Monday, August 30, 2010

Fact, Fiction or Fictionary

It appears as though the dictionary is heading for the scrap heap!  On-line versions are so prolific that the Oxford English Dictionary will soon dwindle and die.
At least the printed version will no longer be available although you will still be able to find the words you need and print them on your own.
But is this a good thing or a bad thing?
Or is this a thing at all?
Only time will tell but as much as I hate to see something so revered go by the wayside I must admit I find myself rarely going to the hard copy when the 'ethereal' is always at my fingertips.  And with the continued assault of hand held WiFi connected portable devices the printed word is losing its battle more and more every day.
I suspect that E-Readers will soon have an "app" that allows you to highlight a word in a 'book' you are reading and request its meaning from some e-dictionary somewhere out there.
In this world where technology says, 'If you can dream it you can make it happen' the sky is the limit.
But 'caveat emptor' baby, or as modern guys say, 'careful what you wish for.'
When the hard copies of the printed word are no longer available how can we be sure that the digital word is accurate and concrete.
Given how easy it is for people to deny - deny - deny even though the things they are denying are on tape imagine what will happen when a definition is altered in the e-world of the not so distant future.  Suddenly everyone will be searching for a rare hard copy of Orwell's "1984."
If you don't think the scenario of dynamic definitions is imminent you are sadly mistaken.  The road down that path already has footprints trod on it.
Fox News has altered the meaning of the second word in its title with their non-stop obfuscation and fiction as fact methods.
They and their friends have created what I call a "Fictionary" and use or abuse the definitions therein with every tale they spin.
But even though they appear to have almost unlimited funding they are still only one voice.  Imagine when that voice is the only one you hear.
Wikipedia ran into such problems of altered or undocumented definitions and had to come up with a method for validation.  Can we expect others in the future to diligently do the same?
Relying on others to fact check can be dangerous but even with the world on the internet and the internet at our fingertips how many of us take the time to delve into a story?  There is just not enough time to do it all.
So even though the Oxford English Dictionary is going the way of 8 track tape players and polyester green leisure suits (good riddance to both of those by the way) we might be wise to keep a copy safely hidden in a humidity controlled room for future generations.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Baseball Puzzles

What is the highest number of strikeouts a pitcher can record in an inning without allowing a run?    SIX – He strikes out the first batter but a passed ball allows the batter to reach first.  That runner steals second and the same strike out scenario happens with batter number two.  The runners advance on wild pitch and the third batter is struck out but reaches first safely when the catcher flubs the pitch up the third base line.  The ball doesn't go far enough away for the other runners to advance.  The pitcher then strikes out the next 3 batters without mishap.  (The catcher is then taken out and traded or shot.)

Can a pitcher both win and lose the same game? (He does not necessarily have to be a Met.)   Yes with a trade involved and a suspended game.  Pitcher A leaves the game after the fifth inning behind by three runs.  He is traded to current opponent during the suspension.  The game resumes at a later date and pitcher B on his new team who pitched to only one batter before his team took the lead is replaced by the newly acquired pitcher ‘A.’  'A' pitches 4 perfect innings to close out the game.  The official scorer is allowed to award pitcher A the win since he pitched the lion’s share of the game and the starter who did not finish five innings could not enter into the decision.

Can a pitcher be awarded both a win and a save in the same game?     Yes – He pitches into the sixth inning with a large lead and is moved to left field by the manager hoping to save his arm for future use.  But his relief pitcher gives up too many runs and makes the game too close for comfort.  The manager brings the starter back from the outfield to close the one run game out in the ninth thus earning the save.

How many assists can an outfielder record in one inning?  Six – He records three in the top of the inning and then is traded to the opposing team during a rain delay caused suspension of game.  The game is finished at a later date where he again records 3 assists in the bottom of the inning.

How many “caught stealing” can a base runner have in an inning where his team scores only one run?      Three.  He is caught at second base but an error allows him safe passage.   The he is picked off second but is able to arrive safely at third on another errant throw.  The day-dreaming runner is then picked off again but scores on a third error.

