tells you how to work your money and get rich.

I'm not a big Dave guy, and I know some of you are so I won't go on a diatribe, but it just fascinates that so many people are into hearing him (of course, people still go to see Loverboy so what's that mean?).

Apparently tickets for the event cost anywhere between $31 and $67. Here's a way to work your money: don't spend all the cash on tickets to the event and listen to him on the radio for free.

On second thought, here's a good way to get rich: become a financial guru and charge a ridiculous amount of money for people to come hear you speak. Shot fired.

Let's Stop White On White Violence

From the VMA's tonight: Kid Rock and Tommy Lee fight while Criss Angel watches. Battle of the C-list stars. We just watched the show and it was horrible. Brittney Spears was the most awkward thing I've ever ignored.

Wish we could've seen the fight. It might've made the show interesting.

p.s. Timbaland looks like Aaron Neville.

Help Brooklyn

I'm not one for special causes. It seems everyone has one and everyone thinks theirs is the most important. The lolipop guild has been hanging around the local parking lots raising money for their special houses but it always makes me feel weird the way they loiter near your car. Every once in awhile I toss them some change but I can't stand it when they badger you for their cause. Transition: let me tell you about one special cause that I back 100%, so much so that I'm going to encourage you to think about supporting it. I told you of Kelly and Charlie's daughter Brooklyn who has Rett's syndrome, a neurodevelopmental condition that affects young girls. Since there's no cure they're always looking to assist research.

On Saturday September 22nd there's going to be a Stroll-A-Thon here in Cincinnati to raise money for research. You can participate in a few ways:

1. Join us with Team Butler and come walk with us. Or . . .
2. Cash money. You know how it works.

For more info you can drop me an email or, even better, ask Brooklyn's mom. Keep up-to-date with Brooklyn here.

The Beat Goes On

Some interesting stuff in today's City Beat, Cincinnati's liberal independent newspaper. Every Wednesday I try to read the online version in addition to our city's cotton-candy paper, CinWeekly. First was an interview with the heads of the three major local art institutions [Cincinnati Art Museum, The Taft, and the Contemporary Arts Center]. They have some interesting perspectives on the state of art and culture in the Queen City.

The second article is concerning an Enquirer business reporter who was recently fired. The word on the street is that he pissed off some local major corporations and the paper bowed to their power and let him go. It's difficult to find the truth in this story, as some people contend he was canned because he was overly abrasive. Regardless, I think it does speak to the way our society is shifting.

The goal of a business is to make money and media outlets do so through ad revenue. So when it comes to hard hitting journalism verses making the advertisers/customers happy they're inclined to deliver news that sells. So even if newspapers and television stations are attempting to be unbiased, there's always room for doubt when the segment on health care is being sponsored by Ambient.

I guess the truth is out there but finding it is getting more difficult. But at least when I'm looking for info on the Iraq, US Americans, and the Asian countries, I know where to go.

Thoughts To Ponder

Crazy week here in town while we were gone. Two incidents, combined with the Michael Vick case, has me thinking. The first was the unfortunate story about a white woman who forgot her child in a car last week while her mother was at work; the little girl died from extreme heat left. There's a heightened interest in the case because the woman was affluent, driving a luxury car. It's a horrible accident, one from which the family will never recover, and many are chiming out about. While it's obvious it wasn't intentional, many people are demanding justice. The prosecutor is deciding whether or not to press charges and I would suspect none will be filed.

The second case is that of a black woman who was convicted of animal cruelty. A stray pit bull was roaming around her home in a lower class Cincinnati neighborhood. The woman's nephew, recognizing that the dog wouldn't leave, tied up the animal. In the course of a few days the animal, while trying to escape, strangled itself. The woman who owned the home [and had nothing to do with the dog] was charged with felony animal cruelty, convicted, and not allowed any bail. So she's sitting in prison, facing 180 days in jail in addition to the time she's already serving.

Now ignoring issues of race and economic status here, what does this say about how we are beginning to view life in our society? It would seem that the outrage over the deaths of animals far outweigh that of human beings. Would Michael Vick had been better off if he had killed a person instead of dogs? Why can you hunt deer or rabbits or birds legally, but being involved in the death of a dog is criminal?

