Violence in Syria

There are reports of continuing conflict in Syria, this time involving the deaths of hundreds of people. If reports are correct this continues a shameful episode in the rule of Syria's Assad. Our silence on the subject is shameful.

This picture says a lot about the situation there. I don't believe it is photoshopped. I also don't think it reflects the sentiments of all anti-Assad Syrians. I'm not advocating military intervention in Syria, but I would like to see us take a more active role in pressuring the Syrian government on behalf of protestors.

Germs on a Plane

The Wall Street Journal has a frightening article on germs in airplanes and airports. It left me feeling like air travelers have almost no chance of avoiding illness.

One of their suggestions? Move seats if you are sitting by a sickly passenger. Have any of you flown on a plane lately with much extra space? Most of my travel on planes is 4+ hours long. It seems like those flights tend to be more full, so keeping my (less than 3 ounce) container of Purell seems like the way to go.

Early Giving

Here is the first theatrical trailer for The Dark Knight Rises. Merry Christmas-

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I thought 2009's G.I. Joe was a pretty lousy movie. This trailer, for the upcoming sequel, looks pretty great.



Do they really kill Duke?

Rick Perry "Dumb"

Rick Perry's latest campaign ad, "Strong," is a perfect example of why we should all be happy that he has little-to-no chance of winning the Republican nomination:



It seems a bit desperate, playing to some of the basest fears, implying that our military, full of openly-serving gays, is related to the erosion of religious freedom in schools.

If someone is willing to take up arms in defense of their country, their sexuality is not a concern of mine, unless it becomes a detriment to their work. This is true of heterosexuals as well.

I thought this was a pretty hilarious skewering of Perry's poor analogy, from Lucas Kavner in the Huffington Post.

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Since the only thing I seem to have the will to post these days are videos, here is one that made me smile. I like it because the guy seems to be having fun and bothering no one. I don't mind these kinds of wacky displays, and they generally cheer people up.

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It's been almost a month since my last post! This video is great.

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You're welcome.

A few favorites

Favorite image from today-
Isaac begging for a peach, doing a little dance of desperation at Lacy's feet.

Favorite statement-
Joseph saying that his name should be "Joseph Constrictor" because he is such a great hugger.

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Faith

The prominence of Mitt Romney, and to a lesser extent Jon Huntsman, has prompted tremendous media attention toward my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I have always been an active Mormon, participating in meetings and activities. I served a two-year mission, attended church-owned BYU, msrried my wife in one of the Church's temples and serve actively in my local congregation. My experience is not uncommon, but reflects certain choices.

Not everyone makes those choices, but that does not make their faith, or their heritage based on that faith, any less valid than my own.

Brandon Flowers, lead singer of The Killers, grew up in the Church. He has not been as devout, or followed as orthodox a path as I have, but as he explains in this video, his faith guides his choices and he still has a belief in what he was taught as a boy and young man.



As someone who has experienced the traditional pattern, I appreciate his words and experience. We are a diverse faith, more so every day, and I am proud to belong.

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This looks fun-

Time to Say Goodbye

After 11 years with my beloved Honda Accord, it was time to say goodbye. On Monday I visited the local BMW dealership to take a second drive in a used BMW 335i. I intended to have them appraise the Honda, not to buy the car that very day, but as I pulled back into the lot one of the salesmen asked me for the keys so that he could take another prospect out for a drive.

After eyeing this car for several weeks, seeing the price drop $2k, I wasn't about to let it slip away, so after a short bit of haggling and the always-longer-than-expected business, I drove off with a new car.

It's been a fantastic choice. I spent 9 hours driving on Wednesday to see some clients and I was always glad to get back behind the wheel. The car is fast, has precise handling, and great seats.

Unfortunately I picked up a large screw in one of the tires this morning. The car has run-flat tires, which cannot be patched, and are expensive to replace. Fortunately I purchased a road hazard warranty, and am now waiting in the service area of the dealership. Unfortunately, the Wendy Williams Show is playing on the television. Ugh. Fortunately, I have my iPad.

Here is the old girl and the new girl.

I don't miss the old one.


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Death of an Icon

As you already know, Steve Jobs has died. I thought this New York Times obituary was excellent.

He was an incredible innovator.

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Conference Time

We've spent much of the last two days viewing the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This post explains why the Church holds these semiannual meetings.

It is something we look forward to, as it provides a periodic opportunity to receive wise counsel from Church leaders and to reflect on our own lives.

You can find more information, transcripts, and videos at LDS.org.

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This made me laugh... a lot.

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Most of you may have seen this, but it's a great video.

A War on Beef

I am fond of calling myself a meatacheesatarian. I like meat and I like cheese, so it is an apt description. Lately I've been mostly a leanmeatcottagecheesatarian, but it still works.

While at the HiddenOakChick-fil-aSpiritNight, Joseph noticed that Chick-fil-a now has an iPad app. Joseph is adept at convincing me to add apps that appeal to him, and I thought, why not add this one? I love their delicious chicken and waffle fries. I like that they close on Sundays. The cow thing is a good gimmick. I agreed to download it and we decided to check it out at bedtime.

Included in the app are several comics featuring superhero cows. We received a few of these last year when they were part of the kid's meal. In my recollection they were pretty innocuous, so we read Gristle Missile first. I didn't realize how strong their message was. Mr. Cathy, the CEO and son of the founder want us to believe that the moral of the story is to have initiative. The true, hidden meaning is that eating beef is evil.

I had to answer uncomfortable questions tonight:

"Daddy, why is he taking the hamburgers?"
"Why doesn't he want people to eat meat?"
"Is he going to break into our house and steal our beef?"

The last question actually hasn't come up- yet. Do you see where I'm going? In Decibell, the evil mastermind is the proprietor of a "beef buffet," whose aim is to hypnotize the city into eating only his food.

Just as with celebrities with pet causes, I'm looking at you Bob Barker, I don't want to be told what to think. I want to be ENTERTAINED. I want to have a culinary experience at Chick-fil-a, not be preached an exclusionary, anti-hamburger message.

Just make me my chicken. I'll do the rest.

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TV Review: The Sing-Off

After the blessed miracle of getting all the kids in bed before 8PM, Lacy and I settled down to watch a little television. We settled on the NBC show, The Sing-Off.

The show started, and there were a lot of people on the stage, in fancy clothes, hair-dos and happy faces. They sounded pretty good too. Then something started to happen... I remembered that I generally don't care for a capella groups.

It's not that I don't respect the talent required, or enjoy the occasional performance. I think it stems from this period when I was at BYU and a capella groups seemed to spring from everywhere, unbidden. It's the cutesy, themey, look-at-me aspect that annoys me.

Fortunately, Lacy decided that the over-long intros of the judges was boring, and I agreed. 5 minutes in and we were done. I hope you have enjoyed my review.

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Austin

For the purposes of this post, the game which took place in Provo last night did not occur. I prefer my happy memories.

We recently returned from Austin, TX, where we watched BYU play Texas in a close game, and I thought a travelogue was in order. We were fortunate to have our friends Matt and Amber Nielsen with us. They have been great friends for a long time, and Matt and I go back to freshman year at BYU over 14 years ago.

