He's nailed the diagnosis, but I'm not sure he's got the right prescription...

So I did a bit of a naughty thing a couple of evenings ago, and watched a pirated copy of Sicko off the Internet instead of waiting for its premiere in theaters today.

A couple of my earlier posts and comments should have clued you into the fact that I went into this viewing a bit skeptical as to how Michael Moore would portray the health care crisis here in the United States. As a whole, though, I thought it was a pretty good movie. He makes a solid argument that the health care system in America is so inherently broken that, in comparison, medical care in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and even Cuba looks downright Utopian. Unfortunately, in painting such a rosy picture of medical services and its universal access in other countries, I was left still wondering if I had been manipulated. I can't say he lied about anything, but am I getting the whole picture? I mean, you've always got to be just a wee bit skeptical when you can't find anyone that's not completely in love with how your government does things. There's always at least a handful of people that like to complain about something, right?

One would expect that in countries where there's no bills to pay, no cashiers at the hospital to collect your money, and cheap medications, people would be burdened by higher taxation. Whether or not they truly are, however, was kind of glossed over from my perspective. Instead, Michael Moore cleverly shows an "average" French family living a comfortable life in a comfortable house able to afford the comfortable number of two cars, and all the while enjoying the comfortable benefits of free health care, cheap daycare, 35 hour work weeks, and lots of holiday time. And as if this wasn't enough, they get free physician house calls, too (which obviously would never work in our litigious American society). Do they worry about taxes? Didn't seem like it--I'll give him that. But I'd also argue that this has become the lifestyle expectation in France, and perhaps something the "average" American would not tolerate easily. Could you really imagine turning over more than a third of your pay for income taxes AND paying an additional 20% in sales tax on most products you buy in the store? You'd have rioting in the streets, and not the peaceful protest marches Moore shows in France.

Should physicians under universal health care worry about being underpaid? Well, a general practitioner in the UK makes roughly $170K, according to an "average" physician Michael Moore interviews in a London hospital. And that's a pretty comfortable living for him, his wife, and their baby. Why? Well, because he can still drive a new Audi and living in a $1 million home on that salary. Sounded pretty good until I did the math. If he's making only $170K and having to payoff such a high mortgage and the car payment for a nice German luxury car, what does he really have left over at the end of the day? Doesn't seem so comfortable to me, after all. And as far as Canadian physicians? Moore never tells you that they get substantially less salary than American ones do, which is probably why you see a large number of Canuck doctors crossing over the border to work in the U.S.

What about cheaper drugs? The last segment of the film has Moore taking a group of 9/11 volunteer workers with chronic medical problems to Cuba in hopes of getting them medical care that they were denied in the United States. In Havana, they visit a local pharmacy where an inhaled medication that costs $120 in the U.S. ended up being only five cents in Cuba. Five cents! This brought the woman who needed this medication to tears. That just about made me want to cry, too. But then I wondered, how could it possibly be only five cents? I can't even get a can of Coke for that cheap. So who's flipping the bill? A similar story happens in the United Kingdom where the National Health Service issues a flat rate of around $12 for any medication prescription, whether it's 120 pills of anti hypertensives or 60 pills of aspirin. Well, in the case of Cuba, five cents might sound like chump change to us, but remember that an average Cuban probably only makes somewhere in the ballpark of $15/month. As far as the U.K.? Well, the government negotiates wholesale prices from the drug companies and allows the NHS to essentially subsidize the medications costs for the general public. That's all well and good, but if the U.S. did the same, I'm wondering if the negotiated costs would go up globally to increase the profit margin, since they're not making the money from the American market. After all, pharmaceutical companies rely on profits to invest in research and development. Take away the profits, and making drugs becomes a losing endeavour when you think about the money lost in the research of failed medications that never come to market.

Well, but what about the story of a cancer patient that can't get coverage for his chemotherapy because it was deemed "experimental" by his insurance company? A sad case, but Moore never really tells us whether such treatment would have been covered in his other Utopian systems. Part of the reason that France can afford to provide universal health care is because there's a strict system of what is standard of care and what is not. An "experimental" therapy might not be covered in their system either, which is why a significant number of the French actually buy supplemental health care to cover such things that fall out of the guidelines of the governmental system.

And as far as a governmental single-payer system being the savior of the U.S. health care crisis, all I can say is we already have examples of such methods in this country in the form of Medicare and the Veteran's Affairs Hospitals, neither of which inspires confidence to me that this is the answer.

Anywho, my purpose here is not to poo-poo all over Sicko. I think Michael Moore has put together a powerful movie that really does pull viewers into the emotions and pain that many Americans must endure as they try and navigate through a medical system that doesn't seem to care. I'm not sure he's convinced me that a single-payer system is the answer, but he certainly makes the case that we can't continue to be so indifferent about our current way of doing things. Perhaps the best idea he puts forth is this notion that this country needs to become more "we" than "me." Ultimately, I think Michael Moore has nothing but the best intentions with all of his movies, and truly is trying to make us think with a more "we" attitude. But unfortunately, because of his divisive reputation, this movie may not be the catalyst to get there no matter how good it is.

*** (out of *****)

This one's for Crackah!

Saw this on tv last night and freaked! We've been talking about this for years, and it's finally come to pass. Both versions, and the new Final Cut with tons of never-before-seen footage all in one package. Life is sweet, even if you do only get 4 years.

Sunshine

I don't know if any of you guys have seen this trailer yet, but it gave me goosebumps the first time I saw it. Find it on the web in HD and you'll see why.
Man, I loves me some sci-fi!

Why Barack Obama is still a long shot for President...

There are times when I feel like America has made incredible strides in racial equality, and other times when I come crashing back down to reality after hearing about things like this:

Restoring a bit of history...

With all the McMansions that went up with the housing frenzy in recent years, it's nice to read about some architectural gems being preserved and restored, especially when they're this cool. I'm surprised there aren't more circular homes these days.

Who thought this would be a good idea?

