Bill Hudson's response to what his son did on Father's Day

This photo of Bill Hudson and his son Oliver, and daughter Kate; was posted to Oliver's Instagram account on Father's Day with the caption "Happy Abandonment Day."  It was harsh and now Bill Hudson has responded in an even harsher fashion.  He said the following in an interview with The Daily Mail:  ‘I would ask them to stop using the Hudson name. They are no longer a part of my life. Oliver’s Instagram post was a malicious, vicious, premeditated attack. He is dead to me now. As is Kate. I am mourning their loss even though they are still walking this earth.’

Let me offer this disclaimer before I go any further.  I'm privileged to have known Oliver and Kate, and their incredible mom, Goldie Hawn.  While I didn't get to know them well, from what I know and observed, I happen to believe Goldie Hawn to be one of the best parents of children raised by famous parents, ever.  

I didn't like what Oliver posted but he has every right to do so.  I do not believe that a father has the right to respond to anything a child of theirs does by saying "they are dead to me."  I speak from personal experience.  My father once told me I was dead to him and that we'd never speak again.  We didn't, for years.

No matter the transgression of a child, with perhaps a few exceptions involving criminal acts committed against another family member, no parent should tell a child they are dead to them.  Disinherit them if you wish.  If they are of age, make them leave the family home.  Choose to not speak to them again.  But telling a child they are dead to you goes just too far.

What Neil Diamond and the late great Sir Laurence Olivier do in this scene captures this kind of thing perfectly.  By tearing his lapel Olivier's character is saying that he has no son in a religious way.  Jews rend their clothing when a loved one has died.  My father wasn't that melodramatic when he told me that I was dead to him, which didn't lessen the pain of hearing those words.

Maybe Bill Hudson and his kids will remain forever estranged.  Kurt Russell has done an amazing job of being a father figure to them.  My father and I managed to end our estrangement before he passed away.  I'm happy we were able to do that.

BTW, Bill Hudson has no right to ask that Oliver and Kate stop using the Hudson name.  You can disown your children.  You can't take back your last name.  It ended being yours when you gave it to them.

* * *

The name James Miles probably doesn't jog your memory of anyone famous.  Nor should it.  The money and the spotlight of becoming a professional football player eluded James "Boobie" Miles, one of the players on the 1988 Permian High School Panthers football team.  Their story as a group and for some as individuals, is chronicled in the best-selling non-fiction book Friday Night Lights:  A Town, a Team and a Dream by H. G. Bissinger.

The film shows Boobie's injury happening this way.

In reality it was a pre-season scrimmage.  In the film he didn't have surgery immediately.  In reality he did.  Arthroscopic surgery.  It revealed a severe ACL tear as well as torn cartilage in the knee.  Reconstructive surgery was recommended, but when offered a chance at rehabilitation first, so that he might be able to play in a brace, the surgery was postponed.  He finally had the reconstructive surgery a few weeks after playing in a game and not doing well.  After the rehab from that surgery, most of the speed that made him a superstar was gone.

We will never know if it might have turned out differently had the surgery taken place immediately, with better facilities and rehabilitation.  When Baron Davis was playing basketball at UCLA and suffered a similar ACL tear, he came back a year later and seemed to have lost none of his speed and leaping ability.  Bobbie wasn't playing for a major university with a vested interest in healing their athletes.  

When I first saw the film version of Friday Night Lights I was so intrigued that I stopped on my way home to buy the book.  I read it completely once I was home.  There's so much to that story that's not on the screen.  Now I've just finished reading After Friday Night Lights, a 40 some-odd page story available on Amazon's Kindle reader that is all about the relationship between Boobie Miles and author Buzz Bissinger.  Published in 2012 it reveals details about Boobie's high school experience that were not in the first tome.  Like the envelopes filled with cash that appeared in his high school locker on Monday mornings after games.  Cash in an amount equal to the number of yards he had gained in the game the previous Friday.

