Perhaps we should have used a desensitizer first

My favorite headline about the early transfer of power back to Iraq: Premature Iraqulation

Fundraising Blues

Lisa and I had a fundraiser barbecue yesterday for the John Kerry Campaign. Despite a really disappointing turnout, we managed to reach our goal. We got to $500. And many thanks to Jonathan Kingham who came out in support of the event and played a set with his friend, Ryan. But I felt more than a little embarrassed that he had to play to such a sparse crowd. When I spoke to him about it last night, he dismissed it due to it being summer. I'm not so sure. People tend to like being outside during the summer, so what can be better than a barbecue? Now I can finally empathize for all the nerdy kids out there whose families go to great effort to throw a party but nobody shows up.

Ah well. Thanks to everyone who showed up. We enjoyed your company. And to those of you who came despite having a different political view. We are eternally grateful for your friendship.

Cynics and the malaise of the Left

I recently received an email from a friend in reply to someone's concern that Bill Clinton's book will somehow hurt the Kerry campaign (emphasis mine):

Actually Kerry has done really well just keeping a low profile lately and letting Bush screw himself.

And it has been a refreshing reminder with Clinton's re-emergence what it's like to have a president who can talk policy and frank personal stories with out sounding like a fetal-alcohol-afflicted second grader.

I hope it makes folks expect more from their current leaders... and then come to the conclusion that these guys don't have it.

But then again the cynic in me wants Bush re-elected so that he has 4 more years of bad karma to really put the nail in the coffin of this craziness so we never see it again. I fear Kerry would have a brutal presidency and the media would hound every small preceived mistake. Heaven forbid if there's a major attack under his watch or the economy has more troubles.

I'm hoping that the cynic in my friend will go into hiding on voting day. :)

This brings up an important point. Unfortunately, this view is shared by many progressives, and chief among them, if you actually buy what he is saying, is Ralph Nader (of course, his status as progressive is now in doubt, considering his current GOP philandering -- in Oregon and Arizona -- and the right wing Reform Party pandering). This is the view which, more unfortunate than ironic, hurts the progressive cause more than any right wing ideology. It's the idea that you're willing to lose in hope that that others will eventually come to their senses and see that your side is the correct one. Hoping for a revolution. This is disappointing and discouraging to me.

To me, progressives who think this way are missing the point. Just as our modern world has been a source of lament for those conservatives who can't accept the way our society has changed and evolved, ironically so too has it become for the idealogue progressives. They fail to be realistic in how they regard the world, on how it is not black and white from their end either. Since the golden age of liberal activism, the 1960s, the world has come a long way in terms of social, cultural, and economic progress. In a negative way, it has resulted in the widening of the gap between the rich and the poor. But positively, it also resulted in the growth and power of the middle class, the result of "leveling the playing field". This is another irony of the progressive movement. Forget about the right-dominated super-rich. The more the middle class grows in prosperity (those in the upper tier of this class might as well be considered "wealthy"), the more the lines between "conservative" and "liberal" are blurred within the class. More importantly, the richer it gets (or perceives it's getting), the more it is dependent on the current system of power (including the two party system), and the more it doesn't want to see its own power and influence slip. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, for there to be a scenario where one political extreme will be so heavily denounced that the other extreme will wipe it out completely. Despite everything that's gone wrong with the Bush presidency so far, there will not be enough of a backlash to move it in our direction permanently. The power structure and spin machine will see to that. His supporters will cling to every last shred of rationality to backing their guy and defending him. Currently, there is a liberal backlash against the conservative mainstream. As we've seen in the past, this backlash usually leads to the general ouster of that establishment. But then eventually, this leads to a backlash against the left. This is the ebb and flow of politics and society. This is the way it's been since the beginning of organized civilization.

In fact, if you really want to be cynical, you can say the result is that the Left will never, ever, be firmly in power. The system of power is firmly in the hands of corporations that control our information, reward the right wing, and perhaps control how we vote. The best we can do is push for a balance, to move society to (gasp!) the center (oh sure, I'm talking about spreading wealth and power around to everyone else -- the lefty ideology -- but it's more to balance out the power of corporate-dominated right). This is disheartening for those looking for utopia, but we shouldn't lay down and give up and let Bush win. Because then it makes it that much harder to keep whatever limited control we have on our lives. Our progressive victories of the past (civil rights and liberties, separation of church and state, medical breakthroughs, reproductive rights, gay rights, truly fair taxation) will be attacked, distorted, and perhaps done away with (eventually) with the Right in power. Our environmental decline will steepen sharply if we stay with the current administration's policies of rewarding polluting corporations, loosening EPA standards, pulling out of eco-treaties, fighting wars to keep our oil interests. And if not only for oil, wars will be fought just to spread this ideology, under the guise of "anti-Terror", "liberty", "freedom", and "democracy". Of course, the cynic in me says that ideology will never be the real reason. It's oil, baby.

This is what we have to lose. We can't forget that.

We progressives need to be realistic and see the system for what it is and work within it to push our agenda. We can't afford to let Bush win -- whether it's because of not voting due to hopeless apathy (or worse, ego-centric protest of the two-party system), or because of dividing our votes between also-ran spoilers/idealogues and viable candidates. When the opportunities are there to take back some of the power, we shouldn't waste them. This is one of those opportunities -- Bush and the Republicans are vulnerable. If we progressives can work together -- vote together -- we can take back the White House and Congress. If we win, then we can push leftward, hold our flawed president accountable. We can hash out ideals later. As Eric Alterman says, "Let's just deal with those issues when we get there...(for all the problems that Kerry presents) wouldn't it be great to have those problems?"

