In My Day Television Was Called Books!

I'm loaning my DVD set of Babylon 5 to my sister, so I've been hurrying through the last few episodes, watching most of them on the double-speed setting my player allows. Last night I watched "Sleeping in Light", the series finale, but not in double-speed. Even though it hurts to watch, it's just not an episode you want to push though quickly.

It's also not an episode to watch with anyone who doesn't understand the series, or without a big box of Kleenex. To call it a tear-jerker is an understatement. Straczynski rips your heart out, not once, not twice, but three or four times! And still leaves you saying "Wow, that was good!"

I stand by my assessment that Babylon 5 transcends its genre. It's not just sci-fi, it's not just television. It is art. It is Literature. It is a masterwork, and not even Straczynski has tried to top it. He feels he did everything he wanted to do, and said everything he wanted to say.

Some people might feel it a shame that he peaked so early in his career. But what a peak! Sometimes it's wise to plant your flag and walk away.

I almost didn't discover Babylon 5. My sister and I stumbled across it late at night when it was in its third season. We nearly changed the channel, and if we hadn't been so tired we might have. I've never particularly enjoyed coming into a show part-way into its run, especially when the show is so character driven. But for some reason we stopped and watched. We were hooked. We watched it faithfully through the end of season four when it moved to a cable channel.

It was several more years before I got the chance to see the entire series. I moved across the state, got married, and settled into a new house. Then I happened to meet a man at church who had video taped nearly the entire series. He let me watch them. Somehow, though, I think he missed taping the finale. It was a few more years before my brother got the series on DVD and I watched them again while staying up late with our second newborn who didn't like sleeping. Over the last couple of years I've bought my own set and watched them again.

Anyway, I'm glad I managed to connect with a wonderful, powerful, uplifting story. My life is better for it. I wish I could produce something so moving. But, as with nearly everything in my life, I don't seem to get past the wishing stage.

The Chicago Way? Not Today.

President-elect Obama has supposedly told his friends in Illinois not to expect any favors:

"Part of the charge [of the budget team] is to make sure that we are proceeding on projects and investments based on national priorities and not based on politics. Now you mentioned, sort of, my friends. I want to be clear friendship doesn't come into this. That's part of the old way of doing business.

"The new way of doing business is, let's figure out what projects, what investments are going to give the American economy the most bang for the buck. How can we protect taxpayer dollars so this money is not wasted; restore a sense of confidence among taxpayers that when we spend their money, it's on things that are actually gonna improve their quality of life; create the jobs that are so desperately needed; help to spur on economic growth and business creation in the private sector? That's all part of the new way of doing business."

Good for him.

Watching as he has rolled out his administration picks, and listening to the media report it (and the lefties scream), it appears that he really does plan to be more moderate than anyone would have suspected. While I'm not terribly fond of Hillary Clinton, foreign policy is one area she's more acceptable to me than many others he might have picked. In the election she was one of the more hawkish Democrats on national defense.

I also think that ignoring the media calls for him to unveil a team and a plan immediately to stabilize the economy was a good move. He only took a week longer than they wanted, and it's obvious to me at this point that one week is not going to make a real difference. Any gains he might have made by announcing earlier would have been psychological, and would have evaporated quickly if they hadn't been backed up with real substance. What he's showing so far is caution, but not indecisiveness.

I'm still holding judgment until he gets into office, but so far I'm not frightened by anything he's doing. I even find some of what he's doing encouraging.

The (not so) Dreaded Call

Today I was just getting up from my desk when the phone rang. The lady announced herself as from the School District. Panic arose. No one from my children's school calls me. I'm the emergency number.

Yet the woman didn't sound concerned. In fact she seemed downright pleased with something. It turns out she is over the testing for the district's "gifted children" program, which Emma tested for recently. She evidently tested very well, as in "nearly as well as the fourth grader I tested after her." Emma's in second grade.

But there was a problem, of the good kind. The next unit in their program begins next week, and she wanted to accelerate some remaining tests to see if Emma could be cleared to join in. She needed my permission to have Emma take another test this afternoon. I had to think on that. Okay, no I didn't.

