Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Flood of 2007


It came down in buckets. That is the old cliche about heavy rainfall, but this time it was not far from the truth. From after midnight Sunday morning we had over 8 inches of rain in about 24 hours. I have never seen rain like this, and I lived for years in the rainy Pacific Northwest.

Well, Sunday night the fire trucks came through the neighborhood with sirens and lights blaring. They were telling all residents via the loudspeakers to tune to the local emergency radio station. This was at 11:30pm Sunday night, that was the harbinger that something serious was afoot. More serious than the usual flooding of the flood plain.

I was awakened Monday morning at 5am by the emergency sirens in town. I dressed and walked down to find out how the neighborhood looked. After just over two blocks, I found the river. It was creeping toward the house slowly, as I retreated home the rain mixed with some sleet and snowflakes (what kind of crazy storm was this?).

Luckily, I had found the online river gauges and was monitoring them and alternately going outside to see the river coming closer. By just before noon, the water stopped advancing, it was but 4 houses away. Figuring that we narrowly escaped damage, I headed to the restroom. Imagine my surprise when I heard the unmistakable sound of cascading water coming up from the basement.

The river water was coming up the drains through the sink basin. Not gushing, but steady nonetheless. The Macgyver instinct took over and I set up a makeshift dam around the furnace, had to make sure that pilot light didn't get extinguished by water. Next we corralled all of our trash cans, recycling bins, and buckets from the house and went to work. Filling the large cans and then we had to go, one bucket at a time each, up the stairs and dump the water out back. This began at around noon...by 3pm the hopelessness was tangible. It seemed all we could do was keep the water level barely in the sink, but if we would pause or slow down, it would resume spilling into the basement.

The feeling of despair was palpable, until we got a break by 5pm. One of the two drains in the split sink stopped discharging water. With new found hope, and only about half of the amount of water coming in, a slight relief passed over. We were finally able to get the sink to a very low point and proceeded to jam up the drain with some foam/plastic and then placed heavy pain cans atop of it. It was not sealed completely, but it slowed the flow to a slight stream. We did the same jamming to the other sink drain, and began emptying out the large bins while we had the chance.

Finally, around 630pm, or about 6 and a half hours after we started, the flow of river water virtually stopped. I kept the drains plugged for the time being and continued checking the sinks into the night. Eventually, after 3am, the water remaining in the sinks drained out. We had done it, we saved the house from severe damage.

Tuesday was spent emptying all the other bins we used for water, and for the mopping up of remaining puddles in the cellar. The debris removal was next and we piled up our waterlogged belongings at the curb. Upon completion of this task yesterday, I stood at the end of the driveway and took a look around. The sight was depressing...people pumping out their homes and basements, piling belongings at the curb, many trucks from the power company swarming through the streets, police vehicles on patrol, fire trucks responding to emergencies, and just people in motion like robots.

Sadly, many of these people went through the same thing in 1999. Fortunately, this flood was not quite as bad, but that is like comparing the severity of gunshot wounds....they both hurt a lot and traumatize people, the difference in the degree of suffering is only slight.

The good news is that I have heard no word of fatalities or even serious injuries in town, belongings can be replaced...lives cannot.

God bless those who suffered, and I pray they get their lives back together soon. Let's all hope that this really IS a once-in-a-lifetime storm (like they said the flood of 1999 was).
[NOTE: The picture at top is of the advancing water at 8am]

Friday, April 13, 2007

The Decline Of Rap Music

It was 1986 and hip hop stars Run DMC just released what would become their most successful album, Raising Hell. On this landmark recording, the rap trio also resurrected the dormant career of rock legends Aerosmith and broke down walls separating the two musical genres. Looking at hip hop music today, one can see many more similarities between rock and rap.

As a child of the 80s, I grew up with the rise and explosion of rap music as well as the dominance of 80's metal. Those who are my age can clearly see the very similar paths that these genres have taken.

In the late 1980s, rap music was a "hip" underground form of entertainment. MTV finally added a rap video program in 1988, and most teens my age became fans of BET (when, as white teens, we couldn't even locate that network previously) since they showed more R&B and rap videos. When the first wave of "gangster rap" music came out with N.W.A., Too Short, 2 Live Crew and others, the uncensored albums were very hard to find. I remember going back and forth across Portland from record store to record store in search of certain albums.

