Stop Them (Please)

I don't care who it is, but somebody please beat the New England Patriots before they go 19-0 and I will never stop hearing Bostonians (and band wagoners) boast about their ultimate season.

I never had anything against the Patriots before this year. They are the team of the decade and I've had great respect for Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. I've lost much of that respect this season.

No, it's not because of the whole "cheating" thing. I'm sure just about every team does some form of play stealing that the Patriots got caught doing. I am talking about the pouring it on and the stat-padding.

They've been on TV quite a bit this year, obviously. Why do they never take Brady or any of their starters out in the last 5 minutes of the game when it's 42 - 10 or something like that? Why do they go for it on 4th down in these situations? Bellichick is showing he has no respect for the rest of the NFL. This team has no class. They don't deserve the acclaim.

I think Jacksonville has a small chance (really, I do). However, assuming New England wins today, I am looking for Indianapolis to end it next week.

Thoughts on 2008

What to blog about in 2008?

Actually, I think I am mostly going to stay away from the election nonsense - at least directly. I have no idea of whom I want to win the next election. Just please let it not be Clinton or Obama.

I want to talk some more about the whole climate change subject. I will continue to assert that humans have very little to do with the Arctic ice melting and such until I read something really compelling and not fudged up, cherry-picked nonsense from ex-hippies and politicians. There's a lot more to this than whether or not it exists or is caused by humans. I intend to explore the benefits of global warming, (yes, there are benefits.) I also want to address the whole "sky is falling" mentality that is eroding our collective consciousnesses.

Ethanol is a good topic to discuss in 2008. It's ludicrous to think that it will take place of oil. At least, with the technology we have today. We may be substituting "Big Oil" with "Big Corn" but we will be paying more and polluting no less.

If not ethanol, then what?

Are hybrid cars all that?

The biggest problem in the world is people.

Guns, do they really kill people?

Health care. Raise your hand if you think the federal government could possibly provide it efficiently and with quality. Before you raise your hand, think about all the other wonderful government programs that are run well and within a reasonable budget.

Radical Islam. Is 2008 going to be the year they hurt us again or will they keep infiltrating and hold on for a bigger strike?

I'm wondering if Joe Torre will make any bit of difference to the Dodgers. Are we just in for another slightly above/below .500 year again?

With Georgia Frontiere not expected to live out the year, will Chip Rosenbloom move the Rams back to Los Angeles?

Last Thoughts on 2007

For us Wilson's, 2007 was a tumultuous year. My mother suffered a heart attack on Valentine's day and had to go through open-heart surgery. One month later, my father passed away. It seemed like I spent the rest of the year in picking up the pieces.

In between all of this, I had some of the heaviest workloads I had seen in a while. I racked up a lot of overtime, which is good, especially when it's over. Then at the end of the year, business really slowed and I started to stress a little over that. Fortunately, it seemed to have been a temporary lull. While I haven't been putting in long hours, the work has been steady.

Well, most things are in order again. We found all of my Dad's important stuff and my Mom now is living comfortably 20 min. from my home. Goodbye monthly trips to Las Vegas! I won't miss them. I'm wondering what is coming next. One thing I know is that if one ever thinks he or she has a handle on things, it won't last. Something always changes. It's how we adjust that makes all the difference.

Happy Birthday Sir Arthur C. Clarke

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLXQ7rNgWwg

Arthur C. Clarke is one a a very select few whom I would call a "hero" of mine. He celebrated his 90'th birthday today (really yesterday to me since he lives on the other side of the planet in Sri Lanka).

Clarke is primarily known as a science fiction writer, but he has been much more than that. He is one of the few sci-fi writers who really knew his subject matter really well. His stories are loaded with authenticity. There is really nothing he ever speculated about in his writings that could ever be considered impossible or even improbable. While many or really most writers conveniently ignore gravity, the speed of light, and other inconveniences of the universe so they can put their Earthbound stories in space, Clarke respects the laws of the universe and his novels and short stories reflect this respect.

Clarke will always be remembered for other things.

