William F. Buckley, RIP
I've been terribly busy, so I had no chance until now to remark on the passing of William F. Buckley, my favorite conservative (and everyone else's, too, I guess.) As a longtime newspaper reporter, I was delighted by the title of Mr. Buckley's latest book, CANCEL YOUR OWN GODDAM SUBSCRIPTION. My wife, the librarian, who apparently doesn't take very many angry calls from readers, could not make out why the title amused me so much.
Reason's Hit and Run blog posts many interesting notices on Buckley, including this interview with the magazine. Interview on NPR's "Fresh Air" is here.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
From Sandusky to the stars
One of the fringe benefits of working for the Sandusky Register is that I get to cover NASA Plum Brook Station, a nearby NASA facility that tests spacecraft. Here I offer two views of the Space Power Facility. Inside, workers are installing a noise and vibration testing equipment that will be used to test spacecraft for Project Constellation, NASA's project to send astronauts to the Moon and Mars. The dome is above the SPF's world's largest thermal vacuum chamber, which replicates the cold and airlessness of space and was used to make sure the Mars rovers would land safely.
Here's my Register article.
One of the fringe benefits of working for the Sandusky Register is that I get to cover NASA Plum Brook Station, a nearby NASA facility that tests spacecraft. Here I offer two views of the Space Power Facility. Inside, workers are installing a noise and vibration testing equipment that will be used to test spacecraft for Project Constellation, NASA's project to send astronauts to the Moon and Mars. The dome is above the SPF's world's largest thermal vacuum chamber, which replicates the cold and airlessness of space and was used to make sure the Mars rovers would land safely.
Here's my Register article.
The little-known Serbian voting bloc
I'm at the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University, covering the Obama-Clinton debate for my newspaper, the Sandusky Register.
Biggest initial surprise: I heard demonstrators, so I walked over to hear who was making the most noise -- Obama followers or Clinton folk. The answer was neither -- it turned out almost all of the noise was coming from Serbian nationalists protesting the Bush administration's decision to recognize Kosovo as an independent country.
I'm at the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University, covering the Obama-Clinton debate for my newspaper, the Sandusky Register.
Biggest initial surprise: I heard demonstrators, so I walked over to hear who was making the most noise -- Obama followers or Clinton folk. The answer was neither -- it turned out almost all of the noise was coming from Serbian nationalists protesting the Bush administration's decision to recognize Kosovo as an independent country.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Latest political news
Republican candidate in Sandusky: I DID NOT snub my dog ("Now how do you give a dog the silent treatment?")
Sen. Barack Obama: Ready to lead, an inspirational man, but I can't think of anything he's actually done.
Republican candidate in Sandusky: I DID NOT snub my dog ("Now how do you give a dog the silent treatment?")
Sen. Barack Obama: Ready to lead, an inspirational man, but I can't think of anything he's actually done.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
My birthday dinner
This weekend was my birthday, so my wife took me out to dinner to one of my favorite Chinese restaurants, Bo Loong, which is a little bit east of downtown Cleveland, near the Chinat0wn area. It's the kind of place where you often see Chinese people dining and which has items on the menu which you'd never see in an Americanized Chinese restaurant.
I took a couple of photographs at the place, one of which shows Ann at our table. I had the salt baked shrimp, which come in their shells, with two little black eyes like beads on one end. When my wife tried the dish at an earlier visit, she carefully decapitated each shrimp, and the waiter admonished her she was supposed to eat the whole thing. I took his advice and discovered that biting off the head was delicious.
We each had an entree and we each ordered soup. The waiter first brought my entree, then brought our soup, then brought our rice, then finally brought Ann's entree. He seemed puzzled when we pointed out he didn't bring us the soup first. I have no idea if this was bad service or the way genuinely authentic Chinese restaurants do things.
This weekend was my birthday, so my wife took me out to dinner to one of my favorite Chinese restaurants, Bo Loong, which is a little bit east of downtown Cleveland, near the Chinat0wn area. It's the kind of place where you often see Chinese people dining and which has items on the menu which you'd never see in an Americanized Chinese restaurant.
