On the Right Side of Hypocrisy!

Blogging Course

2008-02-19T09:04:00.000-05:00

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

The best blogging techniques.
How to get traffic to your blog.
How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

Ethics in America, and the problem with the government.

2007-08-16T22:46:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I was at the doctor's office. While sitting and waiting for my appointment (a 3 hour wait is typical) an asian man walked in with a garbage bag. He barely spoke english, but new everyone and everyone knew him. He placed the bag on the counter and everyone came running like he was Santa Claus.

He then pulled out close to 100 DVD's of today's newest movies currently in theaters. Movies like Harry Potter, Hairspray, Rush Hour 3, Ratitouile, Transformers, and much more. The nurses, receptionists, and even the doctors were buying away. Patients then started to take notice and made their purchases sometimes fighting over who was going to get the last copy of Hairspray. Each DVD was only $5, came in a poly sleeve and included a picture of the movie.

What boggled my mind was one of the doctors actions. He came out of his room where he was seeing a patient to "exchange" 4 movies he had received the week before because the quality wasn't good. Can you imagine the nerve? Paying $5 for a stolen movie and then demanding quality? Forget the nerve, can you imagine the ethics? I guess the hypocratic oath says nothing about purchasing pirated DVD's.

I sat there in amazment at what I was seeing. Don't get me wrong, I am not that naive to not know people are selling pirated movies and many people are buying them. I know of the stories of watching DVD's and seeing people throwing popcorn in the air and hearing people talk and laugh, and one report of a screen so dirty that you could see the soda stains in the movie where people threw their cups of drinks at the screen. No doubt in protest of a Michael Moore movie. But what I was witnessing was different. The attitudes of the people was astonishing to me, and more so, the doctors!!!

I chalked it up to greedy Americanism... Yes, I am still a republican conservative.

But today topped it off.

I just read an article about how the pentagon paid $998,769 to ship two 19 cent washers to a Texas airforce base. I at first assumed it was a pentagon problem and it was some glitch and a typo got through or something. Turns out, a company owned by 2 sisters (twins) found a flaw in the government's payable system. Any purchase order marked priority and eventually desitined for a war zone (Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.) was paid without questioning shipping charges. Over the past few years, these 2 women discovered the flaw, and started charging massive amounts of shipping fees, each growing over time and totalling over $20,000,000 that's 20 million dollars for what cost them $100 in shipping costs. These were things like machine screws, washers, and other small hardware items which mainly cost less than $1 and I would assume could be purchased at a local hardware shop. (read full story here)

Now that brings up many issues:

1 - The ethics of these 2 are staggaring, yes. But the GREED of these two is even worse. Imagine if you were so inclined to steal and found a good thing, would you not be thankful for the free money and charge just under what would be considered unsuspicious? Would you not think that maybe SOMEONE, even someone totally incompatent might suspect a $1,000,000 shipping charge for a bill totalling 38 cents? Sorry, but these two deserve to be tried as traders. (By the way, one has since died. I hope the burns from the flames hurt like the place your now living!)

2 - A perfect example of the staggering incompetancy of the government and further PROOF as to why the government should be limited to what they control and can do. As if the motor vehicle department wasn't proof enough, maybe Hillary should take a look at this before she embarks on one of her socialized medicine tantrams.

Wake up and smell the Starbucks people!!!! As a republican, I am all for making money and living a nice life with the money you earned. But remember those 7 deadly sins? Do we need a lesson? No, it isn't that America deserved to get attacked because of our greed, that is just stupidity! It is however we need to attack ourselves (no, not with planes Mr. and Mrs. conspiricy couple) by looking in the mirror, and smacking ourselves back to reality.

We need to:

see what we have and not what we have not
know what we need, and not what we want
hear what people mean, and not what they are saying
feel how others feel, and not only what we feel
wake up and smell the coffee, but don't drink it at $5 a cup!

Come back tomorrow, I will be talking about some of my favorite stories on this same theme.

In the meantime, go in peace, help others!

An Atheist and a Bear

2007-07-03T10:28:00.001-04:00

And now since my graduation, I thought it appropriate for an atheist joke (sorry, I found it funny, but it probably says more about the "Christian than the atheist!) ;-)

An atheist was taking a walk through the woods, admiring all that evolution had
created.

"What majestic trees! What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals!", he said to himself. As he was walking along the river, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. When he turned to see what the casue was, he saw a 7-foot grizzly charging right towards him. He ran as fast as he could. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was closing, He ran even faster, crying in fear. He looked over his shoulder again, and the bear was even closer.
His heart was pounding and he tried to run even faster.
He tripped and fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up, but saw the bear right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw and raising his right paw to strike him.
At that moment, the Atheist cried out "Oh my God!...." Time stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent. Even the river stopped moving. As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky, "You deny my existence for all of these years; teach others I don''t exist; and even credit creation to a cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?"
The atheist looked directly into the light "It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask You to treat me as Christian now, but perhaps could you make the bear a Christian?"
"Very well," said the voice.
The light went out. The river ran again. And the sounds of the forest resumed.
And then the bear dropped his right paw ..... brought both paws together...bowed his head and spoke: "Lord, for this food which I am about to receive, I am truly thankful."

