Scrapsnik

Clown Is Running for Mayor of Alameda

2006-10-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

I think this guy should run for president...

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) -- A real clown is running for mayor of Alameda, and even his sister won't vote for him.

Kenneth Kahn, 41, a professional joker known as "Kenny the Clown," admits he's running a long-shot campaign for City Hall's top spot. Kahn has not previously run for an elected position and has never sat on a public board.

"People ask me, 'Do we really want to elect a clown for mayor of the city?'" he said. "I say, 'That's an excellent question.'"

Kahn's mother, Barbara, said her son doesn't have a chance, and Sylvia Kahn, a teacher, said her brother's candidacy is a "mockery of our system."

"I don't think it makes any sense, because, to me, running for mayor is not where you start as far as community involvement goes," she said.

In November, the funnyman who graduated from the University of California at Berkeley, faces incumbent Beverly Johnson and City Councilman Doug deHaan.

All Hail Santana

2006-08-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

You know...I always loved the U. Ever since Vinny played there. And now it seems my favorite college stars have landed on my favorite NFL team. Clinton Portis has been a stellar aquisition. But perhaps even better than that was the pick up of Santana Moss from the Jets. What a game breaker. The guy is all of 5'9 185, but has given the Skins two of the all time great finishes in franchise history. On Sunday afternoon, he caught the game winning TD catch in overtime. He broke through double coverage and ran 65 yards for the TD. 4th longest TD catch in overtime in LEAGUE HISTORY. Santana than jumped into the throng of 90,000 Redskin fans that held him in the highest of regards. By the way...that was his 3rd TD of the game.

The Story:

First Impressions:
The Redskins entered into Sunday's game against Jacksonville with a healthy dose of respect for the Jaguars. Players viewed the contest as a proving ground against a good team--certainly a better team than the Houston Texans. The Redskins' secondary gave up big plays in the passing game, but otherwise it was a strong, all-around effort boosted by a revved-up FedExField crowd. And it seems like whenever Santana Moss gets his hands on the ball, something electrifying is about to happen.

Revealing Moment:
It's tempting to choose the overtime coin toss--because with the way both offenses were moving the football in the second half, whoever had the ball first in OT had a great chance to win the game. (The Redskins, of course, won the overtime coin toss.) Instead, we'll go with the screen pass from Mark Brunell to Chris Cooley, who followed great blocking and weaved his way up-field for a 34-yard gain. The play, coming midway through the third quarter, seemed to set the tone for the second half.

Redskins Play of the Game:
Mark Brunell called it an "all-go with four vertical [routes]." He tossed a somewhat risky pass to Santana Moss, who caught the ball high, amid two defenders. He cut inside--and there was nothing but open field ahead. Said Moss: "Next, all I can tell was a blur. I just saw myself running." The 68-yard touchdown pass in overtime gave the Redskins a dramatic 36-30 win over the Jaguars.

Redskins Player of the Game:
Of course it's Moss. He finished with four catches for 138 yards, with three touchdowns. To go along with his 68-yard game-winning score in overtime, he added a 55-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the first quarter and a nifty 8-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter in which he dived past two tacklers into the end zone.

Redskins Unsung Hero:
All of a sudden, Rock Cartwright has become a sparkplug on kickoff returns. He returned five kicks for a 30-yard average on Sunday, including a 35-yarder to open the second half and a 46-yarder to help set up a score late in the fourth quarter. Ladell Betts had opened the season as the designated kickoff returner, but Cartwright's 100-yard kickoff return against Dallas on Sept. 17 moved the 5-7, 215-pounder to the top of the depth chart.

What Went Right
-- Mark Brunell proved that his record-breaking performance against the Texans was not a fluke. Playing against his former team for the first time, he was 18-of-30 for 329 yards, with three touchdowns to Santana Moss and one interception.

-- Tight end Chris Cooley and wide receiver Brandon Lloyd began to establish themselves in Al Saunders's offense. Cooley logged four receptions for 70 yards, while Lloyd had three catches for 49 yards.

-- John Hall connected on field goals of 44, 37 and 37 yards in the win. Since missing a 48-yarder in the final moments of the 19-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1, Hall has connected on five consecutive field goals.

-- The Redskins' offensive line matched up well against the Jaguars' vaunted defensive front and led the ground game to 152 rushing yards. Clinton Portis had 112 rushing yards on 27 carries, with one touchdown. For the third game this year, the unit did not allow a sack of Mark Brunell.

-- For the Redskins, the game was won in the trenches. The defensive line limited the Jaguars to just 33 rushing yards, while sacking Leftwich four times. Defensive end Demetric Evans is the Redskins' early-season sack leader with two.

-- Khary Campbell led the Redskins' special teams coverage units with three tackles, including a forced fumble and fumble recovery that led to a John Hall field goal.

What Went Wrong
-- The Redskins yielded pass plays of 51, 35, 31 and 23 yards to the Jaguars offense. Byron Leftwich and speedster Maurice Jones-Drew beat a Redskins blitz for a 51-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Wide receiver Reggie Williams proved to be a handful, absorbing punishing hits by Sean Taylor and Kenny Wright on a 21-yard touchdown.

-- Mark Brunell's first pass of the game was intercepted by Jaguars cornerback Rashean Mathis. Brunell had handed off to Ladell Betts, who wheeled around and tossed the ball back to Brunell. The Jaguars snuffed out the deep pass to Chris Cooley, so Brunell threw to Moss on a shorter route. Brunell did not see Mathis, who stepped in front of the pass for an easy interception.

-- Brandon Lloyd committed a costly turnover in the fourth quarter when he allowed cornerback Brian Williams to poke the ball out of his arms. It led to a game-tying field goal by the Jaguars.

-- The Redskins will need some clarification on the "excessive celebration" rule. Santana Moss and Brandon Lloyd were flagged for the penalty after celebrating Moss's 55-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. It appeared Lloyd lifted Moss high into the air, drawing the flag. The 15 yard penalty was added on the ensuing kickoff.

What's Next:
The NFC East goes head-to-head again. On Sunday, Dallas plays at Philadelphia while the Redskins travel to New York to play the Giants. For the Redskins, memories of last year's 36-0 drubbing to the Giants still linger. While the overtime win over Jacksonville was important to 2-2, this Sunday's game against the Giants could be more important. The Redskins don't want to drop to 0-2 in the NFC East and 0-3 in the conference. Oh...and LaVar Arrington squares off against the Washington Redskins for the first time.

Stats Geek:
Santana Moss is behind his record-setting pace of last season, but not by much. Moss has logged 17 catches for 326 yards, an impressive 19.1 yards-per-catch average, so far. The yardage total projects to 1,304 receiving yards for the season and would be the sixth most in franchise history. Moss logged a franchise record 1,483 receiving yards last season.

Quote:
"We thought that if we went into overtime and got the ball that we were going to score. I don't think anybody on the field had any doubt, and we scored quickly. To tell you the truth, I didn't think they were going to stop us. They were tired and we went down the field and scored on them." -- tight end Chris Cooley

Lasting Impressions:
A memorable win, but how significant? First of all, you'll be watching Santana Moss's 68-yard touchdown catch in Redskins highlights for years to come. It could rival Moss's 70-yard touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys last year. Secondly, speaking of the '05 Cowboys win, it will be interesting to watch if Moss's three-touchdown performance similarly sparks the Redskins to another playoff run.

Recluse My Ass

2006-06-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

This is a Brown Fishing Spider holding an egg-sac.

As I was perusing pictures of Greenridge state forest I came across a shot of this creature which has been the subject of debate amongst my camping buddies for 10 years now. Our first encounter with this creature was in 1996 on a log above a creek bed. My friend Bru swore it was a poisoness 'Recluse', and we all hurriedly scattered like little girls. Ok...well maybe it was just me. But anyway...

As a point of interest, I decided to research a little bit on the Recluse. It prefers warmer climates and is normally found in the southern midwest and on the east coast only as far north as Georgia. The chance that we stumbled across one in the mountains of Maryland is highly unlikely.

Copperfield Held Up At Gunpoint...Acts Tough

2006-05-01T11:52:00.000-07:00

(This is Copperfield's 'I'm Tough' pose).

APRIL 26--Magician David Copperfield was robbed at gunpoint Sunday night by a quartet of Florida teenagers who were nabbed minutes later by West Palm Beach cops. Copperfield, 49, and two female assistants were returning to their tour bus after a post-show dinner when a car carrying the four teens drove up behind them. According to police reports, Dwayne Riley, 18, and a 17-year-old pal emerged from their vehicle brandishing handguns and announced the 11:15 PM stickup. The magician's assistants, Cathy Daly and Mia Violmut, turned over cash, plane tickets, a passport, and a cellphone. But while one gunman repeatedly told Copperfield (real name: David Kotkin) to "give him his belongings," the entertainer "did not hand over anything," according to a police account. The gunmen escaped in a waiting Malibu, but not before Daly jotted down the Chevy's license plate and called 911. Ten minutes later, police pulled over a car carrying Riley and three 17-year-old boys, whose names police have not released. After they were identified by Copperfield and his associates, the youths were arrested and charged with armed robbery. Riley, pictured below in a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office mug shot, and his underage cohorts are being held without bail.

WHO LOVE'S YA BABY

2006-02-16T10:57:00.000-08:00

I LOVE YA TELLY

This show hit the screens at a good time. Left before it was too late to leave fashionably. It just came and went with taste and style. No pomp and circumstance. Just came and told some mystery stories, some crime tales, and then it was done. I wish more television would do this. Kojak's purpose was to entertain. Occasionally to make you think. It rarely downplayed itself or made itself out to be more than it was. Good clean entertainment. Not in my top twenty of favorites, but an old dependable warhorse of a series. I'm surprised it doesn't get seen in syndication more often.

A great quote from the show:

"What kind of fool sets up his own self? A fool like you, sucka."

Telly was always a clothes horse, whether in slick suits or in unbuttoned shirts with gold chains; Kojak was not only the "real" Telly Savalas, but my understanding is that the character was based on Albert Seedman, an NYPD detective who was known for wearing huge gold cufflinks, etc., as well as being quite brilliant at solving crimes. Kojak the series gave us several examples of "life imitates art": cops still refer to the portable rotating light that plugs into the cigarette lighter and mounts on the care by its magnetic base as a "Kojak light"; GM intermediate size cars from the early '70s (Kojak's was a Buick but they all looked pretty much the same) are still called "Kojak cars", and the tactic of entering a dangerous situation with one's pistol in hand, inside one's coat pocket, is known as the "Kojak carry"; Did you ever see Kojak draw his gun? No, because on those rare occasions when he needed it (and when he couldn't just yell "Crocker! Stavros! Saperstein! Rizzo!"), it was ALREADY in his hand!

And speaking of great dialogue, in one great episode with Herb Edelman as a old-time Montenegran soldier/spy and Merlina Mercouri as a spy disguised as a nun, Kojak asks his friend, the blind newsie, if he's seen a nun around. The newsie says, "You mean the PHONY nun?". Kojak says, "How did you know she was a phony nun?", and the newsie says, "Theo, why would YOU be asking about a REAL nun?"

A story about the real Telly Savalas:

Hw used to go to dinner at the old Hong Hing Co. on Mott St., a "greasy-chopstick" where Telly would mercilessly tease the waiter, Joe, about the way he spoke, by saying, "You got some Flied Lice today, Joe? Bling us some of that Flied Lice!" One time he was there, Telly teased Joe about the Flied Lice as usual, but you could tell from Joe's determined expression that something was different. Joe had been practicing his speech and had been waiting for this moment, and, sure enough, when he brought out Telly's food he said, very slowly and deliberately, "Here's your FRRIED RRICE, you GLEEK PLICK!!"

Still Bits Of Mother Earth Undiscovered

2006-02-07T18:34:00.000-08:00

Just when humans couldn't destroy anything else completely it seems we've found some more bits to trample to death. I know I seem a bit cynical, but damn, ya'll watch and see what happens. The optomists point of view would dictate that we'll be smart enough to sanction this area off and use the new discoveries to help end all sorts of disease and answer all sorts of scientific dilemmas...but I worry that $ as usual will have the final say...

Still kinda cool to know that there are places in existence that have been untouched by the grip of capitalism and greed...until now...

READ:

Scientists said on Tuesday they had found a "Lost World" in an Indonesian mountain jungle, home to dozens of exotic new species of birds, butterflies, frogs and plants.

"It's as close to the Garden of Eden as you're going to find on Earth," said Bruce Beehler, co-leader of the U.S., Indonesian, and Australian expedition to part of the cloud-shrouded Foja mountains in the west of New Guinea.

Indigenous peoples living near the Foja range, which rises to 2,200 metres (7,218 ft), said they did not venture into the trackless area of 3,000 sq km (1,200 sq miles) -- roughly the size of Luxembourg or the U.S. state of Rhode Island.

The team of 25 scientists rode helicopters to boggy clearings in the pristine zone.
"We just scratched the surface," Beehler told Reuters. "Anyone who goes there will come back with a mystery."

The expedition found a new type of honeyeater bird with a bright orange patch on its face, known only to local people and the first new bird species documented on the island in over 60 years. They also found more than 20 new species of frog, four new species of butterfly and plants including five new palms.

And they took the first photographs of "Berlepsch's six-wired bird of paradise", which appears in 19th century collections but whose home had previously been unknown.
The bird is named after six fine feathers about 4 inches (10 cm) long on the head of the male which can be raised and shaken in courtship displays.

