May 30, 2006

 

May Book Review



...Doing book reviews was something that I figured might be a nice filler for Faint Expectations, possibly as a way of giving an occasional positive to an otherwise weekly dose of negatives. My last review was in February, but I knew that reviews wouldn’t be a regular monthly thing.
...A few days ago I finished Buzz Bissinger’s 3 Nights in August, which follows a three-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals and their historic rivals the Chicago Cubs. The series took place during the 2003 season, and Bissinger takes the reader down several paths, from game action to behind-the-scenes occurrences to analysis of individual players.
...Bissinger’s name might be known among football fans, having been the author of Friday Night Lights which eventually found its way onto the big screen. Whether 3 Nights in August becomes a feature film or not doesn’t matter; the book version is good enough to stand alone.
...For those of us who are baseball geeks (when I use that term I’m referring to those of us who go beyond watching the occasional televised game or checking the game box scores; we do daily checks of transactions and can name almost every player on our favorite team’s triple-A roster and even a few names on the double-A and single-A rosters), Bissinger gives us insight into things that were visible to him after having gained an all-access pass to the Cardinals’ clubhouse and more notably, manager Tony La Russa’s office.
...From former St. Louis farmhand Bo Hart’s struggles with hitting curveballs and outfielder Kerry Robinson’s unwillingness to follow managerial instruction to then-pitcher Rick Ankiel’s mechanical breakdown and Darryl Kile’s death, Bissinger describes in detail the goings-on of a Major League Baseball team experiencing the ups and downs of both three games against a heated rival and the 162-game season in which the series lies.
...It should be mentioned that there are a few pages every so often that seem to have been added in an effort to stretch the book by a few pages. Paragraphs that describe single pitches in too much detail could have removed and the book would have still retained its addictive essence—and in all honesty it might have helped the overall flow.
...Regardless of such a minor complaint, 3 Nights in August is worth reading if you’re a baseball fan in general. If you’re a Chicago Cubs fan it’s worth adding to your book collection; if you haven’t purchased it yet, add it to your “to buy” list. If you’re a St. Louis Cardinals fan, it’s a must-have.
...As a bit of a warning, if you’re a devout follower of the concepts found in the controversial book Moneyball, which over-emphasizes the importance of statistics, statistics, and more statistics—basically removing all aspects of nuance and humanity from the game of baseball—this book probably won’t interest you. If you find yourself fascinated more with crunching numbers and studying on-base percentage, home-runs numbers, and WHIP statistics as opposed to how the game breathes, don’t bother buying 3 Nights. Bissinger is more interested in the human qualities that can be found in the game, whether those qualities are good or bad. The premise is that it is those qualities which make baseball what it is—the numbers just come along for the ride.
...After all, similar to La Russa’s philosophy, you can’t quantify desire.

May 26, 2006

 

The Short Arm of the Law


Richard W. Thompson

...If you’re ever convicted of raping children, you might want to get Cheyenne County District Judge Kristine Cecava in Lincoln, Nebraska, to rule on your case. There’s a good chance that you’ll be home in time for dinner.
...Cecava sentenced Richard W. Thompson to 10 years of probation instead of 10 years in prison for molesting a 12-year-old girl because Thompson’s height is only 5’1”. Cecava said that life would be too difficult in prison for a short person, and as such she wouldn’t want to subject him to anything that harsh.
...Marla Sohl of the Nebraska Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Coalition expressed concern for the kind of message that this ruling is sending to sexual predators and how more concern is being shown for the criminal than the safety of the victim.
...Joe Mangano, former secretary of the National Organization of Short Statured Adults, said, “I’m assuming a short inmate would have a much more difficult time than a large inmate. It’s good to see somebody looking out for someone who is a short person.”
...For the record, I found NOSSA’s Website and the latest post on their blog offers an apology for Mangano’s asinine and disgusting comments. It firmly states that NOSSA disagrees “100%” with the remarks and that Mangano has been removed from his position as secretary.
...It’s quite sickening to know that Mangano made the kind of comments that he made, but it’s even sicker to know that someone like Cecava is on the bench. Not only do we have to worry about criminals but also judges who are hell-bent on making sure that they’re back on the street.