When you were able to buy an N.W.A. album or a Too Short album, it would soon be passed around amongst your peers so everyone could make a dub. I remember wishing that the music was more accessible and more widespread. My first rap concert was in 1990, I went to a Public Enemy show. I had bought a ticket in the second row, and was so excited about seeing Chuck D, Flavor Flav and Terminator X. The show was fantastic, and I even enjoyed the opening act, a NY trio named The Afros. The feeling that I was in on some special musical wave was awesome and indescribable. I would scoff at those in school who were listening to the "top 40" pop stuff.

The perfect timing of my youth enabled me to also be able to enjoy the tidal wave of metal popularity. Def Leppard, Metallica, Skid Row and others dominated my cassette rotation as well. Even though I couldn't see it clearly at the time, I did get a feel that metal was cannibalizing itself. Soon, every new group sounded and looked the same. The same songs would seemingly be released again and again. At the same time, rap began to bubble up to the mainstream. MC Hammer, Ice T, and (ugh) Vanilla Ice brought rap onto the charts.

In the early 90s, a wild whirlwind hit the music industry. Grunge rock hit from Seattle and bumped the deteriorating metal scene into the background. Simultaneously, rap music was becoming more and more popular. N.W.A., Ice Cube, and others became almost mainstream artists, Snoop Dogg came onto the scene, and by the mid 90s rap was incorporated into popular music.

You could easily paint the comparisons right then, one decade earlier, 80s metal bubbled up and became mainstream and then became less and less creative and more corporate. Now, by the late 90s rap music was doing the same thing. You can hear it still today, every rap song that comes out seems to sound just like another and all of the lyrics are basically the same. Just like metal did, rap is cannibalizing itself, and the creativity is being lost.

Looking back at Public Enemy, my favorite rap group of all time, they have been pushed into the underground. Unless you are doing a facsimile of the "gangster rap" genre, the record labels want nothing to do with you. The similarity to when metal became only about big hair, shiny outfits and party songs is very noticeable. Now, metal was both killed and saved when grunge became the big thing in 1991. Many metal bands have regrouped and returned to filled arenas nationwide. I have been, and am still, waiting for the big creative giant to come and overhaul rap music. There needs to be a new voice, a creative new spirit, to redirect rap into a new realm. It is sad to see a once innovative, brilliant, creative musical genre become so stale and lifeless.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

NFL Again Leads The Way

A great move by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, he modified the league's "code of conduct" policy with the assistance of the player's association. This groundbreaking (for sports) policy holds all members of each organization responsible for their actions, that alone is a rarity in today's society.

The new rules also state that it doesn't necessarily matter what the courts decide, that the league can discipline you for being involved in bad behavior without a conviction or trial. Two things that make this policy great are: extending the code of conduct to all employees of the league and each team, so from the video guy to the assistant travel secretary everyone is accountable. Secondly, the league is adding counseling for incoming rookies and for policy offenders. THAT is a fantastic addition, not just telling everyone to keep on the straight and narrow, but giving them assistance to do so. In the words of a great beer commercial...BRILLIANT!

The first casualties of the policy are Cincinnati Bengals WR Chris Henry and Tennessee Titans CB Adam "Pac Man" Jones. Henry, who was suspended for a few games last season for a long list of arrests, was suspended for 8 games on 2007 season for having another arrest this off-season. Jones received a more severe penalty, he is suspended for the entire 2007 season. Another addition is that, after suspensions are served, the players must apply for reinstatement, it is not automatic. But, by instituting the counseling assistance as well, the NFL will provide troubled players with the help they may need to straighten out.

This helps everyone. The league can clean it's image, the players can clean themselves up and not throw away promising careers. Again, BRILLIANT! This policy should be used by the NBA and other leagues,too in my opinion. In less than one year on the job, Mr. Goodell has really made a name for himself already. Well done, Mr. Commissioner, well done.

Finally...Vindication, Well Sort Of

For the three young men involved in the now-infamous Duke rape case, closure began yesterday as the last charges were officially dropped by the state attorney general of North Carolina. While making his statement to the media, AG Roy Cooper used language that stunned most legal experts. Instead of using the legalese "we do not have sufficient evidence to continue", Mr. Cooper stated bluntly "Based on the significant inconsistencies between the evidence and the various accounts given by the accusing witness, we believe these three individuals are innocent of these charges." The straight-forward use of the term 'innocent" shows the level of dishonesty that Mike Nifong was using in his prosecution/persecution of these young men.