I knew this guy in my medical school class who had this odd fascination with the Spice Girls which I never understood. He had them on his CD player (hard to remember days before mP3), and even went to see them in concert on their worldwide tour. Oddly, he wasn't gay (or I don't think he was, at least). I couldn't even justify any interest in the Spice Girls by saying they were hot or that their music was even remotely good--actually, they're not all that spectacular looking, and their music was only kind of catchy in the very annoying sense. "Sooooo, tell me what you want, what you really really want...."

Regardless, someone thought it would be a spectacular idea to bring Posh, Ginger, Baby, Sporty, and Scary back together for a reunion tour and pay each of them ~ $20 million each. Maybe seeing this just makes me feel jealous and old--all the Spice Girls are approximately my age.

You've got to hand it to Victoria Beckham, though. She seems to be quite the PR machine, having turned her husband David Beckham into this international sports icon known as much for his fashion forward wardrobe and ever changing haircuts as he is for his football/soccer skills. I wouldn't be surprised if this whole Spice Girls reunion tour was her idea. And when you've got bills piling up to pay for things like a "poshed" out closet, well:

The report, in America's In Touch Weekly magazine claims the Beckhams have splashed out £250,000 on a walk-in closet at their luxurious new Los Angeles mansion. The room apparently comes with a "CAT-scan" such as those used in medical practice which will give her a detailed picture from all angles of herself wearing an outfit on a computer screen within seconds.

Mrs Beckham also, it is said, has a computer system set up to archive all of her outfits so that she can find them instantly, and most importantly not wear the same ones too often.

The long walk-in closet also comes with a leather floor, a Baccarat crystal chandelier, and an £40,000 Andy Warhol show print, the report concludes.

For the record, this report was vehemently denied by her publicist, but the fact that it was even remotely believable (except for the CAT scan--she'd be glowing like the sun if she used that everyday) says something about how the public perceives the Beckhams' wealth.

It took a while, but I think it's time has come.

Never have I read a more convincing argument, and from a twelve year old no less. We may have to alter the random fact on this blog.

Read about it here.

Torture...

I've seen three of these around town just today alone. And they're not the same one just seen multiple times because they were all different colors. Either this is a cruel joke to make me want one even more or it's telling me that they're becoming way too common. Maybe I need to go back obsessing about my original Lotus dream, the Esprit.

This is pretty cool.

I heard from a friend in the U.K. that this cat won the whole thing.

Taking advantage of a bad situation...

I haven't hidden my Republican leanings from public view on this blog (although they seem to be shifting further and further left each day). But there are certainly days when I cringe hearing the latest rants from conservative pundits like Shawn Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Ann Coulter that amount to nothing more than mean-spirited, personal attacks having absolutely no basis in substantive facts. So I found it quite amusing to read in The Washington Post that John Edwards, a frequent victim of Ann Coulter's verbal vomit and lack of restraint, has used these insults to his advantage:

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said Wednesday that conservative author Ann Coulter's attacks are personally hurtful and it's important that he respond to them.

While Edwards made his first comments to The Associated Press in response to Coulter's suggestion that she wished he would be "killed in a terrorist assassination plot," his campaign was also using her remarks to bring in donations in the final week before his next fundraising deadline.

It's not the first time Coulter has given the Edwards campaign a financial boost. In March, she called Edwards a "faggot" and the campaign used video of the comment to help raise $300,000 before the end of the first quarter.

If I were Barak Obama or one of the weaker contenders like Mike Kucinich, I'd try and bait Coulter in a fight, too. I'm sure a little tiff in the press would be worth a couple hundred grand, at least.

I wouldn't be surprised if it slices, dices, peels, cuts, and wets a baby's bed, too...

Only a couple more days until the iPhone is released this Friday, and a couple of reviews have already come out.

One of my favorite technology reporters, David Pogue from The New York Times, gives a pretty thorough review complete with slideshows, video, and interactive graphics, in the end feeling that the iPhone lives up to most of the hype. Walter Mossberg from The Wall Street Journal also thinks this "raises the bar for all other smartphones."

Both, however, point out that the biggest flaw with the phone is its exclusivity with the AT&T cellular network and its use of much slower EDGE technology for data transmission. My Blackberry on the T-Mobile network uses EDGE, as well, and all I can say is that it's SLOOOOOOOOW. And that's just downloading manipulated pages designed specifically for smartphones. The iPhone will be downloading native web pages, so you can see them as you would on your laptop or desktop at home. In contrast, other carriers such as Verizon and Sprint have already upgraded to 3G technology that can have you zipping along on your smartphone at close to DSL speeds. With a Slingbox, you could watch a video from your TiVo while sitting on a train or in a car during a long road trip using 3G. Sounds like something perfect for an iPhone with its relatively huge screen. Alas, the exclusive contract AT&T brokered with Apple is rumoured to be a rather long relationship, and AT&T is only now just beginning to upgrade some of its networks. The iPhone's only saving grace in this department is that it also has Wi-Fi, and with the ubiquitousness of internet hotspots these days, it shouldn't be hard to find a place with fast web access.

Considering all it's features, I think the pricetag of $499 to $599 is reasonable. There's still PDAs that cost almost that much, and video iPods aren't all that cheaper, either. Oh, gadget lust.

This would be an embarrasing way to die...

Resurrecting the electric car...

Although I'd still love to get my hands on a Tesla Roadster, it's not exactly what you'd call practical for hauling the family around. Another startup company called ZAP! has invented an answer with their ZAP-X Crossover electric car. The performance specifications don't seem to be that far off the Tesla either: 0-60 times around 4.8 seconds, 350 mile range, and only 10 minutes to fully recharge the battery, all while with the ability to comfortably seat five.

It's a good thing that these cars are electric because Lotus Engineering has had a role in designing both of these cars, meaning lots of driving miles for no purpose other than to have fun. In fact, the Tesla chassis is based on the Lotus Elise, so you know either of these cars would be a blast to drive.

Interestingly, in my last post about the Tesla Roadster awhile back, I thought domestic car makers getting into the electric car game (or getting back into, in the case of GM) might be good for everybody. I guess I wasn't that far off. GM, it turns out, already has plans to roll out four new hybrids in the next year and an electric car with gas backup (the reverse of the Toyota Prius motor mechanism) by 2010 in response to their lackluster sales of conventional vehicles. After having pioneered the field with the EV-1, GM is now playing catchup to make an iconic and green vehicle like the Toyota Prius in an atmosphere where conservation is all the buzz.