May 24, 2006

 

Read All About It



...The writing might be on the wall, but unfortunately it might be less likely to be on the pages of a book.
...Even though net revenue for book sales increased by 5.9 percent to just below $34.6 billion last year, the Institute for Publishing Research is predicting sluggish demand for books over the next four years because statistics show that younger generations have little, if any, interest in reading books. The group suggests that older demographics are heavy readers, but a decline in overall sales will be evident as younger people are spending more time and money on things like iPods, digital cameras, and cell phones that have more bells and whistles than a top-of-the-line Jaguar.
...This potential problem for publishers was a hot topic at the recent BookExpo America, but reports said that attendees could basically be lumped into three categories: those who desire change, those who simply accept the change, and those who don’t want the change whatsoever.
...Even though it’s good to have hard numbers and statistics, we probably can simply look around us and realize that reading books is a foreign hobby for many people 40 years-of-age and younger. Peruse MySpace profiles (only if you have to and if you don’t mind having your I.Q. drop by a few points due to exposure), and you’ll notice how many of them have comments in the “BOOKS” category such as “Books suck!” and “Who reads?” Not surprisingly the words are usually misspelled and incorrect punctuation is used (I wish that I had a nickel for every question that was concluded with an exclamation mark). Could this be because they don’t read?
...Getting back to the topic at hand, a situation like this is reminiscent of a scene in the original version of the movie The Time Machine. Rod Taylor’s character travels to the distant future and discovers that books have absolutely no value to civilization. There was no reason to read because they could sooner swim and eat fruit; there was no reason to learn because they could sooner relax and sunbathe. The books that the civilization did have were hundreds of years old and disintegrated at the slightest touch. It was accepted, though, because the civilization was more interested in relaxing on a daily basis. Carpe diem, indeed.
...Obviously it was just a movie, but we’re nonetheless experiencing a massive change in terms of communication, learning, and intellectual growth. Consider how long writing and reading have been a part of civilizations; consider how important reading and writing have been in the growth of these civilizations. Now, when it comes to younger generations, opening a book is nothing more than a task that has to be carried out in a classroom—that is, if it’s carried out.
...Obviously this developing scenario is nightmarish for book publishers because they’ve based their livelihoods on the sales of the written word. This change in the market isn’t only a philosophical problem for them, but a financial one. Since a few of the BookExpo attendees have willingly accepted the fact that change is occurring with respect to book demand, let’s take a look at the two possibilities which exist in relation to the actual concepts of reading, writing, and learning.
...On one hand it can be argued that this lack of book buying isn’t necessarily a direct sign that society is going to hell. Reading might have simply shifted from paper to computer screens, creating a market for information that was traditionally offered in books, only to now be found in the form of pixels. Instead of hardcover and paperbacks, we’ll have e-books. Instead of encyclopedias and dictionaries, we’ll simply have Websites that offer the same services. The databases are just online as opposed to on a bookshelf.
...If we consider how much the Internet has provided us with reading material—some good and some bad, similar to what books have offered us—we can see that the act of reading and the desire for information dissemination hasn’t really changed—only the mediums have.
...The biggest change becomes the decline of paper-based writing; the biggest challenge ends up being selling your goods in a market that isn’t too interested in what you have to offer. This brings about forced change, but that isn’t anything new. Humans moved from stone tablets to papyrus, papyrus to parchment, parchment to paper. The Internet revolution might be the next step in this process, allowing us to say “paper to computer screen.”
...This new medium has opened the door for more authors—from information to entertainment to opinion—and more information. It can also be said that more writers—again, some good and some bad—will emerge because the paperless world allows for less red tape in the publishing process. Consider blogs, for instance: We can opine without being accepted by a publisher; more over, we have little to no expense to open our big mouths.
...On the other hand, it can indeed be said that the decline in book sales is simply due to what many have already said: Younger people don’t want to read anything anymore. They want immediate gratification and as much entertainment as possible—books don’t offer that for them. Thus, the iPod and cell phone take the place of the novel; reading to learn something is now relegated to homework for school.
...This argument is quite possible considering how many people have short attention spans, and the fact that books don’t lend themselves to people who need new stimuli every three or four minutes—technological toys, however, are perfect for it.
...Last year Norman Mailer opined on the matter and suggested that people with short attention spans have actually been conditioned by television and namely commercial breaks. People 40 and under have grown up with the ubiquitous television set and have come to recognize a change of stimulus every few minutes as being “normal,” since television programs of all sorts rely upon the standard format of off-and-on segments of program and commercial. Books don’t rely upon such a format; they force the user to start, stay interested, and end at the conclusion.
...Are the concepts of reading and learning becoming a thing of the past? My pessimistic nature wants to say yes. Looking around at many of my peers supports such a notion. Looking at the twenty-something populace as a whole when they put themselves on display on sites such as MySpace adds a bit of data to what might be otherwise nothing more than an assumption. To summarize it, yes, it appears that not only book buying but reading in general is losing ground with my generation.
...Is this going to change? I’d argue that it will if people have a desire to feed their minds. If that doesn’t happen, our intellect as a society will go the way of the decomposing books in The Time Machine.