The Burning (of) Bush

Fahrenheit 9/11 made a quiet debut in Washington state yesterday. Last night, Lisa and I caught its first showing at Midnight at the Woodinville Loews cineplex. There were a couple of surprises for me. First, with all the right wing furor over the film, there wasn't anybody there protesting outside the theater. Second, I was surprised to see that there wasn't a huge line outside waiting to get in. We bought our tickets online, so it was a pretty quick trip inside. The theater didn't actually fill to capacity, but there were a lot of people inside by the time the movie started.

Most of you reading this have not yet seen it, so I won't go into the heavy details about the movie. Of course, if you're a news junkie like me, chances are good you know what's going to be in it. In a broad outline, the documentary goes from the end of the 2000 election (revelation: not one member of the senate stood with signed and willing members of the House Congressional Black Caucus in protest of the election results. Not senate president Gore, not Democratic party leader, Tom Daschle), to the Bush family connection with the Saudis, to Bush's military record, to Bush's business dealings (and failures), to 9/11 (in a powerful bit of film-making, Michael Moore leaves the screen black as the audience listens the sounds of people screaming as the planes hit the Twin Towers; I cried and grimaced the whole time, emotions flooding back more powerfully than on 9/11 when I sat there numb watching the TV). The film then covers a bit of the war in Afghanistan, and then finally, the Iraq invasion and its after-effects.

It's hard for me to say how I feel about it without showing my true colors (Ha! You should know them by now). I'm already biased against Bush and the Neocons that I can't do an object review of the film. Of course, I'm not a professional reviewer, and as most reviewers worth their salt would tell you, it's impossible to give reviews without your personal feelings somehow leaking through. That being said, I'll tell you that I admired the film (it's hard to call it a true documentary because of its heavy bias) for its guts. I personally wasn't interested too much in the conspiracy theory part (the Bush-bin Laden family connection, the prior business dealings with the Taliban, the Reagan/Rumsfeld backing of Saddam in the Iraq-Iran war, the Reagan backing of Osama bin Laden in Soviet-Afghanistan conflict, the Bush/Saudi/Afghan close ties in an oil conglomerate), but anyone looking for reasons to fault Bush's motivation and actions leading up to the war and after will have plenty of things to draw upon; read the source material, Craig Unger's House of Bush, House of Saud for more info). Of course, I'm furious to find out that on the days following 9/11 while commercial flights were grounded in the US, the White House approved of the evacuation of Saudi nationals, including members of the bin Laden family, by plane back to Saudi Arabia. This has since been confirmed. The argument is that if a president puts the interests of his "former" business associates (as well as their nation, which supplied most of the 9/11 killers) before those of his country, then he at best is accountable for his actions and responsible to explain his actions. At worst, this conflict of interest shows he is not capable of holding his office.

The bits that are most interesting are the aspects of the war, both in Afghanistan and Iraq. You see preparations, postulate on the motivations (WMD, oil pipelines through Afghanistan, etc). You see combat footage. But the film is at its most powerful when it focuses on the Iraq conflict's true victims: the people of Iraq and the American soldiers assigned to the conflict. One of the most memorable and effective images was home video footage of Iraqi families in their day to day lives, in work and at play. You see families shopping, playing with each other. Not the imagery that we are allowed to see of these people. It's so easy to justify bombing and shooting them when you can't identify with them. There's footage of interviews with soldiers that show how isolated and disillusioned many of them are. It also shows footage of them shot up, maimed, and screaming. It shows footages of flag-draped coffins. Again, stuff we're not allowed to see. Not so much of a "cake walk", huh? Later on you get a segment of Bush playing commander-in-chief flyboy, when he lands on a carrier deck. "Believe it or not, I'm walking on air" plays in the background as Bush mugs for photos with the sailors. The "Mission Accomplished" banner hangs dubiously as he gives his speech.

Moore also brings it back into personal perspective. A native of Flint, MI, he walks around town and follows the lives of poor teens (mostly black), so poor they have little recourse but to join the military. He follows the Lipscomb family, whose patriotic matron (with a family history of military service; she runs up a flag dutifully every day with reverence) previously supported the war and had contempt for liberals and war protestors. That is, until her own sun was killed when his Blackhawk helicopter crashed in the Iraqi desert. Her reading of his final letter home (full of love for family and dislike for Bush) is heart-wrenching. Towards the end of the movie, we see her in Washington DC, after confronting a war supporter, standing in front of the White House ("I have a place to put all my anger.."). Then, to emphasize the difference between the policy-makers and those who must have to fight and die to defend those policies, Moore gives us footage of crippled veterans (whose benefits are casualties of Bush budget cuts) and cutting back to Moore trying to get congressmen to enlist their son into active duty (only one congressman's son is in Iraq). You know, it always amazes me that right wing can convince poor people that it is on their side, when we know that tax cuts benefit the poor the least, and that it is a historical fact that the right wing marginalizes the poor with economic policies, and finally, the ones who can't afford to get special treatment in the military are poor. Some of the most fevered defenders of the right are the very bottom rung of the ladder. Amazing. Sad. (Sorry, that's not reviewing. It's ranting. But watching the footage of the poor recruits only gives me more fuel...) It's heartening to see that many of these vets have turned away from the Republican party and will be working hard to unseat Bush.

