Chances are, if you are reading this, then you know Israel has been pounding the crap out of the Gaza Strip over the past two weeks. There have been calls for a cease fire from all over the world condemning the attacks and the occupation. News outlets love to point out that over 1000 Gaza residents (militant and non alike) have been killed while less than 20 Israelis have been killed from rocket and other attacks.
First, a bit of background. There has never been but a lull in violence and conflict in Israel for thousands of years. Control over Jerusalem throughout history has been one long game of hot potato. When the concept of Israel was being mulled over by the UN, the original plan was
for a partition, one Jewish and one Arab, with the West Bank remaining neutral (due to the holy sites for both sides and the fact that no one will ever relinquish/maintain control over those sites). Arab Nations (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq) rejected this and instead attacked the newly formed Israel. At the end, Egypt controlled Gaza and Jordan annexed the West Bank. Israel itself controlled a barren wasteland with no natural resources and only tourism to rely on (a real kicker to control the only land in that area with no oil).
To keep this from getting too boring, control over various regions of Israel (a small area about the size of New Jersey, mind you) moved back and forth, usually from Arab aggression resulting in their own defeat and Israel conceding the land from the resulting victories. This has been going on forever and I don't see it stopping anytime soon. The whole thing is really just so petty on both sides at this point, we should just have a bingo game to see who gets control of each area. Violence is as certain as a hypochondriac's thoughts when hearing the defintion of hypochondria.
Back to recent events. If any other country in the world was subject to unprovoked rocket attacks, no matter the casualty result, the "offensive" into the firing country wouldn't be second guessed. Can you imagine Mexico shooting rockets into New Mexico? Andorra taking on Spain? How about Germany laying a few on France (who is attempting to broker the cease fire)? Or, what would the response be to Israeli unprovoked attacks on Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, et all?
Now Gaza is claiming it will only broker a cease fire (after they broke the last one during its final days) if Israel withdraws? Hamas (which controls Gaza), is backed by Iran. Iran has gone on record saying its goal is the complete obliteration of the state of Israel. I don't think the problems with this whole thing could be anymore obvious.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Testimonials
Is it just me, or any time there are "testimonials" listed for a product or a service, that product/service is shady at best? I keep seeing the http://cash4gold.com/ advertised and I went to check it out. Gold is pretty valuable but I simply can't trust a site that has testimonials. It's like trusting the Bernie Madoff with this years tax return.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Football Playoffs
Next week's games are set. Here is the rundown:
Ravens @ Titans
Pick: Ravens 26 Titans 20
The Titans are pretty ripe for the picking. They are getting some players back (Haynesworth and co) from injuries but time will tell if they are 100% at this point. If Flacco can become Tom Brady circa 2001 and manages the gameplan well, that defense with Ed Reed and Ray Lewis can really carry them. We will see how Johnson and Kerry Collins (although as my brother says, "Never underestimate Kerry Collins") fair aginst a sound if not solid defense.
Chargers @ Steelers
Pick: Steelers 20 Chargers 17
I could use this as an excuse to explain why an 8-8 team shouldn't make the playoffs. Instead, Chargers looked good but without Tomlinson, Sproles is going to be on his back courtesy of James Harrison and Troy Polamalu and I don't think Rivers has enough weapons outside of Antonio (finally looking healthy and himself) Gates to overcome the Steelers Defense.
Arizona @ Carolina
Pick: Carolina 31 Arizona 14
I can pretty much boil this down to counting scores. I can see Arizona playing the couple of big plays (2 long TD's) and a lot of 3 and outs, turnovers and losing the time possession battle kind of game. against Carolina's defense and while Julius Peppers has himself a 3 sack day on as Kurt Warner is reminded he should retire before he gets the final hit he doesn't want.
Eagles @ Giants
Pick: Giants 24 Eagles 16
I really want to pick the Eagles in this game because if anyone in the NFC could beat the Giants its them. I think that if Brandon Jacobs is a) not 100% and b) forced into less carries or out of the game by injury the Eagles have a great chance to win this game. I don't trust the McNabb/Reid braintrust to carry the Eagles to a great extent so Dawkins and the defense and Westbrook on the offensive side will need to have big days. However, I think the Giants defense and an efficient offense and field possession game will move the Giants on.
Ravens @ Titans
Pick: Ravens 26 Titans 20
The Titans are pretty ripe for the picking. They are getting some players back (Haynesworth and co) from injuries but time will tell if they are 100% at this point. If Flacco can become Tom Brady circa 2001 and manages the gameplan well, that defense with Ed Reed and Ray Lewis can really carry them. We will see how Johnson and Kerry Collins (although as my brother says, "Never underestimate Kerry Collins") fair aginst a sound if not solid defense.
