Danny Williams drops "Iron" Mike Tyson in round four... I was there!
07.31.04 (12:56 pm) [edit]
A roaring crowd watched as Mike Tyson, the former undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world, dropped to the ropes after being pummeled relentlessly by London’s Danny Williams last night at Freedom Hall in Louisville.
I was there, watching incredulously from the press section on the floor. He had opened with two strong rounds, but by the third, Tyson was bleeding from a cut near his right eye, and Williams was looking none the worse for wear, even despite a few punishing blows from Tyson during the opening rounds.
By the fourth, Tyson was falling apart. About two minutes into the round, Williams landed a brutal uppercut under Tyson’s jaw. Tyson’s guard started dropping, and Williams didn’t let up. Over and over he pounded Mike’s skull with a left uppercut/right hook combo, rattling the former champion, who started to look more like a speed-bag than a fighter.
And then it was over. Tyson reeled back, and collapsed into the ropes. The referee shoved Williams back – it looked as if he was ready to land another blow on the fallen champion. Tyson sat dazed on the ropes, and eventually got back up, but he knew he was finished. Ten seconds had elapsed, and as promoters, trainers, and TV cameramen flooded the ring, “Iron Mike” was collecting himself and trying to make himself scarce.
I couldn’t believe I was there, watching it. Whatever you might say about Mike Tyson, it’s a fact that he’s become one of those names synonymous with his chosen profession.
Just one bout before, I watched the beautiful badass Laila Ali, daughter of the man who is to boxing what Jimi Hendrix is to rock guitar. Muhammed Ali, a native of Louisville, has a street named after him in the city, and his daughter, who at 6’3” has an enviable reach in the world of women’s boxing, didn’t disappoint. By the ninth round of her match against contender Monica Nunez, Ali was still going strong, while Nunez was desperately looking to her corner, almost pleading for the towel to be thrown in.
Mr. T was there, but I didn’t see any sign of Laila’s dad in the crowd.
A great thing about press credentials at a fight like this is that you walk in on the same red carpet all the VIPs do. Security might hassle you a little over your camera bag, but all in all, it’s a lot quicker than trying to go in the way of the cattle. Plus, my reservation was for a seat that was, for all intents and purposes, ringside. Tickets for regular seats that close to the ring were being sold at the box office for over $1,000.
So that was my Friday night.
-30-
I was there, watching incredulously from the press section on the floor. He had opened with two strong rounds, but by the third, Tyson was bleeding from a cut near his right eye, and Williams was looking none the worse for wear, even despite a few punishing blows from Tyson during the opening rounds.
By the fourth, Tyson was falling apart. About two minutes into the round, Williams landed a brutal uppercut under Tyson’s jaw. Tyson’s guard started dropping, and Williams didn’t let up. Over and over he pounded Mike’s skull with a left uppercut/right hook combo, rattling the former champion, who started to look more like a speed-bag than a fighter.
And then it was over. Tyson reeled back, and collapsed into the ropes. The referee shoved Williams back – it looked as if he was ready to land another blow on the fallen champion. Tyson sat dazed on the ropes, and eventually got back up, but he knew he was finished. Ten seconds had elapsed, and as promoters, trainers, and TV cameramen flooded the ring, “Iron Mike” was collecting himself and trying to make himself scarce.
I couldn’t believe I was there, watching it. Whatever you might say about Mike Tyson, it’s a fact that he’s become one of those names synonymous with his chosen profession.
Just one bout before, I watched the beautiful badass Laila Ali, daughter of the man who is to boxing what Jimi Hendrix is to rock guitar. Muhammed Ali, a native of Louisville, has a street named after him in the city, and his daughter, who at 6’3” has an enviable reach in the world of women’s boxing, didn’t disappoint. By the ninth round of her match against contender Monica Nunez, Ali was still going strong, while Nunez was desperately looking to her corner, almost pleading for the towel to be thrown in.
Mr. T was there, but I didn’t see any sign of Laila’s dad in the crowd.
A great thing about press credentials at a fight like this is that you walk in on the same red carpet all the VIPs do. Security might hassle you a little over your camera bag, but all in all, it’s a lot quicker than trying to go in the way of the cattle. Plus, my reservation was for a seat that was, for all intents and purposes, ringside. Tickets for regular seats that close to the ring were being sold at the box office for over $1,000.
So that was my Friday night.
-30-
A guy and his car
07.29.04 (9:28 pm) [edit]
Here's me and my Road Shark. In case you can't read it, my shirt says "Ducci's Gymnastics." No, a can't do anything with parallel rings -- I won it for drinking a large amount of beer.
Photo by [url=http://salemonz.tblog.com]Salemonz[/url]
-30-
Woah... maybe Michael Moore isn't our subversive savior!
07.28.04 (5:23 pm) [edit]
Hey, is it just me, or does [url=http://news.yahoo.com/news?tm...]this[/url] seem rather important?
At least in terms of Michael Moore’s blockbuster documentary, [i]Fahrenheit 9/11[/i], this seems to be quite a shocker. For those of you who, like me, have the tendency to skip over links, here are a couple highlights from the Yahoo! News story:
“In the film, Moore says President Bush tried to cover up his family's longtime business and personal ties to the family of Osama bin Laden and other prominent Saudis because many of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia…
“One of his main points is that the U.S. administration helped 142 Saudis — including two dozen members of bin Laden's family — fly out of the United States two days after the Sept. 11 attacks, even though commercial air space was closed.
“‘That's false and can be verified by anyone,’ said the Saudi-born Binladin, who intentionally spells his name differently from Osama, the prime suspect in the Sept. 11 attacks. ‘They benefited from no exceptional authorization to leave American territory.’”
I’d be a bit skeptical about taking this guy at his word, if, that is, it wasn’t for this:
“A recent 9/11 panel report states that the chartered flights took place starting Sept. 14, once airspace had reopened.”
Isn’t this supposed complicity of Bush with Evil Saudis a major argument in Moore’s film? He even used a Three Dog Night song to make it funny. Whoops! In journalism school, we call that a Major Error in Fact, and it’ll land you a 25 to 50 point deduction on your paper. Supposedly, “senior administration officials” authorized a select few (“business partners,” obviously) to flee the country after Sept. 11, while the rest of us were stuck on the ground… at least that’s what Moore would have you believe.
This doesn’t seem like the kind of factoid that required a special commission to dig up. In fact, it seems like exactly the kind of factoid that a documentarian would have come across in his “search for the truth.” All it would have taken was a little stroll through the [url=http://www.cnn.com]CNN[/url] archives, which is a place Moore must have spent some amount of time digging up all the stock newsreel he used in the movie.
Well… the possible answer to this [i]perplexing[/i] oversight may be explained by the things I complained about Michael Moore over [i]before I even saw the movie,[/i] don’t you think?
My diagnosis would be: slipshod journalistic habits, and a desire not to present the truth, but instead slander a president. It’s the only possible explanation.
-30-
At least in terms of Michael Moore’s blockbuster documentary, [i]Fahrenheit 9/11[/i], this seems to be quite a shocker. For those of you who, like me, have the tendency to skip over links, here are a couple highlights from the Yahoo! News story:
“In the film, Moore says President Bush tried to cover up his family's longtime business and personal ties to the family of Osama bin Laden and other prominent Saudis because many of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia…
“One of his main points is that the U.S. administration helped 142 Saudis — including two dozen members of bin Laden's family — fly out of the United States two days after the Sept. 11 attacks, even though commercial air space was closed.
“‘That's false and can be verified by anyone,’ said the Saudi-born Binladin, who intentionally spells his name differently from Osama, the prime suspect in the Sept. 11 attacks. ‘They benefited from no exceptional authorization to leave American territory.’”
I’d be a bit skeptical about taking this guy at his word, if, that is, it wasn’t for this:
“A recent 9/11 panel report states that the chartered flights took place starting Sept. 14, once airspace had reopened.”
Isn’t this supposed complicity of Bush with Evil Saudis a major argument in Moore’s film? He even used a Three Dog Night song to make it funny. Whoops! In journalism school, we call that a Major Error in Fact, and it’ll land you a 25 to 50 point deduction on your paper. Supposedly, “senior administration officials” authorized a select few (“business partners,” obviously) to flee the country after Sept. 11, while the rest of us were stuck on the ground… at least that’s what Moore would have you believe.
This doesn’t seem like the kind of factoid that required a special commission to dig up. In fact, it seems like exactly the kind of factoid that a documentarian would have come across in his “search for the truth.” All it would have taken was a little stroll through the [url=http://www.cnn.com]CNN[/url] archives, which is a place Moore must have spent some amount of time digging up all the stock newsreel he used in the movie.
Well… the possible answer to this [i]perplexing[/i] oversight may be explained by the things I complained about Michael Moore over [i]before I even saw the movie,[/i] don’t you think?