Austin is a great town. As soon as we arrived, we went to see the Texas State Museum. Did you know that Texas was once it's own country? If you didn't, you would after about 1 minute in that museum. and if you missed that mention of it, you would have an opportunity to hear it again every 10 steps or so. Texans do not do small. It was a very nice museum, with some very nice artifacts.

We were hungry at that point and headed to a restaurant that I found on Urbanspoon- Curra's Grill. We had an outstanding meal with excellent service. Each of us ordered enchiladas, choosing from something like 15 different sauces. I chose a Mole sauce that was fantastic. We had great tamales and guacamole. We were very full.

After that we watched the bats feed underneath the Congress Bridge near downtown. It was interesting, but anticlimactic given how highly it ranks as a tourist attraction. There were a lot of bats.

We had breakfast the next morning at The Magnolia Cafe. Delicious. Seemed a favorite hangout of many of Austin's quirkier citizens. We met some very friendly Longhorn fans.

We enjoyed visiting some off the quirky shops in the SoCo (South Congress) area, especially a candy shop, the name of which I don't remember. I learned that there are many, many, many used boots for sale in Austin.

We then toured the state Capitol, which was more interesting than the museum. Did you know Texas was once it's own country?





We had a decent lunch before the game at Darrell K. Royal Stadium. It is a giant stadium, and we were at the very top. Here we are, with a fortunate backrest.



The fans were great, very welcoming, and despite the sad outcome for BYU it was a great trip. I hope to return.

We were fortunate to have my sister and brother-in-law welcome our three kids into their family of 6 for the weekend. We were grateful to know that the were in such good hands.

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A born storyteller:



Arcing, sparking, blowing up.

01 to 11

I love The Boston Globe's online Big Picture series. They pick a theme, in this case photos of Ground Zero from 9/11/01 to 9/11/11, and tell the story in pictures. Often these are breathtaking and moving, and the edition I've linked to above is no exception.

Legooooooo!

This a great video about a guy who loves Legos, and has made a career of it.

More than Football

Coming off an exciting day of college football, I have enjoyed this article about the men who were playing for Army and Navy on Sept. 11, 2001.

They would take their fight to real battlefields soon after, and their stories and reflections are worth reviewing as we contemplate the legacy of that day.

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Four Pinnochios

That is the verdict on a claim that President Obama made the other day, in a speech on jobs and the economy.

According to The Washington Post "Fact Checker," Obama's claim that he helped engineer the "biggest middle-class tax cut in history" is untrue. They come down especially hard on him given their belief that this was a willful twisting of the truth.

Be prepared for more of that in this evening's speech.

Moon Junk

It looks like we made a mess on the moon. Or at least left some of our junk behind.

The cool thing is that now you can see it, for yourself, through the eyes (lens) of the Lunar Observer.

Click the link for more.

Unforgettable

These images, taken by James Nachtwey and featured on TIME's website, are a haunting reminder of what happened on September 11, 2001.

It is hard to believe that ten years have passed.

There's Good in the World

My friend Irene posted a fantastic story on her blog. Check it out.

Backsliding?

I watched the Miami Hurricanes lose a close game tonight. On Facebook, a friend commented that the Canes are my drug, that I should quit, but I can't. There is some truth to this, at least in terms of my relationship with college football in general.

I had a turning point during a 2003 game, Miami vs Virginia Tech. Complete annihilation by a hated rival left me convinced That I was too affected by the outcomes of these games. I've made a concerted effort since that time to divorce myself from the emotions of the game, with some success. It is interesting that the emotional relapses are that much more jarring as a result. The contrast is mor extreme.

A few games come to mind, including BYU's 2009 loss to FSU and last year's loss to Utah. Tough losses, but fortunately not as bad as that 2003 game against VT, or the 2001 BYU loss to Hawaii, or worst of all, Fiesta Bowl 2002.

So yeah, I'm still hooked, but I'm functioning. For now.

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Nothing to Show

That might not be fair actually. After nearly three years in office, President Obama did authorize the mission that ended Osama Bin Laden's life. Other than that? Meh.

He continues to use his credibility and capital unwisely. The latest example is his upcoming jobs speech. Michael Barone looks at the kerfuffle over its scheduling. To me it is another example of the president's leadership failings.

Believe it or not, I wanted the president to succeed. He has had some significant challenges. More often than not, he has made the wrong choice. This is especially evident in his economic stewardship. We are paying the price for that.

Huntsman

This is a very interesting article about John Huntsman.  I have to admit that I have been dismissive of his candidacy. This article challenged my assumptions about him. Whether he has a chance will depend almost entirely on the New Hampshire primary. I think I'll reserve my judgement until that point, but he's caught my interest.

More to the Story

I'm convinced that there is more to the situation at the University of Miami than meets the eye. I do think that significant violations occurred, which will result in probation and scholarship reductions among other things. But I think that some of his accusations will eventually show themselves to be false.

For some columns taking this more cautious side of the story, read Jason Whitlock. He's used his Twitter account to challenge Charles Robinson, the author of the Yahoo! Sports story, to an appearance on his podcast. Robinson has not accepted, which is his right, but I think it weakens the credibility of the story. Either way, this will be a long, difficult season for Miami.

Back?

I haven't been blogging much lately. It's been due to a variety of things, including a lack of time in the evening AND a lack of inclination when free time rolls around. It's not that I haven't had things that I wanted to write about. Just that nothing has filled me with urgency. But now that the college football season is upon us, and the presidential primaries are not far away, the fire is igniting. Still, the tentative nature of this post's title reveals the truth that life will trump the blog at some point, again.

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Miami Malaise

I'm sure that I've written about how the University of Miami football program had changed it's ways. It seemed that since the days of Butch Davis, compliance with NCAA regs was much improved.

Dupe that I was, I believed it.

My first impulse, on reading reports like this one, was that this Shapiro was a lying twerp out for vengeance. After reading more, and seeing some of the reports corroborated, Occam's razor would indicate that there is significant and disturbing truth to the allegations.

I took some pleasure in the recent troubles at Ohio State and USC. They seem penny ante compared to what seemed to be happening at the U.

It looks like that magic 2001 season was not a part of Shapiro's reign of improper activities. I suppose I have that memory to comfort me until all this is behind us, whenever happens. And of course, I have my chief love and alma mater, BYU.

This is a shameful story. For now, I'm done.

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On Quality

This post was prompted by an especially good package of cottage cheese. I imagine some of you have noticed variations in quality between different iterations of your favorite products. I have a specific preference for Breakstone's Cottage Cheese. Sometimes the cottage cheese is drier, if that makes sense, and sometimes there is more moisture in the package. I like it drier, and it tends to happen 1 time in 3 or 4.

The same is true of Frosted Mini Wheats. Sometimes the cereal seems fresher, crisper from the time the package is opened. There doesn't seem to be any pattern to when the best boxes will be there.

What's the reason for this? Is there one? Deep thoughts for a Sunday night.

