The Highway to Hell
Between a week-long trip to the heartland (Minnesota & Iowa) and wedding planning, I haven't had any time to blog the last couple weeks. This post should signal the return of regular blogging. I'm sure my adoring audience is cheering.
Big news this morning? Satan's Highway, Highway 666, has officially been renamed Highway 491. There goes one of my my quirky vacation destinations.
Thursday, July 31, 2003
Sunday, July 20, 2003
Enough is Enough!
It's only 48 hours after the Eagle County D.A. filed sexual assault charges against Kobe and I'm already sick of the entire affair. More specifically, I'm sick of hearing the accuser described as a gold-digger, NBA groupie, slut, tramp, someone with an agenda, etc. Give me a break, people! Kobe already admitted that he committed adultry. Doesn't that undermine his credibility just a little? To those who were "touched" by Kobe's emotional statement last Friday, go back and watch for deception cues. His performance was as artificial as Sweet-n-low. Do I believe he sexually assaulted the accuser? I have absolutely no idea. That's for a jury to decide, not me. What I do know is that he got caught with his pants down. Literally. And the one who's being demonized--the accuser. And on that note, the following is a piece from the New York Times. I usually don't post entire articles but the NYT is a password access site.
An Accuser Has No Fans or Voice
By HARVEY ARATON
OW the game begins for the superstar lawyers hired by the basketball legend. Now they become the money players.
"We will not try this case in the press," Pamela Robillard Mackey said with Perry Mason solemnity Friday night.
But soon came a classic crossover, a show of staged sentiment timed strategically for "SportsCenter." Soon Mackey's new client, Kobe Bryant, and the young wife he betrayed were center stage at the Staples Center, hands clasped, tears welling in the corner of Bryant's eyes as he publicly — and quite poetically — professed his sorrow "for committing adultery," while maintaining his innocence to a felony charge of sexual assault in Edwards, Colo.
Appearing to gesture to the audience in the arena in which Bryant has crafted his fame, he thanked "everybody out there for their support," as if the attending "you guys" of the news media had been part of the script. Perhaps Bryant, in a show of wisdom well beyond his 24 years 11 months, intuitively recognized that it was and would probably continue to be.
Meanwhile, out in Oklahoma, in a heartland setting not unlike the Colorado mountain county from which the prosecution will have to find jurors impervious to the aforementioned promotional prowess, one viewer admitted to being moved.
Except it wasn't for Kobe Bryant, not by a long shot.
"My heart goes out to this girl," Alison Jennings said of Bryant's 19-year-old accuser late Friday night from Oklahoma. "I know how hard it is to do this. I know what it's like to suddenly realize that people don't believe you, or don't want to believe you, because they have been corrupted to think that the athletes they love are not capable of doing such a thing."
Though she was speaking from experience, it should be noted that Jennings never faced the kind of national spectacle that looms in the Kobe Bryant case, for which his accuser, I am told, has been advised to hire her own high-powered law team to defend against the mud surely to be slung.
The athletes Jennings accused of gang-raping her at a college party almost four years ago were football players at Oklahoma State. Criminal charges were never filed against the players, two of whom now play in the N.F.L.: Marcellus Rivers of the Giants and Alvin Porter of the Baltimore Ravens. Jennings later said that she, as a traumatized 22-year-old student, had signed a waiver of prosecution after being told by the police that her story was not corroborated and that she did not have a case.
Whatever happened on the night of Nov. 21, 1999, in Stillwater, Okla., Jennings's life soon ground to a halt. Her grades plummeted. She suffered from post-traumatic depression. In almost four years of pursuing a spate of civil suits (settlements were recently reached with Rivers and Porter), Jennings and her family say the most devastating lesson of all has been how athletes are protected and how quickly a woman who accuses them can be vilified as a gold-digging groupie trying to find fame.
•
In the fishbowl of University Town, U.S.A., college athletes can pack as powerful a punch as Kobe Bryant does on a global scale. After filing her civil suits, Jennings said, she dreaded even going to a grocery store. She was made to feel like "that girl" who was trying to bring down the local franchise.