My diagnosis would be: slipshod journalistic habits, and a desire not to present the truth, but instead slander a president. It’s the only possible explanation.
-30-
Latin fun for everyone
07.27.04 (11:44 am) [edit]
May as well fire off one today. I’m still laughing inside from the “frank exchange of ideas” that resulted from that little meditation on plagiarism I did this past weekend. My favorite aspect is the accusation of launching “ad hominem” attacks against “liberal tBloggers,” and then being named the SS-Gestapo Officer of tBlog.
Maybe we need a little Latin refresher course? “Ad hominem” translates literally to “against the man,” and it’s a phrase people use to A) describe a character attack on someone that usually avoids the issue at hand, and B) sound intelligent. Well, point A) is clearly false in this case, since there are no character references (or references to any person or ideology in the entry in question) which makes B) pretty defunct. Here are a couple more Latin phrases you all could try to butcher, while you’re at it:
Vis-à-vis
Per se
Quid pro quo
Ipso facto
A priori
Casus belli (you all might find this one useful)
De facto
Non sequitur
Anyway, before you [i]ex parte[/i]-types make another [i]ipse dixit[/i] about my blog (or my status as a German storm trooper), or refer to me as some sort of [i]persona non grata[/i], be sure to get your terminology straight.
In other news, the national media is a-twitter with reports of Therese “Richer than God” Heinz-Kerry’s pithy “shove it” to a reporter who questioned her on what she meant by saying “un-American traits.” Yawn. Who cares if a reporter takes a little abuse? There was a time when we all recognized that we’re just above scum (with TV reporters leveling off somewhere below that). I suppose that’s why I’m on the side I am – if reporters were after me, I’d be liable to say something a little saltier.
Still, I don’t know what’s so un-American about some campaign-year mudslinging. It’s certainly nothing new, and it’s been part of American politics for quite a while. If you ever get a chance to read Hunter S. Thompson’s “Great Shark Hunt,” you’ll find a little segment on the Lyndon B. Johnson campaign that involves accusations of carnal knowledge of a contender’s own barnyard pigs… I don’t think the accusation was ever made, but the idea behind it was to make the poor fellow deny it in public.
And seriously speaking here, folks, what’s more American than running with a precedent that’s been set? Once we’ve all seen something enough times, we’re more than willing to make it part of our weltanschauung (that’s German, not Latin… just a little storm trooper humor there).
With that, I’m off to finish the Sports section.
-30-
P.S. A million tBucks to the person who can translate this butchery of Latin into plain English:
[i]Semper ubi sub ubi.[/i]
-- IB
P.P.S.: "Vis-a-vis" isn't Latin, either. But it's a literary phrase used by people who tend to use Latin as well, so it might as well be included.
-- IB
Maybe we need a little Latin refresher course? “Ad hominem” translates literally to “against the man,” and it’s a phrase people use to A) describe a character attack on someone that usually avoids the issue at hand, and B) sound intelligent. Well, point A) is clearly false in this case, since there are no character references (or references to any person or ideology in the entry in question) which makes B) pretty defunct. Here are a couple more Latin phrases you all could try to butcher, while you’re at it:
Vis-à-vis
Per se
Quid pro quo
Ipso facto
A priori
Casus belli (you all might find this one useful)
De facto
Non sequitur
Anyway, before you [i]ex parte[/i]-types make another [i]ipse dixit[/i] about my blog (or my status as a German storm trooper), or refer to me as some sort of [i]persona non grata[/i], be sure to get your terminology straight.
In other news, the national media is a-twitter with reports of Therese “Richer than God” Heinz-Kerry’s pithy “shove it” to a reporter who questioned her on what she meant by saying “un-American traits.” Yawn. Who cares if a reporter takes a little abuse? There was a time when we all recognized that we’re just above scum (with TV reporters leveling off somewhere below that). I suppose that’s why I’m on the side I am – if reporters were after me, I’d be liable to say something a little saltier.
Still, I don’t know what’s so un-American about some campaign-year mudslinging. It’s certainly nothing new, and it’s been part of American politics for quite a while. If you ever get a chance to read Hunter S. Thompson’s “Great Shark Hunt,” you’ll find a little segment on the Lyndon B. Johnson campaign that involves accusations of carnal knowledge of a contender’s own barnyard pigs… I don’t think the accusation was ever made, but the idea behind it was to make the poor fellow deny it in public.
And seriously speaking here, folks, what’s more American than running with a precedent that’s been set? Once we’ve all seen something enough times, we’re more than willing to make it part of our weltanschauung (that’s German, not Latin… just a little storm trooper humor there).
With that, I’m off to finish the Sports section.
-30-
P.S. A million tBucks to the person who can translate this butchery of Latin into plain English:
[i]Semper ubi sub ubi.[/i]
-- IB
P.P.S.: "Vis-a-vis" isn't Latin, either. But it's a literary phrase used by people who tend to use Latin as well, so it might as well be included.
-- IB
Watching CSPAN Book TV last night, I saw this:
07.26.04 (2:43 pm) [edit]
Andrew Exum, a former captain in the Army Rangers who spent time in both Afghanistan and Kuwait deployed in support of the ongoing War on Terror, has written a book called [url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/ob...]"This Man's Army,"[/url] which was featured on CSPAN's BookTV last night while I was on CQ. During a question and answer phase of the segment on his book, Exum had this to say to the audience:
"The invasion of Normandy might have looked like a catastrophic defeat if CBS cameramen had been there."
-30-
"The invasion of Normandy might have looked like a catastrophic defeat if CBS cameramen had been there."
-30-
Never underestimate the predictability of...
07.26.04 (12:40 pm) [edit]
Seems my last post caused quite a stir. Some people seemed to think I was attacking them personally, which is a little strange considering I didn't mention a single name, and only wondered aloud at what it would mean for [i]me[/i] if I were to post other people's articles on my site.
Anyway, I figured I'd post some highlights from the little "comment battle" (I wouldn't call it a flame war) that resulted. These things are always good for a laugh.
"Jeez... It's like feeding baby-food to 3 year olds!!!!"
"I do [write my own material], but you're just too stupid to read it... However, who the hell are you? The Tblog police-man? Jeez.
I can do whatever I want. I don't give a damn what you think. First you stupidly try to malign others with your thoughtless drivel that is poorly researched. When that's exposed as idiocy-- then you attack others for not doing what you want 'em to do! LOL"
"Bro may wish he could decide what we should all write and in what format-- but that's his problem. As I said before, be careful of accusing others of crimes that they have not committed, for that could be actionable also!
-- [url=http://samadams.tblog.com]SamAdams[/url]
[i]Again, I have to wonder who I accused of what.[/i]
"Are you so paranoid that information that contradicts your beliefs and is *needlessly* said 4 times instead of just once, might actually bear its fruits and indeed reach on the 4th round ppl it didn't the first time round? Let alone information being posted only once but happens to be a *sinful* (LOL) simple copy/paste of some "available out there somewhere" fact/opinion. What is the big problem? Are you truly disturbed by intellectual property copyrights that it makes your stomach churn if some tBlogger *quotes* something from someone else who is more informed and better spoken? Or is it because you feel your cause so weak that it might rock your boat?" -- [url=http://whynot.tblog.com]WhyNot[/url]
This next set of comments appeared on [url=http://checkitout.tblog.com]CheckItOut's[/url] posted response in his own blog.
"If you are making any accusations, I suggest you have back-up material, because you could be in trouble for making false accusations." ... "Brogonzo doesn't tell his lunatic side-kicks the fascists Noguru, Reducto and other creeps not to use other sources."
"God, CheckItOut... It is hard when dealing with igonrant people who can't think and don't have even an inkling of the law like Brogonzo & TigerLilly-- I responded as follows FYI, in case Brogonzo deletes my post (which many right-wingers like to do when they are proved wrong)"-- [url=http://samadams.tblog.com]SamAdams[/url]
"brogonzo is angry that others are posting things he doesn't like. he attacks samadams, but won't comment on the topic because he can't defend his political point-- so brogonzo reverts to ad hominen attacks. pathetic!" -- [url=http://iconoclasticdeer.tblog...]IconoclasticDeer[/url]
"Do you go on RedTigress' blog and ask why she doesn't re-label her blog the "Zionist Hacks Lair"? or Reducto the "Rush Limbaugh's Vomit" blog? or Noguru the "Any Lie He Can Dig-up Fascist Blog?"???" -- [url=http://checkitout.tblog.com]CheckitOut[/url]
"I think your blog was directed against "liberal" tbloggers. You never post anything in the political section directed against the extreme right-wingers. I'll retract this if you ever do!" -- [url=http://checkitout.tblog.com]CheckItOut[/url]
"The fact is that you don't know what you are talking about. You make accusations against "liberal" bloggers and attack them. You act like you own Tblog and then you twist the truth into falsehood when you are confronted... Well, the 'Plagiarism' is just another red-herring that people who aren't concerned about the real issues of what's happening in our nation today may latch-onto." -- [url=http://patriotacts.tblog.com]PatriotActs[/url]
And the best was saved for last: Here's [url=http://spymaster.tblog.com]Spymaster's [/url] comment in its entirety:
"I've analyzed Brogonzo, Tblog's SS-Gestapo Officer who attacks those whose blogs he doesn't like. Read Patriot Acts comments just above this one...
