In the 1990s I shared a pair of KC Chiefs season tickets with one of my friends from work. Arrowhead stadium on game day was an awesome experience ... I can still smell the aroma of BBQ tailgating smoke ... even the singing of our national Anthem was an experience :)
Stranger Than Fiction ala Codepoke
One of the movies that I am anxious to see this holiday season is "Stranger Than Fiction". Codepoke reviews this movie over at his blogspot.
Iraq's Leader Blames Politicians
This is a picture of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Here is what Reuters reported about him today: Berating all the political leadership -- rather than shadowy militant groups as he has in the past -- Maliki told a brief televised news conference: "The ones who can stop a further deterioration and the bloodshed are the politicians."
But he added this could happen "only when they agree and all realize that there are no winners and losers in this battle."
"Let's be totally honest -- the security situation is a reflection of political disagreement," he said, surrounded by Sunni and Kurdish leaders as well as his fellow Shi'ites.
Maliki, a compromise choice for premier after months of wrangling earlier this year, has struggled to make an impact on either Iraq's security or economic problems.
Despite pressure from Washington, he has struggled to crack down on militias blamed by Sunni Arabs for thousands of death squad killings, and has said repeatedly his main priority is fighting a Sunni Arab insurgency and al Qaeda-linked militants.
He has promised a cabinet reshuffle, but if it is to have much impact, he will need to break the pattern of ministries being parceled out to political parties and thereafter run as fiefdoms of rival factions within the government.
Maliki is derided on the one hand in the once dominant Sunni minority as an agent of Shi'ite Iran, while fellow Shi'ite Islamists demand he do more to defend their interests against both the Sunnis and the United States.
I have been Dilberted
I love Dilbert but sometimes his commenary is too close for comfort. This one reminded me of what it was like to do some contracting/consulting work for a large corporation after I took an early retirement package when I was 49. I felt young but worked around much younger people - I was the old guy. I am still one of the oldest people where I work now and sometimes get frustrated because of my physical limitations - I have ankle problems that sometimes keep me off my feet. I guess getting older isn't all that bad though when you consider the alternatives :)Open Range | ★★★★★
Three of my favorite actors (Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner and Annette Benning) collaborated to make this movie ... and I just watched in on TV last weekend for the first time. So I thought that I'd jot a few thoughts down on it while i still had a few thoughts to think. Open Range is a story about the post Civil War conflicts of free-range cattle breeding. It is a kind of Bonanza meets 'Gunfight at the OK Corral' with Duvall and Costner playing the good guy free rangers, Benning playing a wild west town nurse and other unknown (at least by me) actors playing the townies and badguys. I thought the scenery was beautiful (I watched it in HD), the plot a bit too lengthy (needed about 15 mnutes hacked off) and the acting pretty rote. It was highly recommended to me so maybe my expectations were too high.
On a scale of 10 I give this movie ★★★★★
007 - forty years later
Anyone who knows me very well knows that I am a longtime Bondaholic. I read all of Ian Fleming's 007 books when I was in high school and have been mesmerized by the double-naught spy ever since. So it was no surprise that Ann and I got out to see the new Casino Royale the first week it was out (in KC anyway). I suppose that Daniel Craig, like all actors who have donned the Bond, James Bond role, will be compared to all of the previous 007s ... of course many Bondites stopped looking after Connery ... my favorite Bond was Pierce Brosnan and favorite 007 movie was Tomorrow Never Dies - topic for another dicussion.Generally speaking I liked Casino Royale and for the first time ever my wife liked a 007 flick better than I did. A few bits: Judi Dench played an aging "M"; John Cleese did not play "Q" because this character did not appear in the movie; Miss Moneypenny also did not make an appearance. The film formula was different. Craig played the role as a more pouty-faced beefcaked action hero than all of his predecessors combined ... but I thought that he pulled it off. The film had a lot of action, some suspense and a twist of an ending. I give it 7 (of 10) KB stars and 6 (of 007) bullets.
Click | ★★★★★★★
My wife and I watched the DVD version of Click last night. Like many of his previous movies, Adam Sandler has hit another home run. I found this storyline to be something like "It's a Wonderful Life" in that the main character gets a glimpse of how his life could be if he stays the course and doesn't change. Sandler seems to be good at bringing 'movies with a message' to us. Many of his films are heartwarming, funny and culturally insightful.