I took a couple of photographs at the place, one of which shows Ann at our table. I had the salt baked shrimp, which come in their shells, with two little black eyes like beads on one end. When my wife tried the dish at an earlier visit, she carefully decapitated each shrimp, and the waiter admonished her she was supposed to eat the whole thing. I took his advice and discovered that biting off the head was delicious.
We each had an entree and we each ordered soup. The waiter first brought my entree, then brought our soup, then brought our rice, then finally brought Ann's entree. He seemed puzzled when we pointed out he didn't bring us the soup first. I have no idea if this was bad service or the way genuinely authentic Chinese restaurants do things.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
You said it, Chuck
Let us make of day a delirium
And of the night a theatre of desire
-- "Epigrams," Charles Henri Ford
Let us make of day a delirium
And of the night a theatre of desire
-- "Epigrams," Charles Henri Ford
Monday, January 28, 2008
Carlos Ruiz Zafon's THE SHADOW OF THE WIND
I generally try to concentrate on one book at a time, but as I am reading the Katha Pollitt book I am making my way through THE SHADOW OF THE WIND, loaned to me by a co-worker.
There's a section close to the beginning of the book in which a colleague takes the protagonist, then a young boy, to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a Barcelona library. His father, a bookstore owner, tells him, "In this place, books no longer remembered by anyone, books that are lost in time, live forever, waiting for the day they will reach a new reader's hands. In the shop we buy and sell them, but in truth books have no owner. Every book you see here have been somebody's best friend."
While I have tried to thin down my library at home to manageable levels, I keep some of them around because they feel like old friends. And I worry, perhaps irrationally, perhaps not, that some of them might be forgotten, just like the books in that mysterious library. After I read the passage in the book, I pulled down my copy of THE BOOK OF BRIAN ALDISS. It's an old 1970s paperback anthology of short stories by a science fiction writer. I read it when I was in college and I've kept the book over the years because I liked it so much. Does anyone else remember it?
I generally try to concentrate on one book at a time, but as I am reading the Katha Pollitt book I am making my way through THE SHADOW OF THE WIND, loaned to me by a co-worker.
There's a section close to the beginning of the book in which a colleague takes the protagonist, then a young boy, to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a Barcelona library. His father, a bookstore owner, tells him, "In this place, books no longer remembered by anyone, books that are lost in time, live forever, waiting for the day they will reach a new reader's hands. In the shop we buy and sell them, but in truth books have no owner. Every book you see here have been somebody's best friend."
While I have tried to thin down my library at home to manageable levels, I keep some of them around because they feel like old friends. And I worry, perhaps irrationally, perhaps not, that some of them might be forgotten, just like the books in that mysterious library. After I read the passage in the book, I pulled down my copy of THE BOOK OF BRIAN ALDISS. It's an old 1970s paperback anthology of short stories by a science fiction writer. I read it when I was in college and I've kept the book over the years because I liked it so much. Does anyone else remember it?
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Katha Pollitt's LEARNING TO DRIVE
I've just started Katha Pollitt's book of essays, LEARNING TO DRIVE. (I fell in love with her writing years ago, reading "The Nation" magazine. Here is her weird blog, where she refers to herself in the third person and links to recent "Nation" columns, which seem to be just as good as ever.) Here's a passage that captures her style, from the first essay in the book (the title essay):
Observation is my weakness. I did not realize that my mother is a secret drinker. I did not realize that the man I lived with, my soul mate, made for me in Marxist heaven, was a dedicated philanderer, that the drab colleague he insinuated into our social life was his long-standing secret girlfriend, or that the young art critic he mocked as silly and second-rate was being groomed as my replacement. I noticed that our apartment was becoming a grunge palace, with books and papers collecting dust on every surface and kitty litter crunching underfoot. I observed ... that I was spending many hours in my study, engaged in arcane e-mail debates with strangers, that I had gained twenty-five pounds in our seven years together and could not fit into many of my clothes. I realized it was not likely that the unfamiliar pink and black-striped bikini panties in the clean clothes basket were the result, as he claimed, of a simply laundry mix-up. But all this awareness was like the impending danger in one of those slow-motion dreams of paralysis, information that could be processed. It was like seeing the man with the suitcase step off the curb and driving forward anyway.
The reference to her philandering ex-boyfriend is one of the major themes of the book -- do we really know the people we think we know? -- but it's typical of Pollitt that she makes the point so vividly, with the tell-tale bikini panties. I also love the sly way she slips the knife into her rivals -- the "drab" ex-colleague, the younger woman who was mocked behind her back.