Diakonia Graduation

2007-07-03T10:02:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, June 23, 2007, I graduated from the ELCA's (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) 2 year Diakonia Program. Now a diakonia graduate, I will do a 1 year internship as a church deacon in my local church, and then become "set aside" as a rostered synodical deacon.

Here are some pictures from the graduation ceremony including one of the Bishop and I.

The Ethics of Embryonic Stem Cell Research

2007-05-30T10:51:00.000-04:00

(This was a paper I wrote for my Diakonia class on Christian Ethics, from an ELCA Lutheran standpoint)

The Ethics of Embryonic Stem Cell Research

One of the most popular TV shows today is a game show called Deal or No Deal. In it the player is offered various sums of money. All the person has to do is hit the button when he or she feels the offer is high enough to accept. Annoyingly, the people usually don’t have much money, are offered hundreds of thousands of dollars, and they turn it down in hopes of walking away with a million. Usually, the greedy individuals walk away with a few hundred or less.

But what does that have to do with the purpose of this paper? Absolutely nothing, other than it reminds me of one of my favorite episodes of the Twilight Zone.

In the episode, called Button, Button, a husband and wife were given, what else, but a button. They were told that they should keep the button for a week, and then the owner would return to pick it up. Should they press the button, they would receive $1,000,000 in cash, big money in those days. The catch, someone would die, someone they didn’t know, someone who had killed someone else and probably deserved to die. Immediately, the couple both refused to press the button, or even take the button. A life wasn’t worth $1,000,000, even one that had killed another. The owner left the button with them for a week anyway, just in case they changed their minds. As the days past, the button became more intriguing. They certainly needed the money, and the person did kill someone else. This reasoning went on for days. The husband, disgusted by his wife’s disregard for human life, threw the button out. The wife sneakily retrieved it, and eventually, I believe on the last day, finally pressed the button. After all, she didn’t know the person, how would that affect her life. I don’t remember her name, I just call her Eve!

This show made a huge impression on me, it had so many lessons I can’t even list them all. I won’t give away the ending, but if you ever get a chance to see it, do so.

Anyway, that got me thinking. What if you or I were given a button? What would we do? What if you were offered $10,000,000 or maybe more? What would it take for you to press the button? Let’s change it around a little bit. What if the prize was not cash, but life? What if by pressing the button, you still killed someone, but saved someone else? Let’s say, someone close to you, like a spouse, or child? Supposed this person was dying, had cancer or was paralyzed and by killing the person you don’t know, it would somehow save your spouse or child! Would you press the button now?

What if I told you the other person was going to die anyway, but by pressing the button, when he died, it would save the life of your spouse or child? How about if it was a fetus, say a few weeks old? Would you press the button to save your sick relative now? What if it was a fertized egg, say a 4 day old embryo, still merely a few cells? How about an unfertilized egg? Would you trade life for another? Would you trade the potential for life, for life? What if it was you who was sick or paralyzed or blind? When if ever would you hit that button?

In our Diakonia class I once made the mistake of trying to prove a point by separating myself into 2 people, one we will call secular John, the other Christian John. It was quickly pointed out that unless I was schizophrenic, the two John’s should really be one. Not entirely true according to Luther’s two kingdoms principle, but in any case, I was trying to make a point. Either I was a hypocrite, wanting one thing but preaching another, or I was very confused, perhaps even a bit schizophrenic. What it boiled down to is being a Christian in a secular society is not easy and nothing proves this more than the stem cell research debate.

I had heard Bush doesn’t want to fund stem cell research, I had heard Christopher Reeves would be alive and walking if it wasn’t for Bush’s illegalization of stem cell research, I had heard that stem cell research would kill babies, but I also heard, it would save lives. Most of what I heard of course was untrue or unfounded, but I don't want to turn this into a political debate. More importantly anyway, was what I didn’t hear. What I didn't hear was what stem cell research was exactly, and what the big deal was that it had extremists on either side screaming and yelling like we were debating Roe vs. Wade.

So I did some research about the research. In order to decide if something is ethical, you need to know what it is, why it would and wouldn’t be ethical, and what both sides have to say about the issue. You need to get down to the exact problem, so you know what facts to look for to back up your side of the debate or to make an informed decision. Here is what I found out.

Simplistically, Stem Cell Therapy is taking good healthy cells and injecting or otherwise implanting them into a body where bad cells exist. Hopefully, the good cells will replace the bad cells and the person would be cured of anything from blindness, paralysis, and other nerve related illnesses to cancer and other illnesses that destroy parts of your body. Surprisingly to me, Stem Cell Therapy already is in use and working in many countries, including the U.S.
The theory is that we all start out as an egg and a sperm. When fertilized, the egg then multiplies its cells into more cells. Like that old hair shampoo commercial, 2 becomes 4 becomes 8 becomes 16 and so on and so on until we become billions of cells. But not just one type of cell, those original cells have become other types of cells. Some liver, some kidney, some blood, some brain, etc… Since we know the original cells can become any other cell, in theory it is those cells we want.