In Texas, football is king.  Schools ensure that football players don't flunk so they will be eligible to suit up and play on those special Fridays when the lights of a night game illuminate a stadium. Why else would a stadium that seats over 19,000 spectators be needed for high school football in a town with a population of less than 85,000 when it was built in 1982?  Why else would a school spend $5.6 million for such a stadium?  I guess we should give them credit for deciding that the elevator from ground level to the stadium's two-story press-box was "too ostentatious."

Boobie Miles is a victim.  A victim of high school athletics where there was and is a win at any cost mentality.  Did he have a future as a professional athlete?  Given what we know about his temper and lack of self-discipline, it wasn't a certainty.  But he had the talent.  Talent wasted by a system that sucks.

* * *

Random Ponderings:

The only reason Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are doing as well as they are in current polling is because they're candidates that don't represent "politics as usual" and we Americans are sick to death of politics as usual.

Maybe now that David Sweat has been captured, prison escape news will fade back into obscurity.  At least until the next juicy incident occurs.  I'm also certain that 1,100 or so law enforcement personnel are en route home, or to the nearest cop bar to relax.

I feel bad for the folks at Lululemon Athletica, having another product recall to deal with.  At least this isn't about see-through clothing.  It's about tops where the hard-tipped drawstrings of the hoodie can strike the wearer in the face causing severe injury. Did someone at corporate smash a mirror or cross the path of a black cat?

Note to Jennifer Lawrence:  The Snidley Whiplash mustache isn't a good look for you.

The homophobes in certain counties in certain states who are refusing to issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples despite the ruling of the U. S. Supreme Court that no state law can prohibit these marriages are reminiscent of the tiny field mouse flipping the bird to a giant eagle swooping down to catch and eat them.  More on this in another blog.

I penned a blog entry recently about the dangers of tax-identity theft and this past Sunday's edition of 60 Minutes on CBS did a big piece on the same thing.  They cited an estimate that this specific type of fraud may cost government more than $20 billion in 2016.  Do something, IRS!

Given how many lies he's told lately I'm wondering if Donald Trump's hairline recedes with each falsehood.

Jessica Biel took her husband Justin Timberlake to the wedding of her college roommate.  He wound up bursting out in song and performed.  The wedding was a same-sex wedding and I was thinking how cool it would be when the day comes that this footnote wouldn't be mentioned by the media.

Is Uber really losing lots and lots of money?  The recent decision that an Uber driver is an employee and not an independent contractor isn't helping.

Response to a Friend

A friend, someone with whom I enjoy discussing issues, who does so thoughtfully and without rancor, wrote the following on FB in response to my question about who is restricting prayer in public.

"Brian, they not only took out prayers in school but stopped "a moment of silence" all together. There has been a battle to take out "one Nation under God" for ever. When a person is seen preaching the word of God he/she is looked at as "a Bible thumper", or wierd and they cross the street. In the Court system we no longer Swear on the Bible " so help you God"...and when Bush tried to pass the Waiver law so people could be granted the right to take their tax money and use it towards a private education instead of funding the public schools AND then pay for a private education; It went down in flames. The Public viewed it as "Funding those Christians"... how ignorant. It was a CHOICE to let ANYONE have the chance to educate their children how they wanted. It had nothing to do with forcing Christianity on anyone....the list goes on and on. So, I ask again, where are the Christian Rights?"

Let's take these one at a time.  It's a misnomer that prayer is prohibited in public schools.  It isn't permitted when class is in session  Students can pray individually or in groups on school grounds at the school flagpole, on the bus, in corridors and in classrooms before/after classes.  Prayers are permissible at school-sponsored sports events as well.  Because of the doctrine of the separation of church and state, it is unconstitutional for their to be prayer during class sessions in public schools.  

I'll come back to preaching in a moment.  In the court system if a witness wants to swear on the Bible before taking the stand they can do so.  Not everyone believes in the Bible, so witnesses have the option to affirm rather than taking a sworn oath, that they will tell the truth.  Would it be fair to force an atheist or agnostic to swear on a Bible to tell the truth?  Obviously not.