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A Ragnar Relay is a team race that is very long, usually around 190 miles. Some people I know (and don't know) ran the race dressed as characters from Lord of the Rings. It looks like they had some fun.

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Lucasfilm (George Lucas' company) is behind a film looking at the story of the Tuskeegee Airmen. I was very enthused by the trailer.

Bet on Beck

John Beck is one of my all-time favorite BYU quarterbacks. His last-second win over Utah in his final season will forever be a treasured memory.

He is fighting for the starting quarterback slot on the Washington Redskins. From an effort standpoint, he would win it. But there is more involved. Washington is a tough market, with a difficult owner and little patience. We'll see what happens. If he gets a chance, he will have better tools at his disposal than he did during his abysmal season playing for the Dolphins.

Pyongyang Holiday

Ever been to North Korea? No? Few outsiders have. The Atlantic has some fascinating pictures from inside North Korea, and it shows an interesting and paradoxical place.

Tripping in Cali

We had a great trip to California to visit Lacy's family. For excellent photos, I suggest that you visit my sister Lillie's blog. She is a great photographer, and in this post, and several others, she shows a little bit of what we enjoyed.

I ate at Cafe Rio twice (excellent), In-n-Out once (excellent), Cheesecake Factory (excellent). Not very creative options, but still... excellent. The weather was great, as was the company. The ocean was cold. There were dolphins and snakes and children. All wild.

We toured the Reagan Library, quickly- at the kid's pace. It was impressive, a fitting tribute to the man. We ate superb, butter-filled pancakes in Du-Par's in Oxnard. I'd seen the place mentioned in books by Michael Connelly, a favorite author of mine, and wanted to give it a try. We ordered too much food.

We wanted to try a local burger place called The Habit (in Santa Barbara), but long lines and little seating made it a no-go for increasingly rambunctious Isaac. It was a great trip.

Here is a great photo of my beautiful Lacy, and of our family, taken by Lillie.

Justice Lost

Whether or not you thought the Casey Anthony verdict was a miscarriage of justice, this story from Mexico easily tops it.

A young man BEHEADED four people on orders from a Mexican drug cartel and got 3 years. THREE YEARS. And the creep was on his way to San Diego when he was apprehended. Read more of the news brief here.

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Giving Back

Jonathan Vilma is one of my all-time favorite Hurricanes. He was and is an extremely intelligent player, and he is making a significant contribution to his Alma Mater.

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Olympic Future

I've been on vacation for a while, but I hope to resume more regular posting.

The 2012 London Olympics are next summer. These are some fantastic photographs of some of the venues.

In the same vein, this is an interesting article about some of the names that you cared about three years ago, and will probably care about again.

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Slipping this one in at the last minute- I am and have been firmly in the "Michael Jordan will not be surpassed" camp. Watch this video, and tell me what you think.

On Judgement

I, like many of you, have been fascinated by the outcome of the Casey Anthony trial. I didn't have the visceral reaction of many, and I'm not consumed with an overwhelming conviction that a miscarriage of justice has occurred.

If anything, the outcome of the case reassures my faith in the justice system. It seems that the jurors were very uncomfortable with the choice that they had to make. They simply felt that the evidence was not sufficient to support a guilty verdict.

I served on a jury for a case that was very simple. The deliberations were quick, and no one really doubted the choice to be made. Despite this fact, we all were impressed by the responsibility placed upon us to decide correctly according the the law and the facts as they were presented to us.

I agree completely with this op-Ed from today's WSJ, written by well-known attorney Alan Dershowitz. It is worth reading.

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Happy Independence Day

I am grateful for this great country. I had a fantastic day with my family, culminating in a great dinner with some new friends and our own mini firework show.

I wanted to share this delicious recipe for tacos de carne asada. the part I was most impressed with was the mojo or marinade. I grilled both flank steak and skirt steak on my trusty Weber One-Touch. I continue to be a charcoal user, and that grill is almost foolproof.

What's more American than tacos, right?

We are exceptionally blessed, and I'm grateful for 235 years of America.

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Transforming

Lacy and I went to see Transformers: Dark of the Moon last night and I found it to be extremely enjoyable. It is loud, visually noisy, often logically inconsistent and I think I was smiling the entire time.

This is one of those films that dramatically divides critic and common moviegoer. The lack of "quality" films is often lamented, as all of the money, hype and attention goes to support these kinds of blockbusters. In patronizing Transformers I become part of that problem, but as I Tweeted yesterday, it is the fun part.

The special effects were superb, with an extraordinary melding of real and virtual. As someone who has enjoyed FX-driven films since I was a very young boy, Transformers is high art. And this one was better than the 2nd film, by a wide margin, although in reviewing my blog I wrote very favorable of the first two.

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What the Frack?

Have you ever heard of fracking? It isn't a euphemism for something unmentionable on a family blog like mine. It is the name for a process used to release natural gas from once-thought-unprofitable deposits.

While at a meeting a few weeks ago, I heard an industry expert explain how a significant investment in improving the nation's natural gas infrastructure could significantly reduce our reliance on petroleum. This would have a tremendous impact on our economic and national security.

The method is not without its detractors, but as this WSJ editorial explains, the potential benefits appear to justify them.

The question for the rest of us is whether we are serious about domestic energy production. All forms of energy have risks and environmental costs, not least wind (noise and dead birds and bats) and solar (vast expanses of land). Yet renewables are nowhere close to supplying enough energy, even with large subsidies, to maintain America's standard of living. The shale gas and oil boom is the result of U.S. business innovation and risk-taking. If we let the fear of undocumented pollution kill this boom, we will deserve our fate as a second-class industrial power.

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Love Letter

This man's post reads like a love letter...to the A10 Thunderbolt.

It is a remarkable airplane, and although I've admired it for a long time, I didn't know anything about it's history or the specifics of its giant Gatling gun.

It's a quick read, and worth the time if you have the slightest interest in military aviation.

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I have been a lazy blogger lately. The AweVidSats have been the only thing I've been doing. I couldn't resist this video of an 8 month old baby hearing his mom for the first time with the use of a Cochlear Implant.



It is a beautiful moment.

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Two videos, one of a weird guy who walks into an interview, and the other demonstrating how creepy infomercials really are-

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11:30 PM 6/11/2011- I'm not sure if this was some kind of sneaky marketing or something bogus. Either way, the videos are gone. I will try to find them later.

I am a sucker for all-things-Batman. The Dark Knight easily ranks as one of my all-time favorite movies. As a result, I am enormously excited about The Dark Knight Rises, due in theaters next year.

The following two videos are purportedly part of a viral marketing campaign for the movies, and both include a crowd chanting something. We'll see if and how they link up. Do I really have to wait another year?

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I think this is one of the greatest videos that I've seen in a long time.

El Segundo Partido

Tonight the Heat have a chance to put Dallas into a difficult hole if they can win game 2. Here are some good reads about the series and the Heat themselves:

• Dan Le Batard has a great story about the members of the Miami Heat who are actually from Miami. I particularly like Udonis Haslem's story.
• Jason Whitlock is done rooting against LeBron James. It's not too late to get religion Tom Proctor!
• The WSJ's Jason Gay looks at Dwyane Wade, who is the kind of player and teammate who could draw, not just LBJ and Bosh, but Haslem and others to the Heat.