The movie doesn't put all the blame on Bush's shoulders. Some of it goes to Congress, and mainly to the Democrats who, weak-kneed, went along with the Supreme Court election decision and signed on to give Bush the authority to go to war. It also criticizes Congress for voting to pass the Patriot Act, when it is told that perhaps no one in Congress even read it before voting for it. One of the funniest moments in the movie is when we see Moore driving around in an ice cream truck, reading the contents of the act as congressmen on the street look on. It is a reminder that they gave this administration the go-ahead to prey upon our fears (the alert color system is given its fair share of disdain in the movie) and to step on our civil liberties. And they gave him the green light to put our people in danger in Iraq. While this movie is a condemnation of a presidency, it is a wake up call to hold everyone in office accountable.

This isn't so much of a review as it is a way for me to segue into a political rant. I'll admit, that as powerful and effective as the movie is, there are flaws. It's a little too smug and sarcastic (an artsy snobbery) in some spots, where it should be more direct. And for me, Moore didn't need to be seen on screen at all. But overall, this is a movie worth seeing. Most of us on the left already feel the same way, and probably know all the arguments made by Moore. But it reinforces our beliefs, and makes it known where we should put our anger. Who says that it isn't propaganda? I'm truly hoping that this movie will draw as many Bush supporters into the theater as there are Bush critics. Moore's intent was to make an impact on this year's election, and there's a good chance that it will turn some staunch Bush supporters into wavering doubters. Even if there aren't too many right wingers who will stop supporting Bush because of the revelations in the movie, at least they will know what we are thinking.

The Good Son

I read the transcript of Ron Reagan's appearance on the Larry King Show. This is a decent man, articulate and serious. Not to mention that although he is a liberal at odds with the right-wing ethos, Ron had a lot of love and respect for his father. It shows in the eulogy he gave for his dad, and in the way he talked about their relationship. I got a little misty about his little anecdote about him riding on his dad's back in the pool when he was a kid. And his description about what he was going through as multitudes of people, obscure and famous, paid their final respects, made me think back to important (both celebratory and mournful) ceremonies that I have attended. For me personally, it wasn't so much about my own feelings on the occasion that made them important. What's more important was the fact that I could look around me at the time and see so many people feeling the same thing. It puts even more emphasis on your emotions. In the case of funerals, nothing makes me want to break down more than looking at and listening to other people who feel what you feel (often even more powerfully); people who are there for the same reason you are: to give honor to the one who has departed -- to give thanks for the goodness that person has brought to their lives.

I may fault Reagan Sr. for a lot of things, but I give him whatever is his due for how his son turned out.

Political issues, a la carte

Read Samuel's take on the Righty/Lefty divide in America. It's not as simple as Liberal vs. Conservative. There's a lot of common ground between the sides, and sometimes what is perceived as Conservative really is not (take W's foreign policy and fiscal discipline, for example). And the opposite is true, since I tend to lean rightward on certain social issues -- gun control, capital punishment -- yet I wholeheartedly consider myself a liberal. So what gives? Why are we left with a two party system that supposedly represent the poles of conservative and liberal, when the two sides share a lot more than we think? I guess there should be a third party that should represent this "purple" area. But there really isn't, since this middle area also has different degrees of left and right. That means you will never truly agree with the party of your choice. The Reform Party and Libertarians have nice things to say on political reform and doing away with Social Security, but I don't agree with the extremes they have on things such as immigration (Reformers are for severe restrictions on it, Libertarians believe the borders should be completely wide open). Not to mention that the Libertarian view of deregulating everything and privatizing Medicare/Medicaid gives us incentive to screw each other over, going against my view that government should be used as the steward to the masses. As for the Green Party, I agree with the intent (ecological responsibility, decentralization of wealth away from corporations), but I don't subscribe to the naive belief that everyone would be looking out for one another. And there several more parties out there that believe more or less all of the above, and some that believe none of it. And then there's Nader, the political chameleon, whose color changes to that of which would give him ballot access (this time it's the Reform party endorsement -- Ugh. I'm going to stop talking about him before I vomit...)

So there you go. Most voters agree with each other but eventually go with the big parties, depending on how red or blue their blood is. I'm the same way. I would love to be able to pick and choose my party's stances (a little pro-choice here, a little national defense there), but I can't. My beloved Democratic party, as fucked up and simpering as it is, beholden to corporations and big media, it is the party that counts that is closest to my issues and my conscience. And I'm sure that's why conservatives of different stripes vote mostly Republican. Politics isn't about absolute ideals, it's about compromise. The more people you can compromise with over to your side, the better your chances of winning. That is the point. If my side wins, most of my beliefs and issues will win out. I'll take it. Better than nothing.

Books, books, books

I somehow find a way to piss away my money. For a long time, I used to buy CDs, tapes, and records in bulk. I couldn't get enough, especially trying to keep up with what the kids are listening to at the time. These days, I don't buy as much music, nor as frequently (considering my attitudes about popular music these days, I'm sure you're not surprised). However, you can say that I make up for it by going to concerts a few times a month, sometimes at more expensive venues. But that's besides the point...

