Elizabeth Shue
Jennifer Anniston
Jessica Beil
Diane Lane
Halle Berry
---------------
Maura Tierney
Natalie Portman
Juliana Margulies
Natalie Coughlin
Gwenyth Paltrow
Jamie Gertz
Michelle Pfieffer
Wynonna Rider
Shania Twain
Friday, October 1, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Song of the Day: New York City's Killing Me
From his new album, "God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise" which is just out, here's NH native Ray Lamontagne. Excellent album. Only nine songs, but there's isn't a bad one in the bunch.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Occasional reminder needed?
It's worth actually watching Fonzie jumping the shark on water skis every once in a while to remind you why it spawned a phrase that is symbolic of someone beginning to pick up speed on the other side of their peak.
Learn about the funding behind the Ground 0 Mosque
Any right thinking American should be OUTraged by this. Can we legally prevent a company from doing business? Because the company wrapped up in this should no longer legally be able to operate in the United States of America.
Facebook readers, watch here: http://is.gd/eB2Ok
Facebook readers, watch here: http://is.gd/eB2Ok
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| The Parent Company Trap | ||||
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Friday, August 20, 2010
Song of the Day: Jefferson Jericho Blues
No, as a matter of fact it doesn't appear that Tom Petty will ever stop making good music.
This from his recently released album...
This from his recently released album...
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Song of the Day: Ghost of Tom Joad
Morello blows it out of the building. Reminded me of Hendrix. I'm not saying he's anywhere near as good as Hendrix, but listen to Morello's solo near the end and see if you don't understand what I'm talking about.
Oh yeah, Sprinsteen and his band play along. This is from the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary Hoo-Ha.
Oh yeah, Sprinsteen and his band play along. This is from the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary Hoo-Ha.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Dispatch from the outpost
Have you ever had ice cream that is at the same time cold and warm? Try the Apple Pie flavor at Smugglers in Dennis. The blend of apples and cinnamon fill your nose with the scent and warmth of a nice slice of warm apple pie from grandma's kitchen counter.* I had it last night in a hot fudge sunday (no whipped cream, but with nuts and a cherry).
Big kudos to Smugglers for making a REASONABLE sized hot fudge sunday; one that can be finished without feeling like Lard Ass from Stand By Me. It's obnoxious how much food is passed of as a serving these days. No wonder we're a fat, jiggling nation.
Since my first vacation here in Dennis four years ago I have been waiting to have their blueberry ice cream. I'm a big fan of blueberries and the ice cream was exquisite. But alas, it was a special that has not returned. I'm not sure it was better than the Blueberry Pie flavor regularly available at Somerset Creamery, but why quibble?
Good solid day at Mayflower Beach today. A big part of a successful day at the beach for me these days is coming home with roughly the same pale skin with which I arrived.
Think we're headed to Chapin's for dinner. Always a solid meal.
A good first full day to a lazy week, beachside.
*I can not remember, ever, a time when either of my parent's mother's made or served me apple pie from their kitchen counter. I have an aunt on my father's side who makes a great apple pie from scratch and I can only assume that she learned it from her mother, my Memere. But I do not remember eating one from my Memere, unfortunately.
~~~~~~
Someday I Will
noternie.blogspot.com
Big kudos to Smugglers for making a REASONABLE sized hot fudge sunday; one that can be finished without feeling like Lard Ass from Stand By Me. It's obnoxious how much food is passed of as a serving these days. No wonder we're a fat, jiggling nation.
Since my first vacation here in Dennis four years ago I have been waiting to have their blueberry ice cream. I'm a big fan of blueberries and the ice cream was exquisite. But alas, it was a special that has not returned. I'm not sure it was better than the Blueberry Pie flavor regularly available at Somerset Creamery, but why quibble?
Good solid day at Mayflower Beach today. A big part of a successful day at the beach for me these days is coming home with roughly the same pale skin with which I arrived.
Think we're headed to Chapin's for dinner. Always a solid meal.
A good first full day to a lazy week, beachside.
*I can not remember, ever, a time when either of my parent's mother's made or served me apple pie from their kitchen counter. I have an aunt on my father's side who makes a great apple pie from scratch and I can only assume that she learned it from her mother, my Memere. But I do not remember eating one from my Memere, unfortunately.
~~~~~~
Someday I Will
noternie.blogspot.com
Monday, August 2, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Grown up talk on the campaign trail?
This came to my Inbox, from the Governor. Yeah, we're tight.
Dear Friend,
Yesterday, we saw another example of the clear choice the Commonwealth faces in this election.