19-18 Heat with 3 minutes to go in the 1st. Go Heat!

Finalize Pt. 2

I may need to revise that last post... That was a gritty win for the Heat. I think Dallas will win at least two in the series, but the killer instinct in the 4 quarter only belongs to Miami right now.

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Finalize

I think the Heat-Mavs series will go 7 games, though if Miami plays much like they have to start the 2nd half of the game, I will be proven wrong.

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Unfit Parents

As a parent, I've learned that it is important to respect other parents right to raise their children as they deem appropriate. Of course, abuse or neglect should never be tolerated, but outside of that parents should get some benefit of the doubt.

Unless of course, are like these idiots, who have chosen to raise their children free of gender identity.

As the friend who shared the article this on Facebook said, I feel sorry for the children.

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Poco Loco

The New York Times looks at some of the people that have bought into the Camping Rapture Prediction. It originates with a prediction by Harold Camping that the rapture will take place on Saturday, May 21st (TOMORROW!!!). Camping has been wrong before (obviously).

I hope they interview them on Sunday.

Dennis Rodman - All-time MVP?

The WSJ's Daily Fix blog has an interesting post about the value and superlative rebounding ability of Dennis Rodman. They point to an analysis of Rodman's career which concludes that Rodman may have been better at his best thing (rebounding) than any other player has been at their best thing.

It's an interesting analysis.

The End of a Media Titan

Dick Ebersol has resigned as the head of NBC Sports. He has been an extremely influential sports media figure for decades.

SI's Joe Posnanski has some thoughts from a recent interview with Ebersol, and gives his own opinion of the Ebersol era.

The Power of Self-Reliance

These are some incredible photos, published on the Daily Mail (UK) website. Homeowners in Mississippi and elsewhere have created their own dams and levees to protect their homes from ongoing flooding.

It demonstrates the importance of making your own contingency plans whereever possible. Everyone should have water, gasoline, and some kind of food stored for emergencies.

Drudgery

The New York Times has a good piece on the the staying power of Matt Drudge and The Drudge Report.

I have been checking Drudge daily for almost 11 years. On many occasions it has been my first source for major breaking news, and I imagine that won't change anytime soon.

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Inconsistency

This is sharp commentary on the arrest of IMF chief Dominique Strauss Kahn.

This will be a fascinating case to watch.

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Forethought

This is an interesting article about the vision of a Japanese mayor, who overcame opposition to construct a high floodgate to protect this town from a tsunami.

He did so decades before the March earthquake and tsunami, to the great benefit of his people.

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Roundball

I'm enjoying this close game between the Heat and the Bulls. It is hard to get a sense for who will win this series.

I enjoyed this story from Bill Simmons with his opinion on Phil Jackson's retirement. There are some good insights there.

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A compilation of terrible video game voice acting...with visual interpretation. Amusing.

For the Moms

Social media certainly has it's negative elements, including, but not limited to, oversharing of personal information. Fortunately there are days like today, Mother's Day, where the public forums are filled with heartfelt and sincere expressions of love and admiration. I have been touched many times today by what has been written about mothers and motherhood.

Motherhood is a godly responsibility. It involves selflessness and devotion, and I believe women are uniquely able to provide those qualities. My own mother has been an exemplar of such things, and I was fortunate enough to marry a woman cut from the same cloth. This is no surprise given how wonderful her mother is. I am grateful for these mothers who have blessed and continue to bless my life.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

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ROI

This Op-Ed by Allysia Finley provides two insights, neither of which is surprising, but still worth reading.

1. Many people are paying far too much for their college education, relative to the return on that investment.

2. Most of the fiscal woes of State and local governments can be traced to the very generous compensation given to public sector employees. This is not sustainable unless taxes are increased or other expenses reduced.

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Up, Down, Left, Left, Right...

This column by Eric Snider is an instant classic. I dare you not to laugh...I DARE YOU!

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Fakespiration

Shortly after the celebrations of Bin Laden's death were shown, many people lamented the glorifying of his violent end. They found moral backing in a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., that was not actually written or spoken by him.

It is a fascinating look at how misinformation can spread on the Internet very, very quickly. The sentiment behind the quote is a good one, and I don't blame anyone who feels that way.

By the way, I continue to be very happy that Bin Laden is dead. I am glad that he didn't just die peacefully, but that some rough men took him out the hard way. It was just. If I ever become a mass-murdering, bigoted, and evil man I give each of you license to throw a party when I earn my just reward. In today's New York Post, the section on Bin Laden carried the subtitle "Rot in Hell" on each page.

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Dark Side

As I have some time on this flight I am going to prepare a few posts, like this one, for publishing when I land and reconnect to the web.

In nearly every industry I can imagine, there are other industries that have sprung up to support them. I am sitting in front of two young men who work as professional pollsters for political campaigns. Firms like the ones that they work for can generate high fees and have become an integral part of the electoral process. My own career is supported by technical and legal subindustries specific to my field. Intercollegiate sports is no different.

Pete Thamel of the New York Times wrote an excellent article about the shady elements that surround the collegiate recruiting. Read it and see if you agree that folks like Caldwell don't belong in any high schooler's living room.

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Death to Evil

I have an early flight scheduled for tomorrow, and JUST as I was getting ready to go to bed, I check my Twitter feed and see the reports that Osama Bin Laden is dead.

This would be a just use of deadly force if there ever was one, and I'm thrilled that he will not have the benefit of using our judicial system to his end.

This is an important step in a long struggle, but it's not the end.


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¡Cuatro!

My little Millie is four years old today. I call her Mil, Little Mil, or Silly Millie. She is hilarious, adorable, and often infuriating. I wouldn't change her at all.

Furious Nature

You need to visit this link, if only to watch the stunning, short video of a tornado hitting the St. Louis airport.

It's a stark reminder of how powerless we are against an unpredictable and unstoppable force like the weather.

I corrected the above link (4/26, 12:29 pm)

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Awesome Video Saturday CLXIV

I've always enjoyed Star Wars, and haven't had any difficulty interesting my kids in it. I thought this was a funny video-



I'm not a fan to the degree of these guys, but I am guilty of attempting to influence the kids to my way of looking at things.

Hope Springs

This is something else that I meant to post the other day. At the end of last season, I was very optimistic about BYU's football future. Despite a poor start, and a tough loss to Utah in the last regular season game, the end of the season exhibited huge improvement.

We have a great young quarterback and a good group of returning players. There is a reinvigorated coaching staff AND the first season as an independent.

For reasons to be optimistic, check out this ESPN post.

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Bullish

I grew up watching Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. My mom was a huge Jordan fan, and I followed him closely until his retirement (the 2nd one). As ESPN's Michael Wilbon explains, in Derrick Rose the Bulls finally have a player which could provide Chicago with the edge that they need.