Nevermind the ecological impact of conventional fossil fuel burning cars, though. Considering America's fascination with all things fast and powerful, it bewilders me that they didn't jump on the electric car game with more enthusiasm, considering the speed that these new electric cars can move at. It seems that these 0-60 acceleration times that rival Porsches are simply a result of electric cars, in general.

Sometimes, you never know where a few extra minutes on the world wide web will take you...

After the link in the post below and the musical track used for that site, I got to thinking about Steve Winwood. I was a big fan of his music in the 80's when he made his comeback with Back In the High Life, back when I was obsessed with the sounds of keyboards, synthesizers, and Hammond organs. Despite his use of all this electronic instrumentation, though, I don't think you could have ever confused his musical stylings with dance electronica.

A quick search through the internet led me to all things Steve Winwood, from his early days in the UK as a teenage blues musical phenom to collaborations with Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix in the 60's, and more recently to his 1982 track "Valerie" later remixed into a dance track by DJ Eric Prydz.

Anywho, this is a long introduction and an excuse to show the video for the remixed song that has convinced me that Firecracker George should take up an aerobics class at his gym. Just skip the wearing the leg warmers and lip syncing to the music--that's just gay. It's a little NSFW, and I'll probably be getting in trouble with the female readership again. Yup, it's a slow and boring day for me. Just enough free time on my hands to get myself into trouble:

Almost as powerful as Blue Steel...

If you haven't heard yet, Paris Hilton was released from jail last night after completing her 23 day sentence. Boy, does time fly. Anywho, she's now free to start the Paris Hilton Head Tilt and Smile School of Paparazzi Modeling. Have you ever noticed how she always strikes the same pose for the photographers wherever she goes? Click here at our own risk.

It's not exactly like being there, but it sure is cheaper than the airfare...

Say what you will about the Frogs and some of our cultural differences. They'll always be able to say at least one thing that is indisputable--Paris is and will always be the most romantic city in the world.

The city of Paris is broken up into 20 districts, or arrondissements, and the film Paris, je t'aime tells separate short stories for each of these sectors from the perspective of 20 different directors. Well, actually only 18 since two of the segments didn't make it into the movie. Advertised as an opportunity for each director to send their own "love letter" to Paris, we get to see the City of Love through the eyes of a global array of critically acclaimed, but not quite widely known, filmmakers ranging from Americans such as the Coen Brothers to Mexican Alfonso Cuoron to a native countryman Gerard Depardieu.

Two or three of the segments didn't work for me at all. Christopher Doyle, who typically helms the cinematography duties for Wong Kar-Wai and other Chinese directors, goes out on his own to direct one truly bizarre story about a Chinese hair salon that convinced me he should leave writing and directing to the experts. And another segment directed by Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville) revolved around the story of mimes finding love. Mimes--'nuff said. Ugh.

The rest of the film, however, effectively evokes a full spectrum of emotions and truly captures the spirit of the City of Love. A few easily recognizable actors, such as Nick Nolte, Elijah Wood, Natalie Portman, Bob Hoskins, Willem Dafoe and Steve Buscemi among others, make appearances, but never overshadow the charm of each story being told. Buscemi, in a short about an American tourist falling victim to his poor understanding of French language and customs in the Paris Metro, is the quirky comic relief for the movie, as would be expected by anything directed by the Coen Brothers. In another effective segment, Dafoe steps in as a heaven-sent cowboy to help a grieving mother deal with the death of her son. Perhaps the best segment, though, by Alexander Payne (Election, Sideways) involves a Denver postal woman reporting about her trip to Paris, accurately capturing the loneliness that any typical American might feel when first stepping foot in the streets of Paris, and following her journey as she finds the joys of not only Paris, but also life itself.

Now don't expect some Pulp Fiction/Crash like ending, where you find out that all these stories intersect--they don't. Each one is a gem to enjoy on its own terms. Treat it like reading a good collection of short stories. It may not be your typical movie-fare during this season of exploding robots, swashbuckling pirates, and web-slinging superheroes, but it's certainly something to consider on a rainy weekend afternoon or a romantic night out with your lady.

As the German general said, "Why don't you make like Tom and Cruise out of here?"

Wow. I might expect this kind of religious persecution in a country like China, where the government is still under Communist rule, but never would I have imagined that this would still happen in western Europe.

Tom Cruise is set to star in Valkyrie, a film set in World War II about a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. However, because of Cruise's affiliation with the Church of Scientology, the German government is not allowing him to set foot on any German military sites to film:

Germany has barred the makers of a movie about a plot to kill Adolf Hitler from filming at German military sites because its star Tom Cruise is a Scientologist, the Defense Ministry said on Monday.

Cruise, also one of the film's producers, is a member of the Church of Scientology which the German government does not recognize as a church. Berlin says it masquerades as a religion to make money, a charge Scientology leaders reject.

The U.S. actor has been cast as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, leader of the unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the Nazi dictator in July 1944 with a bomb hidden in a briefcase.

Say what you will about Tom Cruise and his practice of Scientology. He still makes a damn good action movie. I seem to remember Germany not letting him film Mission:Impossible 3 in Berlin, either. I wonder if this had anything to do with it. Instead, they filmed in Shanghai--go figure.

I guess this could be some sort of safeguard against development of other "cults," such as Neo-Nazism. You certainly don't want another Hitler running around your army bases. Not sure how harmful Scientology really is, though, unless the Thetans are setting us up for an eventual invasion by aliens. I'm half-expecting Tom Cruise to be revealed as a mouse-eating lizard man ala the 80's TV show V. You know, he does like to wear sunglasses a lot. Hmmm.

It ain't easy being cheesy...

It was exactly one year ago to the day that I started this blog with the intent of sharing my random thoughts and internet finds with my good friends in a forum that wouldn't force them to wade through endless emails in their inbox everyday. I'm proud to say that what began as a procrastination tool to add a bit of mindless fun to an otherwise boring workday has evolved into a nice place for the Kool-Aid Gang to keep in touch and chat about inane subjects like we normally would have done back in our more youthful days, and what we'd likely do now with a barbeque and a few bottles of beer. We've poked a little fun at each other, laughed at other people, marveled at the latest discoveries of science, had some heated debates about our political beliefs, discussed some deep philosophical issues, and even learned a lesson or two about English grammar. Even if I haven't actually seen most of you in person in over a year, I'm glad technology has allowed us to stay in touch.