I signed a budget that faces our fiscal challenges squarely and directly. For the fourth consecutive year, our budget is responsible, balanced, on time, and accountable to taxpayers. To achieve that, over the last couple of years we have had to cut many worthy programs and services, eliminate thousands of state jobs, impose furloughs, reach agreement with employee unions on contract concessions, and otherwise find ways to share the burden of the economic crisis. But we have continued to move forward, with first-in-the-nation results in student achievement, health care, energy efficiency and job recovery.
The budget decisions have been painful, but we have faced up to them. Because we have been realistic and responsible in our approach, our high bond rating has been reaffirmed three times by all the independent rating agencies. And because we have focused on economic recovery and job growth as our long term strategy, we have seen 45,000 new jobs created on the last four months, business confidence improving, and home sales and retail leasing surging, so that our Commonwealth is coming out of this recession stronger and faster than much of the US and people are seeing a way forward again for themselves and their families.
Listening to some of the campaign rhetoric of my opponent yesterday, former Health Insurance CEO Charlie Baker, just makes the contrast between us even sharper. The simple difference is that he has not been straight with the public.
In particular, Baker proposes over $2 billion in additional tax cuts, on top of the budget cuts we have already made. Yet he refuses to explain what he would cut from the state's budget to make up for that lost revenue.
This goes beyond thoughtlessness: it's reckless.
You and I know what is behind Baker's cuts. It's teachers. It's firefighters. It's police. It's services for our most vulnerable. It's the strength of our communities. Baker is ignoring that reality. But governors have to confront reality, and the fact is Baker cannot cut an additional $2 Billion or more from this budget without devastating our schools and our health care, or jeopardizing the job growth and economic recovery that has begun to take hold.
You know how strongly I feel about generational responsibility, the notion that we owe the next generation every effort to leave a better, stronger Commonwealth than we found. That requires us to face our hard choices honestly, to make them wisely, and that we keep our eye on the horizon. Hope for the best AND work for it. That's what you can count on from me. And that's a difference.
Sincerely,
Deval L. Patrick
Dear Friend,
Yesterday, we saw another example of the clear choice the Commonwealth faces in this election.
I signed a budget that faces our fiscal challenges squarely and directly. For the fourth consecutive year, our budget is responsible, balanced, on time, and accountable to taxpayers. To achieve that, over the last couple of years we have had to cut many worthy programs and services, eliminate thousands of state jobs, impose furloughs, reach agreement with employee unions on contract concessions, and otherwise find ways to share the burden of the economic crisis. But we have continued to move forward, with first-in-the-nation results in student achievement, health care, energy efficiency and job recovery.
The budget decisions have been painful, but we have faced up to them. Because we have been realistic and responsible in our approach, our high bond rating has been reaffirmed three times by all the independent rating agencies. And because we have focused on economic recovery and job growth as our long term strategy, we have seen 45,000 new jobs created on the last four months, business confidence improving, and home sales and retail leasing surging, so that our Commonwealth is coming out of this recession stronger and faster than much of the US and people are seeing a way forward again for themselves and their families.
Listening to some of the campaign rhetoric of my opponent yesterday, former Health Insurance CEO Charlie Baker, just makes the contrast between us even sharper. The simple difference is that he has not been straight with the public.
In particular, Baker proposes over $2 billion in additional tax cuts, on top of the budget cuts we have already made. Yet he refuses to explain what he would cut from the state's budget to make up for that lost revenue.
This goes beyond thoughtlessness: it's reckless.
You and I know what is behind Baker's cuts. It's teachers. It's firefighters. It's police. It's services for our most vulnerable. It's the strength of our communities. Baker is ignoring that reality. But governors have to confront reality, and the fact is Baker cannot cut an additional $2 Billion or more from this budget without devastating our schools and our health care, or jeopardizing the job growth and economic recovery that has begun to take hold.
You know how strongly I feel about generational responsibility, the notion that we owe the next generation every effort to leave a better, stronger Commonwealth than we found. That requires us to face our hard choices honestly, to make them wisely, and that we keep our eye on the horizon. Hope for the best AND work for it. That's what you can count on from me. And that's a difference.
Sincerely,
Deval L. Patrick
Thursday, June 10, 2010
New frontiers in pretzel logic of Catholics
So according to the Catholic Church, “the gays” are bad. Really bad. They’ve always been pretty upfront about that, haven’t they?
A big part of that, perhaps, is that “the gays” are waaaaay more into porn than the Adam and Eve-ers. That’s what one bonehead who’s respected enough to have a regular column in the Catholic Pravda thinks is the reason children of “the gays” should not be allowed in Catholic schools. He thinks porny stuffs “go along with the same-sex lifestyle, which — as not being related to procreation — is inherently eroticized and pornographic.’’
Let’s see if that proclamation leads to massive behavior changes among homophobes and deflates the largest business on the intranets: PORN; the subject material of which is most often men having sex with women. If you were a homophobe hetero, wouldn’t you stop watching porn—even straight porn—if someone told you it was “gay”?