Supporters of Bryant decry the belief that his reputation is being tarnished by charges, not conviction. But his accuser, far from anonymous, is widely known in Edwards, the way Jennings eventually was in Stillwater. "And who would want to read about themselves in the newspaper and hear the awful things that people will say about them?" Jennings said. "Who in their right mind would want to put themselves in a position like this, where people are calling you a liar and believing the worst about you?
"What are the odds, really, that someone would make this up?"
Far from evidence, that at least is a good question for those so quick to publicly hang their disbelief on Bryant's much-hyped character. Presumption of innocence does not mean the accuser is prejudged to be lying, but that is the implicit message when basketball insiders like Mark Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks' owner, come out and say he is certain Bryant will emerge from this mess as the good guy.
That is part of the rush to judgment for the athlete — not against — that makes such cases all the more daunting to proceed with.
Even Friday night, the television talking heads — those who say they have known Kobe since before he was this one-name cottage industry — were expressing shock that he could commit adultery, much less sexual assault. Isn't it amazing how depending on the athlete and his corporate connections, the perception of him can swing from one extreme to the other, from occupying a den of iniquity to Ward Cleaver's house?
•
"The problem in charging an athlete is that it intensifies the rage and backlash factor so much more than the normal situation," Tamara Brion-Gowens, one of the lawyers who represented Jennings in her civil suits, said in a telephone interview from Oklahoma City. "The athlete has fans. They have easy access to the media. They have a voice."
Jennings, for her part, would, if given a chance, advise Bryant's accuser not to listen to the voice in her head. "You think everyone is against you," she said. "You suddenly feel the magnitude of what you have gotten yourself involved in. You feel depressed and scared. And every time you turn on the television and see the player being interviewed, most of all, you feel like he has all the power and you have none."
It's only 48 hours after the Eagle County D.A. filed sexual assault charges against Kobe and I'm already sick of the entire affair. More specifically, I'm sick of hearing the accuser described as a gold-digger, NBA groupie, slut, tramp, someone with an agenda, etc. Give me a break, people! Kobe already admitted that he committed adultry. Doesn't that undermine his credibility just a little? To those who were "touched" by Kobe's emotional statement last Friday, go back and watch for deception cues. His performance was as artificial as Sweet-n-low. Do I believe he sexually assaulted the accuser? I have absolutely no idea. That's for a jury to decide, not me. What I do know is that he got caught with his pants down. Literally. And the one who's being demonized--the accuser. And on that note, the following is a piece from the New York Times. I usually don't post entire articles but the NYT is a password access site.
An Accuser Has No Fans or Voice
By HARVEY ARATON
OW the game begins for the superstar lawyers hired by the basketball legend. Now they become the money players.
"We will not try this case in the press," Pamela Robillard Mackey said with Perry Mason solemnity Friday night.
But soon came a classic crossover, a show of staged sentiment timed strategically for "SportsCenter." Soon Mackey's new client, Kobe Bryant, and the young wife he betrayed were center stage at the Staples Center, hands clasped, tears welling in the corner of Bryant's eyes as he publicly — and quite poetically — professed his sorrow "for committing adultery," while maintaining his innocence to a felony charge of sexual assault in Edwards, Colo.
Appearing to gesture to the audience in the arena in which Bryant has crafted his fame, he thanked "everybody out there for their support," as if the attending "you guys" of the news media had been part of the script. Perhaps Bryant, in a show of wisdom well beyond his 24 years 11 months, intuitively recognized that it was and would probably continue to be.
Meanwhile, out in Oklahoma, in a heartland setting not unlike the Colorado mountain county from which the prosecution will have to find jurors impervious to the aforementioned promotional prowess, one viewer admitted to being moved.
Except it wasn't for Kobe Bryant, not by a long shot.
"My heart goes out to this girl," Alison Jennings said of Bryant's 19-year-old accuser late Friday night from Oklahoma. "I know how hard it is to do this. I know what it's like to suddenly realize that people don't believe you, or don't want to believe you, because they have been corrupted to think that the athletes they love are not capable of doing such a thing."