So here's to a successful first year run of The Life and Times of Chester Cheetah and the Kool-Aid Gang. Thanks for contributing, guys!

It's on!

May 22, 2008--start the countdown!

Just in case Firecracker George ever falls off the wagon...

We used to call Nintendo "kiddie cocaine," and I guess we weren't that far off the mark. The American Medical Association this weekend for their annual policy meeting where one of the planned agenda items is a discussion of whether video game addiction should be considered a separate and unique psychiatric condition to be included in the DSM-V, the anticipated latest edition of the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual that comes out in 2012:

The telltale signs are ominous: teens holing up in their rooms, ignoring friends, family, even food and a shower, while grades plummet and belligerence soars.

The culprit isn't alcohol or drugs. It's video games, which for certain kids can be as powerfully addictive as heroin, some doctors contend.

A leading council of the nation's largest doctors' group wants to have this behavior officially classified as a psychiatric disorder, to raise awareness and enable sufferers to get insurance coverage for treatment.

In a report prepared for the American Medical Association's annual policy meeting starting Saturday in Chicago, the council asks the group to lobby for the disorder to be included in a widely used mental illness manual created and published by the American Psychiatric Association.

Man, imagine being holed up in detox for treatment of World of Warcraft addiction. What would happen? Would you just be yelling "LEEEEEROOOOOY JEEEEEENKINS!" all the time till the tremors and sweats stopped?

No more getting screwed over with the bill...

I happened to run across another video about Microsoft Surface, and I suddenly got obsessed with it again. It made me wonder, if Microsoft can make something this cool, just imagine how much cooler it would be once Apple, with it's more refined sense of aesthetics and design, develops it's own expanded touch screen technology outside the realm of the iPhone.

Anywho, another commercial from Microsoft advertising this yet to be released technology. Somehow, I think Wild Willie would appreciate the very end of the video, where they use the Surface to split the dinner bill at the end of the night! ;-)

Life lesson #7583: Never doubt your wife...

If you've ever noticed when talking with my wife, she'll occassionally mix up details of a story or two. This usually occurs with song lyrics (some of her new words to a few Coldplay songs are quite amusing), but also tend to happen when she's either not listening carefully or when she's about to doze off. My favorite example of this happened a few years ago, after she tried to stay up to watch some PBS special about migrant workers from Mexico late one night. During a conversation at lunch the following day, she talked about the relevant points of the documentary highlighting the problems of illegal immigration, the labor force in California, and the reliance of American agriculture on migrant workers. Everything seemed to make sense until she tried to recall what they talked about at the end of the show as she fell asleep in the wee hours of the early morning.

"Something about Mexican farmers and orange-picking robots," she said. "I think the Mexican workers stay across the border in Mexico and control the robots in California using remote controls to pick the fruit. That way, it's all legal, and they still get paid."

Of course, this sounded totally bizarre to me. Orange-picking robots controlled by Mexicans? What?! I have since ridiculed her in fun multiple times about this story. Every so often, I'll even Google the internet looking for Mexican orange-picking robots to make sure I'm not the one who needs to check my facts, and come up with nothing. Remote controlled orange-picking robots. Sheesh. Where does she come up with these things?

Well, today, I eat crow. Wired magazine today has an article about Vision Robotics, a company based in San Diego that makes [drum roll]...ORANGE-PICKING ROBOTS!

No mention about remote controls in Mexico, though.

Why can't I be a rich heiress slut?

As I'm contemplating how my wife and I are going to deal with living on one paycheck for the next month or so, Paris Hilton is set to make a million bucks after she gets out of jail next week:

NBC has agreed to pay as much as $1 million for Paris Hilton's first after-jail interview, which will appear on the "Today" show, The Post has learned.

Sources told The Post the sit-down will be conducted by Meredith Vieira the day after the heir-head is sprung some time next week.

Damn. For $1 million dollars in my own cell like she's got, I'd almost consider spending an entire year in jail. I stress the "my own cell" part, though. I'm not sure you could pay me enough to spend one minute in the general population ward where I've got to worry about dropping the soap in the communal showers.

It's disposable money like this spent on ridiculous "celebrity" interviews that really makes me feel that whatever Hollywood says and does to prove they care about the poor and less fortunate, it's all just really for PR and self-ego promotion. But maybe I'm not giving Paris enough credit. For all I know, she's going to donate the million dollars to a worthy charity rather than a get-out-of-jail bash full of booze and blow.

Didn't anyone watch Gung-Ho?

So the wife's Volkswagen is in the shop, and she took my car to drive to work, leaving me to pick up a rental car. This is now the fifth rental I've had the "pleasure" of driving over the past month which has given me ample opportunity to appreciate the failures of the modern day American car.

First up, exhibit A: The Chevrolet Malibu. With a name like Malibu, I think of sandy beaches, cool ocean breezes, California girls like the Beach Boys always sang about, or a pleasant drive up the PCH. Inspiration like that should invoke designs of smooth lines and refined engineering, but instead I get this shocker of an automobile that reminds me of a granny going to a podiatrist to have her bunions looked at.



Next, I present to you exhibit B: The Dodge Caliber. The Caliber is marketed to sell in the new cross-over segment which I'm still trying to understand. SUV? Compact car? Hell, it's both all wrapped up into one. Built by the Chrysler Corporation when they were still owned by the Daimler Group, you'd think the Caliber would steal some design cues from the likes of their more respected partners at Mercedes-Benz. Alas, I guess American stubbornness to reject all things European stopped that idea in its tracks, leaving us with the car I'm driving today that looks like a full-sized SUV that got stuck in a trash compactor and folded up like an accordian. If a Dodge Durango (a pretty ugly vehicle in its own right) is a .44 Magnum revolver, the Dodge Caliber is a pellet gun. Not surprising that Daimler was more than eager to sell Chrysler off as quickly as they could just a month or two ago.



