Civil War, Al Gore, and Secret Wars!

Not that this will shock anyone, but this column from Sunday's Post makes it clear; while it may not be all-out, textbook-definition civil war in Iraq, it sure is in the ballpark.

Meanwhile, Rude Pundit makes a great case for Al Gore as a 2008 candidate. His third paragraph states it as well as anything I've read about Al recently. Oh yeah, and Rude Pundit isn't just a clever name - this guy does not mince words, four-letter or otherwise.

Finally, what comic book fan doesn't remember the old Secret Wars tie-ins that spanned, oh about 16 different Marvel titles back in the 80s? Hell, if you wanted to keep up with everything that was happening, you actually had to buy Thor. Ugh. This super-geeky video re-enactment features what is possibly the saddest looking Doctor Doom costume ever. Still, an 'A' for effort.

Age of Indifference?

These two columns, one at Wired and the other in the Baltimore Sun by columnist-activist Dan Rodricks, have recently put me in a place that I don't visit very often: deep in thought. I know, risky. But reading them made me wonder, with all the shit that's going on with our government these days, where's the widespread anger, the demand for accountability, any kind of populist response? Missing in action, apparently, but why?

First the Wired piece. The comparison with the Vietnam era is intriguing. I read an article months ago - don't recall where or I'd link to it - that discussed the idea of World War II's "Greatest Generation", and that while that was an appropriate label, and that generation deserves all the praise and honor that all the documentaries, Tom Brokaw books, and Tom Hanks-produced movies and TV series bestow upon it, don't forget about the '60s-early '70s generation either. The argument was that World War II was something that was easy to unite behind, and the conflicts of the '60s didn't necessarily have widespread popular support but they got the job done anyway, with civil rights, with getting us out of Vietnam (eventually), even with timely investigations of people at the top who were abusing their power (Watergate, Church Committee, etc.). So, back to the Wired column; are we that self-absorbed that we can't mobilize to do something about the current abuses? Are we looking to the wrong opposition leaders - i.e., most of the Democrat Party 'leadership' - to rally behind? Do we not realize how perilous a position we've put our world in, and how much our freedoms are at risk? Hopefully, it's starting to sink in for a majority of people, but I'm not quite convinced that the tide has turned.

The Rodricks column on mandatory public service goes in a somewhat different direction, but still speaks to this pervasive indifference that seems to have settled in. Is mandatory service the answer? I hope that it wouldn't have to come to that. I remember the debates, back when I was in high school, about mandatory community service for students, and whether the mandatory part of the equation violated the altruistic spirit with which one should approach community service - I believed that it did back then, and I still believe that. Community service as forced labor can easily breed resentment towards both the government that mandates it, and towards those who are being helped. Sure, it can get things done, but is that cost worth it? Maybe, but something about such an arrangement just feels wrong to me. Dan Rodricks' columns always ask tough questions though, and this one is no different. It also naturally lead to some introspection, namely my own complicity in this culture of apathy, and what I could be doing differently with my time and/or money, to break out of it. Tough questions indeed.

Muppets Take Smithsonian

Not that they weren't part of Americana already, but now they're behind glass at the Smithsonian. I hope they put some airholes in the glass though, Muppets do need to breathe.

I was talking with Jenny about Muppets the other day; every time I pass by the Wilkins Avenue exit on the Baltimore Beltway, I think of Jim Henson. His Muppets' first job as pitchmen was for Wilkins Coffee back in the early '60s (late '50s?). Now, I don't know whether they had a presence in Baltimore, but Wilkins Coffee was (is?) actually based in the DC area, in Capitol Heights I believe. So my free- association with Wilkins Avenue is just that; there's no direct link that I know of. Anyway, over at YouTube, someone has collected the old Wilkins TV spots, so check them out. Most are a more violent than I would have guessed a commerical back then would have been - lots of exploding, beaten, pummeled, run-over, coffee-dumped-on Muppets. Still entertaining though! It's also interesting to note that while the featured Muppets, Wilkins and Wontkins, are somewhat primitive by modern Muppet standards, there's really not a huge gap to bridge from them to Kermit or Fozzie.

FA Cup: Democracy in Action

Last Saturday morning at 10 o'clock, I met Jay and his wife Val at Slainte in Fell's Point, to catch the FA Cup final between Liverpool and West Ham. And even if it hadn't been an incredible match that, unfortunately, had to end in penalty kicks, it still would have been a good time. Four of the six goals scored in regular time were nothing short of amazing (the other two goals, eh, not so great). And if Liverpool's Steven Gerrard isn't the best midfielder in Europe, he's surely in the top five.

But even if the match had really stunk, it was still a fantastic atmosphere: full pub, 10 am on a gorgeous, sunny day, a view of Thames Street and the harbor, a nice corned-beef Irish omelette, four - yeah, four - pints of Guinness, all before noon! OK, the last pint was ordered before noon and consumed afterwards, during extra time, but still, a nice way to start one's Saturday. Although I was dragging a bit come midday, it was worth it!

647 teams entered this year's FA Cup, these are clubs from all levels of English football, and the draws are completely random (no seeds). This year, as in many years, two Premiership teams made it to the final. But the idea that the little guys can go up against the giants of the sport, such as Liverpool, is pretty much a foreign concept with any other sport but soccer. Maybe that helps to explain its globabl popularity; lots of team sports are skill-based, but I can't think of any that rely less on the sheer size of the players than does soccer. So why hasn't the sport caught on as much in our corner of the world?

Police State

Not a term that should be used lightly, but since when do we send the National Gaurd to hold hands along our southern border? Since now, perhaps?

Maybe I shouldn't complain. A majority of Americans are apparently OK with giving up their privacy. By the way, kudos to Qwest for just saying no to the feds. As for the other Baby Bells, AT&T, Bell South, and Verizon, how should I put this...you're all spineless, greedy fuckers. Have you really run out of ways to screw your customers, that you now need to involve the NSA in the process? Not to mention that now I have to listen carefully for Dick Cheney's wheezing breath whenever I pick up the phone. Then again, maybe that's not Dick's breathing - maybe that rustling sound is Dick wiping his ass with the Constitution!

Seven Tons, Three Hours

As of last Friday, the concrete is gone from our back "yard"! I thought I had a 'before' pic, but I think I must have deleted it, so you'll have to make do with the 'after' pic, and the shot of me and the dumpster full of concrete. Not too bad in terms of home improvement projects; it only took about six months from the time I hammered up the concrete, to get it removed! Thanks to Dad for all the help, and the use of the trailer.

I know what you're thinking though. Exaggeration. Surely, it wasn't seven tons. Maybe, maybe not. But check out the numbers. A 13.5' X 20' area (actually, a bit larger). Concrete that was 6" deep - or even thicker - in most spots. Let's be waaaay conservative, and say it was an average of four inches thick. That's 89 cubic feet of concrete. A search of the internets - the concrete internet, specifically - reveals that the density of concrete is around 150 lbs/cf. That's 6.7 tons right there! Not too bad for three hours of work.

Afterwards, we drank beers, went to the O's game (they won), while there we ate and drank more beer. All in all, a productive Friday.

Understated Sports Headline

Kaman: Evans pulled testicles, prompting outburst. "Prompting outburst"? Gee, ya think?

Ugh, to think the Nuggets traded for this Evans guy in mid-season! I guess it's hard to find quality testicle-pullers in the NBA these days. Although I sure could see Cherokee Parks or Christian Laettner coming off the bench as designated 'pullers' once their real NBA careers are over. What? Their NBA careers are over? Funny, I didn't notice.