Though she was speaking from experience, it should be noted that Jennings never faced the kind of national spectacle that looms in the Kobe Bryant case, for which his accuser, I am told, has been advised to hire her own high-powered law team to defend against the mud surely to be slung.
The athletes Jennings accused of gang-raping her at a college party almost four years ago were football players at Oklahoma State. Criminal charges were never filed against the players, two of whom now play in the N.F.L.: Marcellus Rivers of the Giants and Alvin Porter of the Baltimore Ravens. Jennings later said that she, as a traumatized 22-year-old student, had signed a waiver of prosecution after being told by the police that her story was not corroborated and that she did not have a case.
Whatever happened on the night of Nov. 21, 1999, in Stillwater, Okla., Jennings's life soon ground to a halt. Her grades plummeted. She suffered from post-traumatic depression. In almost four years of pursuing a spate of civil suits (settlements were recently reached with Rivers and Porter), Jennings and her family say the most devastating lesson of all has been how athletes are protected and how quickly a woman who accuses them can be vilified as a gold-digging groupie trying to find fame.
•
In the fishbowl of University Town, U.S.A., college athletes can pack as powerful a punch as Kobe Bryant does on a global scale. After filing her civil suits, Jennings said, she dreaded even going to a grocery store. She was made to feel like "that girl" who was trying to bring down the local franchise.
Supporters of Bryant decry the belief that his reputation is being tarnished by charges, not conviction. But his accuser, far from anonymous, is widely known in Edwards, the way Jennings eventually was in Stillwater. "And who would want to read about themselves in the newspaper and hear the awful things that people will say about them?" Jennings said. "Who in their right mind would want to put themselves in a position like this, where people are calling you a liar and believing the worst about you?
"What are the odds, really, that someone would make this up?"
Far from evidence, that at least is a good question for those so quick to publicly hang their disbelief on Bryant's much-hyped character. Presumption of innocence does not mean the accuser is prejudged to be lying, but that is the implicit message when basketball insiders like Mark Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks' owner, come out and say he is certain Bryant will emerge from this mess as the good guy.
That is part of the rush to judgment for the athlete — not against — that makes such cases all the more daunting to proceed with.
Even Friday night, the television talking heads — those who say they have known Kobe since before he was this one-name cottage industry — were expressing shock that he could commit adultery, much less sexual assault. Isn't it amazing how depending on the athlete and his corporate connections, the perception of him can swing from one extreme to the other, from occupying a den of iniquity to Ward Cleaver's house?
•
"The problem in charging an athlete is that it intensifies the rage and backlash factor so much more than the normal situation," Tamara Brion-Gowens, one of the lawyers who represented Jennings in her civil suits, said in a telephone interview from Oklahoma City. "The athlete has fans. They have easy access to the media. They have a voice."
Jennings, for her part, would, if given a chance, advise Bryant's accuser not to listen to the voice in her head. "You think everyone is against you," she said. "You suddenly feel the magnitude of what you have gotten yourself involved in. You feel depressed and scared. And every time you turn on the television and see the player being interviewed, most of all, you feel like he has all the power and you have none."
Friday, July 18, 2003
WTF Department: Naked Bambi Hunt?!
This has to be some kind of twisted joke:
Naked Bambi Hunt
I'm so stunned by this article that I don't know how to respond. Do we really live in a world this pathetic?
This has to be some kind of twisted joke:
Naked Bambi Hunt
I'm so stunned by this article that I don't know how to respond. Do we really live in a world this pathetic?
Wednesday, July 16, 2003
Great Gadamer!
If you're interested in studying hermeneutics, take a look at Hans-Georg Gadamer's Truth and Method. Hermeneutics, the study of interpretive understanding, is an interesting sub-point in my dissertation project. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, a new biography questions Gadamer's activities during the era of the Third Reich.
Gadamer
If you're interested in studying hermeneutics, take a look at Hans-Georg Gadamer's Truth and Method. Hermeneutics, the study of interpretive understanding, is an interesting sub-point in my dissertation project. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, a new biography questions Gadamer's activities during the era of the Third Reich.