It isn't the place of the federal government to legislate school vouchers because they don't fund the public schools.  The states do.  Milwaukee, WI has had vouchers in place since 1990 and as of 2011 had 15,000 students using vouchers.  The question becomes, if school vouchers are used for private, religious education, is the doctrine of separation of church and state being violated?  In an Ohio case the federal courts initially ruled that the voucher program there violated that doctrine.  It cited the fact that most of the vouchers were being used to fund Catholic school education as a factor in the decision.  SCOTUS overturned that ruling.  I'm opposed to vouchers. They basically become a tax subsidy for the children of the well-off who for the most part aren't going to participate in the public school system in any event.  Public schools offer an education for all, without regard to qualifications or faith.  If you want faith-based education you should pay for it.  

Now let's get back to preaching.  If people want to label those who proselytize as "Bible-Thumpers" that's their right under the same First Amendment protections that allow the proselytizers to preach.  Freedom of speech isn't absolute.  We also need to recognize that the First Amendment only limits the government's ability (at all levels) to infringe on our free expression rights.  I can't walk into a restaurant and start preaching anything.  Well I can, but they can compel me to stop and if I refuse, to leave.

Christians are free to be the same as the rest of us.  Practice your faith, preach your faith, worship as you wish, as long as you don't violate the same limitations as the rest of us.  You can't refuse service in a public accomodation when doing so violates a person's civil rights.  You can't discriminate in hiring, with some exceptions involving employment within religious institutions and involving bona fide occupational qualifications.  Just as a religious school can't be forced to hire someone who doesn't adhere to their faith as a teacher, an advertiser can't be forced to hire a male model to model bikini swimwear.

I've been subjected to ridicule, rude comments and physical violence because of the faith I am no longer observant of.  I can do nothing about the words and the ridicule.  I no longer let if bother me.  The physical violence I put a stop to myself.  I respect the rights of all right up to the point where how they are exercising their rights begins to infringe on mine.   

A Chart

Country and year of most recent data	Number of firearm homicides that year	Odds of being murdered with a firearm that year	Odds of being murdered that year	Percent homicides involving a firearm
United States ('10)	9,960	1 in 31,000	1 in 24,000	67.5%
Switzerland ('04)	57	1 in 125,000	1 in 91,000	72.2%
Canada ('09)	173	1 in 200,000	1 in 56,000	32.0%
Finland ('09)	24	1 in 250,000	1 in 43,000	19.8%
Sweden ('04)	37	1 in 250,000	1 in 83,000	33.9%
Spain ('09)	90	1 in 500,000	1 in 111,000	21.8%
Germany ('10)	158	1 in 500,000	1 in 125,000	26.3%
Israel ('07)	6	1 in 1,000,000	1 in 53,000	11.7%
Australia ('09)	30	1 in 1,000,000	1 in 83,000	11.5%
England & Wales ('10)	41	1 in 1,000,000	1 in 83,000	6.6%
Japan ('08)	11	more than 1 in 1,000,000	1 in 200,000	1.8%

Time for Another Open Letter

This is an open letter to Mr. Edward B. Rust, Jr.  He is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company as well as the other family of companies under the State Farm umbrella.  His father and grandfather led the company before him.

Dear Mr. Rust,

I've been a loyal client of your company for more than a quarter-century.  I've been extremely happy and satisfied with the service and support I've received throughout that time, until now.  Now, thanks to your company's inexcusable bungling of my coverage and a loss claim, I will be finding another insurance carrier just as soon as I have finished with this claim and purchased a replacement vehicle. 