But if you don’t have a stake in the interests of “the gays” maybe you know someone who has adopted a child. Nice of folks to do that kind of thing. The believers often encourage adoption as an alternative to allowing women to think and act on their own when it comes to their bodies. Still, they might put those kind folks in a lesser class than, you know, actual parents.
Not so.
Dingbat Barnicle-wannabe sort-of apologized* for his “the gays love porn way more than ‘normal’ people” statements. But according to the Boston Globe, he’s standing by other statements he wrote in the column, including that “gay parents should not be called “parents’’ unless they are biologically related to their children.”
Grab a Latin thesaurus, we need a new word! Maybe “Civil caretakers?”
I guess it’s no surprise that this dumb-dumb doesn’t think the children of civil caretakers who are gay should be allowed into catholic schools. In addition to probably bringing in porn, he thinks it would open the door for paren…sorry, civil caretakers, to “advocate” for their “lifestyle.” He thinks they’re looking for an ‘in’ to recruit!! If you could recruit people into “gaydom” wouldn’t a free sample of gay sex being given by the trusted parish priest be something the church would’ve wanted to avoid?
Ah, but I ramble. The Catholic Church and a good number of their members think “the gays” are bad. Really, really bad. Is this news in ANY way?
----------------------------------
*“I think I probably would not make that point again, and I can see how it would be offensive,” is not an apology. It’s not even close. An apology isn’t even “I’m sorry if anyone felt offended by this,” which the paper said. An apology is “These statements were offensive and I/we apologize for writing/publishing them.”
A big part of that, perhaps, is that “the gays” are waaaaay more into porn than the Adam and Eve-ers. That’s what one bonehead who’s respected enough to have a regular column in the Catholic Pravda thinks is the reason children of “the gays” should not be allowed in Catholic schools. He thinks porny stuffs “go along with the same-sex lifestyle, which — as not being related to procreation — is inherently eroticized and pornographic.’’
Let’s see if that proclamation leads to massive behavior changes among homophobes and deflates the largest business on the intranets: PORN; the subject material of which is most often men having sex with women. If you were a homophobe hetero, wouldn’t you stop watching porn—even straight porn—if someone told you it was “gay”?
But if you don’t have a stake in the interests of “the gays” maybe you know someone who has adopted a child. Nice of folks to do that kind of thing. The believers often encourage adoption as an alternative to allowing women to think and act on their own when it comes to their bodies. Still, they might put those kind folks in a lesser class than, you know, actual parents.
Not so.
Dingbat Barnicle-wannabe sort-of apologized* for his “the gays love porn way more than ‘normal’ people” statements. But according to the Boston Globe, he’s standing by other statements he wrote in the column, including that “gay parents should not be called “parents’’ unless they are biologically related to their children.”
Grab a Latin thesaurus, we need a new word! Maybe “Civil caretakers?”
I guess it’s no surprise that this dumb-dumb doesn’t think the children of civil caretakers who are gay should be allowed into catholic schools. In addition to probably bringing in porn, he thinks it would open the door for paren…sorry, civil caretakers, to “advocate” for their “lifestyle.” He thinks they’re looking for an ‘in’ to recruit!! If you could recruit people into “gaydom” wouldn’t a free sample of gay sex being given by the trusted parish priest be something the church would’ve wanted to avoid?
Ah, but I ramble. The Catholic Church and a good number of their members think “the gays” are bad. Really, really bad. Is this news in ANY way?
----------------------------------
*“I think I probably would not make that point again, and I can see how it would be offensive,” is not an apology. It’s not even close. An apology isn’t even “I’m sorry if anyone felt offended by this,” which the paper said. An apology is “These statements were offensive and I/we apologize for writing/publishing them.”
Brown goes for profit over protection
The following was written by Scott Brown* and published in the Cape Cod Times to explain his opposition to environmental protection regulations being considered in Washington.
*These aren't exactly the words Scott Brown used. Though he did use quite a few of the same words, he didn't use all of them. And he put them in a bit of a different order. This organization of some words he used may not exactly express the intent of his word organization. If you want to read his dumb version, follow the CCTimes link, above. But I don't recommend it. You've already wasted a bunch of time reading this.
While many of my colleagues have argued that giving the EPA the ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions would help protect the environment, agree. This action would prevent companies from polluting. But we should let them do whatever they want. Profits are at stake, people!
Americans trying to protect the environment say that this resolution is an attack on the Clean Air Act. The EPA is looking to use newer, effective methods to get better results in meeting its mission. But that is bad. The bottom line is that we can't have every person on the planet worried about the planet. This is why I am supporting Sen. Lisa Murkowski's resolution to oppose these badly needed new EPA regulations.
