Could I see your passport again? We're not quite sure who you are yet.

Back from Paris. Don't let people bullshit you. It's a wonderful city. Sure, it's got tourist traps and some of the famous stuff probably shouldn't be that famous. But the city has a charm that is distinctly lacking in the U.S. I'll post some pictures tomorrow. Right now, let's discuss why this may be the last foreign trip I make.

I don't have anything against traveling per se. It's fine to see things you'll never see anywhere else. It's a rare chance to see places with thousands of years of history and culture, not just 200 or so. But FUCK airports and the assholes that think long lines and cursory glances at baggage means people are safer. How many times is it necessary to look at a passport? For Christ's sake, all they did was open it, make a quick glance at the picture, ask a few pithy questions about the bags, and then hand it right back. They checked it before getting in line for the flight check-in, again at the check-in desk, again after checking in, again at customs, again at the security booth, again before boarding, and again in the middle of the walkway to board the plane. This is why people blow up airports. Not to terrorize or punish non-believers. They're fucking pissed because of the bullshit. Back in the good ol' USA, these same fuckers made us stand in line to have the passports checked at customs, then they proceeded to make us stand in line for clearing the goods we brought in. At neither place was any kind of actual security check done. They practically waived us through after making us wait in line. All told, we probably stood in lines for 4 hours and had our passports checked nearly a dozen times. Is it really necessary? Twice, sure. Three times, I can live with. Twice in each country? Seems fair. But what the fuck? I guess somebody needed a job for his retarded brother-in-law, so they invented the position of International Passenger Passport Checker and gave him free reign to hire his retarded friends for similar made up positions.

This is what passes for security. We've traded hours of time just for the APPEARANCE of safety. Listen good...planes are no safer now than before 2001. But we have more bullshit, more wasted money, and more wasted time. Bravo America. Instead of addressing the roots of the problem, we've put another bandage on the wound and left it at that. The ulcer is still festering underneath, but fuck it! At least his passport was looked at.

Also America, you suck when it comes to welcoming foreigners. We flew to France without any French to lean on. With only minimal difficulty, found our way through the airport, got to where we needed to go, and found the people to be generally helpful and willing to speak what English they could when we struggled. Coming to LAX, the American "authorities", the "face of the nation" (taken from their own lame poster), proceeded to not be useful, did not appear to want to help anyone, and generally just continued speaking English with no regard for the fact that the Korean woman with her family and bags obviously didn't understand it the first 15 times. The signs were only posted in English, with random French or Spanish thrown in pointing to exits. At Charles de-Gaulle, most of the signs were in French, but with smaller print for English, Japanese, and German. How difficult is to do the same here?

Aside from the passport identity crisis, I had a fantastic trip. If it wasn't for the bullshit meted out by "Homeland Security" and the airlines themselves, I would consider traveling more often. As it is, there is plenty to see in America and I don't have to spend what essentially amounts to an entire useful day waiting in line to have my passport looked at by some dill-hole with a 4th grade education who wants to make small talk about how great it is to be back in the U.S.

I recommend traveling to Paris and enjoying a city that doesn't really feel like a city. The food is great, the atmosphere was relaxed, and the art and architecture were far beyond what we call history in this country. But give hell to airports and their obvious deficiency and incompetence when it comes to air travel and customer service. If a company treated their employees the way airports and airlines treat their patrons, they would be met with lawsuits, a fat Chapter 11 filing, and no one to feel bad for them.

Paris...hopefully the wine will make up for the flight

Leaving for Paris in the morning. I'll try to post pictures along the way. I'm mostly interested in watching the people. I get the feeling that no matter where you go, people just want to do people things. It's like a cat. No matter where you put it, he's just going to sleep all day, lick his butt, and act like he owns the place. Come to think of it, people are just like cats. But with less sleeping and more acting like we own places we don't. Probably an equal amount of butt licking. Here's a poem about computers. Notre technologie a déjà surpassé notre capacité de la commander!
..........................................................
Erase Me


I’ve been troubled for so long,
as to what to do with the present day,
the greed and growth and semiconductors
are out of control

I’m buried hunched at a screen,
a few
quick
finger strokes
I’m going down
It gives me no warmth.
we’ve lost touch.
Inebriated in a web,
tangled fiber and microchips
are in control

Files of garbage, files in files,
The Virus is killing us
The planes are coming down
“We are ready!”
Of course not. The testament to irrationality
lies in our innate logic being given over to rigid
electrical pulses.