Brogonzo uses Refucto/Noguru/RedTigress ' clumsy tactics copied for their blowhard Nazi Rush-Limbaugh who uses the most extreme rhetoric like "Ah, if Clinton gets away with covering-up his affair with Lewinsky all the children of America will go out and have sex in vast orgies because they will copy the president". Limbaugh actually said something this asinine during LewinskyGate.
So Brogonzo knows he doesn't have the intellectual capacity or wit to argue the points made by the "liberals" who he hates. So he accuses us of "plagiarism". Sadly for his limited mental capacity, he fails to comprehend that there are no laws affecting amateur tbloggers; also if you provide a link, you expect the reader to have the brains to use it to find the source-- and, lastly, most all Tbloggers I've seen do cite their sources in one manner or another.
So again, Brogonzo is shown to be a crank who just is using a clumsy extreme method to malign liberal Tbloggers, except the problem is that his colleagues Noguru, Reducto and RedTigress and cut-and-paste tigers too!!! LOL ... So he can't push that one too far.
When you read through his responses it boils down to the fact that he's angry we don't all author all our own work like he does!!!! LOL
Tomorrow maybe he'll want us all to post blogs with red headers, purple titles and green backgrounds. In short, he's an ass who uses the most extreme form of attack that doesn't hold water to try to silence those who of us whom he doesn't agree with.
I notice he doesn't come out with a blog entitled "Promoting Killing of Innocent Palestinians" that might upset Reducto, Noguru and RedTigress.
But it made for good fun and CheckItOut got lots of comments! :)"
Well guys, I sure am glad someone takes this stuff so darn seriously! What have we learned from this debate? Well, first off, there are certain people around who are willing to feel threatened and accused by a couple simple thoughts on plagiarism. It's also been pointed out that the law only requires that one post a little "Link" at the bottom of your entry when your entry has been written by someone else.
But I think the biggest "lesson" here is that there are folks out there in the blogosphere who aren't as even-keeled as they'd like you to think they are. Thanks, guys!
-30-
P.S. A couple addenda: To the charge of being tBlog's "SS-Gestapo Officer," I should set things straight. I'm just a lowly enlisted man -- and last time I checked, I'm on the Allied side.
Oh, and [url=http://checkitout.tblog.com]CheckitOut[/url] may have gotten lots of comments, but I got more.
IB
Anyway, I figured I'd post some highlights from the little "comment battle" (I wouldn't call it a flame war) that resulted. These things are always good for a laugh.
"Jeez... It's like feeding baby-food to 3 year olds!!!!"
"I do [write my own material], but you're just too stupid to read it... However, who the hell are you? The Tblog police-man? Jeez.
I can do whatever I want. I don't give a damn what you think. First you stupidly try to malign others with your thoughtless drivel that is poorly researched. When that's exposed as idiocy-- then you attack others for not doing what you want 'em to do! LOL"
"Bro may wish he could decide what we should all write and in what format-- but that's his problem. As I said before, be careful of accusing others of crimes that they have not committed, for that could be actionable also!
-- [url=http://samadams.tblog.com]SamAdams[/url]
[i]Again, I have to wonder who I accused of what.[/i]
"Are you so paranoid that information that contradicts your beliefs and is *needlessly* said 4 times instead of just once, might actually bear its fruits and indeed reach on the 4th round ppl it didn't the first time round? Let alone information being posted only once but happens to be a *sinful* (LOL) simple copy/paste of some "available out there somewhere" fact/opinion. What is the big problem? Are you truly disturbed by intellectual property copyrights that it makes your stomach churn if some tBlogger *quotes* something from someone else who is more informed and better spoken? Or is it because you feel your cause so weak that it might rock your boat?" -- [url=http://whynot.tblog.com]WhyNot[/url]
This next set of comments appeared on [url=http://checkitout.tblog.com]CheckItOut's[/url] posted response in his own blog.
"If you are making any accusations, I suggest you have back-up material, because you could be in trouble for making false accusations." ... "Brogonzo doesn't tell his lunatic side-kicks the fascists Noguru, Reducto and other creeps not to use other sources."
"God, CheckItOut... It is hard when dealing with igonrant people who can't think and don't have even an inkling of the law like Brogonzo & TigerLilly-- I responded as follows FYI, in case Brogonzo deletes my post (which many right-wingers like to do when they are proved wrong)"-- [url=http://samadams.tblog.com]SamAdams[/url]
"brogonzo is angry that others are posting things he doesn't like. he attacks samadams, but won't comment on the topic because he can't defend his political point-- so brogonzo reverts to ad hominen attacks. pathetic!" -- [url=http://iconoclasticdeer.tblog...]IconoclasticDeer[/url]
"Do you go on RedTigress' blog and ask why she doesn't re-label her blog the "Zionist Hacks Lair"? or Reducto the "Rush Limbaugh's Vomit" blog? or Noguru the "Any Lie He Can Dig-up Fascist Blog?"???" -- [url=http://checkitout.tblog.com]CheckitOut[/url]
"I think your blog was directed against "liberal" tbloggers. You never post anything in the political section directed against the extreme right-wingers. I'll retract this if you ever do!" -- [url=http://checkitout.tblog.com]CheckItOut[/url]
"The fact is that you don't know what you are talking about. You make accusations against "liberal" bloggers and attack them. You act like you own Tblog and then you twist the truth into falsehood when you are confronted... Well, the 'Plagiarism' is just another red-herring that people who aren't concerned about the real issues of what's happening in our nation today may latch-onto." -- [url=http://patriotacts.tblog.com]PatriotActs[/url]
And the best was saved for last: Here's [url=http://spymaster.tblog.com]Spymaster's [/url] comment in its entirety:
"I've analyzed Brogonzo, Tblog's SS-Gestapo Officer who attacks those whose blogs he doesn't like. Read Patriot Acts comments just above this one...
Brogonzo uses Refucto/Noguru/RedTigress ' clumsy tactics copied for their blowhard Nazi Rush-Limbaugh who uses the most extreme rhetoric like "Ah, if Clinton gets away with covering-up his affair with Lewinsky all the children of America will go out and have sex in vast orgies because they will copy the president". Limbaugh actually said something this asinine during LewinskyGate.
So Brogonzo knows he doesn't have the intellectual capacity or wit to argue the points made by the "liberals" who he hates. So he accuses us of "plagiarism". Sadly for his limited mental capacity, he fails to comprehend that there are no laws affecting amateur tbloggers; also if you provide a link, you expect the reader to have the brains to use it to find the source-- and, lastly, most all Tbloggers I've seen do cite their sources in one manner or another.
So again, Brogonzo is shown to be a crank who just is using a clumsy extreme method to malign liberal Tbloggers, except the problem is that his colleagues Noguru, Reducto and RedTigress and cut-and-paste tigers too!!! LOL ... So he can't push that one too far.
When you read through his responses it boils down to the fact that he's angry we don't all author all our own work like he does!!!! LOL
Tomorrow maybe he'll want us all to post blogs with red headers, purple titles and green backgrounds. In short, he's an ass who uses the most extreme form of attack that doesn't hold water to try to silence those who of us whom he doesn't agree with.
I notice he doesn't come out with a blog entitled "Promoting Killing of Innocent Palestinians" that might upset Reducto, Noguru and RedTigress.
But it made for good fun and CheckItOut got lots of comments! :)"
Well guys, I sure am glad someone takes this stuff so darn seriously! What have we learned from this debate? Well, first off, there are certain people around who are willing to feel threatened and accused by a couple simple thoughts on plagiarism. It's also been pointed out that the law only requires that one post a little "Link" at the bottom of your entry when your entry has been written by someone else.
But I think the biggest "lesson" here is that there are folks out there in the blogosphere who aren't as even-keeled as they'd like you to think they are. Thanks, guys!
-30-
P.S. A couple addenda: To the charge of being tBlog's "SS-Gestapo Officer," I should set things straight. I'm just a lowly enlisted man -- and last time I checked, I'm on the Allied side.
Oh, and [url=http://checkitout.tblog.com]CheckitOut[/url] may have gotten lots of comments, but I got more.
IB
Plagiarism
07.25.04 (12:26 pm) [edit]
In the strange and confusing world of journalism, plagiarism is a big issue. It's to be avoided like the plague (not funny, I know).
What, exactly, is plagiarism? Well, [url=http://www.m-w.com]Merriam-Webster[/url] defines it thusly:
transitive senses : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source
intransitive senses : to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
This seems pretty cut-and-dry. If you didn't write it, and your name is on it, you've plagiarized it. Simple.