May 21, 2006

 

The Bad and the Ugly



...Chris Cortes and his wife Iris were sentenced to community service after kidnapping their neighbor’s cat, taking him into the Everglades, and leaving him to die. The only problem was that the cat, named Mr. Kibbles, made his way back home and Cortes’ shady moves were discovered. Cortes and his wife didn’t think that they should have to do community service because Mr. Kibbles used Cortes’ pick-up truck as a litter box.
...There’s a good chance that the world would be a better place had Cortes and his wife been the ones abandoned in the Everglades instead of Mr. Kibbles.
...Just reading the headline made my groin ache.
...Howard’s wife, who is allegedly bi-polar and thought that Howard was cheating on her, dug her fingernails into his scrotum while he was asleep and yanked off his testicles. She left him bleeding profusely and in critical condition at Einstein Medical Center. Surgeons there successfully reattached Howard’s testicles and he’s recovering as best as possible.
...Lorena Bobbitt has nothing on this woman.

May 18, 2006

 

Now This Is Organization



...The FBI is currently playing in the dirt at a Michigan horse farm after being told that Jimmy Hoffa’s body was buried there. Apparently he’s not buried under an endzone at the Meadowlands or in a Pennsylvania coal mine, dumped in one of the Great Lakes, in a junkyard somewhere, or boiled into oblivion in a vat of animal fat or destroyed in a tub of acid.
...Since the FBI searches wherever they hear of a possible Jimmy Hoffa burial spot, I’m going to have some fun with the G-men.
...Jimmy Hoffa is buried on Mars. Really—he is. Now go look for him. Last one to the red planet is a rotten egg.
Source: ABC News

May 15, 2006

 

Dude, you don't want a Dell.



...I’ve owned Dell computers since 2002 and never had any technical problems with them. Both PCs have run smoothly, got the job done, and never really caused any complaints for me. Recently I came to discover—or rather my brother did—that Dell’s problems lie with their people and not their machinery.
...A few months ago my brother purchased a new Dell PC that had as part of its promotion an interest-free payback option. Such a buy was perfect for him, since he’s spending quite a bit on repairs to his home, which needs some work as it’s over 100 years old.
...He also knew that I, too, recently purchased a new Dell PC—opting for a similar interest-free payback program—and called me last night, frantically ordering me to check my recent bill.
...“Are they charging you interest?” he inquired.
...“No. Why would they? Both of us took the interest-free promotion. Remember?” I responded.
...“That’s what I thought,” he explained, “but they’re charging me 23 percent interest.”
...At this point I thought that there had been some kind of mistake and asked him if he had made any calls to find out where the mix-up was. Unfortunately there hadn’t been any mix-up; the people at Dell simply decided that he didn't qualify for the deal after they originally told him that he did. He explained to the Dell representative that the interest-free payback promotion was the main reason that he made that particular purchase and that he was told that the promotion was a done deal. Nonetheless she said that the payments were now his problem—not theirs.
...My brother doesn’t have the time or money to fight a shady bait-and-switch deal by one of the country’s biggest computer companies, so he instead opted to dip a little deeper into his checking account and pay the bill off in one shot. We both agreed, however, that we’d openly discuss his Dell hell and encourage anyone and everyone to purchase another brand if you’re looking into buying a new computer.
...Try to find one that doesn’t include the bait-and-switch in their business dealings.

