How Scrapping The BCS Could Bring Back The Space Program

There is one old adage that is about as true as they come and that’s the one that states, “You can never please all of the people all of the time.” I think that is a universally given idea. While in a way it’s sad that humanity can’t come up with a solution that meets the needs and approval of everyone on the planet, it also has a bright side and that is that we no longer expect perfection. In fact, because of this, we’ve become accustomed to minor disappointments and have learned to deal with them in the proper perspective, well at least most of the time.


But since we can’t make everyone happy all of the time, why don’t we do what will make a good chunk of us happy and provide us with a very beneficial byproduct? Sounds like the proverbial win/win n’est pas? The actions of this weekend proved that the BCS system simply isn’t working. If Arkansas had defeated LSU there would have been more math involved to determine rankings than is required for a shuttle launch. Oh yeah, we don’t do those any more. I forgot that we’re no longer a major player in the space race.

I don’t remember the exact numbers but I saw a poll that indicated that the majority of Americans were in favor of a playoff system. Now since we know that we can’t make everyone happy I think we would agree that making the majority of folks happy is a good thing? Now follow me here on the logic, majority happy equals good, majority unhappy equals bad. Got it? Ok let’s move on to win number two.

If we were to create a 32 team playoff system that would take place over a 5 week time frame, we could possibly, with the exception of week one and possibly week two, stage the games so that they were the ONLY game on at that time. Doing this of course drives up ratings and in turn drives up TV revenue for the schools. After all, as we’ve recently learned, money seems to be the only thing about which the universities are concerned. So, the people get what they want in two forms, more televised football and a defined playoff system similar to the March Madness format. The universities get what they want which is of course more money. Sounds like a good deal for everyone to me. Does this make sense to everyone thus far? Good, I will get to the extremely beneficial byproduct.

Now here’s the part where a lot of people will complain. At least 75% of this playoff money as we will call it MUST be earmarked for education. To be even more specific, these funds must be allocated to scholarships in the fields of mathematics, engineering and other hard sciences. As much as I love music and the arts, and as much as I understand the importance of things like these, I feel it is much more important that America become stronger in the fields of science and mathematics so that we can maintain our competitive edge over the rest of the world. Let’s face it, we’re slipping and we have no one to blame but ourselves.

As for how the educationally designated funds are distributed and which universities receive these funds I think that the funds should be split up as follows: 50% goes to the universities who make the 32 team tournament. The remaining 50% is to be distributed among the schools with the Top 16 academic programs (outside the 32 tournament teams). This way, we are assured that 48 schools receive at least a portion of these funds which are marked specifically for education.

As for the 25% of funds generated by the playoff system that are NOT earmarked for education they should be distributed as follows: The teams who reach the final game get 10% each, thus accounting for 20% of the overall non education mandated funding. The teams in places 3 – 10 receive equal portions totaling 20% of the non allocated funding as well. That works out to be about 12.5% per team as factored into that group’s 20% of the overall take. The remaining 60% would be split evenly among the remaining 22 teams. That seems fair and equitable to me.

I will be the first to admit that the breakdown of the 25% of the non educationally allocated funding may need a bit of fine tuning, but I think it’s a good place to start.

What do you all think?

Maybe if we had spent more on education we’d still have a space program in which we could take pride?

Welcome Home Wednesday

Sometimes it’s the unexpected things that seem to mean the most to us. These incidental pop ups that catch us off guard often end up being something that we might not value at the moment but when we look back in retrospect we realize that sometimes the undercard ends up being more interesting than the main event. Many people say that the journey often provides more pleasure than the ultimate destination. I guess that’s somewhat subjective. But the point is that sometimes when we’re not looking and least expect it we encounter that elusive moment of happiness that we didn’t even know we were seeking. I think that sums up the essence of Welcome Home Wednesday.

Last year I was watching the local news and they did a story about an unofficial holiday. It seems that over the last few years the day before Thanksgiving has been dubbed “Welcome Home Wednesday.” The name for this impromptu holiday was coined by the hospitality industry when restaurateurs and bar owners realized that their business increased significantly on the evening prior to Thanksgiving.