For the last seven or so years, my other vice has been buying books in bulk. Especially tech-related books. I've got tomes on technology, mainly programming, that should last a lifetime. But anyone in the biz knows that the books bought today are more than likely to be obsolete in a year. And if you're buying something based on a pre-release piece of software, you know that the book might as well be holding up your rickety table next week, since software changes almost by the day. So what I have, dear reader, is an impressive library of C++, TCP/IP, VB, Multithreading, Win32, Oracle, Assembly, blah blah blah. It's not that I don't get anything out of the books. I do. I get insights into certain technologies, and I glean from the books a way of solving problems. But I'm not currently using them enough to make them worth keeping, as professional/geeky-cool they make me appear. And it's not like they've made my career grow by leaps and bounds. But, again, I digress...

I've also got a sci-fi/fantasy book collection, yet another testament to my nerd background. The Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series and Red Dwarf works are my favorite, along with the classic Dragonlance novels. I also can't forget The Dark Elf series. And I've got enough got plenty of pop culture novels (Tim Sandlin, Chuck Palahniuk, Jack Kerouac). And I've got plenty of thrillers and mysteries. I even have a decent collection dedicated to running, as well as billiards.

But my book fetish right now revolves around current events and politics. I got plenty of those. Today, I added Bill Clinton's My Life. It's big, over 950 pages of first-hand account by the man himself. Now, like you, I've heard a lot about it, even though it's been on the shelves less than a week (how some reviewers get the book well in advance I don't know; that's something I want to get in on). I've heard it's "banal", "self-indulgent", and "boring". Well, you know what? It's a friggin memoir. You're supposed to expect that. Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading it, though I don't think I'll have it finished when the big dog signs it next week at Elliott Bay Books. I can't wait.

As I said before, I tend to indulge in things in bulk. Along with the Clinton book, I finally bought Dan Brown's best seller, The DaVinci Code. It appears to have all the elements that most great works of fiction share: suspense, historical consequence, secret societies, well written characters. That, and it involves religion, and a reach back into the archives of Christendom. Should be a good read. Thanks to Dave for piquing my interest.

Sad day for music

Lollapalooza 2004 is officially cancelled.

As much as I'd grown to detest Lollapalooza since the mid 90s, with its wannabe and useless bands (c'mon, who's bright idea was it to book... fucking Metallica in the '96 tour?) its jock-ridden sponsors (Major League Baseball, Microsoft Xbox!!) and its increasingly fratboy following, I was still considering going to at least one of the two days it was going to be here in western Washington. It had the best lineup of bands in years (probably the best since 1992): Morrissey, Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey, The Flaming Lips, Pixies, Wilco, Modest Mouse. And, the sponsor list not withstanding, Perry Farrell was again closely involved.

But due to a sagging economy and as usual, high Ticketmaster surcharges, the tour had to be cancelled. This is so unfortunate, music-wise, because with a lack of good music out there, we are denied the opportunity to see so many iconic bands play at the same venue. Not only that, it looked like the festival was getting back to its strong political and activist roots. Progressive groups like MoveOn and Music For America were going to be there, registering voters and disseminating info. This was so important, given this is a pivotal election year. But despite all this, ticket sales lagged.

Argh. This sucks. Now I'm in a bad mood. Today I was ready to note that the day started perfectly coming into work, listening to Son Volt's Wide Swing Tremolo, pretty much the album to listen to when you're driving on a hot day. Followed up by samples of White Stripes, Radiohead, Johnny Cash, and The Vines. All wasted now. Grrr.

Supporting local radio

The Seattle Times has a good article on KEXP. The big membership drive is coming up, and I plan on renewing mine. Please give generously.

Suffering sports fan, part 2

I lamented in a previous post about the state of pro sports, and that I don't really care about them anymore because I don't want to continue worshipping at the altar of spoiled rich brat athletes. Apparently, this attitude is shared by many, if not most fans, in some way or another. This Slate article shows fans' hidden contempt for pro athletes when the athletes get injured: "Don't gimme the sob story. Wipe some dirt on it and get back in the game, pussy!" Indeed.

Framing the debate

No WMD vs No stockpiles of WMD. No Iraq-Al Qaeda relationship vs No significant collaborative relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda. Neocons and other Iraq war supporters claim that the former in each statement is the same as the latter. Apparently, they've won the debate. What do those of us who disagree have to say about that? Go here to find out.

Of Being and Nothingness, Redux

"If you're not asking questions about your reality and why you're here, you're probably three quarters of the way to being dead."
-- paraphrased, Dr. Fred Wolf

Caught What the #$*! do we know? tonight at the Uptown Theater. It's a movie that walks the line science and self help, told in a series of interviews with specialists and highly regarded scientists, over a dramatic narrative starring Marlee Matlin. Put simply, it tries to explain, from a quantum physics (and neurology, biology, psychology, and uh, a little Ramtha) point of view, what constitutes reality. I can't really explain everything in the movie, but here's what I got out of it:

-- Matter isn't so much stuff as it is concept, possibility, and decision
-- Perception of reality is a completely internal and personal process
-- Thoughts can affect the state of water
-- We are mainly neural nets, polypeptides, and protein receptors
-- Kid actor Robert Bailey channels Morpheus

There's also quite a bit of discussion of how conscious decisions can affect reality, and how one can use this to change one's life. It's an interesting idea, although it's one I've heard before. It's science meets Existentialism. I felt like I was reading Jean-Paul Sartre again, talking philosophy in coffee houses. But I hadn't heard it from a scientific point of view.