Apparently, our success with using cells to heal illnesses works, but so far, only with “adult” cells. One example is using bone marrow to cure leukemia. Much progress is also being made with cord blood cells taken during delivery of a baby. As a matter of fact, so much so that cord blood banks are popping up all over the place so new parents can store their babies cord blood cells just in case they need them when they get older. Because it is there own, there is less chance of bodily rejection.

So far so good right? Well, not so fast.

See the adult cells can really only be used to help with a single type of cell replacement. For example, liver cells can be used primarily to cure liver disease. Another problem is they don’t multiply very well. They are sometimes too old. I know the feeling. So, scientists started focusing on cord blood cells. They are closer to the kind of cells they want to use because they can become many other types of cells, they are younger, healthier cells and they are in a simpler, more pliable form so to speak. They also multiply very easily.

Ultimately though, scientists want those original cells, the ones that can in theory, become anything. Those are called embryonic stem cells.

So now the problem, it means killing the embryo. It means, taking a 4 – 10 day old fertilized egg (embryo), and killing it for its cells. The cells are then taken and made to multiply, then injected into the diseased individual where the good new cells would “attack” the bad cells and replace them. Essentially, those who oppose this say you are trading one life for another. Others say it is merely cells, and still others use the term “potential for life”. Does this sound familiar?

The real problem of this ethical dilemma then is do we kill 4-10 day old embryos, babies, cells, whatever you want to call them, to cure a multitude of diseases for thousands of people? In simplistic terms trading life for life. At first I thought I had my answer, “Thou shall not kill!” It all boils down to that, and that is exactly how many feel. Perhaps that should be the end of it. But though this has many similarities to abortion, it did have some things that were different enough to warrant more thought and insight.

What really got me thinking was a conversation I had with a couple from my church, also friends of mine; at least they are still talking to me, for now. I knew their views on many topics. They are staunch, right wing, conservatives. Bring up homosexuality, and you may as well be talking about the apocalypse. What shocked me was the wife was pro-choice on the abortion issue. “It’s killing a baby!” she said, but then continued, “But it is her choice, it is between her and God!” I had to ask, “Isn’t homosexuality between those people and God?” “No” she said, “because that is an abomination and unnatural”. By the way, the husband didn’t know she was pro-choice after 30 years of marriage. He is still on the phone with his divorce lawyer.

So I asked her, what about stem cell research? She said she was against it. After cleaning my ears I asked again. “So let me understand. You are pro-choice when it comes to a woman aborting a baby or fetus, depending on your outlook, but not when it comes to saving lives by killing a 4 day old fertilized egg?” She explained, but I still don’t understand the answer in full to be honest. I did get one thing out of it however, “Life begins at conception!”

So there it was, right in front of me. Everyone agrees it is killing, what they don’t agree on is what they are killing. So the real problem is not is it okay to kill, but rather, when does life begin.

For Roman Catholics, life begins not only at conception, but prior to that, at the “potential for life.” This is the reason the Roman Catholic Church, (and I don’t mean the people that make up the church, but rather the hierarchy of the church) don’t allow for the use of contraception.
The ELCA website had no social statement on Embryonic Stem Cell Research. But considering they allow for abortion under certain circumstances, but don’t encourage it, and it should be a last resort, I figure they had to have a similar philosophy on this topic. They did have some “papers’ or articles on Stem Cell Research, and they made some great points in that direction. One in particular summarizes what may be my current feelings of when life begins. It stated that life may begin at conception, but human life is a gradual thing that happens after time as the fetus and mother bond. This does not happen in a test tube or Petri dish.

However, regardless of when life begins, the truth is, stem cell research using adult cells and cord blood are making great strides, and you don’t have to kill anyone or anything. People all over the world are being cured of all kinds of diseases and it certainly makes me thankful that the human body can only physically last 125 years according to the experts; I don’t think I could last much longer than that! With that said, Embryonic Stem Cell Research is all theory. There is not one case I could find in any country where it worked at all. Not in animals, and certainly not in humans. It is all theory, maybe a valid one, but theory none the less. At this point, why bother with all the fuss.

Embryonic Stem Cell Research should be a last resort. If adult cells and cord blood cells don’t work for certain things and embryonic cells are shown to at least have potential, then I think ethically, using a 4 day old embryo is ok. That is where I pressed my button, but I only would press it after I was sure it could work and nothing else would.

Sadly, there are many other issues that may come up with this topic in the future. One of which is this could lead to cloning, creating life for parts, and more. Some say we should use medical waste, embryos after an abortion, unused invitro fertilized eggs, and more. We need to be careful that one thing doesn’t lead to another and we start to make body parts factories by growing people or parts for the express purpose of selling them to save others or people getting pregnant to have an abortion to save a relative. These are some valid ethical issues that we are not ready to deal with, especially within the confines of this paper.

So on this topic alone of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, the bible says nothing about it. It does however touch on a few related topics. “Treat others as you would have them treat you!”, “Thou shall not murder!” and more. In order for them all to apply here, it all comes down to this. When do you think human life begins? When would you have pressed the button?

Happy Mother's Day

2007-05-14T10:16:00.000-04:00

Here in the U.S. yesterday was Mother's Day. A day we thank our mother's for being who they are and for raising us and making us who we are.