I purchased a disability policy, auto insurance and renter's insurance from your company back in 1989.  Through May of 2010 I'd been involved in three automobile accidents, none of which were my fault.  One of them involved me being rear-ended by another client of State Farm and your adjusters worked together to make that the easiest claim situation I'd ever seen.  The other two were also handled extremely well by your people.  In May of 2010 I fell ill and was hospitalized and unable to drive again until late 2011/early 2012.  At that time I called the office of the broker I'd used throughout those 20 plus years and asked that my coverage be reinstated, with lower maximum coverage levels but with every other item being the same.  I assumed that since I'd always had rental car coverage in case of an accident, I was getting that coverage once again.

Then in May of this year I was involved in a solo accident where my car became a total loss.  No problem I thought, State Farm is there, just like a good neighbor.  Except you weren't.  Your claims department steered me away from where I wanted to take my car, to one of your "preferred" vendors.  It was over a month before I was advised that my car was a total loss.  Paperwork was sent to me via UPS overnight and received on a Friday.  I completed all of it, including going to the body shop and releasing my car for salvage the following Monday and tracking data shows your offices received the signed paperwork on Tuesday.

Thursday I got a call from someone telling me that the paperwork your people had sent to me had the wrong VIN number on it, and that it would have to be redone.  I was assured I'd receive it on Friday.  Well, Friday has arrived and I do not have the paperwork.  I suppose if I'm lucky, I'll get it by Monday, you'll get it by Tuesday and if I'm really, really lucky I might have a check by a week from today so I can go out and purchase a replacement vehicle.  I'm out at least one more week of costs to continue renting a car because of the bumbling nincompoops who somehow manage to screw up a VIN number on paperwork.

I have to wonder, considering that it appears one of the primary sources of automobile insurance company profits is the "float" you get on claims payments you hold in limbo from the time the claim is made until it is paid, if such errors aren't encouraged to increase the earnings from the float period.  Is State Farm profiting a bit more on the backs of its customers like me by a serious of errors that extend that float period?

Now let's talk about that rental car a bit more.  Your preferred vendor sent me to Enterprise Rent-A-Car with promises of a "great discount rate."  That rate turned out to be $25.99 per day and because it was through the vendor you sent me to, it doesn't transition to the weekly rate like an ordinary rental would.  So rather than paying four weeks of weekly rental at $125 per week, I'm out an extra $95 a week for four weeks.  Between you and Enterprise (who will get a separate letter from me announcing the end of a business relationship lasting more than 20 years), you've cost me well over $500 extra in rental car costs during this very stressful period.

While I'm aware you hold an MBA and JD from SMU and don't need me to dumb down my language, I am going to do so anyway.  Your claims department sucks like a Dyson vacuum.  It could be a textbook study for anyone attempting to demonstrate the validity of the Peter Principle. 

After I deal with the fallout caused by this debacle of your making, I may well begin to investigate if this kind of error isn't just an aberration, but a systemic problem that is lining your wallet.

Good day,

Wednesday in Limbo

I've done all of the tasks that I needed to do for my now totaled car's claim to be paid and I sit here waiting in limbo until the check is issued.  Once that happens I'll be out trying to find a used car that won't crap out after the 30 day warranty expires, for the very limited amount I'll have to spend.  I won't take on car payments unless there is no other choice.  Should be interesting.

Meanwhile, let's look at headlines and some thoughts on them.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev spoke out at his sentencing hearing, apologizing for his role in the Boston bombings.  Reporter's note:  Far too little, far too late.  Let him spend the rest of his miserable life in prison, contemplating his crimes.

Louisiana's governor Bobby Jindal tossed his hat into the ring on Wednesday via Twitter.  It landed right next to Donald Trump's toupee.  Reporter's note:  The sad thing is that Jindal, once a rising star in Republican politics is running dead last in the polls of possible Republican candidates, far behind even the Donald.

Police are searching for two men who beat and robbed a deaf man sitting outside a Coffee Bean in Riverside near the Main Street Mall.  They took his MACbook.  Reporter's note:   Scumbags.