The reasoning for this of course lies in the name. People who may live out of state or even abroad often return home for the traditional Thanksgiving holiday with their families. But it seems that the night before has increasingly been seen as an opportunity for them to reconnect with old friends who may also be in town visiting family. I think the main reason this phenomena has taken off in recent years is due to the prevalence of social media. Let’s face it, it’s as easy as picking up your smart phone to know exactly where your friends are and what they’re up to. Facebook’s checkin feature and other applications such as Foursquare are designed specifically for such purposes. It allows old friends to know who’s in town and where they’re hanging out. I think this is probably the most endearing example of social media being used as it was intended. No popularity contests, no motives, no drama, just a means for old friends to connect.

In some ways I look forward to Welcome Home Wednesday more than Thanksgiving itself. I think that as a whole it’s more gregarious and more genuine than Thanksgiving because it has fewer restrictions. I think we’d all agree that Thanksgiving has become somewhat scripted over the years because each family has developed their own traditions and feel somewhat obliged to continue them. There’s nothing wrong with that, nothing at all. In fact, it’s what makes Thanksgiving worth the effort. That’s why we do it, the traditions that bind us as families. But Welcome Home Wednesday gives us the ability to catch up with friends and socialize with people we may not have seen in quite some time. No rules or traditions to uphold, simply the spirit of friendship. If nothing else it can act as a means of blowing off steam before systematically entrenching one’s self in the aforementioned compulsory holiday traditions and expectations.

For me personally I know that I’ve celebrated the last three WHW’s without even realizing it was an unofficial holiday. I think that’s probably the case for most of us. Many people who actually participate are unfamiliar with the term. When I Googled “Welcome Home Wednesday” the only reference I was able to find pertained to an aspect of Disney’s Vacation Club. Bing yielded the same results. Even Wikipedia was barren when it came to references for Welcome Home Wednesday. Who knows, maybe next year?

Although, I guess in some ways it may be better this way, left as unofficial and wantonly unassuming, lest it take on too much formality and expectation.

So if extended the opportunity, I encourage each of you to participate in this makeshift holiday and take a moment to stop and appreciate it for what it’s worth, one of the hidden and unexpected treasures of the holiday season.

World's Coolest Guns

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“A gun barrel is strait and round because if it were any other shape it would not be able to carry out its prescribed function,” is what I told the artsy teacher in my film study class. She contended that guns were used to in movies to emulate penises and act as a means of male compensation. You know that may be true in her messed up world where 7 + 5 = 27. But here in the real world where it equals 14 we know otherwise. Okay JJ before you text me and tell me that 7+5 = 12 I was only joking around.


Anyway, I decided to take a request blog today and my friend Brad said that he wanted a posting on “The Coolest Guns.” So in the spirit of friendship and firearms I give you a post about my opinion, and that of Brad’s, as it relates to the world’s coolest guns. Of course all of this is subjective and I will admit that I am not an expert on guns but I will do my best to provide a post that is both informative and possibly entertaining. So let’s lock and load and get this thing rolling,

If someone were to approach me on the street and ask me what was the coolest gun in the world I would probably give them some smartass answer like, “The one I’m about to press to your temple,” or I may be less confrontational and say, “The one I have in my hand.” But sense that’s not the situation I can be a little more in-depth about my discussion of what I feel to be the more interesting firearms out there. Initially I decided that I would limit the scope of the discussion to guns that could be easily obtained but then I figured that probably wouldn’t entail all of the coolest guns.

Of course what one person may find interesting about a gun might seem pretty routine to others. I did even more thinking and decided that when one gauges the “coolness” factor of a gun several factors come into play. You could base your opinion strictly on appearance. Or you could base your vote for coolest gun on specifications such as caliber, rate of fire, projectile weight or even muzzle velocity.