Now a question:

If a pitcher is able to pitch both as a righty and a lefty is he allowed to do so during one at bat?  For example if a right handed relief pitcher is brought in to face a right handed batter and the manager of the hitting team puts in a pinch hitting lefty the rules state that the pitcher must pitch to that one batter without being replaced.  But suppose the pitcher merely switches gloves and tosses as a lefty?    I have no answer.
I just thought I’d throw it out there and see if someone could field it for me.

And finally:

How many years can a general manager, manager, and coaching staff of a team stay employed while making stupid move after stupid move?  I’ll let you know since the Mets have yet to make any changes.

The Fight's Not Over

In any battle there are always two sides.  One side wins when they either physically defeat the other side or get them to see things a different way thus giving in on an argument.
The trick in a nonviolent battle is to baffle your opponent and make him lose faith in his belief or actually win him over.
Our current political environment pits two sides with differing points of view trying to win over the hearts and minds of average Americans.
On the one hand is the Democratic Party who is constantly trying to find a common ground with its opponent to help the largest number of Americans lead a better life.
And on the other hand is the Republican Party who doesn’t care about the welfare of the average citizen of America.  They care only about getting back into power so they can help the wealthiest two to three percent of the country maintain their wealth and spread a little their way in the form of ‘campaign funds.’
Toward that end the Republican Party has used a clever compelling campaign of obfuscation at every turn.  They have told out and out lies about every policy put forward by the Democrats and waste no opportunity to vilify any Obama suggestion as either racist or un-American.
At times I wonder how their lips don’t fall off after some of the whoppers they tell.  And if they truly believe half the crap they spew they need help!  Fortunately this is a country that takes care of the needy, for now.
But sadly they are winning over the weak minded of the country who have little time to delve into the facts or the lack thereof in the claims made by the so-called party of no.  But since this is America and we believe that everyone is entitled to an opinion and a vote these same weak minded individuals can sway an election.
Knowing the value of every vote is what has kept the Republicans so close on the National political stage even though they have no message no plan and no desire to come up with one other than take back the Congress and feed money to the wealthy.
And just as sadly they have controlled the argument and turned the focus away from the real job at hand - getting America through the current economic and jobs crises.  The Party of No follows Nancy Reagan's words to a fault!
So what can be done?
If I were a religious man I would suggest prayer in the hopes that the Democrats would grow a pair – the weak minded would join the Straw Man and the Party of No would grow a conscience.  Well two out of three might work but it is an uphill climb.
But there is still time until this November and while hope indeed springs eternal legwork, elbow grease and grass roots campaigning would work better.  Don’t let up on exposing the lies of the Republicans.  Don’t stop pointing out the absurd contradictions of the Party of No.  And don’t lose faith that in the end truth and justice can and will win out over the evil and dark forces of the other side.

Friday, August 27, 2010

News Part II

Part II:
Billionaire Donald Bren was forced to defend a lawsuit seeking child support for his two bastard children.  Not much news except the slut who was his mistress and gave birth to both children wants the money retroactive to 1988!  The kids received up to $18,000 per month during their childhood but she claims they should have been given $400,000 per month!  Excuse me?  Holy shit lady, no hooker I ever heard about was worth that much!  Talk about laying a golden egg!  Bren may be a pig (sorry for the mixed metaphor) but even pigs have rights.  She lost the case.  But now Bren should be be given a full IRS audit - Maybe the government is owed a few hundred thou per month back taxes?
Glenn Beck wants to take back America or is it take America back?  Beck actually wants fame and fortune and more money as he riles up the racist hate he fans daily on his Fox and Arab funded shows.  Holding a rally at the same place and on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.s "I have a dream speech" shows Beck for what he really is.  Enough said.
BP's Tony Hayward refuses to testify about the deal most likely made to free the Lockerbie terrorist in exchange for oil rights and a sweetheart deal.  What a surprise!  Why testify when the only thing that will come out of your lying filthy mouth will be, as you might say rubbish?  The last time big oil and BP in particular said anything truthful was back in, uh, back, let me see, uh, wait I'll find something...
Government reports rejoice that the flu deaths associated with last year's epidemic were lower than estimated.  Good news for everyone other than those who died.
Johnson & Johnson has voluntarily placed a recall on a hip replacement system that seems to have problems in design.  So if you've had a hip replacement please return it to your nearest JNJ location and crawl on home.
And finally on the obit pages it was sadly reported that George D. Weiss passed away yesterday at the age of 89.  It was sort of fitting that the man famous for writing the song sung by the late great Louis Armstrong, "What a Wonderful World" should leave us now seeing as how the world is anything but!