As I continue doing public appearances, business owners all say the same thing: "We need money, not a planet to live on." For that to happen, America's businesses need the confidence to pollute freely. What Bay State businesses don't need is the federal government protecting the environment with regulations that would dramatically restrict their potential to repeat BPs recent achievements.
Our national unemployment rate is hovering near double digits and Massachusetts energy prices keep going up. That's how supply and demand works. No matter how you feel about the Gulf Coast, there is no arguing that oil-free oceans comes at a high premium. The billions of dollars in extra costs to clean up oopsies like that should be passed on to Massachusetts ratepayers. Now is the time to further increase pollution, add to resulting long-term health costs for businesses, and create massive new layers in the lower economic class.
*These aren't exactly the words Scott Brown used. Though he did use quite a few of the same words, he didn't use all of them. And he put them in a bit of a different order. This organization of some words he used may not exactly express the intent of his word organization. If you want to read his dumb version, follow the CCTimes link, above. But I don't recommend it. You've already wasted a bunch of time reading this.
Monday, June 7, 2010
I'm still uncertain about Celtics
It's great that they're up 2-1 and all, but I still think the Lakers might be too much for the Celtics. Ray Allen's shooting got them out to a lead in the first half of Game 2, but that quickly disappeared at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half. Some tremendous play by Rondo toward the end gave them the win, but it was anything but comforting.
The entire series feels to me like Garnett tipping another rebound out of bounds (How do they screw up that call using instant replay?!?!) or Glenn Davis taking three chances at a layup and never getting the ball to the rim.
Garnett is the real problem in my mind. He's passing up shots he needs to hit and he's not aggressive enough under the boards. Rather, he's not aggressive enough getting position and then too aggressive when he doesn't have the inside line to the rebound.
Overall, the Celtics don't look aggressive enough hitting the boards. It's stunning to see the stat sheet from last night and see that the Celtics out-rebounded the Lakers overall 55-49 and--more stunningly--on the offensive glass, 13-10. The blocked shots stats were a bit scary, too; Lakers 14, Celtics 3.
Let's hope the home court puts a little pep in their step. If they can take 2 of 3 in Boston, #18 will be looking really good.
The entire series feels to me like Garnett tipping another rebound out of bounds (How do they screw up that call using instant replay?!?!) or Glenn Davis taking three chances at a layup and never getting the ball to the rim.
Garnett is the real problem in my mind. He's passing up shots he needs to hit and he's not aggressive enough under the boards. Rather, he's not aggressive enough getting position and then too aggressive when he doesn't have the inside line to the rebound.
Overall, the Celtics don't look aggressive enough hitting the boards. It's stunning to see the stat sheet from last night and see that the Celtics out-rebounded the Lakers overall 55-49 and--more stunningly--on the offensive glass, 13-10. The blocked shots stats were a bit scary, too; Lakers 14, Celtics 3.
Let's hope the home court puts a little pep in their step. If they can take 2 of 3 in Boston, #18 will be looking really good.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Song of the Day: There's No Place Like Home (from LOST)
The song actually picks up about a minute and a half or so into this clip from the show. LOST watchers will recognize it. Not sure if I'm going to do a post on the LOST finale. Took me a few days to figure out the show and how I felt about the ending. Now it might just be too late. And I wonder if people would rather just settle in with their own interpretations.
Anyway, good piece by the show's composer, Micheal Giacchino. Poignant and fitting. I've even downloaded it to my iPod. It first appeared during Season 4, when the Oceanic 6 arrive home. Since then it's been used numerous times.
Anyway, good piece by the show's composer, Micheal Giacchino. Poignant and fitting. I've even downloaded it to my iPod. It first appeared during Season 4, when the Oceanic 6 arrive home. Since then it's been used numerous times.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Up Wolves!
I am a fan of the Wolverhampton Wanderers of the English Premiere League. (soccer)
How did I become a fan? Well, I'd been getting geared up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup by watching an increasing amount of soccer on the Fox Soccer Channel (check local listings. Given that the EPL is one of the top leagues in the world, FSC shows a good number of their matches.
I've always enjoyed watching soccer, but in the past was generally limited to the World Cup. A few MLS matches have graced my screen, but I find it hard to really get into it. The stands are more empty than full, the fields are always lined for something else and the television productions are second or third rate. Between all that and the fact that it's not soccer being played at the highest level, I tend to lose interest. Honestly, I don't hold out much hope that the MLS will ever compete with the European leagues, though I think it can and will get better. It just strikes me that MLS suffer in comparison to European Leagues the way Japanese baseball does to MLB, the Canadian Football League does to the NFL, Euro Basketball does to the NBA, etc.
So I figured to really become a proper fan, I needed to pick a league to follow, then a team. It's not that I won't watch and follow some other leagues (Go Revs!) but it's always easier, i think, to learn from the experience of one team. I tell people that want to learn about NASCAR to pick a single driver and learn from them. You'll pick up other stuff while you watch, but you won't be overwhelmed if you focus mainly on one driver, rather than the entire field.