It buried me, killed me,
Drone of key strokes
They killed me
no warmth, no touch, no love.

Before it eats me
grows over me
before the imposition of permanent rigidity
or testament to impersonality,
before sunset burns flaming ball red
and gold and glares off cold, staring
eyes with no zeal but for
zealous distance
Before God becomes a structure of
binary
composition


Erase me.

Making an argument based on ignoring evidence is called being an asshole

Robert Jordan died, in case anyone cares. I read all those books. They were decent enough. Far too much description, far too short on advancing the plot, and far too many plots and characters. The series should have ended after about 6 books. Now, I guess we'll never know. Oh well...that's why you shouldn't write horrifically long sets of books.

Two more days before I leave for Paris. I've heard everything from how great it is to how awful it is. I guess I'll have to go find out for myself. I'll try to post some pictures while I'm there, since I haven't bothered to post any yet. If anyone knows a good way to upload pictures to something approximating an album on the blog, I'll post pictures of my various travels. I could look myself but I'm being lazy right now. But science is great. World travel on tax payer dollars.

One more thought. What's with the cherry picking? Everyone does it to varying degrees. But it's most notable in religion, politics, and economics, where it's often used to the detriment of others. If you believe the Bible is the word of God, then how can you cherry pick parts that you follow and parts you don't? I actually heard someone say, out loud, that other gospels to Bible (and there are eighty some odd) have to be carefully picked over to find the ones that should be followed and the ones that are not true and should not be believed. Really? Do you not see the idiocy in your own words? When did you become sole expert on who gets to write about Jesus and who doesn't? All you're doing is lying to yourselves and giving the impression that you're unwilling to examine the evidence and possibilities right in front of you. And to politicians: Really? Because the last time I read the second amendment, the right of the people to bear arms was necessary in a well regulated militia. When did we forget the militia part? The last militia we had in this country was busy patrolling the border with Mexico and spouting imperialistic dogma and incredibly misleading statistics. These people should definitely not have guns. So let's all agree that it's bullshit. Whether you want to keep doing it or not, let's at least agree on that. You can't make intelligent people follow you by claiming you've made your choice based on good evidence when other good evidence directly contradicts yours. You can only do that to the stupid ones. Which I guess is enough, since it seems to be working.

I leave you with this, the greatest site in the internets that I've found besides my favorite comic sites. The motto is the greatest thing I've heard lately:Fighting to free humanity from the mind disorder known as theism. It's just antipodean creationism. But it's nice to know there are people fighting excesses with equally crazy excesses. At least they're not killing each other, just tossing words and lawsuits back and forth.

More poems and angry rants on perceived ridiculousness to come before I leave Saturday. Most likely a rant on how America likes to publicize and eradicate "cults" but runs the military using proven cult leadership techniques. So check back. I've also got a good piece brewing based on a question Adam asked: do I think I am a typical American and what characteristics make me think that?

Once again, ethics has been hedged and government has failed us...

I got creamed in Fantasy Football today...in honor, let's discuss some football news first.

All anyone wants to talk about is Bill Belichick and the signal stealing incident. Opinions are flying, pundits are punditing, and the Patriots are refusing to add more grist to the rumor mill. Rather than spewing my own opinion of the situation, I'd like to point out the deeper issue: cheating.

I've heard plenty of "well, everyone does it. This was just a more brazen form". This is probably true. Why do you think coaches cover their mouths when calling plays (besides to channel their voice into the microphone)? Why do poker players have poker faces? Why do catchers try to conceal pitch calls and pitchers conceal how they're fingering the ball? Answer: to keep the other team from gaining an advantage. But let's not kid ourselves...stealing signals using inside information, observation, or filming them is still cheating. It's like downloading music. No matter how you justify it, it's still stealing. So if the problem is cheating, measures need to be taken. ANY attempt to figure out another team's signals should be considered cheating and punishable. It's a very simple premise: if caught cheating in any way, it will be met with immediate and pre-defined punishment. Of course, there should be well-defined avenues for handling accusations, minimum standards for evidence, and all the normal safe-guards to prevent abuse of the system. But there should never be equivocation on whether some forms of cheating are acceptable. It shouldn't be acceptable except in "brazen" circumstances. Will it still happen? Yes. Because pressure to win and to sell tickets and commercials is paramount in sports. And because some people just can't win without an advantage. Just stop kidding yourselves...cheating is cheating whether everyone does it or not. Unless we all agree that certain forms of signal stealing are acceptable and therefore not cheating, then they are all unsportsmanlike.