Overall, I liked the movie. I think its heart is in the right place. However, I do have some quibbles. First, the CG effects and the wedding scenario distracted a bit from the bigger theme of the movie. Stuff that's more befitting of a Discovery Channel documentary, not something I want to pay eight bucks to see in a theater. In fact, I think the movie would have been more effective if they just did away with the narrative completely. Second, I agree with the idea that one can, with a conscious decision, overcome one's "addictions" (over time your body's cells create receptors for chemicals that are produced by negative emotions, etc; your body comes to crave that kind of stimulation, sometimes at the cost of nutrition) and lead a path to fulfillment and happiness. This is all well and good. However, the movie presents the argument that most normal people, with normal faculties, aren't aware of the different possibilities that quantum physics presents. But they have the capability to realize the possibilities, and they just have to choose the reality they want. Further, it also assumes that these same people are able to choose to break their addictions. What about people who don't have these faculties? Severely mentally retarded people likely do not have this "potential". Of course, I don't know that for sure, and I don't know what retarded people actually perceive. Perhaps this is the reality of their choosing. Like I said, I don't know, but the movie doesn't take any of that into account. I find it interesting that the movie makers decided to cast Matlin, a deaf woman, as the protagonist.

Third, and this is just a bias on my part, the movie undermines its logical arguments by including JZ Knight, the current channeler of Ramtha. I know that Ramtha is something that scientists are investigating (apparently it's a phenomenon quite intriguing to quantum physicists), but it seems odd here, even though she echos many of the thoughts of her fellow speakers. I don't have much to say on this subject, save that I feel it hurts the film's legitimacy. Not that I'm against New Age ideas (the movie itself is New Age/Sci), but it's a bit much, considering the other scientific arguments (note: I didn't know Knight was associated with Ramtha until the end credits).

But the most important part of the movie for me was when it came to discussing God and spirituality. I consider myself a Catholic, but quite often I find myself at odds with the Christian concept of God. Years of Catholic school, theology classes (Western and Eastern), and Bible study have given me plenty of perspectives on God. Naturally, I have trouble reconciling what I was taught growing up with what I learned later on. I no longer believe that God is this defined, physical being that sits in judgment. I've thought this for years. Rather, God to me is harder to define than that. One of the movie's talking heads states, "Trying to explain God is like trying to explain water to the fish that's swimming in it". The movie ties in science and spirituality as two closely related subjects that intersect at the concept that when you get underneath the societal, organic, cellular, atomic, and finally, subatomic, levels, we are all really one. Coupled with the notion of possibilities, you have a unifying concept of spirituality: God is not necessarily a being without; God is within and everything in between. We are one with this power, literally. This could explain how we were supposed to have been created in God's image. I suppose the movie then explains, in its own way, the ideals, the avatars of major religions: Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha. The argument is that one can eventually elevate oneself to those ideals. And extending from this is the idea that morality is not a factor in fulfillment. Morality is not as simple as right and wrong, good and evil. Such notions have warped spirituality and have led to much suffering.

Now, I agree with some of that, and a lot of it I'm skeptical on how to make those connections, where to make the leap of faith. But I'm glad to see that there isn't a solid line between the science and spirituality, as I'd been led to believe. The film's ideas are a work-in-progress, just like every one of us. And because of that, I'd call this the most optimistic and hopeful movie of the year.


Note: What you have just read is some of the most unorganized thinking I've ever posted. If you watch the film or have similar ideas, then you'll know that it's difficult to explain it succinctly. At least I can't, anyway.

Reagans vs Bush, part 2

Ron Jr. bitch slaps the "heir" to the throne.

6/1: Can I spit off the top?

Lisa and I spent a great deal of time on Tuesday at the Empire State Building. We had driven by it on Sunday when we went on our TV/movie tour, and we were amazed that the line to go to the observation deck went around the block (I believe our tour guide's exact words were, "Ha ha! Suckerrrs!"). On Tuesday, we were relieved the line was nowhere near that long. Of course, there was still a lengthy line that wound through the basement where you buy tickets to go to the top. Down there, while they have you where they want you, they have people loudly inundate you with tour options ("It's a necessity, not an accessory!"), such as the audio "Tony's Cab Tour" of New York. The sales pitch is not that bad, but after a half hour of listening to the same thing pitched over and over, I felt like tearing my remaining hair out.

But the ordeal with lines didn't end with buying tickets. There was the line to get to the elevators, which included a metal detector (this part was more than a little disconcerting; the people manning the security area didn't look old enough to thwart criminals or terrorists; the guy at the Xray machine wasn't paying close attention to the monitor). Once you got off the elevator on the 80th floor, there was another line to another elevator to the 86th floor observatory. We decided to skip that second lift and, ugh, walked the final six floors. Man, nothing else tells you how badly out of shape you are than walking up stairs. It didn't help that the stairway was filled with sweaty, smelly people.