When I personally think of what I deem to be the coolest gun ever, as far as mass production models are concerned, I guess I have to give the nod to the good old Tommy Gun. The Thompson .45 caliber submachine gun is one kick ass small arms weapon. This gun has a lot of ties to pop culture. It was always the weapon of choice in classic film noir movies about the Chicago Underworld. Of course I’m sure that in the words of film professor Joanna Rapf they only used that gun because it made their pee pee feel better and had nothing to do with historical accuracy. I can just see Edward G. Robinson leaning out of a car window and using a Tommy Gun to hold off a gang of rival thugs or a carload of cops as he blasts his way back the hideout. You kill them all Edward G. You make those bastards pay! If only poor Moamaar had had one of these at his side that fateful day…

Okay back to reality. I also thought about historical context making a gun very cool. For example, if you could hold a gun that was actually fired by John Wayne then that would instantly make it one of the coolest guns in history. I got to see the gun that shot JR (pictured left). Does that count? What if you could own a gun that was taken off the body of a Nazi Concentration Camp’s Commandant? Hell what if you could get Colonel Klink’s gun? Or think about this… going back to the Tommy Gun thread, what if you could get a gun that was actually used in the Valentine’s Day massacre? The gun that killed Archduke Ferdinand? The gun that fired the first shot at Omaha Beach? I’m sure that there are countless weapons that played pivotal roles in history.

I do have to admit one thing when it comes to firearms. I’ve always secretly wanted to own a Walther PPK, the preferred gun of James Bond. The problem is that they are actually a pretty small framed gun and I just like something with more heft. I could possibly see myself carrying a P99 as seen in more recent Bond endeavors. Bond also carried a Beretta .418 but I never really liked that. So if you take the James Bond mystique into account that certainly adds several firearms to the list of Coolest guns.

As long as we’re talking about Hollywood guns I guess I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that Thomas Magnum of Mangun PI fame carried a 1911 45. Lucas McCain, aka The Rifleman carried a modified Winchester 1892, 44-40 rifle. I have Winchester model 94 in the 30-30 caliber myself/ I guess that makes me and Luke somewhat akin in our firearms and general badass levels. Dirty Harry carried a 44 magnum, “The most powerful handgun in the world with the ability to blow your head clean off.” If you saw “Lord of War” (Not to be confused with Lord of The Dance also starring Nicholas Cage) with Nicolas Cage you can’t help but remember the part where the African guerilla wanted, “The gun of Rambo,” tell me he didn’t have a firearms used in films motif going there! And as long as mercenary guns are the topic how about that badass rotating drum grenade launcher used by Christopher Walken in “Dogs of War”? So yes Hollywood guns rock!

Finally I will tell you a little bit about Brad’s vote for the World’s Coolest Gun. Here’s the part where you have to pretend good ole R. Lee from Mail Call is telling you all about this rifle. Take it away R, Lee

“Well Brad you’ve chosen a damn fine weapon son. The M82 is a recoil-operated, semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle developed by the American Barrett Firearms Manufacturing company. A heavy SASR (Special Application Scoped Rifle), it is used by many units and armies around the world. It is also called the "Light Fifty" for its .50 caliber BMG (12.7 mm) chambering. The weapon is found in two variants—the original M82A1 (and A3) and the bull pup M82A2. The M82A2 is no longer manufactured, though the XM500 can be seen as its successor. But instead of me telling you about it, why don’t we watch a video about this gun and see it in action. Hoo Rah!

We Had The Arab Spring, Now I Give You The Moron Fall

At some point in my journey through life I once heard one of those clever philosophical phrases which said, “Successful people are simply willing do what others refuse to” or something to that effect. I don’t think that’s the exact verbiage I heard but it’s close enough. Essentially it says that people who have achieved some level of success have done so primarily because they went above and beyond and either through sacrifice or determination, or both, where able to succeed where others had failed.


It seems that more and more we are hearing about the increasing disparity in wealth here in the US. It appears that running around touting that the rich are getting richer while the poor become increasingly more destitute has somehow become the new mantra of the underachiever. It is a fact that the distribution of wealth in the United States has become somewhat more polarized in recent years. I’m not an economist so I freely admit that I can’t tell you exactly why things worked out this way.

I know there are many out there who instantly, with no thought or study given to the situation, blame the Bush era tax cuts. These people instantly think that raising taxes on the wealthier portion of the population will somehow make everything right. What they still fail to realize is that we are spending more than we take in. As usual it seems that I have taken a paragraph or two, well okay three, to get to the main point of this post. This is not about balancing the federal budget or the means by which it should be done.

This post is about the morons in NYC and other locales who are part of the Occupy Wall Street Movement. These people have taken to the street because they are unhappy with the status quo. But rather than sit down and brainstorm to harvest information about how this disparity in wealth came to be, they simply open up their ranks to any third rate moron or degenerate that wants to embrace their cause. Because of this they have absolutely ZERO credibility.