The EPL seemed a logical choice for a league, but what team? I traded messages with my nephew a bit, because he's a fan of West Ham in the EPL. He became a fan because when he was younger, his dad went to England, saw a West Ham game and brought back a shirt and program for his son.
So, over the course of a week or so, I picked the Wolverhampton Wanderers to be my team. Here was the logic I gave my nephew:
"Why Wolverhampton? Some randomness, some reasons. They have a long history. I don't feel like I'd be cherry picking from "the big four" or other current top teams. Good logo. Cool name. They just got back in the EPL and appear to be building. They've got an Irish manager and some Irish players and a stadium with a French name. (me being Irish/French)
Their academy produced Robbie Keane and some other notables. Their u17 team is World Youth Cup Champions. And I like Orange.
I didn't study all the teams. Some I ditched for dumb reasons. Like I said, I may switch teams as I get more into it. But it's easier to get into it when you can learn from one team.
Plus, we can see who makes more progress next year, West Ham or the Wolves, since they finished 17/15 this year. They split their two games last season, each winning on the road."
So, like Robert Plant, I am now a fan of "Wolves." Timing was a bit dodgy (yes, I'm going to start using English phrasing when discussing soccer) as the season was just ended when I settled on Wolves. But it gives me plenty of time to brush up before the next season starts in the fall.
Until then, I've also been following the UEFA Champions League (jumped on at the end of the semis) and getting excited for the World Cup.
I'll try to post updates on Wolverhampton team news and my learning curve as it goes along. First tidbit to share is that Wolves regular keeper (translation: goaltender), Marcus Hahnemann, is on the US World Cup team. He's not expected to start, but it's still a nice honor.
Right, then. Carry on.
How did I become a fan? Well, I'd been getting geared up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup by watching an increasing amount of soccer on the Fox Soccer Channel (check local listings. Given that the EPL is one of the top leagues in the world, FSC shows a good number of their matches.
I've always enjoyed watching soccer, but in the past was generally limited to the World Cup. A few MLS matches have graced my screen, but I find it hard to really get into it. The stands are more empty than full, the fields are always lined for something else and the television productions are second or third rate. Between all that and the fact that it's not soccer being played at the highest level, I tend to lose interest. Honestly, I don't hold out much hope that the MLS will ever compete with the European leagues, though I think it can and will get better. It just strikes me that MLS suffer in comparison to European Leagues the way Japanese baseball does to MLB, the Canadian Football League does to the NFL, Euro Basketball does to the NBA, etc.
So I figured to really become a proper fan, I needed to pick a league to follow, then a team. It's not that I won't watch and follow some other leagues (Go Revs!) but it's always easier, i think, to learn from the experience of one team. I tell people that want to learn about NASCAR to pick a single driver and learn from them. You'll pick up other stuff while you watch, but you won't be overwhelmed if you focus mainly on one driver, rather than the entire field.
The EPL seemed a logical choice for a league, but what team? I traded messages with my nephew a bit, because he's a fan of West Ham in the EPL. He became a fan because when he was younger, his dad went to England, saw a West Ham game and brought back a shirt and program for his son.
So, over the course of a week or so, I picked the Wolverhampton Wanderers to be my team. Here was the logic I gave my nephew:
"Why Wolverhampton? Some randomness, some reasons. They have a long history. I don't feel like I'd be cherry picking from "the big four" or other current top teams. Good logo. Cool name. They just got back in the EPL and appear to be building. They've got an Irish manager and some Irish players and a stadium with a French name. (me being Irish/French)
Their academy produced Robbie Keane and some other notables. Their u17 team is World Youth Cup Champions. And I like Orange.
I didn't study all the teams. Some I ditched for dumb reasons. Like I said, I may switch teams as I get more into it. But it's easier to get into it when you can learn from one team.
Plus, we can see who makes more progress next year, West Ham or the Wolves, since they finished 17/15 this year. They split their two games last season, each winning on the road."
So, like Robert Plant, I am now a fan of "Wolves." Timing was a bit dodgy (yes, I'm going to start using English phrasing when discussing soccer) as the season was just ended when I settled on Wolves. But it gives me plenty of time to brush up before the next season starts in the fall.
Until then, I've also been following the UEFA Champions League (jumped on at the end of the semis) and getting excited for the World Cup.
I'll try to post updates on Wolverhampton team news and my learning curve as it goes along. First tidbit to share is that Wolves regular keeper (translation: goaltender), Marcus Hahnemann, is on the US World Cup team. He's not expected to start, but it's still a nice honor.
Right, then. Carry on.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
"Baseball is 90% mental -- the other half is physical."—Yogi Berra.