I'm not saying that the mother of the little girl needs jail time; she's scarred for life. But where is the ethical center of this argument? How do we value the life of an animal?

Political Football

From the "how-do-we-alienate-a-segment-of-our-fan-base?" department, the Jacksonville Jaguars recently donated $30,000 to Planned Parenthood. Nothing creates team spirit like supporting widespread abortion.

Brilliant.

Faith In Combat

The Cincinnati Post has an article about Staff Sgt. Nick Hamm, a guy I recruited to the attend the Bible College. There are some compelling statements on how he synchronizes his faith with his duties as a soldier. He's a really solid guy and it's worth the read. HT: SWIND

About Hype

Over-hyped: The movie 300. I was stoked when it came out on video only to discover that it was the p0rn version of Gladiator/Braveheart. Watching King Leonidas in the trailers scream statements about Sparta seemed cool. In the context of the movie it became laughable. Under-hyped: Fatherhood. It killed me to go to class tonight as Kaelyn cried for her Da-dah. Lucky for me she was still not wanting to sleep when I got back so I got to hold her as she fell asleep; occasionally she'd look up at me while sticking her tongue out. As I left her room she uttered out a "night-night" [which currently comes across as "nah-nah"], and I knew life was good.

Just-right-hype: My wife. Just this past week in my class, we discussed the institution of marriage. An article we read absolutely ripped it apart, suggesting that it was an archaic institution that needs to be abolished; that if you're married life pretty much sucks and you wish you weren't married. I was partly pissed/partly sad because, when I think about our marriage, I can't imagine life without it.

When we were dating I knew that Kelly was something special. There's always a little doubt as to whether the romance can last and I can proudly declare that ours has. Nine years to the day when we said "I do" it's all been worth it.

My wife is amazing. Perfect hype. Happy Anniversary, Kel.

Can Do Anything A Spider-pig Does

Took some time-out during my study day to catch The Simpson's Movie. I remember all the hullabaloo [nice word] surrounding the series in its early years. It was frequently cited as an example of decaying family values. It's interesting that now, compared to South Park and Family Guy, it's incredibly tame. There are even people who use the show to examine issues of faith in America. So this show that was originally labeled dysfunctional is now admired.

All in all, good flick. The creators used the film to do a few more edgy bits than they normally do on TV, but still it's clean compared to those other adult cartoons I named earlier. I thought they could've done a little more with it but it's still good for some great laughs. Dare I say, it's a family movie. Maybe I should market it to my church . . .

Sidenote: As I scanned the movie theater I was counting the number of people there who weren't alive when it first aired [on the Tracy Ullman show in 1987]; it was more than half the audience. So they've never known life without the Simpson's. Scary.

Harry Potter Ending

OK, I haven't read a word of any of the first books, so why would I have the ending? So if you came here via search engine, hit your back button and try somewhere else. I decided to post this right around midnight to see if I would get any additional internet hits by hard-core fans. I find it fascinating as many websites the past few days have been trying to increase web traffic by claiming they knew the ending. This LA Times article attests that these sites with spoiler pages were rarely Harry Potter fans; rather, they were from money grubbing web geeks trying to drive-up their ad revenues. So why would someone want to ruin the ending? For cash, of course. Sneaky. It should be noted that I get no ad revenue here at Beit Carr [but we'll always accept donations].

I've never seen a frenzy like this in my life. It's amazing that in a technological age that a printed piece of literature is causing this much excitement.

UPDATE: By noon on Saturday, almost 50 different people came here from a search engine by searching "Harry Potter Ending.'

Why Not Plant A Tree There Instead?

A couple of days ago I mentioned that they're installing a new grass median on the road in front of our place. I'm fine with it as long as it doesn't become a popular site for fornication. Apparently a couple of locals thought that a median on Central Parkway would be the perfect location for sex during rush hour yesterday afternoon. They were arrested. Another example of police work being underpaid.

Not quite sure what to with that story but felt compelled to share.