By the way, in case you didn’t realize it, this was all instigated by Canadians. That’s right. The idiots responsible for this aren’t even Americans. The Canadian activist group “Adbusters” initiated the movement. The best part about the whole thing is that these people can not even agree exactly what their agenda is. These morons live in filth and squalor in their tents and sleeping bags. These idiots wallow in their own feces, urine and garbage while those they oppose simply continue to carry on as normal. I guess that shows exactly how effective they are.

Many of the interlopers who came late to the party are self proclaimed anarchists. I mean what screams organization better than a group of anarchists? I’ll admit that not all of them are total crackpots. There are a few of them who might have something meaningful to add, but the problem is that because they let everyone come to the party they are only as respectable as their worst element. Honestly are these individuals (pictured left) the people you would like to have as the face of your movement?

So here’s what I ask. If these people have an agenda why don’t they take all of the money that has been donated and use it constructively such as hiring a media consultant and purchasing advertising in print and electronic media as well as establishing a sensible and well defined social media presence? I think that they would get a lot more of the proper attention to promote their cause. Right now it’s a lot easier to think of them as a freak show rather than an organized, cohesive movement with a sound agenda for reform.

I guess the main reason for this is because they have no viable agenda for reform. Until they present some fact based arguments along with potential solutions most reasonable people will continue to think of them merely as disenfranchised reprobates seeking their fleeting moments of fame.

My Name Is Kevin, I'll Be Showing You Some Of Our Quality Used Vehicles Here At Hudiburg...

I want to preface this post by stating that I am not a basketball fan. It wasn’t a sport I played in school and I will admit that I don’t fully understand all of the rules. I don’t really have anything against the game it’s just that I prefer watching football, baseball, tennis and even soccer over basketball. Furthermore I will stipulate that I do not know all of the particulars as they pertain to the NBA Players disagreement with the NBA owners. And I guess in the long run, I don’t really care. But since it seems to be the buzz in the media right now I thought I would throw my uneducated and somewhat apathetic opinion into the fray.


I’m not saying that my take on this situation is accurate or based on a complete grasp of the facts. I’m only voicing my opinion based upon what I have been able to ascertain from media snipits and information disseminated via social media. Here’s how I see things.

The players ultimately want to have as much revenue and wealth as the owners. The owners want to continue to make money as a return on their initial investment. I think everyone can agree that the two aforementioned statements are probably an accurate assessment? Any dissenters? Moving on, I think we need to look at what I have been led to believe is the primary point of contention and that is what the collective bargaining agreement refers to as “Basketball Related Income.” As an outsider and layperson I would think that ANYTHING relating to the NBA would be “Basketball Related” but I guess they factor other dimensions into the equation. Who knew?

When I look at the players versus the owners I first take into consideration what each party brings to the table.

The owners:

The owners were the ones who incorporated the league, paid their franchise fees, leased the arenas in which to play, hired the lawyers and media consultants to negotiate TV rights, and established the rules committees and various other administrative bodies to see to it that the organization is actually run like an organization rather than a college intramural league. Oh yeah, one more thing, perhaps a minor detail but I will go ahead and include it. They brought with them the financial funding and capital to create, build and back the league. So without the owners contributions we have none of the following: organization, arena leases, TV contracts and oh yes, money to pay the players.

The players:

What did the players bring to the table? Hmmmm… Oh yeah, a jockstrap and the ability to jump higher and run faster than most of the other folks on the planet.

Did the players put up the money to fund the league through franchise fees? Did they pay the leases on the Staples Center, The American Airlines Center, Madison Square Garden, The Chesapeake Center? Did they hire the attorneys and media representatives to secure TV rights or purchase advertising for the league? I don’t know the exact details but I am betting that in most cases the answer is no.

So if the owners are the ones who invested all of this money up front, then why should they have to share any revenue at all with the players? It seems like the players should be more than happy to report to work each day and get paid in excess of $1M per year to do something that they would probably continue to do as a hobby if they had regular working class jobs.