The expedition also took the first photographs of a Golden-fronted bowerbird in front of a bower made of sticks, while he was hanging up blue forest berries to attract females.
It found a rare tree kangaroo, previously unsighted in Indonesia. Beehler said the naturalists reckoned that there was likely to be a new species of kangaroo living higher altitudes.
The scientists visited in the wet season, which limited the numbers of flying insects. "Any expedition visiting in the dry season would probably discover many more butterflies," he said.
Beehler, who works at Conservation International in Washington, said the area was probably the largest pristine tropical forest in Asia. Animals there were unafraid of humans.
"I suspect there are some areas like this in Africa, and am sure that there are similar places in South America," he said.

Around the world, pristine areas are under increasing threat from expanding human settlements and pollution. A U.N. meeting in Brazil in March will seek ways to slow the currently accelerating rate of extinctions.

Beehler said the Indonesian government was doing the right thing by keeping the area off limits to most visitors -- including loggers and mineral prospectors.

The scientists cut two trails about 4 km (2.5 miles) long, leaving vast tracts still to be explored.

BUSH SNUBS HELEN THOMAS (AGAIN)

2006-01-28T08:07:00.000-08:00

She is mildly frightening to look upon, but you'd think after growing up with Barbara, Dubya'd be able to take her on.

Thu Jan 26 2006 15:42:32 2006
President Bush today again avoided taking a question from White House doyenne Helen Thomas during his 45-minute press conference, even though he took questions from every reporter around her front-row, center seat."He's a coward," Thomas said afterward. "He's supposed to be this macho guy. He'll take on Osama bin Laden, but he won't take me on."

Thomas, who worked as the UPI White House reporter for 57 years and is now a columnist, raised her hand every time the president was concluding an answer to a reporter's question, but he never called on her. She had a few questions in mind, though. "I wanted to ask about Iraq: 'You said you didn't go in for oil or for Israel or for WMDs. so why did you go in?' " She also had another question at the ready, just in case, this one about the president's contention that a 28-year-old wiretapping law known as FISA is out of date, which prompted him to order the National Security Agency to conduct a secret electronic surveillance program that Democrats contend is illegal. "You keep saying it's a 1978 law, but the Constitution 200 years old. Is that out of date, too?"

Afterward, Thomas sat sullenly in her chair in the White House press work area, huddled in her leopard-print winter coat. But as she left, she made a prediction: "He came on to my turf. I'll bet the next press conference will be in Room 450 of the EEOB," a theater-style room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where she would not be in the front row.

Developing...

SIA: This Girl Is The Shit

2006-01-28T07:47:00.000-08:00

As a recenter commentor noted...I've been tapping into my 'homo'
side recently. And maybe that's partially true (although I'd elect to
refer to it as being gay...as in happy...as opposed to suddenly becoming a member of the cock-er spaniel kennel club)...but anyway...Sia is a
vocalist from down under. I've been enjoying the indi-aussie stuff
recently. Her pops was in 'Men At Work' for a bit, but got booted out.
Her voice is silky and haunting. Definitely check her out if you get a
chance.

More about Sia:

Sia Kate Isobelle Furler, to use the name her musician parents gave her, already has a staggering track record. If her name itself - pronounced See-ah - isn't familiar to millions, her voice undoubtedly is.

In 2000, the Adelaide born singer scored a bolt from the blue Top 10 hit with her debut single, 'Taken For Granted'. Pairing her unique Australian drawl with the strident strings from Prokofiev's 'Romeo & Juliet', the track was championed by Trevor Nelson and had Sia performing live on Jo Whiley's Radio 1 show. Her debut album, 'Healing Is Difficult', arrived to similar cries of 'the next big R&B thing'. Then, to cap it all, she added her jazzy slurs to two tracks on Zero 7's 'Simple Things' album and became the unmistakable voice of the year's coolest down-tempo soundtrack. All the pieces for a phenomenal career seemed to be in place.

And then nothing.

"I went a bit mental after that", she explains before letting out a laugh that would stop traffic. "No seriously, I needed therapy and everything." She recovers her composure only long enough to explain that going from hero to zero left her confused and frustrated and that it was a really enjoyable time, those moments of feeling like a 'Coolio'! But sadly they've passed now.
Brandishing both wicked humour and brutal honesty, it's sometimes hard to know exactly when Sia's joking. What is certain is that, with fragile beauty, a collaboration with Beck and swathes of sensual soul-searching, 'Healing Is Difficult's' long overdue, as yet untitled, follow-up rekindles thoughts of an all conquering phenomenon and will surely make her a 'coolio' once again.
From the lilting pianos and claustrophobic beats of 'Breathe Me', to 'Sunday's' enchanting harmonium and breathless chant, it's a mesmerising album, undercut by the hope and despair of a little girl lost. Guilt, and how to deal with it, is the recurring theme, with Sia's vulnerable voice as a beacon guiding through the pain and fear. "I call it easy listening", snorts Sia trying to keep a straight face. "That's what I've been telling everyone." A mix of horror and hilarity dawns on her face. "Do you think it's depressing? It's not too depressing is it? It's meant to be nice easy, music. Songy and lush." Whatever it is, it certainly isn't the album anyone was expecting. The muffled rhythm track and sensual cinematic strings of 'Don't Bring Me Down' are a stratosphere away from 'Taken For Granted's' dogmatic march. The new record would never be mistaken for R&B.

"I hated that", she cringes at the thought of the jazzy beats and soulful grooves of her first album being tagged 'urban'. But that's not why this album's different. "I just wanted to make an album that was more song driven. And I've changed as a person. After the first album I lost it, and this album reflects how I was feeling. The vocals are small and needy, because that's how I felt." She looks momentarily troubled before adding, "Plus, I'd tried to have a pop career and it didn't work, so I thought I'd try something else." More strangulated giggling. "If this doesn't work I'll fuck off back to Australia."

Sia's vocal talents extend all the way back to her earliest memory. But unlike most singers, she isn't exactly the product of her childhood influences. Born in Adelaide, she was raised on the hippiest street in Australia. "Everyone was a musician or worked for Circus Oz." Her parents played in a rockabilly band called The Soda Jerks, and her dad, 'a real nut nut' briefly played guitar in uncle Colin's band Men At Work - yes, they of 'I Come From A Land Down Under' fame - but "they kicked him out for being too in yer face." Early appearances singing Shangri-Las songs aside, Sia's musical leanings didn't get serious until she joined jazz-funk bar band Crisp at 17. "We thought we were really cutting edge," she sniggers with a roll of her eyes. "But we were trying way too hard."

In fact, Sia credits the biggest influence on both her and the new album as touring with Zero 7. "That's when I actually started listening to music," she says with a grimace of embarrassment. "All the other music I'd listened to in my life had been incidental; in clubs, cars, lifts. I only owned two CDs: a Jackson 5 anthology and Jeff Buckley's 'Grace'. While we were on tour, the Zero 7 guys were always talking about artists I'd never heard of, so I bought a Discman and started listening to their James Taylor, Nick Drake, Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman and Django Bates CDs. And it all just really blew me away."

The new album's lyrical roots, however, run much deeper. After three years fronting Crisp, Sia packed her bags and headed off with an open ended ticket on a round the World trip. After enjoying colourful times in some unusual places, she agreed to meet up in London with the man she describes as her 'first true love'. A week before she arrived, he was run down and killed by a black cab on Kensington High Street.

"Nearly everything on the first album was about that," she says, her chirpy facade slipping."I was pretty fucked up after Dan died. I couldn't really feel anything. I could intellectualise a lot of stuff; that I had a purpose, that I was loved, but I couldn't actually feel anything. The last album was very deflective. This one's very exposing. I think that's the difference between the two albums, the first was intellectualising, this one is feeling." Catching herself being uncharacteristically serious, she quickly deflects with a half chuckle of, "and I'd quit drinking. That was probably what it was."

'Bully', the track she wrote with Beck has similarly serious roots. "There was this kid at school who I used to be really cruel to, and I've felt bad about it ever since. It got to the point where I was having nightmares about. "The last date of the Zero 7 tour was a festival at the Universal Amphitheatre in LA, and Beck was on the same bill. Next thing he's ringing Zero 7's management asking if I'd like to duet with him." Understandably she said yes, and found herself on stage singing 'You're The One That I Want' from Grease. "I suggested it as a joke; but we changed the major to a minor, made it really slow and turned it into a bit of a country stalker anthem."

The Beck and Zero 7 connections - Sia's already recorded two more tracks to their next album - give the biggest clues to the new record and the giggling Australian's current intentions. "I don't want to be a superstar, doing all that wibbly-wobbly stuff. It's too emotionally stressful; photo shoots always make me want to have plastic surgery. I just wanted to write an album that was me: a small, weird, needy freak. It's a slow burner, but it's honest."

Huge Tunnel Undermines Border

2006-01-28T07:32:00.000-08:00

A sophisticated smuggling route complete with lights and ventilation has been unearthed between Mexico and the US. This picture is of the tunnel that was found last year that eventually arrived inside someones home on the U.S. side. The new tunnel, found recently is even larger, deeper, and better built. No pics yet available but here's an excerpt:

MEXICAN officials have discovered the deepest tunnel ever gouged under the US border, equipped with electricity and ventilation and concealing two tonnes of cannabis.
The scale of the tunnel — the 21st discovered in more than four years — stunned authorities, who said that the passageway revealed the lengths to which smugglers would go to evade detection.

The underground smuggling route began near the airport in Tijuana, Mexico, and ended 2,400ft (720m) away in a warehouse in San Diego in the US, Michael Unzueta, special agent in charge of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Diego, said. It was unclear how long the tunnel had been in operation, he added.

The 60ft-deep (18m) tunnel had a concrete floor, electric lights that ran down one of the hard soil walls and air piped from the surface. An adult could nearly stand in the 5ft-high (1.5m) shaft. “It was like being in a cavern or a cave,” Mr Unzueta said. “It’s just huge, absolutely incredible.”

John Fernandes, the special agent in charge of the San Diego office of the Drug Enforcement Agency, said that he suspected that the tunnel was the work of the Arellano-Felix drug-smuggling syndicate in Tijuana, or another drug cartel. He said that tougher enforcement above ground had forced smugglers to dig below.

Mexican investigators found the tunnel entrance on Tuesday inside a warehouse about 150 yards (136.5m) south of the border. A 6 by 10ft shaft equipped with a pulley dropped about 75ft to the entrance. The next day US authorities located the exit on the American side within a warehouse.

Mexican authorities allowed reporters and photographers inside the tunnel on Wednesday. Near the entrance, authorities were seen weighing bales of what appeared to be marijuana. Hundreds of packages wrapped with brown packing tape were stacked up to the ceiling. It was unclear whether the tunnel was designed to sneak people or drugs other than marijuana into the US, Mr Unzueta said.

A TWO STATE SOLUTION OR DISASTER?

2006-01-28T07:22:00.000-08:00

JIMMY PONDERS THE HAMAS VICTORY AND GUIDES US THROUGH THE POSSIBILITIES...

JERUSALEM—The mood was disaster-in-progress when the unflappable Jimmy Carter stepped into the room yesterday to share a few quiet moments with the Toronto Star.

The official returns were flowing in, showing a Hamas victory almost beyond anyone's calibration.

The hard fist of political Islam didn't just enter the Palestinian parliament. It is the parliament.

As the numbers sunk in, CNN, BBC, Sky and Fox went into "breaking news" mode, quickly bulking up with pundits uttering obituaries for peace. The greening of Palestinian politics now had consigned the region to another hopeless eternity, it seemed.

At 81, clear eyed and calm, the former U.S. president — who yesterday sanctified the Palestinian election as head of the 950-strong international observer mission — took the earthquake in stride.

With the debate turning to whether the Palestinians' major international benefactors, the European Union and the United States, should allow themselves to maintain contact with a government led by Hamas — a group that has not unequivocally abandoned its founding principle of the destruction of the state of Israel — Carter let us in on a fascinating anecdote he has never spoken of publicly.

Ten years ago, Carter himself sat down with Hamas in an attempt to bridge the gap between PLO chief Yasser Arafat and the then-fledgling militant Islamic group.

As a personal favour to the late Palestinian leader, and in the spirit of the newly minted Oslo Accords, Carter went hunting for Hamas, to lasso them into the political process.

"Arafat asked me if I would contact Hamas and see if they would accept the new government with him as president, and to find out what their demands might be," Carter said.

A series of meetings ensued with various Hamas leaders in the Israeli-occupied territories, and Carter initially found himself confounded by the multi-headed hydra of leadership, Hamas-style. But some of those he spoke to showed interest.

Even 10 years ago, there were indications Hamas might be ready to make the great leap forward into reason and rationality — and perhaps even to accept Israel as its legitimate partner in a future that would become two states living side by side.

Finally, a secret summit was arranged for Cairo involving every voice that mattered to Hamas. And just as Carter was preparing for the flight to Egypt, Hamas called it off.

"They cancelled the meeting. Either they decided no, or they decided I wasn't the right person. But they cancelled," said Carter.

"That's the way it was then. Clearly there was no discernable person who could speak on behalf of Hamas and I'm not sure there is yet."

Carter didn't rule out modern-day disaster in the 17 minutes and 29 seconds he gave the Star yesterday. But he would like everyone to take a deep breath and consider an opposite scenario. To his way of thinking, any notion of peace was already a political fiction long before Hamas came calling. Maybe, just maybe, confronted with the reality of responsibility, Hamas will be the one to awaken it.