On the Internet, however, lines get a little fuzzy. Hyperlinks have made it commonplace to appropriate other people's material onto one's own site, but in most cases, this isn't figured as plagiarism... not as long as a link is supplied back to the originator, and credit is given to the author(s). We're all a big, happy family, right?
There is, also, a huge amount of public-domain material available on the 'Net, for example, animated GIF images, JPEG pictures and graphics, and clipart.
Plagiarism is more acute when it comes to blogs. What is a blog but an ostensibly personal take on whatever comes to the mind of the supposed author? "Blog" doesn't yet appear in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, but it seems to me that your blog should reflect your thoughts and feelings on whatever subject you've decided to tackle.
If said subject happens to be politics, well, your blog, it seems, should reflect your own, personal feelings on the fetid miasma of politics.
The trouble is, most folks don't have the time or motivation to do the research necessary to offer fully (and I stress fully) informed perspectives on the subject. Just trying to get a decent handle on the last 20 years of history is a full-time job.
However, blogs being blogs, everyone's quite free to offer whatever they do happen to have up for discussion.
Often, when I'm feeling inspired to launch off on some crazy screed about one politico or another, I'll find a news article or column that offers more perspective on what I'm trying to talk about. Usually, I'll include the link to such an article in the text of the entry, and on rare occasions, quote part of the article -- naturally, supplying the author's name and the title of the publication his or her work appeared in, if any.
Again, blogs being blogs, I'm not sure what the legal or ethical ramifications would be if I were to take the text of an article, slap a new (maybe jazzier) title on it, and post it as my own, with a little "Link" hypertext at the bottom to direct people to where I found the work in the first place. The Internet is a big grey area, but based on the Publication Law classes I took in college, I try to avoid the behavior described above.
Am I out on a limb here? What do you think of this (PURELY hypothetical, of course) situation? Is it OK to copy articles into blogs without mentioning the real author?
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What, exactly, is plagiarism? Well, [url=http://www.m-w.com]Merriam-Webster[/url] defines it thusly:
transitive senses : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source
intransitive senses : to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
This seems pretty cut-and-dry. If you didn't write it, and your name is on it, you've plagiarized it. Simple.
On the Internet, however, lines get a little fuzzy. Hyperlinks have made it commonplace to appropriate other people's material onto one's own site, but in most cases, this isn't figured as plagiarism... not as long as a link is supplied back to the originator, and credit is given to the author(s). We're all a big, happy family, right?
There is, also, a huge amount of public-domain material available on the 'Net, for example, animated GIF images, JPEG pictures and graphics, and clipart.
Plagiarism is more acute when it comes to blogs. What is a blog but an ostensibly personal take on whatever comes to the mind of the supposed author? "Blog" doesn't yet appear in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, but it seems to me that your blog should reflect your thoughts and feelings on whatever subject you've decided to tackle.
If said subject happens to be politics, well, your blog, it seems, should reflect your own, personal feelings on the fetid miasma of politics.
The trouble is, most folks don't have the time or motivation to do the research necessary to offer fully (and I stress fully) informed perspectives on the subject. Just trying to get a decent handle on the last 20 years of history is a full-time job.
However, blogs being blogs, everyone's quite free to offer whatever they do happen to have up for discussion.
Often, when I'm feeling inspired to launch off on some crazy screed about one politico or another, I'll find a news article or column that offers more perspective on what I'm trying to talk about. Usually, I'll include the link to such an article in the text of the entry, and on rare occasions, quote part of the article -- naturally, supplying the author's name and the title of the publication his or her work appeared in, if any.
Again, blogs being blogs, I'm not sure what the legal or ethical ramifications would be if I were to take the text of an article, slap a new (maybe jazzier) title on it, and post it as my own, with a little "Link" hypertext at the bottom to direct people to where I found the work in the first place. The Internet is a big grey area, but based on the Publication Law classes I took in college, I try to avoid the behavior described above.
Am I out on a limb here? What do you think of this (PURELY hypothetical, of course) situation? Is it OK to copy articles into blogs without mentioning the real author?
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Friday... creeping by.
07.23.04 (11:56 am) [edit]
So I'm sitting here at my desk, peeking out the window every few minutes at my shiny new Camaro. It's frustrating, because I want the weekend to start, now more than ever, even though all I want to do is wash and wax the snot out of the car.
People talk a lot about naming their cars. One of my bosses has a truck named "George" (it's a Ford Ranger, so its full name is "George G. Ranger"). A friend of mine used to have a Mercury Sable she named "Mable," and my [url=http://brorizzo.tblog.com]brother[/url] had an old Volkswagen Fox that I called "The Lunchbox."
I'm really not sure what -- if anything -- to name this beast. Road Shark works as a euphemism (and as a Hunter S. Thompson reference), but this naming business has me at a dead end (which probably doesn't bode well for future contributions to the "what are we going to call him/her" if I ever have kids).
For now, it's "Camaro" or "The Z28." "Silver bullet" is taken by a lousy beer.
Speaking of [url=http://brorizzo.tblog.com]BroRizzo[/url], he came down and visited this week. He had never been on a military installation before, and was pretty surprised by what he saw. He said he had thought it would be more institutional, with imposing, featureless buildings. He was also surprised by the size... Fort Knox is pretty big, even if, by Army standards, it's dwarfed by places like Fort Hood.
It was good to see him again. I missed my brothers a lot while I was in Korea, and it's pretty rare that we get to see each other now, and even rarer when we're all three together. We bought a 12-pack and some Camels, and went back to his hotel room and jaw-jacked about politics, women, and religion all evening.
He left this morning, and now I'm here at work, watching the clock.
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People talk a lot about naming their cars. One of my bosses has a truck named "George" (it's a Ford Ranger, so its full name is "George G. Ranger"). A friend of mine used to have a Mercury Sable she named "Mable," and my [url=http://brorizzo.tblog.com]brother[/url] had an old Volkswagen Fox that I called "The Lunchbox."
I'm really not sure what -- if anything -- to name this beast. Road Shark works as a euphemism (and as a Hunter S. Thompson reference), but this naming business has me at a dead end (which probably doesn't bode well for future contributions to the "what are we going to call him/her" if I ever have kids).
For now, it's "Camaro" or "The Z28." "Silver bullet" is taken by a lousy beer.
Speaking of [url=http://brorizzo.tblog.com]BroRizzo[/url], he came down and visited this week. He had never been on a military installation before, and was pretty surprised by what he saw. He said he had thought it would be more institutional, with imposing, featureless buildings. He was also surprised by the size... Fort Knox is pretty big, even if, by Army standards, it's dwarfed by places like Fort Hood.
It was good to see him again. I missed my brothers a lot while I was in Korea, and it's pretty rare that we get to see each other now, and even rarer when we're all three together. We bought a 12-pack and some Camels, and went back to his hotel room and jaw-jacked about politics, women, and religion all evening.
He left this morning, and now I'm here at work, watching the clock.
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The Road Shark
07.22.04 (8:52 am) [edit]
Well, I won't trouble you with words today. Here are some photos:
I love it. It rocks.
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I love it. It rocks.
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Morning quickie
07.21.04 (6:40 am) [edit]
Don't have a lot of time at the moment, but I figured I'd post something to try to help my sagging ratings.
Today is Wednesday, which means we wear civilian clothes and drive down to the News-Enterprise in Elizabethtown to lay out the paper and make our last-minute adjustments and corrections. After all the bylines last week, I wound up with just a standalone photo of a carwash fundraiser for this issue. Oh well.
I'm going to give Billy a call once 9 a.m. rolls around, because it's high time I got that damn car, and I think we could do it today... provided certain parties bring the correct title with them.
Check, cash, CD case, proof of insurance, driver's license... got 'em. Should be good-to-go.
Army slang of the day:
"When the Eagle shits" .... Pay day.
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Today is Wednesday, which means we wear civilian clothes and drive down to the News-Enterprise in Elizabethtown to lay out the paper and make our last-minute adjustments and corrections. After all the bylines last week, I wound up with just a standalone photo of a carwash fundraiser for this issue. Oh well.
I'm going to give Billy a call once 9 a.m. rolls around, because it's high time I got that damn car, and I think we could do it today... provided certain parties bring the correct title with them.
Check, cash, CD case, proof of insurance, driver's license... got 'em. Should be good-to-go.
Army slang of the day:
"When the Eagle shits" .... Pay day.
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Ok, now this is absolutely hilarious.
07.20.04 (2:05 pm) [edit]
If you haven't had a chance yet, head on over the [url=http://www.jibjab.com]JibJab[/url] and check out the sing-along parody of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land," starring none other than the 2004 Presidential Candidates. [url=http://salemonz.tblog.com]Salemonz[/url] and I just about had heart attacks laughing so hard when we saw it this weekend. Fantastic. Keep an eye out for the scene from "Dr. Strangelove."