• One-Time Head of the British Interplanetary Society: In the 1930's, Clarke and others, would gather in pubs and talk about real spaceflight. No Buck Rogers, but real rockets and what it would take to get to outer space from scientific and engineering viewpoints. Many of their ideas became reality 30 years later.
• Clarke's Belt - Geo synchronized satellites that allow global communications including the Internet. Clarke drew this up in 1945 - 12 years before Sputnik. Clarke is considered the "Father of Global Communications"
• Clarke's Three Laws - Gems that are the basis for all good science fiction.
  1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
  2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
  3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
• Oscar Nomination for 2001: A Space Odyssey (With Stanley Kubrick)
• Predicting the Internet in the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Calling the Space Shuttle Program "A Disaster waiting to happen" in mid-1985, half a year before the Challenger disaster. Clarke never was a fan of a space shuttle designed beautifully by NASA and destroyed by Congress.

There are Clarke speculations that have yet to come to pass, but I hope they will. These include the Space Elevator from his novel The Fountains of Paradise and energy derived from ordinary air.

Happy Birthday Dr. Clarke. I share in your hope for s space-faring human race.

Streeter and Dorrell

" Over several seasons, Dorrell has won about six out of 10 games. So did his predecessors. He's doing what football coaches do at UCLA.

I've long been skeptical about the heated, heavy anger directed at Karl Dorrell. I've wondered: Where does it come from? " - Kurt Streeter, Los Angeles Times, Nov. 30, 2007

There is a very good chance that today will feature Karl Dorrell's last game as UCLA's football coach. This man was probably hired because of his skin color and will most likely, be fired because he is a mediocre coach. Kurt Streeter, in the quote above, doesn't seem to realize that Dorrell's white predecessors who performed similarly, also were fired.

Go Trojans!

What's in a Name?

If you haven't seen the exchange involving the word "bitch" between John McCain and a Hillary hater or the remarks by CNN's Rick Sanchez, watch it here.

Crazy or Stupid?

I'm not a McCain fan but my initial reaction is that he handled it pretty well. Of course, CNN's Sanchez would like to think this finished the whole campaign but that's what I'd expect from CNN. That's not what I want to discuss, however.

Thinking about it some more brought me to an interesting hypothetical. What if the questioner was an African-American referring to Barack Obama asking:

"How do we beat the n*****?"

I wonder how it would have played had this been the case. I believe McCain would have reacted much more harshly and if he hadn't, then Sanchez would probably be right. McCain would be finished.

Notice how even I will print the "b" word and not the "n" word. The "n" word has certainly become quite the taboo in our society. It's interesting isn't it? How many women would think it's okay to use the "b" word and not the "n" word? Should we react upon hearing the words equally? If not, what makes one okay to use and not the other?

Rudolph Giuliani: Sports Analyst

Let's do this again.

Al Michaels: So Mr Giuliani, you probably are aware that on this coming up Sunday, there will be a battle between two undefeated teams, the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts. Who do you like in that one?

Rudolph Giuliani: Well Al, I remember when I was Mayor of New York, I cut down crime on the roads to the Meadowlands Stadium by 45%. I worked hard with our law enfo...

Al Michaels: (To himself) Here we go again

Al Michaels: Rudy, Rudy!, I'm here to talk about sports. I just want your prediction for the game.

Rudolph Giuliani: Oh, the game itself? It's going to be a struggle - kind of like the struggle during 9/11 when our firefighters had to battle the smoke, ash and falling debris to save thousands of lives. I expect the Colts and Patriots to be like my fire-fighting warriors as they battle each other.

Al Michaels: Care to actually make a prediction as to who will win?

Rudolph Giuliani: Oh, I'm rooting for Boston, er New England for sure.

New Yorkers: Boooooooh!

Hillary Clinton: Sports Analyst

Let's just imagine this for one minute.

Al Michaels: So Mrs. Clinton, you probably are aware that on this coming up Sunday, there will be a battle between two undefeated teams, the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts. Who do you like in that one?

Hillary Clinton: First of all, having two teams undefeated this late in the season indicates a lack of parity in the league. This can clearly be blamed on the current administration for setting up policies where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. When I am President, I am going to change that by increasing the ta...

Al Michaels: Eh, excuse me Hillary, I just want your prediction as to who's going to win the game.

Hillary Clinton: The Patriots are certainly a strong team. They are very democratic in the way they share the ball among so many players. The current administration doesn't play that way! The Patriots' style of play makes them unbeatable.

Al Michaels: So you pick the Patriots, then?