I think the owners need to stand pat and simply say, “We’ll pay you this much money per year. If you don’t like it we will pay someone else that much to play. I’m certain that we can find a lot of people willing to play for this amount.” At this point the player would have the option to take the offer, which would still be far more than he could make in any other vocation, or enter the larger job market with whatever marketable skills he has and hope for the best like everyone else. To me this seems like a pretty easy decision. I could take a salary right around $1M and play a sport that I genuinely enjoy or I could turn my back on the offer and go work in a call center, deliver pizzas, become a loan officer at a bank, join the military, become a fireman or sell chevys down at my local dealership. The opportunities are endless.

Which brings me to another point, why are basketball players being given a minimum salary of right at $1M when the talented individuals who are working to bring about cures for cancer, address environmental concerns, analyze world hunger problems and evaluate global energy policy make far less than one third of that?

Think about it, in the ultimate global scenario which is more important, addressing the world’s health, nutritional, ecological and energy concerns or a good 3 point shooter?

What is your take on the situation? Use the Comments Button and tell us. We'd really like to know!

Get On Your Bikes And Ride...

When I was in college ever so many years ago I knew one thing. I wanted to get it over and done with as quickly as possible. I even took intersession classes, those weird classes held over the Christmas Break that meet four hours per day, each day for two weeks. I took one class that was known as “Narcotics and Crime Control.” The instructor was an individual who had spent some time with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. I believe his name was Mike Limon, but that was quite a while ago so I may not be totally accurate when it comes to the instructor’s name. But, for the sake of this post we’ll assume that my mind continues to be the steel trap it once was many years ago and assume that his name was indeed Mike Limon.


Limon told us all about the various drugs out there and the ways in which they were trafficked and which legal codes addressed the drug statutes, etc. That was all done in the first week. Then the second week things got interesting. I am guessing that at some point in Limon’s history a biker ran over his foot or stole his wife or beat him out of a drug collar or something because the last half of the class was devoted to his lectures on the evils of Outlaw Bikers.

Limon didn’t just give us cursory facts and figures about bikers and their involvement with narcotics. He spent almost a whole week telling us about the history of biker gangs starting with the “Pissed off Bastards from Bloomington” and going right up to the present. He told us everything we could ever want to know about bikers from their sexual predications to their tactics when they form up and ride in convoys and everything they did as far as laundering money and setting up hits and this and that and this and that. Like I said, at some point he must have had an adverse encounter with bikers and felt that our class was the prime venue for his therapeutic rants. To make a long story short we learned a lot of interesting things about bikers and I still remember many of them to this day. I guess in the end that says something about his prowess as a lecturer.

So after three paragraphs I will now come to the main point of this post. After having gone through this class I thought I knew quite a bit about bikers, and I guess I did. But I got the rest of my bikerology from a television show on FX entitled Sons Of Anarchy. Sons of Anarchy chronicles the activities of a fictional motorcycle club. They don’t like to be called gangs. In fact they even have their own catchy acronym. Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club and Recreational Organization, or SAMCRO.

The show is currently in its fourth season and I have to admit that I’m somewhat of an addict. I watched seasons one and two via Netflix Streaming in just two or three days. I really embrace the show to the point that some days I just want to quit my job, get a Harley, buy some weaponry and go all SAMCRO on people. It’s that intense. But since orange makes me look fat and I really don’t have time to do a stint in Chino, or Big Mac if I keep it local, I guess I’ll have to refrain from my wanderlust replete with wanton violence, debauchery and whore fighting.

The show stars Ron Pearlman of Beauty and the Beast and Hellboy fame as the beleaguered Club President. Katie Sagal, from Married with Children stars as his hard as nails spouse Jemma who is about as rough and tumble as any biker either on the screen or actually on the streets. Charlie Hunnam who plays the club’s Vice President is billed as the actual star of the show, but the acting talent and the characters as portrayed by Sagal and Pearlman really overshadow him to the point that he seems more like a supporting character, especially in the first two seasons.

The show features a lot of gunfights and street brawling but make no mistake, this is undoubtedly a character driven show. It focuses deeply on the relationships between individual characters and the way in which they interact both as individuals and to the club in general. The ability of the writers to establish the perfect ratio of action and character study prove their talent and make this one of the better shows on television.

