Anything from current events, campaign finance reform, sports (especially baseball), corporate/political/legal ethics, pop culture, confessions of a recovering comic book addict, and probably some overly indulgent discourses about my 3-year old daughter. E-Mail: sardonicviews -at- sbcglobal.net
 
 
   
 
   
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Saturday, June 26, 2004
 

Weekend Cheer


Don't worry, she was holding the pretzels before she started playing with the dirt. She didn't pick them off the ground.  Posted by Hello
 

Fell a little behind on the weekly pictures for Angie. These were from a couple days spent at the local pool. Posted by Hello
 

It's All About Integrity

This is too funny.

The New York Times pulled its computer college football rankings out of the formula used by the Bowl Championship Series to determine which teams play for the national championship.

Richard Meislin, editor of news surveys for the newspaper, said Thursday that the rankings' inclusion in the BCS was a conflict of interest, according to the Times' ethics guidelines.

The newspaper also withdrew from the BCS formula in 2001, citing editorial policy, but rejoined in 2002.

"We've been reviewing a lot of what we do with an eye toward conflicts of interest," Meislin said. "Being part of the BCS puts us in position to be influencing events we cover."

Times reporters also are not allowed to vote for the Heisman Trophy or the Tony Awards, Meislin noted.

A few thoughts spring to mind

1) Good. The NYTimes college rankings were always the worst and most confusing. Last year the had Auburn and VA Tech as #1 and #2 in preseason, and it stayed useless all year long. I don't expect it to be any more logical next year. Taking them out of the mix sure won't hurt a lousy system.

2) On their forbidding their reporters from voting on the Heisman: Considering the lack of real local football powers in the NYC Metro, it would seem that the NYTimes would have been in better position than most other papers to have its reporters vote on things without being unduly influenced. Are they suggesting biases other than regional might play a part?

3) On both the poll and the voting. This is the kind of window dressing, cop-out that I find to be useless bs. They parade it around as a high ethical thing. And you could, arguably make the case. But what it really looks like is a shell game. Showing this standard by declaring that they don't want to influence the events they cover, when the reality is that just by choosing to cover something they are influencing things. They aren't just producing box scores. They are talking about the game, the coaches, the players. There inevitably will be some biases in a story, you can't pretend otherwise. The NYTimes, despite everything that has happened to them in the last couple of years still can't seem to figure that out.
 

Yeah, That Was Subtle

The attacks between the two local alt weeklies Cleveland Scene and Free Times, has cooled in the last couple months. Maybe because both realized no one cared, or that it didn't make a difference to readers -- other than for amusement. No one was going to stop reading one or the other. Most will read both. There isn't a lot of material in either, if you aren't looking for sex ads, lines, personals and such.

Scene, though, seems to be taking a new tact. Taking shots at some allies of Free Times. Cool Cleveland, which in a very short span has gone from being a simple e-mail newsletter about cultural activities in the Cleveland area to a nice website with online columns, trying to galvanize political support in the arts community, and organizing some of the activities to bring the arts community and others together. The creator Thomas Mulready, has done guest columns in the Free Times, and CC has gotten some positive publicity from Free Times.

Last week Cool Cleveland sponsored a pretty big party in Cleveland Heights at Cedar & Lee. A couple hundred showed for the party, and it appeared to be a success. I didn't attend.

Scene, needed to diss it in some way, by claiming the attendees were offended by a very visible labor protest across the street that featured a giant inflatable rat.

At a Cool Cleveland bash on Coventry last Thursday, wannabe hipsters flocked to the neighborhood anchored by the venerable Cedar Lee Theater, which shows movies with no explosions or car chases, which means they're art.
...
Alas, it seems that Cool Clevelanders aren't big on livable wages -- at least for anybody but themselves. They told Galinac they were offended by the presence of a 12-foot rodent parked in the middle of their party, which was soooo inappropriate.

"Some people thought it was over the top," Galinac says. "It looked like Godzilla. It was taller than the marquee."

Even business owners on the block thought the Cool Clevelanders were getting upset over nothing. "It didn't bother me," says Kevin Needham, owner of the Pub on Lee.

So who was actually offended? Scene is snarkily taking a shot at the entire group with alleged second hand claims that "Some people thought it was over the top," and conflating it to offending their delicate sensibilities.

Weak.