On a scale of 10 I give this movie ★★★★★★★
Chiefs 19, Broncos 10
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - NFL rushing leader Larry Johnson made the Denver Broncos' fifth-ranked run defense look ordinary.
Johnson ran for 157 yards, Lawrence Tynes kicked four field goals and Kansas City inaugurated the league's new Thanksgiving tripleheader with a 19-10 victory over the Broncos on Thursday night.
The Chiefs (7-4) charged into a second-place tie with Denver in the AFC West and gave the Broncos (7-4) their first two-game losing streak since late in 2004.
Johnson, raising his league-leading rushing total to 1,202 yards, consistently burned the Broncos with 8- and 10-yard gains, using his usual assortment of power moves and start-and-stop elusiveness. The Broncos came in giving up a shade better than 90 yards per game on the ground.
Johnson scored the Chiefs' only touchdown on a 1-yard vault late in the second quarter following a crucial mistake by the Broncos' Ebenezer Ekuban, who was called for roughing the passer on a failed third-and-4 play from the 9.
Tynes hit from 24, 34, 29 and 21 yards for the Chiefs, who have put themselves in a strong playoff position by shaking off a host of injuries and winning five of their last six.
It was a memorable night for the NFL, not only inaugurating the league's first Thanksgiving tripleheader but also the first live game telecast on the NFL Network, which is seen in about 40 million of the country's 111 million television homes.
Making the night even more festive was an in-house standing-room-only crowd of 80,866, the largest since 1972, the year the Chiefs opened the facility that many call the loudest outdoor stadium in the league.
The Broncos did not even snap the ball in Kansas City territory until after Jake Plummer hit Javon Walker with a 21-yard pass to the 47 with 1:30 left in the half. Nine plays later, Jason Elam kicked a 31-yard field goal that made it 10-3 at halftime.
Plummer dropped to 0-6 in six starts in Kansas City and had his second pass intercepted when tight end Stephen Alexander tipped the ball into the hands of cornerback Ty Law.
The Chiefs drove to a first-and-goal from the 9, but had to settle for Tynes' 24-yarder.
With Pro Bowl players Brian Waters back at guard Tony Gonzalez back at tight end, KC's offense was back to nearly full strength for the first time since Sept. 10. Quarterback Trent Green, who made his return seven days earlier after a 10-week absence with a concussion, was 13-for-22 for 161 yards and his first interception in two games.
The Broncos, in contrast, were more crippled than they'd been all year. Safety Nick Ferguson was lost for the season this week with a knee injury and Tatum Bell, their leading rusher, was sidelined by turf toe. Earlier, defensive end Courtney Brown and star offensive tackle Matt Lepsis were also lost for the season.
The Broncos got a huge break in the third quarter when Patrick Surtain's interception of Plummer's pass was nullified by an illegal contact penalty on Kansas City cornerback Lenny Walls.
Surtain returned the ball to the Denver 17, but the Broncos wound up with a first down on their own 40 and Plummer immediately connected with David Kircus for a 36-yard gain, Denver's biggest of the night.
A few minutes later, Plummer's 1-yard touchdown pass to Alexander made it 13-10.
Plummer, under increasing criticism from Denver fans, avoided any lethal mistakes and was 25-for-39 for 216 yards.
Johnson ran for 157 yards, Lawrence Tynes kicked four field goals and Kansas City inaugurated the league's new Thanksgiving tripleheader with a 19-10 victory over the Broncos on Thursday night.
The Chiefs (7-4) charged into a second-place tie with Denver in the AFC West and gave the Broncos (7-4) their first two-game losing streak since late in 2004.
Johnson, raising his league-leading rushing total to 1,202 yards, consistently burned the Broncos with 8- and 10-yard gains, using his usual assortment of power moves and start-and-stop elusiveness. The Broncos came in giving up a shade better than 90 yards per game on the ground.
Johnson scored the Chiefs' only touchdown on a 1-yard vault late in the second quarter following a crucial mistake by the Broncos' Ebenezer Ekuban, who was called for roughing the passer on a failed third-and-4 play from the 9.
Tynes hit from 24, 34, 29 and 21 yards for the Chiefs, who have put themselves in a strong playoff position by shaking off a host of injuries and winning five of their last six.
It was a memorable night for the NFL, not only inaugurating the league's first Thanksgiving tripleheader but also the first live game telecast on the NFL Network, which is seen in about 40 million of the country's 111 million television homes.
Making the night even more festive was an in-house standing-room-only crowd of 80,866, the largest since 1972, the year the Chiefs opened the facility that many call the loudest outdoor stadium in the league.