It looks like President Obama will no longer stay overnight at the New York City Waldorf-Astoria Hotel since its purchase by Chinese business interests.  There is speculation about the switch being due to the purchase while others claim it may be to avoid any eavesdropping equipment being installed in a renovation of the property.  Reporter's note:  Probably a bit of both.

Speaking of President Obama, he ordered that a heckler be removed from the East Room of the White House saying "Listen you're in my house ... it's not respectful" in response to the heckler.  An immigrant's rights group later claimed the heckler is one Jennicet Gutiérrez, in the U. S. illegally.  Reporter's note:  No disrespect intended Mr. President, but that's the people's house.  You just live there while serving as President.  However, no one should heckle the president, anywhere.

A former inmate at the Clinton Correctional Institute in New York is saying that he witnessed an ongoing relationship between one of the two prisoners who escaped recently and the prison worker who has been charged with aiding in their escape.  Reporter's note:  Prison employees are subject to physical and psychological manipulation by the inmates, who have unlimited time to work on such things.  They need better training to recognize and resist this kind of thing.

Police are searching the Sacramento area for a man accused of stabbing three male musicians because they were wearing skinny jeans.  Timothy Brownell had turned himself in and was released on bond, but a warrant for his arrest was issued after the attack was classified as a "hate crime."  None of the three musicians suffered life-threatening injuries.  A fundraiser is being organized to benefit the three, with organizers asking all who attend to wear skinny jeans.  Reporter's note:  If I were in that area, I'd be going to the fundraiser but not in skinny jeans.  With 19" calf muscles and 23" or bigger thighs, they don't make skinny jeans in my size.

* * *

Let's be clear.  President Obama did not call anyone a "n****r" during the podcast where he stands accused of using that word.  What he said was: "And it's not just a matter of it not being polite to say 'nigger' in public" (Reporter's note:  since this is a direct quotation I won't censor that word, although I do in almost all instances).

The following link is to a video that displays every single use of every form of the N-word in the movie Django Unchained. Youtube video   If you don't feel like watching the 110 times it's said, don't click the link.  Spike Lee boycotted this film because of this particular word count.  After all, Mr. Lee only used that word eight times in his Do the Right Thing.  Then again in his film Bamboozled various forms of the N-word are used 74 times.  So what's the difference?

Imagine for a moment the incredible amount of outrage that any president prior to President Obama would have created by saying exactly what the current president said in using the N-word?  What's the difference?  The difference is that like it or not, it's far less acceptable for anyone other than an African-American to use this particular word.

I know that were I to use that word (not that I ever would) I would probably get a reaction like what we see at 55 seconds into this video:

Context.  The key is context.  When you're describing (accurately no less) the situation our society finds itself in, it makes perfect sense to say what President Obama said.

* * *

Sequels I'd Like to See:

Some of these aren't possible, others might be:

Undercover Brother Does Another - Another spoof that is.  The B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. once against calls on Undercover Brother to work with Conspiracy Brother, Smart Brother, Sistah Girl, White She-Devil and a new member of the group, Pale Brother to once again battle The Man.

Shawshank Re-Redeemed - Donald Trump is imprisoned in a maximum security facility in Mexico for verbal crimes against the Mexican people.  His daughter Ivanka contacts Andy Dufrense and Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding in Zihuatanejo and hires them to try to break her father out of the prison.  They finally decide to smuggle a rock hammer into the prison inside of a copy of Trump's book "The Art of the Deal."  However, The Donald refuses to stoop to manual labor, deciding he'd rather remain behind bars.

Pulp Fiction II: More Freshly Squeezed Pulp - Jules Winnfield, back from a 20 year spiritual journey returns to Inglewood to find Marcellus Wallace in need of his services.  Jules is paired with Vic Vega, Vincent Vega's brother.  Seems The Wolf dallied with the wife of a good friend of Marcellus Wallace and payback has been demanded.