Perhaps the saving grace of the American auto industry is exhibit C: The Pontiac G6. Styling-wise, this car doesn't look half bad. It's curvy, sleek, sporty, and even has a model name that sounds pretty fast. And running through some windy roads through the mountains on Highway 17 from San Jose to Santa Cruz with this car earlier in the month was actually a lot of fun. It's quick, responsive, and handled some aggressive driving well. The downside? The interior feels like it's made of cheap plastic that's more suited for the old Star Wars toys in my parents' attic than a car. I suppose I can feel comforted by the fact that the interior components would completely vaporize in a collision, as I almost felt it would break every time I simply pushed the A/C button in the console.



Yup, if this is the level of quality we should get accustomed to from domestic automakers, I'll be giving my business to the Japanese for many years to come. Even if I was in the market for a pickup truck, I'd be more inclined to buy a Toyota Tundra right now. Seems kind of silly to me, though. How hard could it actually be to build something at the level of all the imports coming into this country. Heck, I'm almost tempted to wonder if Hyundai is building better cars.

Go Team Baby...

I can't remember if I ever posted about this or not, but here goes:

Considering a couple of the Gang are probably subjected to endless viewings of Barney, The Wiggles, and Dora the Explorer, I thought I'd suggest a bit of extra brainwashing for them to ensure they'll be brought up right and rooting for the right team come fall. Behold, BABY LONGHORN!

I know Matthew McConaughey is almost too involved in all things Longhorn, but who knew he was in the baby video business, as well? I'm just impressed he didn't show up in the video with his shirt off. Seems like every picture of him involves the guy being topless.

Follow this link for an extremely annoying song and video clip. It's even complete with a shot of the Hellraisers. Nothing against the Hellraisers, but I'm not sure I'd be telling my babies about them just yet, no offense Fandango and Scratch.

I guess my wife can't say that I'm that pig-headed...

They say that all sorts of things from how adept you are at spatial relationships to what the proportions of your fingers are to each other can tell a lot about how you developed in the womb, and whether your brain is wired to be more male or female. The BBC has a Sex I.D. quiz you can take that's kind of fun, if you've got some free time. I was hoping to score in the high male range of the spectrum, but as you can see below, I'm right smack in the middle between guys and gals. What that means, I have no idea.

These aren't numchuks, they're chopsticks. I'm a big eater...

This is politically incorrect on so many levels. I wonder if watching movies like these effected how I look at my heritage at all. At least I know what to do if I ever get mugged:

Verily I asketh thee: how much doth the White Stripes Rocketh?

I don't know if any of you are White Stripes fans, but I am. Right now I'm digging on their latest album. They never disappoint. I swear they just get better and better. I love bands like that.

Anywho, as I've been saying for a few months now, I think really good music transcends genre. Everyone else is trying their best to sound like those who are truly gifted. It's like Socrate's idea of perfect form and everything else being "shadows" or pale copies of the ultimate.

Make Love, Not War

Found this while wandering around after viewing Swany's Wang Fest video. You'd think that these guys would have heard of the Spartans.

Respect the c@ck...

Is it considered child molestation when you make a little girl rub a big phallus?



Actually, this was a report in Japan of the Kanamara Matsuri (Festival of the Steel Phallus), an annual fertility festival. Legend has it that a demon hid inside the vagina of a young girl in the town of Kawasaki and basically bit off men's penises until a local blacksmith forged a steel phallus which broke the teeth of the demon and ran it out of town. The story somehow stemmed from the spread of syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases some 400 years ago with the iron phallus becoming a shrine for prostitutes to ask for protection. Today, childless couples also come to the shrine in hopes of becoming fertile.

A duel at twenty pinto beans...

And here's some more manly music for you, if that last video was a bit too much:

Hola, hola. La-ta-da-ta-daaa...

It's hot and sunny outside. Yup, it's summertime. And because I like to subject Firecracker George to inane music videos, I give you a Swedish tune from Gunther and the Sunshine Girls to get you in that summer lovin' mood:

On this day in history...

So today is Juneteenth, the oldest celebration to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States on the day that Union troops set foot on Galveston Island in 1865, and finally convinced the people of Texas that the Civil War was actually over. Forget the fact that President Lincoln actually invoked the official end of slavery in the United States with his Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. And don't worry that the war itself ended with the surrender of General Robert E. Lee to Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1965. Apparently, Texans didn't get the message.

Yup, Texas is one stubborn state, yet seems to have such a strong influence on American history. And it's not even limited to the U.S.--take a look at the WORLDWIDE Juneteenth celebrations organized across the globe. Even people in Taiwan are celebrating the end of slavery. Who knew?

Texas football all across the nation...

I don't know if any of you have XM satellite radio service, but I thought this might interest the Longhorn fans in the Gang scattered across the country in markets outside of the Big 12 conference states. XM and the University of Texas just brokered a deal that will broadcast all of the Longhorn football games and most men's basketball games on a dedicated channel every Saturday beginning this year.

Following a game on the radio is never quite the same as getting to watch it live or on TV, but I guess it's better than nothing.

Why do people in this part of the country like burying cars so much?

Fifty years ago to the day, the city of Tulsa buried a Plymouth Belvedere into a concrete vault under the courthouse lawn. Part gimmick and part time capsule, people were invited to guess what the population of Tulsa would be in 2007 with their entries locked in the car's glovebox. Today, the car was unearthed and I think the winning entry is supposed to be revealed tonight. The winner gets the car and a $100 savings bond that was buried in it, which over 50 years of appreciation is worth a whopping $1200 or so today.

Unfortunately, ground water seeped into the vault over the years, and what was pulled out today was a rusted relic full of water and mud. Regardless, though, it must be cool if you were a kid that witnessed it being buried back in 1957 and had the opportunity to watch it being unearthed today.

Where are my priorities?

So I've flown so much over the past couple of months that I earned a free flight on Southwest Airlines.  I know, most of you guys travel so much for work, that you probably earn a free flight once a week.   But does it say something when I'm more jazzed about getting the book full of free booze coupons and not the flight coupon itself?

Wank's comment got me thinking.