Friday, June 25, 2004
 

My Way

Well, it looks like I got something like a troll. More like a gnat really. A "tim Y factor" who couldn't be bothered to leave a real e-mail address had been doing a Google search for "big east" "penn state" "East Coast Conference" and this site came up 14th on the list. Appaperntly for this post back in November of 2002. This sort of thing and probably my stuff from last spring on the ACC raid on the Big East in his mind constitutes "whining" about Joe Paterno. So he left me some comments in my more recent posts that have no connection.

My blog, my rules. I'm willing to argue or debate those who are willing. I'm not, however going to get caught up with a troll.

[EDITOR NOTE: The guy e-mailed me agreed to stay off the site if I remove his IP address from the blog. That's fine. So I have.]

And dude, you want scores. Just remember the last one 12-0.
 

Draft Day

I used to love watching the NBA Draft on TNT. Ernie Johnson, Kenny "The Jet" Smith, Charles Barkley, and some guest commentator who seemed lost or way too nice to speak the truth -- usually a former NBA coach or present college coach -- at the desk; with Craig Saeger doing the interviews. They were right down there, and the fans at the draft would often insert themselves into the event (go to Bill Simmons Draft Diaries and Top 50 moments for more). The desk crew was right down there on the floor. The fans seemed only a few yards away. Made it feel very intimate and close. And with Barkley, of course, there was a lot of blunt, funny stuff.

This year ESPN has the draft. Not nearly as funny, and they took the fans out of it. With great editing, well timed commercial breaks and/or thei desk location. The anchor desk was somewhere above and away from the crowd.I just couldn't catch the fans chants. Luckily, you can find out some of what happened. The NBA.com has its Draft page. The NBA also had a draft blog (but no direct links to posts). Turns out the NBA does a lot of blogs like this. The NBA is still the most forward thinking, media smart, fan friendly league.

The blog lets you know that the crowd at MSG was as good as ever, though ESPN did their best to hide it. Some excerpts

Charles Chant
Posted by Rob Peterson (NBA.com) on June 24 2004, 11:15 p.m. ET

The remaining fans at the Theater are clearly bored. They've been riding Tom Tolbert all night and finally started a chant "We want Barkley." I don't think they want former St. John's guard Erick Barkley.

The only saving grace about the whole sordid episode was that Earth, Wind and Fire's "September" blasted from the Theater's speakers at the time.
...
Rwod Rscblame
Posted by Rob Peterson (NBA.com) on June 24 2004, 9:08 p.m. ET

When ESPN is at commercial, every once in a while they'll run an NBA Brain Teaser: Word Scramble on the big screens at the Theater. The first one of the night was: Bernol Amsej.

I didn't see the answer. Can someone fill me in?

And in one of the coldest moments of the night, they flashed Jameer Nelson's face on the screen to Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me." That's too cold.
...
Magic on the Clock
Posted by Rob Peterson (NBA.com) on June 24 2004, 7:35 p.m. ET

The Commish has stepped to the podium and welcomed everyone. The Magic are on the clock.

OK, I know this isn't supposed to be a newsy blog, but the No. 1 pick is always an event, especially this year with the T-Mac "situation" hanging over the franchise.

Stephen A. Smith also has received the Layden treatment. It's a rowdy group tonight.

Bradley Rocks the House
Posted by Rob Peterson (NBA.com) on June 24 2004, 7:30 p.m. ET

Shawn Bradley's here at the NBA Draft. The fans went nuts, showering him with love!

And Tom Tolbert has replaced former Knicks GM Scott Layden as the subject of the annual MSG Theater chant.

This may have been my last NBA draft to watch unless I know a Pitt player is going. ESPN just doesn't get it.

UPDATE: Simmons have his 2004 draft diary up. IT gives me one more reason to regret ESPN showing the draft rather than TNT.

7:35 -- Just realized that I'm writing a column about a telecast that involves Dick Vitale, Stu Scott, Tom Tolbert and Stephen A. Smith ... and all of them are off-limits.

You can only imagine.
 

Euclid Murder Mystery

Dead man found in an unused hotel room, in a hotel that had been a haven for drugs and prostitution. Sounds like the opening of a standard detective story.

A 46-year-old man was found shot to death at a Euclid hotel, his naked body wrapped in plastic garbage bags.

Douglas Green of Euclid was identified Thursday afternoon, about 24 hours after construction workers discovered his body in an empty suite at the Lake Erie Lodge on Euclid Avenue, police said. The room was being used for storage during hotel renovation. Workers had not been in the room since Monday
.

Green was shot four times in the back of the head with a small caliber firearm. He was a singer, and so far no one claims he had any enemies. Adding to the intrigue, it appears the body was moved to the hotel room after he had been killed. No easy task since Green was 6' 2", 240 pounds. His 98 Ford Explorer is still missing.