Now we get to this: outlawing baggy pants. Does the stupidity of this even need explanation? Apparently. I'm not going to provide it. If this is high on your list of priorities, ahead of environmental destruction, poverty, hunger, war, racism, misogyny, stupidity (do I need to go on?) then I don't want to meet you. This is the kind of shit that starts people down paths that only end in intolerance and bitterness. Where does it end? Are we going to outlaw bikinis because they show too much skin? What about thin white cotton shirts that might show chest muscles or, heaven forbid, breasts? How about pants that are loose, but only show the elastic band of your boxers? I want to know...how does another person's choice of dress personally harm your life, liberties, or property? If you think it does, then hurry up and die. Because it doesn't. It might upset your sensibilities and it might clash with the way you think other people should behave, but it in no way affects your life. Just don't look. It's like t.v. - it you don't like what's on, don't watch. This is an example of the absolute worst in people and government. Elected officials wasted valuable time debating this. Instead of working on legislation to improve public infrastructure or schools, reduce poverty and unemployment, or provide community events and facilities they took time to argue about clothes and what proper clothes should be. To any official that took part in this debate: I hope you're kicked out of office so hard your mother tastes my shoe. You are what is wrong with government. You only perpetuate stupidity and world class uselessness. You deserve prison far more than kids peddling pot.

And to Mr. R.E. Williams of the Atlanta police department. FUCK YOU! I hope you die in a fire. That's the most ignorant thing I've seen in print today. While generalizations are good when they help organize information, your generalization was not based on any type of objective data but instead on your perception of the people you deal with. You deal with criminals. Therefore, your ideas of baggy pants are pretty skewed. You represent the reason people detest police everywhere. If you were a politician, a statement like that would result in a resignation. The same should happen to you. Well...that or the fire.

Rabbit Turds

It's a day for random things and random thoughts. 5 hours of dissertation writing and plenty more before bed will do that. So in no particular order:

Kait has kindly offered to collaborate. I'm assuming that means she is a magical machine that I can hum a tune or throw out some lyrics at and, being more talented than myself, can put it into a form that doesn't make you cringe and stuff a pencil into your ear. I'll post some things I've been working on soon.

Alex the parrot died. The bird could count to six, recognize shapes and colors, and had a repertoire of words bigger than a Kansan creationist. Hell, most of the people at UCI can barely count to six.

I was sitting in the bathtub, reading about the history of labor in America. Since after the Civil War, corporate profits in America have gone up, with a few exceptions during intense depressions. Yet labor has had to fight to get any share of those profits. How's that for fucked up? Now we have CEOs making 100X or more what their janitors are making. Again, what the fuck? There are no words for such outrageousness. This system is fucked. But since our priorities are focused fearing terrorists and not displeasing Jesus, I guess it'll have to wait. I'm sure there's a much better analysis that could be done. But for now, there's the gist of the problem.

Last, lets talk prayer. If I understand this correctly, if you pray and get what you want, God wanted it that way. If you pray and don't get what you want, God wanted it that way. So how exactly does the praying help? I know...it's a way to commune with God. Really? Because the last time I asked people what they were communing for, they were praying for things or asking the big God Fgrog (about two people will find that funny) to do something. Watch over people, protect America, give you strength, allow you to win music awards or boink the hot Italian with the high-beams at work. People want to believe in something, and there's nothing wrong with that. We want to feel like we can, in some measure, have some influence over things we can't control. But if you've worked hard all your life and you win that award or nail that Italian, congratulate yourself. You worked hard to get there. I didn't see Jesus training for that marathon. Hard to run with nails in your feet. (How's that for anti-Catholic Bill Donohue?)