Now, despite their vindication, these men will forever be linked to the heinous crime that did not happen. Just a quick Google search of the words "Duke case" turns up dozens of articles from the past year trashing these men, with very vicious implications of guilt. The news media, for the most part was as horrible in covering this as Nifong was in his misguided prosecution. From your local newscast and the "big 3" networks, to CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and others...all had many "experts" who basically convicted these men and trashed them as often as they could.

The sports media jumped into the fray as well, with holier-than-thou sportswriters lamenting the "culture" of racism and sexism that "clouds" Duke University and these WHITE players in the culturally mixed city of Durham. These hypocritical writers continually turn away and ignore any such partying activities by big time college football or basketball programs nationwide, but the Duke lacrosse program is a "cesspool of bad behavior". Ridiculous.

Of course, not every single media person was in on the feeding frenzy. One notable exception was FNC's Bill O'Reilly, who said last summer that all signs pointed to the young men being not guilty. Unfortunately, on that same network and airing after Bill's show was Greta's program which paraded many "experts" who repeatedly trashed and stomped on the reputations of these collegians without remorse. I did not see how Greta handled the dropping off the last charges yesterday.

On ESPN, the sports media spoke about the case yesterday. On the sports talk program "Around The Horn" (which features four sports journalists debating the days sports topics) , all four panelists spoke of the media's over-exuberance in solemn tones. LA Times writer Bill Plaschke was particularly contrite, and even apologized for his own part in jumping on these men. A very impressive show of accountability by Mr. Plaschke. The telling part was when the host asked if the media has learned anything from this case, Bill sadly said "no." I fear that he is correct.

But, most sports and news media types just mentioned the dropped charges and moved on as if nothing had happened. Completely disregarding the fact that these men are forever linked and listed as "accused rapists" and that label is difficult,if not impossible to shed. Events like this further make a jaded person like myself even more cynical of the media as a whole.

Back to the young men involved. Dave Evans, Collin Finnerty, and Reade Seligmann have had their lives forever altered, and not for the better. If I were in their shoes, I would make the lawsuits fly. I would sue the DA Nifong, the University, the city of Durham, the state of NC, and the accuser (who was noticeably absent from the media yesterday). I am no legal expert and do not know how strong any of those cases would be, but they definitely should fire back against the system that tried to railroad them.

DA Nifong should be disbarred and removed from his position. The accuser should be sued,and it's not even the point of how little money she may or may not have, it is to send a message. Apparently she has done this once before, and maybe if her future paychecks are garnished to pay off a lawsuit, she will think before destroying innocent men's reputations. I only wish there were some recourse against the arrogant, destructive media that convicted these men. Holier-than-thou types, such as the NY Times trashed these men daily and are most likely too preoccupied with the Don Imus story to care that these men are INNOCENT.

All in all, this has been a very sad case and an extremely sad display of how the American news media can destroy innocent people whenever they want.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Babe Ruth-Greatest Baseball Player Ever

This should not even be up for debate, but George Herman "Babe" Ruth was the greatest player in baseball history. Many other great players have come since the Bambino hung up his spikes in 1935, but none could even compare to the dominance shown by the man from Baltimore.

The best stat that shows how dominant Ruth was is comparing his personal single season home run totals to that of other TEAM TOTALS for that year.

Here,take a look:
http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/R/Babe-Ruth.shtml

1920 Babe Ruth hit 54 home runs, he hit more homers than 14 of the 15 other MLB TEAMS!! This is stunning, only the Philadelphia Phillies (64) hit more than the Babe in 1920. A year later, arguably Ruth's best year, he hit 59 homers,which was more than 8 TEAMS. In 1927, Ruth hit 60 home runs, and that was greater than 12 of the 15 other TEAMS in baseball! And the next season, he hit 54 long balls, and that total was more than 7 TEAMS in MLB. Just the thought that ONE PLAYER hit more home runs than many other entire TEAMS is mind-boggling. To put it in perspective, that is akin to a player hitting close to 200 home runs today.