13 Angry Men: The Anger Grows - A jury and the one remaining alternate have stayed the course through an 11 months long trial.  Now after six weeks of deliberating they are deadlocked 11-1 to convict with the one holdout refusing to change his position.  The other 11 jurors refuse to allow a mistrial and begin to psychologically torture the lone holdout in hope he'll have a breakdown.  Then the remaining alternate can join the jury and convict the accused once and for all.

The Second Green Mile - John Coffey is long dead, and guard Paul Edgecomb is living well into his second century when he encounters a young woman named Jessica Carter.  She is the reincarnation of John Coffey and promises Paul she will make it so he will live forever.  Unwilling to live additional centuries, he rigs a makeshift electric chair and executes her; then taking his own life.

Full Metal Jacket II:  Jacket and Tie Required - In the post-Vietnam era Joker now lives in Los Angeles  and owns a comedy club where male patrons must wear jacket and tie.  He sits in a booth overlooking the stage and when comedians aren't funny (in his opinion) he shoots them with paintballs.

Goodfellas II:  The Good Fellas in the Afterlife - Paulie, Jimmy Conway and their guys have set up shop in Hell.  They managed to compromise Satan who now looks the other way as they extort and steal what little is good in the underworld.  When Henry Hill passes away they seek to have him sent to Hell so they can finally extract their revenge.

The big picture

We talk about how our nation's government manages year in and year out to spend more money than it takes in.  Rarely do we closely examine some of the factors that can be controlled in a way to shrink that deficit.  A news story I saw for the first time on this Sunday (June 21) is a message that we should be talking about a few of those factors.

The FBI arrested 46 doctors and nurses across the nation in a case of Medicare fraud where over $700 million was paid for healthcare that was never given or not needed.  Sounds huge and it is a large number.  But it is dwarfed by the FY 2013 Medicare benefit payments amount which was more than $583 billion (according to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation, a respected nonprofit involved in healthcare).  This latest incidence of fraud represents just over 1/10th of one percent of the total Medicare spending.  The proverbial drop in the bucket.  But it is a symptom of the larger problem.

A 2010 GAO report claimed that there was "$48 billion in improper payments" among the payouts for Medicare benefit payments.  Former Attorney General Eric Holder is cited in a Forbes magazine analysis of Medicare as believing there was between $60 billion and $90 billion annually in Medicare fraud.  That's an improper payment rate of more than 10% and closing in on 20%.  Considering that in the private healthcare industry, improper claims payment rates of over 1.5% will cause a major panic and investigation, this is completely unacceptable.

Meanwhile, a CBS News story from October of 2013 points out that the IRS was at that time paying out an average of more than $11 billion a year in Earned Income Tax Credits that the taxpayers involved were not eligible for.  That's just one aspect of income tax fraud/evasion that may be costing the federal government as much as $70 billion annually.

Using conservative estimates of $50 billion each for Medicare fraud and income tax fraud, that's an annual amount of $100 billion lost from the federal coffers.  How does that stack up against the total budget?  Let's look at it as being part of the federal budget deficit, estimated to be $564 billion in the latest such guesstimate.  Put simply, almost 20% of the current federal budget deficit is being caused by fraudulent/improper payments.

How are the 535 geniuses who lavish luxury on themselves as they govern on our behalf dealing with this?  Due to spite over the allegations that Tea Party non-profit wannabes were persecuted by the IRS, the Republicans in control of the house sliced well over $300 million from the current IRS budget.  Even when faced with good estimates that these cuts would reduce tax collections by over $1.5 billion, they went ahead and made it even more difficult for the IRS to prevent these frauds.

What is the answer?  Spend more, not less, on claims examiners, revenue agents and so on.  Every dollar spent will return much more in increased revenues.  But it won't happen.  The people who vote like the fact they now face a much lower probability of having their tax returns audited.  Those same people don't want their claims for power chairs and other such things looked at to ensure they are needs rather than wants before being funded by Medicare.  So this probably won't happen.  Even if it would be a good idea.