I've just started Katha Pollitt's book of essays, LEARNING TO DRIVE. (I fell in love with her writing years ago, reading "The Nation" magazine. Here is her weird blog, where she refers to herself in the third person and links to recent "Nation" columns, which seem to be just as good as ever.) Here's a passage that captures her style, from the first essay in the book (the title essay):
Observation is my weakness. I did not realize that my mother is a secret drinker. I did not realize that the man I lived with, my soul mate, made for me in Marxist heaven, was a dedicated philanderer, that the drab colleague he insinuated into our social life was his long-standing secret girlfriend, or that the young art critic he mocked as silly and second-rate was being groomed as my replacement. I noticed that our apartment was becoming a grunge palace, with books and papers collecting dust on every surface and kitty litter crunching underfoot. I observed ... that I was spending many hours in my study, engaged in arcane e-mail debates with strangers, that I had gained twenty-five pounds in our seven years together and could not fit into many of my clothes. I realized it was not likely that the unfamiliar pink and black-striped bikini panties in the clean clothes basket were the result, as he claimed, of a simply laundry mix-up. But all this awareness was like the impending danger in one of those slow-motion dreams of paralysis, information that could be processed. It was like seeing the man with the suitcase step off the curb and driving forward anyway.
The reference to her philandering ex-boyfriend is one of the major themes of the book -- do we really know the people we think we know? -- but it's typical of Pollitt that she makes the point so vividly, with the tell-tale bikini panties. I also love the sly way she slips the knife into her rivals -- the "drab" ex-colleague, the younger woman who was mocked behind her back.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Robert Shea's SHAMAN
Robert Shea's SHAMAN is a historical novel about the Black Hawk War and the days when the state of Illinois was a frontier. It's very different from the ILLUMINATUS! trilogy Shea wrote with Robert Anton Wilson. Written in straighforward prose, the book details the adventures of a man who is half Native American, half white and who has a foot in both camps. (I knew I was nearing the end when he finally had to choose between his white wife and his Indian wife.) Allowing for lots of writerly invention, the book does have accurate details on the war, and it's also a really good read, although I suspect the exploits of one sharpshooter in the book have to be taken with a grain of salt. I'm curious whether some of the other books bear a closer relation to ILLUMINATUS.
The official Robert Shea site is here. For my interview with his son, Mike Shea, who maintains the site, see here.
Robert Shea's SHAMAN is a historical novel about the Black Hawk War and the days when the state of Illinois was a frontier. It's very different from the ILLUMINATUS! trilogy Shea wrote with Robert Anton Wilson. Written in straighforward prose, the book details the adventures of a man who is half Native American, half white and who has a foot in both camps. (I knew I was nearing the end when he finally had to choose between his white wife and his Indian wife.) Allowing for lots of writerly invention, the book does have accurate details on the war, and it's also a really good read, although I suspect the exploits of one sharpshooter in the book have to be taken with a grain of salt. I'm curious whether some of the other books bear a closer relation to ILLUMINATUS.
The official Robert Shea site is here. For my interview with his son, Mike Shea, who maintains the site, see here.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Books read 2007
1. 9-11 Commission Report.
2. Virtual Music, William Duckworth.
3. Rules for Old Men Waiting, Peter Pouncey.
4. Talking Music, William Duckworth.
5. Thermopylae, Paul Cartledge.
6. Joe College, Tom Perrotta.
7. Play by Play, Neal Conan.
8. The Burglar in the Library, Lawrence Block.
9. Look to Windward, Iain M. Banks.
10. 20/20: 20 News Sounds of the 20th Century, William Duckworth.