Chargers @ Steelers
Pick: Steelers 20 Chargers 17
I could use this as an excuse to explain why an 8-8 team shouldn't make the playoffs. Instead, Chargers looked good but without Tomlinson, Sproles is going to be on his back courtesy of James Harrison and Troy Polamalu and I don't think Rivers has enough weapons outside of Antonio (finally looking healthy and himself) Gates to overcome the Steelers Defense.
Arizona @ Carolina
Pick: Carolina 31 Arizona 14
I can pretty much boil this down to counting scores. I can see Arizona playing the couple of big plays (2 long TD's) and a lot of 3 and outs, turnovers and losing the time possession battle kind of game. against Carolina's defense and while Julius Peppers has himself a 3 sack day on as Kurt Warner is reminded he should retire before he gets the final hit he doesn't want.
Eagles @ Giants
Pick: Giants 24 Eagles 16
I really want to pick the Eagles in this game because if anyone in the NFC could beat the Giants its them. I think that if Brandon Jacobs is a) not 100% and b) forced into less carries or out of the game by injury the Eagles have a great chance to win this game. I don't trust the McNabb/Reid braintrust to carry the Eagles to a great extent so Dawkins and the defense and Westbrook on the offensive side will need to have big days. However, I think the Giants defense and an efficient offense and field possession game will move the Giants on.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Sean Avery
If you haven't been following along, NHL's current bad boy, Sean Avery, was recently suspended for 6 games. No he didn't have another rule after him (see the Avery rule based upon his goalie screening tactics) or his constant trash talking. Well it was his trash talking, except this time about a former girlfriend, Elisha Cuthbert. Elisha Cuthbert is a talentless hack who relied on her (extremely) good looks to get a few roles in 24 and The Girl Next Door. Sean Avery calling her his "sloppy seconds" only added some publicity for someone who hasn't had any in...years.
There are a few things I find wrong with this. Is calling someone sloppy seconds really that bad? I use it not frequently but certainly when the timing is right and have never found it to be severely insulting, nor has anyone I have said it around. All it does, and in a succint way, is that you were with someone first and are no longer on great terms with that person. How does this result in a 6 game suspension from a league where fighting and checks bring ratings and cheers? Granted, Sean Avery talks a lot of trash,probably more than some teams combined and he has been warned about his antics by Gary Bettman (league commissioner and someone I consider to be one of the least fun, based solely on looks, on earth but I digress) and he probably had a suspension coming his way. But really Mr. Bettman, this is where you make your stand? Over sloppy seconds and Elisha Cuthbert? For shame.
There are a few things I find wrong with this. Is calling someone sloppy seconds really that bad? I use it not frequently but certainly when the timing is right and have never found it to be severely insulting, nor has anyone I have said it around. All it does, and in a succint way, is that you were with someone first and are no longer on great terms with that person. How does this result in a 6 game suspension from a league where fighting and checks bring ratings and cheers? Granted, Sean Avery talks a lot of trash,probably more than some teams combined and he has been warned about his antics by Gary Bettman (league commissioner and someone I consider to be one of the least fun, based solely on looks, on earth but I digress) and he probably had a suspension coming his way. But really Mr. Bettman, this is where you make your stand? Over sloppy seconds and Elisha Cuthbert? For shame.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
The Blue to Your Face Media
If a recent bipartisan report released by the government is true, we should expect a biological or nuclear attack on US soil in the next five years. Now here is a matter we should look ahead to rather than Lebron James' free agent status. Or is it? I understand the need to keep sources and intelligence secret, but why is this threat becoming more believable/credible? Is it simply more access to the materials and more anti - Western sentiment? A blanket statement like this or the "unsubstantiated" report about a potential attack on the New York City subway system just continually funnels fear into our faces.
No doubt, a chemical attack on our soil, or any soil for that matter, would be catastrophic; not only to the area immediately affected, but to the flood gates of retaliation and the breaking the seal mentality for this type of attack. But it is this very tactic that is causing us more harm than good. Am I any more likely to prepare myself for an attack like this with purchasing some sort of bio suit or gas mask because of this report? No. Am I more fearful I am going to die by asphyxiation while my skin melts off? Yes. Do I look like a small wide receiver going through the middle of the secondary on the subway now? Yes. Will I stop riding the subway? No. So what's the point? The "I told you so factor" when one of these suckers goes off? It is this type of information that should be kept classified. It is this type of intel that media outlets go gaga for and it is this sort of thing that should be kept off of everyday Americans' radar screens. This type of "news" only plays into the fears people maintain and it is this sort of news which solely feeds the problem. It is only worse with our current economic climate.