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Recruiters lie. Tell us something we don't know.
07.19.04 (10:11 am) [edit]
So I had an interesting weekend. Fortunately, [url=http://salemonz.tblog.com]Salemonz[/url] was around to pick my sorry ass up Sunday morning, after a night of mostly aimless wandering around the Bardstown Road area.
Before that, however, we had gone to see Fahrenheit 9/11, which I’ve spent so much time criticizing in this space already. It was basically exactly what I expected after seeing Bowling for Columbine and reading reviews. It has been alleged that I hated it, which isn’t exactly true… I laughed along with the crowd when Three Dog Night’s “We Gotta Get Outta This Place” kicked in as the bin Laden family fled the States after Sept. 11, and at the John Ashcroft original “Let The Eagle Soar.”
It didn’t surprise me to see the initial interviews with soldiers – [url=http://lyondenyit.tblog.com]Sgt. K[/url] once was a tanker, and he repeatedly told stories demonstrating the denseness of the soldiers in his former corps. These are the guys picked to represent U.S. forces as they roll into the Happy Land of Baghdad, which apparently is full of gleeful children riding Ferris wheels and flying kites, while their well-to-do parents sip tea in outside cafes. American soldiers are the type of people who rig CD players up to their communications systems so they can play “Let the Bodies Hit the Floor” as they shoot the peace-loving Republican Guard (and their wives and children, of course) full of holes.
Strangely enough, by the end of the film, you feel terrible that these criminals are dying. Viewers are treated to a metamorphosis from devoted Army mom to anti-war activist in a woman from Flint, Mich., Michael Moore’s hometown – which somehow finds its way into prominence in both of Moore’s films.
We all complain about recruiters – those guys who convinced us to sign away years of our lives during some low point in our careers. Moore follows a couple Marine recruiters around Flint, and viewers get the impression that people are essentially tricked into joining the military.
I’ve got this to say on the subject. Recruiters are salesmen, and they give you “the Pitch.” If someone had told me that I’d be standing hip-deep in mud during monsoon season in Korea waiting for my turn to fill up our section’s generator, I would have told him where he could have gone and what to do with himself once he got there.
The fact of the matter is, we have (at least at this point) an all-volunteer military. Even if some people don’t feel as if they were given much choice in the matter due to financial or legal circumstances, you do sign up for the military. In Korea, males are ineligible for citizenship unless they serve for two years in some branch of Korea’s military. Austria is the same way. Here, at least, we have the option of taking the Oath or not. Few people in the U.S. are going to turn you down for a job if you haven’t served.
We also get an incredible amount of benefits, not the least of which is astronomically high pay compared to other militaries. Korean soldiers on their first enlistment make the equivalent of $20 a month. I’ve been in for almost two years, I make over $1,500 a month, plus I have food, board, and utilities paid for, plus a quarter million dollar life insurance policy and $52,000 to spend on further education once I’m out. If I get a little peeved at things that suck, well, I did go and join the Army, and anyone who thinks a military career is all going to be beer and skittles is seriously deluded.
Point is, we have the option to join or not to join, and the benefits aren’t bad if you do (even if they are trumped-up a bit by recruiters who have a monthly quota to fill if they want their battalion sergeant major to stay off their asses). People in the Army who pretend to be victims are the same people who spend all their time malingering on sick call. I have little respect for them.
One more point before I get out of here – facts should come with context. Moore doesn’t supply much, aside from that of his own conspiracy theories.
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Before that, however, we had gone to see Fahrenheit 9/11, which I’ve spent so much time criticizing in this space already. It was basically exactly what I expected after seeing Bowling for Columbine and reading reviews. It has been alleged that I hated it, which isn’t exactly true… I laughed along with the crowd when Three Dog Night’s “We Gotta Get Outta This Place” kicked in as the bin Laden family fled the States after Sept. 11, and at the John Ashcroft original “Let The Eagle Soar.”
It didn’t surprise me to see the initial interviews with soldiers – [url=http://lyondenyit.tblog.com]Sgt. K[/url] once was a tanker, and he repeatedly told stories demonstrating the denseness of the soldiers in his former corps. These are the guys picked to represent U.S. forces as they roll into the Happy Land of Baghdad, which apparently is full of gleeful children riding Ferris wheels and flying kites, while their well-to-do parents sip tea in outside cafes. American soldiers are the type of people who rig CD players up to their communications systems so they can play “Let the Bodies Hit the Floor” as they shoot the peace-loving Republican Guard (and their wives and children, of course) full of holes.
Strangely enough, by the end of the film, you feel terrible that these criminals are dying. Viewers are treated to a metamorphosis from devoted Army mom to anti-war activist in a woman from Flint, Mich., Michael Moore’s hometown – which somehow finds its way into prominence in both of Moore’s films.
We all complain about recruiters – those guys who convinced us to sign away years of our lives during some low point in our careers. Moore follows a couple Marine recruiters around Flint, and viewers get the impression that people are essentially tricked into joining the military.
I’ve got this to say on the subject. Recruiters are salesmen, and they give you “the Pitch.” If someone had told me that I’d be standing hip-deep in mud during monsoon season in Korea waiting for my turn to fill up our section’s generator, I would have told him where he could have gone and what to do with himself once he got there.
The fact of the matter is, we have (at least at this point) an all-volunteer military. Even if some people don’t feel as if they were given much choice in the matter due to financial or legal circumstances, you do sign up for the military. In Korea, males are ineligible for citizenship unless they serve for two years in some branch of Korea’s military. Austria is the same way. Here, at least, we have the option of taking the Oath or not. Few people in the U.S. are going to turn you down for a job if you haven’t served.
We also get an incredible amount of benefits, not the least of which is astronomically high pay compared to other militaries. Korean soldiers on their first enlistment make the equivalent of $20 a month. I’ve been in for almost two years, I make over $1,500 a month, plus I have food, board, and utilities paid for, plus a quarter million dollar life insurance policy and $52,000 to spend on further education once I’m out. If I get a little peeved at things that suck, well, I did go and join the Army, and anyone who thinks a military career is all going to be beer and skittles is seriously deluded.
Point is, we have the option to join or not to join, and the benefits aren’t bad if you do (even if they are trumped-up a bit by recruiters who have a monthly quota to fill if they want their battalion sergeant major to stay off their asses). People in the Army who pretend to be victims are the same people who spend all their time malingering on sick call. I have little respect for them.
One more point before I get out of here – facts should come with context. Moore doesn’t supply much, aside from that of his own conspiracy theories.
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Pseudo Saudi Arabian rap
07.16.04 (9:29 pm) [edit]
These guys claim to be Sauds. I don't know if it's true, but Group-X's "music," when combined with the crappy flash animations, is something I find absolutely hilarious. So:
[url=http://www.albinoblacksheep.c...]IDIDOTH by Group X[/url].
Happy freakin' Friday.
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[url=http://www.albinoblacksheep.c...]IDIDOTH by Group X[/url].
Happy freakin' Friday.
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Comedy of Errors
07.15.04 (9:00 pm) [edit]
After work, I grabbed all the necessary pieces of paper and got a ride with Ben up to Louisville to meet the owner of the Camaro I'm buying. I had the check, proof of insurance, and a phone bill, just in case.
We hit rush hour traffic on Bardstown road, and the owner called and said we had about 45 minutes to get to the DMV branch, which closed at 6:30 p.m. We met up with him, I climbed in his Chevy 1500, and we raced off. Ben meant to follow, but he got caught at a light and we lost him. No big deal. I was driving back myself.
Into the Department of Motor Vehicles we rushed, after asking directions at a liquor store nearby. We had three minutes to spare.
I laid out all my pieces of paper, and Billy laid out his, but realized he'd forgotten the specialty plates he was turning in. He ran back outside.
The clerk looked at me.
"What was he going off to get? This title shows regular truck plates."
Truck plates? Something was up.
Billy jogged back in and sat down. By this time, it had started to dawn on me that something was very wrong. The title started out "1999 Chevrolet..."
As it turned out, Billy's wife had handed him the wrong title when he had run into the house earlier to pick it up. The one he had was for the huge diesel truck we had ridden over in.
The DMV was now closed.
"And you definitely need the title to do a vehicle transfer," Billy said.
"Absolutely," said the clerk.
Dejected, we went outside, and I lit a cigarette in the parking lot. Billy, who's been completely civil every time I've spoken with him, spent several minutes cursing. He called his wife on the cell phone, and they had a rather "stern" conversation about the differences between 97 and 99.
I wasn't too horribly upset... a mite disappointed, but mistakes happen.
Billy calmed down pretty quickly, and we laughed about it later. Unfortunately, Ben was long gone, and now I was more or less stranded in Louisville.
Ben eventually called from his room 45 miles away on Fort Knox. He had figured the same thing I had, that it was too bad he'd gotten left behind, but understanding that we were on a tight schedule and that I was supposedly driving myself back. We arranged to meet at the Dairy Queen at the Dixie Highway/Gene Snyder Freeway junction -- about half way.