"Firstly, nobody knows what will happen now. The Palestinian government just resigned a few minutes ago. I suspect even Hamas doesn't know," said Carter. "My guess is right now (Hamas) are trying to absorb the enormity of their unexpected victory. They are assimilating what has happened.

"So it means everything is in Hamas's hands. And how they'll deal with it is quite interesting to consider. It might be a healthy thing for them to have the responsibility. Ask yourself, `Can Hamas maintain order among their own people?' If so, that will be a notable achievement, and it's something Fatah has not been able or willing to do."

Carter, the broker of peace between Israel and Egypt, has never really let go of this part of the world.

He was here almost exactly a year ago, in the same capacity as chief election monitor, when Mahmoud Abbas was elected to succeed Arafat. On that occasion he stayed up till 4 a.m. reviewing the count. Then, rather than making for bed, he chose to go birding, rounding up his binoculars to catch the dawn on the leafy grounds of Hebrew University, secret service guardsmen in tow. It is unlikely he will be birding today. Carter is off to see Abbas one more time this morning, to survey what's left of the broken pieces of Fatah.

As for the death of peace hopes, Carter offered a steely gaze, and unleashed a laundry list of reasons why the question is ridiculous.

"Remember, we're not interrupting a major, successful, promising peace process. There haven't been any peace talks for the last 3 1/2 years. For almost three years, the elected leader of the Palestinian people (Arafat) was imprisoned in two or three rooms in Ramallah and was not permitted to leave his office," said Carter.

"And then once Mahmoud Abbas was elected a year ago, we thought this would open a fairly immediate opportunity for peace talks. But there haven't been any peace talks. There hasn't been any real effort to strengthen Abbas's international stature, or his economic ability to manage his government's needs or meet his people's needs. There hasn't been any willingness on the part of outside forces to equip his security people with the ability to control violence.

"He's been put into a holding pattern. So we're not interrupting a peace process by this election. And it may be that what I consider to be a stalemate could possibly be invigorated. I won't say reinvigorated because there's no vigour there now."

But if a victorious Hamas is to take the Palestinians forward, a discernable voice must arise. Hamas can no longer be a multi-headed hydra, saying both yes and no to negotiations from its many mouths. A cohesive leadership is essential, and it must say what it really wants. That will require some breathing space as the dust over Ramallah settles, and the newly elected work toward forming a new government. But time is of the essence, insofar as the Palestinian Authority is destitute.

By Carter's reckoning, the Authority will run out of funds to pay its workers — everyone from policemen to schoolteachers, at the end of February.

He's urging Western donors to find a way to work around their objections to Hamas and continue giving, at least until Hamas makes its intentions known. And he's calling on the cash-rich Arab world, now "inundated with oil revenues," to step up with financing to get Palestinians through this crisis.

Former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt, one of Carter's colleagues in the mission to Jerusalem, yesterday framed the situation thus: "The motives for a two-state solution can be said to be even strong in a situation where, after all, what we have asked for — the establishment of democracy in these territories — has occurred.

"The fact that we got democracy functioning should not really be used as an argument for withdrawing our engagement."

Carter professes no insight into whether Hamas is capable of the challenge of leadership. But he's old enough to have seen many in this region make the transition from terror to power with aplomb."Despite the concerns expressed about the character of Hamas, we have to hope for the best. My prayer is the Hamas leaders, now serving in positions of unprecedented authority, will lead the Palestinian people on a peaceful, non-violent path toward a two-state solution."

New Writing

2006-01-24T17:39:00.000-08:00

You know, its funny...when youre a lil kid, you expect to change the world and make some sort of impact. You fall prey to the youthful optomism that there is...must...be a reason for all of the passionate emotions that kids harbor. And when you're a child you harbor these emotions for what seems like forever...for months...for years...when in reality its more like hours to adults.

Well...I'm falling victim to that same sort of childhood thinking recently. And its a beautiful thing. And Thank god for it. Something happens to adults as they age. They forget the veil that used to cover their vision as children.

I take that back actually...

Adulthood presents the veil.

Kids tend to see everything...they see the world with unblemished vision and call things as they see it. I remember seeing things that way. Perhaps that's why I've always been good with kids. I know what its like to view the world without a veil of prejudice and cynicism. With unbridled hope.

I'm slowly noticing things again. For example...sunrays, that shine through briefly on a miserable Baltimore afternoon, or the false light that illuminates faces during the pouring rain, or my message as it used to be when I could write beautiful heartfelt poetry...

I have finally FELT enough lately to continue to write like it meant something. You must understand that if you find yourself viewing the world through the 'grown up' veil, there's not a damn thing thats noticeable. Its hard to write when youre viewing life through a jaded abstraction brought on by years of adult imposed reality.

I've been MOVED lately. God have I been moved. I see things again like a child sees things. I've experienced an awakening...a rebirth so to speak. And I guess thats why I can see BEAUTY again...I'm seeing things for the first time again...I had forgotten what the little beautiful things looked liked. I'm noticing the way small bits of grass refract against my naked toes...the way her skin is a fraction of a degree warmer against my cheek than it had been earlier...the way her eyes flash at the smallest inflection of my tone...God! I could give examples that last forever...I wont...

For the first time in years...Ive been motivated to write , and live, and be honest, and be myself, and be noble in ways that I forgot I knew how to be.

So...with that said...here's my new poem...

I havnt named it yet...

Just when I was ready to give up on it
And succomb to the grip of webs
That drip from my mouth and the corner of my eyes
When the skin I used to wear began
To fly like grey ash from worn out tears
When my reflection became a score
Of lost memories, blanked out eyes, and
Unrecognizable laugh lines

I MET YOUR SAVING GRACE

Just when I turned, from the sick morass
Of scratch marks that wrecked my everyday
And resigned my fate to ignoring tear trails
When my pulse only whispered a flat line
He's Pale! He's motionless! He's whoever's finality!
When the lies overturned my white page
And the shadow of darkness reminded me
That poets are mocked at every sunrise

YOU APPEARED BEFORE ME

Just when I knew the dark would remind me
That the echoes in my chest no longer skipped
And the steady pulse of my sad decision
Would forever beat me with rusted dispassion
When the childs voice that resonated in my soul
Fell to bits without a scream
And the perfect song that always seemed possible
Blew away with all my hopes and dreams...

YOU GAVE ME YOUR EMBRACE

Just when I was ready to give up on it
And head first push the Earth past my lips
You arrived! And dragged me to your safe haven
Filled with open spaces and magic skies
Where every frame of your movement was magic
And your soft understanding brought me back
To a place where my heart would skip a beat
And my case of non-guilty-ness fell away

Into your golden eyes...

YOU LOVED ME...

PAYBACK'S A BITCH

2006-01-08T08:44:00.000-08:00

SKINS CRUNK DA BUCS 17-10

The Redskins finally got the suckaneer monkey off their back when they marched into Tampa and smacked down the Bucs in dey own back yard. The Redskins hadn't been able to win in Tampa since 1993 and had more recently suffered two stinging defeats to the Bucs. The first in a 2000 playoff game on a botched field goal attempt at the end, and earlier this season when Gruden decided to go for a 2 point conversion in the waning seconds instead of kicking an extra point to send the game into overtime.
You wanna Fu*k with Joe Gibbs like that? OK... You know what they say about payback.

It was a defensive game. The Redskins really couldn't do a damn thing against the Bucs #1 ranked defense. In fact the Skins set a playoff record for winning the game while racking up the fewest offensive yards EVER. Which lets you know how well our defense played...14 out of 17 Redskins points came from the Skins D, a-la Lavar Arrington and Sean Taylor. Out of? Penn State and Da U Baby.

Next Up? The #1 ranked Seattle Seahawks. It's time to take a trip to the West Coast and smack Hasslemonkey around a little bit. We beat those bitches earlier in the season I'm prepared to watch it happen again.

Oh, by the way...Much Props to my man Renaldo Wynn who fractured his forearm in two places after colliding with Phillip Daniels. Ouch. I'm a drink a 40 and eat some chicken wings for my man Wynn today.

My Journal Entry January 14 2000

2006-01-07T10:11:00.000-08:00

The Redskins are in the divisional round of the playoffs. First time since 92'. It's been seven long years. They play Tampa, which has an amazing defense. (Sapp, Lynch, Brooks, Nickerson)...to mention a few. And a beast for a fullback. (Alstott). I follow football fervently and know most of the players in the league thanks to Maddens. I'm going to predict the outcome of this game. The Skins are my team but they probably won't win. Alstott and Dunn will run at will, and keep our #2 offense off the field. Their #3 defense will take advantage of our O-line since our LT and C are really banged up. Plus, the games in Tampa, disrupting any audibles.

Redskins chances to win lie in a couple of areas. We have to take advantage of Gruber's absence and pressure their rookie QB. Hopefully if we get turnovers and jump ahead early, Tampa's average passing attack will prevent them from catching up. So that's really the key. Jump ahead early and we've got a shot. Plus it helps take the crowd out of the game. I'd also throw in the surprise of playing our rookie Champ Bailey on kick off or punt returns. Just to mix things up.

Sounds eerily similar to what I feel we need to do today against the Bucs. Gulp.

UPDATE

2006-01-05T16:58:00.000-08:00

What a past couple months. (I originally typed moths...and then thought...how have the moths been?...has anybody been writing about them?...perhaps someone should be...)

But...yea...I've had a great time.

First and foremost...my Redskins are in the playoffs. (Moths or no moths)...
They play the Buccaneers in the first round...the 'Wild Card' round this Saturday at 4:30. That expression 'Wild Card' always bothered me by the way. It almost connotes that my boys got into the playoffs by winning the lottery or something. And that's certainly not the case. The Skins won 5 games to end the season against some legitimate teams. And as for the Bucs. The last time we met them in the postseason, the Bucs won the game 14-13 after the Skins botched a 41 yard field goal to win it. Which makes me think...I'm going to post my diary excerpt from 1999 just for fun. I wrote about how I thought the game would go and what I thought some problems were for both teams.

But that will have to wait as I need to leave and meet my girl out at the local Harford Road bar.

As my buddy Teddy Love From Up Above likes to say...Peace Love and Empathy...

Redskins Dominate Cowboys

2005-12-21T07:54:00.000-08:00

Captain Choas Scores Three Touchdowns

It takes a lot of different personalities to make up an NFL locker room. On the Redskins, Chris Cooley is regarded affectionately as the team's goofball, or in Mark Brunell's own words, "the knucklehead."
Before the Week 13 contest at St. Louis, Cooley was named a team captain for the game, meaning he had to go to the middle of the field with two other teammates for the coin toss.

Cooley's teammates joked that he should introduce himself to the Rams' team captains as "Captain Chaos."

"So I went out to shake hands with all of the Rams players," Cooley said, laughing. "I put my hand out and said, 'Hey, how are you, I'm Captain Chaos.' They just looked at me and were like, 'What is up with this guy.'

"So now everybody around here is calling me Captain Chaos. It's not too bad of a nickname, I guess."

Chris Cooley
The last few days have been hectic for Captain Chaos. That happens when you score a career-high three touchdowns and help the Redskins dismantle the Dallas Cowboys 35-7 in a nationally televised contest.

Cooley has hosted his parents, who are visting Washington, D.C., from Utah. He has received dozens of phone calls from friends and former teammates. And ESPN's "Cold Pizza" conducted a Monday morning interview with him from his home in Northern Virginia.

In his second NFL season, Cooley has become one of the Redskins' "cool"-est customers on and off the field. Some of his more cerebral teammates have stopped trying to figure him out, though.

"I think when you try to figure someone out around here, that's when there's a problem," Cooley said. "I'm always doing something different. I try to mix it up on everybody."

His personality fits into a Redskins locker room that is as upbeat as any in recent team history.

"I think a lot of us like to keep it loose around here," Cooley said. "It's a pretty relaxed atmosphere. I think it's great. Our team is really close. We're great friends.

"You get all types of different guys on a team and we all have one thing in common and that's football. You become a family with your teammates. We're playing well together right now."

On the football field, Cooley has become a dependable option in the passing game and has been particularly effective in the red zone. He has six touchdown catches this season and is second on the team in receptions with 64, for 725 yards.

The Redskins were near the goal line on two of Cooley's three touchdown catches in Sunday's 35-7 win over Dallas. Both times, he was able to get loose in the end zone and was seemingly ignored by defenders until Brunell floated the ball in his direction.

By then, it was too late

"I slip inside and once I do that, I kind of get lost to the defense," said Cooley, who scored the Redskins' first two touchdowns of the game on passes of eight yards and two yards.

Cooley's other touchdown, a 30-yarder, made all of the highlights. He caught a screen pass from Brunell, then weaved down the right sideline. He broke two tackles on his way to the end zone.

"My progress is because of our system, our offense, and my coaches who believe in me," Cooley said. "I'm not surprised by what I've done. I know I can make plays. I'm happy about the situation I'm in."

Cooley, who as an H-back lines up at tight end, fullback and even wide receiver, is just three catches short of Redskins great Jerry Smith's record for single-season catches by a tight end.

On the Pro Bowl ballot, Cooley is listed among fullbacks. He led all NFC fullbacks in fan voting with 422,314 votes. Players and coaches also vote to determine the Pro Bowl representative.

With his impressive statistics, could "Captain Chaos" make a bid for the Pro Bowl?

Asked of his chances, Cooley replied simply: "I hope we beat the Giants."