As someone who is finding more hairs on my pillow each morning, to reduce stress I have maintained ongoing efforts to avoid negative coverage of everything from the terrorist attacks in India to the ongoing tanking of the economy. This has proven incredibly difficult as both were played/are playing out in the media with a constant bombardment. Hell, even watching Sportscenter is no refuge anymore as the economy has brought rare frugalness to baseball's free agency this offseason. As I have always heard, "No news is good news." The down your throat attacks through newspapers, TV and the Internet of the day to day layoffs, bankruptcies and bailouts caused by the economy's downward spiral only add to the problem. A good chunk of the economy is based on people's belief in the economy and in the capitalist system. With constant updates on the volatility in the stock market, massive layoffs and production output declines, the media is simply feeding the fire that is deepening a year old recession.
What do I expect from companies that make their bank from shock and terror stories? Well certainly not a kitten saved by a firefighter from a tree on a daily basis. But would it hurt to bring up good news every once in a while? John McCain was not far off when he proclaimed that "The fundamentals of our economy are still strong" back in September. Productivity is steady, innovation is still there and we aren't lacking in any resources or commodities (oil is even down to below $50 a barrel). There is a lot of bad debt to deal with and the housing and stock markets need to settle themselves but the biggest thing we lack right now is confidence and it is only being hurt by the constant negativity that the media brings.
No doubt, a chemical attack on our soil, or any soil for that matter, would be catastrophic; not only to the area immediately affected, but to the flood gates of retaliation and the breaking the seal mentality for this type of attack. But it is this very tactic that is causing us more harm than good. Am I any more likely to prepare myself for an attack like this with purchasing some sort of bio suit or gas mask because of this report? No. Am I more fearful I am going to die by asphyxiation while my skin melts off? Yes. Do I look like a small wide receiver going through the middle of the secondary on the subway now? Yes. Will I stop riding the subway? No. So what's the point? The "I told you so factor" when one of these suckers goes off? It is this type of information that should be kept classified. It is this type of intel that media outlets go gaga for and it is this sort of thing that should be kept off of everyday Americans' radar screens. This type of "news" only plays into the fears people maintain and it is this sort of news which solely feeds the problem. It is only worse with our current economic climate.
As someone who is finding more hairs on my pillow each morning, to reduce stress I have maintained ongoing efforts to avoid negative coverage of everything from the terrorist attacks in India to the ongoing tanking of the economy. This has proven incredibly difficult as both were played/are playing out in the media with a constant bombardment. Hell, even watching Sportscenter is no refuge anymore as the economy has brought rare frugalness to baseball's free agency this offseason. As I have always heard, "No news is good news." The down your throat attacks through newspapers, TV and the Internet of the day to day layoffs, bankruptcies and bailouts caused by the economy's downward spiral only add to the problem. A good chunk of the economy is based on people's belief in the economy and in the capitalist system. With constant updates on the volatility in the stock market, massive layoffs and production output declines, the media is simply feeding the fire that is deepening a year old recession.
What do I expect from companies that make their bank from shock and terror stories? Well certainly not a kitten saved by a firefighter from a tree on a daily basis. But would it hurt to bring up good news every once in a while? John McCain was not far off when he proclaimed that "The fundamentals of our economy are still strong" back in September. Productivity is steady, innovation is still there and we aren't lacking in any resources or commodities (oil is even down to below $50 a barrel). There is a lot of bad debt to deal with and the housing and stock markets need to settle themselves but the biggest thing we lack right now is confidence and it is only being hurt by the constant negativity that the media brings.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Merry Commercial X-Mas
We have finally reached December but it feels like we have been in the midst of Christmas week for over a month now. Was it the quick changeover from Halloween candy to the red and green wrapped Hershey's kisses? Could it have been the supermarket decision making we needed to choose Apple Cider or Egg Nog to quench our thirst from raking? The answers, yes and yes, are not alone. The biggest tell tale sign that Christmas has become an over commercialized beast is the radio station switchovers to all Christmas music all the time. One Boston station (ahem WROR, ahem) switched to this format way back in early November.