I read the transcription of the M.A.S.K. theme song thanks to Wank's encyclopedic knowledge of all things television from the 70's and 80's, and realized what a truly retarded song it is. Eh, I guess songwriter's don't exactly put their heart and soul into cartoon jingles.

So I was thinking about other old theme songs that might be equally as pathetic, and came up with the Wonder Woman theme song. I dug it up on the interweb:


Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman.
All the world's waiting for you,
and the power you possess.

In your satin tights,
Fighting for your rights
And the old Red, White and Blue.

Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman.
Now the world is ready for you,
and the wonders you can do.

Make a hawk a dove,
Stop a war with love,
Make a liar tell the truth.

Wonder Woman,
Get us out from under, Wonder Woman.
All our hopes are pinned on you.
And the magic that you do.

Stop a bullet cold,
Make the Axis fall,
Change their minds, and change the world.

Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman.
You're a wonder, Wonder Woman.

Surprisingly not as bad as I had expected it to be. The mention of her satin tights seems more than a little gooney, but other than that it doesn't seem too odd.

I used to be a huge fan of the old show when I was three. I was even Wonder Woman for Halloween, which confused my neighbors ("I thought she was a boy," they must've said) and disappointed my brother because he wanted us to be Starsky and Hutch. I caught it again about ten years ago on FX, and other than appreciating Linda Carter in a whole new way, I found the show painfully awful.

So M.A.S.K. still holds the title of worst theme song. Does anyone else have a contender in mind?

Monty has had mud butt for two days.

Mont must have eaten something dead in the back yard, because when he got in the house he sprayed diarrhea all over my living room. When I was going through about three trees worth of paper towels during the initial clean up - while doing my best to suppress my gag reflex - I found little bones in it, and what I believe was an intact tail. Hence my theory he ate a dead critter in the back yard. Lord knows he couldn't catch anything.

I found that closing all the doors did a pretty good job of containing the shit smell to the living room and kitchen. So, I was actually able to sleep Wednesday night. Thursday morning I had a dream that somebody shit on my briefcase. Then I hear Monty's tags clinking as he's walking back into the bedroom. I then realize that I must of had that dream because he just crapped in the living room again, and I could smell it. I hopped out of bed to go see if I was right and I found it with my toe. More paper towels, and now I've emptied the can of carpet foam. Well, it was upholstery foam, but I figured that was close enough.

I come home last night to a new round of mud butt. I put the poop machine outside (it's too hot during the day to leave him out, by the way) and head to the grocery store to rent a steam cleaner. It cleaned up the residue, but as of this morning it still stinks. I think I'll need to wait for it to dry and then get some Love My Carpet kind of stuff before I hit it with the Dyson. Hopefully that will get rid of the eau de poo poo.

Just thought I'd share that with you guys.

I'd hate to know how much it would cost to reattach my...

Powered by AOL Video

So here's a clip from Michael Moore's upcoming film Sicko which kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Now, I'll admit that I'm probably too quick to judge since I haven't seen the whole movie, but I thought I'd share my thoughts to chew on until the movie's wide release later on this month.

In this snippet, a man accidentally cuts the tips of two fingers off with a table saw. By the way Moore tells the story, we're led to believe that the hospital gave the man a choice as to which finger he wanted reattached based on his ability to pay, and seems to distort the probable case that the man willingly chose not to have his middle finger reattached because he didn't want to pay for it. I mean, unless I'm mistaken, a hospital denying a needed medical service for any reason other than patient refusal, is illegal. Now this still points out a serious problem with the system. The guy was uninsured and out-of-pocket expenses for those without medical coverage are exorbitant. But I hope the movie goes more into the issue of why this guy was uninsured in the first place, rather than just getting an audience riled up on the false belief that a heartless medical care facility wouldn't reattach both fingers because a patient couldn't ante up the cash.

As I've said before, I think it's admirable that Michael Moore is raising the issues and throwing it into the public forum, but I think he's doing his audience a disservice by not presenting all the facts from both sides. I thought it was a bit laughable in his interview with Good Morning America (part 1, part 2) where he states that the reason he doesn't present the problems of a single-payer health care system is because the media already does a good job pointing out the flaws of "model" systems like the United Kingdom and Canada. I see the flaws of the American system in the news daily, so it's not like the media isn't covering that, as well. In fact, it's almost a sad commentary about our country that we need an extreme film like Michael Moore's to wake up and get enthusiastic about trying to solve such a national social issue. I anticipate hordes of people coming out of Sicko feeling like they just got educated on the state of our health care system, ignoring the fact that it's covered in every newspaper and television news program almost on a daily basis.

Anywho, maybe I should just wait for the movie to come out before I make anymore rash judgements.

Why Alec won the Golden Globe

Funniest. Man. On. Television.

He may not write his lines, but NOBODY else could deliver them like that.

Then again, Dubya has never been known for his fashion sense...

Alright, if I had any shred of respect left for George W. Bush, I've officially lost it now. Corruption and cronies littering the White House? Bad. Poor management of the whole Iraq War? Horrible. Terrible. But neither made me as disgusted as this. The cycling socks with the Presidential seal I can live with--I actually think they're kind of cool. I mean, can you imagine being able to have your own custom socks? No, it's the footwear over the socks. Ugh. Crocs! Hide your eyes!

OK, OK. It's not that bad. I guess they do sort of coordinate with the rest of his attire. And after a long mountain bike ride, wouldn't you want to relax in some comfortable, well-ventilated footwear? I mean, look at them. They actually look a bit...European...Italian...AW CRAP! STOP ME! I've been infected! Pleeeease! Kill me.

Hopefully, I'll never find out that Lance Armstrong wears Crocs after taking off his cycling cleats--if that happens I won't care if the doping rumors are true or not.

Robot Chicken Star Wars Special Trailer

As a reminder: Set your Tivo's.
I'm a big Robot Chicken fan anyway. Who can't like a show full of punch-in-the-groin jokes using toys, created by Seth Green (yes, THAT Seth Green) and regularly voiced by Scarlett Johanssen, Burt Reynolds, Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, and dozens more.
The main thing I'm excited about the Star Wars episode though? George Lucas doing his own voice over. Who but Seth could get George to do that?

