click here to access Diaryland click here to send me an email click here for bio and links click here to access the archive list click here for the latest entry


It won't be long before everything that's not mandatory will be forbidden.

Situation brief what is it now #6?

--Yesterday certainly did suck. After I rode to K-Mart and all three campus bookstores, in the rain, looking for one specific financial calculator I have to have for class, I WALKED to Wal-Mart, in the rain, in order to buy said calculator. I don't know specifics, but that's several miles away. I called a couple people, went by a couple places, and finally realized I had to have it NOW and I had to get it myself. Of course, 'NOW' was several hours later, but I had a bunch of homework to do and a quiz to study for so there was no choice.

--And what is the deal with $142 textbooks? What a scam. My backpack, after eleven years of faithful service, finally gave up--the zippers are a mess and don't work anymore. So I shopped for a new one at the bookstore. $65! OUCH! Then I rode to K-Mart and found a much nicer backpack for only $20. What a scam.

--Good old Ralph Nader is calling for a governmental review of Game Six of the NBA Western Conference Championship. He says the officiating was administered and contoured in such a way that it took advantage of a weakened and shaken public for the benefit of the Association's financial interests. The Lakers shot twenty-seven free-throws in the fourth quarter of Game Six. I agree, although I didn't get to watch that game (I listened to it and saw Game Seven), that the officiating sucked. But a conspiracy? An official governmental inquiry? A cessation of the NBA Finals until a conclusion can be reached? I did not vote for Ralph Nader.

--More sports news: the US actually won a soccer game! Yep, they beat Portugal, one of the top five teams, in their first game. Some people are saying it's the biggest upset in World Cup history. They even broke some records: fastest first goal, fastest first three goals. 3-2 is one of the highest scores in the history of World Cup. That's like 59-42 in the NFL or 147-122 in the NBA. The US team, as you probably knew intuitively, is universally hated by not only every other team in the Cup, but by most fans the world over. I read one sunny thread from a Euro actually complaining about the score and the fact that it shows the US doesn't know how to play soccer ('futbol') and is tainted by our 'lesser' sports such as NBA basketball and NFL football where scoring is rampant and THEN trying to relate that to the desire for instant gratification and the shortness of attention span of all Americans. It was lovely.

--Some Hooter's employee decided to sue Hooter's after she received a Toy Yoda for winning a contest she thought would net her a Toyota. It wasn't even on the Left Coast. If I were the judge, it would take me thirteen seconds to throw the suit out the window. Next! Nope. She won millions. And millions. They didn't disclose the actual amount, but some have speculated, and Jodee Berry is now set for life. Several lifetimes, actually. I ask you, does this seem reasonable to you? Poor Ms. Berry suffered so from not getting a $10,000 car she expected from a contest that she deserves to be compensated to the tune of a hundred million dollars or more? I think not. This is what's known as a 'Mockery of Justice'. I think Hooter's should be able to give her the finger with a sly grin and not buy her a $10,000 car just because she was easily fooled. But the idea that they need to buy her TEN THOUSAND $10,000 cars boggles my mind. How about you?

And I'm not even saying that there aren't some VERY legitimate lawsuits out there where companies and corporate entities have screwed over good people and should be punished. Frivolous cases like Ms. Berry's don't do a THING for legitimate cases though.

--Even more sports news: Wang Zhizhi, the Mavs' Chinese three-point shooter, is missing. He was recalled by China last month (probably for 'reprogramming'). The Mavs haven't seen him for weeks. So they're saying he's defecting to the US. I don't blame him ONE BIT. I wouldn't want to go back to that place either. What do you expect someone raised in a ruthlessly oppressive communist dictatorship to think after spending a year as a free man in the US? Wang could be a great player in the NBA if he's able to spend the off-season bulking up and actualy make it to training camp. I like Dodger (as he's called by fans). I hope he does defect and I hope the Mavs keep him. Of course, that puts a damper on China letting the other Chinese guy, the 7'6" guy, come to play in the states.

--Here's one. So this guy is fixing up a house he intends to let somebody rent. He interviews a family who like the place. They have two kids but aren't married. He decides he would not like to let them rent his place. He has trouble with the morality of an unmarried couple with kids and doesn't want them living there. Of course, they went to the courts like all thin-skinned sensitivos do. They won. Wait a minute. You have the GOVERNMENT telling this man he HAS TO let someone live in his house? What the hell? Don't even bring up any 'fair housing' BS--that has to do with government-owned property--the 'projects'. Do you think the government should be able to use its power of coercion to FORCE a private citizen to let someone rent his place? This is a clear example of the government butting into the lives of private citizens. While I think not wanting them to live in his place because of their lack of wedding vows is a silly reason, I think he has the RIGHT to make that determination HIMSELF. Whose rights trump whose rights? Are we basically saying that if you put a place up for rent you have NO control over who comes and lives there? This is an issue to my step-mother, as she owns two houses as landlord.

--Here's another. In Suffolk County, NY, there's a new law regarding little league sports. It requires equal applause for both teams from all spectators. It makes any taunting or additional applause for one side a violation. The players aren't allowed to jeer or cheer or laugh. The coach's duty is now to maintain the well-being and self-esteem of all players (not just his own, and nothing about 'winning' or 'coaching'). Violations can result in fines, forfeits, or the team or league not being allowed to use the field any more.

--I really liked the Spider-man: Quality of Life 3-D comic I bought a few weeks ago. I also acquired a bunch of Thunderbolts back issues. I'll have all sixty-five one of these days. Harley wasn't bad (I heard Gwen Stefani might play her in an upcoming movie). The Megalomaniacal Spider-man was priceless. I was a little disappointed in Iron Man 2020 and Muties.

--I got an email of mine read on the Tony Kornheiser show today.

--I've started to shoot baskets in the mornings again.

This concludes situation brief #6. Mercifully?