Thank God.
One down, two to go.
I broke my own promise to myself, but I also realized that there was no possible way I'd be able to avoid all mentions of the score to each mets game for the entire weekend.
I managed to keep myself from the game until it was the top of the 8th. At that point the Mets were up 4-1 enroute to a 7-1 victory.
Didn't see most of the game so it's hard to comment. The bullpen looked sharp in the two innings I saw. The annoucers praised Maine and said he looked the best he's looked since early July. Delgado hit a home run. Yay.
Gotta win one more this weekend... and if they can somehow sweep, it would be huge. I'd almost say it would be worth the four ganme sweep in Philly if they could sweep the Braves this weekend.
But I'd be shocked. This is, for whatever reason, the house of horrors for the Mets.
Phillies won also. marlins look pretty bad these days. They MIGHT be able to take one game from the Phils. I hope they can.
Friday, August 31, 2007
What Teh H3LL?
Ok, I'm a fairly easy-going guy. I'm not against anyone doing their own little thing. To each his own I always say.
However, sometimes people just take things too frickin far... and there are times that people need a good kick in the pants.
Front or back.
Anyway... over the last... oh I don't know... two years or so, I've noticed a lot of internet posts on message boards or bloggers who seem to type in a... different form of languge.
Now I'm not talking about a different form of lanague like spanish or german or what not.
I'm talking about using numbers in place of letters or misspelling words on purpose or putting capitals in weird place (lIKe tHis).
At foirst I just figured it was just a matter of people not really being able to type well, and that they were too lazy to actually edit their own wrting.
Since then I've come to understand that there is an "internet languge". This "new" form of writing is called LEET SPEAK. You could call it slang or you could call it an argot.
Or you could call it idiotic.
So from what I have come to understand, "Leet" is an other way of using the term "Elite", which in itself is how hackers and computer experts (ie: Tech Geeks) like to describe themselves to the internet as a whole. Of course, this was before AOL and Optium Online let every single person with $200 and a 14.4 modum (and eventually cable modums) onto the internet. In just a few weeks, anyone who could figure out little HTML cheat sheets and had inenvertedly sent along a virus started seeing themselves as master hackers. It didn't help that Hollywood started making the Hacker seem like the "cool" side of being a Tech Geek. Suddenly Millions of kids were drinking Mountian Dew and clacking away at their keyboards looking to be the next hot new internet famous hacker.
So, these so called "master hackers" started coming up with ways to talk to each other online that would be in a "secret code" that only other master hackers would be able to reconize.
This system of writing would confound and confuse "normal schulbs" who were not "master hackers". be a secret master hacker code that only the "elite" could decypher.
And it was. For about Six and a half days.
We got "The" turned into "teh" (which a lot of people I know do anyway 'cause they can't type for shit). "Cool" became "Kewl", "Super" was "supar","Lover" became "lovr", "Software" became "Warez" ... and so on and so on.
Letters would be substituted by numbers and symbols. "a" could be "@", "B" could be "8"... you get the idea.
Hell, even "leet" which was already a term for "elite" was seen as "l33t" or "1337".
It didn't take people too long to figure out thing s like the number "3" stood for the letter "E". I mean, it's like a reversed "E" for pete's sake.. and it's RIGHT ON TOP of the friggin "E" on the keyboard. The stupid ampersand "@" still LOOKS LIKE AN "a" DAMMIT.
Like any friggin MORON couldn't figure out the "ur" is "you are".
What I want to know is, if these "master hackers" are so elite, WHY THE HELL CAN'T THEY FUCKING SPELL OR SPEAK THE ENGLISH LANGUGE?
"Elite" means to be the best of the best. The cream of the crop. To pretty much be better than EVERONE.
I fail to see how some moron who can't type the words "the" or "cool" is so fucking SUPERIOR.
IT'S FUCKING "COOL" OK? COOL! COOL, COOL, COOL! NOT "KEWL"! LEARN TO FUCKING TYPE LIKE A HUMAN BEING OR YOU SHOULD BE BEATEN TO DEATH WITH YOUR @W3SOME KEYBOARD!
No wonder eveyone thinks kids are stupid. They go online and see this MORON speak and thinks its the new wave of the "kewl" generation.
Well I have one thing to say about that.
STOP IT.
Doing things incorrectly on purpose is not ELITE. IT'S FUCKING STUPID.
GodDAMN I think everyone on earth should have to take a test once a year. The test should be made up of a mixture of intelligence, social, historical, common sense, culture, and your ability to be a productive member of society. If you pass this teat, you get a badge and a little card. You get to use this badge to get into a secret location that only people who pass the test are told about. Then you turn in the card at thhis location and you are given a TANK.
Yes, a tank. An armored vehicle with guns on it.
THEN, you get to drive the tank out into the streets. You are now allowed to RUN OVER ANYONE WHO'S NOT IN A TANK.
You see, anyone out on the street WITHOUT the tank, OBVIOUSLY failed the test. (Or were too slow to get to the hidden location and they's BEST get their asses indoors cause as a person who passed the test, they know what's coming).
You have say... eight hours with the Tank. Then you have to return it.
This would greatly reduce the number of MORONS in the world.
Children under the age of... say 18... don't take the test. Adults over the age of... say.... 60 don't either. If they're stupid but managed to get to be over 60, they get a pass anyhow.
Everyone else... WATCH OUT.
Why? Cause I'd have a TANK.
Why should they be scared?
You guessed it. Them? NO TANK.
Yes, I'm assuming I would pass the test. To tell you the truth, the test would be slated so only the REALLY moronic people would fail.
And in the end, they STILL could stay off the streets. Thus, they wouldn't get run over by a tank.
You see, going on the street without a tank is the final chance to pass the test if you failed. If you goout, you are so dumb you really need to be removed.
Wow. This spirialed a tad out of control
See what happens when the Mets play like shit? I get all cranky.
Of course, if I had my TANK I wouldn't care. Drive RIGHT OVER the entire Phillies team!
*sigh*
Where was I ?
Oh yeah.
"Leet" speakers. CUT IT OUT.