The Broncos did not even snap the ball in Kansas City territory until after Jake Plummer hit Javon Walker with a 21-yard pass to the 47 with 1:30 left in the half. Nine plays later, Jason Elam kicked a 31-yard field goal that made it 10-3 at halftime.
Plummer dropped to 0-6 in six starts in Kansas City and had his second pass intercepted when tight end Stephen Alexander tipped the ball into the hands of cornerback Ty Law.
The Chiefs drove to a first-and-goal from the 9, but had to settle for Tynes' 24-yarder.
With Pro Bowl players Brian Waters back at guard Tony Gonzalez back at tight end, KC's offense was back to nearly full strength for the first time since Sept. 10. Quarterback Trent Green, who made his return seven days earlier after a 10-week absence with a concussion, was 13-for-22 for 161 yards and his first interception in two games.
The Broncos, in contrast, were more crippled than they'd been all year. Safety Nick Ferguson was lost for the season this week with a knee injury and Tatum Bell, their leading rusher, was sidelined by turf toe. Earlier, defensive end Courtney Brown and star offensive tackle Matt Lepsis were also lost for the season.
The Broncos got a huge break in the third quarter when Patrick Surtain's interception of Plummer's pass was nullified by an illegal contact penalty on Kansas City cornerback Lenny Walls.
Surtain returned the ball to the Denver 17, but the Broncos wound up with a first down on their own 40 and Plummer immediately connected with David Kircus for a 36-yard gain, Denver's biggest of the night.
A few minutes later, Plummer's 1-yard touchdown pass to Alexander made it 13-10.
Plummer, under increasing criticism from Denver fans, avoided any lethal mistakes and was 25-for-39 for 216 yards.
What About Me?
This is my attempt to consolidate my rantings and musings on life, politics, entertainment and trivia into one stewpot of rhetoric and monkey business.
These posts will tend to be daily and brief in nature and simply reflect what is going on in my boring world. I am also consolidating several other old blogposts (sans comments) onto this site - so I can get rid of all of my old blogsites.
I will continue to post to An Eye for Redemption once or twice a week with my insights on God, pain and trials ... some of these thoughts may bleed into this site but not intentionally.
These posts will tend to be daily and brief in nature and simply reflect what is going on in my boring world. I am also consolidating several other old blogposts (sans comments) onto this site - so I can get rid of all of my old blogsites.
I will continue to post to An Eye for Redemption once or twice a week with my insights on God, pain and trials ... some of these thoughts may bleed into this site but not intentionally.
Ray | ★★★★★★★★
So I am sitting here this morning wondering what the take-away from Ray is ... what, if anything, did I learn from the movie? I guess what struck me the most was Ray's pain. His life and music seemed to be a reflection of his inner struggle with his loss of vision, his brother's childhood death and memories of his mom. Ray seemed to spend much of his early life medicating ... burying the pain with drugs and women. He seemed to be a bit like Jonah ... running from the God who had seemed to let him down.
In one scene early in the movie we see Ray 'having church' reading a Braille bible in his one room apartment. There definitely seems to be a spiritual side to Mr. Charles. His childhood seemed to be greatly influenced by church and gospel music. In the movie we see him soar to greatness as his music begin to blend rhythm and blues with gospel - he seemed to take a lot of flack from black church people over this ... yet he continued to push the music envelope with much success.
The message of pain rings out loud as we watch Ray medicating with drugs and women. I guess that is my take-away from the movie ... even the most talented among us have to at some time deal with our demons ... those things in life ... like blindness and death ... that seem to scar us ... mark our thinking and emotional perception of who we are and why we are here. Ray took a long time to get free of his demons ... I guess that is pretty much true for all of us ... some come out only by prayer and fasting ... and some only with time.
I recommend Ray - good music and a good story. On a scale of ten I give it ★★★★★★★★.
Nuclear Diplomacy
Internationally speaking, these are tense times. Quoting from a recent AP story:
"The nuclear crisis erupted in October 2002 when U.S. officials accused North Korea of running a secret uranium-enrichment program in violation of international treaties. Washington and its allies cut off free fuel oil shipments for the impoverished country under a 1994 deal with the United States. North Korea retaliated by quitting the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in early 2003 and restarting its plutonium-based nuclear weapons program, which had been frozen under the 1994 agreement."