Hillary Clinton: Well, you also have the Colts, who have an African-American coach. Despite the current administration's running the country like a plantation, and you know what I'm talking about, the coach has managed to overcome this and because of that, the Colts are unbeatable.

Al Michaels: Now wait a minute, you just said earlier that the Patriots are unbeatable. They both can't be.

Hillary Clinton: No Al, this is one of those situations where my opponents say "gotcha!". Don't misconstrue what I've said. Clearly this confusion can be blamed on the current administration!

Al Michaels: Let me ask this question, again... One more time. Who do you pick to win on Sunday, the Patriots or the Colts?

Hillary Clinton: I believe I've stated my position on this issue clearly.

Boo!

Just thought I'd list some of my favorite horror movies. Don't know what prompted that. Most horror films are pure crap. That includes just about all the teen slasher movies. I'm not the type who actually gets scared watching a movie so this is not a list of the scariest films. It's a list of the rare films in this genre that I think are worthwhile to watch.

In no particular order:

Psycho: The definitive work on audience deception. Hitchcock masterfully leads us into a story about a woman trapped in her own web of deception, then without warning, kills her off and reveals a new story about a man in his own trap.

Alien: The ultimate creature movie. This film has such a creepy tone. It doesn't hurt that it takes place in a cramped ship in an alien part of outer space.

The Shining: In the Overlook hotel where the winding endless hallways mimic the surrounding mountains, a family dwells in utter isolation. Does the terror come from outside unnatural forces or does the locale bring out the inner demons of each individual? The Kubrick film is great. The TV movie that is based more on the Stephen King book is weak.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956 & 1978), Body Snatchers (1993): A movie so good, they've re-made it three times. I haven't seen the one that came out this year (The Invasion), but the three predecessors are all very good in their own unique way. "They're coming, they're coming! You're next!"

A Nightmare on Elm Street: Let me explain this very carefully, only the first one is worth the trouble. The sequels are just along the same lines as the Halloweens and Friday the Thirteenth movies. The first one though, is very good as it puts a new twist on the teen slasher. This time, he comes in your dreams. How can you stop him? How can you make anyone believe you?

Count Dracula (1977 TV Movie): This version of the classic story actually follows the novel quite faithfully. It's far superior to the very tame Bela Lugosi flick and the over the top, ridiculous Francis Ford Coppolla version.

Frankenstein (1992 TNT Movie): This is reasonably faithful to the novel and it certainly captures its themes quite well. The more recent Kenneth Branaugh film isn't bad but it's over-acted.

SSSSS: This is a campy B movie all the way but it is very creepy. "Red touch yellow kills a fellow."

Beware, the Blob: Also, a very campy B movie. It is hilarious. The blob devours everything including hippies, priests, and policemen. This is Larry Hagman's one and only movie he directed.

The Howling: This came out almost exactly at the same time as An American Werewolf in London. The Howling is much better, in terror, effects, and campiness.

Bush Hates Healthy Children! Read All About it!

House Sustains President’s Veto on Child Health

The headline of the New York Times article above is unbelievably slanted. Nevermind that federal government has no business in the health care business and the veto merely put some limits on the whole bad idea.

How about a headline slanted the other way.

House Sustains Bush's Defense of the Constitution

He Assaulted Truth. Now He Gets Awarded for Peace?

When Yasser Arafat received the Nobel Peace prize, the Nobel Peace committee lost all credibility for me. Now they award Al Gore the same award for his opinionated and biased attempt at explaining global warming. Well, at least they're consistent. Gore fudged data, made all sorts of inaccurate statements, and drew conclusions based on very little evidence. Yet, somehow, he gets an Academy award and a Nobel Peace Prize for his attack on the truth.

In a world gone mad, there is a little sanity. In Great Britain, it was ruled that An Inconvenient Truth, if it is to be shown in schools, must be accompanied by a disclaimer.

Schools must warn of Gore climate film bias

Of course, I already did my own research on this earlier this year.

A Convenient Lie Part 1
I assert that Al Gore created his film for political reasons. I outline his primary arguments.

"The Debate is Over" (A Convenient Lie Part 2)
I point out that there is a huge amount of qualified people who dispute Gore's claims. The debate is hardly over.

The Case for Global Warming (A Convenient Lie Part 3)
I summarize Gore's arguments.