Babe Ruth played 22 full or partial seasons, with 4 of those spent exclusively as a pitcher and two others where he was part-time pitcher. Only 5 of those 22 years did he hit below .300, but that includes his first year as a pitcher when he hit 2 for 10 and his final year for the Boston Braves where the 40 year old stumbled to a .181 average in 28 games. Disregarding these partial years, Ruth's lowest average was .272 as a pitcher in 1917. In his 16 full seasons as an full-time outfielder, The Babe only hit below .300 twice. The man hit over .370 FIVE times, with a personal best of .393 in 1923.

In 1920, Ruth's 54 home runs led MLB, and the next highest total was 19! He hit almost THREE TIMES the amount of the next best hitter. In 1921, his 59 homers was more than double the next best total of 24. Another example of his complete dominance over the era came in 1923, when he missed 44 games. Ruth only played 110 games and hit 35 home runs. He still was 4th in MLB in homers and 3rd in the AL. Ruth hit only 4 long balls fewer than league leader Ken Williams.

Then there's this: Leaving out his four years he spent exclusively as a pitcher and his final year with the Braves...the 17 other seasons, he was led the American league in home runs 12 times, finished 2nd twice, third once,and 4th one time. Overall in 16 of those 17 years he was in the top 4 in home runs. That is unreal and has never been close to being duplicated.

For his career, the dominance still holds up, even with all the advancements for hitting in the decades since Babe last played. Here are some totals:

we all know the 714 home runs (3rd all time after Aaron and Bonds)
2174 runs scored (tied with Hank Aaron for 3rd all time)
.342 career batting average (tied for 7th all time with Dan Brouthers and Harry Heilmann)
2213 runs batted in (2nd all time to Hank Aaron)
.469 on base percentage (2nd all time to Ted Williams)
.690 slugging percentage (1st all time)
1.159 OPS (1st all time)
5793 total bases (6th all time)
2062 walks (3rd all time after Bonds and Rickey Henderson)
1356 extra base hits (4th all time)
506 doubles (39th all time)
136 triples (71st all time)
2873 hits (38th all time)
AND...
.671 winning percentage as a pitcher (13th all time)
2.28 ERA (would rank 10th all time)

he was 94-46 as a pitcher in his career

Ruth has the 3rd best ERA in World Series history (0.87)
and was 3-0 with 3 complete games in his World Series pitching career,which included TWO championships for the Boston Red Sox!

I could go on and on picking out more Ruth number to show his amazing dominance over that era, but you can click that link and see for yourself.

There should be no debate that George Herman Ruth is without a doubt, the greatest player in baseball history. The myths and legends of his greatness are not exaggerated by very much.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

2007 NHL Playoff Preview

It's here!! The 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs arrive tomorrow night!! The greatest title chase in sports gets underway with 4 series starting up and 4 more on Thursday night.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (8) N.Y. Islanders
--The amazing run the Isles had just to make the playoffs was incredible. After the Devils scored with 0.9 seconds remaining Sunday afternoon,the stunned looks were caught by TV cameras,and people could feel it all slipping away. But, the exciting shootout win did propel them into this first round match-up with the Sabres. The status of Rick Di Pietro is still undetermined, but even if he plays, the talent differential is huge. This IS the NHL playoffs,though,and anything is possible. The Isles are very capable of winning a game or two on the Island,but asking them to win the series may be too big of a task for this overachieving group.
MY PICK: SABRES IN 5

(2) New Jersey Devils vs. (7) Tampa Bay Lightning
--The Devils are finally healthy again, and as the late rally Sunday afternoon showed, are still playing very aggressively. Brodeur is having his best season ever, Gionta and Elias are back healthy and the team is conjuring up memories of the 2000 squad that rolled to a Cup victory. Tampa has a lot of talent on the ice, but defensively and between the pipes the 'Ning do not match up well with the Devils. This has mismatch written all over it.
MY PICK: DEVILS IN 5

(3) Atlanta Thrashers vs. (6) N.Y. Rangers
--This is a very interesting match-up. The blue shirts have their fans all pumped up for the first time in years. Last year was basically a cameo appearance for NYR, this year they have hopes for a run. The young Thrashers are making their first playoff appearance in the franchises' young history. It's the predominantly young Atlanta team versus the strong vets on the Rangers. This could come down to playoff experience,and I agree with the experts that this series is ripe for an upset.
MY PICK: RANGERS IN 7