I think that now more than ever the US needs to be strong - in armaments and in wisdom. The past several years have given us a glimpse of how treacherous the international waters can be. Many of us really thought that the threat of nuclear war had passed with the collapse of communism in Germany and Russia. It is startling to read about North Korea, Iran and other countries that seem to be developing nuclear weapons programs.
Today North Korea publicly stated that they have nuclear weapons and need them "as protection against an increasingly hostile United States". Is this about the war on terror ... don't recall many reports of terrorists in North Korea ... or is this an escalation of a 'police action' that supposedly ended over 50 years ago. Your guess is as good as mine. My hope, my prayer, is that our leaders will exercise much wisdom when they tread these international waters ... that we will operate from a position of strength ... both military and diplomatic strength.
"The nuclear crisis erupted in October 2002 when U.S. officials accused North Korea of running a secret uranium-enrichment program in violation of international treaties. Washington and its allies cut off free fuel oil shipments for the impoverished country under a 1994 deal with the United States. North Korea retaliated by quitting the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in early 2003 and restarting its plutonium-based nuclear weapons program, which had been frozen under the 1994 agreement."
I think that now more than ever the US needs to be strong - in armaments and in wisdom. The past several years have given us a glimpse of how treacherous the international waters can be. Many of us really thought that the threat of nuclear war had passed with the collapse of communism in Germany and Russia. It is startling to read about North Korea, Iran and other countries that seem to be developing nuclear weapons programs.
Today North Korea publicly stated that they have nuclear weapons and need them "as protection against an increasingly hostile United States". Is this about the war on terror ... don't recall many reports of terrorists in North Korea ... or is this an escalation of a 'police action' that supposedly ended over 50 years ago. Your guess is as good as mine. My hope, my prayer, is that our leaders will exercise much wisdom when they tread these international waters ... that we will operate from a position of strength ... both military and diplomatic strength.
An Abortion Opinion
Ann Coulter's recent column entitled 'Where's that religious fanatic we elected?" addressed President Bush's assertion that a "culture of life cannot be sustained solely by changing laws. We need, most of all, to change hearts." In her article Ms. Coulter expresses frustration over conservative politicians inability to change the law with regard to abortion. She says: "Actually, what we need least of all is to "change hearts." ... All the hearts that can be changed have been changed."
It is a startling and sobering thought ... probably truer than I want to admit. Most people have an opinion on abortion and there probably aren't enough words, or pictures, that will change their opinion. So what should we do? In her article Ms. Coulter also states that: "In a Los Angeles Times poll a few years ago, 57 percent of respondents said they believed abortion was "murder." Seventy-two percent of women and 58 percent of men said they thought abortion should be illegal after the first trimester."
Possibly the answer to the abortion question is one of moderation ... maybe working towards the middle would initiate a dialog ... possibly there could be a consensus around the second trimester. The question is how do we get to that place of consensus. It is obvious that our politicians do not have the ability to get to that place. I think we need to somehow bypass the politicians and possibly the courts. Ann Coulter thinks that we should vote. She concludes her column by saying: "We've been changing hearts for 32 years -- I think we're ready for the big match now. I think Americans would support massive restrictions on abortion. ... Let Americans vote."
Amen.
PS: For those of you doubting the viability of a second trimester baby:
Rumaisa Rahman was born weighing 8.6 ounces (244 grams) at the Loyola University Medical Center outside Chicago in September. She was delivered by Caeserean section along with her twin sister, Hiba, who was only slightly bigger. Doctors say she has made very good progress, and is expected to lead a normal life. Rumaisa, who was just 9.5 inches (24cm) long at birth, now weighs 5lbs 8oz (2.49kg) and has almost doubled in length. Hiba, who weighed 1lb 4oz at birth, went home from hospital in early January. -- BBC News, February 9, 2005
It is a startling and sobering thought ... probably truer than I want to admit. Most people have an opinion on abortion and there probably aren't enough words, or pictures, that will change their opinion. So what should we do? In her article Ms. Coulter also states that: "In a Los Angeles Times poll a few years ago, 57 percent of respondents said they believed abortion was "murder." Seventy-two percent of women and 58 percent of men said they thought abortion should be illegal after the first trimester."
Possibly the answer to the abortion question is one of moderation ... maybe working towards the middle would initiate a dialog ... possibly there could be a consensus around the second trimester. The question is how do we get to that place of consensus. It is obvious that our politicians do not have the ability to get to that place. I think we need to somehow bypass the politicians and possibly the courts. Ann Coulter thinks that we should vote. She concludes her column by saying: "We've been changing hearts for 32 years -- I think we're ready for the big match now. I think Americans would support massive restrictions on abortion. ... Let Americans vote."