Each season is 12 or 13 episodes in length and is in a serial arc format so that in order to really appreciate the show you have to watch each season from the beginning. One of the things I find interesting when discussing the show with others is that this show has just about as many female fans as it does male. Again this can be attributed to the excellent team of writers who make certain that each episode is balanced with the proper amounts of running and gunning juxtaposed with expressive scenes in which characters realistically emote about their feelings towards each other and the organization. There’s no doubt that the SAMCRO club is essentially a character unto itself to which all others relate at some point. Whether the character is an actual club member or one of the numerous law enforcement officers charged with bringing about its demise the fact remains that all of the points in the plot eventually tie back to the club and what it represents as a whole.

If you’ve never seen this show I really recommend it. This is one of those series that will have you wanting to watch one episode right after the other. I suggest that you start with the first season and before you make up your mind, give it three or four episodes because when I initially watched the pilot and the second episode I wasn’t sold on the show at all. But by the fourth installment, I found myself staying up late because there was absolutely no way I was going to wait until the next day to see the following episode.

Watch to live and live to watch!

The Best TV Show You Never Got To See

I once read a book, okay maybe more than once but nonetheless I will start by saying that I once read a book about an airplane and all of the people who flew on it. The first sentence of the book was as follows: “It was the most romantic plane ever made.” Well the subject of this post never came to fruition so I have to say that: “It was the best television show that never came to be.”


A few weeks ago rebel insurgents, a term we like to use when we refer to a group for whom we either don’t know the name or has no name, finally tracked down and killed Muamaar Khadaffi. (At this point I am going to choose to spell his name however the mood strikes me). As many of you know from my previous post Remember the one Where Muamaar...I was kind of hoping that Moamaar (Pictured above left) would settle in exile here in the US and would join me and my friends in a new reality show called “Hangin’ with Moamaar.” I was really hoping the show would take flight because I was looking forward to all of the wealth and notoriety that would certainly come my way. But alas they shot Moamaar so that project is now down the drain.

I think that it would have been a really good program when you think about the premise and then compare it to all of the other so called reality shows out there. It would be a little bit like Real World mixed in with WWE because I’m pretty sure Moamaar would issue some beatdowns to those who need them. In the other post where I explained the premise of the show I listed a few scenarios that I thought might be entertaining. I’ve had some time to reflect and I’ve come up with a couple more.

I think it would be great if we took Moamaar to visit the Kardashians. I personally can’t think of anything more entertaining than to watch Moamaar listen to the Kardashaho’s rant and rave for about 20 minutes and then watch him just go off on them. Keep that pimp hand strong Muamaar, make them bitches learn to recognize. As long as he’s there I think he should kick Bruce Jenner’s ass too. I’ve never actually seen the Kardashian’s show as there are some things I just refuse to undertake, but I’m guessing that the Kardahaho’s live in L.A. So I think that while we are taking Momo to the West Coast he might as well drop in and try to make his way to Contestant’s Row and play a pricing game with Drew on The Price is Right. You know what, forget Drew. I bet we could get Barker’s ass to come out of retirement to let Moamaar spin the big wheel. Just imagine the smug look of satisfaction on his face when Momo would look up at Bob and say, “$1 Bob.”

I think taking Momo on a cross country field trip would have been a really good multi-episode arc that would draw in millions of viewers. I think we’d have to use one of those hyperluxurious motor homes because you know airport security would be a major hassle. Who knows, they probably even had the dude on a couple of watch lists. Think how much fun it would have been to see Momo get on the CB and ask for a smokey check or line some other good buddies up for a convoy.I guess his handle would probably have been “The Eternal Colonel” as he never seemed to get that General’s star.

But I think it would have been the pinnacle of the show if we could have gotten Moamaar here in time for Bedlam because I am betting that the ESPN Gameday set will be erected in Stillwater. Now honestly, can you all think of a better Guest Picker than our man Momo? I can just see him there in his Colonel’s uniform proudly placing that big ol’ Pistol Pete head down over his own. And if I were a betting man I would bet that ol’ Moamaar would also be able to check Erin Andrews off of his bucket list that same day as well.