* * *

Periscope is a new app for your smartphone that enables you to stream live whatever video your phone is recording at any given moment.  Some of my friends think others spend way too much time streaming the most unimportant aspects of their lives.  I won't pass judgment on when someone is spending too much time sharing their life on social media.  That's for them to decide and for others to decide just how much of such things they want to view.

Now the U. S. Golf Association has let fans attending the U. S. Open know, use Periscope to live stream anything while they are there and they will be banished.  Considering that Fox Sports is paying the USGA a fortune for the rights to broadcast the tournament, this seems fair.  Fans have always been able to take still photographs at sporting events, within limits.  But until technology reached this point, a single fan couldn't do what a broadcast network is doing in terms of providing live coverage of an event.  Would you bother with the Fox Sports coverage of Rory McIlroy trying to sink a putt if you could watch it commercial-free on someone's Periscope feed?  I sure wouldn't but then again I have no interest in watching golf on television.

I've seen businesses that prohibit even still photography on their premises.  Hooters is the first that leaps to mind because at most locations when a patron wants to take photos of the girls, they pay for the privilege.  If you make money by selling still photos inside your walls you certainly aren't going to give them away.  It used to be sacrilege to take photos inside a Las Vegas casino but now people seem to do it quite often.

Personally, if I owned a business I wouldn't permit much in the way of personal photography and/or Periscope type streaming within my establishment.  If I were running a restaurant, I wouldn't have a problem with the incessant photographing of food that some people seem unable to resist engaging in.  That's free promotion.  And I wouldn't mind the occasional family portrait and so on.  I just don't want flashing lights going off every 25 seconds and spoiling the ambience of the room.

Also on a personal note, if I paid big money to attend a sporting event, I want to watch the event, not stream it live for others to watch.

* * *

Random Ponderings:

I wanted to play a quick game of chess online, so I went to a game site and signed up to play.  Rather than getting a new game, I was somehow put into a game where I was in a bad position.  I figured I was playing someone good.  I was wrong.  20 moves later, he resigned. :)

I like Kate Hudson and her brother Oliver a lot, and I can see why they think of Kurt Russell as their "father."  But do they need to keep blasting Bill Hudson for having abandoned them when they were young?  Let go of the anger.

President Obama said, "Racism, we are not cured of it, and it's not just a matter of it not being polite to say nigger in public."  I don't find his use of the n-word unacceptable.  But I wonder if it's fair that no previous president would have been roundly criticized for saying the same thing?

On a related topic, it's long past time to take down the Confederate flag from outside the capitol of South Carolina.

Sad to hear that Kenni Thomas Nickel has died.  You may not recognize the name, but you probably saw the video.  He was homeless and appeared in a video where he was given $100.  Rather than use it for drinks or drugs, he bought food and shared it with other homeless people.  RIP.

Sam Dekker is a rarity.  A white man who is going to be selected in the NBA draft later this week.  He points out that when people compare his game to that of other players, he's almost always compared to other white players.  Considering how much of a minority white players are in the NBA, I find this interesting.

Read about a man who got an IRS tax refund for over $70,000 and he hadn't even filed his return yet.  I wonder how many people would have just cashed the check and forgotten about it?

Now we learn that Audrey Hepburn was so very thin because she'd suffered from malnourishment during WWII.  Makes total sense.

McDonald's won't comment on an on-going labor dispute involving one of its CA produce suppliers.  Nor will a contractor working for McDonald's who was hired to look into the allegations.  Sometimes silence speaks louder than words.

When you have a case pending in criminal court for DUI, it's kind of stupid to get arrested again for the same thing, even if it is in another state.  Then again, Flavor Flav isn't known for genius.

Meryl Streep wrote to every member of Congress seeking to revive the Equal Rights Amendment.  Cool idea, but given the Republican majorities in both houses I don't see it getting any traction.

The pressure to get into the elite schools is so tough at one high school that one of the students there faked getting into both Stanford and Harvard on full scholarship.  That's rough.