May 12, 2006

 

An Act for Disabilities or An Act to Disable?

--
...I’ve been sitting on this post for a few days, wondering if I should actually publish it for fear of some kind of backlash from people who misinterpret it and think that I’m cold-hearted and mean-spirited toward people with disabilities.
...I then considered the fact that my audience might be only around ten people and that hopefully by now most know that I’m not one to take a viewpoint simply to be controversial or play the devil’s advocate. I don’t intend to offend; I just offend with my intent.
...It wasn’t until I commented on Amy’s post about a silly lawsuit involving a frivolous lawsuit involving a baseball team promotion for Mother’s Day that I figured I might as well follow through with my opinion on something that has become widely viewed as fair, equitable, important, and morally pertinent: the Americans with Disabilities Act and how it relates to the rights of private businesses.
...In my comment on Amy’s site I expressed my view that private sector businesses should be allowed to make decisions and actions that might be deemed “discriminatory.” In the case that Amy touched upon, a man was discriminated against by the Anaheim Angels because they wouldn’t give him a Mother’s Day promotional bag, and in turn he’s decided to sue.
...Here in my home state of Pennsylvania, a small town in the eastern half of the commonwealth has found itself embroiled in a controversy involving disabled people and businesses that don’t meet specifications that are outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act. Out of 83 downtown businesses in the town of Tamaqua, none were in total compliance with the ADA. The biggest violations that were discovered by a disability advocacy group which inspected the stores were those of heavy entrance doors, bathrooms that weren’t wheelchair accessible, and a lack of ramps leading into many of the storefronts.
...The disability advocacy group informed the businesses that if they don’t respond to the critiques within 30 days they will become subject to court-ordered mediation and possible lawsuits.
...Logistically-speaking there might be problems with the ramp idea because a second newspaper touched upon the difficulties of actually building ramps on town blocks that were built in the 1800s. The design of the structures had been built during an era when storefront ramps weren’t even thought of. Extra space will be needed between some of the buildings and in some cases entire sections of the blocks will be required to somehow “rearrange.” As if that isn’t bad enough, many of the small businesses there are mom-and-pop types and can’t afford to build bathrooms that might cost half of what their stores are already worth.
...Now, for a moment, let’s consider an intellectual argument that will no doubt be controversial and disagreed with by many: Allowing these businesses—and others across the country—to build high-priced ramps and big-ticket lavatories only if they want to. If they don’t, the recourse could be calls for boycotts by the advocacy groups and citizens who support the idea of disabled-accessible stores. In essence, the concept would be that privately-owned stores would have the right to cater to whichever customers they choose. If they choose not to cater to certain demographics, they wouldn’t be forced to just because other people have decided that it’s “fair.”
...Let it be known that I’m fully aware that the ADA is law, and violations of the guidelines found within the act are illegal. If they weren’t, the Tamaqua incidents wouldn’t be much of a story. I’m simply proposing a debate over whether or not we’re basing laws—such as the ADA—on intellectual arguments or just emotions. I can’t help but think that if it were the former we would have never gone through with the ADA in the first place; we would have taken the radical (radical as of now) route and allowed for private sector businesses to decide who shops in their stores. In turn, we would also allow for the offended people—no matter what group it might be—to protest and call for boycotts, but not go so far as to pass laws.
...Our society has opted to take the route of regulating the wishes of private businesses in order to be “fair” to those who want it to be fair, but is this a good thing? That will no doubt become the $64,000 question. Here’s why:
...I will argue that whenever we make a move with legislation it opens another door for more legislation in other areas. If regulating private business in multiple ways is “good” or “fair” for a reason, how many forms of regulation can be justified if we implement them under the guise of fairness? It’s almost like the potential for increased assaults on our privacy under the guise of fighting terrorism: If you disagree with wiretapping without warrants or random surveillance on law-abiding citizens it is said that you must not want to stop terrorism. In turn we open the door for more regulation under the guise of fighting terrorism. Similarly, the argument can be made, if you don’t like regulations on multiple aspects of the private sector you must not like specific groups of society. It’s ultimately said that you don’t like fairness or equality.
...How fair is that?
 