11. The History of the Ancient World, Susan Wise Bauer.
12. Radicals for Capitalism, Brian Doherty.
13. A Thousand Deaths, George Alec Effinger.
14. Hot Ticket, Janice Weber.
15. Justinian's Flea, William Rosen.
16. The Beatles in Cleveland, Dave Schwensen.
17. The Day of the Barbarians, Alessandro Barbaro.
18. Email to the Universe, Robert Anton Wilson.
19. The Peculiar Exploits of Brigadier Ffelowes, Sterling Lanier.
20. Searoad, Ursula K. LeGuin.
21. The Malacia Tapestry, Brian Aldiss.
22. The Blue World, Jack Vance (re-read).
23. The Hellenistic Age, Peter Green.
24. The Eye in the Pyramid, Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson (re-read).
25. The Golden Apple, Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson (re-read).
26. Leviathan, Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson (re-read).
27. Tales, H.P. Lovecraft (Library of America).
28. The Stonehenge Gate, Jack Williamson (audiobook).
29. A Greek Roman Empire, Fergus Millar.
30. The Pursuit of Alice Thrift, Elinor Lipman (audiobook).
31. The Rest Is Noise, Alex Ross.
32. The Abstinence Teacher, Tom Perrotta.
33. Overblown, John Muellar.
1. 9-11 Commission Report.
2. Virtual Music, William Duckworth.
3. Rules for Old Men Waiting, Peter Pouncey.
4. Talking Music, William Duckworth.
5. Thermopylae, Paul Cartledge.
6. Joe College, Tom Perrotta.
7. Play by Play, Neal Conan.
8. The Burglar in the Library, Lawrence Block.
9. Look to Windward, Iain M. Banks.
10. 20/20: 20 News Sounds of the 20th Century, William Duckworth.
11. The History of the Ancient World, Susan Wise Bauer.
12. Radicals for Capitalism, Brian Doherty.
13. A Thousand Deaths, George Alec Effinger.
14. Hot Ticket, Janice Weber.
15. Justinian's Flea, William Rosen.
16. The Beatles in Cleveland, Dave Schwensen.
17. The Day of the Barbarians, Alessandro Barbaro.
18. Email to the Universe, Robert Anton Wilson.
19. The Peculiar Exploits of Brigadier Ffelowes, Sterling Lanier.
20. Searoad, Ursula K. LeGuin.
21. The Malacia Tapestry, Brian Aldiss.
22. The Blue World, Jack Vance (re-read).
23. The Hellenistic Age, Peter Green.
24. The Eye in the Pyramid, Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson (re-read).
25. The Golden Apple, Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson (re-read).
26. Leviathan, Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson (re-read).
27. Tales, H.P. Lovecraft (Library of America).
28. The Stonehenge Gate, Jack Williamson (audiobook).
29. A Greek Roman Empire, Fergus Millar.
30. The Pursuit of Alice Thrift, Elinor Lipman (audiobook).
31. The Rest Is Noise, Alex Ross.
32. The Abstinence Teacher, Tom Perrotta.
33. Overblown, John Muellar.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Happy birthday, Arthur C. Clarke
An old favorite of mine, Arthur C. Clarke, has turned 90, and he's celebrated by posting a video on YouTube to greet his fans. Thanks to Brett Cox for noting this on his blog, as I otherwise would not have noticed. Clarke points out in the video that the space age is now 50 years old.
An old favorite of mine, Arthur C. Clarke, has turned 90, and he's celebrated by posting a video on YouTube to greet his fans. Thanks to Brett Cox for noting this on his blog, as I otherwise would not have noticed. Clarke points out in the video that the space age is now 50 years old.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Elevated discourse from the blogosphere
Not on board yet with the received wisdom that illegal Mexican immigrants are a dire threat to the Republic? Ilana Mercer says you are a traitor. Or as she writes in her blog post, "Open borders is the litmus test for philosophical treason."
Mercer doesn't oppose ALL immigration. Elsewhere in the post, she says that emigrated from South Africa. Apparently under her policy proposal, immigrants who can submit prose samples proving the ability to sound like Ann Coulter without a sense of humor would still be admitted.
Oh, and the people who don't support Ron Paul for president are "pussies" (same posting.) There's no word yet on whether Mercer is forming a committee of female bloggers for Paul, although I think "Women Against Pussies" has kind of a nice ring to it.
Not on board yet with the received wisdom that illegal Mexican immigrants are a dire threat to the Republic? Ilana Mercer says you are a traitor. Or as she writes in her blog post, "Open borders is the litmus test for philosophical treason."
Mercer doesn't oppose ALL immigration. Elsewhere in the post, she says that emigrated from South Africa. Apparently under her policy proposal, immigrants who can submit prose samples proving the ability to sound like Ann Coulter without a sense of humor would still be admitted.