Celtics putting on a tremendous show of mental toughness. Underdogs? Fine with them. Facing the game's best players on the road? Bring it on. Giving up big leads early AND late? It's ok. Foul out starters? [shrug] They just keep plugging away.
Do the Magic wait until the last 90 seconds to give up? I think it’s going to be more like Lakers ’08. Celts get an early lead in a clinching game and Dwight Howard curls up into the fetal position and the game turns into a 40-point laugher. Even money on whether Vince Carter goes down with an injury or puts up monster “garbage time” numbers.
Do the Magic wait until the last 90 seconds to give up? I think it’s going to be more like Lakers ’08. Celts get an early lead in a clinching game and Dwight Howard curls up into the fetal position and the game turns into a 40-point laugher. Even money on whether Vince Carter goes down with an injury or puts up monster “garbage time” numbers.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Someone needed to take a stand
It's about time someone spoke out about this issue. We should all be grateful that someone is LeBron James...
CLEVELAND—Cavaliers forward LeBron James railed against the harsh conditions of referee camps in the developing world Wednesday, calling attention to the plight of millions of referees worldwide who flee oppression and the threat of violence only to live without access to adequate food, water, or basketball facilities. "Sadly, thousands of referees are forced to live in unhygienic and crowded tents, unable to return to their home courts," James told reporters, adding that many referees lacked proper officiating equipment and their uniforms were in rags. "I don't always agree with the referees, but no one should have to live like that. Unfortunately for many, their whistles remain unheard, and numerous double dribbles and over-and-back violations are going unpunished." James, who called the situation "unsportsmanlike," has reportedly pledged $2 million to provide much needed shot clocks and urged NBA coaches to draw up a play to save the referees.
Source.
CLEVELAND—Cavaliers forward LeBron James railed against the harsh conditions of referee camps in the developing world Wednesday, calling attention to the plight of millions of referees worldwide who flee oppression and the threat of violence only to live without access to adequate food, water, or basketball facilities. "Sadly, thousands of referees are forced to live in unhygienic and crowded tents, unable to return to their home courts," James told reporters, adding that many referees lacked proper officiating equipment and their uniforms were in rags. "I don't always agree with the referees, but no one should have to live like that. Unfortunately for many, their whistles remain unheard, and numerous double dribbles and over-and-back violations are going unpunished." James, who called the situation "unsportsmanlike," has reportedly pledged $2 million to provide much needed shot clocks and urged NBA coaches to draw up a play to save the referees.
Source.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Cape Cod needs more coal plants
Against offshore windmills. Now opposed to land-based ones, too.
They should shove a coal plant up their ass, see how the town likes that.
Maybe mandate that any oil used to heat homes in the community come from drills within the town or be offloaded at a dock within that town.
They should jack up the power rates and return that money to towns that host coal/oil plants that send their energy there.
A-holes.
They should shove a coal plant up their ass, see how the town likes that.
Maybe mandate that any oil used to heat homes in the community come from drills within the town or be offloaded at a dock within that town.
They should jack up the power rates and return that money to towns that host coal/oil plants that send their energy there.
A-holes.
Big week on LOST (spoilers)
There's always lots of debate and discussion on LOST in the Facebook world. And people seem to like the speculating. So, in the interest of cross pollination, I'm going to copy and paste some of the discussions I've been involved with there since last night's episode wrapped up.
Thread one
RLM status: Freaking Lost!!! WTF??!!
Noternie: :-(
RL: I was absolutely appalled that Jin wouldnt leave Sun to go and be with his child so she wouldnt be parentless. Horrible. I imagine the leaving her there would be awful but there was no hope! he died for nothing! ugh. and Sayid....poor, poor Sayid. :o(
noternie: Sayid needed to do that for redemption. Remember, he's been a pretty bad guy recently. They (the writers) really never knew what to do with him, other than use him as a tool to do bad things. Can't soil the morality of potential successors to Jacob. They have him doing all of this for Nadia, but he was all about moving on from her when Shannon was good to go. Remember his mourning over her?
As for Jin: He didn't die for nothing. He died for love. Plus, he's way f-ed up from being on that island for so long in weird situations. Three years with Sun gone and then he gets her back and only knows he has a daughter for a matter of days? That kid was never real to him. Plus he's Korean. They can rely on some cultural differences to explain his behavior. That's why he switched to speaking Korean at the key moment.
RLM: I agree about Sayid but not Jin. Sun should have made him leave. I hated it...and listening to my podcast is appears i am not alone...
I wonder where this is all going.... Des is alive in the well but what role will he play? and what about the flash sideways? They definitely are realizing that something is up but where will this lead? and what is Widmore all about? And the big question for me is where the heck is Richard, Ben and Miles??