Who the hell would keep them dialed in for 2 months a year for the same music that is forced down our throats in stores, restaurants and on the air waves every single year? There are no new Christmas "classics" (except comical parodies such as "Deez Nuts Roasting on an Open Fire", but I digress) churned out on a yearly basis. Instead, we are forced into listening to Jessica Simpson's rendition of O Holy Night or some other remake that only brings down the quality level each and every year. When will it all end? Do we have a date with destiny that will have us preset at least one station that will give us Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow in June?
It has been abundantly clear for some time now that Christmas and the holiday season in general is commercial insanity. Slap down $20 and you can sit on Santa's lap in the mall, only $15 more for a picture! Lights that go up after Thanksgiving and stay up until Memorial Day are growing
in popularity. Gift lists that include the post man to teachers to relatives and everyone in between. Hell, a person died at a Wal Mart because of people trying to get the best gifts on the mother of all Christmas jerk offs, Black Friday. People refused to leave the store even after being told someone had been killed, clamoring for that marked down flat screen or hottest toy. How far are people willing to go to get in tune with their inner "Christmas Spirit"?
There are a few reasons (outside of boozing and days off from work) that make a holiday great. It's a time to get together with family, eat some good food and relax. Christmas possesses these characteristics, at least on the actual day. It is the buildup to the 25th that worries me. Lining
up at 4am to shop for everyone on my list, hanging lights on your house while precariously hanging from your gutter and arranging travel all sound like the nightmare before Christmas to me. How does wrapping hundreds of gifts and putting on 10 pounds of cookie and egg nog weight
celebrate Jesus' birthday (that is the original reason for the day, you know) exactly?
I don't hate Christmas or the holiday season. There was a time when it was manageable and only surrounded me for a week a year. I would get some new stuff, light some lights, eat some good food and relax with family. Now we are stretching the day into 2 or 3 months of music, food
and gifts. I hate what has become of this time of year. Gross excess, the non stop, in-your-face action that has creeping closer and closer to Labor Day by the year. These are not what its all about, but what it has become all about.
Who the hell would keep them dialed in for 2 months a year for the same music that is forced down our throats in stores, restaurants and on the air waves every single year? There are no new Christmas "classics" (except comical parodies such as "Deez Nuts Roasting on an Open Fire", but I digress) churned out on a yearly basis. Instead, we are forced into listening to Jessica Simpson's rendition of O Holy Night or some other remake that only brings down the quality level each and every year. When will it all end? Do we have a date with destiny that will have us preset at least one station that will give us Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow in June?
It has been abundantly clear for some time now that Christmas and the holiday season in general is commercial insanity. Slap down $20 and you can sit on Santa's lap in the mall, only $15 more for a picture! Lights that go up after Thanksgiving and stay up until Memorial Day are growing
in popularity. Gift lists that include the post man to teachers to relatives and everyone in between. Hell, a person died at a Wal Mart because of people trying to get the best gifts on the mother of all Christmas jerk offs, Black Friday. People refused to leave the store even after being told someone had been killed, clamoring for that marked down flat screen or hottest toy. How far are people willing to go to get in tune with their inner "Christmas Spirit"?
There are a few reasons (outside of boozing and days off from work) that make a holiday great. It's a time to get together with family, eat some good food and relax. Christmas possesses these characteristics, at least on the actual day. It is the buildup to the 25th that worries me. Lining
up at 4am to shop for everyone on my list, hanging lights on your house while precariously hanging from your gutter and arranging travel all sound like the nightmare before Christmas to me. How does wrapping hundreds of gifts and putting on 10 pounds of cookie and egg nog weight
celebrate Jesus' birthday (that is the original reason for the day, you know) exactly?
I don't hate Christmas or the holiday season. There was a time when it was manageable and only surrounded me for a week a year. I would get some new stuff, light some lights, eat some good food and relax with family. Now we are stretching the day into 2 or 3 months of music, food
and gifts. I hate what has become of this time of year. Gross excess, the non stop, in-your-face action that has creeping closer and closer to Labor Day by the year. These are not what its all about, but what it has become all about.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Dear ESPN:
Please stop talking about LeBron James' "impending" free agency (in July of 2010). There is still 3/4 of the current NBA season, in which Lebron's Cavs are looking like a true contender. Then there is another FULL season to go through and then he will become a free agent. That is, of course, he doesn't use his player option in 2010 or he signs an extension with Cleveland or is traded and signs an extension with that team. Just because he happens to be playing in NY against the Knicks and the Knicks have made two trades that scream cap space clearing for that summer's free agent market doesn't mean you have to cover it ad nauseum. They even sent Rachel Nichols to talk about it courtside. Is there no other story than a potential one 2 years from now? Thank you in advance.
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