News to Ponder - Pt I

I have much on my alleged mind and that is the main reason for the following post.  But the ulterior motive is that I can no longer stand to see the photo of that incredibly ugly person on the post below this one.  Aside from her looks being repulsive she is a terrible human being (making an assumption there) and I don't wish to scare away any readers.
There are too many stories to place on one post and although I won't make them long I will separate them into two posts.
You may follow up on any tidbit I place herewith by "googling" for more or where I add a link to the actual story if you so desire.  I just couldn't believe what I was reading in the news today and all the injustice finally screamed to be let out to breath.  So take a deep breath and read on.
PART I:
Grave robbers struck in East Farmingdale stealing the corpse of an Italian lady dead since 1998.  Seriously?  What, there aren't enough brain dead people around so you have to disturb a grave?  Sick bastards!
NY Governor Paterson has been found to have received tickets to a World Series game without reporting it or paying for them.  OH MY GOD! Quick, get out the pitchforks!  I realize no elected official should accept gifts from potential recipients of  favors later but is this the issue to stop the presses on?  Do we have to waste so much time and effort and money on this one?  Do we not have more pressing problems perhaps?  Such as:
Lindsay Lohan and mom will be getting a radio show on 105.3 FM.  This proves that if you are totally untalented, ugly, stupid, and a low-life trash who continually acts poorly you can strike it rich!  So mark your calendars for some time later this year to carry a radio while eating your big mac and strolling the aisles at Wal*Mart.
Indians refuse to collect the lawful and legal tax on cigarettes sold to non-tribal buyers.  The amount lost to NYS amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars.  A perfect solution would be to charge the tribes the total amount of sales tax that would be collected on all the cigarettes they buy then offering them a rebate of that sales tax upon delivery of audited proof of sales to tribal members.  A bit cumbersome but the only way to keep the peace without having to smoke anything!
The LIRR states that the cost of the recent track fire will be incredibly high.  Does the railroad not have insurance against this sort of accident?  Are we to expect to see the ticket prices go up due to their inept handling of the rails? It is bad enough that their workers are among the highest paid - AFTER they retire but do we have to foot the bill every time they do something wrong?
American Airlines decries a $24M fine for flying unsafe planes and not telling anyone about it.  They cancelled hundreds of flights while they kept the lid on the problem.  In trying to get out of paying the fine spokesman Tim Smith said, "These events happened more than two years ago..."  Well there you have it if you can stall and obfuscate long enough you can get away with anything.  (It seems as though American Air is taking a page out of the Republican's playbook!)

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Not Even a Pretty Face

It seems that we are allowed to make up our own words according to the oft 'refudiated' yet learned scholar from Wasilla.
Or we may give new meanings to old ones according to the Google-master of Fox, Gretchen Carlson.
Ignominious ignorant
ignoranus
So in that spirit I would like to coin a new one for the latter mentioned moron from the fake news channel that is partially owned by terrorists" (See two posts down - Final Fix for Fux @ Fox)
Gretchen Carlson is an IGNORANUS!
It means she, like her fellow TV personalities on Fox knows nothing and continually has her head up her ass!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Reiteration of Idiocy

The following is well known but bears repeating lest we forget come November.
The Party of No is proud of their nickname as they continue to claim they are doing what's best for America.
The Republicans say they are stopping the rampant spending of the Democratic Party who only wants to redistribute money from the wealthy to the poor.
Of course whether or not that is true the Republican Party of NO is trying to make sure the wealthiest among us not only keep all their money while we fork over our fair share to the IRS but pay less taxes than the rest of us. (Not a smaller percentage mind you but actually less dollars if possible!)
So in their efforts to keep the wealthy wealthy and make the middle class the Eloi to their Morlock they have blocked every possible Democratic bill and appointment they could.
And here is just a partial list of the evil they have perpetrated on the unsuspecting citizens of America.
It should be repeated every day until election day in November.

Final Fix For Fux @ Fox

If there are any people out there who still think Fox News is a news organization please help them.  They are either in serious need of psychiatric help or are members of Al Qaeda.