One can not TRULY appreciate this day (or father's day) without being a mother or father. Yes, many will disagree with that statement, and as time goes on you may feel like you understand what it took for your mother/father to raise you. To put up with all your moods and phases and horrors you put them through as you matured. Yet, I maintain, unless you have or are raising one yourself, you can not TRULY understand. There is another level of comprehension and appretiation for your parents the day you bring new life into the world that is truly a part of you. It is a new level of love that only a parent can understand.

Having a child also put's into perspective how truly human we are; flawed though we may be. The mistakes your parents made can now be understood and hopefully forgiven, though never forgotten. Unfortunately it is sometimes those flaws that mold us. It is being a parent that looking deeply inside allows us to see the mistakes we have made and the effects they have. Yet as hard as we strive for perfection, the more we realize our failures and hopefully, our successes as well.

True understanding comes not from school, or even the bible. True understanding comes from looking in the eyes of your child. A better understanding of your parents decisions and thoughts, dreams and wishes, and if you look deep enough, a secret knowledge of who you are and those emotions held deep within that as hard as you might try, only appear on certain occasions. Yes, sometimes on mother's day, but mostly those events that are not on our nationwide calander, but rather our household calander. Those scribblings that say "Johnnies first baseball game", "Brooke's first dance recital", and dare I say "Heather's senior prom"?

Yes, Johnnie will drop his first fly ball, Brooke will slip on stage, and you will be up all night on prom night. You will probably cry at every one. Not tears of sadness, but tears of joy. You will sniffle and cover your eyes and never admit you were crying, even as you walk down the aisle arm and arm with your daughter, she will not understand. Not truly.

But you know that one day, as you now understand, so they will too. The day they take the time to look into their child's eyes and see themselves. The night their child falls asleep in the car and they carry them into their bed and they remember the feeling of you carrying them safely into their bed. The day they open their first mother's / father's day cards with scribbles that look like cave wall etchings, the day their own child drops his first ball or slips on stage.

It is on that day that you too will get a card or phone call from your children, and more tears will be shed, but this time, if someone looked closely enough at you, they will see a small smile on your face, perhaps a smirk, that sense your job is complete, they now understand, and perhaps even a sense of revenge!

God not in schools email! Shameful!

2007-05-08T09:58:00.000-04:00

So, I received this email the other day from a well meaning Christian friend of mine. Those who don't know me should know I am a reformed Catholic turned Lutheran and fairly involved in my church and take my religious beliefs seriously. Not to mention, I lean mostly toward the conservative side. So normally, you would think I would agree with this email. I put the email here and my response is below. Thoughts?

Dear God:
Why didn't you save the school children at ?. ..
Moses Lake, Washington 2/2/96
Bethel, Alaska 2/19/97
Pearl, Mississippi 10/1/97
West Paducah, Kentucky 12/1/97
Stamp, Arkansas 12/15/97
Jonesboro, Arkansas 3/24/98
Edinboro, Pennsylvania 4/24/98
Fayetteville, Tennessee 5/19/98
Springfield, Oregon 5/21/98
Richmond, Virginia 6/15/98
Littleton, Colorado 4/20/99
Taber, Albert a, Canada 5/28/99
Conyers, Georgia 5/20/99
Deming, New Mexico 11/19/99
Fort Gibson, Oklahoma 12/6/99
Santee, California 3/ 5/01
El Cajon, California 3/22/01
and Blacksburg, VA 4/16/07 ?

Sincerely,
Concerned
Student
-----------------------------------------------------
Reply:
Dear
Concerned Student:
Sorry, I am not allowed in schools.
Sincerely,
God

----------------------------------------------------------
How did
this get started?...
-----------------
Let's see,I think it started when
Madeline Murray O'Hare complained She didn't want any prayer in our
schools.
And we said, OK.
------------------
Then, someone said you
better not:
Read the Bible in school; the Bible that says"thou shalt not
kill, Thou shalt not steal, And love your neighbors as yourself,"
And we
said, OK...
-----------------
Dr. Benjamin Spock said We shouldn't spank
our children When they misbehaved Because their little personalities Would be
warped and we might damage their self-esteem.
And we said, An expert should
know what he's talking about So we won't spank them
anymore..
------------------
Then someone said Teachers and principals
better not Discipline our children when they misbehave. And the school
administrators said No faculty member in this school Better touch a student when
they misbehave Because we don't want any bad publicity, And we surely don't want
to be sued.
And we accepted their reasoning...
------------------
Then
someone said, let's let our daughters have abortions if they want, And they
won't even have to tell their parents.
And we said, that's a grand
idea.
------------------
Then some wise school board member said, Since
boys will be boys And they're going to do it anyway, let's give our sons all the
condoms they want, So they can have all the fun they desire, And we won't have
to tell their parents they got them at school.
And we said, that's another
great idea...
------------------
Then some of our top elected officials
said It doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs.
And
we said, It doesn't matter what anybody, including the President,Does in private
as long as we have jobs and the econ omy is
good....
------------------
And someone else took that appreciation a step
further And published pictures of nude children And then stepped further still
by Making them available on the Internet.
And we said, everyone's entitled to
free speech....
------------------
And the entertainment industry said,
let's make TV shows and movies that promote Profanity, violence and illicit
sex...And let's record music that encourages Rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and
satanic the mes...
And we said, it's just entertainment And it has no adverse
effect And nobody takes it seriously anyway, So go right
ahead.
------------------
Now we're asking ourselves Why our children have
no conscience, Why they don't know right from wrong, And why it doesn't bother
them to Kill strangers, classmates or even
themselves.
------------------
Undoubtedly, If we thought about it long
and hard enough, We could figure it out. I'm sure it has a great deal to do
with...
"WE REAP WHAT WE SOW"
------------------
Pass it on If you
think it has merit! If not then just discard it... But if you discard this
thought process, Then don't you dare sit back and complain about What bad shape
this country is in!!
Why is it our children can not read a Bible in school,
but can in Prison.