(4) Ottawa Senators vs. (5) Pittsburgh Penguins
--Arguably the best first round series in the east, and one of the best overall. This is the first glimpse of the postseason for most of the young Pens. Phenom Sidney Crosby leads his team against the always tough Senators. The late year battle for home ice may very well prove to be the difference maker in this one. Counting just wins and losses,Ottawa was 25-16 at home this year, while the Pens were 21-20 on the road.Two of the top 4 scorers in the NHL will be on display in Danny Heatley and Crosby. This one is so close, that I just have to go with experience and home ice advantage.
MY PICK: SENATORS IN 7

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (8) Calgary Flames
--Interesting tidbit here...one of these teams had the most home wins and best home record this year. It was NOT Detroit! The Flames won 30 games at home to Detroit's' 29. Conversely, that means that Calgary has the worst road record of any playoff team. That will hurt them,as will just the fact they are playing the Red-HOT Wings. Calgary is a better team that the #8 seed would imply,but they are over-matched in this one.
MY PICK: RED WINGS IN 5

(2) Anaheim Ducks vs. (7)Minnesota Wild
--The Wild has the stingiest defense in the league, and that is saying something with NJ,Detroit,Dallas and others featuring great defenses as well. A very fun match-up here, and it is always fun to see playoff hockey in the Twin Cities. It would not feel like a true "upset" if the Wild were to win this series. Indeed, only 6 points separated these teams in the regular season.
Very, very tough one to pick...I will go with my "gut" here and take the Wild to advance.
MY PICK: WILD IN 6

(3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6)Dallas Stars
--Another great match-up, this has "classic" written all over it. Seven games seem to be in order for this match-up as the westernmost NHL team meets the team from the heart of Texas. For east coast fans, this is the series to stay up late for as the very talented and deep Ducks will battle the equally deep and talented Stars tooth and nail (or bill and wing?). I will go with the hotter goalie,and for once it is NOT Marty Turco...Roberto Luongo has had a season second to, well only Brodeur. Canucks in a classic.
MY PICK: CANUCKS IN 7

(4) Nashville Predators vs. (5) San Jose Sharks
--Even though this match-up makes NHL purists cringe, these are two very talented teams. The Preds are making their playoff debut, and the Sharks are once again in the NHL's biggest stage. The star-packed lineup is too hard to ignore, no matter how tough the Sharks are defensively. I think Nashville makes history in Music City and moves on to the conference semis.
MY PICK: PREDATORS IN 6

Not wanting to hang myself out there too much, I will make my picks on a round-by-round basis. That said, I cannot wait until tomorrow night, when the greatest playoff season in sports kicks off! Most games are on Versus (formerly OLN) and it is available on most standard digital cable packages,and on satellite. Enjoy, and LET'S GO DEVILS!!!

Saturday, April 7, 2007

Public Schools: What is going on?

More chaos from public schools nationwide. This is just completely insane. In Spearville,Lousiana, a small town near Monroe in the northern part of the bayou state, 5 fifth graders are facing charge for allegedly HAVING SEX IN THE CLASSROOM!

"Are you kidding me?" Was my first reaction upon hearing this story. I mean, these are ELEVEN year old kids!!! What is going on?

Apparently, the teacher left a class of about 15 students alone for a period of between 15-25 minutes. During that time, a group of students, two eleven-year-old girls, a twelve-year-old boy and a 13 year old boy had sex while other kids watched. this is so insane that I am shaking my head as I type. The fifth student was an 11 year old boy who was allegedly the "guard" during these escapades.

Now, I cannot even fathom why this would enter the minds of kids that age...not wanting to sound dated, but when I was in fifth grade, having sex at all was NOT in my head.

Another question is, why are the kids being charged, but no word on any punishment for the teacher, who CLEARLY should bear some responsibility for this travesty. The school officials are, of course, not commenting on this situation. One teacher was apparently suspended from that school, allegedly after he spoke to the papers about this incident. The teacher appeared on cable news Thursday evening with his lawyer. He was NOT the teacher of these students.