[Allegedly] Human


Daisy

...When I first began opining online my blog was called The Department of Injustice. To a degree it served its purpose, but along the way I found myself focusing on things that weren’t necessarily injustices so much as they were stories about people who can be found in the shallow end of the gene pool—the ones whose parents’ hindsight hopefully includes wishing that they had sought an abortion. It ultimately made me realize that a more appropriate blog title would be Faint Expectations (my apologies to Charles Dickens).
...Sadly we have a few more people to add to the heap of examples.
...Ryan Dawson, 21, and Ronald Arnold, 17, allegedly (I use this term only to protect myself legally; I support the idea of innocent until proven guilty, but considering that this isn’t a common accusation I’ll reiterate that I only use the term “allegedly” for legal reasons) dunked Daisy, the Labrador puppy seen above, in a bowl of vodka and forced it to drink until the dog became unresponsive. The dog’s owner—who himself was accused of giving beer to the puppy on other occasions—took the dog to the home of an off-duty police officer who called for medical services.
...The dog survived after receiving fluids intravenously and adoption offers—hopefully from people who aren’t as subhuman as the puppy’s owner or his friends—have begun to come in. The two guys who [allegedly] almost killed the puppy can get a maximum of three years in prison if found guilty.
...That’s nice, but I’d sooner force them to drink Liquid-Plumr.

May 11, 2006

 

Vote Aqui in 2006



...It shocked part of me when I found myself thinking it, but another part of me thought that it was only a matter of time. This is the first time in the last ten years that I’ve given serious consideration to abstaining from voting.
...“What?!” you ask in disbelief. Yes, here I am, a civic-minded individual with a reasonable political science background and an addiction to C-Span, saying that I’m pondering the possibility of taking an election off from voting for the candidate who is the best of the worst.
...Casting a vote for U.S. Senate might be worthwhile but the others are looking bleak. My state representative joined his colleagues and voted himself an illegal pay raise, but is nonetheless loved by many constituents. My state senator is corrupt but is a shoe-in due to name recognition. My choice for governor is…um…well, that’s the topic of this post.
...On one hand I can choose Lynn Swann: former wide receiver of the Pittsburgh Steelers, motivational speaker, former wide receiver of the Pittsburgh Steelers, board member of the H.J. Heinz Company and Hershey Entertainment and Resorts, former wide receiver of the Pittsburgh Steelers, spokesman for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, former wide receiver of the Pittsburgh Steelers, broadcaster for ABC Sports, and former wide receiver of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I haven’t really heard how he would do it, but he says that he wants to create economic opportunities, prepare our children to compete in the working world with better education, and instill the traditional values of hard work, determination, and the will to succeed in all Pennsylvanians.
...On the other hand I can choose incumbent Ed Rendell: the former Philadelphia mayor who was notoriously involved in the Kvaerner ASA ship yard scheme in the late-1990s with cohort Tom Ridge. The two managed to funnel $430 million of taxpayer funds to convert the old Philadelphia Naval Yard into a commercial shipbuilding operation for Kvaerner, a Norwegian-based company, and both Republicans and Democrats on the local and state levels saw it as a chance to garner a few more votes. After all, they could tout the creation of thousands of jobs and tempt blue-collar workers all over the commonwealth with the possibility of increased steel production and new hires at many of the mills in the Keystone State.
...The Kvaerner deal began to take on the appearance of the taxpayer debacle that it was (a debacle to some people but not all; many former yard workers were angry when Ridge didn’t pay a German ship builder $167 million to do a similar deal in 1995) when the company opted to use both imported steel and Portuguese-made gantry cranes for their operation. In addition, tax monies would be used to fund not only a technologically-advanced yard but would also be used in worker training and payroll. All that Kvaerner had to do was show up and look good for the cameras. Eventually the news broke that along the way the big-wigs of Kvaerner were spending much of the tax subsidies on items like BMWs, grand pianos, and renovations to private residences.
...In 1999, Kvaerner announced that they were pulling up stakes in Philly due to limited ship orders, but, as is popular in politics, someone somehow pulled the right strings and managed to keep Kvaerner at the yards. In 2005 they signed a $1 billion contract for the production of ten double-hulled tankers and the black mark on Rendell’s résumé became old news.
...In recent years he found himself under fire from a group of constituents that is usually supportive of Democrats: environmentalists. Rendell is opposed to banning dumping harbor sludge in the commonwealth—some of which has been shown to be toxic—and came under fire when he openly said that he opposed a bill, House Bill 2275, that would allow people to vote on whether or not their community would allow the potentially-hazardous sludge to be dumped in their backyard. In 2004 he firmly stated, “Well, I’m not for letting anything be decided by referendum and that would be what this bill would try to do, Dante,” in his response to a caller on a public affairs show.
...Maybe I shouldn’t worry about this, though, because the possibility exists that a winner has already been picked. Only a few days ago it was announced that Diebold, which has a history of security problems with their electronic voting machines (click here to read some scary information that I discovered a few months ago), has sold machines with yet another security flaw to several Pennsylvania counties—including mine.
...Noted computer science professor Avi Rubin of Johns Hopkins University has called the new security flaw “the most serious thing” that he’s heard to date. Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor Michael Shamos called it “the most serious security breach that’s ever been discovered in a voting system.”
...So who will it be, Diebold? Swann or Rendell?