Gadamer
Sunday, July 13, 2003
Inspirational Art
A year ago, I stumbled across the first piece of art that ever made me stop and say, "I must own that piece." Unfortunately, the show ended before I had the chance to corner the artist and the piece slipped through my grasp. I recently attended an art festival and the artist in question was displaying her work. When I noticed my piece wasn't on display, my heart sank. Not willing to give up hope, I approached the artist and inquired about the piece. She still had the piece and was thrilled that I remembered it.
The piece, titled Nobody's Bitch, now hangs in my office.
A year ago, I stumbled across the first piece of art that ever made me stop and say, "I must own that piece." Unfortunately, the show ended before I had the chance to corner the artist and the piece slipped through my grasp. I recently attended an art festival and the artist in question was displaying her work. When I noticed my piece wasn't on display, my heart sank. Not willing to give up hope, I approached the artist and inquired about the piece. She still had the piece and was thrilled that I remembered it.
The piece, titled Nobody's Bitch, now hangs in my office.
Thursday, July 10, 2003
WTF Department: Sausage Assault
During last night's Brewers/Pirates game, Pittsburgh's first baseman allegedly "attacked" (tripped is probably more accurate) a sausage mascot with a bat.
Whack-a-Sausage
What's with the sausage hate, Randall?
During last night's Brewers/Pirates game, Pittsburgh's first baseman allegedly "attacked" (tripped is probably more accurate) a sausage mascot with a bat.
Whack-a-Sausage
What's with the sausage hate, Randall?
Tuesday, July 08, 2003
Queen of the Ad Hominem
Is there a media figure more ridiculous than Ann Coulter (Other than Michael Savage, of course)? Regarding liberals she states, "They are either traitors or idiots, and on the matter of America's self-preservation, the difference is irrelevant " (link). While I don't see myself as either a "traitor" or an "idiot," I suppose it's a matter of perspective.
Here's another interesting piece on Coulter:
Senator McCarthy was a Hero!
With heroes like McCarthy, who needs villains?
Is there a media figure more ridiculous than Ann Coulter (Other than Michael Savage, of course)? Regarding liberals she states, "They are either traitors or idiots, and on the matter of America's self-preservation, the difference is irrelevant " (link). While I don't see myself as either a "traitor" or an "idiot," I suppose it's a matter of perspective.
Here's another interesting piece on Coulter:
Senator McCarthy was a Hero!
With heroes like McCarthy, who needs villains?
Monday, July 07, 2003
Senseless
How many more senseless deaths do we have to endure? There has to be a better way to liberate a country.
Convoy Attacks
I wish I had a solution or suggestion (other than find a different way to affect regime change), but I don't.
How many more senseless deaths do we have to endure? There has to be a better way to liberate a country.
Convoy Attacks
I wish I had a solution or suggestion (other than find a different way to affect regime change), but I don't.
Friday, July 04, 2003
Happy Independence Day
Is there anything more American than The McGriddle?
Pancakes, eggs, and sausage--an entire heart attack inducing breakfast--designed to be eaten with one hand. Brilliant! God bless America.
Is there anything more American than The McGriddle?
Pancakes, eggs, and sausage--an entire heart attack inducing breakfast--designed to be eaten with one hand. Brilliant! God bless America.
Bring 'em on!
President Bush responds to recent attacks by anti-U.S. militants in Iraq:
Shoot-from-the-hip-one-liner
Bring it on they did:
1 soldier dead, 16 wounded
Is this for real? Is Bush really the President of the most powerful nation on this planet? Aaaargh!
President Bush responds to recent attacks by anti-U.S. militants in Iraq:
Shoot-from-the-hip-one-liner
Bring it on they did:
1 soldier dead, 16 wounded
Is this for real? Is Bush really the President of the most powerful nation on this planet? Aaaargh!