Oh, and the people who don't support Ron Paul for president are "pussies" (same posting.) There's no word yet on whether Mercer is forming a committee of female bloggers for Paul, although I think "Women Against Pussies" has kind of a nice ring to it.
Monday, December 03, 2007
The new revisionism
Noninterventionism -- the doctrine of peace and free trade -- has been the mainstream position of libertarianism for decades. It's the foreign policy position that's always been advocated by the main libertarian political party, the main libertarian think-tank and every Libertarian Party presidential candidate who comes to mind, such as Harry Browne, Ron Paul, etc.
It's easy to see why. At the end of the day, libertarianism (or classic liberalism) is the "mind your own business" doctrine. You can't really say, "I believe in minding my own business, but I support invading countries halfway around the world such as Iraq that represent no threat to the U.S., so that I can kill thousands of people who have never done me any harm."
Lately, there's been a revisionist line that insists that libertarianism is somehow inherently militaristic. That's the position taken by Eric Dondero, chairman of the "Libertarian Defense Caucus," who posted a comment to my Nov. 30 posting.
What do real libertarians believe? Here is a typical posting on the Cato Institute's blog. Here's another, by a different author.
Here is the Libertarian Party's current position on the war in Iraq, which criticizes Democrats for not moving decisively enough to get us out of the war: "The Democrats don't seem poised to do anything which will substantially change our presence in Iraq. It is time for U.S. forces to withdraw from Iraq as quickly as possible in a manner consistent with the with the safety of our troops."
Noninterventionism -- the doctrine of peace and free trade -- has been the mainstream position of libertarianism for decades. It's the foreign policy position that's always been advocated by the main libertarian political party, the main libertarian think-tank and every Libertarian Party presidential candidate who comes to mind, such as Harry Browne, Ron Paul, etc.
It's easy to see why. At the end of the day, libertarianism (or classic liberalism) is the "mind your own business" doctrine. You can't really say, "I believe in minding my own business, but I support invading countries halfway around the world such as Iraq that represent no threat to the U.S., so that I can kill thousands of people who have never done me any harm."
Lately, there's been a revisionist line that insists that libertarianism is somehow inherently militaristic. That's the position taken by Eric Dondero, chairman of the "Libertarian Defense Caucus," who posted a comment to my Nov. 30 posting.
What do real libertarians believe? Here is a typical posting on the Cato Institute's blog. Here's another, by a different author.
Here is the Libertarian Party's current position on the war in Iraq, which criticizes Democrats for not moving decisively enough to get us out of the war: "The Democrats don't seem poised to do anything which will substantially change our presence in Iraq. It is time for U.S. forces to withdraw from Iraq as quickly as possible in a manner consistent with the with the safety of our troops."
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Kill the infidel teddybears!
In the Sudan, a British schoolteacher has been punished for defaming Islam because she allowed her class to name a teddybear.
OK, everybody act surprised.
In the Sudan, a British schoolteacher has been punished for defaming Islam because she allowed her class to name a teddybear.
OK, everybody act surprised.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Instapundit's flexible facts
There's an old saying that "facts are stubborn things." But over at Instapundit, famed blogger Glenn Reynolds is trying to change the definition of what a libertarian is.
Reynolds, a reliable neocon with a few libertarian positions, has been mounting a sustained attempt to redefine what a libertarian is. He constantly offers posts such as this one to support his ongoing thesis that libertarians support the war in Iraq.
Glenn Reynolds will never tell you this, because it doesn't fit his ideological line, but noninterventionism is the mainstream libertarian position. It's been that way for more than 30 years, ever since the Libertarian Party was established.
Reynolds also likes to quote snarky comments left at big media sites, while banning comments at his own site.
Update: Reynolds complains about being called a "conservative blogger" because he supports Bush and the war. It gives a "false impression about yours truly," he says.
There's an old saying that "facts are stubborn things." But over at Instapundit, famed blogger Glenn Reynolds is trying to change the definition of what a libertarian is.
Reynolds, a reliable neocon with a few libertarian positions, has been mounting a sustained attempt to redefine what a libertarian is. He constantly offers posts such as this one to support his ongoing thesis that libertarians support the war in Iraq.