The observatory was everything I expected. The view was amazing, and we walked around to all four sides. My favorite was the view to the south: Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, Verazano Bridge, Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty. Lisa's favorite was east, to the Chrysler Building. But my enthusiasm was tempered by the fact that views from up high tended to look the same wherever you looked the longer you stood up there. The big crowd didn't help, either. Everybody was jockeying for position, trying to get photos of the same view. We didn't hang out for long. Oh well. We could at least check Empire State Building off the list.

Time to dig the Aquanet and acid wash out of the closet...

I love Jon Bon Jovi! Who woulda thunk it? Now with Bruce Springsteen posting Al Gore's big speech, I think the Kerry campaign should move its head quarters to New Jersey.

The Better Bus

I've been out of the loop. I'd read that late last year Seattle Metro Transit was going to be road testing GM's new line of fuel-saving hybrid buses. Apparently, they've been doing just that for a while now. Today, I got the chance to ride on one. In the bus tunnel, I noticed that the first bus coming my way wasn't attached to the electric cable, the way that most buses in the tunnel are supposed to be. Then I noticed that buses going the other way were doing the same thing. I didn't know that most of them (if not all) were the new hybrids. No wonder it didn't stink too badly like diesel in the tunnel. The one I got on was painted white as opposed to the standard Metro green and yellow (I didn't notice until later that this was for advertising; GM had its logo and the catchphrase, "Ride the Better Bus" emblazoned on the sides). There are no steps to get onto the bus; it's all one floor level, and the driver's seat is elevated. One cool feature is the hand straps that hang on the rails in the aisle. And (for now), the bus was clean!

I like these buses a lot. It's supposed to save Seattle a lot of money on fuel, and the engines are supposed to be cleaner and more efficient. It's a big step in the right direction.

Links:

CheersAndGears.com
Fleets & Fuels
Puget Sound Business Journal

A closer look at Al Jazeera

Control Room, a documentary about the Arab network, Al-Jazeera, during the current war in Iraq opens today. The film, like many documentaries, claims to not take any sides (a "we report, you decide" perspective), but it clearly wants to show you what Donald Rumsfeld does not want you to see.

Here are reviews by Roger Ebert, The New York Times, MSNBC, USA Today, and About.com

I'm a good citizen

Take this test, which is based on the citizenship test for immigrants. Keep in mind that it is ten questions randomly selected from 100 possible questions. I got 10/10 on my first try, so I'm going to quit while I'm ahead.

Link via Lean Left

Testing, Testing

Steve has a refreshing perspective on both the software developer career track and the software tester track. After many years, he's a tester again (an SDET at Microsoft) and loving every minute of it. While I may not share all his enthusiasm (I'm also an SDET, but not at Microsoft) for the tester life, I'm very happy for him.

5/31: Ghost Town

We headed over to the Financial District and walked around a bit. It was pretty cool to see all these structures, especially the New York Stock Exchange. It's worth noting that these buildings, with their gigantic pillars, are big and close together, and coupled with the fact that they stand among skinny and winding roads, it's like being in a Greek maze. I must say that it was a little disappointing to be there on Memorial Day. Other than tourists and a large number of security guards, Wall Street was empty. I was looking forward to the hustle and bustle of business type folks running around. When the wind picked up, I half expected to see tumbleweeds rolling across the street.

We ended our tour of Lower Manhattan with a brief stop at Battery Park and a visit to The Sphere, a memorial to the victims of 9/11. I was amazed to learn that it was actually a sculpture that originally stood on the grounds at the WTC and survived the attacks.

And what would a trip to New York be without a stop at the Brooklyn Bridge? There's so much history there. We decided to cab over to it because of the distance and the rain. But stupid tourists that we are, we thought there would be some sort of viewing area really close to the bridge to get a good look at it. But by the time we found out there is no such place, we were heading over the bridge into Brooklyn. I immediately told the driver to get us back to Manhattan ASAP, resulting in a two minute visit to the big borough of Brooklyn.

Back in Manhattan, we made a trip to the Upper East Side to check off another tour stop on our list: Bloomingdale's. We didn't hang out too long (okay okay, I bought some clothes there). It was like any other department store. In fact, it really didn't seem too much different from The Bon.

We grabbed dinner at a small French restaurant, Mon Petit Cafe (damn good Beef Bourgignon and Bordeaux, Mmm), followed by a couple of hours at Amsterdam Billiards, a pool room I had heard so much about. It's the home room for some of New York's world class players such as Ginky San Souci and Tony Robles. A pool player myself (though nowhere near their level), I considered it a player's pilgrimage.

5/31: Rain to wash away the tears

A short cab ride brought us into the heart of lower Manhattan. I wasn't prepared for the sight when we pulled up on the east side of the former World Trade Center, on Church St. In the middle of this giant city was about four square blocks of wide open space. I mean, I was prepared to see this, but I wasn't prepared for the emptiness. You'd think that over two years since the 9/11 attacks, as well as the fact I'm not a New Yorker would have made it easier to be there. But as I crossed the street to the WTC site, it was all I could do to hold back tears. As we walked around the site, it started to rain. It seemed appropriate, somehow perfect for Memorial Day in this place.