My New Favorite Playa

2005-10-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

Portis and Rod Smith have had some great back and forths this week before game five of my beloved NFL season...here's how it started:

"If I catch Portis over by the sideline, I'm going to knock him out," said Denver receiver Rod Smith, feeling feisty after the Broncos pounded Jacksonville 20-7 on Sunday.

For the first time since his blockbuster trade to the Washington Redskins in 2004, Clinton Portis will strut his stuff in Denver next weekend.

"I might have to tackle Portis. He called me and dogged me about getting knocked out last week against Kansas City," said Smith, who left the Chiefs game dizzy from a concussion. "When I got home from the game, the first message on my answering machine was from Portis. He was dogging me out about getting knocked out. But I'm going to knock him out."

Clinton's Reply?

"I think Rod still has a concussion from two weeks ago so I'm really ignoring it. I called him during that game and told him I hoped he was alright, but he got knocked out."

"He called me back later on a Friday night talkin' like we were married. He called me late night like 'Whats up, whatcha doin?'. I was like 'Hey Rod...It's Clinton'. I don't know what he was tryin to do, but I told him he had the wrong person."

"We used to mess with him about taking too much punishment, but I guess he decided to take more anyway. He wont be doin' it no more."

Now that's some funny shit.

Poor Fairy Fingers...

2005-10-08T09:37:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Singer Boy George was arraigned early on Saturday in Manhattan on drug possession charges after police arrested him when they found a small amount of cocaine at his apartment in Little Italy.

He was released on his own recognizance and ordered to return to Manhattan Criminal Court on December 19.

The singer, whose real name is George O'Dowd and who made his name with the 1980s pop band Culture Club, then walked out of the courtroom, sat on a bench and began crying like a baby.

In the court, which convened shortly after midnight, he appeared dazed and did not say anything.

Boy George called police early on Friday to report a burglary. But when police arrived a little after 3 a.m. the officers found the door open and were greeted by the singer who asked them, "What's up?"

Police spokesman Det. Eric Crisafi said Boy George then staggered about his apartment apparently in "a drugged stupor" and police found a small amount of cocaine next to his computer.

We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline...and other updates...

2005-09-05T16:52:00.000-07:00

We're gettin the band back together. I'm F-in psyched. I don't do well with too much free time on my hands. So this is a much needed outlet. We're playin this Friday night at the Royal in Federal Hill in Baltimore. It should be great because it's the Royal's last night open. It'll be $10 all you can drink beer and rail until everything runs out. Damn thats money. Plus we'll be playing again for the first time since April 04' Our old guitarist is back from England, and ironically, he'll be on drums. We have a new guitarist who is phenomenal. I'm going to have to learn to share the spotlight a bit better. Hard for good ole Scrappy.

Anyway...Scrappy is very happy. Speaking of happy-ness.

The female front...things are going ridiculously well. I've met someone it seems. She's even passed the Border's Bookstore test which no one has passed since 02' Pretty impressive actually. She doesn't worry about nonsense, doesn't bother me with contrived issues that exist within the confines of her own headspace, could care less whether my friends approve of her or vice versa...ahhhhhhh...(that's my favorite)...doesn't have to talk to her mommy everyday, loves history and music, is honest and true (so far), and I've probably met her at least 3 times 15 years ago despite my inability to recollect any of that. Weird huh? Perhaps the best thing about her, is that she doesn't try to make me feel like I don't deserve the happiness that she brings into my life. We're just happy to BE...while in each other's presence. No questions asked.

Oh, she likes to drink beer and challenge me at trivia at the bar. I can smoke cigarettes with her in her house. We like each others tats, and she doesnt seem to mind the nipple ring. We watch gay ass MTV reality shows together, and my secret love affair with the Gilmour Girls is not an impediment in our fledgling relationship. I get nervous when I walk up to her house. My playa lines died a quick death with her, and now I must resort to 8th grade again when I had no game. Thus the nervousness. She's built in all the places I enjoy. She doesnt want kids, prefers to travel, and would elope in a heartbeat. We'd send out marriage invitations on an evite. Thats the shit I'm talking about.

My buddy Keith told me not to buy any of it. We'll see how it turns out. Right now I'm going along for the ridiculously fun ride.

Peace and love my people. Scrappy.

Neko Case, My New 'Favorite'

2005-09-05T16:45:00.000-07:00

Oh lie
I thought you were golden I thought you were wise
Caught you returning To the house you caught fire
But I know that I was your favorite
And I said Amen

Wise, found favorin' heaven And I at your side
But I never felt sorry For those shimmering lies
When I laid down and cried I was faking
And I said Amen

Last night I dreamt That I hit a deer with my car
Blood from his heart Spilled out onto my dress and was warm
He begged me to follow But legions of sorrow defied me

Oh lie
I thought you were golden I thought you were wise
When I caught you returning To the house you caught fire
But I know that I'm your favorite
And I said "Amen"

Oh favorite
And I said Amen

Rice Retires After 20 Years

2005-09-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

Unwilling to be a bit player with the Broncos, Jerry Rice retired Monday, closing a 20-year career for the most productive receiver in NFL history. Rice, 42, made his decision over the weekend at home in San Francisco, then returned to Broncos headquarters and met with coach Mike Shanahan. He played 20 NFL seasons.

``This is a happy day,'' he said. ``I think the tears that you see basically is that I have really enjoyed this ride.''

Rice. Do you remember the report on him out of college? Highly productive but only average speed, which caused a few raised eyebrows when Bill Walsh took him in the first round. And then, in his first year or two, he developed a case of nervous hands. The malady was cured and he started putting up big numbers.

Statistically, his long ball years came in his first five seasons, when Joe Montana was throwing and Walsh was coaching. He had one year topping a 20-yard average, three in the 18s, one of 16.6, and never, in 15 subsequent seasons, has he matched those figures. Oh, he was a good guy downfield, but what became his trademark through the years was the quick strike that should have gone for five or six yards but broke for 50. A lot of the credit for that phenomenon goes to Montana.

I have never seen a passer make the short, timed throw as precisely as Montana did. And when he threw the quick slant to Rice, anything could happen. Rice and Paul Warfield are the best I've ever seen running that pattern, but the advantage Rice had was that he could get into it confidently, almost arrogantly, because he knew the ball would be right there ... every time.
A passer who's the least bit inaccurate, throwing the quick slant, or Quick-I, as it's called, is setting his receiver up for the knockoff, because the play carries him into the middle zones, where linebackers and strong safeties live. If he has to reach back, or somehow chop his stride, look out! Bad things could happen.

Montana to Rice was the greatest quick slant combo in history. But as he progressed into his career, Rice became something else, too. Smooth. Certainly the prettiest and smoothest receiver, either short or long, our era has seen.

Good Luck in all your future endeavors Jerry. We'll miss seein' you every Sunday.

Death Toll May Be Over 10,000

2005-09-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

Killed by the flooding, or Bush's no tolerance policy?

I really don't want this nice lady to worry. The President cut his vacation short and personally assured Trent Lott that Trent's house would be rebuilt so that he and the President could enjoy Trent's big porch together again.

Media Reaction:

All of the networks began to question the Bush administration in ways they had not in the past. Thursday night on ABC's "Nightline," Ted Koppel grilled Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, over why the federal government hadn't provided buses for evacuation before the storm hit and why the subsequent response had been so fatally slow. (The fact that that was perhaps the 10th interview Brown gave that day suggested one of the reasons, that he was spending more time appearing before cameras than drawing up rescue scenarios.)

On CNN's "The Situation Room," commentator Jack Cafferty snorted derisively when Blitzer announced on Tuesday that Bush was cutting his vacation short by a couple of days. On Thursday, Cafferty went even further, noting that Bush had returned to Washington in the spring to sign a bill reinstating Terry Schiavo's feeding tube but didn't approach Katrina with the same urgency. "It's all about what's important to you, isn't it," Cafferty said.

On Wednesday, Cafferty intimated that the slow response had something to do with the fact that most of those stranded in New Orleans were poor and black. (The city is 67 percent black, with 30 percent living beneath the poverty level.)

But let's make sure Trent's F-ing porch gets rebuilt right! You southern classist paternalistic right wing bible thumping bastard.

Oh, and to annoy me further:

President George W. Bush said in a television interview that the United States could take care of itself.

"I'm not expecting much from foreign nations because we hadn't asked for it. I do expect a lot of sympathy and perhaps some will send cash dollars. But this country's going to rise up and take care of it," Bush told ABC's "Good Morning America."

Annoying...

2005-08-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

I just realized why my f-ing internet is constantly going on and off line...

G-D alarm system is plugged into the land line...

Memories

2005-08-17T22:53:00.000-07:00

I know I cannot leave this place
full of memories
Things like the way they knew us
all over town

We used to walk the streets together
We could be seen
Past shops where people knew us
Yeah, people knew

I've got to choose between tomorrow
and yesterday
I can't stop to think about
my life, here today

Maybe I'll find someone to get you
off my mind
Take me away from here
and leave it, leave it all behind

Memories can hang you up and haunt you
all your life, you know
Get so you cannot stay
and yet cannot go

I could find out where she's gone
Today I feel so unhappy
Streets seem so empty now
I want you with me

Jews Move From The Gaza

2005-08-14T18:39:00.000-07:00

The Following is a commentary that I've come up with in my attempt to understand the tumultuous nature of the so called middle east. (so called because middle and east all depends upon ones perspective right?) Anyway...I'm tipsy...and you all may find me a bit rambly...but here goes...

Democracy...a concept that falls on deaf ears in the middle east. I don't give a F whether you associate yourself with Islam or Judaism. In fact...both religions are beginning to annoy me. The irony lies in the fact that both peoples feel they have a claim to certain parts of the 'land'.

'How dare you expell me from my rightous place?...they both say...'

Both religions teach temperance and forgiveness and institute no order demanding a fight to the death over a piece of ground in the desert. Sorry!...they don't...

I'm not here to say I've read the Koran or the Torah...but I'll say this...if either book institues the basis of a religious war over parcels of property...I want no part of either one.

One thing I love about Christianity and Jesus Christ...

We'll be the first people to say...YES! I'm English by birth! But I'm 'out of here' due to this political and religious persecution...I'll go practice my faith on my own. If that means that a good 40% of us die on the 3 month sail to the 'New World'...then It'll be worth it. You know why? Because F U! And F your rules and persecution! The only thing that matters to me is the ability to pray without being killed...to worship without being stoned...to love the big J.C. in my own way. Keep your land and your so called religion. We're out!...

The modern Islamic response to that argument would be...where is ther left to go? We have no where to run to!! My response...you must remember that when the Protestants sailed to the "New World'...a good 80% of them expected to fall of the side of the flat world...(In other words, they had no where to go either...)

Now that's faith.

And moreover...where you go, or where you are, or where you will be...means nothing!! If Jews and Muslims are so damn pious... Who gives a S where you pray. Your relationship with the big G_O-D should be ALL that matters...

Am I missing something?

What I see in the middle east (and I hate to simplify)...is a modern Hatfield vs. Mccoys. Cousins pissed at each other for encroaching. And the Jews and Muslims are cousins. Check it. Anyway...I'm

Sorry...but that's all it is.

Neighbors are forever annoyed by each other. The problem, in my opinion, involves the firestorm of religion...

Mix in George Bush II and we got a shit-load on our hands...

I'm about done my rant and...I'll continue this discussion later I'm sure...but my main topic actually should be...Why won't Democracy work in the middle east? I've got a quick answer that i'll elaborate on in my second address of this issue...but Ima wait to sober up before I tackle that one...

Much Love...Scrappy

2005-08-07T17:09:00.000-07:00

Marty's Toast

Lil Update

2005-08-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

Went to my boy Marty's funeral on Tuesday morning. Took the day off work and dealt with it. I realized, as non-plussed as I am concerning my own life/mortality, I hate checkin' out my buddies as they lie there in their open caskets. It's not like I'm livin the thug life and this happens every weekend, but in the two or three times I've had to see a waxed up version of a friend my age...hmmm...it's hard to put my revulsion into words. Which is why I've realized that when I die, there can be nothing acceptable besides a closed casket funeral in which the Floyd's Wish You Were Here is playing in the background followed by a drinkfest at whichever bar is deemed closest. I'd also like to be buried in the last remaining Grant plot at Dover Chapel Cemetary next to my Grandmother. Anyway...

I met up with about thirty fraternity brothers at the funeral. Many of whom I hadn't seen since I was an absolutely out of control self destructive college freshman. We met at the bar afterwards, and I have to say, I've missed those guys. It was a great time.

I also met a girl at the bar.

For once in my life, the last thing i was concerned with was meeting a lovely lady. But it happened. Get this. She's laid back, loves history and law, loves to play trivia at the bar, went to Frostburg at the same time I did, was in the 'hottie' sorority up there, knows more of my fraternity brothers than I do, (and not because she's slept with half of them...I checked...), became a teacher at a later age, knows more about music than I do, has traveled more extensively I have, has less hair on her back, and was never a man. In otherwords, she's as close to perfect as I've run into in a bit.

By the time the night was over we planned to go away together for the weekend...no shit. Long story short...I found my self staring at her back all day Saturday as we canoed down the Shenendoa River. I awoke at her place Sunday morning staring at the hardbound binder of a book on Ancient Egyptian history. Yea. I'm not sure really if she likes me too much or not. For the fist time in years I've felt a lil over my head. And that's probably good for me. We'll see what happens. Of course I'll keep everyone informed. All 2 of you.