Amen.
PS: For those of you doubting the viability of a second trimester baby:
Rumaisa Rahman was born weighing 8.6 ounces (244 grams) at the Loyola University Medical Center outside Chicago in September. She was delivered by Caeserean section along with her twin sister, Hiba, who was only slightly bigger. Doctors say she has made very good progress, and is expected to lead a normal life. Rumaisa, who was just 9.5 inches (24cm) long at birth, now weighs 5lbs 8oz (2.49kg) and has almost doubled in length. Hiba, who weighed 1lb 4oz at birth, went home from hospital in early January. -- BBC News, February 9, 2005
Social InSecurity
I recently got a very thoughtful message from John Mauldin (http://www.frontlinethoughts.com) entitled "Social Security's Flawed Assumption". Here is an excerpt:
"And now let me speak a heresy. We need to recognize that Social Security is not a retirement program, like a pension or 401k plan. It is a welfare program. It transfers money from one group to another group."
John's statement that Social Security is not a retirement program is somewhat of a new thought for me. I have always thought of Social Security as a long-term savings program that I have contributed to for 38+ years. My belief was that funds would be available for regular withdrawal when I reached the age of 65. So, John's assertation is a bit startling for me. In one sense I agree with him because the funds are coming from current contributors and not funds previously contributed. But I disagree with John because ... at it's core ... Social Security is a program that a person contributes to and withdraws from - that looks a lot more like a savings or 401k program than a welfare program.
While I understand that, at it's onset, Social Security might have looked a little like welfare, I think that it is not helpful to describe it in this manner today. I am convinced that all of Social Security disbursements I receive in my lifetime will not surpass the amounts I contributed to the program. If it is welfare then those on the dole are not the recipients of Social Security payments but those in government who, like parasites, live off of it.
"And now let me speak a heresy. We need to recognize that Social Security is not a retirement program, like a pension or 401k plan. It is a welfare program. It transfers money from one group to another group."
John's statement that Social Security is not a retirement program is somewhat of a new thought for me. I have always thought of Social Security as a long-term savings program that I have contributed to for 38+ years. My belief was that funds would be available for regular withdrawal when I reached the age of 65. So, John's assertation is a bit startling for me. In one sense I agree with him because the funds are coming from current contributors and not funds previously contributed. But I disagree with John because ... at it's core ... Social Security is a program that a person contributes to and withdraws from - that looks a lot more like a savings or 401k program than a welfare program.
While I understand that, at it's onset, Social Security might have looked a little like welfare, I think that it is not helpful to describe it in this manner today. I am convinced that all of Social Security disbursements I receive in my lifetime will not surpass the amounts I contributed to the program. If it is welfare then those on the dole are not the recipients of Social Security payments but those in government who, like parasites, live off of it.
The News Industry
I think that the press has become more of a 'News Industry' than anything ... most of the network news shows look a lot more like Letterman than Cronkite ... I think their sponsors push them to entertain us rather than inform us - it is all about the ratings you know. Pundits on the right and the left side of the aisle seem to occasionally bemoan the other side a being 'biased'. I find that perhaps they protest too much. They are all in the same game and the tit-for-tat complaining about the other side is just part of the game.
Now the print media wants us to believe that they are not at all the same as their on-screen counterparts ... like they don't have to sell papers (and advertising) anymore . I find that these folks are no different than the talking heads on TV. The paper I subscribe to has 41 columnists on it's payroll ... pretty obvious that entertainment is a large part of their business.
Bottom line - it is all about entertaining us ... that is what these guys ... Leno, O'Reilly, Rather and the rest ... get paid for ... and they often do it well. Sad thing is that we think that listening to 'the news' is somehow more 'intellectual' than watching the daily soaps.
Now the print media wants us to believe that they are not at all the same as their on-screen counterparts ... like they don't have to sell papers (and advertising) anymore . I find that these folks are no different than the talking heads on TV. The paper I subscribe to has 41 columnists on it's payroll ... pretty obvious that entertainment is a large part of their business.
Bottom line - it is all about entertaining us ... that is what these guys ... Leno, O'Reilly, Rather and the rest ... get paid for ... and they often do it well. Sad thing is that we think that listening to 'the news' is somehow more 'intellectual' than watching the daily soaps.
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