Well, folks. No Camaro photos today. Maybe Monday?
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We hit rush hour traffic on Bardstown road, and the owner called and said we had about 45 minutes to get to the DMV branch, which closed at 6:30 p.m. We met up with him, I climbed in his Chevy 1500, and we raced off. Ben meant to follow, but he got caught at a light and we lost him. No big deal. I was driving back myself.
Into the Department of Motor Vehicles we rushed, after asking directions at a liquor store nearby. We had three minutes to spare.
I laid out all my pieces of paper, and Billy laid out his, but realized he'd forgotten the specialty plates he was turning in. He ran back outside.
The clerk looked at me.
"What was he going off to get? This title shows regular truck plates."
Truck plates? Something was up.
Billy jogged back in and sat down. By this time, it had started to dawn on me that something was very wrong. The title started out "1999 Chevrolet..."
As it turned out, Billy's wife had handed him the wrong title when he had run into the house earlier to pick it up. The one he had was for the huge diesel truck we had ridden over in.
The DMV was now closed.
"And you definitely need the title to do a vehicle transfer," Billy said.
"Absolutely," said the clerk.
Dejected, we went outside, and I lit a cigarette in the parking lot. Billy, who's been completely civil every time I've spoken with him, spent several minutes cursing. He called his wife on the cell phone, and they had a rather "stern" conversation about the differences between 97 and 99.
I wasn't too horribly upset... a mite disappointed, but mistakes happen.
Billy calmed down pretty quickly, and we laughed about it later. Unfortunately, Ben was long gone, and now I was more or less stranded in Louisville.
Ben eventually called from his room 45 miles away on Fort Knox. He had figured the same thing I had, that it was too bad he'd gotten left behind, but understanding that we were on a tight schedule and that I was supposedly driving myself back. We arranged to meet at the Dairy Queen at the Dixie Highway/Gene Snyder Freeway junction -- about half way.
Well, folks. No Camaro photos today. Maybe Monday?
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Turret Commentary
07.15.04 (2:23 pm) [edit]
Here's the [url=http://www.thenewsenterprise....]commentary[/url] I did for this week's edition of Inside the Turret.
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Published on Paper!
07.13.04 (7:20 pm) [edit]
Well... what do you know. Being that there was a sizeable hole in our "Forum" section this week, my associate editor (also known as the Ass Ed) asked one of us to do a commentary. I jumped on that one, and wound up writing a 17-inch piece on the hostage situations in Iraq, being that I've been slightly fired up about it. Think of that... old Gonzo's two cents in a real paper, which will be copied 20,896 times and potentially read by 50,000 people in and around Fort Knox. Most of them, of course, will wonder what a lowly lower-enlisted guy can add to the debate. As a drill sergeant in Basic once said, "I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I sure as hell ain't no spoon."
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A Quote -- Edit, Two Quotes
07.13.04 (4:44 pm) [edit]
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
[b]--John Stewart Mill[/b], English philosopher, 1806-1873
Edit: Here's one for all of you who love to cite George Orwell's [i]1984[/i]:
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
[b]-- George Orwell[/b]
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[b]--John Stewart Mill[/b], English philosopher, 1806-1873
Edit: Here's one for all of you who love to cite George Orwell's [i]1984[/i]:
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
[b]-- George Orwell[/b]
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Terrorists rattle sabers, the Phillipines flees
07.13.04 (11:32 am) [edit]
And so, the Philippines have [url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD...] capitulated to the demands of brutish terrorists.[/url] Admittedly, the nation had only a 50-member humani-tarian team, but the principle is clear:
If terrorists threaten to cut off the heads of hostages, they’ll get their way.
This is unfortunate, because the last thing that will be accomplished by caving to terrorist demands is an end to threats of decapitation. It’s obviously an effective means of getting a government to cooperate, and the more times it proves to be effective, the more often it’ll happen.
It’s really just a microcosm of the whole Middle Eastern theater. People think that if we leave these poor, defenseless nations alone, they’ll stop wanting to kill Americans, Jews, and Christians. Unfortunately, these ideas are so ingrained into the Islamist mindset that they aren’t going to go away – ever. Kow-towing to demands is only going to create more demands.
I think the solution to the decapitation problem comes in two sizes: 5.56mm and 7.76mm. Otherwise, it’s just going to keep going on.
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If terrorists threaten to cut off the heads of hostages, they’ll get their way.
This is unfortunate, because the last thing that will be accomplished by caving to terrorist demands is an end to threats of decapitation. It’s obviously an effective means of getting a government to cooperate, and the more times it proves to be effective, the more often it’ll happen.
It’s really just a microcosm of the whole Middle Eastern theater. People think that if we leave these poor, defenseless nations alone, they’ll stop wanting to kill Americans, Jews, and Christians. Unfortunately, these ideas are so ingrained into the Islamist mindset that they aren’t going to go away – ever. Kow-towing to demands is only going to create more demands.
I think the solution to the decapitation problem comes in two sizes: 5.56mm and 7.76mm. Otherwise, it’s just going to keep going on.
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"Anyone or anything but Bush!"
07.13.04 (9:57 am) [edit]
Here's a [url=http://www.suntimes.com/outpu...]good piece in the [i]Chicago Sun-Times[/i][/url] by Mark Steyn. If the CIA says there was no Niger-Iraq uranium link, then Bush must have been lying, right? Well, only the CIA thinks he was wrong. Seems like every other intelligence service in the world was pretty convinced... and the spook we sent sat around for a couple weeks "drinking mint tea" and "meeting with dozens of people."
Haven't I ranted about the CIA before?
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Haven't I ranted about the CIA before?
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Talking politics and Bowling for Columbine
07.12.04 (9:06 am) [edit]
One of the reasons it’s so hard to discuss politics with anyone is because of the filters we tend to place on the information we take in. People have a tendency of effectively censoring anything that shakes their already-held beliefs.
Here’s how it should work. Information is presented, via education, study, and media, and based on this information, we make an informed opinion on what’s going on.
Instead, what tends to happen is we’ll formulate a belief – for one reason or another – and we’ll tend to believe information that supports or advances this belief. Any contradicting information we’ll tend to think of as lies.
I’m definitely not immune to this, and it’s always a tough thing to get away from.
However, I did rent “Bowling for Columbine” this weekend to get a good look-see at what Michael Moore’s been up to. I went in with an open mind, particularly because the movie is ostensibly about Amer-ica’s fascination with firearms, and what it was that led up to the massacre at the Littleton, Colorado high school.
Moore definitely presents some telling facts. Where other nations report homicide rates from 11 to around 680, the U.S.’ annual homicide count is over 11,000.
Moore also asks some tough questions about the National Rifle Association and it’s spokesman Charlton Heston. The NRA held a rally in Denver shortly after the Columbine tragedy, and again in Flint, Michigan (Moore’s working-class hometown) after an incident where one first grader shot a classmate with a gun found at his uncle’s home.
Some good points were raised. But cheap shots were also taken. You don’t notice them right away (with a few exceptions), but they’re there.
Shooting an interview in front of a huge “U.S. AIR FORCE” missile, including a fast-action animated short on the history of America (which is mostly about white guys shooting non-white people), and suspicious sound-bytes taken out-of-actual-context are the way to go here.
However, as I said, there are some very good points raised by the film, including the media’s constant barrage of violence, which instills a sense of terror in the viewing audience. Moore heads to Canada, where gun ownership is also legal, but homicide rates are much lower, and finds that people don’t lock their doors and watch stories about new playgrounds being built on news TV.
I’ve got to get to work, but I figured I’d get this down before the day pulls into full swing. “Bowling for Columbine” is a prime example of taking up a position and supporting it by only providing the evidence that backs it up, and demonizing everything else.
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Here’s how it should work. Information is presented, via education, study, and media, and based on this information, we make an informed opinion on what’s going on.
Instead, what tends to happen is we’ll formulate a belief – for one reason or another – and we’ll tend to believe information that supports or advances this belief. Any contradicting information we’ll tend to think of as lies.
I’m definitely not immune to this, and it’s always a tough thing to get away from.
However, I did rent “Bowling for Columbine” this weekend to get a good look-see at what Michael Moore’s been up to. I went in with an open mind, particularly because the movie is ostensibly about Amer-ica’s fascination with firearms, and what it was that led up to the massacre at the Littleton, Colorado high school.
Moore definitely presents some telling facts. Where other nations report homicide rates from 11 to around 680, the U.S.’ annual homicide count is over 11,000.
Moore also asks some tough questions about the National Rifle Association and it’s spokesman Charlton Heston. The NRA held a rally in Denver shortly after the Columbine tragedy, and again in Flint, Michigan (Moore’s working-class hometown) after an incident where one first grader shot a classmate with a gun found at his uncle’s home.