This case is not alone. In March a story came to light over two sixth graders having sex in a classroom WHILE THE TEACHER WAS PRESENT! The teacher, apparently, could not see that portion of the classroom while the incident was occurring. This happened in suburban Indianapolis, and the details are still murky. School officials, once again, are very quiet on this issue.
http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=708d4f98-d082-4529-847f-2222e5e82bba

There are so many disturbing stories from our schools, it would fill a book. Like this one from Ohio:""Middle school student charged with groping teacher""
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/17032689.htm

Or this in Louisiana:""School Violence Targets Teachers, Guards""
http://www.wdsu.com/news/11522228/detail.html

Students having sex in class, groping teachers, bullying others and sometimes fighting teachers....chaos appears to rule the day. This rant doesn't even get into the teachers who have sex with students, that list is miles long.

It is clear, our public schools are in chaos, and something has to be done. Obviously, it starts at home, parents need to be parents. Teach the kids right and wrong and hold them accountable for their actions. The schools need to give out more severe punishments for such over the top actions. They are far too lenient on these trouble makers. And, being kids...once they get away with stuff as a young student, they gradually push the limits until you have...well, the chaos and disorder we see today.

Public Education in California: Out Of Control?

Some noteworthy examples of the disintegration of the education system in America recently came to my attention. These examples make me grateful that I finished public school years ago and solidify my belief that should I ever have kids, they will go to private schools.

First, I will start with examples from the Orange County Register showing how schools are dividing kids and discouraging anything American. Here is a link to the entire Op-Ed:
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/opinion/homepage/article_1640753.php

Now, where to begin? The assembly that separates the students into ethnic groups..I just do not see how this helps anything, especially in such a diverse state as California. These kids need to learn to coexist and to work together and interact, because in the real world they will have to do just that in order to survive. This "division" mentality boggles my mind, kids at younger ages are already prone to prejudice and hatred from inside and outside of their own communities. Segregating them by skin color/ethnicity will only serve to further the divide between races.

The examples given of the French student who was pushed into the African-American group and the Hispanic student who doesn't speak Spanish thrust into a group where English wasn't spoken much, they are just ridiculous. What did those students get out of these assemblies? My own view of California not withstanding, this is just another pea brained idea. Why actually deal with important issues in the schools when you can just add more walls dividing the youth?

Mr. Aaron Hanscom, the writer of that piece, says it best when he opines:
"But what is more disrespectful and condescending than deciding to hold separate pep rallies for students of different ethnicities?"

I am at least thankful that Mr. Hanscom, who is a substitute teacher for the LA School District, sees the problem. Hopefully, with someone inside the system speaking out changes can be made, but we shall have to wait and see.

Th unfortunate part is that this belief seems to be shared across at least the southern portion of California. The teacher in that LA area school who again uses tired phrasing that "The U.S. is the immigrant, not us" just gets me all riled up. You want to get technical? Fine, then none of the Mexicans are true inhabitants either. The American Indians were here first, and even they migrated from Asia across the Bering land bridge centuries ago.

There is nothing wrong with having students learn about where they come from, that is not the issue here. The issue, to me, is widening the gulf that separates the different ethnic groups and that will have disastrous consequences down the road.
*************************************

Now, the Los Angeles charter school listed in that article, La Academia Semillas Del Pueblo, has the LOWEST test scores in the state...even lower than the much-maligned LA Unified School District. That charter school also receives assistance from such groups as MECha...
[the following is from http://www.mayorno.com/WhoIsMecha.html ]

***The acronym MEChA stands for "Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan." or "Chicano Student Movement of Aztlan."
MEChA is an Hispanic separatist organization that encourages anti-American activities and civil disobedience. The radical members of MEChA who refer to themselves as "Mechistas," romanticize Mexican claims to the "lost Territories" of the Southwestern United States -- a Chicano country called Aztlan. In its national constitution, MEChA calls for self-determination by its members to liberate Aztlan. MEChA's national constitution starts out: "Chicano and Chicana students of Aztlán must take upon themselves the responsibilities to promote Chicanismo within the community, politicizing our Raza with an emphasis on indigenous consciousness to continue the struggle for the self-determination of the Chicano people for the purpose of liberating Aztlán."***

So, we have a separatist group supporting a PUBLIC,TAXPAYER FUNDED school in Los Angeles. This school does not teach the students, as evidenced by the low test scores. So, one can ask, where is the accountability? Why is this man, Mr. Aguilar, and the school allowed to just basically be a tool for him so promote his views (and the views of groups like MECha) at taxpayer expense?