Until next time. Scraps.

Young and Marino: 05' Hall Of Fame Inductees

2005-08-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

Now, these guys are the shit.

Ask most people who the best QB of all time is, and 75% of your answers will involve Marino in some respect. (I've done a legnthy psuedo scientific study...mostly involving conversations/arguments with drunken Baltimore pub crawlers who cant seem to understand that Unitas really didnt win Superbowls...they were called championships back then...really!) Anyway, Marino holds crazy passing records for most yards ever, most attempts and completions ever etc. He's not in my top 5 only because he couldn't ever win the big game with a hall of fame head coach. That being said, I'll never forget two seperate games that Marino was involved in. One was the fake spike play in which he threw a TD in the waning seconds to beat the Jets, and the other is the 500+ passing yards he had in a shootout with a decade younger Bledsoe against the Bills. Two AFC battles that sealed Marino as one of my favorite QB's of all time. Oh, if he didnt look like he was wearing a depends undergarment with a dump in it towards the end of his career, I probably would've ignored his Superbowl failings and hooked him up in my top five...

Steve Young is the most accurate QB to ever throw the ball. Which is impressive considering this is a guy that really isnt much more than 6'0 and was 8th on the QB depth chart at BYU his freshman year. (They wanted him to be a defensive back...now that's one fast mormon!...Young also had some of the best scrambles of any QB in NFL history...he could've been a starting RB on a lot of teams...)Now, keep in mind, his height challenges forced him to constantly roll out to see down the field and he was throwing to the absolute best receiver of ALL TIME in Jerry Rice. But that aside, this crazy legged attorney/QB threw 6 TD's in the biggest game that Marino never played in...the same year he graduated from law school!...I couldnt chew gum and lift my beer at the same time when I graduated...) Last couple facts on this guy: I think he's like the great great grandson of Brigham Young, the founder of BYU...he's also run for more yards than any QB in NFL history other than Randall. * Although look out for new age scramblers like Vick and perhaps Culp for most yards on the ground by a QB...eventually...Anyway:

Steve Young
Homey holds some records don't get me wrong.

* Steve Young and Sammy Baugh are the only quarterbacks to win six NFL passing titles.
* Young is the first left-handed quarterback to be elected to the Hall of Fame.
* Young holds the NFL record for most consecutive 300-yard games with six back in 1998.
* Young's career quarterback rating is 96.8 and he's the only player in the league to have a QB rating of more than 100.0 in a single season six times.
* Not just a football player, Young has written a children's book entitled Forever Young.
* Young went on a family vacation to Canton, Ohio, and the Hall of Fame when he was 12 years old. His hero was Roger Staubach.
* At Young's wedding, there were less than 100 people in attendance. He had about 550 people coming for his enshrinement.

* Marino had 37 fourth-quarter comeback drives in his career, 21 of them at home and 16 on the road.
* In 17 NFL seasons, Marino won 147 games as a starter, the second most in history.
* He finished with a 147-93 record (61.3 percent).
* Marino was the youngest quarterback selected to play in the Pro Bowl when he was voted in following his rookie year in 1983. He was 22 years, four months and 14 days old at the time but was injured and unable to play.
* Marino passed for 61,361 yards in his career in Miami, which is equal to more than 34 miles.
* Marino has appeared on the cover of every national sports publication at least once.

Congrats to both these guys.

To Young for overcoming a rocky career in which he endured a stay at the U.S.F.L.'s La 'Distress', to the T.B. 'Suckaneers', to a couple years warmin' the bench behind my #1 QB of all time...

And to Marino for his personal struggles with his son's autism, (who miraculously has 'overcome' it)...

Welcome to Canton!!!!!!!!!!

WAR UPDATE

2005-08-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

I'm growing very weary of hearing reports of more innocent Iraqi's and 18 year old U'S' Soldiers being blown to bits over there. Amazingly, a majority of this country seems to believe that we need to be in Iraq. I just don't get it. We've started another religous war in the Middle East, and put a larger bullseye on our forehead for extremists across the world.

• Aug. 3, 2005: A Marine amphibious assault vehicle strikes a roadside bomb in western Iraq near the Syrian border, killing 14 Marines.

• Aug. 1, 2005: Seven Marines are killed during operations to stem the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq. Six Marines are killed in combat in Haditha and one is killed by a suicide car bomb in Hit.

• Jan. 26, 2005: A U.S. CH-53 transport helicopter crashes in bad weather in Iraq's western desert, killing at least 31 Marines.

• Dec. 21, 2004: A suicide bomb attack at a mess tent in a base near Mosul kills 22 people, including 14 U.S. soldiers.

• Nov. 15, 2003: Two Black Hawk helicopters collide while trying to avoid ground fire in Mosul, killing 17 U.S. troops and wounding five.

• Nov. 2, 2003: Chinook transport helicopter shot down by shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile near Fallujah, killing 16 American soldiers and wounding 26.

• March 23, 2003: Eleven American troops killed in ambush of 507th Maintenance Company convoy in Nasiriyah. Army Pvt. Jessica Lynch and six others are captured.

Fun Weekend...despite some bad news...

2005-07-31T17:24:00.000-07:00
Friday night started off great. I went to happy hour with a bunch of State's Attorneys. Good times, discussing different prespectives on the criminal justice system etc. I had to go outside to check my messages as my phone had no reception at the bar. Surprisingly, in just an hour or two I had 10 messages on my phone. Now I'm popular that's true...a bit of a hustla that's true...bit of a playa yea...but 10 in an hour is a bit much for even me. Thank You.

Long story short, at the end of the messages, my roomate's dog was dead and a good buddy of mine from college was dead. Yea. Bit of a buzz kill right? Well, it took a lil while but after some quiet introspection I decided to rage on behalf of my fallen brethren that couldn't be here to do it themselves. I had a beer for Benny who was a forever loyal pooch with an IQ higher than many people I meet on the street...and more than a few beers for my buddy Marty who loved playing music and became our fraternity president at FSU. DBX baby. Don't sleep.

Well, by the end of Friday night...really Saturday morning I guess...about 7:30am...(no sleep for the weary)...I remember thinking that I hadn't felt this content in a long time. The best part of the night consisted of about 4 straight hours of sitting in my dark basement with a strobe light running, listening to random tunes on my ipod being played through my band's PA, with the song selection being controlled by a great girl from work, who was reclining next to me. Beer, liquor, and other substances were enjoyed, and I was at peace despite the bad news i had received earlier.

I took a long napper on Saturday, and then got my shit together enough to meet my good buddy in C-lum for his 32'nd B-day celebration. I headed out from B-more and met Ski Dawg with a bottle of Samuel Smith in hand for him. I hung out with his wife and their 2 beautiful daughters for a bit. My buddy Hammy arrived with his wife and their two kids. The plan was to put the kids to bed, eat some crabs with the girls, and then go out with my two homeys who don't always have a night to go out and rage like they used to. Kids do that I guess. Which brings me to a point that I dwelled on for a while Saturday night. My two great buddies, Ski and Hammy, each have two great wives and two great kids respectively. These two guys that I came up with, lived on the west coast with 12 years ago, grew up with in a lot of ways...are at such a different place in their life than I am. Why am I different? Hmmmm...thoughts for another blog perhaps.

Anyway, I got my boys out for a night at the bar eventually. It was just like it used to be. I love those guys. I'll sum up the night. We acted a fool, pretended we were good looking, did a ridiculous amount of shots in Ski's honor, woke Ski up and carried him out of the pub where he promptly threw up, hopped the local pool fence and took turns on the diving board, and staggered back home at about 2:30. Suprisingly the girls were still up and I ended up hanging out with Hammy's wife later into the night as she wasnt ready to pass out quite yet. And that's just the friend I'm always lookin for. I crashed out on the couch at about 4am and was awoken this morning to kids waking up "Uncle Jesse" at around 10:30. Which made me wonder again why I'm not in a place where I can have lil ones. They're so damn cute.

So today I swung by Mommy's house in C-lum so she could hook up her boy with some lunch, and then I returned to B-more. After an hour or so of being bored at home...I headed down to the local pub for a pint. I figured I felt like shit, so some hair o' da dog couldnt hurt. And it didn't...trust me. I love the locals at my lil pub. They're hilarious and so Baltimore it's just fun to be around. What a culture. I had three beers and at about 5 pm I headed home and noticed my crazy ass neighbor Dave on his porch. I joined him for a couple red stripes and some great convo about the big beautiful black married chicks he's hookin up with. Good times.

And now here I am...listenin' to some Barry White and fillin out my blog. Hope all ya'll are doin well out in the real world and always remember...

"I" before "E", except in Budweiser. Peace and Love. Scraps.

Beer Quote Of The Week

2005-07-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel shamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, "It is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver."

- Jack Handy

Scrappy's Five Best QB's Of All Time

2005-07-18T16:25:00.000-07:00

1) Joe Montana: Finished his career with 40,551 yards, 63% completions and a 92 quarterback rating. This guy was known as "The Comeback Kid" and had intangibles on the field like no other QB ever. (31 4th quarter comebacks). He was Joe Cool, the quarterback who never quit, the quarterback who could overcome any deficit, any pressure, any injury. He won more than 70% of the games he started during an illustrious 16 year career. Not bad for someone who had 81 players picked before him in the 1979 draft. His unparalleled skill at not merely rising to the occasion but always rising to the occasion marks him as one of the greatest clutch performers in the history of sport. Other athelets have shined in the spotlight, sure. Some more than once. But every time? Four times he reached pro footballs ultimate game, and four times he performed impeccably, even heroically. In delivering four world championships to the 49ers, Joe transformed the franchise from an object of ridicule to an object of envy. Simply the best quarterback ever.

2) Johnny Unitas: Known as "The Golden Arm," Johnny U amassed numerous records in his 16 years as a Baltimore Colt. Of all those records he holds, one in particular still stands today as the greatest in the annals of professional football, 47 consecutive games with a TD pass. (Equivalent to DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak.) Johnny so superbly combined physical ability with courage under fire, and a superior understanding of the game, that he was named "The Greatest Quarterback of All Time" and the QB of "The All-Century Team." Upon retiring left behind NFL records for: Most pass attempts (5,186); Most completions (2,830); Most total yards (40, 239); Most touchdowns (290); Most 300 yard games (26); and the TD streak spoken of earlier. He led the Colts to one Superbowl Crown, three NFL chamionships, and was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1979. After throwing a TD pass, Johnny U was known for holding his head down and slowly walking off the field. It was no big deal to him. No ego driven celebrations for this guy. He knew he was that good.

3) Otto Graham: Nicknamed "Automatic Otto," Graham never missed a game as a pro while passing for 23,584 yards and 174 touchdowns. More impressively, Graham finished his career with an astounding 105-17-4 regular season record AND took his team to the title game EVERY YEAR OF HIS CAREER from 1946-55. Graham made history as the first player to wear a face mask after being vicioiusly elbowed in the face on a late hit by San Fran's Art Michalik in 1953. Graham returned with a big gash on his mouth, plastic wrapped around his helmet, and went 9 for 10 in the second half to lead Cleveland to a 23-20 comeback victory. Also coached the Redskins from 1966-68, giving me more of a reason to put this warrior in the top five.

4) Sammy Baugh: "Slingin' Sammy" knocks Bart Starr off my top five for two reasons. He was a former Skin, and an incredible all around athelete. In 1943, Baugh became the only player ever to lead the NFL in passing, punting, and interceptions. He played in ALL THREE PHASES OF THE GAME!! He was an All-Pro in 1937, 40, 43, 45, and 47. When he retired after the 1952 season, he held most of the NFL's passing records. His punting average of 51.4 yards per kick in 1940 and his passing completion mark of 70.3 percent in 1945 are still records today. Ended his career with 22,085 yards, 187 TD's passing and only 31 picks. Took the Skins to five championships winning two of them.

5) John Elway: John makes the list for a variety of reasons, but most importantly, he finally got those superbowl wins going back to back in the final two years of his career. And what inspired performances they were! Although in his late 30's at the time, John played like a man driven with purpose, looking as if he was in his early twenties at the time! He holds the NFL career record for most wins as a starting QB (140); Shares NFL record for most seasons with 3,000 or more passing yards (12); Oldest player to throw a TD in a Superbowl (37 years old, Superbowl 32); One of two players to throw for more than 50,000 yards in a career (Sorry Marino, you mighta made the list if you could've won the big one); Played in six AFC championship games; Played in five Superbowls, winning two; and finally, a nine time Pro-bowler. He could scramble, had a rifle for an arm, and was a great field general with an unmistakable love for the game. Always looked like he was having fun out there. A great QB to round out the top five.

Talented Woman

2005-07-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

I never bothered figgurin out who this woman was because my roomate liked her a lot. I thought that since I hadnt ever heard of Ms. Diana Krall...she must not be all that. After all my roomate's a big fan of Nancy Sinatra. (seriously)

But then I heard this girl play the keys and sing. Damn. What a talent. And I don't care whos she's married to.

Good Ole Patsy

2005-07-03T20:51:00.000-07:00

You know...I really enjoy listening to Patsy every now and then. She was a pioneer in a lot of ways and you can hear her styings in a lot of modern female singers today. Mostly in Country but also in Rock too. A lot of people say Patsy was one of the first country-pop cross over artists.