NOW.
You've been warned.
Ok, I'm a fairly easy-going guy. I'm not against anyone doing their own little thing. To each his own I always say.
However, sometimes people just take things too frickin far... and there are times that people need a good kick in the pants.
Front or back.
Anyway... over the last... oh I don't know... two years or so, I've noticed a lot of internet posts on message boards or bloggers who seem to type in a... different form of languge.
Now I'm not talking about a different form of lanague like spanish or german or what not.
I'm talking about using numbers in place of letters or misspelling words on purpose or putting capitals in weird place (lIKe tHis).
At foirst I just figured it was just a matter of people not really being able to type well, and that they were too lazy to actually edit their own wrting.
Since then I've come to understand that there is an "internet languge". This "new" form of writing is called LEET SPEAK. You could call it slang or you could call it an argot.
Or you could call it idiotic.
So from what I have come to understand, "Leet" is an other way of using the term "Elite", which in itself is how hackers and computer experts (ie: Tech Geeks) like to describe themselves to the internet as a whole. Of course, this was before AOL and Optium Online let every single person with $200 and a 14.4 modum (and eventually cable modums) onto the internet. In just a few weeks, anyone who could figure out little HTML cheat sheets and had inenvertedly sent along a virus started seeing themselves as master hackers. It didn't help that Hollywood started making the Hacker seem like the "cool" side of being a Tech Geek. Suddenly Millions of kids were drinking Mountian Dew and clacking away at their keyboards looking to be the next hot new internet famous hacker.
So, these so called "master hackers" started coming up with ways to talk to each other online that would be in a "secret code" that only other master hackers would be able to reconize.
This system of writing would confound and confuse "normal schulbs" who were not "master hackers". be a secret master hacker code that only the "elite" could decypher.
And it was. For about Six and a half days.
We got "The" turned into "teh" (which a lot of people I know do anyway 'cause they can't type for shit). "Cool" became "Kewl", "Super" was "supar","Lover" became "lovr", "Software" became "Warez" ... and so on and so on.
Letters would be substituted by numbers and symbols. "a" could be "@", "B" could be "8"... you get the idea.
Hell, even "leet" which was already a term for "elite" was seen as "l33t" or "1337".
It didn't take people too long to figure out thing s like the number "3" stood for the letter "E". I mean, it's like a reversed "E" for pete's sake.. and it's RIGHT ON TOP of the friggin "E" on the keyboard. The stupid ampersand "@" still LOOKS LIKE AN "a" DAMMIT.
Like any friggin MORON couldn't figure out the "ur" is "you are".
What I want to know is, if these "master hackers" are so elite, WHY THE HELL CAN'T THEY FUCKING SPELL OR SPEAK THE ENGLISH LANGUGE?
"Elite" means to be the best of the best. The cream of the crop. To pretty much be better than EVERONE.
I fail to see how some moron who can't type the words "the" or "cool" is so fucking SUPERIOR.
IT'S FUCKING "COOL" OK? COOL! COOL, COOL, COOL! NOT "KEWL"! LEARN TO FUCKING TYPE LIKE A HUMAN BEING OR YOU SHOULD BE BEATEN TO DEATH WITH YOUR @W3SOME KEYBOARD!
No wonder eveyone thinks kids are stupid. They go online and see this MORON speak and thinks its the new wave of the "kewl" generation.
Well I have one thing to say about that.
STOP IT.
Doing things incorrectly on purpose is not ELITE. IT'S FUCKING STUPID.
GodDAMN I think everyone on earth should have to take a test once a year. The test should be made up of a mixture of intelligence, social, historical, common sense, culture, and your ability to be a productive member of society. If you pass this teat, you get a badge and a little card. You get to use this badge to get into a secret location that only people who pass the test are told about. Then you turn in the card at thhis location and you are given a TANK.
Yes, a tank. An armored vehicle with guns on it.
THEN, you get to drive the tank out into the streets. You are now allowed to RUN OVER ANYONE WHO'S NOT IN A TANK.
You see, anyone out on the street WITHOUT the tank, OBVIOUSLY failed the test. (Or were too slow to get to the hidden location and they's BEST get their asses indoors cause as a person who passed the test, they know what's coming).
You have say... eight hours with the Tank. Then you have to return it.
This would greatly reduce the number of MORONS in the world.
Children under the age of... say 18... don't take the test. Adults over the age of... say.... 60 don't either. If they're stupid but managed to get to be over 60, they get a pass anyhow.
Everyone else... WATCH OUT.
Why? Cause I'd have a TANK.
Why should they be scared?
You guessed it. Them? NO TANK.
Yes, I'm assuming I would pass the test. To tell you the truth, the test would be slated so only the REALLY moronic people would fail.
And in the end, they STILL could stay off the streets. Thus, they wouldn't get run over by a tank.
You see, going on the street without a tank is the final chance to pass the test if you failed. If you goout, you are so dumb you really need to be removed.
Wow. This spirialed a tad out of control
See what happens when the Mets play like shit? I get all cranky.
Of course, if I had my TANK I wouldn't care. Drive RIGHT OVER the entire Phillies team!
*sigh*
Where was I ?
Oh yeah.
"Leet" speakers. CUT IT OUT.
NOW.
You've been warned.
I Don't Wanna Talk About it...
I honestly don't think I have gotten as angry in the last three years at a baseball game as I did yesterday.
I seriously lost it.
I can't even talk about it.
What the hell was Willie thinking using Wagner for a 6 out save? As it was he sat four of his starters... the game started out with no urgancy and then became a total panic job in the 8th.
Hielman should have pitched the 8th. Wagner the 9th. I honestly think we could have gotten through with a win if that had happened.
Instead, this week has been a total disaster. Anything... ANYTHING less than winning 2 out of 3 in atlanta will mean that odds are the Mets will be in 2nd place come monday morning.
After holding a 7 game lead less than opne week ago. Pathetic.