My response: (Slightly revised for posting here!)

Dearest Concerned Christian... (LOL)

While I understand the
"point" of this email, to blame the killings of the children on the fact that
God has been removed from school is wagging the dog. The blame should be
put on those responsible. Those who use this type of "advertisement" to
promote their agenda's are just as bad as the liberals who use a black man tied
to the back of a truck and dragged to his death to accuse Bush of racism.
(Not you of course, I am referring to the original author) Though the
basic ideals of the email certainly provide thought and should be discussed, I
actually find it too sensitive an issue to turn into propaganda.
The author makes many "Points" but they have nothing to do with school
shootings. Though some may be valid points and observations, going
from God in schools to violence on TV to authorizing spankings only distract
from the point. This is like when the NY Times tries to take a fluff
piece like the dangers of children eating cotten candy and
somehow ties it to Bush's war in Irag.
Aside from putting in extraneous information, it conveniently left out some
too. Like the Amish school where all those children were horribly killed
by a gunman. You can't blame God for not being in that school!!!!
When you really think about it, do you really think our compassionate
God would let children die to make a point? Especially, one that will go
right over the liberals heads anyway? (Not mine) The only ones that
would understand God's lesson are those who already understand.

I detest hypocrits, regardless of the "side" they are on! Stay tuned, I am back and ready to point them all out to you!

France elects Sarkosy - Nation acts American!

2007-05-06T22:37:00.000-04:00

So, what will the liberals in America say now? Their national darlings in Europe, France have elected the non-socialist candidate who just so happens to want to correct relations with the U.S. and the rest of Europe. He wants change in a country that our liberals think is just perfect! Apparently, the country of France in one of the largest turnouts in recent history disagrees. They do want change.

Needless to say, the anti-Sarkosy group took a cue from our own American Liberals, going right for the throat with threats and horrific name calling. "“Police everywhere, justice nowhere!” some protesters shouted. Others yelled, “Sarko, Fascist! The people will get you!” The base of the Bastille column in the center of the square was left scrawled with graffiti, including “Sarko 2007 = Hitler 1933.”" Taken from the New York Times. Shocking I know. Have you heard any of this before? American Liberals have been threatening and spewing this crap since Bush's first election (and to others before!). God forbid (Yes, I mentioned God!) we call them any names or make joking comments about any darling of the left, and they come down on Conservatives like Zeus in a lightning storm! But comparing a president to a dictator who had plans to wipe out an entire race and killed hundreds of thousands, well, that is just fine, it is only Bush and now Sarkosy.

One of Sarkosy's promises is to renew relations with the U.S. I know Liberal's; how could they? That would be like trying to deal with the devil himself??? GMAFB

I have to say, I was just in Paris a couple of months ago. And I noticed a change of attitude toward us Americans while I was there. The people were actually pleasent! maybe, just maybe they actually WANT to be friendly with us? Hmmm... Judging by the protesters, Sarkosy has his work cut out for him, We can only hope he succeeds!

Here we go again!

2007-05-06T22:35:00.000-04:00

Well, it has been nearly a year since writing, but I have the bug again. So, for better or for worse, here we go...

Global Warming Proof

2006-06-19T13:30:00.000-04:00

I figured with the Al Gore movie hype and all, I would have to post something relating to global warming. So here it is... proof!

(My appologies to the creator of this image. I received it in an email with no credit given.)

Billy Joel - 12 Gardens Live

2006-06-13T22:17:00.000-04:00

"One of the best sounding live recordings I have ever heard"
"Unfortunately, it is less of a concert recording, and more of a recording done in front of a live audience"
"The CD is GREAT, could have been beyond great!"

I recently attended the 11th of 12 Billy Joel concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York. The concert was absolutely amazing. It happened to be the night he broke the old record of 10 sold out shows at the Garden in a single tour. I expected it to be a memorable one. It was, only not as memorable from my understanding as the 12th and final show.

I had seen Billy Joel many times over 20 years, sometimes alone, sometimes with Elton John. This was by far his best show and best sounding show. The emotion in the audience with their obvious Love of their hometown superstar made the night.

So, when he mentioned the shows were being recorded for a live CD, I was ecstatic. As a ticket holder, I was able to preorder the CD at a discount and received additional promotional items including 2 additional songs not on the CD. The CD already has 32 songs including 2 supposed bonus tracks. I can never understand that. Either they are on the CD or not, how does that make them a bonus? Because they aren't "named" on the cover as being on the CD? Strange.