Thursday, July 03, 2003
Fancifying Tastes
Joshua, you're preaching to the choir:
Coffee Snobs Unite
Unlike Joshua, however, I avoid the "specialty" coffee drinks. I'll take a piping hot cup of coffee, a cafe americano (espresso & hot water), or espresso shot over a Vanilla Nut Cappuccino, a White Chocolate Coconut Mocha (with whipped cream), an Iced Caramel Macchiato, or a Chocolate Malt Frappacinno. How can anyone taste the coffee through all the syrupy flavors? A friend of mine once said, "Coffee tastes like dirt." I responded, without missing a beat, "You have an unsophisticated palate." Dirt indeed.
One last thing: two nights ago a friend served me a cup of Folgers or Maxwell House. With milk instead of half & half. I can't tell the difference between the bulk U.S. American coffees--they all taste equally horrible. There's no such thing as a "good" cup of bulk coffee. I took two sips of the wretched brew and couldn't stomach any more ::gag:: When offered a refill, I muttered something about having had to much coffee throughout the day. It's my firm belief that one can never have too much coffee. The next time we're invited over for dinner, I'll bring a bag of gourmet coffee beans and a pint of organic half and half as a "gift." As Joshua's article suggests, we all need to do our part and help cultivate a culture of sophisticated coffee drinkers.
Joshua, you're preaching to the choir:
Coffee Snobs Unite
Unlike Joshua, however, I avoid the "specialty" coffee drinks. I'll take a piping hot cup of coffee, a cafe americano (espresso & hot water), or espresso shot over a Vanilla Nut Cappuccino, a White Chocolate Coconut Mocha (with whipped cream), an Iced Caramel Macchiato, or a Chocolate Malt Frappacinno. How can anyone taste the coffee through all the syrupy flavors? A friend of mine once said, "Coffee tastes like dirt." I responded, without missing a beat, "You have an unsophisticated palate." Dirt indeed.
One last thing: two nights ago a friend served me a cup of Folgers or Maxwell House. With milk instead of half & half. I can't tell the difference between the bulk U.S. American coffees--they all taste equally horrible. There's no such thing as a "good" cup of bulk coffee. I took two sips of the wretched brew and couldn't stomach any more ::gag:: When offered a refill, I muttered something about having had to much coffee throughout the day. It's my firm belief that one can never have too much coffee. The next time we're invited over for dinner, I'll bring a bag of gourmet coffee beans and a pint of organic half and half as a "gift." As Joshua's article suggests, we all need to do our part and help cultivate a culture of sophisticated coffee drinkers.
Tuesday, July 01, 2003
The Coffee Snob
As many will attest, I am a certifiable coffee snob. My coffee must meet certain standards:
1. Filtered water.
2. Freshly ground beans (preferably organic and free trade).
3. Freshly brewed coffee--nothing over one hour old.
Don't even mention the words "7-11 coffee," "Folgers," or "powdered creamer" if you don't want me to laugh you out of a room. My coffee snobbery is so well-known that I am expected to bring coffee (all of my friends have Brita water filters, thank goodness) to all dinner parties, the baristas at local campus coffee houses know me by name, and friends/relatives know nothing lights up my face better than a gift certificate to Kaladi Bros.
Being a coffee snob, I have a tremendous love/hate relationship with Starbucks. Given the choice, I will always choose a local coffee house to a Starbucks. I realize, however, that most local coffee houses wouldn't even exist if not for Starbucks. Starbucks made the gourment coffee trend a nationwide phenomena. Without Starbucks, most people wouldn't know a latte from an americano. In that regard, Starbucks has done me a great service. When I'm travelling, I always know I can get a cup of gourmet java even if it means resorting to Starbucks. Side note: Starbucks coffee beans are way over-roasted. Every cup leaves a slight aftertaste reminiscent of the smell of burning leaves. Burning leaves smell great in the autumn; they're not so great when fused with a cup of coffee. So what's the problem? Starbucks is attempting to take over the world:
25,000 Stores?!