Some good points were raised. But cheap shots were also taken. You don’t notice them right away (with a few exceptions), but they’re there.
Shooting an interview in front of a huge “U.S. AIR FORCE” missile, including a fast-action animated short on the history of America (which is mostly about white guys shooting non-white people), and suspicious sound-bytes taken out-of-actual-context are the way to go here.
However, as I said, there are some very good points raised by the film, including the media’s constant barrage of violence, which instills a sense of terror in the viewing audience. Moore heads to Canada, where gun ownership is also legal, but homicide rates are much lower, and finds that people don’t lock their doors and watch stories about new playgrounds being built on news TV.
I’ve got to get to work, but I figured I’d get this down before the day pulls into full swing. “Bowling for Columbine” is a prime example of taking up a position and supporting it by only providing the evidence that backs it up, and demonizing everything else.
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I've gone and done it
07.07.04 (8:54 pm) [edit]
Today I took the plunge on that car I've been lusting after for over a week. I applied for and was approved for a loan, and the insurance is all set up. I picked up a very large check after a tedious change of command ceremony rehearsal today. And so, soon the Land Shark will be mine. Land Shark, of course, is a working title, but that's exactly what this vehicle looks like.
This may be a little repetitive, but it's a 1997 Camaro Z28 hardtop, Sebring silver, automatic (unfortunately; I love standard trans), with a huge 5.7 liter V8 350 engine under the long, sloping hood. The interior is black leather, it has a factory-installed CD player and 200-watt amplifier, the windows are tinted, and it can hit 140 miles per hour without breaking a sweat (apparently it's tough to get the car to over 3,000 rpms).
Naturally, insurance is ridiculous. But hey... I have plenty of time to be responsible later on. Plus, this car's been kept in absolutly flawless condition -- it looks almost as if it just rolled off the factory line, aside from a little road dust on the engine and a couple surfaces that could use a wipe-down inside.
And now it's going to be mine. I've never owned a vehicle larger than a 10-speed mountain bike, even though I did spend a lot of time on a Ford hydrostatic lawnmower back when I lived with the parents. I've done a fair amount of driving -- everything from a ridiculous brown Mark III conversion van to a Rav4 to a baby blue 1984 Crown Victoria (think CHiPs)... but I've never had a car of my very own.
What a way to start out, huh? So now I have to formulate a victory drive plan. I figure I'll do a couple loops around Louisville's highways, blasting some sort of CD. But what song, songs, or album would be best? Here are my options:
The Darkness: Permission to Land
Bad Religion: Recipe for Hate and The Empire Strikes First
NOFX: White Trash, Two Heebs, and a Bean
Pearl Jam: Pretty much anything
Rage Against the Machine: Evil Empire
Aerosmith: Big Ones
Eric Clapton: Live in the '70s
Boston: Boston
Radiohead: OK Computer, Amnesiac, and Hail to the Thief
Audioslave: Audioslave
Velvet Revolver, Guns 'n' Roses....
So much to choose from! It should be something rocking, but I don't have my AC/DC records anymore (thank the CD Continuum, see [url=http://juniperflux.tblog.com]juniperflux's[/url] blog for more on this).
Any suggestions?
-30-
This may be a little repetitive, but it's a 1997 Camaro Z28 hardtop, Sebring silver, automatic (unfortunately; I love standard trans), with a huge 5.7 liter V8 350 engine under the long, sloping hood. The interior is black leather, it has a factory-installed CD player and 200-watt amplifier, the windows are tinted, and it can hit 140 miles per hour without breaking a sweat (apparently it's tough to get the car to over 3,000 rpms).
Naturally, insurance is ridiculous. But hey... I have plenty of time to be responsible later on. Plus, this car's been kept in absolutly flawless condition -- it looks almost as if it just rolled off the factory line, aside from a little road dust on the engine and a couple surfaces that could use a wipe-down inside.
And now it's going to be mine. I've never owned a vehicle larger than a 10-speed mountain bike, even though I did spend a lot of time on a Ford hydrostatic lawnmower back when I lived with the parents. I've done a fair amount of driving -- everything from a ridiculous brown Mark III conversion van to a Rav4 to a baby blue 1984 Crown Victoria (think CHiPs)... but I've never had a car of my very own.
What a way to start out, huh? So now I have to formulate a victory drive plan. I figure I'll do a couple loops around Louisville's highways, blasting some sort of CD. But what song, songs, or album would be best? Here are my options:
The Darkness: Permission to Land
Bad Religion: Recipe for Hate and The Empire Strikes First
NOFX: White Trash, Two Heebs, and a Bean
Pearl Jam: Pretty much anything
Rage Against the Machine: Evil Empire
Aerosmith: Big Ones
Eric Clapton: Live in the '70s
Boston: Boston
Radiohead: OK Computer, Amnesiac, and Hail to the Thief
Audioslave: Audioslave
Velvet Revolver, Guns 'n' Roses....
So much to choose from! It should be something rocking, but I don't have my AC/DC records anymore (thank the CD Continuum, see [url=http://juniperflux.tblog.com]juniperflux's[/url] blog for more on this).
Any suggestions?
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A Quick Quiz
07.06.04 (7:37 pm) [edit]
See if you can name this American president:
He armed a nation that would eventually become an enemy of the United States by sneaking bills through Congress.
He took a nation into a war they did not want to fight. This led to the deaths of countless innocent civilians overseas, not to mention the deaths of many American soldiers and marines.
He took advantage of a catastrophe on our own shores to rally the American people to his cassus belli.
Your answer:__________________ _______
The answer, of course, is Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The war was World War II, which no one seems upset about our having fought in these days. The "enemy" country he armed was Russia, and the catastrophe was Pearl Harbor.
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He armed a nation that would eventually become an enemy of the United States by sneaking bills through Congress.
He took a nation into a war they did not want to fight. This led to the deaths of countless innocent civilians overseas, not to mention the deaths of many American soldiers and marines.
He took advantage of a catastrophe on our own shores to rally the American people to his cassus belli.
Your answer:__________________ _______
The answer, of course, is Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The war was World War II, which no one seems upset about our having fought in these days. The "enemy" country he armed was Russia, and the catastrophe was Pearl Harbor.
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July 4th in Style
07.06.04 (10:19 am) [edit]
July 4 was a blast. My buddy salemonz and I headed up to Louisville’s waterfront to watch the Al Green concert and the fireworks, and to meet up with the hairdresser. I called her when we got up there, and we eventually met up near an inflatable jungle gym with an inflatable body builder wobbling in front of it.
We watched the fireworks, which were accompanied by a variety of “patriotic” music, which included “Proud to be an American,” “Born in the U.S.A.,” and, incongruously, a selection from Handel. One of these things is not like the other…
Ah, fireworks. I’m not quite sure what it is that makes us associate exploding lights in the sky with our country’s independence, but I doubt Paul Revere and John Hancock had much to do with the large numbers of hot dogs and Schlitzes that are consumed on our nation’s birthday, either.
After the artillery barrage, the girls told us they were heading to a party, and asked if we wanted to come along. Is the Pope Catholic?
We picked up some more beer and headed to a duplex apartment a little way into the residential area near downtown. I was crammed into the backseat with two other people, a huge Afro wig, and two boxes of Bud Light, so I couldn’t really tell how we got there.
The folks at the party were all twenty-somethings, some were students, some new teach-ers, some were designers… but they were all smart, funny, and interested in what other people, including us soldiers, thought about things going on. We listened to hip music, chatted, and had a great time through till about 3 a.m.
Folks were starting to fade, and the party was breaking up, so we said our goodbyes and salemonz and I headed back to Slugger Stadium, where he’d parked.
I was pretty proud of myself. I suppose it was really random chance, but I had met these two women out of the blue at the Violent Femmes concert last weekend, which had led to us sitting on the deck of a gorgeous downtown duplex, sipping beer and talking with intelligent people about relevant issues. Score one for old Gonzo.
We have an invitation to head up there again on Friday.
-30-
We watched the fireworks, which were accompanied by a variety of “patriotic” music, which included “Proud to be an American,” “Born in the U.S.A.,” and, incongruously, a selection from Handel. One of these things is not like the other…
Ah, fireworks. I’m not quite sure what it is that makes us associate exploding lights in the sky with our country’s independence, but I doubt Paul Revere and John Hancock had much to do with the large numbers of hot dogs and Schlitzes that are consumed on our nation’s birthday, either.
After the artillery barrage, the girls told us they were heading to a party, and asked if we wanted to come along. Is the Pope Catholic?
We picked up some more beer and headed to a duplex apartment a little way into the residential area near downtown. I was crammed into the backseat with two other people, a huge Afro wig, and two boxes of Bud Light, so I couldn’t really tell how we got there.
The folks at the party were all twenty-somethings, some were students, some new teach-ers, some were designers… but they were all smart, funny, and interested in what other people, including us soldiers, thought about things going on. We listened to hip music, chatted, and had a great time through till about 3 a.m.