She died on on March 3, 1963. She died on a plane after a show at the Ryman Auditorium where the Grand Ole Opry was held. (There's a new Gretchen Wilson video featchuring the venue...who by the way sounds a bit like Patsy at times and especially that chic from the dixie chics....) I think maybe I have a strange facination with artistic pioneers that leave us before their time seems due. You know?

Some of my favorite Patsy include 'Never No More', 'If I Could Only Stay Asleep', 'Stop The World And Let Me Off', 'Turn The Cards Slowly', and especially 'Dear God'...that last song is great. Man, the words are applicable to my lil life.

By the way way, there's a group of kids that live next door that are irritating the F outta me. Theyre entering their first year of college, and the girls pops is away like every weekend. I think I'm irritated because A) I'm not 19 anymore and cant join them, B) Theyre loud as F, C) They make our dog bark like crazy, and D) I'm not 19 anymore...

OK...well...IMA go to bed and dream of Patsy and Syd and the reunited Floyd and how beautiful we all were when we were young and refused to get on planes...J

Who Woulda Thought...

2005-07-02T16:56:00.000-07:00

It was amazing to watch the Floyd play with Waters back on the stage. It was honestly something I never thought I'd see. Ive had the good fortune of seeing the band in 93', and then seeing Waters play solo a couple years ago...and that was the closest I ever thought I'd get to seeing the full lineup.

Now we just gotta get Syd back for a reunion tour...

It was good of Waters to mention him before they broke into 'Wish You Were Here'...

Good ole Syd...

Pink Floyd Reunited For 'Live 8'!!!!

2005-07-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

Playing with its classic lineup for the first time in more than 20 years, Pink Floyd dazzled the crowd of approximately 200,000 people at the London edition of Live 8. The group performed "Breathe," "Money," "Wish You Were Here" and "Comfortably Numb," which was introduced to a new generation of U.K. listeners last year via the Scissor Sisters' No. 1 hit cover.

Pink Floyd hadn't played live at all since the 1994 tour in support of the album "The Division Bell," and hadn't performed with bassist Roger Waters since 1981. The latter artist's dealings with fellow Pink Floyd principal David Gilmour have been rancorous in the ensuing years; Waters even sued Gilmour, unsuccessfully, for touring under the Pink Floyd name without him following the band's initial split after the album "The Final Cut."

But on stage at London's Hyde Park, the group (which also includes drummer Nick Mason and keyboardist Rick Wright) was all smiles. Waters even dedicated "Wish You Were Here" to Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett, whose mental instability forced him to cede control of his band to Gilmour and Waters in the late '60s.

Although no official statement has been made, the Live 8 reunion is expected to be a one-time affair for the members of Pink Floyd.

Quicksand...

2005-06-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

Waht does one call 4 mexicans in quicksand?

QUATRO SINKO

State of the Union Worries Me A Bit

2005-06-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

In order to really understand the plight of this country, one needs to appreciate the unique history that created the society in which we now live. One needs to understand the 'peculiar institution' in which most of the ancestry of our inner city population hails from.

I feel...

That the poorest in this country are the poorest because of our U'S' leader's ineptitude at resolving the issues of race following the Civil War. Let's face it. Post war 'reconstruction' was a mess. The Southern States following the civil war reeled from being ravaged economically and ideaologically. Newly freed blacks were left to discover what freedom meant, and how to go about life with their new 'status'. Some historians argue that the 40 years following the end of the civil war were harder on the black population than slavery was...with the racist additions of Jim Crow laws, the reinstitution of southern war leaders into southern state government power, and an indescribable regional hatred of black skin...

Let the lynchings begin...

Yea...things sucked.

A long time ago you say? These issues were'nt dealt with successfully until 100 years later. Let me put it this way. Our PARENTS drank out of different water fountains, pissed in different bathrooms and swam in different pools than the black people's parents that your chummy with today.

Not convinced? Just THIS WEEK, Mississippi finally convicted Edgar Ray Killen for his part in the killings of three civil rights workers during the 1964 Freedom Summer. And just 10 years ago, there was finally a conviction in the 1963 murder case of civil rights worker Medgar Evers. So it's not so long ago then.

With the mass migration of blacks from the south to most of the northern cities after the civil war, I feel we have a variety of communities across the U.S. to whom reparations have not been successfully addressed. 40 acres and a mule? Lets get serious. I'm talking about some serious government attention to what's important. How dare we try to teach the middle easterners about values when we ignore the plight of our own citizens only miles away from our home.

Visit our city jails, visit our city streets, visit our city schools or our local armed forces recruiting offices...then take a day to visit our country clubs, our private county schools, our expensive leisure getaways, or our suburban town centers and YOU TELL ME...what kind of disparity you see.

EDUCATION!!! Spend the money on what's important!! Let's insist that our government devote the BILLIONS on securing our inner limits as opposed to our borders! The disenfranchised continue to be! If youre one of those that assume people need to lift themselves up from their own bootstraps, and that special attention no longer needs to be paid to the struggles born from the outcome of our peculiar history...Shame On You.

I'm done ranting...Scraps.

House Party

2005-06-30T15:31:00.000-07:00

As the sun goes down the freaks roll in...

Me and my roomie Jules had a fun lil party this past weekend to celebrate her first tenure as a homeowner. Family and older co-workers rolled in at about 3 and stayed till about 7pm. And around 8 is when the fun really began. Between 8 and 10, my friends and the variety of lovely ladies that I enjoy swung by. I really miss being a homeowner. Throwing together a shindig is a lot of fun. Unfortunately I was married when I was last a homeowner, so the shindigs we had involved a lot of wine, cheese, and 'bored'games so to speak.

Anyway, around 1am most peeps were gone but I enjoyed being with my buddy Ryan and Ski. Ryan used to work with me at the public defender's office and ski's been my buddy since god knows when. We all graduated from OMHS together back in 91.

Rye Guy, Ski, and Me

Fortunately, the lovely ladies of the b-more city crim practice didnt feel the urge to go home before midnight.

PD's and SA's enjoying time together. It's a beautiful thing.

Of course by 2 to 3 am I decided I needed to shed as many clothes as possible. This may be the reason that many people decided to leave.

When am I goina realize I no longer look good naked?

But, the important thing was that there was fun had by all...A lil bit o' smooching, some cuddling, some more crisco and rubber sheets, not to mention some midget ninja's and diced fruit...

What more could you ask for on a hot summer's night in N. B-more?

I Like This Song By 'The Clarks'

2005-06-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

(That guy behind the mic stand in the crowd looks like Kee's buddy Givens...oh...and I wonder what that girl in the front with the peach shirt is thinking...I think maybe she's wondering why she had to be situated between the two girls with the best chests in the front row...)...anyway...

(If my last girlfriends name was substituted for Caroline it'd be my new anthem):

CAROLINE
You can scrutinize my actions, you can break me into fractions, you can
walk away
You can polarize my friends, destroy the letters that I send or you can run
away
You can terrorize my neighbors with your Mr. Hyde behavior, you can drink away
You can exorcise your demons, bite and scratch and kick and scream, you can
act away
And if you ever open your eyes, you won't find me standing in line

You can cauterize my feelings with your flaming tongue leave me reeling you
can talk away
You can compromise my passion, call me fake and call me fashion, you can
write away
You can rationalize a purchase with my money and say it's worth it
You can tear me up or tie me down and kick me on the ground
And if you ever open your eyes, you won't find me standing in line
Caroline, it's a waste of time(2x)

Don't you want me to come back Caroline?
Don't you want me to fly back Caroline?

You can scrutinize my actions, you can break me into fractions, you can
walk away
You can idolize your drum machine, say the Beatles suck and dis the King
and walk away
You can finalize the ending, break the rules that you've been bending
You can find a brand new lover, run away and then discover
You can't outrun your actions, you can't get no satisfaction
And if you ever open your eyes, you won't find me standing in line
Caroline, it's a waste of time(3x)
Caroline...

So, I saw the Clarks at the Recher Theatre not to long ago and they put on a hell of a show. This song is money too, although it reminds me of my Gramps who's mantra was the same as the title:

BORN TOO LATE

Vincent will you teach me how paint
Theresa will I ever be a saint
John I really think your songs are great
I was born too late

William will you teach me how to write
Cassius will you show me how to fight
Thomas A. I think I see the light
I was born tonight

I've had a hard time leaving this town
I've been losing everything that I've found
I'm gonna search the sky
Kiss the ground
Build it up and tear it back down

I've had a hard time leaving this place
I've been counting all the lines on my face
I'm gonna curse the sky
Hit the ground
What goes up comes tumbling down

Jimi show me how you play that thing
Elvis will I ever be a king
Jerry all the joy and love you bring
I was born to sing

Martin Luther King show me the way
Jesus Buddha teach me how to pray
Christopher I think I see the bay
I was born today

Beer Quote Of The Week

2005-06-24T09:14:00.000-07:00

I've decided that it would be a good idea to put a beer quote up every Friday on my Blog. After all...who was it that said recently, "Fuck falling in love, I'd rather fall in beer...".

Oh right...that was me.

Anyway, Friday's are beautiful days to begin thinking about beer and how much beer has contributed to society...after all, the weekend is here and beer is sure to play a part.

So on that note...our first beer quote:

"Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers..."

Scrappy's Five Best Running Backs of All Time

2005-06-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

1) Emmitt Smith: Personally, there's not much I ever liked about this guy. He had a straight ahead running style and always seemed to fall forward for three yards. Not to mention that he was a long time Cowboy and ran behind an incredible O-Line for years. Having said all that, in his 15th and last year he ran behind a Cardinal line and almost reached 1000 yds AGAIN. AND! you simply can't argue with his numbers. 164 career rushing TD's (1st all time), 175 total career TD's (2nd all time), more 100 yard games than anyone, and finally and most importantly, 18,355 rushing yards (No one's ever roken the 18k plateau...1st all time). When you consider that the average RB life span is 5 years, this last record may never be broken. It truly is a great accomplishment. He ran for over 1000 yds in eleven straight seasons, averaged 4.2 yards a carry for his career, four time NFL rushing leader, Superbowl MVP in 93', played on 3 Superbowl Champion teams, and in all fairness was an all around complete back. (He averaged about 50 receptions a season during his first 7 years in the league.) He deserves the #1 spot on the RB list despite my distaste for his style of running and the team he played for.

2) Barry Sanders: Now this guy was the polar opposite of Emmitt when it came to running style. I've never seen anyone able to stop on a dime or explode with speed from a stand still like Barry could. He was a jackrabbit that would run 50 yards for a 5 yard gain. He made defenders look stupid in their attempts to tackle him. And those were the lucky ones. I'll never forget the juke he put on Rod Woodson (the future Steelers Hall of Fame D-back), that ripped Rod's leg to shreds. Really beautiful stuff. Don't you try to tackle him in the open field. Don't you do it Rod...His electrifying, gravity defying moves were so incredible to watch that they conjure one word of appropriate description: Breathtaking. 1988' Heisman Trophy winner, 89' Rookie of the Year, 109 career TD's, 4 rushing titles, first player in NFL history to rush for 1000 yards in his first 10 seasons, 10 consecutive Pro Bowls, 68 100 yard games, first player in NFL history to rush for 100yards in 14 consecutive games, 23 games of 150 yards or more, 13 career scoring runs of 50 yards or more, Lions all time leading rusher,averaged over 5 yards a carry for his career, and finally...15,269 carrer yards on the ground...(3rd all time). Players Taunted:0, Endzone Dances:0, Balls Spiked:0. Retired at the peak of his career and is my personal all-time favorite.

3) Walter Payton: He was called sweetness, but to defenders he was anything but. He was an unstoppable force running with the ball, he had great hands as a receiver out of the backfield, and he could throw a devastating block that would knock defenders out of their shoes. Part of what set Payton apart was his incredible leg strength and amazing sense of balance. He always played the game with the attitude that if he was going to get hit at the end of the play, he was going to dish out a little punishment of his own. Seldom did Payton finish a play by running out of bounds. Which is saying a lot considering Walt wighed in at 200 pounds and was barely 5-10. That's called pure heart ladies and gentleman. ONLY MISSED ONE GAME IN HIS CAREER. He holds NFL records for combined yards at 21,803 and most attempts at 4,368. He's a former NFL record holder for yards rushed: 16,726 and yards in a game: 275. He ran in 77 games for over 100 yards and ran for over 1000 in ten different seasons. Scored 125 TD's in his career, 110 of them rushing. NFL MVP in 77' and 85', voted to 9 pro-bowls and inducted into the hall of fame in 1993. The epitomy of what it means to be a Chicago Bear...tough, durable, and legendary. Rest in peace Walt.

4) Jim Brown: Jimmy was simply a man before his time. He was bigger, stonger, and faster than any defender trying to bring him down. He had the heart of a lion. After being tackled, he would pick himself back up off the grass painfully and slowly, looking like a man who had been hit by a bus. He would trudge ever so deliberately back to the huddle. Then, on the next play, he would burst through the line again, leaving a strewn pile of defenders in his wake. Brown played only nine seasons for Cleveland, and led the league in rushing for 8 of them. He averaged over 100 yards a game, at 5.2 yards a pop. He ran for at least 100 yards in 58 of his 118 regular season games. HE NEVER MISSED A GAME. He ran for 237 yards in a game twice, scored 5 TD's in a game, and scored 4 TD's in 4 others. He ran for over 1500 yards in a 12 game season, and over 1800 yards in a 14 game season. When he retired, no one had ever rushed for more yards (12,312) ore scored more TD's (126). Pulitzer Prize winning sports columnist Red Smith stated: "For mercurial speed, airy nimbleness, and explosive violence in one package of undistilled evil, there is no other like Mr. Brown." That about sums it up I'd say. Also of note is that Jim was a better Lacrosse player that Footballer! He is the only person ever to be inducted into the College, NFL and Lacrosse Hall of Fames. Throw in a 6 month jail sentence for taking a crowbar to his woman's car and you got a regular bad ass. Go Jim.