Anyway, having been at the show I was expecting the best live concert album ever recorded. Columbia records put the album up on the internet so you could listen to the stream a few days before today's release. I was disappointed. I received the CD yesterday, a day before it going on sale in the stores and on iTunes. I listened closely. I liked it better, but still disappointed. Instead of the best live concert album ever, I got the best sounding recorded live performance I have heard.

The difference? One captures the spirit and essence of a concert, the other captures the quality of a musical performance. I prefer the first, some may prefer the latter.

The sound quality is excellent. Billy sounds awesome. But it just doesn't capture the concert, only the music. Maybe a small point to some, but I LOVE live recordings and feeling like I am there. Especially one I was actually at. I like to rekindle the feeling of being at the concert.

If you like Billy Joel, you will love the album. I love Joel, I loved the album. But I think he rushed it to market to capture the excitement of the record breaking stint.

The good and the bad...

The Good...

Sound is awesome, the recording was great.
Billy is still at the top of his game.
His band (though I miss Liberty Devito) was superb.
Old songs, newer songs, many of the hits and even songs you may have forgotten about.

The Bad...

They seemed to forget to mic the audience. Can you hear them? Yes, but not loud enough, especially during the many times the audience is singing there favorite songs and verses which happens often at a Joel concert.
apparently to save space and fit more songs, they didn't include much in between the songs. No jokes, talking, etc... One song after another with not much applause either leading you to believe that Joels audience can't stand and applaud that long. Far from the truth. One example, the Good Night Saigon song included marines singing the chorus. You can hear the audience cheering, but not as loud as it was. Also, there was about a 3-5 minute standing ovation for the marines after the song. She that have been kept in in its entirety? No, but certainly more ethan the 5 seconds before the next song starts.
The tracks start right at the beginning of the songs. Sometimes during the first note of a song so sometimes the way the CD player plays, you miss the first note of the song. On old albums, you were able to play a "side" without interruption, here each song has a slight silent pause then the song immediately starts. What would be wrong with starting with some leftover applause from the song before and leaving in some talking? This was probably my biggest complaint. Who mixed this thing anyway?
Who picked the songs from which night? It doesn't say which song was from which night. I am not convinced the picked the best ones, though they were great, I remember some from my night being a little better. I honestly am not sure many are from the 11th show though I could be wrong. As a person who went to the show, at the very least they could have put that on the cover so those who went would know if they are part of the recording.
One of his most popular songs, "It's still rock and roll to me" is the second bonus track? Why a bonus track? Perhaps because it was the worst of the recordings!
"Your my home", one of my favorites, was not on the CD, but was the free download when you purchased the album along with sleeping with the television on. Then iTunes announced if you download the album, they have an exclusive for 2 other songs not on the CD.

So, that makes 36 possible songs. Now that is a fantastic compilation.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the CD. Anyone who likes Billy should go out and buy it, download it, whatever. You will NOT be sorry. It really is fantastic. If you were there, go and get the CD, you will love it. Though if you are like me, you may be just slightly disappointed.

The Davinci Code

2006-06-06T22:36:00.000-04:00

OK, I know I am behind the times, but I finally saw the Davinci Code tonight. I have to tell you, I am shocked at how horrible the reviews were. I thought it is very good. I agree with some of the reviews statements, but for the most part, this was a good movie that I found very enjoyable.

The performances by the main characters were OK. Not great, a little bland, but I thought it was ok based on who the characters were. This includes Tom Hanks, one of my favorite actors.

The best performances were not by the 2 main characters, but by the "bad guys". Even the cops were a little bland.

The reviews said it was boring, I found it interesting and fast moving even through 2 1/2 hours.

They said there was no action, I found plenty of action and suspense, though this isn't an action movie!

They said it had many endings, it did.

Lots of twists and turns, some I saw coming, some I didn't. I guess not reading the book helped with this as well as getting through the 2 1/2 hours.

They said there were too many flashbacks. I found they helped tell the story without boring you with someone just telling the story and giving the background.

Being a Christian, I was wondering how I felt about the movie being anti-christian. But I went to see it because I wanted to hear the thoughts and possibilities. I found the whole storyline, clues, puzzles, and possibilities fantastic.

Again, not having read the book I think I had an advantage.

Go see it:
1 - If you haven't read the book, go see it.
2 - You like history.
3 - You are a pagan.
4 - You have an open mind.
5 - You like suspense movies and can see it as fiction based on some possible facts.

Do not see it if:

1 - You read the book and might get bored easily because you know all that will happen.
2 - You are a Catholic who gets mad at anything like jokes or otherwise that you consider anti-christian. (This happened in the theater, as I was walking out, I saw 3 older people sitting near the back of the theater. One shouted, "that movie was stupid". You could just tell she was a catholic who WANTED to hate the movie. Though surprisingly she actually had read the book. See 1 above.)
3 - You are on the fence about Christianity and don't want to be swayed away. (or your faith is weak and don't want to be swayed away!)
4 - You hate conspiracy theories.
5 - You hated "National Treasure" (Another good movie by the way!)

I would love to hear your comments, please post some here.

This all leads me to an annoucement coming soon. Check back here for an annoucment that could change your life! I am working out the details, stay tuned.