The hotel had a bad history in the last 10-20 years. The owner had purchased the hotel some time before the City of Euclid tried to shut it down. He has been working over the last few years to renovate the place, and has apparently the place had been improving. This probably won't help.


 

Too Many Puns...

Too many double entendres...

I don't even know where to would begin with a story like this.

A full-frontal scene in the actor's upcoming movie, A Home at the End of the World, has been cut because audiences were purportedly distracted by [Colin] Farrell's supposedly massive member.

Members of both sexes cheered at the unrobed Irishman during a test audience screening of the flick recently, disrupting what was supposed to be a poignant scene, according to the New York Post. (In a slightly differing account, the New York Daily News reported that the audience "gasped.")

"That was never what we intended," producer John Hart told the Post Wednesday.

"None of us are prudish, Colin Farrell least of all, but when we saw that it was pulling people out of the movie--why would we do that to the story?"

On the flip side, several online reports suggest that Farrell was "fluffed" before his big scene.

The more I think about this, I'm not sure where to end with this story.

Wednesday, June 23, 2004
 

Keep it Odd

I mean, on the bright side for Edwards, the recommendation didn't come from Al "kiss of death" Gore.

Democrat John Kerry is getting some advice on his choice for vice president from an unlikely source: rival Ralph Nader.

In an open letter sent Wednesday, the independent presidential candidate urged Kerry to choose John Edwards as his running mate, saying the North Carolina senator and former trial lawyer has been thoroughly vetted and is committed to protecting the right of consumers to sue corporations that harm them.

Anyone remember when Ralph Nader wasn't a punch line?
 

Half the Picture

You have to be amused or pissed. One of the two. Since I've had the aforementioned large bourbon, I choose to be amused.

One of the local alts, has a semi-regular column called "Notes on Race and Class," from Roger T. Jones. Jones took a lot of shots at Bill Cosby at the beginning of June for actually saying that a number lower income blacks weren't doing their part in the social contract of welfare and education.

So, this week Jones goes after the Cleveland Board of Education for failing the students and creating the deficit. The school board has been appointed by the Mayor since the 90s, when the miserable failing schools came completely under the state control. So, the problems are not exactly new. Jones complains that the board should resign en masse for the way it "has mismanaged school affairs." Jones, of course, conveniently ignores that of the 9 members, 6 were first appointed in 2003 and the other 3 back in 1998. Here is a list and pictures of the board. Clearly the board must be the problem.

For example, the appointed board passed a budget that reduces textbook spending in 2005 by $1.5 million to $0. The new budget allows for no new textbooks, no replacement textbooks (for lost texts), and a reduction in magazine purchases and other supplemental materials. At the same time, however, the budget provides for an increase in district public relations spending from $1.29 million in the 2004 budget to $1.403 in the 2005 budget.

Hey, the public relations must be working. No where in the column does Jones mention the school superintendent, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, as bearing any responsibility. In fact, she is only mentioned in passing about his example school.

Talking about college, during the same board meeting, Byrd-Bennett and some board members handed out accolades to seven African-American males who graduated near the top of their class at Martin Luther King High School and who are all college-bound. That suggests how desperate the district and board are in looking for anything that could substitute for success. They strain hard to grasp anything that looks like success and laud it even when it is pyrite — fool's gold.

At the same time that MLK produced those seven male students at the top of its graduating class, the district failed to graduate more than seven out of 10 African-American, Latino and white students who entered high school with them. That fact did not even elicit a collective murmur or even public hand-wringing from the district or the board, both of which are aware of the numbers.

MLK High (PDF)had a total of 324 students in 2002-03, and I believe qualifies as being in a lower economic area, but it doesn't break the student numbers down by race. The city of Cleveland has a population where around 50% are African-American. Based on that, that would roughly suggest that nearly 4 of 7 failing to graduate students were black. Seems a lot closer to the "made-up graduation statistics" of Bill Cosby. Should I wonder how it is funny that a column on race decides to lump African-American, Latino and white students together in the failure rate, rather than get more specific? Nah. Instead, I think I'll just wonder what responsibility the students and parents have in graduating and getting an education. Mr. Jones seems to think it isn't theirs.
 

Age and Music

In the month and a half that I've had DSL, I've really come to appreciate internet radio. It just wasn't worth the effort on dial-up, but it has been a wonderful thing to finally experience something I've been reading about for a few years. The station I've listened to most frequently has been Flashback Alternatives. It plays mostly alternative music from the '80s. Not the flashback stuff you hear on the radio. I mean a lot of the college radio bands from the 80s. The stuff I listened to at the tail end of high school and through college.

