Adventures in My Mind
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Jun 28, 2002
The Ox is gone, and so ends another legend.
Considered by most to be one of the best rock bassists ever, John Entwhistle died yesterday in a Las Vegas hotel room, aged 57 years. A heart attack is believed to be the cause of death. An autopsy was scheduled for today.
As with all the greats who went before him, he will be sorely missed, but rarely forgotten.
I saw The Who in 1989, long after their haydays in the 60s and 70s. The hair was graying, but the spark had not died. Anyone who has ever seen The Who remembers it as one of the best shows of their lives. I am no exception. I was particularly engaged by The Ox's performance. He stood like a statue on the stage almost ignoring the thunderous sounds of the band. And yet, he was the cause of most of it. As with any power trio -- which The Who are, Roger Daltry not withstanding -- the bass is the glue for all aspects of the music. Entwhistles stoic face was in stark contrast with his nimble fingers and the thunder eminating from his bass. I could hardly believe that all of that sound came from one man and his guitar. Truly exceptional!
All of his work with The Who is exceptional but Who's Next and Quadrophenia hold examples of his most inspired playing.
Goodbye, Ox. Cheers!
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 3:41 PM
Jun 27, 2002
Our stalwarts in Congress take time out of their busy day to recite it on the steps of the capital. The Senate votes 99-0 in support of it. For several generations school kids have been forced to recite it every morning before class. And yesterday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals deemed it unconstitutional. Immediately the howling began.
Everyone from the man on the street to the Whitehouse criticized it in a perfect knee-jerk style that befits today's political and patriotic climate. Tom Daschle has already threatened to use the powers of Congress to overturn the ruling if the Supreme Court fails to do so. To show his complete ignorance of our constitutional government Daschle stated, "The Congress is going to intervene, the Congress is going to do all that it can to live up to the expectations of the American people." That can be translated as, "The Congress is going to interneve, the Congress is going to do all that it can to continue to indoctrinate the youth of America with false patriotism and blind belief in a single Christian god."
What all the flag waivers and bible thumpers are missing here is the real objection that the 9th Circuit Court has with the phrase "... under God": it was instituted by an act of Congress. Yes, in direct opposition to the 1st Amendment, the U.S. Congress added "... under God" to the pledge of allegiance, thereby making a law respecting an establisment of religion. This is simply not allowed by the Constitution. It really is that simple.
It is not an attack on patriotism. It is not an attack on religion (read Christianity). It is bigger than civics. It is bigger than the Christmas tree on the courthouse lawn. It is a textbook violation of a constitutional prohibition that is so explicit, so clear that only those blinded by dogma and agenda are unable to see.
They say that the majority believes in God and country. And that, of course is where all the whailing and gnashing of teeth is coming from. The majority feels that it has been slighted. "Whaddaya mean the Pledge is unconstitutional? What could be more patriotic than that?" Let's try the Constitution for one thing. There is no pledge, no oath, no proclamation, no testimonial as sacred or as American it is. You are not a patriot unless you believe in its word without doubt and without hesitation, particularly the Bill of Rights. It is these rights that the founders gave to the citizens of this country to protect them from the inevitable abuses of government. Without the blanket of freedom that the Bill of Rights provides, liberty is not possible. And prime among our guaranteed rights is the First Amendment. It states:Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
— The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
We did not go to war to protect the pledge of allegiance or the American flag. They are mere symbols, fleeting and ephemeral. We went to war to protect the Constitution and its promise of "liberty and justice for all."
The 9th Circuit Court should be applauded for its brave stance against the majority mindset.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 9:48 AM
Jun 25, 2002
Aikido
This picture is of me practicing Aikido. The other person in the picture is Kevin Choate Sensei from the Chicago Aikikai. The photo was taken only moments before he broke my arm off and handed it to me. No, actually Choate Sensei is an excellent teacher who was instructing us (with me as uke) on the finer arts of ikkyo, the first principal technique of Aikido.
Choate Sensei was in town for a seminar in the fall of 2000. Unfortunately, I've not gone much since that seminar. I am now offically fat and lazy.