This is, I am sure, but one example of what is happening in our public school system. And, sadly, it is but one of many things glaringly wrong with public education.

Okay,a correction on Barack Obama

My "prediction" that Hilary Clinton had more money and support from important people than Senator Obama was quite premature, and, as it turns out, erroneous.

From ABC News:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3010472&page=1

Barack Obama surprised myself, and I would suspect, the Hilary camp as well. He raised over $25 million for the first campaign cycle. Noted political commentators such as Dick Morris have stated how impressive that is to the Clinton camp.

Barack seems to have locked up the internet support, as well as the Hollywood Democrats. Hilary still has plenty of time to make her move, but Barack is much more than a flash in the pan. I still believe that Hilary and her people will use Senator Obama's lack of experience in the political arena against him. We shall see, I suppose. we shall see.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Political Polls

Recent poll numbers of notable members of congress,and notable DC figures:

[from Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll from 3/27-28]

Here is exact wording of the poll:
"I'm going to read you the names of several individuals and groups. Please tell me whether you have a generally favorable or unfavorable opinion of each one. If you've never heard of someone please just say so. Nancy Pelosi."

Favorable 37%
Unfavorable 31%
Unsure 13%
Never Heard of 19%

*That last category bothers me...these are LIKELY VOTERS and they don't know the Speaker Of The House?*


[This poll is from TIME 3/23-26]

Exact wording:
"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is handling her job?"

Approve 55%
Disapprove 32%
Unsure 14%

*I find it interesting that her approval rating is more than twice that of the Presidents'*


[This poll from Pew Research Center 3/21-25]

Exact wording:
"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Harry Reid is handling his job as Senate majority leader?"

Approve 32%
Disapprove 22%
Unsure 46%

*A lot of unsure people out there,it seems*

and lastly...
[this poll from USA Today/Gallup 3/23-25]

Exact wording:
"Next, I'd like to get your overall opinion of some people in the news. As I read each name, please say if you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of these people -- or if you have never heard of them. How about John McCain?"

Favorable 51%
Unfavorable 28%
Never Heard Of 9%
Unsure 12%

*Again,the "never heard of" people bother me*
------------------------------------------------

No telling what these polls mean (except for the high percentage of people who, apparently, don't follow current events at all) but it is always interesting to see some numbers of how people feel about certain high ranking politicians.

Way early in the discussion, but my early take on who will be vying for the Presidency in 2008 is Hilary Clinton vs. Rudy Giuliani. I think the Clinton fame/contacts/money will be too much for upstart Barack Obama to overcome. Should Hilary lose the election in '08,however...I fully expect Barack Obama to be the front runner for 2012. The Republican nominee is a tough one to handicap this early. I picked Rudy for now,but it seems like it will be between Rudy and John McCain. Both are good men and it should be a very interesting campaign (hopefully not too slimy,but that may be inevitable)

Intriguing footnote:
This will be first election since 1952 that does NOT feature either an incumbent President or Vice President on one of the tickets...
1952 was Dwight D. Eisenhower vs. Adlai Stevenson
1956- Eisenhower (incumbent) ran and won
1960- Nixon (incumbent VP) ran and lost
1964- LB Johnson (incumbent) ran and won
1968- Humphrey (incumbent VP) ran and lost
1972- Nixon (incumbent) ran and won
1976- Ford (technically an incumbent) ran and lost
1980- Carter (incumbent) ran and lost
1984- Reagan (incumbent) ran and won
1988- Bush Sr. (incumbent VP) ran and won
1992- Bush Sr. (incumbent)ran and lost
1996- Clinton (incumbent) ran and won
2000- Gore (incumbent VP) ran and lost
2004- GW Bush (incumbent) ran and won

prior to 1952,the last time that happened was 1928 when Alfred Smith ran against Herbert Hoover.

Great Time Of The Year For Sports

There is no sadness as the NCAA tournament fades away into memory. Instead there is joy and excitement as the bland post-Super Bowl period is over, and sports begin taking over once again!