Glenn Reynolds will never tell you this, because it doesn't fit his ideological line, but noninterventionism is the mainstream libertarian position. It's been that way for more than 30 years, ever since the Libertarian Party was established.
Reynolds also likes to quote snarky comments left at big media sites, while banning comments at his own site.
Update: Reynolds complains about being called a "conservative blogger" because he supports Bush and the war. It gives a "false impression about yours truly," he says.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Library of America SF offerings?
As I mentioned a few posts ago, I've been reading the Library of America's H.P. Lovecraft collection.
I'm having fun with it, and I'm sure the new Philip K. Dick volume is good (I've already read most of the novels in it), but I can't help but think if Library of America wants to tackle science and fiction and fantasy, there are plenty of other authors it should consider.
The most obvious omission so far is Robert Heinlein, and he deserves at least two volumes, if not three. A true Heinleinologist such as Brett Cox would be a good pick to edit the volumes, but I would think volume one could include THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS, DOUBLE STAR, THE STAR BEAST and a few seminal novellas such as "Universe," clearing the way for volume two to reprint some of the political/oddball stuff, such as STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND and STARSHIP TROOPERS.
If H.P. Lovecraft is good enough to make the cut, why not Jack Williamson? DARKER THAN YOU THINK is kind of a great novel, much better than anything Lovecraft ever wrote. A Williamson volume also could include "With Folded Hands" and some of the other better novels and stories. I'm not enough of a Williamson expert to offer many suggestions.
But I'm on firm ground with two other authors. A Roger Zelazny volume of THIS IMMORTAL, LORD OF LIGHT and MY NAME IS LEGION, with a few of the better stories thrown in (the obvious early ones like "A Rose for Ecclesiastes" and "The Dream Master," but don't forget a few later ones such as "24 Views of Mt. Fuji by Hokusai") would be a killer volume.
If we can dream of an alternate universe where R.A. Lafferty would be considered, I'd suggest the novels PAST MASTER, FOURTH MANSIONS and OKLA HANNALI, all or of most of the collection NINE HUNDRED GRANDMOTHERS and choice selections from the other story collections.
As I mentioned a few posts ago, I've been reading the Library of America's H.P. Lovecraft collection.
I'm having fun with it, and I'm sure the new Philip K. Dick volume is good (I've already read most of the novels in it), but I can't help but think if Library of America wants to tackle science and fiction and fantasy, there are plenty of other authors it should consider.
The most obvious omission so far is Robert Heinlein, and he deserves at least two volumes, if not three. A true Heinleinologist such as Brett Cox would be a good pick to edit the volumes, but I would think volume one could include THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS, DOUBLE STAR, THE STAR BEAST and a few seminal novellas such as "Universe," clearing the way for volume two to reprint some of the political/oddball stuff, such as STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND and STARSHIP TROOPERS.
If H.P. Lovecraft is good enough to make the cut, why not Jack Williamson? DARKER THAN YOU THINK is kind of a great novel, much better than anything Lovecraft ever wrote. A Williamson volume also could include "With Folded Hands" and some of the other better novels and stories. I'm not enough of a Williamson expert to offer many suggestions.
But I'm on firm ground with two other authors. A Roger Zelazny volume of THIS IMMORTAL, LORD OF LIGHT and MY NAME IS LEGION, with a few of the better stories thrown in (the obvious early ones like "A Rose for Ecclesiastes" and "The Dream Master," but don't forget a few later ones such as "24 Views of Mt. Fuji by Hokusai") would be a killer volume.
If we can dream of an alternate universe where R.A. Lafferty would be considered, I'd suggest the novels PAST MASTER, FOURTH MANSIONS and OKLA HANNALI, all or of most of the collection NINE HUNDRED GRANDMOTHERS and choice selections from the other story collections.
Hoynsie answers my question
I fire a tough question at the Cleveland Plain Dealer's baseball guru, Paul Hoynes, and to his credit, he answers it.
I fire a tough question at the Cleveland Plain Dealer's baseball guru, Paul Hoynes, and to his credit, he answers it.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
We add links
I've added a few links at the right side of the page.