And I see the Red Sox and the rest of the AL is holding their annual choke session. No matter how well the Yankees have played the last two months, the ONLY way they could have gotten back into the playoff picture was for the Red Sox, Indians, Tigers, A's and Mariners too ALL play under .450 ball, which was basically UNHEARD OF. And what happens? EVERY ONE OF THOSE TEAMS HAVE PLAYED UNDER. 450 SINCE.
Jesus.
I'm actually sick over this. Unreal.
I need therapy. I MUST find a way to avoid baseball this weekend. I'd arther find out Monday morning what happened over the next three games. Even if they win, the stress of the games has sucked the fun out of it.
The problem is, the Mets have shown almost NO urgancy this entire season... they've strutted around like the king shits of the league because they held 1st place since day one. The thing is... this team hasn't won ANYTHING yet, and has no right to play the way they have. Outside of Reyes and Wright.. the rest of the team looks like they're waiting for the playoffs to "flip the switch"
This isn;t the '99 Yankess... this team can't play that way. They still have a LOT to prove.
Dammit. I said I didn't wanna talk about it.
Argh.
I honestly don't think I have gotten as angry in the last three years at a baseball game as I did yesterday.
I seriously lost it.
I can't even talk about it.
What the hell was Willie thinking using Wagner for a 6 out save? As it was he sat four of his starters... the game started out with no urgancy and then became a total panic job in the 8th.
Hielman should have pitched the 8th. Wagner the 9th. I honestly think we could have gotten through with a win if that had happened.
Instead, this week has been a total disaster. Anything... ANYTHING less than winning 2 out of 3 in atlanta will mean that odds are the Mets will be in 2nd place come monday morning.
After holding a 7 game lead less than opne week ago. Pathetic.
And I see the Red Sox and the rest of the AL is holding their annual choke session. No matter how well the Yankees have played the last two months, the ONLY way they could have gotten back into the playoff picture was for the Red Sox, Indians, Tigers, A's and Mariners too ALL play under .450 ball, which was basically UNHEARD OF. And what happens? EVERY ONE OF THOSE TEAMS HAVE PLAYED UNDER. 450 SINCE.
Jesus.
I'm actually sick over this. Unreal.
I need therapy. I MUST find a way to avoid baseball this weekend. I'd arther find out Monday morning what happened over the next three games. Even if they win, the stress of the games has sucked the fun out of it.
The problem is, the Mets have shown almost NO urgancy this entire season... they've strutted around like the king shits of the league because they held 1st place since day one. The thing is... this team hasn't won ANYTHING yet, and has no right to play the way they have. Outside of Reyes and Wright.. the rest of the team looks like they're waiting for the playoffs to "flip the switch"
This isn;t the '99 Yankess... this team can't play that way. They still have a LOT to prove.
Dammit. I said I didn't wanna talk about it.
Argh.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
No Runs, No Luck, No Sense...
Ouch.
That's all I can say after last night's Mets/Phillies game.
The Phillies have won TWO games now that they had no business winning. The Mets can't get out of their own way... and the bizarre interferance call that erased the tying run in the 9th was brutal. Tough to say if the call was fair. I'm obviously biased but I did not think Anderson was out of the basepath.
Right now this team is lying down and letting three straight barely average pitchers DOMINATE them. The Phillies starters outside of Cole Hammels (who is on the DL) is a joke. Their bullpen outside of Brett Myers and MAYBE Flash Gordan is a joke.
Yet the Mets haven't really scored any runs in three games.
Today's game now becomes a MUST win. To be seven games up less than a week ago and see that number reduced to two if they lose tonight might be something the team cannot recover from, especially since they have to go into Atlanta where them never seem to play well and where the Braves have completely shuffled their picthing rotation so that Smoltz and Hudson (two pitchers who have pretty much killed the Mets all year) will face them.
It's gut-check time guys. No screwing around. Win this afternoon and two out of three in Atlanta and the Crisis is averted. Lose tonight and lose two out of three in atlanta and things are in full crisis mode.
No more reteric. Just win.
Ouch.
That's all I can say after last night's Mets/Phillies game.
The Phillies have won TWO games now that they had no business winning. The Mets can't get out of their own way... and the bizarre interferance call that erased the tying run in the 9th was brutal. Tough to say if the call was fair. I'm obviously biased but I did not think Anderson was out of the basepath.
Right now this team is lying down and letting three straight barely average pitchers DOMINATE them. The Phillies starters outside of Cole Hammels (who is on the DL) is a joke. Their bullpen outside of Brett Myers and MAYBE Flash Gordan is a joke.
Yet the Mets haven't really scored any runs in three games.
Today's game now becomes a MUST win. To be seven games up less than a week ago and see that number reduced to two if they lose tonight might be something the team cannot recover from, especially since they have to go into Atlanta where them never seem to play well and where the Braves have completely shuffled their picthing rotation so that Smoltz and Hudson (two pitchers who have pretty much killed the Mets all year) will face them.
It's gut-check time guys. No screwing around. Win this afternoon and two out of three in Atlanta and the Crisis is averted. Lose tonight and lose two out of three in atlanta and things are in full crisis mode.
No more reteric. Just win.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
JOHN ROMITA, JR. RETURNS TO "AMAZING SPIDER-MAN" IN 2008
According to Comic Book Resources, John Romita, Jr will be returning to pencil the book that has made him a comic-household name. CBR News also confirmed that Dan Slott will be the writer Romita will be working with on “Amazing Spider-Man.” Additionally, Romita was able to reveal that his inker on “Amazing” is a long time friend and frequent collaborator. “Klaus Janson is the man,” Romita stated.
Cool.
I frigging LOVE Romita (loved his dad too).
There is always something comforting about a Romita doing the artwork on a Spider-Man book.
Now, if only Joe Quesada can be barred from making any editorial decisions involving Spider-Man altogether. Gad I cannot stand him.
What the Heck?
Oh God... I know the Mets signed Guillermo Mota to a two year deal. I know they have a lot invested in him.
I also know that the man hasn't been REMOTELY decent this year.
Last night really needs to be the last straw. Please, PLEASE Willie... demote Mota to mop up duty, bring Joe Smith back up and STOP misusing the bullpen like a very Joe Torre like manner.