MLK: Ok, get it...noternie all your points well taken, but 3 candidates (and Lapidis) in one shot....and my Sayid, ...booohooo.. I still blame Sawyer, he acted irrationally and just pulled it, him, Jack and Sayid should have tried to come to some consensus! we aren't getting any answers, i give up!
noternie: Richard, Ben and Miles aren't doing anything. Just hanging out in the woods. If there's anything we've learned about LOST, it's that characters NEVER take advantage of idle time to accomplish or learn anything. In 3 years living with Dharma, what did they learn? Sawyer, head of security and essentially married to a woman who had been on the inside for years. We gained no knowledge from that.
Desmond is going to set things up in the sideways flash for another time change to bring the candidates to the island. Jack will fix Locke's legs and Rose's cancer will get cured and then 815 will crash on the island. Other things will be lined up, as well. The show will end how it began, with Jack opening his eye in the woods.
It only ends once. Everything else is just progress. This show will not reach "the end" in the final episode. It will only show and celebrate the progress these people have made.
noternie: MLK, I get that you're shocked and bummed. I am, too. There were some major developments last night.
You could see Sayid was going, but hook or by crook. He was just too damaged. And Lapidis was always just kind of a hanger-on. The show only kept him around to keep alive the possibility that they'd get off the island on the plane. Killing the two of them at once was bold, but not shocking.
Killing off Sun and Jin together and with the other two was what made last night so huge. They appeared to have finally overcome the obstacles that kept them apart on all those different occasions. And it was over for them so quickly. It seems they were a little clumsy handling the "Jin just orphaned his baby" issue, but I wonder if that won't get handled before the end of the show.
As for Sawyer, they are showing you why he hasn't come far enough to be the chosen one. He disqualified himself last night when he pulled those pins. Two things to consider: motivation for making decisions and process for making decisions. Jack has always been selfless in his motivation for decisions, Sawyer was not, but he is now. BUT where they were both selfish in the process of decision-making, Jack has changed. He steps back, considers others' thoughts and shows some faith. Sawyer still trusts nobody to make a decision other than himself. He has faith in nobody other than himself.
-------------------------------
On another...
KM status: Geez LOST, I feel like I've been kicked in the stomach for the last hour. So traumatic!
noternie: They switch over to that slow piano, you know it's tearjerk time.
MRV: The sub scene was reminiscent of Titanic!
SAG: No spoilers!
RLM: yeah...totally Titanic. and I posted how disturbed I was by Jin's sacrifice. There is a kid involved! wtf.
----------
More new thoughts by me:
Isn't Hurley still a candidate? If so, doesn't the current pattern mean he's gonna go down? They've got no qualms about killing off popular characters like Jin/Sun, Charlie, etc. And truth be told, I really like and respect that. Keeps it unpredictable, realistic.
I'm looking forward to next week's episode. Looks like we'll get more of the man in black and Jacob. Good for two reasons. One: we'll get more about the nature of the island and the goings on from the only two that seem to have the complete story. Two: I think the actors that play them do a great job, particularly the man in black. Sad to see that his role was essentially taken over by Terry O'Quinn. O'Quinn is great, but he had his character. If the writers didn't' want to loose O'Quinn, they shouldn't have killed Locke.
Thread one
RLM status: Freaking Lost!!! WTF??!!
Noternie: :-(
RL: I was absolutely appalled that Jin wouldnt leave Sun to go and be with his child so she wouldnt be parentless. Horrible. I imagine the leaving her there would be awful but there was no hope! he died for nothing! ugh. and Sayid....poor, poor Sayid. :o(
noternie: Sayid needed to do that for redemption. Remember, he's been a pretty bad guy recently. They (the writers) really never knew what to do with him, other than use him as a tool to do bad things. Can't soil the morality of potential successors to Jacob. They have him doing all of this for Nadia, but he was all about moving on from her when Shannon was good to go. Remember his mourning over her?
As for Jin: He didn't die for nothing. He died for love. Plus, he's way f-ed up from being on that island for so long in weird situations. Three years with Sun gone and then he gets her back and only knows he has a daughter for a matter of days? That kid was never real to him. Plus he's Korean. They can rely on some cultural differences to explain his behavior. That's why he switched to speaking Korean at the key moment.
RLM: I agree about Sayid but not Jin. Sun should have made him leave. I hated it...and listening to my podcast is appears i am not alone...
I wonder where this is all going.... Des is alive in the well but what role will he play? and what about the flash sideways? They definitely are realizing that something is up but where will this lead? and what is Widmore all about? And the big question for me is where the heck is Richard, Ben and Miles??