The previous paragraph brought up another thought: why do people say "if it's meant to be it'll be"? Does it really take 7 words (9 without contractions) to say absolutely nothing? The only possible meaning of that sentence is that you believe things are preordained. If so, then by all means continue using it. But if you don't, lets agree to stop using it. This postulate is usually offered when something may or may not happen. You've got a 50% chance of A or B. Say...badger to the face or a sharp stick in the eye. One will happen. The other won't. It's a simple thing. That phrase is right up there with "things happen for a reason". Here again, it assumes you believe that things are preordained, that one thing happens so that another can happen (e.g. badger to face so you can be rescued by Miss Badger Handler 2007). It's a stupid phrase. Of course things happen for a reason. You got herpes BECAUSE you had sex with Miss Badger Handler. Let's all agree to start weeding out phrases that don't say anything. In both cases, I guess if you believe it, then it's true, and if you don't, it's not. There...how's that for an awkward sentence that says nothing?

Bored as hell and I wanna get ill

Writing is hard. I guess if it was easy every douche-bag would be putting bad grammar and terrible analogies in my books. Not that there aren't enough bad ones already and more to come from the thriller and mystery sections at the book store.

I'm just bitchin' because I've spent 3 hours trying to find a chord progression for some lyrics that someone would probably read and then piss themselves laughing at. I can't find the sound I'm looking for (insert Back to the Future joke here). I need a magical box that will let me sing into it and it'll tell me what the hell the note I'm singing is. At least that way I could figure out what the melody is. My ears suck for this kind of work. I'll try another day.

I have a lot of respect for people that can do this professionally. They must spend days looking for the exact word or phrase or rhythm. Me...I'm far too lazy. It doesn't help that every essay I turned in from middle school to college was hailed as a masterpiece by my teachers. It's really hard to get used to having my science writing destroyed every time I think I've covered my bases. I always thought you had to write for yourself. But if you want other people to read it or understand it, you have to put yourself in their position. And that's something I've never been able to do. That's why I'm not a writer. I'm a part-time word jockey with an interest in language and word play. A neophyte in the grand tradition of poorly written tv scripts, news reports with no news, and stilted lyrics about lady humps.

Whatever...it's for me. If everyone else appreciates it, it's a bonus.

I'm off to the place where my homeboys chill.

Remember 11/9...sorry, I'm European

So my brother didn't have any words of wisdom for America on the 6th anniversary of 9/11 since he was busy busting Steely Dan's balls (Drunkard of Oz). So here's my two cents.

To All Americans:

9/11 was a tragedy of epic proportions. Approximately 2,976 people died that day, including many of the rescue workers. Let me state right here...the next jerk-off that says "2,740 AMERICANS" died will get raped by my size 13. Whether they were American citizens or foreign born they were ALL murdered, they ALL died in the same horrific way, and they ALL deserve to be remembered.

I am saddened for the pain those families endured, and I'm particularly hurt that their pain was so public. I'm saddened for the good Muslims of this world whose religion and culture has been smeared, feared, misunderstood, and purposely stepped on because of this. I don't believe in patriotism or nationalism, but at times like this I am heartened to see people come together and display their more charitable tendencies.

I want people to stop saying "pray for the families" and "God bless America and the families". It's not because I'm mean spirited. It's mostly because I'm tired of God apparently showing favoritism to America when we've done so much directly contradicting the things we profess to believe in. What I do want is for America to stop, and really THINK (as opposed to getting on their horses and riding off to war) about what those families went through. I want people to be empathetic. I want America to reach out to those who have lost and give them the support they need. I also want America to really THINK (there's that word again) about why this happened and how we can prevent it.

If you're still reading, I guess that's good. You're not so offended you've writeen this off and gone back to cruising for internet porn. Remember...just because you're offended doesn't mean there's not a good idea or a nugget of truth buried in the words. Now the good part. I'm sorry America, but it's time to come clean: We should accept our share of the blame for this catastrophe. No, I don't want to imply that those people in any way deserved to die, or that this should have ever happened, or that I am in any way suggesting what happened was an acceptable form of action, or that there is some magical conspiracy land where our government killed all those people just to justify a war. I simply mean this: The foreign policy of the United States government, as well as much of the Western world, has interfered with the Middle East for centuries. From imperialism to forced democracy, we have repeatedly violated the region with our own values and our own religious beliefs. If I were them, I'd be sick of it too. We have had a hand in creating the monster. We cannot just shirk off that role because we don't like it. Every person, myself included, bears part of the blame. We have voted our government into power. We tacitly accept their foreign policy if we do not actively say "NO MORE".