Folks were starting to fade, and the party was breaking up, so we said our goodbyes and salemonz and I headed back to Slugger Stadium, where he’d parked.
I was pretty proud of myself. I suppose it was really random chance, but I had met these two women out of the blue at the Violent Femmes concert last weekend, which had led to us sitting on the deck of a gorgeous downtown duplex, sipping beer and talking with intelligent people about relevant issues. Score one for old Gonzo.
We have an invitation to head up there again on Friday.
-30-
Photos
07.04.04 (10:46 am) [edit]
Here are a few photos I've shot but never got around to posting.
This one is of Staff Sgt. Reese and his fiancee, reunited after Reese's tour in Iraq with the 233rd Transportation Company.
233rd Transportation again. All the soldiers were given roses to give to their loved ones. I liked this one, even though it was a bit on the blurry side.
This one speaks for itself.
For the Fourth of July, the Patton Museum was holding war reenactments. This guy was demonstrating a WWII-era Mark 2-2 flamethrower.
Anyway, I hope you all have a great Independence Day. Remember, it's not July 4th without barbeque and beer.
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This one is of Staff Sgt. Reese and his fiancee, reunited after Reese's tour in Iraq with the 233rd Transportation Company.
233rd Transportation again. All the soldiers were given roses to give to their loved ones. I liked this one, even though it was a bit on the blurry side.
This one speaks for itself.
For the Fourth of July, the Patton Museum was holding war reenactments. This guy was demonstrating a WWII-era Mark 2-2 flamethrower.
Anyway, I hope you all have a great Independence Day. Remember, it's not July 4th without barbeque and beer.
-30-
Friday Night at the Meat Market
07.03.04 (2:54 pm) [edit]
Salemonz and I decided to head up to L-Ville last night. We hit Fourth Street Live! and eventually decided to go to a club called O'Malley's to see what all the fuss was about.
We paid five bucks to get in. When we opened to doors, we saw that we'd come too early: the music was bumping and the bars were open, but the only people on the revolving dance floor were three fat chicks grinding with each other.
The other club sections were worse. In the next room, no one was dancing, and the "Coyote" section was filled with fossils in five-gallon hats line-dancing to "Volcano" by Jimmy Buffet.
Strangely enough, the Coyote section had the most redeeming qualities - to wit, the gyrating staff. Apparently, O'Malley's keeps several statuesque blondes on the payroll to show midriff and sell beer from behind large ice-filled tubs. Being that Fort Knox is not exactly brimming with beautiful women, it's nice to go someplace and remind oneself that they do, in fact, exist.
We found our way to the karaoke section, and I waited through several Shania Twain renditions before getting up and stumbling boozily through "Only the Good Die Young" and "Daughter." It was tough to find good music... Salemonz wanted to do "Bohemian Rhapsody," but the disc was broken.
Back in the main dance sections, the floors (and bars) were filling up with clubgoers of varying descriptions. I was deep into one of a long series of Jack and cokes, but I realized that I'm not designed for clubs.
Firstly, there isn't a band to watch. When there's a band playing, I don't mind not being able to carry on a conversation with people next to me. In such a loud, supposedly social atmosphere, I'm completely at a loss as to how to approach people.
I'm not pretty enough. I'm not particularly dissatisfied by the way I look, but I'm honest enough with myself to know that there's nothing striking about my appearance. Just a normal, pretty average guy. Darwin would have a field day at a modern dance club, because it's really genetics that speak the loudest in situations like that. Skin texture, proportion, chest size, fluidity of movement... all of these are much more important in a club than scintillating coversational ability. It's as if it's an evolution party.
After a few hours of people watching, Salemonz and I headed back to Fourth Street. We sat down, but I was exhausted, and he had quit drinking a few hours earlier. We decided to head back to Knox.
On the way back to the parking garage, we found a girl playing violin on the sidewalk outside an art store. There was an aging hillbilly in a Hawaiian shirt asking her if she knew any hoe-down stuff, and she obliged, scraping out some down-home jingles that apparently pleased the country guy. When she took a break, I asked her if she knew and Vivaldi, and she looked through her music stack.
"I don't have [i]Four Seasons[/i], but I know this one by memory," she said.
Salemonz and I sat and listed. I didn't know the name of the song, but I'd heard it before, and I thought it was the greatest thing I'd ever heard, my head being pretty swimmy from all the bourbon.
-30-
We paid five bucks to get in. When we opened to doors, we saw that we'd come too early: the music was bumping and the bars were open, but the only people on the revolving dance floor were three fat chicks grinding with each other.
The other club sections were worse. In the next room, no one was dancing, and the "Coyote" section was filled with fossils in five-gallon hats line-dancing to "Volcano" by Jimmy Buffet.
Strangely enough, the Coyote section had the most redeeming qualities - to wit, the gyrating staff. Apparently, O'Malley's keeps several statuesque blondes on the payroll to show midriff and sell beer from behind large ice-filled tubs. Being that Fort Knox is not exactly brimming with beautiful women, it's nice to go someplace and remind oneself that they do, in fact, exist.
We found our way to the karaoke section, and I waited through several Shania Twain renditions before getting up and stumbling boozily through "Only the Good Die Young" and "Daughter." It was tough to find good music... Salemonz wanted to do "Bohemian Rhapsody," but the disc was broken.
Back in the main dance sections, the floors (and bars) were filling up with clubgoers of varying descriptions. I was deep into one of a long series of Jack and cokes, but I realized that I'm not designed for clubs.
Firstly, there isn't a band to watch. When there's a band playing, I don't mind not being able to carry on a conversation with people next to me. In such a loud, supposedly social atmosphere, I'm completely at a loss as to how to approach people.
I'm not pretty enough. I'm not particularly dissatisfied by the way I look, but I'm honest enough with myself to know that there's nothing striking about my appearance. Just a normal, pretty average guy. Darwin would have a field day at a modern dance club, because it's really genetics that speak the loudest in situations like that. Skin texture, proportion, chest size, fluidity of movement... all of these are much more important in a club than scintillating coversational ability. It's as if it's an evolution party.
After a few hours of people watching, Salemonz and I headed back to Fourth Street. We sat down, but I was exhausted, and he had quit drinking a few hours earlier. We decided to head back to Knox.
On the way back to the parking garage, we found a girl playing violin on the sidewalk outside an art store. There was an aging hillbilly in a Hawaiian shirt asking her if she knew any hoe-down stuff, and she obliged, scraping out some down-home jingles that apparently pleased the country guy. When she took a break, I asked her if she knew and Vivaldi, and she looked through her music stack.
"I don't have [i]Four Seasons[/i], but I know this one by memory," she said.
Salemonz and I sat and listed. I didn't know the name of the song, but I'd heard it before, and I thought it was the greatest thing I'd ever heard, my head being pretty swimmy from all the bourbon.
-30-
Leukemia Story
07.01.04 (12:16 pm) [edit]
[url=http://www.thenewsenterprise....]Knox middle schooler fights sudden leukemia onset[/url]
That's the story. Let me know what you think.
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By the way, if anyone has doubts concerning my being in the Army, feel free to email this "Pfc. Ian Boudreau" who I keep claiming to be (his email address is printed at the top of the article) and let him know some idiot named brogonzo is trying to steal his identity. Five bucks says he'll write you back and tell you to go fornicate yourself, because he is, in fact, brogonzo.
That's the story. Let me know what you think.
-30-
By the way, if anyone has doubts concerning my being in the Army, feel free to email this "Pfc. Ian Boudreau" who I keep claiming to be (his email address is printed at the top of the article) and let him know some idiot named brogonzo is trying to steal his identity. Five bucks says he'll write you back and tell you to go fornicate yourself, because he is, in fact, brogonzo.
Front page, above the fold
07.01.04 (8:16 am) [edit]
I hammered out that story on the boy with leukemia, and it wound up being around 25 column inches -- pretty hefty for a human interest feature. The photo wasn't great, I didn't think, but the whole package led Page 1 (with a jump to A16). Larry said it presented the issue well, without being maudlin. I'll put a link to it in here when the News Enterprise gets it online.
This weekend I'm going to take pictures of an annual World War II equipment demonstration at the Patton Museum. They have a flamethrower demonstration scheduled for 11, so I'm going to aim for that. Afterwards, it's up to the Louisville Waterfront to meet that hairdresser at a music festival.
Being that it's Thursday, I'm sure I'll come up with some diatribe designed to ire the easily ireable. Stay tuned.
-30-
This weekend I'm going to take pictures of an annual World War II equipment demonstration at the Patton Museum. They have a flamethrower demonstration scheduled for 11, so I'm going to aim for that. Afterwards, it's up to the Louisville Waterfront to meet that hairdresser at a music festival.
Being that it's Thursday, I'm sure I'll come up with some diatribe designed to ire the easily ireable. Stay tuned.
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