Jon Stewart and his fantastic crew at the Daily Show gave the definitive answer to the Fox news question in this 9 minute piece.  It is a must see for all Americans.  Oh hell, all humans!

If anyone is still wondering about terrorist organizations funding so-called American corporations they won't be after viewing this!

Past Errors - Future Perfect?

An Olympic champion who recently died admitted openly to using steroids.  He felt there was nothing wrong with using the enhancement drug of choice.
Many are saying he should be stripped of his medals and looked down upon in the sports community.
But that was then and this is now!
Laws and social mores cannot be retroactive.
We learn from our mistakes and hopefully change the laws for future generations.
Steroids were not outlawed back then because we had no idea how damaging they were.
My friend in LA died a few years ago after two years of attempting to get down to manageable levels of steroids - and he was under a doctors care!  Every time they lowered the dosage (Prednisone) he developed side effects that caused them to raise it back up until his body finally gave in.
When we look back in history and condemn or even condone acts of the past without using an eye toward the time line we are doing all involved a disservice.
The saying that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it is correct.  But if we change history or historical facts then what?
Understanding what happened in the past has to be taken within its context.
The holocaust was, is, and should be condemned as a terrible act of genocide and plain evil by at least the sane among us.  But if we go back further in time we will come across other such 'cleansing' acts that were not considered wrong by those in charge.  We know now that they were but...
As long as we amend our laws without emending our past records we will continue to evolve as a society.  If we cannot admit that certain practices in the past were wrong then we will not have the desire to change them.
Steroids were in common use!
Slavery existed!
Women could not vote!
Bush was President!
We all make mistakes but as long as we realize that they were mistakes we will be fine.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

The Worth of a Man


How much is a human worth?
I’m talking dollars and cents.
Every year someone wastes time on a cutesy story about the breakdown of the chemicals that work together to create a person.  The current evaluation is around $4.50.
(Mine is most likely less than that when you take into account my usual and customary aches and pains.)
But like with any product you cannot merely it break down to its elements and expect a fair representation of total worth.
For example, how much does a brick cost?  They generally can be between $2 and $15 a piece.
And yet take a few thousand bricks and you can build a beautiful and unique “Brownstone” in Manhattan and sell it for millions!
So what about the building blocks of our bodies, how much are we really worth?
One place that is constantly called upon to figure that out is the courtroom.
When one of us dies as a result of an accident that might be caused by a company’s negligence attorneys get together to ply their trade.  They seek to place a value on a truncated life in order to compensate loved ones left behind as well as realize a hefty contingency fee in a ‘wrongful death’ lawsuit.
Naturally these numbers are contested by both sides as the residual potential lost in that human life is boiled down to dollars and cents.
But say we are still alive and we wish to know how much we are worth not just to our family but to society in general.
There is a fight that has been going on for at least 14 years in the medical device industry that seems to have a bearing on this issue.  A staple of hospital care has been found lacking in a critical safety measure.  The staple is the simple intravenous tube.
This prolific plastic straw that is routinely used to save a life can when used improperly just as easily take it away.  And when hospitals couple that double edged sword with practitioners on 24 hour shifts or longer the results can be deadly.
A few years ago a pregnant woman first lost her unborn child and then her own life when a nurse accidentally connected a feeding tube intended for her stomach directly to the intravenous line thus sending the deadly liquid into her bloodstream.
Many such errors have caused serious injuries and death over the years and no amount of careful good intentions will stop an unfortunate reoccurrence of such a mistake.
But in 1996 an incredibly simple fix to this age old problem was suggested.  Make intravenous tubes that have different functions incompatible with each other.
In other words a tube used to deliver plasma into the bloodstream will not fit into a bag intended for a different use!
What a great idea!
Disasters averted, everyone is happy!
Well not everyone.
The medical device industry did a quick ‘no-brainer’ type investigation and realized the fix while it would save lives would cost them money.  They mobilized their ‘lobby’ and effectively stalled any changes.
And that’s where we stand today, fifteen years later and counting.
Fifteen years of unnecessary loss of life.
Fifteen years of immoral increased profits.
Want to know the actual cost and reason for that delay?
The new tubes that would save lives cost $13 compared with the old possibly deadly ones at $1.50!
So our lives are not worth the increase of $11.50 according to the medical device industry especially since our broken down parts will only return $4.50.
This makes even less sense when you realize that the industry passes along their costs to the consumer/patient in the form of a thousand percent mark-up!  They could easily get away with charging $150 per inserted tube.
However you have to add the cost to retool the factory and make the different items and send out instructions and train people and make new packaging and oh it’s such hard work, I’m so tired…
Clearly health reform is not necessary in this country.  No oversight is needed to keep American citizens safe from mal-practicing practitioners.
The politicians who advocate repealing the heath reform bill that instead should be bolstered and restored to its original intent are clearly in the pockets of groups such as the medical device lobby.
Allowing impersonal corporations to determine life and death decisions anywhere is wrong but especially in the emergency room where people go as a last resort seeking life saving care.
When corporations decide that it is less costly to defend or pay out a few wrongful death verdicts than to correct the underlying defect causing those deaths government has no choice but to step in.
Hiring lobbyists to bury legislation - $10 million
Not having to retool a plant to save lives - $5 million
Saving that life by spending an additional $11.50 – Priceless!
I believe we’re worth it!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Ignore This Tweety Bird