I try not to navel gaze too much over getting old. I mean, other than the daily urge to shave my head to just put an end to knowing my bald spot (Spot? Try field.) is working it's way to the inevitable meeting with the receding hairline (the wife won't let me go Agassi with the clippers).

Still, it kind of bothered me that I was listening stuff that was 15-25 years old and being very happy about it. I used to listen to new music all the time, I liked finding new things. What happened?

I don't believe that the music is really worse than when I was younger, and I still hear newer bands that I like (Jet, Black Eyed Peas {yes, despite the overplayed NBA finals promos}, the Strokes and Evanescence -- come to mind). But I find myself listening and preferring the music I used to listen to, or listening to more stuff in the blues and jazz genres.

It occurred to me, though, that I don't have the time to sort through all of the dreck that is out there like I used to. I'm not out at clubs and places that I might hear more of the new stuff, without a choice. I don't seek out reviews of new music to find some gems that might be worth a listen. It just isn't high on my list to go looking for newer music. It's easier to just listen to the stuff I know that I enjoy. I have neither the time nor the inclination to put the effort forth to find it.

Translation: I'm turning into my father. Now if you'll excuse me, I need a rather large drink of bourbon.

Tuesday, June 22, 2004
 

What Were You Doing When...

This may be fun (via Damian Penny).

1. Where were you when you heard that Ronald Reagan died?
Home doing some housework.

2. Where were you on September 11, 2001?
At work. I was checking a news site when I saw a linked headline about a crash into the World Trade Center. The net was so jammed I couldn't get the article. Shortly, thereafter, no news site could be accessed from all of the people trying to find out more information. Like most, I first thought it was some tragic accident. Then the second one hit, and then the crash at the Pentagon. Then it was really confusing with the mixed reports about the final plane that ended up going down in Pennsylvania. The radio was piped in over the speaker phones and most of us just sat in our offices listening the rest of the day.

No work was accomplished, but they didn't send us home. The wife was sent home. She spent the entire day watching replays on CNN.

3. Where were you when you heard that Princess Diana died?
Dealing with a hangover at a friends place in Cleveland. I had just moved to Youngstown for a job, and came back for a wedding. We had been drinking all night, and as soon as we heard we turned off the TV because no one cared to hear media coverage. She was dead. Sad, but not that earthshattering.

4. Do you remember where you were when you heard Kurt Cobain had died?
Oh, yes. We were already drinking on that Friday morning/early afternoon.

5. Take one for The Gipper: What’s your favorite flavor of jelly bean?
Sour apple.

6. Where were you when Magic Johnson announced he was retiring from the NBA due to AIDS?
At Pitt. Heard the news after getting back from the library. I remember sitting around in someone's apartment with a bunch of friends drinking (again) while wating for the Arsenio Hall Show so we could hear it from Magic.

7. Where were you when Reagan was shot?
I don't remember. I know it didn't seem particularly real. Reagan didn't seem like a real person at the time. He was the President.

8.Where were you when the Challenger exploded?
Sitting in High School Spanish class. Dear old Lebanon High. We had an elderly Chinese woman teaching us Spanish (seriously), the worst Spanish teacher ever. There was an announcement over the intercom, and then she turned on the TV and we kept watching replays of its explosion over and over.

9. Where were you when the 0J verdict was announced?
Law school. Everyone was crowded into the student lounge around the TV. I had long stopped following the trial because it had become excrutiating to watch. That day, though, I saw the kind of racial divide still occurring regardless of education or wealth. Very jarring.
 

That One is Out of Here

For all I know, this one is already linked on every blog, but there's a good reason. Hitchens eviscerates Michael Moore and his movie. Read the whole thing.
 

Quiet Time

Another month, another power outage. We had one last month. This one was a little longer. Just about an hour (7:35 -8:30 am). Seems insane to keep having outages like this when we live only a couple miles from the power plant.

Monday, June 21, 2004
 

Unintended Break

I didn't intend to go this long without posting. It's just that the last week has been a little busy. I mentioned that my mom was staying with us for a week leading up to Angie's 2nd birthday. Well, despite having her there to look after Angie, time was at a premium. There was plenty I needed to do to get things ready for the party and a backlog of other chores that I wanted to do while I was not watching Angie for the week. Ultimately, I got most of the things done, but the consequence was that I found little time to do any blogging.

Blogging should resume soon.

 

 
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