The WTC site itself, for all its emptiness and sadness, is, for lack of a better word, awesome. All sorts of memorials are everywhere along the fence, including the list of the names of the fallen. Nearly 2,800 of them. You could see taped up pieces of paper and pictures offering messages of hope and love to the dead and to New York. So many flags. And on the east side of the site, above all the construction and rubble stands a large red cross made from the beams from the twin towers. Just as the cross is the symbol of redemption and renewal, you could look around the site and see evidence of renewal. New drainage systems. Pedestrian walkways and overpasses. A subway entrance that doubles as a photo gallery. The reconstruction of the adjacent Ten House, the station that houses FDNY's Engine 10 and Ladder 10 (due to its close proximity, I think it was the first station to respond to the attacks).

And most beautiful, the reconstructed Winter Garden atrium at the World Financial Center, just on the other side of the West Side Highway. It features a display dedicated to the World Trade Center, its history, and its future: Freedom Tower. The plans look amazing, and it's speculated that the project will revitalize the city. I think it will, and it will return the WTC from a place of great sorrow to a place of inspiration once again.

5/31: I'll buy it for a qwartah

Today we spent moving ever southward in Manhattan. We began in SoHo, starting with a steak and eggs brunch at the Moondance Diner. Forget what they do in Friends (Monica worked there for a while). There is no singing and dancing waitstaff. The ceilings are low, and there are no mini-jukeboxes at the tables. Oh yeah, do not do what the dolts at the next table did: tell the waitress you're ready to order, then just stare at the menus for the next five minutes. She exasperatedly threw up her hands and walked away. I'm surprised she even waited a minute.

A couple of blocks down, we hit the schlock of tourist trap markets on Canal Street, where you can buy almost anything for cheap. Among them, DVDs, electronics, books, and clothing. But Lisa's target: knockoff purses. Not just ones that look like designer brands. We're talking about the fakes that have the actual designer labels. We're talking labels that say "Prada", not "Prado" or "Panda". It's amusing to watch out of town women, including my wife, go through these places like a whirlwind. At one place, she got good deals on purses, with prices knocked down sometimes over 25% off the original asking price. Of course, "just for you, it's yours for ten dollah". There wasn't a log of haggling. George Costanza would have been disappointed.

Reagans vs Bush

Link via Daily Kos

Nancy Reagan is an advocate for stem cell research, something that the Bush Administration adamantly opposes.

In the comments of the post, you'll see a link to a Salon article regarding Ron Reagan Jr's distaste for the Republicans and the White House painting George W as "Reagan's Heir".

You could make a case that Bush is his heir, considering that both were/are not fiscally conservative at all, and both did/do everything in their power to widen the divide between the rich and poor. Both tried/try to convey an image of inclusiveness: Reagan, "The Great Communicator"; Bush, "The Compassionate Conservative". All of this is interesting because it isn't widely known what Reagan actually thought of Bush II (if he even thought of him at all, or even if he knew Bush existed). But we do know that his family, the people who were the closest to him and knew him best, are sharply critical of Bush, despite those similarities. This is quite telling of a presidency in trouble.

Update 6/11: George may not be Ronnie's heir after all. It might be Arnie

MoveOn screening tomorrow night

911 Media will be hosting a screening of MoveOn.org's new DVD of its anti-Bush ads, Bush in 30 Seconds. I've seen a few of the ads, and most of them are really polished, considering they were created mainly by amateurs.

Just like the real thing...kinda

We bought a bootleg DVD of Mean Girls, which is still in theaters, in SoHo last week. The case certainly isn't going to fool anyone into thinking it's a legit copy, but for five bucks, it'll work. The case artwork is decent, although it's clear someone did a little bit of work to make it look like a promo poster for the movie and printed it from a home jet printer. The back even has a plot synopsis. The disc has no art on it, other than a stamp of the movie title. As for the movie itself, I expected it to be the standard jerky camerawork of someone filming the theater screen with a handy video cam. It's surprisingly steady. It's not DVD quality in picture or sound, and other than names getting chopped off the left and right sides during the opening credits, it captures the important part of the screen. But alas, no closing credits. I'm sure that once the lights come on in the theater, the bootleggers have to move it pronto before they get busted. I won't get into the actual movie itself (it's brilliant), but for five bucks a piece, the next time I'm in NYC, I'm coming back with a library of movies.

Update: I forgot to mention that we bought the DVD partly as a tribute to a dear friend who once bought a bootleg copy of Kiss The Girls, who bought it because it cracked him up and because he was a cheap bastard. :) We love you, Timmy.

5/30: I'll have what she's having

After the tour, Lisa and I wandered over to the Carnegie Deli. This is supposedly the location of the famous orgasm scene from When Harry Met Sally, and mentioned in Adam Sandler's Hannukah Song ("...Lead singer of Sha Na Na and Arthur Fonzerelli.."). Looking at the pour souls around us trying to eat their monstrous portions (a huge waste, really), we decided to share a Reuben. And we couldn't even finish it! But their homemade pickles are delicious, and their cheesecake (topped with strawberries) is definitely something to write home about.

Then we went on another walk of Midtown, this time heading south. Along the way, we saw the Chrysler Building, perhaps the most beautiful building in New York, if not the country. After that we went to the cavernous Grand Central Station, kind of a cathedral dedicated to train travel. After stopping for a drink, we walked around the station for a while, admiring the constellations painted on the giant green ceiling and watching people buzz to and from their trains.