I don't pull for the Bulls anymore, having transferred my allegiance to the Heat, but I don't mind that they are relevant. As the first two days of the playoffs have already shown, this season the NBA is more interesting than it has been in many years. Worth a sports fan's time.

By the way, I meant to post this on Friday, so the article is old by now.


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Potty Problem

This is a great historical tidbit about a German boat, lost to the Nazi war effort due to a malfunctioning toilet. it was supposed to be an advanced design. Most of us occasionally complain about the travails of technology, but it's nothing new.

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Awesome Video Saturday CLXIII

I thought this was a fantastic version of the recent hit "Friday:"



In case you somehow missed the video the above is based on, see below. I cannot be held responsible for how you are affected.

Miami Reborn?

I thought This was an interesting article from SI's Stewart Mandel. He looks at Miami coach Al Golden's efforts to return the Miami Hurricanes to legitimate dominance in their conference and the nation.

I have been pretty optimistic about Golden so far. A friend of mine attended their recent scrimmage in Palm Beach County and was disappointed, but it was the first public scrimmage of the year.

I am already looking forward to the Fall!

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Al Sur

This was the first year that we have taken an actual "spring break" trip with our family. At Lacy's urging we started looking at things to do and decided to head south to see family and have some fun.

We left Monday and spent a rainy day at my sister's house in Orlando. The kids had a great time, and I learned that Masters of the Universe (available on Hulu) has not aged very well. Our niece Nicole planned a delicious dinner, which included some fantastic cookies that are definitely not a part of my normal diet. I had 3 (they were pancake-sized and worth it).

The next day we went to Disney World, taking advantage of my brother's employment there to get a sweet deal. The kids had a lot of fun, and I've included some pictures below. Due to the crowd, we left the Magic Kingdom for Epcot at about 4pm, which was an excellent choice. We had a pretty tasty meal at the new restaurant in Mexico, as our first choice (the German Biergarten) was not available. We don't drink beer, but the buffet there is fantastic.

We will not be doing Disney during Spring Break again. Far too many people. But still a fun day.

The next day we drove to Miami, where we visited Vizcaya, an impressive estate (now a county park) with some beautiful grounds and a fantastic location. The house was built in the 1910's, and it must have been a fascinating time to be in Miami. We then enjoyed a visit with my aunt Elena and several of my cousins and their children.

The next day was spent at Zoo Miami (formerly the Miami Metrozoo). This has always been one of my favorite parts of Miami, though we hadn't been there in over 7 years. The vegetation now seems fully recovered from 1992's Hurricane Andrew, and the kids really enjoyed seeing the animals. Next time we will rent a quad bicycle to get around the very large zoo.

We visited my great-aunt Elsita, who we had not seen since the death of my abuelita in August of 2009. It was great to show her the kids and enjoy some of her delicious natilla (comparable recipe found here). We took a quick swim in the pool, and then I took Joseph and Millie to dinner with my Uncle Ari and Aunt Kelly. We also got to meet our new little cousin Star, born to my cousin Stacci and her husband JR. The name is a combo of Sta from Stacci and R from JR. Millie is pretty jealous of that name, and has asked me several times since why her name can't be star. Dinner at La Rosa was delicious. We also had a good meal at Havana Harry's (Tres Vacas Fritas & Churrasco), but La Rosa gets the edge for its equivalent meat and FAR superior black beans. La Rosa also serves the traditional toasted and buttered Cuban bread. Joseph ate palomilla twice.

Friday was a lazy morning packing our things and a drive back to Gainesville. We stopped in Orlando at Downtown Disney to enjoy dinner with our friends the Eichelberger's at T-Rex. We ate in the Ice Room, which was a trippy place to be. Periodically the light would change color and we are convinced that it made the kids a little crazy. After that we hit Ghiradelli's and cruised home.

It was a great little vacation. We've spent the last two days listening to our Church's semiannual General Conference and enjoying some "quiet" time around the house and some good food with friends.

Tomorrow? Back to the gym, to work, and to reality. Here are some photos, somewhat out of order, and a video of Millie showing off her rhythm.

B... Y... U....GOOOOOO COUGARS!

It would be an understatement to say that the anticipation of tonight's game between BYU and Florida has me a littl distracted. I have been spending too much (just enough?) time responding to Facebook posts and the latest articles about my beloved Cougars.

This game is a beautiful thing. I live in Gainesville, and have since I was ten years old, with the exception of 2 years as a missionary in Southern California and 4 glorious years in Provo at BYU. I love living here, but when I moved to Gainesville I HATED the Gators. At the time I didn't really care about BYU, loving the Miami Hurricanes more than any other. Having gone to the Y, they now own my ultimate sports loyalty.

I don't hate the Gators (much) anymore, as numerous posts here can attest, but my choice here was never in doubt.

I think BYU is a unique place. There are plenty of haters (Ute fans especially) but their vitriol has no impact on my love for BYU's special nature. Some of them just grew up that way, some couldn't get in, others are just run-of-the-mill godless reprobates. Too harsh?

I loved this article from Ann Killion at SI.com. I love the Cougs, win or lose. They have given us a great season, a successful and thrilling season. I like Billy Donovan and this Gator team is a pretty good, pretty likable team. I can think of worse things than losing to them. I just hope it doesn't happen.

I won't predict a score. That really is a somewhat ridiculous idea. I just want a win.

Go Cougars!

Awesome Video Saturday CLXII

Human Excellence!

End of Discovery

This is a pretty neat look at the likely fate of the Space Shuttle Discovery, the most illustrious of NASA's orbiters.

Japan Roundup

Some quick hits about Japan-

• This article is about the efforts of a small group of people working to prevent nuclear disaster. Their actions are heroic and hopefully will be successful.
• What is the radiation risk for us here in the United States? One doctor weighs in.
• What does it mean for an orderly nation like Japan to lose its ability to remain ordered? It means a severe test of trust and confidence.
• This is a nice story of how the Apple Store has provided a sanctuary for some of the affected population.

Moral Failure

This post was inspired by this tweet from baseball writer Rob Neyer:

My brilliantly nuanced memo addressed to every head of state who can't
figure out how to help the Libyan rebels: You suck. #libya

I couldn't agree more. We need look no farther than 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington D.C. to see a horrendous and cowardly absence of leadership with regard to Libya.

What do I expect him to do? Or any other leader? Don't talk about a no-fly zone. Make it happen. Put Gaddafi INTO THE GROUND. This is a certifiably evil man, a dictator, murderder, and sponsor of terrorism.

Courageous people are staring death in the face, even as I write this, and they are doing it while we do nothing. We don't need to send troops. We don't need to put any of our people in direct danger. They don't need us to provide human rights investigations. They need us to even up the odds, even just a little bit. We will look back at this moment as we do the Bay of Pigs in 1961, or our abandonment of the Iraqi opposition after the 1991 Gulf War, as a moment of moral weakness, and it is a tragedy.

Fab Follow-up

As a follow-up to yesterday's post on the Michigan Fab Five documentary, this is a link to an excellent response written by Grant Hill.

In the documentary, disparaging things are said about the Duke players of that era, which is why Hill wrote what he did.