Last night's 4-2 loss was bad... one of the worst losses the Mets have had this year. The problem lies with the team's inability to smack around two average, if not below average pitchers in Adam Eaton and J.D. Durbin, as well as Mota's inability to string together a few good appearances.
i'm not about to jump off a bridge or anything... I'm not panicking but jeez... they have to twin the next two here and win 2 of 3 from the Braves and knock both teams out of the rear view mirror for good.
Oh God... I know the Mets signed Guillermo Mota to a two year deal. I know they have a lot invested in him.
I also know that the man hasn't been REMOTELY decent this year.
Last night really needs to be the last straw. Please, PLEASE Willie... demote Mota to mop up duty, bring Joe Smith back up and STOP misusing the bullpen like a very Joe Torre like manner.
Last night's 4-2 loss was bad... one of the worst losses the Mets have had this year. The problem lies with the team's inability to smack around two average, if not below average pitchers in Adam Eaton and J.D. Durbin, as well as Mota's inability to string together a few good appearances.
i'm not about to jump off a bridge or anything... I'm not panicking but jeez... they have to twin the next two here and win 2 of 3 from the Braves and knock both teams out of the rear view mirror for good.
The Utter Decline of Modern Civilization and Sense
The following is information on the FCC's new Policy for Public Radio and Television broadcasting. My own personal comments will follow each various part in bold/Italic.
So, this past week, the FCC notified broadcasters that fines for indecent material would be increased up to ten times.
Up to ten times. TEN TIMES! That's a lot. That's like upping the cost of an ice cream push up from $1.00 to $11.00.
I don't know why I made that comparision. I just like Ice Cream push-ups.
The legislation passed the House 379-35 on Wednesday after moving through the Senate last month on a voice vote. Before this "bump", the maximum fine for so-called "indecency: was $32,500 per violation. With the increase, a single fine can now be as high as $325,000.
Three Hundred Twenty Five Thousand dollars.
For a spoken word(s). For some pictures.
Imagine if it was for something that really... ya know... HURT someone?
This penalty does not apply to cable broadcasts or to satellite broadcasts, so HBO, SHOWTIME and Howard Stern are safe.
... for now.
However, you notice... as before, the FCC has neglected to specify just what "indecent" is defined as.
According to the AP, President Bush welcomed the passage of the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act and promised to sign it into law. He was quoted as saying: "I believe that government has a responsibility to help strengthen families.This legislation will make television and radio more family friendly by allowing the FCC to impose stiffer fines on broadcasters who air obscene or indecent programming."
Translation? "I believe that since I have managed to screw up so many things in this country in my two terms I wanted to go for even more long-reaching effects by forcing my beliefs upon you all. Don't like it? Well, next time try becoming a rich, white, privledged, born with a silver spoon in your mouth. good for nothing. Then YOU can do whatever YOU want! We need more Howdy Doody on the airwaves instead of Black Women ripping off their clothing at football games! Heh. I said Doody. That's funny stuff. Anyway, who cares about inflation, and the impossible to handle gas prices, and the out of control health care system? THIS IS WHERE THE ISSUE IS PEOPLE!"
You know... Janet Jackson's partly exposed breast didn't offend me. $3.41 for a gallon of gas... now THAT offends me.
The approval of this bill culminates a two-year drive to crack-down on "sexually explicit material" and "offensive language" on public radio and television following the Janet Jackson infamous "wardrobe malfunction" during halftime of the 2004 Super Bowl.
My question is this. Almost every time George Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Dick Cheney, Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfey, Bill Maher and the entire cast of The View open their mouths, I'm offended. To me, that translates as what they say is Offensive. So... where is MY voice in all of this? How am *I* being protected? Can't anyone shut these idiots up?
L. Brent Bozell, President of the Parents Televison Council of People Looking to Determine What's Best for Your Kids Whether You Agree or Not (Ok, I made that last part up), remarked: "The FCC will now have the authority to impose meaningful, punitive fines when the indecency law is broken. We hope that the hefty fines will cause the multibillion-dollar broadcast networks finally to take the law seriously."
Translation? "The FCC now has an even larger platform to overstep the bounderies of which it was created for by now being able to slap down senseless penaties upon broadcasters so that the airwaves can be shaped into something that would make the Smurfs seem like child porn. I mean, look at those little blue bodies anyway... half naked... never wearing shirts... all those males and only one female? I know what's going on there at night... dirty little blueskins. Sweaty little, nasty blueskins all sweaty and nasty and sweaty and working those nasty little parts... oh yeah... nasty... work it... work it... you like that don't ya? errr... I mean... and furthermore, these penalties, despite the fact we have yet to define them at all, leaving all broadcasters completely in the dark to what actually constatutes an infraction, will help us drag the public, kicking and screaming, into a world that *we* determine is proper. Sieg Heil!"
Wow. Amazing what a little translation can do. Be afriad. Be very afriad.
"This is a victory for children and families," said Senate sponsor Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. The higher fines were needed, he said, "in a world saturated with violent and explicit media."
So... um.. exactly WHAT familes is this a victory for? Not *my* family. Not *my* children. Is it a victory for Senator Brownback's family? I guess it is. Look how happy *he* seems to be. Then again, he must need some excitment... Glen Miller radio broadcats and Little Orphan Annie serials can only take up *so* much of his free time.
Under FCC rules and federal law, radio and over-the-air television stations may not air obscene material at any time, and may not air indecent material between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. when children are more likely to be in the audience.
Yeah... like my Children are up at 6 AM listening to the radio and waiting with baited breath for someone to utter the word "boobies". I'm kinda wondering... why aren't these "children" in bed at 6 am? Why aren't they in school by 9 am through 3 pm? Why aren't they in bed by 8:30 PM or so? Just what the hell are these kids doing to be able to avoid all of these things? Damn... when I was a kid I had NO freedom compared to these kids listening to the radio and watching TV non-stop between 6 AM and 10 PM. What a life kids live today.
The FCC says indecent material is that which contains sexual or excretory material that does not rise to the level of obscenity.