The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See

Food for thought.

The universal language of stupid fun...

I could spend an entire day watching Japanese game shows. Sure beats the heck out of lame American shows like Deal or No Deal.

Largest island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island...

After trying to think about Firecracker George's comments below about my use of "synechdochy," and the brain twisters such sorts of associations could entail, looking through this page really made my head hurt. Oy!

GIANT F*CKING ROBOTS ARE COMING!

I'm not sure which summer blockbuster is getting more overexposure, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer or Transformers. 20th Century Fox went as far as releasing special quarters with the Silver Surfer on the back that got them in trouble with the U.S. Mint.


Personally, I like old school tactics, like t-shirts with profanity on them:


You can actually buy that t-shirt for around $30 which will be donated to charity, although they fail to tell what the charity actually is.

In other Transformers news, many of you have probably already heard that Mute Math released their version of the Transformers theme song on their Myspace page. There was another version leaked out on the web, though, which I think was by Linkin Park.

Neither of these, however, compare to the classic song "The Touch" from the original Transformers animated movie:



Actually, I think Dirk Diggler from Boogie Nights does an even better rendition:

Just in case you ever wanted your own pulse rifle...

Click on the picture for directions. Man, that was a good movie. Great flick. Great freakin' flick.

"Let's drink till we die!"

I know many American workers indulge in the after work happy hour, but that sounds tame compared to the corporate business culture of South Korea. Based on this article in The New York Times, a company manager will typically take out his underlings a couple of nights out of the week for some serious binge drinking to build up camaraderie. This usually involves dinner washed down with the Korean version of vodka, followed by a trip to a bar for some beer, and then a whiskey-lubed round of karaoke.

As is normally the case anywhere in the world, however, more level-headed influences have changed the nightlife of Korea a bit in the form of women. Because of the increasing presence of women in the workplace who are also invited along on these bonding practices out on the town, men have had to tone down their drinking habits a bit for fear of harassment lawsuits and alienating female coworkers who aren't as inclined to get totally wasted.

Anywho, what was the point of this post? Actually I have no idea. This seemed like an interesting article about Korean culture that shows how similar the East and the West are in some ways. It would be interesting to know if this was something practiced before the West moved into Asia, or if this is an adaptation of typical Western binge-drinking, but taken to the extreme, as many Western cultural practices are when translated by the East.

Also, my first thought was that Wankmaster Scratch would fit in well in this business model, and I would be whining like the women because I just couldn't keep up. My second thought? Was Firecracker George ever pulled along for one of these fraternal bonding nights on the town? And my final thought: don't challenge a Korean man to a drinking game--you'll probably lose.

Oh, man! That had to hurt...

This is a video of Polish driver Robert Kubica on the 27th lap of the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix yesterday. Hard to believe he came out of it all with only a minor concussion and a sprained ankle. HC? Well, did you see all those flying parts? PHYSICS!

Amazingly, the first question Kubica posed to his doctors at the hospital where he was taken after the crash was if he'd still be able to race at the U.S. Grand Prix in Indianapolis next week. HC? Insanity.

"Dude, I've gotta piss like a racehorse!"

Most of you probably recall those words from Fandango, often heard from the back seat of the car after having a few beers or a really large Coke. I often scratched my head wondering where the heck he came up with this and how it made any sense at all, but apparently it does according to this article from Slate:

The popular notion of incontinent racehorses seems to have roots in the late 1970s, when trainers began the widespread use of diuretics like Lasix (furosemide). Lasix inhibits the absorption of sodium and draws water into the bladder. This causes the horse to excrete more fluids, which could, in theory, make a horse lighter on its feet and faster on the track.

Sicko

I'm a Michael Moore fan. I think I may stand alone on this blog site as one, but I'll explain why I am to the non-believers here as the polarization I see against this man is probably only equalled by one other man I know of right now. To so many people now, if you say Moore's name you see the bile and venom arise from within as they prepare to scream to the heavens 'Traitor!' Or worse, actually, 'Hack!' The film "Fahrenheit 9/11" just angered too many people. But I was a fan long before that film. His show 'TV Nation' on Fox in '97 is where I first learned about him. He was fighting consumer injustice on that show. I also saw 'Roger & Me' at a film festival around the time the show was on, and it just made me a bigger fan. At the time, I was in a very strong Union (I'm still in it although non-active) and heavily involved, so the movie spoke volumes to me about where I already saw American workers rights going. I recorded every 'TV Nation' and tried to get anyone I knew to watch it. I also recorded every 'X-Files' and lauded it as well, but I've since bought the entire 'TV Nation' series on dvd, and have never even considered buying 'X-Files'. I guess that says something. I also own his entire 'Awful Truth' series on dvd.

I won't go into his entire film or tv history. Suffice it to say, I thought the day he shut down the New York Stock Exchange shooting a Rage Against The Machine video was brilliant (only one of 3 days since opening it shut down). And, I was attending a class at CU Boulder, about 15 miles from Columbine High School, the day of the shootings. Obviously, 'Bowling For Columbine' held special interest for me. And then 'Fahrenhiet 9/11'. It didn't make me any more unhappy with the current administration then I already was. It didn't tell me much more about the 2000 elections and September 11th then I already knew. But it sure was nice seeing someone finally saying it all out loud. So many know him for speaking against the government, but that's not really what he is about. There was just too much happening to ignore. Michael Moore is about helping the little people, and righting the wrongs, as he percieves them, they face. He is pro American worker and pro American consumer, and jsut hatesd seeing people taken advantage of. Which brings us to 'Sicko' his new documentary about the health care system. I think Swany has made clear before he is no fan of Michael Moore's. And now as a health care provider himself, I've been wondering if he has any interest in the upcoming film, or not.

You can hate his politics, hate his documentary style, hate his facts, hate his hats, but you got to admit; The man knows how to make some pretty good laughs out of some pretty awful things.

I'll be there opening day, along with my wife who was a bigger fan of his then me long before we ever met. My wife with health issues who is constantly having trouble with her insurance provider over prescriptions. Oh yeah, I already know I'll like this film, too.

This is a game I would actually watch.

Now here is a game. I'd get it going here, but we only have one bathroom in the building. Of course, we have several bathrooms on campus. Hmmmm.