Tourney Time!

I've set up my customary NCAA Tournament Bracket on ESPN.com. There is just over one day to make and finalize your picks, so get on it!

Follow this link to the SPOTD Champions League and then enter the password "spotd" where indicated. An ESPN or Facebook account is required.

Also, enjoy this article about Jimmer Fredette's days playing ball in the Big House.

Fab Fiction?

I've enjoyed ESPN's 30 for 30 programs, but I missed the one that recently showed about Michigan's early '90's "Fab Five" basketball team. Most of the people that I know who watched it thought it was a great documentary.

Jason Whitlock disagrees. I don't know if he is correct, but he makes some interesting points. Whitlock is reliably blunt. It's a good read.

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Gross Injustice

I haven't blogged about Cuba in a while, and this editorial from the WSJ is a good place to start. It discusses the situation of Alan Gross, who has been held in Cuba since 2009. He has been tried for espionage, and may spend up to 20 years in a Cuban prison, though few expect him to serve the full sentence.

Cuba has long been prone to Libyan-style domestic oppression, but we have looked the other way for a very long time. Now we have a United States citizen, being tried for his role in a USAid program, and we are impotent to change the situation. Obama has attempted to make some gestures toward greater openness, but they have not been reciprocated. This would be an appropriate time to put away the carrot.

Terrorist Hunter

If you only read one thing this week, or this month, that I have linked to on my blog, I hope it is this. This is the story, published in Esquire, of a man who continues to put his life on the line for his country, to protect his family, and to win freedom for his people. He is Iraqi and his job is to hunt terrorists.

As someone who has supported the war in Iraq, I have felt that it was important to put a human face on what is happening there, and elsewhere. "Omar" is one of those faces, although security concerns mean that it can't be shown.

I think this article really is worth your time. So you are aware, it is lengthy, and there is a bit of profanity. I hope this helps the man earn some kind of security for his family.

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Honoring the Code

The dismissal of Brandon Davies from the BYU Basketball team has created a huge amount of attention for the school and its honor code. Despite my disappointment at what has happened and its impact on the season, the scrutiny is a wonderful thing.

Pat Forde of ESPN praised BYU for sticking to its principles. Fans like me are disappointed, but also proud that the school puts that code above athletic achievments. And most of us aren't really mad at Davies. I certainly feel bad for the scrutiny he will deal with as the nation's most famous amorous teenager. We feel sympathy for him because, even where no honor code violations occur, BYU students are human, and you know everything that goes along with that.

I listened to a great call on Jim Rome today. A BYU alum called in and explained just what we Cougars do for fun when alcohol, drugs, and sex are off the menu. We used to play sports, watch sports, play games, ski, and enjoy hanging out with friends. Basically the same things that we did before we got to Provo. Nobody who goes to BYU does so without understanding the honor code. It provides a tremendous feeling of security and unity of purpose.

I am grateful for the time I spent there and often feel nostalgic for those times. I hope my children will be able to attend there. I'm proud that the school upheld the honor code, even as I lament the loss of a great player. I hope that he feels the support of the BYU community. None of us is perfect.

Coded

This is a good discussion of the BYU Honor Code as it relates to Brandon Davies suspension from the basketball team.

Cash and the Corp

I thought this article does a great job of explaining corporate behavior toward cash, and how companies came to hold so much.

The whole thing is worth a read.

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Cougar Rising

Regardless of what happens during the NCAA tournament, this season of BYU basketball has been the best I've ever known. The obvious draw is Jimmer Fredette, but this is the most complete team in a long, long time, which makes me think that we have a serious chance of making a good run in the tournament.

Here are a few write-ups about BYU's solid win over SDSU on Saturday:

Luke Winn explains how BYU won, despite Jimmer's "sub-par" performance in a hostile environment.

Andy Glockner thinks BYU has a chance to get a 1 seed. This is significant as 1 seeds do have a better winning percentage in the Tourney, by a significant margin, over 2 seeds.

SDSU has enjoyed a high ranking, and with BYU being it's toughest opponent, it is hard to gauge how well we stack up against major basketball powers. We may have to wait for the madness to find out.

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Dying Link

It is so sobering to think about how, with the death of people like WWI veteran Frank Buckles, we are losing living links to our past. Buckles was the last living US veteran of that war.

In another 20 or 25 years, the same will be true of WWII. Fortunately, we have video evidence of that conflict, though our modern, hyper-realistic entertainment stunts the impact of those visuals. It is the eyewitness accounts of war that provide context for those images, and unless we are diligent in recording them, as many have done, our memory will be incomplete. And an incomplete memory will be no way to prevent some of those horrible outcomes.

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Awesome Video Saturday CLXI

This is a strange little video, and I'm not sure how it is a trailer for a Swedish short film, but it cracks me up EVERY time.



I love the music.

A Visitor Tonight

Joseph had his first lost tooth. We are excited to welcome the tooth fairy to our house tonight.

Value

A few months ago I wrote about HP's rival to the iPad, and how it seemed to offer less value than the iPad.

I still feel that way, and this article helps explain why other companies have a difficult time matching Apple's iPad pricing.

It is expected that the new iPad will be introduced next week, on March 2nd.

Big Game

I like Seth Davis' answer about whether BYU/SDSU fans should worry about the polls. In short, they shouldn't, especially if they win out.

Saturday is a big game between these two teams, and you can watch it on CBS.

Half the Man I Used to Be

Not quite half, but a good bit lighter.

In February 2010 I stood on a scale at the gym. My visit to the gym had been prompted by how poorly I was feeling. We were awaiting Isaac's birth, so life was pretty stressful and I was spending very little time on fitness or healthy eating.

So I felt lousy, and realized that I needed to start exercising again. The easiest way to do this was to run periodically, which I did. Ours was not a house for dieting, given the pregnancy, so that was the extent of my efforts for a while. My starting weight? 267 pounds! The highest I had ever measured.

I would run when the kids were asleep, and very rarely in the morning. never more than 3 times in a week, and rarely for more than 1 mile, at least at first. This small effort bore some fruit, so that by August I was down to about 250. By this time Lacy was ready for us to work together, so we started following the plan put forth in Bill Phillips' Body for Life. This meant eating 6 small, healthy meals a day, and exercise six times a week. I won't go into much more detail, as I want to focus on the results. I will say that for us, it has been an extremely successful plan.

The last time I weighed myself the scale said 204.9. Over the months between August 1st and the Christmas holidays I only missed six workouts in a week 2 or 3 times. We followed the eating plan pretty closely, with some small aberrations here and there and some big ones over Christmas. We've dealt with a lot of sickness since the holidays, but I've managed to better my goal and now have a new goal to be less than 200 pounds.

I plan to accomplish this by increasing the intensity of my cardio workouts and eating more fruit as the carb for my meals. I like to think that my brain works differently now, that it won't be possible for me to slip back into those terrible habits of sedentary living and unplanned eating. This will require diligence, because the slide downward did not occur overnight either.