Yikes, Mike

I didn't hear until this morning that Michael Vick [star quarterback of Atlanta Falcons, for the sports-impaired] was indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple counts relating to a dog-fighting ring. The allegations are startling so beware, animal lovers, of reading the details. Not to sure I want to get into this too much but I was thinking whether or not this indictment would've happened twenty years ago. I really don't think so. First, advances in technology yielded a powerful combination: video+internet. Videos are shared virally so what once took place in the secrecy of your own home can now be known the world over in days. When people see first-hand this cruelty that was only rumor, opinions are altered.

But the biggest change in our society leading to the indictment of these acts has been the emergence of animal rights. I'm not sure that PETA can take credit for this [their campaigns get crazier all the time]. Rather, it's a combination of people seeking non-human companionship more as well as an industry that's tailored to take advantage of it. Americans spend $40billion+ per year on their pets. And considering over 60% of US households own a pet, you'd be better of robbing a bank than harming on animal.

Twenty years ago, Michael Vick walks free because no one knows about this. Today, however, he could conceivably lose his job and do considerable jail time.

Did Ya Rock Out?

Quick survey question: did you watch Al Gore's Live Earth concerts this weekend? I'm a huge music fan and usually try to catch these festivals but caught nary a second of this one. Nor did I hear of anyone else who watched it. For these reasons, I find it difficult to believe that 2 billion people watched it happen. I couldn't find it on the TV, and we have a pretty decent cable selection. And we're to believe that a third of the world watched it?

This sounds like a spin-job, trying to sell that global warming is the most important issue . . . well, in the world.

I didn't feel the funk.

Eat It

I'll admit: I made a point of tuning in yesterday to to watch Nathan Hot Dogs' Gluttony-fest 2007.  I've noted before my fascination with this competition, but this year's might have been the most interesting yet. On one side you had the legend, Kobayashi. On the other, the upstart American Joey Chestnut. Chestnut claimed his first victory over Kobayashi earlier this year, but yesterday was the Super Bowl of competitive eating. And Kobayashi nursing a sore jaw had me worried. But we all received the match-up we were waiting for: they both shattered world records, with Chestnut prevailing. This result will jettison the sport into a higher stratosphere.

At least you think so if you were listening to the commentators.

The only thing about the event that really left me scratching my head was some of the things the play-by-play guys said. They couldn't be serious, but since they weren't joking throughout the competition dialogue, you can't be sure.

First, they offered that yesterday's event, "could be the greatest moment in American sports history." Alright, we all get excited so we can let that slide. But another statement was even better: “Google the word ‘hero’ tomorrow, and you’ll get Abe Lincoln and Joey Chestnut.” Well, I actually tried that, and neither of their names showed up. Sucks for Lincoln, I guess.

Memo to hot dog contest announcers: allow the sport to stand on its own merit; don't over-hype it. Competitive eating doesn't need a Don King or Flavor Flav person selling the sport the event, hyping it beyond belief. Things will work out just fine if you let the eaters do the talking . . . or something like that.

What's in a hot dog, anyway?

Wouldn't It Be Funny . . .

. . . in light of this wall-to-wall iPhone coverage if, at 5:59pm EST this evening, Jesus came back to earth to signal the end of the world? Spending the last day of your life waiting in line would be . . . well, hell, I guess. It would make for some interesting Judgement Day conversations:

St Peter: So what you been up to, buddy?

iPhone Customer: Not much, just waiting in line all week to be the first to get a new iPhone.

St Peter: Yeah, I heard about those things. They're supposed to be pretty nice.

iPhone Customer: Dude, you have no idea: iPod, video, internet, phone, all in one. It's awesome. I just couldn't live without it.

St Peter: True that. When I was being crucified upside-down I was thinking, "Boy, this is a raw deal, but it's cool. Who would want to live in a world without the iPhone, anyway."

iPhone Customer: See, now I think you're mocking me.

St Peter: Oh, I am. But you know what really sucks?

iPhone Customer: What's that?

St Peter: The only place where you can get AT&T's coverage in the afterlife is in hell.

iPhone Customer: Son of A . . .

St Peter: Excuse me?

iPhone Customer: Um, nothing.

St Peter: I thought so.