There is a solution. Let's let other people and cultures govern other people and cultures. Stop being the police. When another government accuses the U.S. of interference or infringing on its rights, lets take it seriously instead of giving it the cold shoulder and the typical "we know what's best" attitude. When another government requests assistance, offer aid. When allies request defensive protection from aggressors, offer assistance. But in all cases, treat fairly. We fucked the Native Americans so hard they're still having trouble walking straight. We've done the same thing to countless other governments, regimes, and countries. It's time to become another nation in the world, not THE NATION. It's time to follow the same rules we expect everyone else to follow. How novel is that concept?

I'll end with this: I don't offend easily. But I'm offended by 9/11. I'm offended that there are people in the world who use terror and death and fear-mongering to get their point across. This goes for fanatics of all religions, as well as governments, politicians, and the media. I'm offended that people are profiting from this tragedy. I'm offended that "respected religious leaders" (I use that term sardonically) have blamed this tragedy on "...the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'". Unfortunately, I'm such a believer in free speech that I will stand by their right to say it. Personally, I'd rather see them stoned to death and their bodies buried upside down in a grave at the local dump. I'm offended that good people have become minority-hating, anti-immigration jackals because of this. It really gets my blood boiling. These types of reactions just mean that the terrorists can continue their campaign because it's working.

To all the families affected by 9/11...my deepest regrets for your loss and my sympathy for the public display of your grief. I hope your pain will lead you to do things to improve the situation, not just lash out in anger and continue down the road of fear and mistrust.

Twofer

Well, today's a two for one special, since tomorrow will be spent with my tv, some NFL action, and leftover pizza. First on tap is a poem I wrote. I don't really know how to explain it, so I'll leave the interpretation to you. Second is a a song I wrote many moons ago, but is still one of my favorites. When I get a microphone that isn't terrible, I'll post the music. Maybe I'll sing it if I really want to make your panties wet.

.......................................................
Any More….Any Less


If I loved you any more I'd be obsessed.

But everything erodes.
Now I'm taken with the idea of you never coming home.
Just keep smiling, like you're special.
Like you got away with something.
It keeps me from noticing your vacant stare.
Vacuous...insipid...inane,
striving to be meaningful.
Convinced you have a righteous cause.
And that you're not selling out by saying so.
Hold fast your new fads, your south atkins diet,
and cry yourself to sleep because you're hungry
and too skinny to be pretty.
Compare yourself to the calendar
and feel bad. Not because you're bad.
But because you're stupid. And you don't care.
If the lightbulb in your head was on as often
as your porch light I wouldn't be so concerned.
We know you're open for business;
you don't need the neon sign in the bedroom window.
Just keep moving,
roving eyes with lack of focus.
The wall, the tv, anywhere but the mirror on the ceiling.
Bury the shame deep, because I can dig for days.
And all I've got is time.

If I loved you any less I'd be a murderer.
........................................................

For What It’s Worth

I know that there’s nothing left of us
except these painful memories.
Her body heat cast shadows on my bed.
Her perfume lingers in the air.

What else do I have to say,
A piece of me has died each day
Since we have gone our separate ways

I would do anything,
just to feel her heartbeat next to mine
We always chose to break before we’d bend.
For what it’s worth, I’ll love you ‘til the end.

I still hear your voice at night
telling me there’s nothing to fear.
My fingers seek your skin for reassurance,
But now you’re just a ghost inside my head.

Now there’s not much more to lose,
life’s been hell since we’ve been through.
All I want to do is make you happy.

I would do anything,
just to feel her heartbeat next to mine
I know that we’ll never meet again.
For what it’s worth, I’ll love you ‘til the end.
.......................................................

My music stays in heavy rotation like a washing machine

Hooray for me. I applied for my first real job today. I guess technically it's not a real job, since the position is only for 2 years, if that. But at least it will get me out of graduate school and make payday a little more enjoyable. I feel good about the application. So good that I'm going to share some thoughts on one of the great joys in my life: music.