Why It's Wrong (A Convenient Lie Part 4)
There are many holes in Gore's arguments. I go over just a few.

The Truth (A Convenient Lie Part 5)
Global warming is caused by (gasp) the Sun!

Politics vs Science (A Convenient Lie Part 6 - FINAL)
Politicians seem to care more about this issue than scientists. They wouldn't have anything to gain from this fear-mongering, would they?

October's Best

Now that I've mostly gotten over my depression of the Dodgers' absolute collapse in September, I'll give my fearless picks for October.

Divisional Series
Rockies over Phillies
Diamondbacks over Cubs
Yankees over Indians
Red Sox over Angels

League Championship Series
Rockies over Diamondbacks
Red Sox over Yankees

World Series
Red Sox over Rockies

Position Available #2

Badly Wanted: A head coach with guts and a success-driven attitude for a badly under-performing football team in St. Louis. This football team has some of the most talented players in the NFL. They feature one of the most cool-headed, accurate and toughest quarterbacks, a young, emerging running back who is also an excellent receiver and blocker. An array of wide-receivers and tight ends with speed and great hands would be at your disposal.

Unfortunately, this team is so poorly coached that they appear utterly inept. This position is available immediately. Hurry and apply before it's too late. Bill Cowher and Marty Shottenheimer would make primary choices but anyone who is fiery, and can plan solid game strategies and not be prone to making sorry-ass excuses would be considered.

Position Available #1

The Los Angeles Dodgers, a major league baseball team serving the Los Angeles community has an urgent need for a manager. They need a highly motivated, success-driven leader. Applicants must be willing to tirelessly train and drive personnel to perform at a high level. Applicants must be able to incorporate a work ethic stressing fundamentals, conditioning and toughness. Applicants will need to have a heavy hand when needed to motivate a team that comprises many young players. Applicants must inspire attitude in team that anything short of making the postseason will be regarded as a complete failure to fulfill objectives.

The Los Angeles Dodgers organization is a proud major league baseball franchise with a rich tradition of success. The position offered here has major benefits including working with some of the finest young talent in the league.

"Player's managers" need not apply. Send your resumes to Sick_and_tired_of_feeble_management@dodgers.com.

Now That's God

I've been away helping my Mom move from Las Vegas to La Verne. I received the following link from my Uncle and Aunt. It's a really special tale.

Now That's God

Somehow, I Should Have Known

I just read the somewhat amusing speech by Osama bin Laden. He gives much praise to Allah, of course. He praises his soldiers of Islam for their hard work in the battle against the Imperial United States.

In between all this, he takes the time to condemn a few other things:

• He blasts the United States involvement in an "unjust" war in Iraq.
• He says the United States is in the war based on "blatant lies" by the federal government.
• He essentially says that democracy doesn't work because it breeds greedy corporations.
• He says the United States is destroying the planet by not ratifying the Kyoto accord.
• He blames America's evil on capitalism.

If it wasn't for the continual references to Allah and Islam, I can't help but think that this speech could easily have been made by Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, or John Edwards.

I wonder what political party bin Laden supports? Next month, I suppose he will lay out his platform for national health care.

Okay, Here We Go

My absolutely fearless predictions for the 2007-2008 NFL season. You can take this to the bank.

...No, really.

...I'm serious, these predictions are dead on.

...Okay, so I wasn't so great last year, but this year will be different.

...I got a really good feeling this time.

...Fine, so don't believe me, you'll be sorry.

AFC East

This is my biggest surprise. After years of domination, the Patriot bubble will burst. They are due for a disappointing season and this will be it. They won't be bad but they won't be good enough to make the postseason. This division will be a fight between the Bills and Jets with the Bills winning the division and the Jets in the wild card. Just remember, you read it here first.

AFC North

The Bengals will run away with this with a solid season. The Ravens will be competitive but will fall short. This will be a disappointing season for the Steelers and the Browns will be, well... the Browns.

AFC South

My pick for this division will be ....(drumroll please)... The Colts! Okay, no surprise there. Some of the problems they had last year will turn up again but no one else in this division is going to compete with them.

AFC West

This is going to be a close one between the Chargers and Broncos. The Chargers will prevail. The Raiders will improve to respectibility and the Chiefs are in for a sorry season.