The bottom line is that I was fat. Seem harsh? To put it in perspective, one year ago I weighed 30 PERCENT MORE than I do today. My old pants are enormous. I can't imagine ever fitting in them. I had several pairs altered back in October, and all of those are at least 2 inches too large in the waist.

My main incentive to keep the weight off is that I feel great. I haven't been at this weight since high school, and I'm convinced that I am healthier and more fit than at any other point in my adult life. It is easier and more fun to play with the kids, I can run more, and faster than ever before (I am not a runner). It has truly been a transformation.

In Which I am an Environmental Hero

I have always felt like a good environmentalist. Not a fanatic, of course, but very conscientious. I recycle everything that is recyclable. I gather old batteries and household chemicals for proper disposal. And I reuse Ziploc bags whenever possible. This is my greatest achievement in the environmental area.

Example:

Isaac pooped the other day, as is his custom. It was my privilege to clean the young man, and faced with the terrible choice about where to put the diaper, I considered the following:

1. Bathroom garbage
2. Kitchen garbage
3. Direct to garbage can

Of the three, the latter is the least injurious. Any and all smells are taken outside. We never did buy a diaper genie, despite every intention to do so with each child. With Isaac we usually put the diapers in the bathroom in his room, the door of which is always closed. Most of the time this works well, but this this was an especially odiferous diaper, and I was struck with a marvelous idea.

Earlier in the morning we had been cleaning the freezer and had removed some freezer-burned fruit. The ziploc bag remained on the counter, and I decided to put the diaper in that used bag. This afforded me the great liberty of putting the bomb wherever I desired. It was liberating, and a wonderful second life for that plastic bag.

Before you remind me that putting a disposable diaper in a plastic bag, both of which would soon be on their way to a landfill, was no great act of environmental heroism, I can assure you that in the environment nearest to me, where my nostrils were now saved from accidental offensive olfactory ingestion, epic poems were thought of (though not written) and all rejoiced at the banishment of the beast.

Awesome Video Saturday CLX

A truly impressive goal from Wayne Rooney.

LOST Again

I love Lost. I never wavered in my enjoyment of the show and I found the finale very moving.

First, a cool video where this guy arrange 22 different themes from Lost into a single medley. It is nicely done. Michael Giacchino is one of my favorite composers and I think his work was truly critical to the emotional impact of the show. My favorite theme starts around 5:20.



I also enjoyed this article from Carlton Cuse, one of the showrunners for Lost. He describes what it was like to work on a show like Lost for 6 years and the process of deciding how to follow it.

On Names

Where do they come up with names for prescription drugs? I just saw an ad for Beyaz, a type of birth control. The name is a little too similar to a certain word used in speech as a kinder version of an unkind word.

Just seems like a poor choice to me.

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Awesome Video Saturday CLIX

This is a pretty cool video of the "worlds widest slip-n-slide."

Rumbling

Count me among those that dislike NPR's leftist leanings. All that aside, I have found it to be far superior, along with the BBC, to the television media in it's treatment of the events in Egypt.

In many ways, especially in terms of realpolitik, Egypt is a small player. Their somewhat conciliatory attitude toward Israel has been important, but Egypt is still an economic lightweight and a less significant member of the oil-producing nations. Still, Egypt matters.

It matters because it is a young country. Like most of the Arab world, the average age is much younger than in the developed world. This has been a concern for the west due to fears that youth with too much time and too little economic opportunity might turn towards jihad to fill their lives. This idea failed to address the greater desire among many of the young to matter in legitimate ways. This means massing to demand democratic reforms and the end to autocratic regimes. In recent months this has repeated itself across the region, from Tunisia to Jordan and now, most notably, to Egypt.

The people have tasted the ability to effect change. The fact that Mubarak did anything showed them that they can influence him, and having seen him "blink," they don't want to stop until they get all of what they want, starting with his removal from office in name and authority.

Things may get very ugly over the next few days and weeks.

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Super Fail

You may have heard that more than 1000 fans were kept from their seats at the Super Bowl. Some of what happened to those fans is chronicled in this article, that also puts a critical eye on the NFL's response.

The NFL will not be able to make this ugly occurrence go away fast enough.

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Change is Coming

According to this report from the Wall Street Journal Apple has started production on the new version of the iPad. I have loved and continue to love mine. I won't replace it any time soon, but I would love to have the camera feature.

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On Saving Money

I was shocked and delighted by the GroupOn ad during the Superbowl (can be seen here). It starts as an apparent plea for the people of Tibet and ends in a plea for saving money.

As this article explains, not everyone was pleased by the ad, and GroupOn has been waging a bit of a PR battle. I think it was brilliant, and as a Christopher Guest fan, think his involvement was perfect.

We have too many sacred cows. Every once in a while we need to thin the herd.

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Super Pick

The Packers are the fashionable choice. I usually root for the AFC, but I think the Packers have what it takes to win out today.

Packers 31, Steelers 24

Awesome Video Saturday CLVIII

One of the best ads I have seen in a long time.

Birth

I was listening to an interview on BBC Radio with an Egyptian protester. When asked if the danger and his own injury would keep him from protesting and he said the following, heavily paraphrased:

God willing I will be there, every day. Now I feel like a man. I know what freedom is now.

Very inspiring words as I listened to them live.


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No Killers

If you have paid any attention to the turmoil in Egypt you may be aware of President Hosni Mubarak's efforts to shut down the Internet. He has this right by law, and has had some limited success. Some people have been able to circumvent the government's controls by using foreign numbers or access codes.

Beyond the ability of people to circumvent controls, I am morally opposed to the practice. There is a senate bill that would grant the President some power to shut down internet service in time of emergency. I'm not comfortable with any President having such broad control, especially without knowing what event might be sufficient to take control.

We need much more information on what would apply, but I doubt there is any scenario where suspension of a now-critical service might be justified.

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Tweet Cheap

I thought this was a great article by Dave Kindred. He looks at the recent criticism of Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, which originated on Twitter and which was subsequently promulgated in the traditional sports media.

It is a great critique of the evolution in commentary caused by social media and its impact on lazy reporting. It also highlights the unfortunate lack of discretion on the part of some athletes, and others.

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What I've Learned

I've had some time on my hands, so I thought I would share some of what I've been thinking about.

I've learned that three hour naps in the middle of the afternoon are amazing! I used to know that, so I guess I relearned it. I'm sure I will soon learn that I should not expect that to happen again until my children are much, much older.

I've learned that I need a much better story to explain how I got this sweet cut in between my eyes. Not for people that I actually care about, but for the randomly curious person to whom I do not want to give the whole flu/dehydration spiel. Any ideas? Referee at a cockfight? Unicycle accident?

I've learned that old age must be very frustrating, especially if there is much of this falling involved. At least I was asleep during my fall. I only had to experience the blood pouring from my face after the incident occurred, which I think would be preferable to experiencing my face hit the bathtub LIVE!

I've learned that there is so little good programming on TV. Most of ESPN's hosts are insufferable, with silly affected voices and the inability to ask non-leading questions. All of these old dramas all seem the same. At least rereading old novels is more satisfying than watching old tv shows (Thank you Orson Scott Card).