Translation. "ANYTHING WE WANT IT TO BE... bitch."
The legislation, while facing little resistance in Congress, had detractors warning of problems in defining what is indecent and of the erosion of First Amendment rights.
"What is at stake here is freedom of speech and whether it will be nibbled to death by election-minded politicians and self-righteous pietists," Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y (or in other words... ONE OF THE ONLY SANE MEN IN THE ROOM), said in a statement. He recalled how after the Super Bowl incident, numerous ABC affiliates refused to air the acclaimed war movie "Saving Private Ryan" because of its rough language.
This is a perfect example. God Bless Gary Ackerman.
Without having the slightest idea of what constitues "indecent", the broadcasters are forced to err WAY on the better side of caution. Thus, cutting their own legs out from under them. What if I told you I could go and find "indecent" parts of the simplest of things like SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, AND THE FAIRLY ODD PARENTS? I could you know. It's all there. At what point is the line even drawn? The FCC has the ability to go and wait three months and then fine someone for commiting a "violation" every day for that three month period and charging MILLIONS of dollars in fines that could cripple any broadcasting station... and in the end, the broadcasters hadn't the SLIGHTEST idea that they were anywhere NEAR commiting a violation. For God's sake.... this is as unconstituitonal as is gets people.
The FCC has also actively responded to the increase in complaints about lewd material over the airwaves, with total fines jumping from $440,000 in 2003 to almost $8 million in 2004.
So are we to believe that the airwaves suddenly became more "lewd" in one year? Or should we gather from that information that the FCC is jst getting totally out of control? It would be interesting to see just WHO the complaints came from and what areas they originate from.
The agency recently handed down its biggest fine, $3.3 million, against more than 100 CBS affiliates that aired an episode of the series "Without a Trace" that simulated an orgy scene. That fine is now under review.
Notice that no actual sex or nudity was shown and that the show, which is clearly NOT a show for Children, was aired at 10 PM which is not only outside of the 6 AM to 10 PM timeframe dictated by the FCC, but is also a time that any decent parent would make sure their young child (say up to 14 years old) WAS IN BED! I have a great idea. How about you fine the parents of the kids that were exposed to these shows?
Listen. I'm a parent and I worry a lot about what my kids see, hear and experiance. However, I refuse to allow someone else to choose for me what they will be exposed to. It is up to me to raise my children right so they can learn to filter out the bad shit from the good stuff. No one else has the right to make that determination. No one. Just to be safe... I have copies of CATCHER IN THE RYE, LORD OF THE FLIES, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and other various books on hand to have my children read when they get older. There's no telling how many of these books will be "indecent" once they get of age, and I have every intention of letting them make up their OWN minds on this sort of material.
As for people like George Bush, Sen. Sam Brownback, L. Brent Bozell, American Family Association founder Don Wildmon, FCC head Honcho Kevin Martin and the other people who want to deterimine what we should be allowed to watch and listen to (and eventually read and see on the internet). I have to say... I choose not to drink your milk... you bunch of Book Burning Nazi Cows.
The following is information on the FCC's new Policy for Public Radio and Television broadcasting. My own personal comments will follow each various part in bold/Italic.
So, this past week, the FCC notified broadcasters that fines for indecent material would be increased up to ten times.
Up to ten times. TEN TIMES! That's a lot. That's like upping the cost of an ice cream push up from $1.00 to $11.00.
I don't know why I made that comparision. I just like Ice Cream push-ups.
The legislation passed the House 379-35 on Wednesday after moving through the Senate last month on a voice vote. Before this "bump", the maximum fine for so-called "indecency: was $32,500 per violation. With the increase, a single fine can now be as high as $325,000.
Three Hundred Twenty Five Thousand dollars.
For a spoken word(s). For some pictures.
Imagine if it was for something that really... ya know... HURT someone?
This penalty does not apply to cable broadcasts or to satellite broadcasts, so HBO, SHOWTIME and Howard Stern are safe.
... for now.
However, you notice... as before, the FCC has neglected to specify just what "indecent" is defined as.
According to the AP, President Bush welcomed the passage of the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act and promised to sign it into law. He was quoted as saying: "I believe that government has a responsibility to help strengthen families.This legislation will make television and radio more family friendly by allowing the FCC to impose stiffer fines on broadcasters who air obscene or indecent programming."
Translation? "I believe that since I have managed to screw up so many things in this country in my two terms I wanted to go for even more long-reaching effects by forcing my beliefs upon you all. Don't like it? Well, next time try becoming a rich, white, privledged, born with a silver spoon in your mouth. good for nothing. Then YOU can do whatever YOU want! We need more Howdy Doody on the airwaves instead of Black Women ripping off their clothing at football games! Heh. I said Doody. That's funny stuff. Anyway, who cares about inflation, and the impossible to handle gas prices, and the out of control health care system? THIS IS WHERE THE ISSUE IS PEOPLE!"
You know... Janet Jackson's partly exposed breast didn't offend me. $3.41 for a gallon of gas... now THAT offends me.
The approval of this bill culminates a two-year drive to crack-down on "sexually explicit material" and "offensive language" on public radio and television following the Janet Jackson infamous "wardrobe malfunction" during halftime of the 2004 Super Bowl.
My question is this. Almost every time George Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Dick Cheney, Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfey, Bill Maher and the entire cast of The View open their mouths, I'm offended. To me, that translates as what they say is Offensive. So... where is MY voice in all of this? How am *I* being protected? Can't anyone shut these idiots up?
L. Brent Bozell, President of the Parents Televison Council of People Looking to Determine What's Best for Your Kids Whether You Agree or Not (Ok, I made that last part up), remarked: "The FCC will now have the authority to impose meaningful, punitive fines when the indecency law is broken. We hope that the hefty fines will cause the multibillion-dollar broadcast networks finally to take the law seriously."