By 2013, the Starbucks corporation hopes to have 25,000 stores?! Are you kidding me? That's roughly four times the present number! I'm all in favor of a company making some cash on a product but 25,000 stores? Starbucks, from what I understand, is an ethical company (or at least more ethical than most) trying to make good decisions for employees, the environment, and even the coffee farming industry (Starbucks is moving toward free trade coffees, slowly but surely). Ethical or not, do we really need a Starbucks on every corner? How about a Starbucks on every corner at an intersection? As the above article points out, this is not unusual. Case in point: a new shopping center opened a few blocks from my residence. The center includes a Target, CompUSA, Ross, Linen & Things, Petsmart, and a couple dozen lesser retail outlets. Just in case you get that gourmet coffee craving, there are also three Starbucks. I'm not joking. THREE Starbucks all within two minutes of one another (that two minutes is for those who like to stroll--you could easily walk from one Starbucks to the next in under a minute).
With three Starbucks in the area, you can bet there isn't an independently owned coffee house within miles. And that is why I hate Starbucks. In my experience, independently owned coffee houses sell a far superior product, provide a warmer general atmosphere, and offer a richer experience overall. I'm all about grabbing a book or my laptop and heading to my local coffee house to read and write. The Starbucks atmosphere isn't very conducive to that kind of experience. It's too sterile and has that overly commercialized artificial java joint feel. Definitely not what I'm looking for in my coffee drinking experience.
As many will attest, I am a certifiable coffee snob. My coffee must meet certain standards:
1. Filtered water.
2. Freshly ground beans (preferably organic and free trade).
3. Freshly brewed coffee--nothing over one hour old.
Don't even mention the words "7-11 coffee," "Folgers," or "powdered creamer" if you don't want me to laugh you out of a room. My coffee snobbery is so well-known that I am expected to bring coffee (all of my friends have Brita water filters, thank goodness) to all dinner parties, the baristas at local campus coffee houses know me by name, and friends/relatives know nothing lights up my face better than a gift certificate to Kaladi Bros.
Being a coffee snob, I have a tremendous love/hate relationship with Starbucks. Given the choice, I will always choose a local coffee house to a Starbucks. I realize, however, that most local coffee houses wouldn't even exist if not for Starbucks. Starbucks made the gourment coffee trend a nationwide phenomena. Without Starbucks, most people wouldn't know a latte from an americano. In that regard, Starbucks has done me a great service. When I'm travelling, I always know I can get a cup of gourmet java even if it means resorting to Starbucks. Side note: Starbucks coffee beans are way over-roasted. Every cup leaves a slight aftertaste reminiscent of the smell of burning leaves. Burning leaves smell great in the autumn; they're not so great when fused with a cup of coffee. So what's the problem? Starbucks is attempting to take over the world:
25,000 Stores?!
By 2013, the Starbucks corporation hopes to have 25,000 stores?! Are you kidding me? That's roughly four times the present number! I'm all in favor of a company making some cash on a product but 25,000 stores? Starbucks, from what I understand, is an ethical company (or at least more ethical than most) trying to make good decisions for employees, the environment, and even the coffee farming industry (Starbucks is moving toward free trade coffees, slowly but surely). Ethical or not, do we really need a Starbucks on every corner? How about a Starbucks on every corner at an intersection? As the above article points out, this is not unusual. Case in point: a new shopping center opened a few blocks from my residence. The center includes a Target, CompUSA, Ross, Linen & Things, Petsmart, and a couple dozen lesser retail outlets. Just in case you get that gourmet coffee craving, there are also three Starbucks. I'm not joking. THREE Starbucks all within two minutes of one another (that two minutes is for those who like to stroll--you could easily walk from one Starbucks to the next in under a minute).
With three Starbucks in the area, you can bet there isn't an independently owned coffee house within miles. And that is why I hate Starbucks. In my experience, independently owned coffee houses sell a far superior product, provide a warmer general atmosphere, and offer a richer experience overall. I'm all about grabbing a book or my laptop and heading to my local coffee house to read and write. The Starbucks atmosphere isn't very conducive to that kind of experience. It's too sterile and has that overly commercialized artificial java joint feel. Definitely not what I'm looking for in my coffee drinking experience.
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