They also have to have her take an IQ test. I'm almost afraid to find out what she gets on that. The girl is smart--sometimes almost too smart for her own good. For example, last night she was acting up, so I told she would have to go to bed early. It didn't faze her at all. She even told her mother than she's glad, as she gets bored sometimes waiting for her bed time to come.

I'm pretty sure she's figured out somewhere that we judge the effectiveness of our disciplinary choices by the amount of protest we get. If she acts like it's no big deal then it'll take the wind out of our sails and we'll try to find something else. Or give up trying to discipline her.

Except I know she likes going to bed later. A few weeks ago she was practically falling asleep on the couch waiting for bed time, but she absolutely refused to go to bed one minute earlier than she had to.

I think she's also learned from watching her younger brother what NOT to do. I'm pretty sure she's figured out that resistance just makes it worse.

Mostly I think I feel sorry for her younger brother. He's been living in his sister's shadow all his life, and this is not going to help. I'm going to have to work overtime trying to convince him he doesn't have to compete with her or try to be like her. I don't want him to make the same mistakes I made growing up.

Ah, the ironies of life. Even when good things happen there is still cause for worry.

Freeman Dyson on Global Warming

From Town Topics.com:

Saying that on a recent trip he and his wife found Greenlanders to be delighted with their warmer climate and increased tourism, Mr. Dyson suggested that representing “local warming by a global average is misleading.” In his comments at both the Nassau Club and Labyrinth, he decried the use of computer modeling to make “tremendously dogmatic” predictions about worldwide trends, without acknowledging the “messy, muddy real world” and the non-climatic effects of increased carbon dioxide. “There is no substitute for widely-conducted field operations over a long time,” he told the Nassau Club audience, citing the “enormous gaps in knowledge and sparseness of observation” that characterize the work of global warming experts.

For those who may not know who Freeman Dyson is, he's a renowned physicist, known for questioning prevalent theories (which used to be the role of all scientists). A quick summary of his resume:

Mr. Dyson’s credentials are venerable: the British-born scholar received a BA from the University of Cambridge in 1945, and was, from 1953 until his retirement in 1994, a physics professor at the Institute for Advanced Study. The absence of a PhD in his resume has been more than compensated for by the 21 honorary degrees he has received over the years.

The Institute for Advanced Study is where Einstein worked.

Can't Argue With That

From Yahoo Finance:

Congressional officials say Democratic leaders have decided to put off a bailout vote for the auto industry until December and will insist that the Big 3 first come up with a plan showing how the money would help transform their industry.

Good for them! If I were to go to a bank for a small business loan they'd want to see my business plan. It's the least these clowns can do if they want money.

Uh Huh, SURE You Wont...

For those who think granting Gay Marriage won't lead to churches being forced to perform those marriages against their will and doctrine really are delusional. Case in point:

(MSNBC.com) Online dating service eHarmony said Wednesday it will launch a new Web site which caters to same-sex singles as part of a discrimination settlement with New Jersey's Civil Rights Division.

The settlement is the result of a complaint New Jersey resident Eric McKinley filed against the online matchmaker in 2005. McKinley, 46, said he was shocked when he tried to sign up for the dating site but couldn't get past the first screen because there was no option for men seeking men.

"It's very frustrating and it's very humiliating to think that other people can do it and I can't," he said. "And the only reason I can't is because I'm a gay man. That's very hurtful."

So now we've got precedence where businesses are being forced to service clientele they have no interest in serving. They are a business. If they want to leave money on the table that's their problem. Next you'll tell me that I should be legally allowed to walk into McDonalds, order a Whopper, and they have to sell me one?

Other sites cater to gays. Why can't he go there? Why does he have to force a company to sell to him? Do I go around forcing beer companies to create a line of non-alcoholic beers?

Anyone who believes that churches will be able to hold out against performing gay marriages is kidding themselves. So please stop blaming us for every ill in the world if we choose to fight for our own rights.

It's NOT the Economy, Stupid!

Orson Scott Card writes extensively and circuitously about why he's not reviewed any new movies lately. The bottom line: You don't pay me enough to watch this dreck.

Hollywood is convinced that box office is down because of the economic meltdown that Barney Frank and Christopher Dodd brought us this fall.

Economic worries might be a complete explanation of why candy and popcorn sales are down in the movie theaters.

But I already wasn't going to the movies.
...
I've got a lot of DVDs I can stay home and watch. Maybe Hollywood can stop trying to preach their ignorant groupthink dogmas at us and start earning our entertainment dollars again. They certainly know how -- make good movies, and we'll be back in the theaters. The movie business did just fine during the Great Depression; it isn't tight money that empties the theaters.

I haven't seen a new movie in the theater since "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith", which was...2005. Three and a half years.

It's simply easier to rent them later and watch them in the comfort of our own home with our own snacks and goodies. Sure, it's not the same as in the theater, and it's not the same as getting out of the house and leaving the kids, but it's sure a lot cheaper. That can be important when you find out a movie is a big disappointment. It's easier to accept wasting one dollar than twenty-plus.

It used to be that you'd want to see a movie in the theater to appreciate the special effects. Well, that's getting increasingly difficult to do. Lord of the Rings did it well, but Star Wars I,II,III pushed the envelope into overload territory. I simply could not watch everything that was crammed into the screen so I nearly stopped watching any of it. In the end I was unable to appreciate the effects because I mostly tuned them out.

Star Wars IV,V,VI were "primitive" by comparision, but in this case I think it helped. Lucas was forced by technology to focus on presenting only the basic ideas to get the story across. And that's all we needed. There comes a point when three spacefighters convey the idea as well as (if not better than) 50.

It is said that Lucas got his inspiration from Japanese movies. If so, while for the original three he drew from Kirosawa, the new three he drew from Pokemon.

But I digress. There are good movies out there. It's just that they're not the ones that get all the attention. At least I don't recall much hype over "Elizabethtown", but I thoroughly enjoyed it. And, in watching it at home, I don't have to worry so much about getting teary-eyed in front of total strangers. Forgetting tissues is not a concern, either.

Occasionally a mega-hyped movie lives up to its hype ("Cars" comes to mind), but it's rare. Far too many movies tend to be either formulaic action/gore/sex-fest cash machines or "Important Movies" (aka propaganda) that would never have been made if they didn't match the Hollywood political group-think. As we say in the South, "Leave the preachin' for Sunday, son!" Okay, I live in the North, and we never say that, but dang it, someone should. Not that Hollywood's listening.

That's it in a nutshell. Hollywood has stopped listening. And they keep looking for excuses to explain the drop in the box office. It's always "it's just too fresh in people's minds" or "people have too many entertainment options" or "people just can't afford to go to movies as much now." It's never "we've gotten lazy and preachy, and forgot how to make good movies".

Until they finally "get it", I'm more than happy to support my friend's video store. I'd rather he get my dollar than Hollywood get my ten.

Obama-mania vs. Non-Critical Thought

Howard Kurtz takes a somewhat bemused, somewhat cautionary look at the excitement swirling around Obama:

"Here we are," writes Salon's Rebecca Traister, "oohing and aahing over what they'll be wearing, and what they'll be eating, what kind of dog they'll be getting, what bedrooms they'll be living in, and what schools they'll be attending. It feels better than good to sniff and snurfle through the Obamas' tastes and habits. . . . Who knew we had in us the capacity to fall for this kind of idealized Americana again?"

But aren't media people supposed to resist this kind of hyperventilating?

I've been one of those convinced that the media has lost their objectivity. But in reading this article it occurred to me. It's not necessarily that media has lost their neutrality. It's that they've lost their focus on news. Somewhere along the road they decided that the public wanted commentary along with the news. The result is that you can read a newspaper from cover to cover and not find a page without an editorial, whether official or not. Online news especially thrives on the "reporter-as-personality" model.

To be sure, even when media tries to report straight news they still have the potential for bias in what stories they choose to report. Consider how long media sat on the John Edwards affair compared with the rumor of a Sarah Palin affair. One was surpressed for half a year until a tabloid broke the story, the other was plastered coast to coast before any real verification had taken place. There is media bias.

But there is also a serious lack of critical reading. Far too few readers (myself included sometimes) pay attention to whether what they're reading is true news or commentary. And even in straight news stories, how many of us take the time to ask critical-thinking questions about what we've read?

There is media bias, to be sure. There has always been media bias (in "State of the Union" (see below) our hero was practically hand-picked for candidacy by a media mogul), and there always will be. Certainly the degree and direction of bias changes from source to source and over time. But we do need to take at least a little responsibility for what we read and how we read it.

Non-Representational Government

I never realized the EU required that all directives, alterations, or amendments approved by the EU had to be adopted as law by the member nations.

From Brussels Journal:
Hence, there are no debates about the directives and no alterations or amendments are proposed to the texts. Occasionally my party abstains from voting or we press the red button – a position we can take since we are not part of the Belgian establishment and are considered “extremists” anyway. But even we, I must admit, usually vote “yea”. The EU treaties demand it. The European Court punishes countries that do not oblige with hefty fines.

Inspired by Mr. Herzog’s calculations, I submitted a question to the Belgian authorities. They informed me that between 2000 and 2005, 1,395 laws were passed in Belgium, of which 551 were bills that incorporate EU directives into Belgian legislation. That is 39.5 percent. The ratio is increasing, however. While the figure was 31.3% in 2000, it had increased to 51.8% by 2005.

This means that a majority of Belgian laws emanates from the EU. It also means that only one single Belgian, namely Louis Michel, the Belgian member of the European Commission, has had a say over the majority of the laws imposed on all his compatriots. How democratic is this?

I watched a Tracy/Hepburn movie over the weekend titled "State of the Union". In it Spencer Tracy's character espouses a world government to which all nations cede their sovereignty. The movie was released in 1948 when U.N. fever was in full bloom. After sixty years of the UN and nearly twenty years since the Maastricht Treaty (creating the modern form of the EU) I can't help but think we're still not ready for world government.

The U.N. seems to be the very model of ineffectiveness, while the E.U. seems to be overdoing it in the opposite direction. One seeks consensus or unanimity, the other forces compliance. There's plenty of criticism to go around for the United States' federal system, but it at least seems to present a happier medium than these other two.

Perhaps I Can Retire Already

It would appear I was not the only one inspired to start a political blog during the election. The Purple Center looks quite similar in beginnings and intent--and is probably doing it better than I am. Certainly "Publius" seems to be more a true "centrist" than I am.

Conjuncture Juncture, What's Your Functure

This video on MSNBC shows a new idea in telecommuting: Telecommuting from an office!

You see, many telecommuters found they miss interacting with and being around people. So they started going to coffee shops and hanging out while they work. Evidently not all coffee shops like this, and may have implemented limits where you could only do that once a week.

Then someone got an idea. He opened his own "telecommuting club" in a house. He added wi-fi and upscale coffee machines, and charge people a monthly fee to come there and work. He's got twelve clients so far. They enjoy having people to interact with, brainstorm with, and be around--even if they all work for different companies (do I smell intellectual property rights problems on the horizon?). And they get free coffee.

It's actually not a bad idea. I've worked from home from time to time, and I can handle it for one day. If I were to do that on a regular basis I'd loose touch with the rest of the team and miss out on lots of the little conversations and interactions that make work more enjoyable.

Monday Roundup

Real incentives for real people: Why pay your mortgage payment?

Should you keep paying your mortgage?

If you have significant equity in your home, absolutely.

If you don't, it's getting harder to answer that question, especially when our government keeps giving people who owe more than their homes are worth so many reasons not to pay.

Global Warming caused by statisticians: October hottest on record because it was September!

The reason for the freak figures was that scores of temperature records from Russia and elsewhere were not based on October readings at all. Figures from the previous month had simply been carried over and repeated two months running.

Deal Reached on Iraq

The final draft of the agreement, reached after months of negotiations, is designed to meet Iraqi concerns over its sovereignty and its security needs as it continues to grapple with a diminished but persistent insurgency.

It provides for the departure of U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of 2011 and gives Iraq the right to try U.S. soldiers and defense contractors in the case of serious crimes committed off-duty and off-base. It also prohibits the U.S. from using Iraqi territory to attack Iraq's neighbors, like Syria and Iran.

Proponents of the security pact with the Americans, including al-Maliki's interior and defense ministers, say a continued U.S. military presence is needed until Iraq's nascent security forces are capable of taking charge of security in the war-devastated nation.

Washington Post: We're not baised, we just lack diversity:

It pains me to see lost subscribers and revenue, especially when newspapers are shrinking. Conservative complaints can be wrong: The mainstream media were not to blame for John McCain's loss; Barack Obama's more effective campaign and the financial crisis were.

But some of the conservatives' complaints about a liberal tilt are valid. Journalism naturally draws liberals; we like to change the world. I'll bet that most Post journalists voted for Obama. I did. There are centrists at The Post as well. But the conservatives I know here feel so outnumbered that they don't even want to be quoted by name in a memo.

Lacking diversity and creating a hostile work environment! We're the Liberals! Let us do for the country what we can't even manage to do where we work!


Remember Iceland? What a REAL economic crisis looks like.

India Lands Probe On Moon: NASA Considers Outsourcing?

Seriously, this is cool news. I wish them continued success with their space program.

Roundup

Obama is considering Hillary for Secretary of State? Well, to be honest, it would be a much more important role than vice president. I'm neutral-to-slightly-positive about the idea. I think of the Democratic candidates she was most likely to get it right on diplomacy.


First female four-star general takes command. Just remember who appointed her. While Democrats talk about equality for women, the Republicans have been quietly achieving it.


Now for something really important: America abuzz about the Obamas' choice in dogs. He promised his daughters a dog if he won. Now they have to pick one.

Speaking of his daughters, I suspect they're the real losers of this campaign. Perhaps, being younger, cuter, and...let's face it, Obama's daughters, perhaps they'll fare better in the media than Chelsea Clinton or Amy Carter. Those poor girls got utterly savaged at an age when such things can leave lasting scars. Bush managed to keep his daughters out of the spotlight--when they weren't pushing themselves into it. No matter what Obama may or may not do, let's leave his daughters alone, okay?


Obama may want to curtail the effect of Lobbyists, but he's probably alone in his party on this.


Obama to meet with McCain on Monday. I wouldn't expect anything significant to come from this. After all, Obama will meet with anyone, without preconditions.


Newsweek makes the case for bailing out the auto industry. I'm inclined to favor the "let them hang" crowd, but the reality is the economy really can't stand that big a shock right now. The auto industry food chain is much larger than most people appreciate, I think. It might not be a bad thing to postpone the inevitable for a few years.


Stephen Green evaluates the president-elect's administration thus far and is less than thrilled.


Jules Crittenden believes Bush didn't get the memo that he's a lame duck.

Indeed, if anything it appears he'll live on indefinitely as a useful bogeyman.


More on the "plot to demonize Bill Ayers". Frankly, is there anything they can do he hasn't already done to himself? The man is a demon, even if he's retired, toothless, and trying to indoctrinate the next generation. How can a former bomber who feels he didn't kill enough people be anything other than a demon? We're hunting Osama Bin Laden, but we're giving Ayers free air time to pump his book. Where is the justice in that?

...and that's enough for one day.

Veterans Day

I didn't post about it this year, though I intended to. But, ultimately, everything I thought about saying has been summed up pretty well by a series of cartoons over at User Friendly:

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday

God bless our veterans past, present, and future.

We have an Air National Guard base in town, and living near the flight path we regularly get flybys from the A-10 squadron based there. Every time I see one I give a mental salute. It's not just for them, but for all veterans, and for one in particular.

I miss you, Dad.

Human Interest Story

James Lileks, one of my favorite bloggers, also works for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He has an online blog there, too, in which each Thursday he presents a set of cartoon mysteries that were originally printed in the paper in the late 1940's. He withholds the solution, of course, until the regular commenters have a chance to guess the solution.

Today's cartoon came from an idea sent in by a reader to the comic's creator. He checked on the name and the woman is still alive. So he called her up. She's likely about 75, but she remembers it well.

Like most such interviews, I felt a bit stupid and rude – interrupting someone’s day to ask questions about a sixty-year old cartoon strip seemed a bit forward, and I expected “oh, my, no, I don’t remember that.” But she knew exactly what I was talking about, and told me the tale in that cheerful and familiar voice of small-town Minnesota ladies.

Kinda cool story, however brief. This is one of the reasons I like James Lileks so much. He isn't just infatuated with the past, he respects it. Even when he mocks elements of the popular culture you can tell he does so with a bit of wistful reverence. And when he runs across actual participants, like Bernice, he gets down-right fan-boyish.

In short, I'd be perfectly comfortable sending him to hang out with my mother. I know she'd be in good hands.

Not-So-Good Economic Predictions

Don't count on the economy improving very quickly. According to Forbes.com:

The recession will continue until at least the end of 2009 for a cumulative gross domestic product drop of over 4%; the unemployment rate will likely reach 9%. The U.S. consumer is shopped-out, saving less and debt-burdened: This will be the worst consumer recession in decades.

They summarize a series of articles, all pointing to things getting worse before they get better.

Have a nice day!

Climate Change Vs. Global Warming

Scientists have released a study that suggests that Global Warming may be reducing the effects of regular shift in Earth's orbit that would normally result in an ice age.

Scheduled shifts in Earth's orbit should plunge the planet into an enduring Ice Age thousands of years from now but the event will probably be averted because of man-made greenhouse gases, scientists said Wednesday.

They cautioned, though, that this news is not an argument in favour of global warming, which is driving imminent and potentially far-reaching damage to the climate system.

So we should fight Global Warming, but not too hard too soon? They're very careful not to say.

Your Actions Shout So Loudly I Can't Hear What You Say

The Anti-Prop 8 Tantrum continues, this time at the LDS temple in New York City. What cracks me up is not the fact that they're demonstrating, but the sheer level of ignorance shown by the protestors.

For example, one demonstrator is holding a sign that reads "If you can have three wives, why can't I have one husband." Uh....we can't have three wives, doofus. The government outlawed that a long time ago and stripped anyone who refused to comply with voting rights and property.

People claim that opposition to gay causes stems from ignorance at best, so perhaps they might try NOT being ignorant themselves?

Another sign: "Did you cast a ballot or a rock?" I'm willing to bet that none of the LDS members in New York voted on California's Prop 8, for or against. It's like...illegal or something.

Another sign: "Church of Mormon", with the second M crossed out. Again, your ignorance is showing. We're The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But then it's only imperative that everyone else be fully informed on gay issues, not the other way around. I get it. Try "Book of Mormon" next time and you'll be closer.

These people are not helping their cause. But, to quote Levar Burton, you don't have to take MY word for it. How about GayPatriot, referring to a recent video of the protests:

Here, they try to prevent a reporter from interviewing an elderly supporter of the proposition. They don’t just harass this old lady; they pull the cross out of her hands and stomp on it.

Yeah, I get why people are upset. But, what explains this childish behavior? Didn’t their mothers teach them to be kind to old people? Why this refusal to understand their opponents? Why this insistence on silencing them? Do such people deserve the privilege of state sanction of their unions?

Where are the gay organizations condemning such conduct?

The gay movement needs some adult supervision right now.

As Instapundit points out, "At least it wasn't a Koran" they stomped on.

A common criticism about the amount of money donated to the Pro-Prop 8 groups is that the money should have been used to help the poor. Well, I'm sure the anti side spent a lot of money, too. I don't begrudge them that, frankly. But if all the money and time being funneled into these protests were donated to the poor it would not only significantly help the poor, but probably do much more to help their cause than these protests.

Compare these two conjectural headlines:
A) 10,000 Gays Converge on Mormon temple to Protest Prop-8
B) 10,000 Gays Converge in South Central LA to Help Clean Up Neighborhood

Just a thought.

Update: GayPatriot has more thoughts here.

Life Imitates Art

A pair of artists in Pittsburgh have found a way to get their work into Google Maps Street View.