Translation? "The FCC now has an even larger platform to overstep the bounderies of which it was created for by now being able to slap down senseless penaties upon broadcasters so that the airwaves can be shaped into something that would make the Smurfs seem like child porn. I mean, look at those little blue bodies anyway... half naked... never wearing shirts... all those males and only one female? I know what's going on there at night... dirty little blueskins. Sweaty little, nasty blueskins all sweaty and nasty and sweaty and working those nasty little parts... oh yeah... nasty... work it... work it... you like that don't ya? errr... I mean... and furthermore, these penalties, despite the fact we have yet to define them at all, leaving all broadcasters completely in the dark to what actually constatutes an infraction, will help us drag the public, kicking and screaming, into a world that *we* determine is proper. Sieg Heil!"
Wow. Amazing what a little translation can do. Be afriad. Be very afriad.
"This is a victory for children and families," said Senate sponsor Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. The higher fines were needed, he said, "in a world saturated with violent and explicit media."
So... um.. exactly WHAT familes is this a victory for? Not *my* family. Not *my* children. Is it a victory for Senator Brownback's family? I guess it is. Look how happy *he* seems to be. Then again, he must need some excitment... Glen Miller radio broadcats and Little Orphan Annie serials can only take up *so* much of his free time.
Under FCC rules and federal law, radio and over-the-air television stations may not air obscene material at any time, and may not air indecent material between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. when children are more likely to be in the audience.
Yeah... like my Children are up at 6 AM listening to the radio and waiting with baited breath for someone to utter the word "boobies". I'm kinda wondering... why aren't these "children" in bed at 6 am? Why aren't they in school by 9 am through 3 pm? Why aren't they in bed by 8:30 PM or so? Just what the hell are these kids doing to be able to avoid all of these things? Damn... when I was a kid I had NO freedom compared to these kids listening to the radio and watching TV non-stop between 6 AM and 10 PM. What a life kids live today.
The FCC says indecent material is that which contains sexual or excretory material that does not rise to the level of obscenity.
Translation. "ANYTHING WE WANT IT TO BE... bitch."
The legislation, while facing little resistance in Congress, had detractors warning of problems in defining what is indecent and of the erosion of First Amendment rights.
"What is at stake here is freedom of speech and whether it will be nibbled to death by election-minded politicians and self-righteous pietists," Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y (or in other words... ONE OF THE ONLY SANE MEN IN THE ROOM), said in a statement. He recalled how after the Super Bowl incident, numerous ABC affiliates refused to air the acclaimed war movie "Saving Private Ryan" because of its rough language.
This is a perfect example. God Bless Gary Ackerman.
Without having the slightest idea of what constitues "indecent", the broadcasters are forced to err WAY on the better side of caution. Thus, cutting their own legs out from under them. What if I told you I could go and find "indecent" parts of the simplest of things like SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, AND THE FAIRLY ODD PARENTS? I could you know. It's all there. At what point is the line even drawn? The FCC has the ability to go and wait three months and then fine someone for commiting a "violation" every day for that three month period and charging MILLIONS of dollars in fines that could cripple any broadcasting station... and in the end, the broadcasters hadn't the SLIGHTEST idea that they were anywhere NEAR commiting a violation. For God's sake.... this is as unconstituitonal as is gets people.
The FCC has also actively responded to the increase in complaints about lewd material over the airwaves, with total fines jumping from $440,000 in 2003 to almost $8 million in 2004.
So are we to believe that the airwaves suddenly became more "lewd" in one year? Or should we gather from that information that the FCC is jst getting totally out of control? It would be interesting to see just WHO the complaints came from and what areas they originate from.
The agency recently handed down its biggest fine, $3.3 million, against more than 100 CBS affiliates that aired an episode of the series "Without a Trace" that simulated an orgy scene. That fine is now under review.
Notice that no actual sex or nudity was shown and that the show, which is clearly NOT a show for Children, was aired at 10 PM which is not only outside of the 6 AM to 10 PM timeframe dictated by the FCC, but is also a time that any decent parent would make sure their young child (say up to 14 years old) WAS IN BED! I have a great idea. How about you fine the parents of the kids that were exposed to these shows?
Listen. I'm a parent and I worry a lot about what my kids see, hear and experiance. However, I refuse to allow someone else to choose for me what they will be exposed to. It is up to me to raise my children right so they can learn to filter out the bad shit from the good stuff. No one else has the right to make that determination. No one. Just to be safe... I have copies of CATCHER IN THE RYE, LORD OF THE FLIES, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and other various books on hand to have my children read when they get older. There's no telling how many of these books will be "indecent" once they get of age, and I have every intention of letting them make up their OWN minds on this sort of material.
As for people like George Bush, Sen. Sam Brownback, L. Brent Bozell, American Family Association founder Don Wildmon, FCC head Honcho Kevin Martin and the other people who want to deterimine what we should be allowed to watch and listen to (and eventually read and see on the internet). I have to say... I choose not to drink your milk... you bunch of Book Burning Nazi Cows.
Who are you and what are you doing in my life?
Fatherhood.
FatherHOOD.
Sounds kind of like some sort of criminal act doesn’t it?
I wasn’t supposed to be a father you know. At the time that it came up, I was twenty-four and dreaming of a plush and adventurous lifestyle as a big time newspaper investigative reporter. My wife and I were barely married six months when she came to me and said, a matter-of-factly, “I want a baby.”
“And I want a Mustang convertible, but that doesn’t look likely in the near future now does it?” I remarked with a grin. I knew my wit would win her over and get us into the year and a half wait that I had tried to negotiate in the months before our wedding. The grin was confident and winning… or so it thought. She frowned with the ability to wilt roses that only a wife of many years can muster. I was amazed that she had mastered that frown so quickly. I tried to rally.
“How about something we’re better equipped to handle right now like an elephant instead?” I asked.
The wit wasn’t working; she held her ground. We launched into an intelligent and adult debate about it. It went something along like this:
“Baby.”
“No.”“Baby”
“No!”
“BABY DAMMIT… BABY!”
“NO! Not yet!!”
“BABY! BABY, BABY, BABY!!!!!!”
“NO! We aren’t ready!!!”
“I WANT A BABY NOW OR I WILL MAKE YOUR ENTIRE LIFE AS INHUMANLY MISERABLE AS POSSIBLE STARTING FROM THIS VERY MOMENT!”