For those who don't know, Aikido is a modern Japanese martial art founded during WWII by Morihei Ueshiba. I have been studying Aikido off and on for the last 6 years. It is an incredible source of spiritual renewal for me. I highly recommend it for anyone who is thinking about starting in the martial arts.
Aiki Web and the Aikido FAQ are two excellent sources for Aikido on the Web.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 5:04 PM
Jun 24, 2002
High Court Overturns Death Sentences
What's this? A moderate more reasonable approach to death sentencing from our right-wing Supreme court? Could it be? It was only last week that the justices held 6-3 against the execution of the mentally retarded.
Now they've decided 7-2 that only juries have the power to deliver death sentences. The death sentences of at least 150 inmates throughout the country have been found to be a violation of the constitutionally protected right to a trial by jury. In each case a judge and not a jury decided the penalty for the jury-found convictions. All of the cases must now be reconsidered to determine new penalties.
Unfortunately, neither of these cases put any limits on the usage of the death penalty; but they do show, at least around the edges, a more humanistic approach to handing out the ultimate punishment. Now if only we can get them to put a stop to executions for people who committed crimes while juveniles.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 2:14 PM
Jun 20, 2002
Say it ain't so. Jus' say it ain't so! Well, it is.
NPR has joined the venerable Dallas Morning News and KPMG in instituting non-sensical and/or stupid linking policies for their sites. In NPR's case you must fill out this form and await permission before placing a link. The Morning News requires that you link only to the homepage and not to any deeper pages. And in the case of KPMG, no one is to link to their site without first entering into an agreement with KPMG, nor should anyone link to any other page than the homepage.
All of the organizations that exercise such obtuse policies say they do so to protect various integrities, copyright, artistic, and logo included among them. Bull!
They do so because of over active legal departments that fail to understand even the most basic of tenants of the Web. Where all site owners to do the same thing, the Web would literally be killed where it stands. No more search engines. No more news sites. No more blogs. No more anything except tyrannical little nation-state sites spitting venom at each other about supposed violations of link policies and copyright laws.
With most sites these policies are simply motivated by profit. Homepages are loaded to the gills with ads and policies that restrict linking to the homepage maximize the eyes viewing those ads. NPR, however, does not have ads.
Why NPR has volunteered to contribute to such a myopic view of the Web is beyond me. Again, I think one need look no farther than the legal department: "Because we want to keep track of who's doing it -- so says our law department."
BTW, all the links in this article are placed without permission of the site owners.
(Thanks Mr. Green)
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 10:09 AM
Jun 19, 2002
Lawsuit Challenges Copy-Protected CDs
Just when the myopic dullards in the record industry thought they could get away with anything, someone comes along and slaps a nice class action lawsuit on their asses. You've heard me rail against the recording industry, and its equally misantrhopic kin the MPAA, many times in this space so I'll forgo a rant right now.
Let's just hope that this suit knocks a little sense into their heads regarding their draconic ideas about copyrights and a consumer's right to fair use. I'll put no great stock in that outcome, however, given the courts unwavering support for big business. But one can hope.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 9:04 AM
Jun 17, 2002
What is the first thing to be done in order to promote a renewal in disastrous circumstances? Words must be set aright. What inheres in words should be brought out. But language is constantly misused, words are employed for meanings that do not befit them. A separation arises between being and language...If words are not right, judgments are not clear; works do not prosper; punishments do not strike the right man, and the people do not know where to set hand and foot.
--Confucius
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 9:48 AM
Jun 14, 2002
How Big Tobacco nicked terror act by Mark Schapiro.
As if this is surprising in any way. It seems that Big Tobacco used their considerable muscle to excise a bit of the Patriot Act that would've held American companies liable for their own misdeeds in foreign lands. It would have held U.S. firms accountable for smuggling and money laundering in other countries. Currently, under a centuries-old rule called the Revenue Rule, American companies can break the laws of foreign lands and not be held liable in U.S. courts.
The article makes a good example of RJ Reynolds smuggling activities in Colombia. A case in which neither the Colombia government, its corporations, nor its citizenry have the ability to seek damages against RJR in an American court. RJR is essentially free to break Colombian law with impunity. And of course, all of the smuggling of cigarettes into Colombia is done by the same people who smuggle cocaine out. You know the same ones we're fighting a "Drug War" against.