NFC East

Like their AFC counterparts, two teams will slug it out until the end. Eagles get the division, Cowboys get the wild-card. The Redskins and Giants will not be in the race in the second half. For once, this division will not be the 3 or 4 team race it usually is.

NFC North

The Bears! Was that so hard? No, they're the only good team in this otherwise, sorry division.

NFC South

The Saints will pick up where they left off last year and dominate this division. Carolina will stick near them for a while but will have to settle for a wild card. The Falcons and Buccaneers are going no where.

NFC West

This is now the NFL's most competitive division. The Seahawks are a little older but still a good team. The other three all improved. This division will be a mess. All four teams will look good at different times of the season. The division lead will change frequently throughout the season. The team that will end up on top when the dust has settled will be the Rams.

Postseason

AFC Division Winners = Bills, Bengals, Colts, Chargers
AFC Wild Card = Jets, Broncos
AFC Champion = Chargers

NFC Division Winners = Eagles, Bears, Saints, Rams
NFC Wild Card = Cowboys, Panthers
NFC Champion = Rams

NFL Champion = Chargers

Now you know. Do we need to actually go through the formality of playing the games?

HELL YES!

Property

There's been an interesting discussion on the last two Larry Elder radio shows. It concerns what should happen to Michael Vick, who now has pleaded guilty in charges of gambling and being involved in illegal dog-fighting.

Mr. Elder asserts that although he finds Vick's actions "disgusting" and "reprehensible", he doesn't feel that what he did should be considered illegal. He points out that if one were to take an axe and chop up one's own television set, it would be a stupid act but wouldn't be illegal as the TV was the property of that individual.

This riled up a few of his listeners. Last Friday, one guy called and said that his dogs are not property, but members of his family. Larry asked him if somebody came in to his house and killed his dog, would he treat that the same way as if it were his wife or his child? The man responded "yes", which I could tell just floored Larry. Yesterday, Larry reported that he had been inundated with emails from listeners who felt the same way as the Friday caller did. Larry tried to explain that we eat cows and chickens so what makes dogs and cats so special? Larry mentioned that he owns a cat but does not see the cat as an equal to other members of his family.

I can only add that I was as close to my dog as I had ever been to any other human being so I can relate to these callers. I know that not everybody feels this way (certainly not Michael Vick) and some people truly view their pets as "property".

Worse than Hillary?

First we get Hillary Clinton attempting to pander to a predominantly black audience with her "I don't feel no ways tired" quotation. Never mind that it appeared more of an insult than anything else.

"Everybody here has looked after me for years, If it wasn't for these folks, I wouldn't be nowhere. ... This is my crew." - Presidential Candidate Barack Obama at Bud Billiken Parade Aug 11, 2007

This gem was said to a primarily black audience that included children. This from the same man who had stressed the importance of education. His own website states "Because education begins at home, parents must set high standards and inspirational examples for their children. "

Is this what he means by high standards?

Utterly Ridiculous

Stop the Hatin', Hank

Dr. Todd Boyd, a professor at the University of Southern California calls Henry Aaron a "hater". Henry "Hank" Aaron has been a class act at least since he started playing Major League Baseball in 1954. In 1974, when he was being lambasted for breaking Babe Ruth's all-time home run record, he never said a word about the hate that was bestowed upon him.

Comparing Ruth and Aaron indicates two different players. Ruth compiled his 714 total home runs in bunches. For a 15 year period, he was a holy terror as he hit 666 home runs over that time. Aaron wasn't quite as dangerous per year or at bat as he took 18 years to hit 673 home runs during his prime. Considering he played 8 more games per year, it took Aaron considerably more at bats to accomplish what Ruth did. What gets lost in that it also means Aaron helped his team with his power over a longer period of time.

Dr. Boyd is clueless. He gets into racism. HELLO! Aaron and Bonds are the same race so why would anyone not want Bonds to break Aaron's record due to race? With the language this professor uses (Ebonics?) in the article, he is just pandering. Why ESPN used this article is beyond me.

What floored me even more was what I heard on KABC radio today. Some idiot called in and said that white people still think that Babe Ruth has the home run record. No one I know, of any skin color thinks that. That includes my wife who knows next to nothing about baseball records.

No, I think most people like myself who hate the fact that Bonds is breaking Aaron's record hate it because Bonds is a steroid-using asshole. I hope Alex Rodriguez breaks Bonds record soon.