We hung out at Bryant Park for a while, watching people sitting on the lawn, drinking Starbucks coffee, and working on their laptops. It was the closest thing in New York that reminded me of home. One thing we did notice was the fountain (Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain) in the park. Earlier, our tour guide Erica mentioned that the fountain featured in the intro to Friends was actually a set piece in a studio in Burbank, CA, where the series was filmed. However, taking a look at the fountain at Bryant Park, it looked remarkably like the fountain in the TV show. Just remembering the intro, I recall a white building in the background that looks a hell of a lot like the New York Public Library, which resides at the opposite end of the park. Hmm, methinks Erica is full of crap.

Afterwards, we ended up on Broadway and decided to check out the Toys R Us store in Times Square. It was a toy lover's Disneyland in there. The building is four or five stories tall, featuring a tall ferris wheel that you could see from the outside through glass windows. My favorite area in the store was Legoland, which had big Lego versions of a New York Yankees batting helmet, Statue of Liberty, and Empire State Building (complete with a moving Lego King Kong). Lisa's favorite was definitely the giant Barbie House. It wasn't really a dollhouse, but you could go inside it and look out its windows to get a view of the store showroom.

Then we ended our day with dinner at the Applejack Diner, a family oriented restaurant with a giant menu. I settled on the Turkey Meatloaf (surprisingly good), and Lisa had the spaghetti with meatballs.

We were too tired to party down like the previous night, so we stayed in and went to bed.

Update 6/16: It turns out that the famous fake orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally actually took place at Katz's Deli. Damn. There goes the theme of this post. :)

5/30: No Soup For You!!

Woke up groggy, but wasn't hungover at all. Woohoo! Still got it. :)

We went on a bus tour of New York sites featured in TV and movies, led by a very enthusiastic tour guide named Erica. Here are the highlights:

Seinfeld

The Soup Nazi's kitchen

Friends

The Moondance Diner (where Monica worked as a dancing waitress)
The Friends apartment building (correctly located in the West Village)

The Cosby Show

The Huxtable house

Will & Grace

The building for Grace Adler Designs

Central Park West

Crap loads of celebrities live there. One of the more interesting tidbits we learned was that Yoko Ono still lives in the building where she and John Lennon lived. She actually owns most of the building that she can decide who can live there. It's rumored that she banned Madonna because she didn't want a lot of paparazzi hanging out.

Tribeca

Robert De Niro loves it there

Ghostbusters

The fire station
The apartment building that doubles as the gateway to the underworld

You've Got Mail

The Shop Around the Corner (in real life an antiques store that has really good brownies)

The Meat Packing District

Location of Ed Harris's character's apartment in The Hours
Drag queens! (I'm sure I'm not the first one to find the district name appropriate...)

5/29: Welcome to Gotham

We punctuated our arrival into NYC with the standard roller coaster cab ride in from JFK, through Queens, onto the Long Island Expressway, onto back streets, through the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, and into Midtown Manhattan, depositing us in front of our hotel. If I could have purchased tickets to go on that ride again, I would have.

After eating some pizza at one of the three or four Famiglia restaurants in Manhattan, we went on a walking trip through midtown, featuring stops at Trump Plaza, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, Columbus Circle, Central Park South, the building that hosts Late Night with David Letterman, and Times Square. Wow. Lisa had to buy some shoes that night just in case the rest of our trip was going to have this much walking.

Times Square was crazy that night. I'd heard it's pretty busy during the week, but on a Saturday night on a holiday weekend made me feel like I was in a sardine can. If you're claustrophobic, you do not want to be down there on New Year's Eve. Looking around, it seemed like what the Grand Canyon would look like with neon and giant ads.

We wandered into The Playwright Tavern, where I proceeded to drink two people's share of Margaritas, Whiskey Sours, and Vodka Cranberrys. Wanting to share my drunken stupor with folks back home, I proceeded to call friends to tell them what a great time I was having. I do not recall exactly what I was saying, nor the number of people I called. I remember running into an alley to give a loud "I'm Druuunnnkkkk!!!" call to a buddy. After that, I remember almost challenging a group of marines to a drinking contest. I think Lisa saved me from that.

After a bit of stumbling on my part, we ended the evening with a stop at Maxie's Restaurant to get some food in the stomach. I did, and chased it with beer. Ah.

Back at the hotel, I passed out happily. Welcome to New York.

J Mascis at the Showbox tonight

Due to travel fatigue, I highly doubt I will be able to make it to this show. But if you ever liked Dinosaur Jr, I recommend you go to the Showbox tonight. J Mascis is the slacker rock god, let me tell ya. There are sure to be a plenty of former and current Seattle rock cognoscenti in attendance. The last time I saw J, it was at the old Weathered Wall, and I happened to see (and did a little hobnobbing with) members of Screaming Trees, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, Fastbacks, 7 Year Bitch, The Posies, Young Fresh Fellows, and Juned. If memory serves me, it was a record release show for a Gary Heffern/Carrie Akre project. Mike Johnson (J's former Dino Jr band mate) was also on the bill that night.

Back from NY

Lisa and I are back from New York, and we had a blast. As I said before, I was going to keep a paper journal of our trip. Not so much of a journal as it was brief jots in the hotel sticky pad stationery. A memorable trip, can't wait to go back. Check back in the next day or two for remarks about our trip and links to photos.