And how did Big Tobacco get this provision removed from the Patriot Act? Money, of course. Once again they lined the coffers of their congressional and GOP supporters with filthy lucre for their re-election bids. It was even the bills original sponsor Michael Oxley (Rep., OH) who removed the language, thus enabling U.S. companies to continue to contribute to global terrorism in the pursuit of the all mighty dollar.
Please write or call congressman Michael Oxley and the man who pressured him, Tom Delay (Rep., TX) to express your appreciation for their wonderful efforts in fighting terrorism and promoting a fair and equitable global ecomony.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 3:08 PM
Jun 12, 2002
Another hot, sluggish day. The humid air as intrusive as one who stands too close. The sweat rolls off my forehead like unheeded hints to the space violator. He talks and I sweat, while attempting to put as much space as possible between us.
You know, one of those days.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 4:54 PM
Jun 11, 2002
We recently finished putting together a huge wooden swingset that the in-laws got Aidan for his birthday. My father in-law and I put in about 8 hours over two days to finish the job. Wow! That was hard work. There must be 500 different nuts, bolts, washers, screws, and fasteners holding that thing together--all 300+ pounds of it.
When finally had it assembeled and were doing the finish work, we noticed that one of the floor planks for the slide was broken so it was off to Toys R Us to get it replaced. I was skeptical at first because my in-laws purchased the swing through Toys R Us Express, which allows you to order in one location and have someone else pick up in any other; and when I went to my "local" Toys R Us to pick it up, they had no record of the purchase. After a couple of phone calls to the 800 number, I found that Aidan's swingset was in Robinson Twp. And for those of you who know Pittsburgh geography, you know that that is no where near our East Hills home.
Okay, back to the plank. I was skeptical that I would have a good experience getting a new plank. I was, however, pleasantly surprised. After informing the CSR of our plank dilema, she called to the back--with some very fancy two-way radio equipment, I might add--and asked Mike if he could help us out. After Mike had disassembled one of the other swingsets to get our part we were on our way with a smile and a new plank.
I really, really like positive customer service stories. They make me smile, because without customer service you are nothing. Anyone can sell what you sell, but only you can give the service that you give. Take the extra step and make someone happy to do business with you.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 2:05 PM
Jun 7, 2002
The Netflix way by Damien Cove for Salon.
Will the success of the pioneering DVD-rental company convince a reluctant music industry to embrace its own subscription strategy? We shall see. More often than not, the lumbering behemoths in the music biz rarely see the trees for the forest.
(Thanks, Mr. Green.)
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 10:07 AM
Jun 6, 2002
Why do we hate rain so much?
I don't enjoy getting drenched anymore than the next person, but I'll admit I like rain. It's gift of water is like a gift of life, rejuvinating all that it touches. Everything is greener; everything is cleaner. The constant beat of a gentle shower makes a perfect back drop for a lazy afternoon nap.
Speaking of ...
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 3:21 PM
Jun 5, 2002
Segway to deliver more mail.
The U.S. Postal Service is ready to expand testing of the "Segway Human Transporter" in six cities, including Norman, OK; Memphis, TN; Bronx, NY; San Francisco, CA; Chandler, AZ; and a sixth yet-to-be-determined location.
A good idea, as far as I can see. Fuel efficiency is certainly a great way for the postal service to reduce its expenditures; and save a little money for us stamp lickers to boot.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 9:49 AM
Jun 3, 2002
Apparently, another energy industry exec has offed himself in sudden fit of conscience. Read full story.
I don't know what to make of all this unexpected soul searching by today's robber barons. It's unprecedented; and, I'm sure, totally frowned upon at the executive club.
FADE IN:
INT. EXECUTIVE SAUNA -- DAY
FAT CAT 1: What's all this about our boys feeling guilty and up and killing themselves?
FAT CAT 2: It's improper!
FAT CAT 3: It's immoral!
FAT CAT 4: It's dangerous is what it is. Next thing you know one of our own will demand that we get paid for performance.
FAT CAT 1: Or worse ... they'll be expecting us to close the gap between our exorbitant salaries and our employees!
FAT CAT 3: They'll expect us to act like the common riff raff!
ALL: Never!
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 5:29 PM