But as we all know, these magic moments of television history can never come to be. The US and NATO backed forces drug Muamaar out and shot him in the head. So now we have a new regime in Libya and I will take a moment to say that if President Obama thinks the new leadership will be any more pro American than the old one then he needs to study history and realize that when dealing with transition and change in the Middle East the age old adage of “The more things change, the more they stay the same” has never been truer.

When I started this blog I told myself that I would never get into politics or religion. But I also said that it was my blog and my rules so I can change them at will. When we first saw the beginning of the Arab Spring initially the US took a laissez faire stance, or at least wanted to give that perception. The nations of the West wanted to let this Arab situation be addressed and solved by Arabs. At first this sounded like a great idea, although I think we would be more than a little naïve to believe that there weren’t numerous factions and agent provocateurs setting the stage and calling the shots. But who am I to say what is right or wrong when it comes to asserting the US agenda on foreign soil.

As long as I am voicing my opinion I will wrap this up by stating that the last individual that needs to be telling other heads of state how to govern their own nations is Barack Obama. This man can’t run his own country worth a damn, what makes him think he could run another any better by proxy?

So Far I've Never Met An Earthquake I Didn't Like...

It’s long been said that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I’m not sure exactly how accurate that statement is because I’ve never tried to introduce an older dog to new tricks. In fact I never really taught my dog any tricks. So I will freely stipulate that I don’t know if that old adage holds any merit. But, what I have recently learned is that no matter how old we are and how jaded we might think we are we still get to experience new things from time to time.


Naturally most of the talk around Oklahoma City the last couple of days has been about the recent earthquakes. On Saturday, November 5th, 2011 several earthquakes rippled across the state as they radiated out from their epicenters in Lincoln County. While in all there were more than 20 tremblers on that day, there were only two that most people were able to recognize as actual earthquakes

The first quake of any substance hit at 2:12 AM Saturday morning registering 4.7 on the Richter .Scale. Several others followed throughout the day but for the most part they were imperceptible. Then some 20 hours after the first quake got everyone’s attention the more substantial 5.6 quake resonated across the countryside at 10:53 PM and let everyone in the eastern half of the state know that it had arrived.

For many people, perhaps most, including myself, this was their first discernable quake. There had been a small rumble a few months prior that some of the folks in the NW portion of Oklahoma City felt but I think its presence was restricted to a pretty small area. I know I didn’t feel it. But the 5.6 quake was substantial enough that everyone in the area felt it and knew what it was. That was quickly evidenced by the speed at which people reported their experiences via social media. Facebook and Twitter carried the news from friend to friend like a chorus line of Riverdancers presenting their finale.

When I think about the quakes that took place on Saturday, there are two aspects of the phenomena that I find to be quite interesting. I think the fact that everyone was able to experience this force of nature was a great thing. Now don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t think that it was entertaining or whimsical that there were folks whose homes or property sustained damage. Also, I don’t want to offend those who were genuinely frightened during the event.

When I say that it was great that everyone could experience this quake what I am referring to is the fact that everyone was able to convey their own perspectives and stories of the event to their friends and families in their own unique way. When a tornado rips its path across the state it usually only has a direct impact on a relatively small number of people, that of course being those in the actual swath of the storm’s track. But with the quake, this was something that everyone could participate in, for lack of a better term. This was something which affected us all in one way or another.

In other words, everyone had a story to tell and many of them were quite interesting. One of my friends was at work and thought it was just people being rowdy in the bar until she saw the light fixtures swinging to and fro. Another guy I talked to said that he had his headphones on practicing guitar, and because of his concentration on the music, it took him a moment to fully realize what was going on. I think many of us were still in front of our TV’s having just watched the OSU or LSU at Bama games wind up, that’s where I was. And on that note we have to take a moment and give props to Kirk Herbstreit who did a great job giving a live postgame interview duruing the quake. Peggy would be proud Mr. Streit.

Maybe it’s just my own wide-eyed, childlike enthusiasm showing through, but no matter where you were, I would be willing to bet that for most of us, particularly those of us who are new to quakes, we would describe the experience as thrilling and exhilarating, if not outright exciting, despite the anxieties and apprehension that accompanied our inaugural foray into the adventures in seismic movement. My first impression of the 5.6 quake was, “Wow, that was cool.” For some reason, which I still don’t understand, my first reaction was to look out the glass door as though I expected to see something.