Now how could you argue with logic like that? It’s not like she couldn’t come through on that threat, that’s for sure. You haven’t lived through hell until you’ve spent a weekend in a small one bedroom apartment with the spawn of all that’s unholy, and God knows she was prepared to play that part to the hilt. I’m sure she, of course, remembers that conversation quite differently though. In her mind, it must have gone something like this:
“Pat, it’s time to have a baby.”“Ok honey! Get’s get started!” Cue the flowery music, seg-waying into a neo-like soft core porn love scene that only could have been scripted by the world’s foremost authority on romance.
Not bloody likely.
I have to admit, the argument I was presented with wasn’t totally wrong. Christine argued that “You never have enough money to have a baby...” and in a way, she was right. It’s not like I didn’t WANT children, I just thought I (and we together) needed more time. I also wanted to have more than our present total in the bank account. A dollar thirteen cents wasn’t going to get us a nice highchair, that’s for sure.
Oh sure, you think I’m exaggerating, but I’m not. I still have the bank statement. I save it to remember the days that I had a whole dollar plus in my bank account.
Anyway, whenever I’m asked what it feels like to be a father, I remember a time I sat down with my first born son, Patrick, to discuss a few worries I had.
“Patrick,” I said settling down on the living room couch with him. “I think you’ve come to the age where we should discuss a few things. I’m concerned with the type of things available to kids via the internet and television and want to explain my feelings with you.”
Patrick looked put-out upon, but sat there and let me continue.
“The world can be a scary place and there are a lot of images and media that you just aren’t ready for. As your father, I feel it’s my place to protect you from them until you’re a bit older and able to make decisions about whether or not you wish to view or experience these things.”
He just stared at me, not saying anything. I went on.
“It’s not that all of these things are wrong, it’s just that you aren’t of the right age yet to be able to filter out the right messages from the wrong ones.”Pat titled his head a bit, still staring at me. He leaned back into the couch and rolled his eyes. I decided to finish up.
“In time you’ll be able to make your own decisions, I just felt you should know about why I’m making this decision for you at this time in your life. Ok?”
Pat laughed and threw his pacifier at my head. He was only ten months old at the time. All in all I thought it was a successful conversation.
My wife was watching, amused from the doorway.
“Very sweet thought,” she said, not trying to hide her smile. “…but I think a little premature seeing that he hasn’t even started walking yet… don’t you think?”
What the hell did I know? I would have looked up “Meaningful conversations and when to have them” in the instruction booklet, but dammit, I didn’t get one. That was my biggest complaint when my son was born. Was I taken aside and filled in on the inner secrets of parenthood? No. Was I given a handbook that covers kids from birth till the day they get a real job and stop shoving their dirty underwear into the VCR? No.
Instead, I was handed a paper suit to wear and about 30 seconds after my son was born, they plopped him in my arms and sent me down the hall. I looked up at the nurse… just what the heck was supposed to do? I looked at Pat… he looked at me… and burst out hysterical crying.
Him I mean… not me.
Although it wouldn’t have been too much of a stretch for me to follow him.
I walked down back into the room my wife had been in during the course of 20 hours of blistful labor. (At one point she told the doctor to get “your fucking hands off” her and told me that it was “all your fault” and I was “never touching me again.” She also discovered how tasty ice chips are when you’ve gone hours without eating or drinking.) I sat down into the chair next to the bed and figured I would calm my newborn son with some soft soothing singing.
Suddenly my mind went blank. I needed a soft soothing song. None would come to mind. In the space of 15 seconds a myriad of songs rushed through my head… I was like a walking advertisement for Lyrics.com… then suddenly what came out was Collective Soul.
Ok, so not exactly the first choice of singing children to sleep… but it could have been worse. Somehow I don’t know how well “Inagaddadevida” would have gone over…
The scary thing was… he stopped crying. He looked up and me with his look that basically said “Who the hell are you and where the hell am I and why the hell is it so cold out here and where the hell is my little warm mini-swimming pool I’ve been hanging out in for the last 9 months?”
I looked back and shrugged. Wouldn’t be the last time he would stump me, just the first.
“Don’t look at me kid,” I told him. “I pretty much just got here myself.”
He gave me a sympathetic look (or was is dismay? It’s so hard to tell the difference when the baby is only about 12 and a half minutes old) and suddenly realized he hadn’t finished his hysterical crying fit. He must have realized he’d be doing a lot of it over the years and wanted to get started on practice and hard training for it as early as possible. So the crying resumed, I picked another song (Pearl Jam and The Police didn’t help too much) and I realized that I needed a little help in knowing just what the heck I was going to have to do to avoid having Patrick turn out to get his head stuck in the microwave or kidnapping Penguins or what not. I needed a little booklet that would cover years One through... oh I don’t know… Twenty-Seven?
Afterwards, when they had taken him to get some sleep and my wife had also turned in for the night, I asked the nurse about the instruction booklet. I wanted to bring it home right away and get a head start on reading before picking them both up the next day. The nurse laughed and gave me a cup of water.
I was gypped.
Fatherhood.
FatherHOOD.
Sounds kind of like some sort of criminal act doesn’t it?
I wasn’t supposed to be a father you know. At the time that it came up, I was twenty-four and dreaming of a plush and adventurous lifestyle as a big time newspaper investigative reporter. My wife and I were barely married six months when she came to me and said, a matter-of-factly, “I want a baby.”
“And I want a Mustang convertible, but that doesn’t look likely in the near future now does it?” I remarked with a grin. I knew my wit would win her over and get us into the year and a half wait that I had tried to negotiate in the months before our wedding. The grin was confident and winning… or so it thought. She frowned with the ability to wilt roses that only a wife of many years can muster. I was amazed that she had mastered that frown so quickly. I tried to rally.
“How about something we’re better equipped to handle right now like an elephant instead?” I asked.
The wit wasn’t working; she held her ground. We launched into an intelligent and adult debate about it. It went something along like this:
“Baby.”
“No.”“Baby”
“No!”