After reading my brother's post on why aussies have bad taste in music (Music Worth Your While), I thought about what it means to say "I hate [insert music genre here]". This could make a novel, so I'll just give some highlights. There's plenty of space to discuss this further later. For starters, you don't have to like all music equally. You can have favorite genres. But saying you hate some type of music means that you block out what could be incredibly meaningful thoughts or ideas just because of some unfounded prejudice. Try to have an appreciation for music just for music's sake. Believe you me, there's plenty of bland, thoughtless, un-commited, and just plain bad music. But there's something to be said for being open to new music. Too many people dismiss complete genres of music either through willful ignorance, refusal to understand a different art form, or because it falls outside their comfort zone either lyrically or rhythmically. All I can say is this...all through high school, my friend John lived on KYXY, playing "soft contemporary rock", and refused anything else. Then one day, I paid a visit to his frat house at Oregon State and, holy of holies, this kid was rocking out to System of a Down. If he can spread out and understand what some crazy Armenians are screaming about, then anyone can be more open.

In the interests of disseminating music for perusal, here's a list of albums in my car CD player and MP3 player:
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Greatest Hits
Jack Johnson - On and On
Ryan Adams - Gold
Basia - London Warsaw New York
The Moody Blues - Live at Red Rocks
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
ZZ Top - Greatest Hits
Ludacris - Release Therapy
Sparklehorse - Good Morning Spider
Jim Croce - The Best of
Harvey Danger - Where Have all the Merrymakers Gone
Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick
Robert Randolph and the Family Band - Colorblind
Shakira - Oral Fixation Vol. 2
Talib Kwali - Prisoner of Concious
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
The Dresden Dolls - The Dresden Dolls

This rotation is a little heavy in the "classic rock" direction, which is where my personal favorites and inspirations reside. When I put the next rotation in, I'll give you a new list. Until then, if you've heard the bands, it's time to hear them again and if you haven't, it's time to take a chance and really LISTEN to some new music. You may not agree with the style or lyrics, but understanding music is a way to understand someone that you'll never get in conversation. Tomorrow, maybe some posts of my own song-writing attempts.

Crikey!

It's already been a year since Steve Irwin's death. And it's still sad. Maybe you don't care. You may not like animals. You may have thought he was irritating, annoying, or slightly deranged. And I feel sorry for you. Sure, he was kooky. But he was one of the few who loved what he did, remained true to his principles, and came across as a genuine person. Too often, we make the mistake of assuming we know someone based on their public persona or their acting roles or how they're portrayed in magazines. We don't know what Steve was like at home. But here was a man who you genuinely believed was being himself. There was no guile, no deception. You could picture him catching snakes in his back yard and talking to the neighbors about how the blokes were toey with the sheilas. It's something missing from most television, and something that is devastating to lose. Not just for the animals, but for humans too. Steve showed us what people could and should be. Passionate, excited, productive, putting our energy to positive uses. How many of us would put ourselves in danger, would spend months alone in the wilderness, would live such a hard life in pursuit of our passions? It's hard to do even for little things. What about dedicating your entire existence to it?

Thank you, Steve. I never met you, but I feel like I've lost a friend. I hope I can follow your example and become someone that others will emulate and that in some way I can make them believe that there is something better out there.

Mommy, can we go to the circus?

I'm going to start my own business. Here's why: Gossip is just about all sports reporting is good for lately. We've got predictions for not only what teams will go to the Super Bowl, but which will win and by how much. And the season hasn't started yet. We've got hour long blocks of ESPN dedicated to Fantasy Football picks. Seriously? There's not a football game (and I mean soccer for you Americans) that we could be watching? Another strong man competition? Competitive fucking? Anything? It's called Fantasy Football for a reason.

Sportscasters have become as bad as political pundits on CNN and Fox News. The media surrounding sports has become the celebrity paparazzi for fat, misogynistic "men's men". It's an acceptable form of gossip that doesn't step on their male sensibilities by calling it gossip. So I guess this should come as no surprise: Serena Williams Loss at US Open .

Let's see...you just lost a major tournament, one you've invested time, money, and both physical and emotional effort in. Now you've got 50 people and cameras in your face asking you inane questions. If you don't go to the media circus, you get fined. How's that for the after-match meeting being optional? You're tired, probably not feeling that great about life, and here comes some people whose job is to make your career an angle so they can sell their stories.