Baseball is underway, and that alone is cause for excitement...6 months of sun-splashed fields, timeless games that are interrupted on TV by commercials only as the game dictates it, not the other way around. The security of almost always having a baseball game to turn on every day until fall. Hearing the announcers piped into your home like an old family friend. April is fantastic as winter gradually recedes, and the warm weather begins...and even fans of the KC Royals can, if only for a brief time , cheer for their team without them being in the cellar.

In addition to the beauty that is baseball, this time of year will bring us the most exciting playoffs in all of sports...the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I love all sports, but nothing can top the heart-pounding action of an overtime playoff game...sudden death, next goal ends the game (and sometimes, a teams season). ANYTHING can happen in the NHL, last year a #8 seed (Edmonton) made the finals. This year, it is possible that BOTH of last years' finalists will miss the playoffs altogether (Carolina is hanging by a thread, Edmonton is out). Every game a great one, every round a 7 game series....there is nothing more exciting.

As if that wasn't enough, the NFL draft will take place at the end of April. The time when all football fans pretend to be GMs and will invariably criticize their teams selections, no matter who they might be. It is actually a day when NFL fans will watch old men talk on the phone and the commissioner read names into a microphone, and the top picks put on baseball caps. To non-football fans, that may sound boring and trite, but it is a great day for football in the middle of the off season.

Speaking of football, another way to get that football fix in the spring is Arena Football. People snicker and sneer at it, but it is what it is, a nice entertaining product that keeps football fans amused while the season is months away.

In addition, Nascar's season is in full bloom, even though they take Easter Weekend off...the kings of the asphalt will be back at it, turning left with the best of them for 31 more weeks (30 points races and the all star event) in a row without a week off.

And even golf gets into the forefront this weekend with the Masters at Augusta. Even the most casual fan seems to have at least a small interest in the most storied tournament in America.

And all of this will keep us sports fans happy and content until fall, when both college and pro football start up again! It is indeed a wonderful cycle.

NCAA Hoops Recap

Well, my original bracket was a mess, I was only half right on the final four last week, but I got the title game correct!

I said Florida 77-66...actual score Florida wins 84-75.
(pats self on the back)

As for the tourney as a whole, I must say I was disappointed. The opening weekend that is supposed to provide wild endings and cinderella stories, had little of the former and none of the latter (VCU should not have been an 11th seed,so I don't count them as a cinderella).

There were some great games...Xavier and Ohio State comes to mind immediately, but overall I would give the tourney a grade of "B-". 63 games (64 if you count that play in game), and NONE matched the greatness that was shown in the NCAA Men's Division II final between Barton College (NC) and Winona (MN) State. The last 2 minutes are on You Tube and if you haven't seen it, I strongly suggest you check it out. THAT game had all the March Madness I need...until next year.


***Post Script...I have to add a link for that amazing finish to the D II classic ending....check it out:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WzmQmz9Kdc

NHL Playoff Chase-Eastern Conference

The race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs is in high gear...Eastern Conference

x*Buffalo (2 games left) (111 points)
x*New Jersey (1) (106)
*Atlanta (3) (93)
x Ottawa (1) (103)
x Pittsburgh (1) (103)
NY Rangers (1) (94)
Tampa Bay (2) (92)
Montreal (1) (90)
-----------------------
Toronto (1) (89)
NY Islanders (2) (88)

*- division leader
x-clinched playoff berth

thru games of 4/5

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Final Four Revisited

Okay, I was correct on 1 of 2 games yesterday. I expected more from Jeff Green and the Hoyas, oh well. I did get my Gators pick right, but that was a fairly easy pick. One more chance to be wrong, the championship game tomorrow night.

Ohio State vs. Florida

Didn't we just have this game out in Arizona in early January? Oh yeah, that was the BCS Title game. I got that one wrong, too (as did many people). Risking a duplicate feat, I am going to finally give credit where it is due. I think Ohio State has shown through the tourney that they are a team of destiny. That said, I have changed my mind in mid-paragraph. I believe that the Gators will repeat as champions. Florida just has too many weapons. too many star players for any team to defend. Oden's presence will be off set by Al Horford in the middle, and the sharp shooting of Lee Humphrey and Taurean Green. Mike Conley Jr. has had a good tournament, but I think the Buckeyes have just run into the wrong opponent at the wrong time.

Florida 77 Ohio State 66