Help! I'm choking on my words!
According to a tweet from flip-flopping Senator John McCain, and I quote, "Last American combat troops leave Iraq. I think George W Bush deserves some credit for the victory."
Excuse me????
Well for one thing if the war-mongering moron and his trusty side-kick Darth Cheney hadn't started the illegal immoral war in the first place there wouldn't have been combat troops to bring home so I guess he is right in that respect.
But he loses all respect upon further examination.  (Whatever respect he had left that is.)
If we use the deranged thinking of the man who gave you Sarah Palin then Adam and Eve should be commended for the Apollo mission to the moon!
Clearly cause and effect must have some limitation.  And just as surely as we cannot hold the good Senator from Arizona responsible for the emergence of the Wasilla nit-wit nut job we should also not give anyone credit for righting the Iraqi wrong.
President Obama did what was necessary as he promised to do during his campaign days.  For that he deserves our thanks, not "W."
How we move forward from this point is what counts and switching horses in midstream is a dangerous move even if your horse is not the swiftest in the fleet.  If your mount is trustworthy and you know its heart is in the right place you must stay on for the duration.
I would offer that one Obama in the hand is worth any two Bush’s in the White House.
And this is proven true by reading tweets from people who should know better!

Debates Are for Grown-Ups

I continue to hear protestations from both far right and far left thinkers (using that word loosely) that discussions and debates must decide what’s right for America.
But the problem as I see it is you cannot have a fruitful discussion or debate when one side, the other, or both have completely closed and made up their minds on whatever issue is to be discussed.
In order for a debate or grown-up discussion to work those involved must be willing to listen and learn.  They may not like what they hear or end up in agreement but they will at least understand another’s point of view.
Unfortunately the loudest voices are coming from those far sides.
As an example of those with closed minds I offer the 20% of Americans who believe that President Obama is of the Muslim faith.  This even though he has continually stated that he is a Christian and was criticized for belonging to the activist Trinity United Church of Christ of Pastor Jeremiah Wright.
Well folks you just cannot have it both ways.  He is a Christian when you don’t like the Church or Pastor therein and he’s a Muslin when saying that allows you to continue your hatred of an African American as President.
And yes, I said American, not Kenyan.  Get over it!
The underlying prejudices of many of the radical so-called right wing nut jobs are obvious but so is their agenda.  To these closed minded politically charged people it matters not what lie they use as long as they propagate hate.
And frankly I would like to know what place the man’s religion has in the discourse about moving America forward?  Do we not claim to be proud of our credo of religious freedom and our equally important separation of Church and State?
When radical groups use and abuse parts of the Constitution to suit their agenda they are as dangerous to this country as any enemy agent.
For example our freedom of speech is not a total right when that speech is used to incite riot.
The second amendment that allows for the arming of a militia does not implicitly give every citizen the right to carry and conceal weapons, especially assault rifles!
The fourteenth amendment, proposed, backed and written by Republicans was a good one.  It should not be repealed just because some politicians are too cowardly to state their hidden agenda and not bright enough to figure ways to fix separate problems that are unrelated.
When I was a teenager I walked away from a heated argument when my opponent called me an idiot.  He came running after me and pulled my arm to ask why I stopped.  I told him I was no longer capable of arguing with him since, “I’m an idiot, end of story!”
Name calling does not move a debate forward.  It actually bogs it down to the point of stagnation.  And this nation cannot afford to go stag at this moment.
The debates and discussions needed to move America forward must not include the President’s religion or his vacations, working ones though they be.
Hollywood and Disney parks produce enough fantasies for our amusement.  The media, Congress and the politicians therein must not.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Vocabulary Lesson - Budgets