“BABY DAMMIT… BABY!”
“NO! Not yet!!”
“BABY! BABY, BABY, BABY!!!!!!”
“NO! We aren’t ready!!!”
“I WANT A BABY NOW OR I WILL MAKE YOUR ENTIRE LIFE AS INHUMANLY MISERABLE AS POSSIBLE STARTING FROM THIS VERY MOMENT!”
Now how could you argue with logic like that? It’s not like she couldn’t come through on that threat, that’s for sure. You haven’t lived through hell until you’ve spent a weekend in a small one bedroom apartment with the spawn of all that’s unholy, and God knows she was prepared to play that part to the hilt. I’m sure she, of course, remembers that conversation quite differently though. In her mind, it must have gone something like this:
“Pat, it’s time to have a baby.”“Ok honey! Get’s get started!” Cue the flowery music, seg-waying into a neo-like soft core porn love scene that only could have been scripted by the world’s foremost authority on romance.
Not bloody likely.
I have to admit, the argument I was presented with wasn’t totally wrong. Christine argued that “You never have enough money to have a baby...” and in a way, she was right. It’s not like I didn’t WANT children, I just thought I (and we together) needed more time. I also wanted to have more than our present total in the bank account. A dollar thirteen cents wasn’t going to get us a nice highchair, that’s for sure.
Oh sure, you think I’m exaggerating, but I’m not. I still have the bank statement. I save it to remember the days that I had a whole dollar plus in my bank account.
Anyway, whenever I’m asked what it feels like to be a father, I remember a time I sat down with my first born son, Patrick, to discuss a few worries I had.
“Patrick,” I said settling down on the living room couch with him. “I think you’ve come to the age where we should discuss a few things. I’m concerned with the type of things available to kids via the internet and television and want to explain my feelings with you.”
Patrick looked put-out upon, but sat there and let me continue.
“The world can be a scary place and there are a lot of images and media that you just aren’t ready for. As your father, I feel it’s my place to protect you from them until you’re a bit older and able to make decisions about whether or not you wish to view or experience these things.”
He just stared at me, not saying anything. I went on.
“It’s not that all of these things are wrong, it’s just that you aren’t of the right age yet to be able to filter out the right messages from the wrong ones.”Pat titled his head a bit, still staring at me. He leaned back into the couch and rolled his eyes. I decided to finish up.
“In time you’ll be able to make your own decisions, I just felt you should know about why I’m making this decision for you at this time in your life. Ok?”
Pat laughed and threw his pacifier at my head. He was only ten months old at the time. All in all I thought it was a successful conversation.
My wife was watching, amused from the doorway.
“Very sweet thought,” she said, not trying to hide her smile. “…but I think a little premature seeing that he hasn’t even started walking yet… don’t you think?”
What the hell did I know? I would have looked up “Meaningful conversations and when to have them” in the instruction booklet, but dammit, I didn’t get one. That was my biggest complaint when my son was born. Was I taken aside and filled in on the inner secrets of parenthood? No. Was I given a handbook that covers kids from birth till the day they get a real job and stop shoving their dirty underwear into the VCR? No.
Instead, I was handed a paper suit to wear and about 30 seconds after my son was born, they plopped him in my arms and sent me down the hall. I looked up at the nurse… just what the heck was supposed to do? I looked at Pat… he looked at me… and burst out hysterical crying.
Him I mean… not me.
Although it wouldn’t have been too much of a stretch for me to follow him.
I walked down back into the room my wife had been in during the course of 20 hours of blistful labor. (At one point she told the doctor to get “your fucking hands off” her and told me that it was “all your fault” and I was “never touching me again.” She also discovered how tasty ice chips are when you’ve gone hours without eating or drinking.) I sat down into the chair next to the bed and figured I would calm my newborn son with some soft soothing singing.
Suddenly my mind went blank. I needed a soft soothing song. None would come to mind. In the space of 15 seconds a myriad of songs rushed through my head… I was like a walking advertisement for Lyrics.com… then suddenly what came out was Collective Soul.
Ok, so not exactly the first choice of singing children to sleep… but it could have been worse. Somehow I don’t know how well “Inagaddadevida” would have gone over…
The scary thing was… he stopped crying. He looked up and me with his look that basically said “Who the hell are you and where the hell am I and why the hell is it so cold out here and where the hell is my little warm mini-swimming pool I’ve been hanging out in for the last 9 months?”
I looked back and shrugged. Wouldn’t be the last time he would stump me, just the first.
“Don’t look at me kid,” I told him. “I pretty much just got here myself.”
He gave me a sympathetic look (or was is dismay? It’s so hard to tell the difference when the baby is only about 12 and a half minutes old) and suddenly realized he hadn’t finished his hysterical crying fit. He must have realized he’d be doing a lot of it over the years and wanted to get started on practice and hard training for it as early as possible. So the crying resumed, I picked another song (Pearl Jam and The Police didn’t help too much) and I realized that I needed a little help in knowing just what the heck I was going to have to do to avoid having Patrick turn out to get his head stuck in the microwave or kidnapping Penguins or what not. I needed a little booklet that would cover years One through... oh I don’t know… Twenty-Seven?
Afterwards, when they had taken him to get some sleep and my wife had also turned in for the night, I asked the nurse about the instruction booklet. I wanted to bring it home right away and get a head start on reading before picking them both up the next day. The nurse laughed and gave me a cup of water.
I was gypped.
I Assure You, We are OPEN
I've had this "blog" here for some time... I just haven't had any time to get to publishing anything on it. Hopefully this will be changing... or at least I'll dedicate some time towards it at least. Until then, I'll post a few of my "greatest hits" from my older blog from myspace.
Yeah, I'm on myspace. Guilty pleasure, although I haven't been on it much the last few months.
I've had this "blog" here for some time... I just haven't had any time to get to publishing anything on it. Hopefully this will be changing... or at least I'll dedicate some time towards it at least. Until then, I'll post a few of my "greatest hits" from my older blog from myspace.
Yeah, I'm on myspace. Guilty pleasure, although I haven't been on it much the last few months.
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