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Jimmer'd

BYU has a huge game tonight against #4 ranked SDSU. This piece from the WSJ looks at how BYU is a team that other schools love to hate.

I love the mention of Wyoming, which has always seemed to consider BYU a major rival, while we Cougs don't see the Cowpokes as a big deal.

It's a fun little read. Go Cougs!

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Aftermath

Well, my face freaks me out a little when I look in the mirror and I feel pretty lousy. It has been a humbling reminder of my human frailty. I am going to bed, but before I do...

I will not be running for a little bit, but found this article, critical of barefoot running, to be pretty interesting. I remain intrigued by the idea, and not fully convinced by either side.

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I Got Whacked

Saturday night I started to feel a little sick. Mild sore throat and aches mostly, which I attributed to my Friday INTENSE weight lifting and playing in our flag football league game earlier that day. I woke up the next morning feeling pretty lousy, which I now know is the Flu. I stayed home from Church, slept a lot, hoping to feel better in time for a 9 AM appointment in the office.

I woke up at midnight to use the bathroom. On my way from toilet to sink I blacked out, hitting my face on something (bathtub or floor?). I woke up to see blood pouring from my nose and this nice gash on my nose between my eyes.

That is a picture that I snapped in the hospital. Apparently I had a subconscious desire to emulate Harry Potter, but aimed a little low.

Lacy heard me fall and came into the bathroom as I was trying to stand up. I was unresponsive to her questions, but remember thinking that I needed to get cleaned up and go back to sleep. She helped me slump back against the wall, and I sipped some Gatorade while she called my dad. He arrived, took me to the hospital where I had an EKG, CT scan, chest x-ray, blood work and flu swab. The diagnosis? Dehydration due to influenza type A. I thought I was drinking enough fluids, but apparently not. In addition to the face gash I have a small fracture in my nose and nasty neck pain.

17 stitches later (3 internal, 14 external) here is my beautiful face.


I am taking it easy at home, trying to stay away from my wonderful, curious kids and beautiful wife so that they don't get sick. I'm grateful for Lacy and her quick thinking after the initial shock of seeing my blood pooling on the bath rug. I'm grateful for my parents, especially my dad who sat with me in the hospital for four hours and is covering my appointments. I'm thankful to God that nothing more serious occurred.

I learned that you can be dehydrated and still have to pee. I am taking Tamiflu and enjoying the Lortab. Hopefully I will rejoin society later this week.

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Location:Home, then North Florida Regional Medical Center, now Home

Dive Deep

There is a new movie coming out on February 4th, Sanctum. It was inspired in part by an experience that the filmmaker had while diving with Wes Skiles. I've written about Wes before. He passed away in a diving accident last June and was a great guy.


You can read more about the origin of the film and how Wes took Jim Cameron on his first cave dive a few years ago.

The Other Side

I didn't find a video that I felt was sufficiently Awesome for posting today, but I did like this article about the relationship between NFL star Jason Taylor and his agent Gary Wichard.

Wichard was named in an expose about sports agents that was published in Sports Illustrated. The article linked above is a nice counterpoint, giving the other side of Wichard's interactions with players. While it doesn't prove anything about the veracity of the article, it does show there are always more sides to every story.

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Getting His Money's Worth

I love this story. A University of Colorado student decided to pay his tuition in $1 bills, as a protest against rising tuition.

Sure beats getting into fights with the cops.

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Peacemaker

I didn't hear Rush Limbaugh say this, but blogger Ann Althouse did, and I think it is a very compelling quote-

"The 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Winner hosted a dinner for the guy holding the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Winner in prison...and the media does not get the irony of this at all."

I didn't think about it until I saw this. I understand the need of the President to meet with the China's head of state. There are many complicated issues to deal with, but it would be nice to see a little more leadship from him on this issue and others.

Taking Aim

It seems that CNN anchor John King apologized for a guest's use of the term "crosshairs." I would like to target this kind of excessively cautious behavior. At risk of getting into a shooting match with some of my more gun-shy friends, does anyone really think that such talk is to blame for the AZ tragedy?

Rather than continue to beat this dead horse, I'd like to nuke any more discussion of whether trite and overused martial metaphors really do anything more than carpet bomb the English language.

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Dopey?

Sports Illustrated is going to publish a story about a current Grand Jury investigation involving Lance Armstrong. It appears that most of the allegations and evidence against him involve witness testimony. There may be documents but it doesn't seem like any of them has been tied to him conclusively. The fact that the witnesses include Floyd Landis does not strengthen the case. However, as Jose Canseco proved, disliking someone is not proof that they are lying

If the grand jury returns an indictment it only means that they felt there was sufficient probable cause to charge him with a crime. His guilt would not be established or refuted until a trial.

I want him to be innocent, but it would be foolish to ignore the possibility that at least some of these allegations are true.

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No Big Deal

This announcement, that travel restrictions to Cuba are being eased by the Obama administration, is not that big a deal. While it should lead to more interchange of currency and people, it is not a huge shift in relations between the US and Cuba.

The US embargo or Cuba continues in every meaningful sense, but to what end? There is no doubt that we have something to gain economically from lifting the embargo, but it is small relative to our economic relationships with other states. If there was more immediate and significant impact, the embargo would have been lifted long ago.

I favor the removal of the embargo. Engagement with the Castro regime would remove their ability to frame us as the boogeyman, cause of all their troubles. It would allow us to strengthen our influence over a strategically important neighbor, one who is much too chummy with Venezuela and China.

So a few more dollars and people visiting Cuba? No big deal. Remove the embargo and THEN I'll be impressed.

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Awesome Video Saturday CLVII

This video was made by a friend from college. Incidentally, he played the blind "Pretty Bird" kid on Dumb & Dumber. This is a funny idea, and I think it is pretty well executed. Here are the first two episodes.

Keep it Clean

This article is a nice companion to yesterday's post. David Brooks looks at the roots of our societal incivility and makes some good points:

The problem is that over the past 40 years or so we have gone from a culture that reminds people of their own limitations to a culture that encourages people to think highly of themselves. The nation’s founders had a modest but realistic opinion of themselves and of the voters. They erected all sorts of institutional and social restraints to protect Americans from themselves. They admired George Washington because of the way he kept himself in check.
But over the past few decades, people have lost a sense of their own sinfulness. Children are raised amid a chorus of applause. Politics has become less about institutional restraint and more about giving voters whatever they want at that second. Joe DiMaggio didn’t ostentatiously admire his own home runs, but now athletes routinely celebrate themselves as part of the self-branding process.
So, of course, you get narcissists who believe they or members of their party possess direct access to the truth. Of course you get people who prefer monologue to dialogue. Of course you get people who detest politics because it frustrates their ability to get 100 percent of what they want. Of course you get people who gravitate toward the like-minded and loathe their political opponents. They feel no need for balance and correction.

So while I agree that politics was just as ugly and rancorous 100, 500, or 1000 years ago, there WAS a decorum, born of modesty, that is missing in much of what we do today. It would be nice to have some of that back. In the meantime, we have to take it easy.

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