I for one agree with and defend Serena. She wasn't being rude. She was telling these crows as politely as she could to shut up and leave her alone. Since I have that right when someone sticks a microphone in my face, why shouldn't she? It's the same as celebrity groupies. The reason they're always getting punched in the face, spit on, and cussed at is because they've chosen to make a career of invading people's lives. Back the fuck up and let them be. The only thing I agree with is that there was a little un-professionalism shown by Serena in saying Justine made some "lucky" shots. But that doesn't warrant a full blown attack calling her "classless" and "graceless."

So to get these psuedo-journalists and celebrity photographers out of my newspapers, tv, and magazines, I'm starting a business called "Media Dump". The symbol will be a giant dog turd with Tazio Secchiaroli and John Stossel floating like a corn dinner. We'll mercilessly hound the less reputable media, celebrity and athlete paparazzi. We'll take pictures of their life. We'll follow them to the grocery store, the airport, grandma's nursing home, and the gay porn theater. We'll put their private sex lives in print and call it deviant then we'll make their recreational drug use into an epidemic addition. We'll sit outside their homes, hound their families, put their faces all over tv and poorly conceived tabloids. Let's see how they feel after a few years of that. And we'll do it until they stop doing it to actors and athletes.

Great athletes have an emotional attachment to their sport. When they're having a bad day, just sit back, have a Coke and a smile, and shut the fuck up.

I also put 'em in a bunch of squirrels. This won't do us any good.

In what is sure to be hailed as a a reversal of standard legislative procedure, both Wisconsin and California have decided to join forces and be the first states to pass legislation to prevent companies from forcing employees to have RFID tags implanted in them. Who wasn't waiting for that alliance?

Let's step back...I'll give you a minute to peruse the story.
RFID Journal
LA Times

Now that you're done reading what passes for journalism, let's ask ourselves something. Did that really need to be legislated? Are we so complacent to employers that it's become acceptable for them to mandate tehnology implants? Apparently so. What I want to know is, who are the two jackasses at CityWatcher.com who thought it would be a good idea to sign on to the program? If I said "Hey, Moses, how about I tattoo a barcode on your wrist...you know, to make it easier for me to verify who you are," what would his response be?

Much like pushing an old man down a flight of stairs, the theory of the law is much better than the practice. Both laws outlaw forced tagging. Neither outright says that this is a bad idea. And neither law provides protection for employees that refuse the tags. The least palatable is the Wisconsin Assembly that wants to explore using these types of tags in "certain classes of criminals, such as sex predators." We'll get to why that's a terrible but wholly accepted thing to do later. Right now, I've got to finish this chapter so i can go to work tomorrow and give it to my boss who will flip through it twice, ask two questions that could be answered by reading it, give one piece of asinine feedback, and promptly forget that I want to graduate in three months.

But at least the legislature was discussing an issue of importance and came to a conclusion that agrees with prevailing public sentiment. Maybe it's the start of a new trend. Sorry there's not an actual analysis of the issue...I'm tired and this crap just infuriates me.

Welcome my son....

In case you don't know, the title of the blog is my homage to Roger Waters, Pink Floyd, and my brother who correctly decided that this is the best Floyd album they released. Being that I detest sites like MySpace and its ilk for being home to a generation of kids who can't spell or complete a sentence without a smiley face, a blog seemed a reasonable way for people to keep abreast of my schemes while maintaining some relative privacy and sanity.

Mostly, this is a place for me to put my own junk. I love to write, mostly poems and songs I'll get around to posting eventually. And just because I wrote a poem doesn't make me a poet. More on that later. And plenty of thoughts on the state of the world, why science shouldn't be so expensive, why environmentalists should back the fuck up, and why I love apples but hate apple pie.

This corner of cyberspace is about music, writing, free expression, art, science, and a bit of personal self-indulgence. Ideas and thoughtful arguments are welcome. Retarded stereotypes, poor grammar, willful ignorance, and anything ending in ROFL are not.

I'm working on my dissertation right now so I can graduate and get the hell out of this state. It's been 100+ degrees for the past four days and I'm tired of peeling my balls off my leg just so I don't sit on them. So I'll try to keep this updated. For now, welcome to my world.