MLK: Ok, get it...noternie all your points well taken, but 3 candidates (and Lapidis) in one shot....and my Sayid, ...booohooo.. I still blame Sawyer, he acted irrationally and just pulled it, him, Jack and Sayid should have tried to come to some consensus! we aren't getting any answers, i give up!
noternie: Richard, Ben and Miles aren't doing anything. Just hanging out in the woods. If there's anything we've learned about LOST, it's that characters NEVER take advantage of idle time to accomplish or learn anything. In 3 years living with Dharma, what did they learn? Sawyer, head of security and essentially married to a woman who had been on the inside for years. We gained no knowledge from that.
Desmond is going to set things up in the sideways flash for another time change to bring the candidates to the island. Jack will fix Locke's legs and Rose's cancer will get cured and then 815 will crash on the island. Other things will be lined up, as well. The show will end how it began, with Jack opening his eye in the woods.
It only ends once. Everything else is just progress. This show will not reach "the end" in the final episode. It will only show and celebrate the progress these people have made.
noternie: MLK, I get that you're shocked and bummed. I am, too. There were some major developments last night.
You could see Sayid was going, but hook or by crook. He was just too damaged. And Lapidis was always just kind of a hanger-on. The show only kept him around to keep alive the possibility that they'd get off the island on the plane. Killing the two of them at once was bold, but not shocking.
Killing off Sun and Jin together and with the other two was what made last night so huge. They appeared to have finally overcome the obstacles that kept them apart on all those different occasions. And it was over for them so quickly. It seems they were a little clumsy handling the "Jin just orphaned his baby" issue, but I wonder if that won't get handled before the end of the show.
As for Sawyer, they are showing you why he hasn't come far enough to be the chosen one. He disqualified himself last night when he pulled those pins. Two things to consider: motivation for making decisions and process for making decisions. Jack has always been selfless in his motivation for decisions, Sawyer was not, but he is now. BUT where they were both selfish in the process of decision-making, Jack has changed. He steps back, considers others' thoughts and shows some faith. Sawyer still trusts nobody to make a decision other than himself. He has faith in nobody other than himself.
-------------------------------
On another...
KM status: Geez LOST, I feel like I've been kicked in the stomach for the last hour. So traumatic!
noternie: They switch over to that slow piano, you know it's tearjerk time.
MRV: The sub scene was reminiscent of Titanic!
SAG: No spoilers!
RLM: yeah...totally Titanic. and I posted how disturbed I was by Jin's sacrifice. There is a kid involved! wtf.
----------
More new thoughts by me:
Isn't Hurley still a candidate? If so, doesn't the current pattern mean he's gonna go down? They've got no qualms about killing off popular characters like Jin/Sun, Charlie, etc. And truth be told, I really like and respect that. Keeps it unpredictable, realistic.
I'm looking forward to next week's episode. Looks like we'll get more of the man in black and Jacob. Good for two reasons. One: we'll get more about the nature of the island and the goings on from the only two that seem to have the complete story. Two: I think the actors that play them do a great job, particularly the man in black. Sad to see that his role was essentially taken over by Terry O'Quinn. O'Quinn is great, but he had his character. If the writers didn't' want to loose O'Quinn, they shouldn't have killed Locke.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Song of the Day: A Quick One (While he's away)
The Who, from Live at Leeds.
Without going into a lengthy, full-blown review, this selection highlights the Who's strengths as a band and why the rose above so many others to become one of the top acts of their era. And why they continue to influence so many.
1--It's not typical for it's time or the category in which the Who played. Tommy is the single piece folks point to for the band's uniqueness, but there are a bunch of other examples. This is one of my favorites. At one point, rather than include the instrument, they all sing "cello, cello, cello, cello, cello, cello, cello, cello."
2--Great live band. I couldn't find a good video of them doing this live, but I've clips of portions. Let's just say Keith Moon could've been a great front-man.
3--Speaking of Moon, listen to him drum his way through this thing. Tremendous. And if you can pick out the bass line, you'll hear Entwisle's well-established brilliance.
4--It's fun. Amusing little story in there. Not uncommon with Who songs if you get past the standards you hear on the radio. There should always be a little whimsy available.
Without going into a lengthy, full-blown review, this selection highlights the Who's strengths as a band and why the rose above so many others to become one of the top acts of their era. And why they continue to influence so many.
1--It's not typical for it's time or the category in which the Who played. Tommy is the single piece folks point to for the band's uniqueness, but there are a bunch of other examples. This is one of my favorites. At one point, rather than include the instrument, they all sing "cello, cello, cello, cello, cello, cello, cello, cello."
2--Great live band. I couldn't find a good video of them doing this live, but I've clips of portions. Let's just say Keith Moon could've been a great front-man.
3--Speaking of Moon, listen to him drum his way through this thing. Tremendous. And if you can pick out the bass line, you'll hear Entwisle's well-established brilliance.
4--It's fun. Amusing little story in there. Not uncommon with Who songs if you get past the standards you hear on the radio. There should always be a little whimsy available.
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