Okay children the class will come to order.
Today's subject is vocabulary in the real world.
What does the word budget mean?
How about balanced?  Of course I mean ‘balanced’ the normal human way of using it and not the way Fox News does which is totally distorted and self serving bullshit.
When you plan a budget it generally means that you wish to have all your bills covered and accounted for.  There are to be no surprises when the bill's due date arrives because you have budgeted for the amount due.  It means you have put aside enough money to pay the bill.
Now on to the second word, balanced.
When something is balanced it will not tip over.  It will likewise not throw you off like a seesaw with an incredibly obese person on the other side, assuming you are not also incredibly obese and one of you doesn't suddenly get up.
So if we were to put both of these words together into one phrase or sentence the odds are we would have an incredibly balanced budget.
This budget would be one we could count on to last for the duration and never give us any problems, right?
This budget would allow us to sleep peacefully at night in the knowledge that all our bills were covered and the world was a wonderful place.
Well boys and girls I hate to break it to you but we must now examine the real world.
I don't condone the dirty
practices of large
corporations these days.
Companies are in business to make money.  But those same companies never heard of Professor Charles Kingfield of ‘The Paper Chase.’  They don't earn it the old-fashioned way. They'd rather trick their customers in a new-fashioned way.
It's the new normal of the business world.
Now not every company is hell bent on fraudulent practices but so many are reaping by raping that more will see the benefits and join in.
One of the originators of fraudulent practices is the infamous Long Island Power Authority commonly known as LIPA.  This group charges whatever they wish and their rates are among the highest in the country.
LIPA, which actually stands for Lowlife Insane Pricks of America offers their customers the convenience of “Balanced Budget Billing.”
This oxymoron by the morons of the country is supposed to mean that they set you up with a certain monthly amount at the beginning of a year and you can authorize automatic payments from your bank to cover them.
Their sister company in crime, National Grid, formerly Keyspan, Marketspan, Keyspan, nee Brooklyn Union Gas uses a similar tactic.
Both companies charge penalties for late payments.
Now for the fun part.
These two crooks of America (actually National Grid is a British Company) don’t keep their budgets going for a year.
About four or five months into the year they recalculate and if they feel they are falling behind or one of their CEOs has a vacation to take care of or a mistress in need they raise the budget!
Guess what Kessel has
in his gullet and
win a prize
Okay, not every CEO has a mistress.  In the case of old LIPA-suction head, Richard Kessel the extra need was probably for more fatty fast food for that fat f**k!  And who knows what current head Kevin (above the) Law needs?
The amazing part of this story is that the utilities who offer this balanced budget scheme may also lower the monthly amount for a while.
The best example I lived through was a few years back when the budget was raised 4 months in, lowered 2 months later, raised back higher in 2 months and then lowered for the last 2 months.  BUT if they had kept the starting amount for the entire budget we would have been within $10 at the end of the year!  Incredibly stupid!!!
So how do you budget when two of the utilities you must pay are constantly changing the amount you owe to suit some whim?
Well frankly you don’t!
And if you err and pay the originally budgeted for  lower amount expect to spend a few hours on the phone trying to get a human to speak with who may or may not have the intelligence or wherewithal to help you.  It may be better to just pay the bill and the extra charges and chalk it up to helping the economy.
After all when we pay these fat cats more money they make larger profits and therefore pay more in taxes, right?
Oh wait, no they don’t.
I just remembered the Bush tax shelter aka tax cut gift to the rich is still in effect.
So I guess the phrase ‘balance budget’ means bend over, get you balance, grab your ankles and let the big corporations do whatever they like.
Okay boys and girls, class dismissed.