I’m not naive or ignorant as to the damage these things can do but even as the quake was occurring I was pretty certain that this was only a moderate quake. In my home there were no pictures falling from walls or items being hurled from shelves so I guess I was in an area that was far enough removed from the epicenter to escape any real damage yet close enough (about 50 miles) to feel the roll of the earth. The best way I know to describe it to someone is a feeling as if you’re standing up on a subway train and you are right over the wheels. If you’ve never stood on a subway then think of it as when you were a kid and you would stand up on the school bus. If you never rode a school bus then you’ll just have to come up with something from your own imagination or take Hollywood’s version and divide it by about three fourths. I know that I never imagined I would feel a genuine, full fledged earthquake, especially here in Oklahoma. But I did and I’m glad I was able to tell about it.

The other aspect of the quake which I find interesting, as eluded to above, is that it was a totally new experience for me. I know that I’m not alone in that category as several of my friends have mentioned the same thing. I think the fact that this is a new experience for so many of us combined with the idea that this was something experienced by the masses only makes it a more interesting point of conversation, and hopefully an interesting blog topic.

Finally, I do just have to ask just one final question. Where the hell is Charleton Heston when we need him? Whether it’s a fire, an airliner disaster or as we saw in the 70’s a major earthquake, Chuck was always there to lead us to safety and save the day. America needs ya Chuck!

Feel free to click the comments button and tell me about your Oklahoma Quake experience.

I Think This Guy Grew Up To Be My Cardiologist

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First of all I want to apologize for the spacing and formatting on this post. For some reason the editor wouldn't let me space the video ajacent to the paragraphs like I had initially wanted to. I think your viewing is going to vary depending on your browser, your screen size and resolution.  But just to try and clear things up the vidoes are all from Youtube and are labeled as follows from top to bottom:

1. Heineken Commercial - The Date
2. Jan Penechaan-Ho - Opening scene from the Indian movie Gumnaam
3. Heineken Commercial - The Golden Age by The Asteriods Galxy Tour

When it comes to music I’ve always said, “If it’s weird give me two.” I’ve always found myself drawn to the more obscure beats and tones that mainstream music often lacks. A few weeks ago I was watching TV and it must have been live because I generally fast forward through commercials when using the DVR. But I ran across a Heineken commercial entitled “The Date” and I really liked the background music so I searched for it on Youtube and sure enough I found it with little problem. In the list of related videos I saw something that promised to be even more bizarre than the Heineken commercial and that was a clip from a Bollywood movie.

It seems that the music used in the above referenced Heineken commercial is from a 1965 Indian movie named “Gumnaan.” The song is entitled Jan Pehechan-Ho and was featured in the elaborate night club scene as depicted in the video. Thanks to Youtube I was able to watch the entire movie but I will admit that it was difficult to watch and hardly as entertaining as the club scene which is actually the film’s opening scene.

The song Jan Pehechan-Ho was recorded by Mohammed Rafi. It seems that Rafi did a lot of the music for the Bollywood of the 1960’s. Rafi is not pictured in the video and the individual doing the singing is merely lip syncing. I listened to some of Rafi’s other music but none of it really pulled me in like Jan Penechan-Ho.

Once I started watching Jan Penechan Ho, also spelled Jaan Penechaan Ho, I couldn't stop. It was pretty bizarre to say the least but I really liked the drums and the brass arrangement. The dancers in the video are pretty mudane but the band leader is kind of entertaining to watch. He's the one that I am thinking grew up to be my cardiologist.

One more thing, if you’re thinking that you’ve seen that nightclub scene in a more modern film you’re right. This scene was interspersed with the opening credits for the 2001 film "Ghost World" starring Thora Birch, Steve Buscemi and my beloved Scarlett Johansson. I might have to watch it now that I know Scarlett has a role.

I also took the liberty of adding a third video to the post. This video is another Heineken commercial that features a more contemporary song. The group singing the song is The Asteroids Galaxy Tour. It’s nor really related to the other clips other than the affiliation with Heineken but I really liked the song and the commercial introduces some pretty strange characters that turn up in other Heineken commercials as well. I think there are even one or two of them in “The Date” commercial that I first referenced,

I hope you enjoyed and let me know if you can think of any other really great songs that are featured in commercials.