5) Eric Dickerson: Pure explosiveness. I have him edging out "The Juice" because A) He rushed for more total yards, B) He's the all time single season rushing leader, and C) He didn't murder Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman...(well, pending O.J.'s independent search and reward offer that is...) But back to Eric. He was one of the most graceful RB's to ever carry the pig skin. Eric ran like a gazelle and made the defender's look as if in slow motion. He reached 10,000 yards in just 91 games...the fastest to that plateau ever. Rushed for over 13,000 yards in his career and broke a lot of OJ's records by the end of his second season. Rushed for more yards than any rookie in history, scored more rushing TD's than any rookie in history, and ran for over 3900 yards in his first two years. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 00'. And to seal Eric's fate on my top five list, a quote as only Eric could put it. On marriage: "I make too much money to marry some woman right now. I don't want to make all this money and then have some judge give it to some woman." Well said Eric. Looks like #4 on our list could've heeded that advice. Might've avoided some jail time there Jimmy.

KFC Is The Shit

2005-06-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

As I sit down to write a bit, I find myself knawing on a good ole KFC Chicken Breast. Im reminded of my buddy Kee that always swore that it wasn't the KFC chicken that tasted so damned yummy, it was the batter that they fried the shit in. He was never sure exactly why the batter was so completely yummy...but he did come up with a fabulous idea.

Kee said that if there exists a market for morons that eat dehydrated packaged pork rinds...

Then there must be a market for people that eat chicken solely based on their love for chicken skin, high cholestoral, and heart attacks. Seriously. Forget the white/dark meat choice all together. Lets focus on how damned tasty the fried chicken skin is with that yummy KFC Batter all over it.

So, Kee used to say...lets roll up a million lil tidbits of KFC batter, name it something catchy like Chick Bits...(which sounds better that 'pork rinds'...which by the way is a million dollar industry)...and we'll all be rich.

But enough about that...

My life update...

I can't begin to explain how annoying it is to be trapped in someones room until 11am. I went to a party last night that went on a bit longer than I woulda liked. To make a long story short...at around 3 am I was approached by a nice young lady that evidently explained to me that she'd be more than willing to take me away...if I'd agree to the fact that I'd have to hide out in her room until 11 am...you see, her roomate had his daughter over and she didnt want me making an appearance until everyone was gone.

At the time I guess...it all sounded great to me...so she drove my car to her place and we had a fun cuddling type night.

Until the morning. There I was. At 7am with only a couple hours of sleep...realizing that there was no way in hell I was goina make it OUT before 11 without her express permission. To make matters worse, I knew there was also no way in hell I was falling back aslep...(it was bright as hell in there)...and also, I needed a cig like you wouldnta believed.

I tried the silent roll away a couple times but to no avail. She seemed to have me in an evil sleep like vice grip...

After an hour of subtle twists and turns...there I was...in her closet...I had made it off the bed and I felt more free than I had in decades. I got my phone out and I dialed my favorite lil Irish Bar in Fells Point. I wanted to know what Euro football games they may have had on, and how late I was goina be to them.

God love the lil Irish man on the phone. He said..."why are u whispering mate!?"

I relayed to him the fact that I had been relegated to hiding in some bird's closet because I dared not wake her up and all the rest of it...blah...blah...blah...

He replied..."F-Off wit yourself...walk outa there...come watch some football like a man..."

I knew then...I knew that I had only one choice...I needed to get the rest of my clothes on and run away...run away...run through the kitchen with the weird ass old roomate and his daughter eating breakfast....and hope to hell I hadn't left anything upstairs.

I thanked my lil Irish phone buddy, told him I'd see him in 15 minutes...and here I am. Long story short again...4 hours or so later...I've made it home.

More updates to follow. Keep it real my people. Scraps.

Trip To New Jersey

2005-06-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

Went on a historical fact finding mission with my Pops up to the old stomping grounds of my ancestors this past weekend. Locations included South Amboy, Sayreville, Freehold, Toms River, and Bayville...

Armed with a family tree, my father and I located numerous grave sites of relatives long gone. Highlights included locating my Great Great Great Grandparents at the Old Potter Church.

It was a great trip and good for me because I now know where to locate a lot of our family heritage. Bayville NJ was founded by about 10 families, 4 of which I'm descended from...

I'll post more about this interesting trip at a later time. Until then, keep it real.

The Stroll

2005-06-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

Here I Go By Syd Barrett:

HERE I GO

This is a story 'bout a girl that I knew
she didn't like my songs
and that made me feel blue
she said: "a big band is far better than you"...

She don't rock 'n' roll, she don't like it
she don't do THE STROLL, well she don't do it right...

The Stroll

The stroll is done in two parallell lines (leads on one side, follows across the divide.) A simple basic step-pattern is performed in such a fashion that the line advances, or moves one pace with each pattern. Individuals on each end pair up and perform a "shine" routine as they proceed down the line; at the end, they separate and rejoin the lines. This formulation is part of many "contra" dances that were done in the US and Europe for centures. Thus, in one sense, the Stroll has been with us for a long time.

The emergence of the Stroll as a recognizable dance is due in large part to American Bandstand, a popular televised dance party that began in 1954. Initially, the show's regulars created the popular dance called the Bunny Hop. Following this success, the kids began churning out new dances for every new beat, including The Stroll, a slow, simple dance, where two lines - boys on one side, girls on the other - faced each other, shifting from left to right, then back again. The fun came when the couple met in the middle to strut down the aisle, all eyes on them. The dance was inspired by Chuck Willis' hit C.C. Rider.

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.lasso?id=1970

It became so popular that Willis was dubbed "King of the Stroll." But the dance soon got a song of its own when Dick Clark suggested to the Diamonds that they create a song specifically for the dance. The Diamonds hot with their hit Lil Darlin' (1957), struck gold again with The Stroll --- famous for its opening line,"Come, let's Stroll.".

http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/congress/371/darlin.mid

Early Mornin Football Time

2005-06-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

This is me and my good Buddy Ski-Dog. It was a couple of years ago, and was the first time I realized how much fun it could be to roll outta bed and enjoy a 9am Euro Football match at a nice Irish pub.

Scrappy's Five Best Receivers OF All Time

2005-06-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

1) Jerry Rice: This guy is All-Time everything. There really is no debate about whether Rice is the best receiver of all time. As a 40 and 41 year old receiver he averaged 77 catches and 1040 yards. Yea...Do I need to write more? Just in case you're nodding yes, here we go...1549 receptions, 22,895 yards, and 197 TD's for his career after the 2004 season. Need More? OK...Rice holds 14 NFL records, is a member of the NFL's 75th Anniversary team, has been named NFL Player of the Year twice (1987, 1990) was NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 1993, and has 12 Pro Bowl invites. NO ONE has ever caught more passes, scored more TD's, had more 100 yard receiving games, had more 1000 yard seasons, caught for more yards in a single season, caught more TD's in a season, had more consecutive games with a TD, has had more consecutive and/or 100 catch seasons, has had more consecutive games with a catch. Whew...Oh, he owns 10 superbowl records, has played in five Superbowls and owns four rings. And finally, he's the reason the NFL scouts don't know sh*t. He didn't have the 40 time to be anything spectacular coming out of college...right guys? He's the reason for the term "game speed." Some guys just don't hit top speed unless they're being chased. Right Pitchfork? Good Luck in Denver next year Old Timer...

2) Chris Carter: Drafted out of Ohio State University by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1987, Carter's first reception as a pro was a 22-yard touchdown catch. He went on to a stellar NFL career spanning 15 years, including 12 years with the Minnesota Vikings. Coupling stunning athletic ability with durability, Carter played a full 16-game slate for 13 seasons and appeared in eight consecutive Pro Bowls. He used to run these perfect out patterns, and when the ball got there it'd be 3 feet out of bounds, but Cris would drag his toes along the sidelines and make some pretty catches. No one was better at that then him. In 1999, he became only the second player in NFL history to catch 1,000 passes, putting him into the history books alongside Jerry Rice. Carter ranks second on the NFL's all-time list for total receptions (1,101) and receiving touchdowns (130). He was named to the All-Decade Team (1990) by the Pro-Football-Hall-of-Fame Selection Committee and received the 1999 NFL Man of the Year award. He twice caught 122 catches in a season. Basically, if Rice never existed, statistcally Carter would be the best receiver that ever played the game. And give Cris props...early in his career he was a drugged up, drinking his face off, head case. But he turned it around and has been sober ever since he got out of Philli. And who can really hold it against him? No one that's been to Philli...

3) Don Hutson: I've always loved Hutson. Why? He went to Bama at 6ft 160 pounds. Those were exactly my measurements at H.S. graduation. Upon being signed by the Packers, he still only weighed 175 pounds. Again, the scouts missed this one. Despite scoring two TD's at the Rose Bowl, hardly any teams wanted to draft my man Don.Too small they said. Hutson eventually signed with the Packers, but he still didn't seem to get much respect. He didn't even play in their first game of the season. When he lined up at left end in their second game, against the Chicago Bears, the Bears hardly seemed to notice. An 83-yard touchdown reception on his first play from scrimmage--not bad. Very Scrappyesque. (Never sleep on the skinny fast guy with heart...)1942 was his greatest season. In fact, it was one of the greatest seasons any NFL player has ever had. Hutson caught 74 passes that year for 1,211 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also intercepted 7 passes, kicked 33 extra points and a field goal, and totaled 138 points. Those numbers may not seem like much today, but Hutson did it in just 11 games. Projected over a 16-game season, he would have had 108 receptions, 1,761 yards, and 25 TDs. Hutson caught more passes that year than the entire Detroit Lions team; he had more reception yardage than two of the ten NFL teams and more touchdown receptions than six of them. When Hutson retired after the 1945 season, he held virtually every NFL receiving record: Most receptions in a game, season, and career; most reception yardage in a game, season and career, and most touchdown receptions in a game, a season, and a career. He was also the NFL's single-season and career scoring leader. Gotta be on the list.

4) Art Monk: I know...maybe my Redskins bias is acting up a bit. But a strong case can be made for the venerable Art Monk.The man I like to refer to as the "Velvet Hammer." He wasn't as flashy or sexy as a lot of the players who won't make this list. Monk wasn't a "SportsCenter" type of receiver — more like a "Masterpiece Theatre" type. You wouldn't see Monk pull out a Sharpie to sign a ball after scoring a touchdown. He was the anti-Terrell Owens. He embodied the old school. He once caught 106 passes in a season when no one was catching 100 passes. Monk caught a pass in 183 straight games. And not once did he ever pull a cell phone out to make a call after any of those catches. Monk's numbers are Hall of Fame-worthy. He caught 940 passes in his 16-year career for 12,721 yards and 68 touchdowns. He was not a home run receiver. Football is a game of first downs and Monk was the receiver who would move the chains. In 1992, he became the NFL's all-time leading receiver, with 820 catches. He has since been passed in this pass-crazy era, but in the context of when he played, Art Monk was the man. He never had a hall of fame QB throwing to him, like some of the other receivers on this list. In fact, he owns three Superbowl rings with three different Qb's throwing to him in each game.

5) Steve Largent: Most scouts viewed Largent as too small and too slow for pro football. (Can you sense I love when the underdog proves the scouts wrong?) The Houston Oilers picked him in the fourth round, the 117th player taken in the 1976 NFL draft. He caught only two passes before being cut after the fourth pre-season game. "I cried all the way from Houston to Oklahoma City," Largent admits. "I thought football was over for me." Fast-forward to Steve being picked up by the Hawks. He spent long hours on the practice field, catching up to 200 machine-propelled passes every day. He gained confidence every game. Fast-forward to this quote from Jerry Rice: "At times when we would play Seattle I would sit on the sidelines and watch this guy...I would try to pick up some moves and try to improve my game." That ladies and gentleman is a hell of an endorsement. Some felt that Steve began purposely perpetuating the myth that he wasn't a fast receiver so he could continue to deceive opposing defenders as long as possible. "You can't measure competitive speed," said Mel Blount, Hall of Fame defensive back. "You can't measure the heart when someone is out there competing. Steve could run away from people." "There wasn't a defensive back that wanted to go out and cover Steve Largent," said Dave Krieg, former Seahawks quarterback. "He had a way to make you look foolish. I don't care how good you were." When he retired after the 1989 season, Largent held six NFL records, including 819 catches, 177 consecutive games with at least one reception, 13,089 receiving yards and 100 touchdown catches. He was voted NFL Man of the Year in 1988 and is a member of the Hall of Fame. Steve still holds the record of most 50 catch seasons at 10. Way to prove em' wrong Steve.