May 04, 2006

 

Anatomy & Physiology



...While it’s popular to make Texas the butt of most jokes nowadays (no doubt for being the homeland of the first president of vocabularyness), it seems as if Kentucky might be a close second.
...Last year a Kentucky police department arrested a teenager after he wrote a story about his high school being overtaken by zombies. In that case, police detective Steven Caudill said that having zombies overtake your school is a felony. There was no word on what it would be called if common sense had overtaken Detective Caudill’s mind.
...It’s a year later, however, and schools in Kentucky have a new threat: Down and out women.
...Tericka Dye, a Kentucky high school science teacher and volleyball coach, learned this the hard way—no pun intended—when it was discovered that she starred in a porn flick 11 years ago. Told that her “presence in the classroom would cause a disruption to the educational process,” Dye was suspended from her job and informed that she would not be brought back next year.
...Dye was honest about doing the film when the news surfaced but explained that she regrets it “100 percent” and had no money at the time. She eventually got her act together, joined the Army, became a military police officer, and later entered college to become a teacher.
...The McCracken County School District wasn’t interested in hearing Dye’s explanation, and Superintendent Tim Heller said, “I fear there would be less than a serious approach to schooling by students who viewed the video or know about it.” Um…okay, Tim. How many students in your district are watching an obscure porno from 1995?
...That question might sound funny on the surface, but let’s think about this. Who found this video? The story from WAVE doesn’t mention who discovered this movie, but if Ms. Dye is such an evil person for having done it when she was in dire need of money 11 years ago, shouldn’t we expose the evil person who was watching the porno in question to notice her on the tape? They should be punished, too, shouldn’t they, Tim? If having sex on film is bad, wouldn’t McCracken County administrators think that watching it is even worse?
...If we don’t consider the viewer a criminal, in keeping with the train of thought of the administration in McCracken County, we should then consider him/her a hero at the very least. They exposed this horrible woman and should be given a medal of honor. So let us celebrate him/her; name please.
...In the end, Ms. Dye’s real crime is that she apparently forgot that this is America, where teachers aren’t allowed to have pasts where they’ve had sex with other adults on tape. Had she simply waited until after she became a teacher and then had sex with a 13-year-old student she would no doubt have been given more leniency.
...Just ask Debra Lafave.