How do you say "HC" in Japanese?

Here's a video for all you physics freaks out there from a Japanese show Fountain of Trivia. What happens when you shoot a ball at 100 km/h from the back of a truck going 100 km/h? It's kind of a lengthy clip, and a bit overly dramatic for the end result:

Stewie Vader...

I'm not sure how long this link will last since they already took the video down from YouTube, but click on the picture to the left. It's a hilarious 10 minute sneak peak of Family Guy reenacting Star Wars that they previewed at Celebration IV. The opening sequence alone should get Wander rolling on the floor. Along with the rest of the unseen segments, this show will make up an hour long season premiere later this fall.

Say what you will about Family Guy being a complete rip-off of The Simpsons. It's still funny.

Now this is what I call child abuse...

I don't quite understand why people have any fond memories of Thundercats. I only watched it because it had Japanese-style animation and I had no other television choices after school on the four channels available to me since my family didn't have cable. Otherwise, I thought the concept was pretty stupid. So it bewilders me to learn that Warner Bros. has optioned a script to turn it into a CGI motion picture. Then again, I guess they never learned from that Dolph Lundgren disaster they made in the late 80's because they're making He-Man into a movie again, too.

About the only thing Thundercats was good for was this Family Guy spoof:



Too bad there isn't some perceived mass nostalgia for Robotech. Now that would make a good flick, a GREAT freakin' flick.

A revelation that had a long time penetrating my Republican leanings...

I was standing around at Starbucks today waiting for a cappuccino, and noticed the front page headline of The New York Times with a story about Scooter Libby, the former chief of staff to Dick Cheney who was just sentenced to 30 years in jail for lying to federal investigators about the leak of Valerie Wilson's identity as a CIA operative. The subtitle is what really caught my eye, "No Pardon Now By Bush, the White House Says."

What struck me, though, was that I had never really thought about Bush, Cheney, or Rove pulling out the pardon card to get themselves out of this mess. It never occurred to me that no matter what shadiness is going down, whether legal or illegal, it can essentially be wiped clean by a Presidential pardon when Bush leaves office. So long as Bush himself keeps some amount of deniability in these matters, he's protected, and can probably count on the precedent of Richard Nixon being pardoned by Gerald Ford to keep himself out of jail if it ever came to that.

Now this post isn't meant to start Wander on another irate rampage about the lies and corruption spread by the Bush administration and his cronies. Just a flashing "a-ha" moment for me today I thought I'd share, and I'm not talking in the musical "Take On Me" way. The fact that the press corp even asked this question probably means half the country was already thinking about this, but somehow it was never something on the top of my mind when I read the news about this ongoing case. Whether or not this was really what Bush's Brain had in mind all along, it certainly makes for a nice conspiracy. I'm still sticking to my naivety for now that the current administration was trying to do something good, however misguided that good might be and at whatever cost (and I'm not saying it's a valid excuse). But then that also leaves Wander to comment, I'm sure, about his own strong opinions about what's going on. I'll take my licks now. ;-)

I'm geeking out about a vacuum cleaner.

So I was getting some kitchen chairs at Big Lots a few weeks back, (I can do that because I'm a bachelor) and I see refurbished Dyson vacuum cleaners for $300. A great price to be sure, but I was wary of the refurb part. I mentioned this to a co-worker - who has one and raves about it - and she said, "it's fixed at the same place that makes them." Which got me thinking; it has probably gone through quality control twice. They knew to fix the first defect, and everything else got checked twice. At least, that's how I justified it to myself.

Anywho, I went out and bought one tonight after vacuuming with my sissified $50 Eureka bachelor-vac I got from Target after leaving my Oreck with my ex-harpy two years ago. So, now you all know (as well as me) Swany's secret geek out is baby strollers. Mine is vacuums.

But not just any vacuum, we're talking suck the dirt from underneath the carpet - the dust that was on the floor when the builders first put the carpet down!

Check out the photo below. My weenie vac on the left, after vacuuming the living room, and then the Dyson, the .50 caliber of vacuums, after I vacuumed up the dirt weenie vac left behind. Besides yanking dog hair out of short pile carpet, it also sucked up dirt about as fine as talcum powder. Again, after I vacuumed with the weenie vac.



I don't think women should use this thing. This is a man's vacuum.

Nothing like kicking dirt on the ol' umpire...

Lou Pinella, coaching the Chicago Cubs, was ejected and suspended for four games after this outburst with the third base umpire to dispute a stolen base call. Just seems like some timeless classic baseball moment:



Of course, the minor leagues always have to resort to more theatrics and gimmicks to get the fans in the stands. Free hat day, Krispy Kreme-bunned cheeseburgers, and now over-the-top tirades:

Almost makes Izzy from the '96 Olympics in Atlanta look like shear marketing genius...

Rumor has it that the projected cost to stage the 2012 Summer Olympics in London are already four times overbudget. Considering how hideous the new Olympic emblem that was just released yesterday looks, they couldn't have possibly spent any money on branding. I could have gotten a superior logo simply by supplying a one year old with some Olympic-colored crayons and a sheet of blank paper.

Man, now that's what I call a major beer foul...

OK, I'm getting even more jazzed about this...

I only hope my excitement doesn't peak before the actual movie comes out like I think it sort of did for Spiderman 3:

Creature Comforts...

I imagine there's a Wallace & Gromit fan or two in this group. Well, set your TiVOs/DVRs, because I had no idea until just now that CBS was premiering a new show called Creature Comforts tonight at 8 PM Eastern Time based on Aardman Animation's earlier work of the same name. I'm pretty sure I've shared this video with you guys before the blog even started, but here's a reminder of if you forgot:

It was 20 years ago today...

It was twenty years ago today, that I watched a TV special on the Beatles release of Sgt. Peppers and thought, "I really dig that." I know this because it was 40 years ago today that the album was released. The special I watched was celebrating the 20th aniversary of its release. Damn... I can't believe it has been that long.

Google Map Street View Ruined My Life!

The new Google Maps Stree view is incredible! Unless you happen to be this guy, who's already gaining some serious web noteriety for walking out of a strip club at THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME!