plus one

At the cost of proving my technological Amishness, allow me state that Google+1 leaves me cold. Perhaps, I don't understand its utility, or maybe my willingness to share is low, but my concept of a social network involves physical people, conversing, sharing, not tethered to an electronic leash. Suddenly, and I blame +1, formerly warm, cuddly Google now feels like an early incarnation of Darth Vader.

I'll grant, it is new to most of us and I am willing to learn. To maintain my multi-universe citizenship papers I have signed up for a Google +1 account, then instantly threshed my crop circles, dammed my streams, locked down my Picassa photo albums, signed out of what services I could and pulled up the draw bridge.

I too often rely on your good graces to protect me from myself, and friends this may be one of those times. I'm not "worried" yet about whatever privacy issues may be spun from this demon, but until I understand its "why this is good for me", I'm not going to play +1. I do have an openable mind however, and if someone has a REALLY good reason to play, open up, I'm all ears. You may change my world.

Toad

Dear Hallmark Channel- a rant

Dear Hallmark Channel:

I've a bone to pick with you. This past weekend you aired all twelve hours of the Jane Oke's inspired miseries (read mini-series) Love Comes Softly. For reasons unknownable to male people, this series ticked a lot of boxes for your female viewers and its coming was highly anticipated by members of my household, including me who looks forward to 12 hours of peace spread over the next few days.

So, how much harder would it have been to air the 6 movies in sequential order instead of mimicking the piston firing order of an old 6 cylinder Buick? My bride programmed her TIVO to record the movies (no, she hadn't read the books) and as she had time, got comfortable expecting to watch them one after another. Ten minutes into the second movie she asked me, "who are these people, and how did they get there?" Loving husband that I am, I Googled the series, provided my bride the titles, in the order they should be seen and defended myself, mostly unsuccessfully, against Hallmark's programming wizards. Why should I have to?

Toad

Remember when? A rant.

Remember when local sports meant something?

One of the many things my generation needs to answer for is how we have f upped local sports.

The Duke of Wellington is quoted as saying," the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton ." Referencing the character building induced by games.

A suburb of St. Louis, East St. Louis, Illinois is amongst the most down and out places in America. Once the home of June Cleaver, it now has a median household income half that of the rest of Illinois. With 20% unemployment, a third of its residents live below the poverty level. Not surprisingly, the crime rate is one of the highest in the country, and there is a long and tattered history of political corruption. The one thing they do have, and have had for a long time is a great high school football team.

Sadly, there is trouble in River City. In March, 2009 the team's star defensive lineman, who is a son of a former assitant coach, and his cousin were arrested for allegedly robbing 2 couples. The star's cousin was sentenced last month to 15 years making license plates for his part in the festivities.

Football boy, upon his arrest gave the police his address, which was a home not in the East Saint Louis School district boundaries. Here is where the sports trouble begins.

Someone notified the sports authorities who investigated the lads residency. The Illinois High School Athletic Association ruled that since the kid, did not live in the district he played for, he was ineligible, and the team must forfeit all games he played, 10 last year and 5 this, making the team ineligible to play in the football playoffs, which begin today. The IHSAA also found that the team's star offensive player did not live in the district either, but for now the focus is on the kid who was arrested. They'll get to the offensive player later, if they need to.

This being America, the ESL school district's attorney found a judge who stayed the IHSAA's ruling, allowing the team to play today, in exchange for a hearing on the matter later .

So what have we taught the kids and the community about sportsmanship, character, the right thing to do?

If you let the team play and win, and the IHSAA ruling is eventually restored because of one player of another, how hollow is their victory? Would you feel better for your son, if he lost to ESL on the field, yet won in the courtroom? I wouldn't either.

Are we reinforcing the notion that consequences may come later, so don't worry your pretty little head about that now? That kind of thinking got the kid in trouble in the first place.

Do you think the former assistant coach knows where his own son lives?

I find the mess unconscionable. The adults have a rare chance to do the right thing, a school district has the chance to educate their community. It might hurt, but not as much or as long as it is going to.

An example of a kid teaching community what sports is about can be found here: Wisconsin juvenile golfer

Thank you for allowing me to get that off my chest.

Toad

An Observation

I am not a psychologist, and have yet to play one on television. Nor am I a cynic or Pollyanna. I offer simply my own observation based upon a willful refusal to watch talking heads on television.

It has occurred to me that the Cassandra's of the world are so rarely right, that the few times in history they have been correct can easily be chalked up to blind luck. Pick your topic and think about it. The worse case scenario makes the biggest noise and gets the most air time, but when exactly has the worse case scenario come to pass?

The most recent, the Holocaust, occurred before my lifetime, and received little press. African genocides don't make noise in the west.

So what's to do? Try this for one week. You can always extend your trial if it works for you, I going on several years. Assume that every talking head is lying, or has a vested interest in flummery. If you accept you are being lied to, you'll rarely be surprised by one telling the truth.

Remember election season is coming.

Toad

Speeding tickets?

Police citations are taken with a grain of salt in Mayberry. They are somewhat more advisory than serious, especially if you have a certain mindset or are a member of a certain local tribes.

Tickets are meant to be fixed, except by the seriously stupid.

Get a ticket and one of two things takes place. You call your lawyer or police buddy and somehow everything goes away. All records are expunged. The second, more public option is this. On most commercial intersections hangs the shingle of one of the guys who was near the bottom of his law class. He advertises his ticket fixing service for $49. You may have to plead guilty to excessive noise, or part time vagrancy, but no moving violation ever occurred by the time he's through. All perfectly legal.



If you're of the right tribe, examples abound of cops driving the impaired home, after too many. In one case of mistaken identity the locals shot the tires of a tribesman involved in a drug bust gone bad. Once they realized their mistake the officers changed the guys tire, and returned his guns and merchandise.

I offer this background so you may share my incredulity encountered during dinner recently.

Mrs. T and I were at an event, the conversation was more gossip than anything and one of the women at our table, stone sober and straight faced, allowed that she couldn't count the number of times she had received multiple tickets in the same day. Usually driving car pool. She wasn't kidding.

Mrs. T got her first ticket in 30 years last summer and cried all day. She was unable to speak.

I asked if it were OK if her kids followed her modelling. Most certainly they wouldn't, she informed me. I'm still wondering why.

Toad

news you can use

1. Suppose you were considering attending a Mardi Gras parade in Louisiana next year, but were a tad concerned after reading that several of the locals were popped on St. Charles in the Garden District of NOLA this year. Worry no more, the state legislature has chimed in, and passed this momentous piece of drivel.

Bill would prevent firing guns at parades
by Ed Anderson, The Times-Picayune
Wednesday June 17, 2009, 3:54 PM
BATON ROUGE -- Barring a gubernatorial veto, it will be illegal to recklessly discharge a firearm within 1,000 feet of a parade or demonstration starting Aug. 15.


My suspicion is the operative word is "recklessly". I doubt seriously state troopers really want to get involved in a local matter. The Gov, recently released from Chinese quarantine, has not yet offered his two cents worth.



2. The Joad's may be moving again after all.


Calif. Aid Request Spurned By U.S.
Officials Push State To Repair Budget

By David Cho, Brady Dennis and Karl Vick
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, June 16, 2009

The Obama administration has turned back pleas for emergency aid from one of the biggest remaining threats to the economy -- the state of California.

Top state officials have gone hat in hand to the administration, armed with dire warnings of a fast-approaching "fiscal meltdown" caused by a budget shortfall. Concern has grown inside the White House in recent weeks as California's fiscal condition has worsened, leading to high-level administration meetings. But federal officials are worried that a bailout of California would set off a cascade of demands from other states.

With an economy larger than Canada's or Brazil's, the state is too big to fail, California officials urge.


Hold on to your hats boys and girls this is gonna get ugly. The state of California will eventually receive the money, but there will be a new Terminator in charge.

California census data suggests the population will add the equivalent of a city the size of LA within the next 20 years. I am willing to publicly predict there will be a MASSIVE outflow of citizens from the Golden State beginning later this year. I base this on a jump in the cost of living, continuing falling housing prices, crumbling infrastructure and lousy schools. Weather is not everything.

In the mean time:

3. PETA takes exception to Obama fly-swatting

WASHINGTON — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants the fly-swatter in chief to take a more humane attitude the next time he’s bedeviled by a fly. PETA is sending President Barack Obama a Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher, a device that allows users to trap a housefly and then release it. During an interview Tuesday, a fly intruded on Obama’s conversation. "Get out of here," the president told the insect. When it didn’t, he put his hand up and then smacked it dead. — The Associated Press

Wanna bet the Katcha Bug never makes it past security?

End of my rant.

Toad

An exercise in futility

Ever had one of those days? Forecast Wednesday was for sunny skies temps near 80. We've had 3 inches of rain so far today. So I've been an inside Toad much of the day, beating my head against the wall in an attempt to come to grips with rampant stupidity. Not just mine.

First the bank calls about our refinancing. "It appears from your tax return you only earn $50 per year. How do you expect us to approve your application?" Life's more than a tax return I replied. Ya, but..... Sheesh

Next. Have you ever attempted to buy a fish? Not a gold fish in this case. I am trying to buy a pair of grass carp, to eat the weeds in our pond. The going rate is $5 per fish. Delivery is $100, cash. I suggest I'd pick it up from the hatchery. Well no, I'm not a licensed fish hauler.

Do fishermen need to be licensed fish haulers too? Apparently After half a dozen calls I find an outfit that will sell me a pair of fish. Did you know fish can't leave the state? I can pick it up. It's 150 miles away.

Don't even get me started on the insurance adjusters report, or the house appraisal. I feel like Scarlet O'Hara.

Sorry for the rant, I needed to vent.

Toad

Not My Problem

For New Years, I published my thoughts on the perfect resolution. If it doesn't concern you, its not your problem, so let it go. I've been having a problem with that lately. So please bear with my rant. I'll feel better shortly.

I have temporarily gotten to the point where I just don't care. The news is all bad, even if you can find good news you know you're being lied to, and the rest just doesn't make sense.

Take yesterday for instance. California has to release tens of thousands of prisoners due to prison overcrowding. Still think the war on drugs makes any sense?

The name of the fertility doctor who implanted the mom who recently had the octuplets was released. Natch, he's got nothing to say on the subject. Is this news? Do we care? Mom's quoted as counting on god to help her out. I see human intervention coming myself. We'll be paying the next 21 years.

Baseball players take steroids. Surprise!!!

Sunday's NYT article on living in NY on $500k per year, sounded an awful like one Esquire, or was it NY Magazine ran 30 years ago, on living in NY on $100,000. Why do any of the affected parties still have jobs?

Where is the outrage?

Then think of the mindless crap we are told to worry about.

As George Carlin said, " It's all bullshit, and its bad for ya".

End of rant. Good Night Gracie.

Toad