Sean Taylor, Safety For The Redskins

2005-06-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

THIS GUY IS REALLY BEGINNING TO ANNOY ME

Last year, the Redskins opted not to select Kellen Winslow in the draft, and instead chose another University of Miami player in Sean Taylor. I was pissed. We needed an offensive superstar...not another defensive player. And then, the genius of Gibbs seemed to shine through when Winslow went down for the season...and Taylor was an alternate for the probowl in his rookie season. More recently, Winslow flipped off his motorcycle and he tore his acl. So F-him, I'm not concerned with him anymore. What I am concerned with is the fact that Taylor was stopped for DUI, couldn't remember half the alphabet, and more recently has been arrested and charged with 1st degree assault and hand gun charges in Florida. And all this has been goin on while the rest of his team is in camp at voluntaries. To make things worse, Taylor has been continually ignoring Gibbs' phone calls. You lil bitch.

Also disturbing to me is the fact that we passed on Mike Williams in the draft this year (Another offensive juggernaut who some had ranked as the best player in the draft) in order to claim another defensive player...who we wouldnt have even needed if we cut Barrow and Arrington's oft injured asses and kept Smoot and Pierce who actually participated in our 2nd ranked defense last year. Our offense was ranked 29th!! Our defense was fine! Stop releasing defensive starters that we've developed for 3-4 years, in order to keep old injured biotches on the bench, which brings about some ridiculous draft choices. I'm just goina have to hope Mike Williams gets a motorcycle...and lands a bit like this:

Interesting Life I Lead...

2005-06-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

So last night was finished off with a memory of me driving home with one eye shut. (Had to...couldn't see for shit...). I awoke this morning in a small room to the sound of banging. Someone was shouting 'Jesse...Jesse'...over and over again. I remember trying to speak but nothing came out for a bit. Finally I realized that I was in my mother's basement and she was calling out for me. I slowly came to and she asked if she could come in. I shouted 'Yes For Christ's Sake..."(...because at the time this was all very troublesome...) And so she entered.

Now, keep in mind this is a real small room with no ventilation...she opened the door and immediately put her arm up to her nose, feigned a back step, and said ' My God! How much did you have to drink last night...Wait!...Wait!...I can actually tell you what you had!! It was more than just beer...it was liquor...it was a sweet liquor!"

"Southern Comfort" was my reply and I swiftly rolled over. Slept for 2 more hours.

When I woke up I realized I was a bit late for 'band practice'.

When da boys finally arrived, we played music for 5 hours. Got 5 songs down, jammed out like some punk asses and had an all around great time. Someone made a beer run, and then someone made another one, and then someone starting passing things here and there and then to to there back to here until I realized I was starring in my own mind's version of 'That Seventies Show'...But it was a good practice.

So, when I arrived back in B-More all buzzed up I decided to swing by my favorite lil local bar. There was a pool tourney I thought about entering, there were two hot black chics at the bar AND there was a guy at the bar that looked EXACTLY like the dude from 'Weekend At Bernies'. Same outfit, glasses...everything. So as I decided whether I wanted to play pool, hook up with a local crackwhore, or tell somebody that Bernie was in the bar...I noticed I was sittin next to this old dude...who was drinking out of a red plastic cup.

I asked him what the deal was with his cup and he told me that he has trouble pickin up the glass mugs. He seemed like a cool old timer...not the type that's cranky or angry or simply out of their mind with dimensia...so I started talkin to him a bit. He told me he was born and raised in Baltimore. Which I was surprised about for a sec because he didnt have the typical B-More accent. (You know...every TH sound is converted to a D, followed up by a :How Bout Dem O' s Hon...You Goin' Down Ocean After?)

Anyway, Old timer told me that he graduated from a Baltimore City HS in 1937. Out of 2000 students in his school, there wasn't one black person. Upon inquiring as to why that was, he told me that most of the 'black folk' lived on Pennsylvania Ave, and they had restricted zones they had to abide by. He said that although there were pockets of 'blacks' in the city, they simple weren't allowed in the North West of Baltimore...and other places. Although, he said, "They were allowed in the pool during certain times of the year..." (I'm not making this up...)

So now...this dude was born in 1919, matchin me beer for beer was fascinating me. He was a really cool old guy...that didn't pull any punches, and just spoke clearly about what he remembered and what was on his mind. He was a lil glimpse into history...you know? He also told me that Baltimore was they type of city that didnt require a car. He said in the 40's there were rail cars on every street. (And if you notice in B-More, there are a lot of tracks under every road that we drive on...you see them now and then arising from the worn through pavement...)...He said a lot of other cool shit but I'm startin to fade...,

Anyway...I'm tired and going to bed...I had a good, fun, i have no dumb wife or dumb girlfriend to report to, kind of day. And I enjoyed it.

Yall keep droppin it like its hot...

Don't Talk Back To Cops

2005-06-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

The funniest shit I've seen in a while...check out the site at:

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/news/video/taser_video4.html

Lil Update

2005-05-01T17:53:00.000-07:00
So, I've been hangin out in what's called Waltherson, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America, Planet Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Etc Etc....

I have been impressed in the past week however at how cool the locals are in certain ways. Man, they love their town. They love their sports a lot. Teams go through hard times...and in this town's case, sometimes years of hard times...but the locals here cheer their home town reps with a passion that I can only imagine is reproduced in towns with consistent winners. I give B-more credit for that.

Good Solid Working Class People...

Relationships

2005-04-24T18:40:00.000-07:00
Man, what an effort we all put in...huh? As you get older it seems that every boy/girl is introduced to each other with new baggage, new concerns. I give my friends credit for sticking through, and working through...It's not an easy task. I've really considered becoming a Monk lately.

A Monk's life would be happy in a lot of ways...

The only Being that knows and recognizes the true intentions of your heart is the Being that resides up above. Wouldn't it be nice to dialogue with someone that doesn't doubt your true motives? To be in a 6 by 9, for half the day, as of your own accord, and just speaking to your Father...to me seems an escape from the prison I've been trapped in for the past four months. Ironic huh?

I guess I need to explain, and I will in this paragraph alone. I've been in a relationship where despite what I do or say, despite how I act or what I show, the only thing that is truly remembered and/or relied upon are the mistakes that I've made. And damn I'm flawed...No doubt about that. So...here I stand after the tumult of the past series of months...wanting to be a Monk.

I'd like to do the other things involved in Monkishness too. I'd enjoy the common prayer hour, the regimented lifestyle, the pre-dawn tasks, the order of it all, and the knowledge that while here on our planet I was communing with the Knower of Everything. Think of the bond you would create with your fellow Monks that you would commune with! Imagine the knowing looks that those pious people must give to each other as they pass by one another throughout the Monestary?!

For any of you that have been through trying times as a group...whether it be relying on your best friends, or pledging a fraternity, or going through basic training, or dodging incoming fire, or working to pass a bill, or communing as a group in order to formulate a plan to set people free, or supporting each other in an attempt to stave off what plagues you...etc...you know the look I speak of. A common goal, and a common initiative, and understanding that 'this is why we're here, and nothing is going to change that understanding...that mutual love...' Monks are cool. They have an unwavering faith that I admire. I wish I could believe in something like that.

But wait...In a lot of ways I do...

I have an unwavering faith in my true friends. Pitchfork, Ski-Dog, Kee and even Hammy...There is a real calmness in knowing that certain people TRULY know you and love you despite all your mistakes. People that understand that everyone has a learning curve. Loyal fellow Monks that have seen you at your worst, and continue to accept you as an intregal part of their existence. Not only accept, but desire you to be a part of their existence. And that is Love. That is God. That is reason to continue to Exist. That is Blessing. Happiness like that, happiness like Camping, doesn't come around without a Higher Power...

Some of my best night's sleep have been realized through the acceptance that my fellow Monks are close by, surrounding the campfire, watching over my form in the middle of the forest, (and although cracking jokes), love our time spent communing with which-ever God we collectively sense...as the moon eclipses our Valhalla.

A Pic Test

2005-04-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

My buddy Pitchfork is helping me learn how to post images from the internet. This is a bit of a trial run. This dude is some soccer player that I guess I resemble according to The Fork.

United States vs. Reid (The Shoe Bomber.)

2005-02-07T07:28:00.000-08:00
January 30, 2003

Ruling by Judge William Young, US District Court. Prior to sentencing, the Judge asked the defendant if he had anything to say. His response: After admitting his guilt to the court for the record, Reid also admitted his "allegiance to Osama bin Laden, to Islam, and to the religion of Allah," defiantly stated "I think I ought not apologize for my actions," and told the court "I am at war with your country."

Judge Young then delivered the statement quoted below, a stinging condemnation of Reid in particular and terrorists in general:

Judge Young: Mr. Richard C. Reid, hearken now to the sentence the Court imposes upon you. On counts 1, 5 and 6 the Court sentences you to life in prison in the custody of the United States Attorney General. On counts 2, 3, 4 and 7, the Court sentences you to 20 years in prison on each count, the sentence on each count to run consecutive with the other. That's 80 years. On count 8 the Court sentences you to the mandatory 30 years consecutive to the 80 years just imposed. The Court imposes upon you each of the eight counts a fine of $250,000 for the aggregate fine of $2 million. The Court accepts the government's recommendation with respect to restitution and orders restitution in the amount of$298.17 to Andre Bousquet and $5,784 to American Airlines. The Court imposes upon you the$800 special assessment.

The Court imposes upon you five years supervised release simply because the law requires it. But the life sentences are real life sentences so I need go no further. This is the sentence that is provided for by our statutes. It is a fair and just sentence. It is a righteous sentence.

Let me explain this to you. We are not afraid of you or any of your terrorist coconspirators, Mr. Reid. We are Americans. We have been through the fire before. There is all too much war talk here and I say that to everyone with the utmost respect. Here in this court, where we deal with individuals as individuals and care for individuals as individuals. As human beings, we reach out for justice.

You are not an enemy combatant. You are a terrorist. You are not a soldier in any war. You are a terrorist. To give you that reference, to call you a soldier, gives you far too much stature. Whether it is the officers of government who do it or your attorney who does it, or that happens to be your view, you are a terrorist...And we do not negotiate with terrorists. We do not treat with terrorists. We do not sign documents with terrorists. We hunt them down one by one and bring them to justice.

So war talk is way out of line in this court. You are a big fellow. But you are not that big. You're no warrior. I know warriors. You are a terrorist. A species of criminal guilty of multiple attempted murders.

In a very real sense, State Trooper Santiago had it right when you first were taken off that plane and into custody and you wondered where the press and where the TV crews were and he said you're no big deal. Sorry for the let down, but you've have been thinking more highly of yourself than you should.

You're no big deal.

What your counsel, what your able counsel and what the equally able United States attorneys have grappled with and what I have as honestly as I know how tried to grapple with, is why you did something so horrific. What was it that led you here to this courtroom today?
I have listened respectfully to what you have to say. And I ask you to search your heart and ask yourself what sort of unfathomable hate led you to do what you are guilty and admit you are guilty of doing. And I have an answer for you. It may not satisfy you, but as I search this entire record, it comes as close to understanding as I know.

It seems to me you hate the one thing that is most precious. You hate our freedom. Our individual freedom. Our individual freedom to live as we choose, to come and go as we choose, to believe or not believe as we individually choose. Here, in this society, the very winds carry freedom. They carry it everywhere from sea to shining sea. It is because we prize individual freedom so much that you are here in this beautiful courtroom. So that everyone can see, truly see, that justice is administered fairly, individually, and discretely. It is for freedom's sake that your lawyers are striving so vigorously on your behalf and have filed appeals, will go on in their representation of you before other judges.

We care about it. Because we all know that the way we treat you, Mr. Reid, is the measure of our own liberties. Make no mistake though. It is yet true that we will bare any burden; pay any price, to preserve our freedoms. Look around this courtroom. Mark it well The world is not going to long remember what you or I say here. Day after tomorrow, it will be forgotten, but this, however, will long endure. Here in this courtroom and courtrooms all across America, the American people will gather to see that justice, individual justice, justice, not war, individual justice is in fact being done. The very President of the United States, through his officers will have to come into courtrooms and lay out evidence on which specific matters can be judged, and juries of citizens will gather to sit and judge that evidence democratically, to mold and shape and refine our sense of justice.

See that flag, Mr Reid? That's the flag of the United States of America.

That flag will fly there long after this is all forgotten. That flag stands for freedom. You know it always will.Mr. Custody Officer. Stand him down.

American Standard Crew

2004-10-04T07:13:00.000-07:00
American Standard's Last Show

At the end of May, 2004, my band American Standard ended our run of rockin' da house as only we know how to do. Pictured from left to right is our Drummer Dondi, our Producer Lenny, our Guitarist Keith and finally me, our Singer/Keyboardist. This pic was taken at the afterparty at about 5am...we we're all a bit looped at the time...which is how we do at the A.S. afterparties.

Strange Dreams Last Night

2004-09-24T11:45:00.000-07:00
The Dream: I remember traveling to Europe with my ex-wife and my two best buddies Ski-dog and Sarge. It was a futuristic setting...as if we were all actually living 100 years from now. We teleported as opposed to flying for example. Once we got there, I became seperated from everybody...and the rest of the dream was filled with anxiety ridden chase scenes and strange garbled telephone calls as I tried to figure out where my friends were. I remember running through the city and seeing a building that was currently under construction. Suddenly there was a tremendous shake, and the bricks from the building began to collapse. An older construction worker was buried partially and all that you could see of him was his head which was smashed. I remember witnissing this episode while standing next to a homeless black dude. The homeless guy suggested we say a prayer for him and we bowed our heads and did so. And then I was off running again, being chased by an unknown force. I'd say the dream was probably inspired by The Bourne Identity, the World Trade Center Attacks, and the recent Beheadings in Iraq. Pretty intense anxiety ridden adventure...