Quote of the Day - Boys and Dads Footsteps

2006-05-26T08:48:00.000-04:00

"More boys would follow in their father's footsteps if they weren't afraid
of being caught."

Anonymous

American Idol - After the Results

2006-05-24T22:09:00.000-04:00

First, I thought the finale was great. A fantastic and entertaining show. The best performance, Kathryn and Meatloaf Duet!

So, as predicted Taylor won. Congratulations to him. He is a great showman though I think a tad wierd. I still think Kathryn was better.

I don't think the voting was "rigged" as others claim, I think he actually won. However as previously stated, what I do think is the producers did everything in their power to make us vote Kathryn off and eventually to vote for Taylor.

Enough said on this nonsense. On to more important issues...

American Idol - Pre Final Show

2006-05-24T19:07:00.001-04:00

First, I want to start out by saying that I am not the type to complain and say "I am not watching any more because my favorite idol got kicked off the show" like Chris fans did. Second let me say I am ashamed that I like the show.

Now, before the finale tonight. I have to say that out of the two, Kathryn is my favorite though taylor is growing on me. However, I am not writing about any of that.

I am writing because it is obvious that the show, producers, judges, or whoever are so against Kathryn. The only thing I can think of is maybe she is a bitch on wheels during the week. Here is why I say this.

1 - First of all, that idiot Paula is such a woman hater. Look how she acts for the guys as compared to Kathryn and the girls.

2 - Randy is a hypocrit.

3 - Look at how many people came to see kathryn when she went "home"? A few hundred if that at her high school compared to 10's of thousands for taylor and almost as much for Elliot. The producers set up these "events" and I felt horrible for Kathryn.

4 - In previos years (though I can only speak for last year) both finalists sang the same "new" song written for them. This year, they gave Kathryn one song (which was pretty bad) and Taylor another which showcased his showmanship.

5 - The comments from the judges over the last 5 weeks showed their predjudice and their dying the get rid of Kathryn. This all started with Lisa who I also thought was brilliant.

I will bet that after this season, we will hear about a huge scandal, aside from Paula sleeping with someone.

With all that said, I think Kathryn sings better, Taylor is more of a showman, but Kathryn should win. However, my prediction is Taylor will win. Honestly, I wouldn't care, they are both good, but I truly think something is amiss on Fox. I will post again after tonights final show.

Since the departure of Stern! and UPDATE!!!

2006-04-24T14:21:00.000-04:00

Well, since Stern left the "Free" airwaves, his home base of WXRK in New York has changed formats from classic rock to what I call modern talk all day during the week and classic rock on the weekends.

This happened in January and I have been wanting to write about it since...

What happened was David Lee Roth (Overhyped talk host of Van Halen I fame) took over the morning spot. JV and Elvis after that, then Penn Jillette (Of Penn and Teller fame), Leslie Gold: The Radio Chic got drive time, Booker, the old drive time show moved to nights, Jake and Jackie are overnight. Recently they added Jim Cramers Real Money from 1 - 2 in the afternoon.

So, I predicted the first day I heard Roth that he would be gone in mere months. Some gave him 6, I gave him 3. He lasted 4.

Today, they replaced him with Opie and Anthony. Remember, those were the guys that got kicked off the air because they aired a couple having sex in St. Patricks Cathedral in NY.

You can listen and check out the shows at http://www.923freefm.com from any internet computer if you do not live in NY. My suggestions, The Radio Chic is the best show on the station and perhaps of all NY radio. Jim Cramer is great too if you want some investment talk.

Speaking of investments... I don't usually recommend anything even remotely like this... BUT, check this out. I have made some serious money from the investment strategy here with little money to invest. Yes, the referral income is cool, but I am speaking of the investment side even if you aren't into the "business" side of things. >Either way, check this out... Click here and view the product presentation.

Contact me for more info if you need an explaination... more coming on this in a day or so...

So all in all, I am (hopefully) back and ready to spew my nonsense... keep an eye out for updates to my >photography blog as well...

Quote of the day...

2006-01-11T13:24:00.001-05:00

"Children are not things to be molded, but are people to be unfolded."
~ Psychologist Jess Lair

I like that.

Talk about a liar!!!

2006-01-11T13:24:00.000-05:00

Another month and still no post. I guess I lied. Well let's try this again...

I'm back... again

2005-12-08T23:38:00.000-05:00

OK, so over a month without posting here. Sorry, projects elsewhere and life in general have been keeping me busy.

Anyway, thanks to the new book "Do As I Say (Not As I Do) - Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy" I am about to start on a streak of pointing out hypocrisy I learned from reading the book. With interuptions for hypocrisy happening today when it happens!

So, come back tomorrow for some thoughts on Michael Moore!

Party of Hypocrits!

2005-10-27T11:01:00.000-04:00

From the title, you can't tell which one I am referring to, because they are all hypocrits. I guess I need to become an independant. But even that has a downside. Maybe we can start the common sense party. Didn't that or something similar exist back in the day?

As I said, I have been working on this entry for a while, but never got around to writing it because I hated to admit it. But my cousin and consistent commenter on this blog sent me an email today pointing this all out. I couldn’t argue. So thanks Mike V for getting me to admit this.