Antiwar.com is a site run by a peacenik libertarian which includes pro-peace opinions from across the political spectrum. I don't agree with everything I read there, but it's a useful antidote to all of the militarism which seems to dominate political discussion these days. (My foreign policy views are as follows: I don't think we should invade any country unless it has attacked us or represents a real threat. I favored the war in Afghanistan, but I don't want to stay there. I want to get out of Iraq in particular and the Mideast in general, i.e. I favor pulling all of our troops out of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, etc.)
Ron Paul is the candidate I currently favor for president. Arthur Hlavaty is a prominent SF fan who is always interesting.
I've added a few links at the right side of the page.
Antiwar.com is a site run by a peacenik libertarian which includes pro-peace opinions from across the political spectrum. I don't agree with everything I read there, but it's a useful antidote to all of the militarism which seems to dominate political discussion these days. (My foreign policy views are as follows: I don't think we should invade any country unless it has attacked us or represents a real threat. I favored the war in Afghanistan, but I don't want to stay there. I want to get out of Iraq in particular and the Mideast in general, i.e. I favor pulling all of our troops out of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, etc.)
Ron Paul is the candidate I currently favor for president. Arthur Hlavaty is a prominent SF fan who is always interesting.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Baseball is unfair
I'm having a hard time coping with the Indians' playoff loss to the Boston Red Sox.
I understand that you can't win them all, and I don't want to minimize the Indians' achievement. I'm very pleased they won a tough division and destroyed the Yankees in four games in the first round of the playoffs.
But it's tough to take a 3-1 lead in a best of seven series and then lose. It's even tougher to lose when your team has almost overcome a rigged, unfair system and has fallen just short.
Think I'm exaggerating when I complain that Major League Baseball is rigged? Consider a few facts.
The New York Yankees have the highest payroll in baseball, followed by the Boston Red Sox.
The 2007 playoff teams were the Yankees, Red Sox, Indians and Angels.
The 2006 teams were the Yankees, Tigers, Twins and Athletics.
In 2005, it was the Yankees, Red Sox and two others. In 2004, the Yankees, Red Sox and two others. In 2003, the Yankees, Red Sox and two others.
Do you sense a pattern here?
It sounds to me that George Steinbrenner, the owner of the Yankees, can go out a buy a playoff berth every year, much like I go to the supermarket every few weeks to buy a bag of onions.
It's almost as much of a lock for Boston. In most years, you can reserve two playoff spots for the two richest teams.
It's worth looking at actual payroll numbers, just to see how unfair the system is.
The American League has 14 teams. The Yankees, rounding off the payroll to the nearest million, had a payroll of $190 million. The Red Sox got by with $143 million. The Cleveland Indians' payroll was $62 million, less than 1/3 of the Yankees.
When the seventh and deciding game of the Indians-Red Sox series was played, the Sox sent Daisuke Matsuzaka to the mound.
The Red Sox paid about $51 million in 2006 just for the right to talk to Matsuzaka, the best pitcher in Japan. (Notice that's about 80 percent of the entire Indians payroll). The six-year contract for the plutocrat pitcher cost another $52 million.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays' payroll in 2007 was $24 million.
Does anyone believe Tampa Bay will make the playoffs next year?
How would you like to be the marketing guy in charge of selling Tampa Bay Devil Ray season tickets?
You have to wonder what the direct mail appeals say.
"Join our team in the American League East cellar in 2008. Plenty of good seats remain available!"
It doesn't have to be this way. The National Football League has demonstrated that in a fair system, everyone benefits.
The NFL has a hard salary cap that ensures that no team can automatically buy a playoff berth every year. (Major League Baseball has a "soft," useless salary cap).
No manmade system is perfect, so smart NFL general managers can figure out creative ways to deal with the salary cap, but the gross inequities of baseball just don't exist in football. Even the fans of lousy NFL teams can hold out hope for a turnaround.
Since NFL team resources are nearly equal, bad teams can be fixed if they can find smart management and a good coach. The New Orleans Saints, once a national symbol of pigskin failure, made the playoffs last year. Even the sorry Cleveland Browns have a winning record as I write this.
Is it just a big coincidence that the NFL is the most popular sport in the country?
Yes, it's an exciting sport that looks great on television.
But some of the popularity must come from knowing that your NFL team has at least a chance to wind up in the Super Bowl, regardless of what city it represents.
NCAA football also has become more competitive, with teams I had never heard of before such as Boise State and South Florida suddenly becoming major powers.
Fairness in baseball would benefit nearly everyone.
Maybe the Boston Red Sox fans who crowd into the team's silly Arena Baseball stadium, the one with the tiny left field, wouldn't care for it. Maybe the arrogant New York Yankees fans who believe an annual World Series berth is their birthright wouldn't like it either.
But fans of most teams would like it just fine if their teams were treated fairly.
And baseball would benefit, too. A fan who believes his team has a chance to win it all is a fan who will buy tickets.
I'm having a hard time coping with the Indians' playoff loss to the Boston Red Sox.
I understand that you can't win them all, and I don't want to minimize the Indians' achievement. I'm very pleased they won a tough division and destroyed the Yankees in four games in the first round of the playoffs.
But it's tough to take a 3-1 lead in a best of seven series and then lose. It's even tougher to lose when your team has almost overcome a rigged, unfair system and has fallen just short.
Think I'm exaggerating when I complain that Major League Baseball is rigged? Consider a few facts.
The New York Yankees have the highest payroll in baseball, followed by the Boston Red Sox.
The 2007 playoff teams were the Yankees, Red Sox, Indians and Angels.
The 2006 teams were the Yankees, Tigers, Twins and Athletics.
In 2005, it was the Yankees, Red Sox and two others. In 2004, the Yankees, Red Sox and two others. In 2003, the Yankees, Red Sox and two others.
Do you sense a pattern here?
It sounds to me that George Steinbrenner, the owner of the Yankees, can go out a buy a playoff berth every year, much like I go to the supermarket every few weeks to buy a bag of onions.
It's almost as much of a lock for Boston. In most years, you can reserve two playoff spots for the two richest teams.
It's worth looking at actual payroll numbers, just to see how unfair the system is.
The American League has 14 teams. The Yankees, rounding off the payroll to the nearest million, had a payroll of $190 million. The Red Sox got by with $143 million. The Cleveland Indians' payroll was $62 million, less than 1/3 of the Yankees.
When the seventh and deciding game of the Indians-Red Sox series was played, the Sox sent Daisuke Matsuzaka to the mound.
The Red Sox paid about $51 million in 2006 just for the right to talk to Matsuzaka, the best pitcher in Japan. (Notice that's about 80 percent of the entire Indians payroll). The six-year contract for the plutocrat pitcher cost another $52 million.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays' payroll in 2007 was $24 million.
Does anyone believe Tampa Bay will make the playoffs next year?
How would you like to be the marketing guy in charge of selling Tampa Bay Devil Ray season tickets?
You have to wonder what the direct mail appeals say.
"Join our team in the American League East cellar in 2008. Plenty of good seats remain available!"
It doesn't have to be this way. The National Football League has demonstrated that in a fair system, everyone benefits.
The NFL has a hard salary cap that ensures that no team can automatically buy a playoff berth every year. (Major League Baseball has a "soft," useless salary cap).
No manmade system is perfect, so smart NFL general managers can figure out creative ways to deal with the salary cap, but the gross inequities of baseball just don't exist in football. Even the fans of lousy NFL teams can hold out hope for a turnaround.
Since NFL team resources are nearly equal, bad teams can be fixed if they can find smart management and a good coach. The New Orleans Saints, once a national symbol of pigskin failure, made the playoffs last year. Even the sorry Cleveland Browns have a winning record as I write this.
Is it just a big coincidence that the NFL is the most popular sport in the country?
Yes, it's an exciting sport that looks great on television.
But some of the popularity must come from knowing that your NFL team has at least a chance to wind up in the Super Bowl, regardless of what city it represents.
NCAA football also has become more competitive, with teams I had never heard of before such as Boise State and South Florida suddenly becoming major powers.
Fairness in baseball would benefit nearly everyone.
Maybe the Boston Red Sox fans who crowd into the team's silly Arena Baseball stadium, the one with the tiny left field, wouldn't care for it. Maybe the arrogant New York Yankees fans who believe an annual World Series berth is their birthright wouldn't like it either.
But fans of most teams would like it just fine if their teams were treated fairly.
And baseball would benefit, too. A fan who believes his team has a chance to win it all is a fan who will buy tickets.
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