I have to say, I have bee VERY disappointed in the Republican Party lately. Not that I disagree with their philosophy, nor do I disagree with their thoughts on how to get things done, but I do not like the hypocrites they have become.

They can disagree with the Miers nomination because they do not know how she would vote on Roe vs. Wade, BUT they can not vote against her because of how they think she would vote. This is exactly what they accused the Democrats of doing. They have always said the President gets to nominate, and as long as the candidate is qualified, the congress should approve, regardless of their viewpoints. They point out they voted for Ginsburg (sp?) even though she is so liberal communism looks good. But then they cause enough of a stink for force the withdrawal of Miers.

In addition to Miers, all these allegations and accusations going around about various Republicans, Delay and company, are also showing the hypocritical side of high and mighty Republicans. Yes, the democrats are out for blood and using everything they have to condemn Republicans and I think much of it is disgraceful. They should look at their own party as well. But truth should prevail and if the accusations are true, and a crime, then so be it. Perjury is a crime BTW.

The TRUTH is that both parties are hypocrites, most political figures are hypocrites, and we have become something our forefathers were trying to avoid. Like sports salaries, I fear we have reached a point of no return and I see no way out. God bless us all, or not as your party dictates when convenient for their selfish souls. Both will see each other in hell.

Unfortunately, I see the same thing happening with Christians in this country. Picking and choosing what they read in the bible and how they interpret it. Being a Christian I have had this argument with my Pastor without satisfactory response. But this is digressing, so I will write another entry on this at a later date…

JV

Harriet Miers Withdraws Her Supreme Court Nomination

2005-10-27T09:45:00.000-04:00

Well, I saw it coming, and I have to say I am embarrassed by my party. I have been concerned and formulating a blog entry for weeks now about how hypocritical the republican party has been... More in my next entry...

But first, the news...

Harriet Miers Withdraws Her Supreme Court Nomination

WASHINGTON -- Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination to be a Supreme Court justice Thursday in the face of stiff opposition and mounting criticism about her qualifications.

President Bush said he reluctantly accepted her decision to withdraw, after weeks of insisting that he did not want her to step down. He blamed her withdrawal on calls in the Senate for the release of internal White House documents that the administration has insisted were protected by executive privilege.

Full story...

9 Things I Hate About Everyone

2005-10-25T11:55:00.000-04:00

I got this in email. Usually don't post, but this was pretty damn funny.

(thanks Robyn!)

9 Things I Hate About Everyone

1. People who point at their wrist while asking for the time.... I know where my watch is pal, where the hell is yours? Do I point at my crotch when I ask where the toilet is?

2. People who are willing to get off their ass to search the entire room for the tv remote because they refuse to walk to the tv and change the channel manually.

3. When people say "Oh you just want to have your cake and eat it too". Damn right! What good is cake if you can't eat it?

4. When people say "it's always the last place you look". Of course it is. Why the hell would you keep looking after you've found it? Do people do this? Who and where are they? Gonna Kick their asses!

5. When people say while watching a film "did you see that?". No Loser, I paid $12 to come to the cinema and stare at the damn floor.

6. People who ask "Can I ask you a question?".... Didn't really give me a choice there, did ya sunshine?

7. When something is 'new and improved!'. Which is it? If it's new, then there has never been anything before it. If it's an improvement, then there must have been something before it, couldn't be new.

8. When people say "life is short". What the hell?? Life is the longest damn thing anyone ever does!! What can you do that's longer?

9. When you are waiting for the bus and someone asks "Has the bus come yet?". If the bus came would I be standing here, dumbass?

New Staff, New Direction for NASA

2005-10-21T12:18:00.000-04:00

Can someone tell me why it will take untill 2020 to get someone to the moon, where we have already been? Don't we know the route? Use mapquest for God's sake and let's do it already...

It's not like you can't see it, just look out the window and head toward the medium sized white thing with craters... stay away from the flaming one...

You would think this was rocket science...

New Staff, New Direction for NASA
Shake-Up Is Part of Chief's Plan to Reach for the Moon (Again)

By Guy Gugliotta
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 21, 2005; A21

In his first seven months on the job, NASA Administrator Michael D. Griffin has announced the replacement of eight of the agency's 14 top career civil servants, a mass beheading seldom seen in a city where the political folks are the ones who routinely get the ax.

Griffin is getting away with it because, unlike most new agency chiefs, he is not a stranger who arrived in town with a couple of trustworthy sidekicks, a head full of big ideas and no idea how to implement them.

The ideas are big enough: Griffin seeks nothing less than the transformation of NASA from an agency focused for 25 years on the space shuttle and the international space station, to a visionary enterprise rebuilt to implement President Bush's call to return humans to the moon by 2020 and eventually send them to Mars.

More...

LOST - Season 1 Musical Summary... OMG

2005-10-20T16:09:00.000-04:00

This is just too funny. If you are into LOST as I am, check this musical summary of season one done in flash. Thank god some people have too much time on their hands...

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/272811

Commander in Chief series readies America for Hillary

2005-10-17T13:42:00.000-04:00

I said this the day I saw the ad for the TV show. This is hollywood getting America ready for the Hillary run in 2008. Here are some interesting articles pointing out some facts...

Ex-Hillary Aides Feed 'Commander in Chief'