Mental illness or inculcation?

The media began speculating about the mental health of Dylan Roof before we knew his name.  They were talking about how he had to be suffering from mental illness before he was apprehended for the mass shooting at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.  Some call him mentally ill, others call him a terrorist.  In my mind he is a racist who chose to express his hatred in horrific, unconscionable violence.

Racism is not something human beings are born with.  It is something they learn from those around them as they grow up.  Like our religion and other ideologies, we initially acquire our system of beliefs from our parents (or whoever raises us in their absence).  Are those who were responsible for Dylan Roof's upbringing racists?  Probably although not necessarily.  The influences that led him down the path of hating other humans solely on the basis of the color of their skin may have come from other sources.  Rest assured they were there.  He didn't suddenly wake up one morning and decide he hated blacks.  He hated them long before he posed for this photo.

The flags are those of South Africa in the apartheid era and Rhodesia.  Both nations had governments controlled by a minority population of whites who oppressed and murdered members of the black majority.  Several statements have been attributed to Roof about his desire to kill blacks for various racist reasons.  This may be defined by some as mental illness, but it is simply out and out racial hatred.  Again, not something whites are born with.  It is most definitely a learned behavior.

Until the cycle of the inculcation of racism in the young, this kind of thing will continue to happen.  And it isn't a gun control issue.  There are more than 200 million firearms already in the hands of the civilian (meaning non-military and non-law-enforcement) population.  Unless someone has a way to confiscate all of these weapons without repeal of the 2nd Amendment, the guns are out there.  Dylan Roof's uncle bought him a gun for his 21st birthday, or so we're told.  If true, it proves his uncle is not the brightest bulb in the lamp.  After all, Dylan Roof apparently had a substance abuse problem.  You don't put a gun into the hands of someone with that kind of problem.

Stop racism and we stop this kind of violence.  Easier said than done.

* * *

I was thinking about all the stuff we accumulate in our lives.  Most of mine is gone, due to my hospitalizations and other events.  When I was returning from my assignment in the Republic of Korea, I shipped five crates of 'stuff' home.  Only one made it back to me.  The other four were stolen in a big burglary at the mover's warehouse and while I got a big check to reimburse me for the loss, the money couldn't replace many of the items.

Souvenirs from my military assignments around the world.  My television and stereo system were replaceable but not at the low prices I'd paid for them in Japan.  Thankfully I brought the camera gear I'd purchased at a huge discount while there on the plan with me.  My Team Spirit ceremonial plate, given to me for my participation in that annual military exercise.  I actually had acquired one from the prior year which was also lost.

Along the way I've lost so many more things.  My military medals and the citations that accompanied them.  Photo albums, things that we no longer use in this digital age, filled with three decades of memories.  The big box of old bowling trophies I don't miss all that much, although my Boys Club Boy of the Year trophy is one I'd like to have.  I worked hard to earn it.

Then it dawned on me.  I don't need the stuff to remember the events in my life that they represent.  As long as I have those memories within me, they will never cease to exist.  I may not own the stuff itself, but no one can take those memories from me.  And I don't have way too much stuff cluttering my home.  Although I will continue to hang onto the gift of a Darth Vader Mr. Potato Head given to me by some of my tax training students.  Darth Tater is way cool.

* * *

Random Ponderings:

A gun is not an appropriate birthday gift.  For anyone.  The one exception would be a collector's item not intended to be used for anything other than display.

Did Toyota's first ever female senior executive intend to import oxycodone to Japan?  Stay tuned.

RIP Rick Ducommum.

Now people want to argue whether the $10 or $20 bill should be used for the portrait of as yet to be determined woman.  Fans of Andrew Jackson are happy the choice was the $10 bill.  Fans of Alexander Hamilton want Congress to change the choice to the $20 bill.

The latest Darwin award nominee died when he fell from the wheel well of an airplane.  If you need to get somewhere badly enough to stowaway, either do it safely or don't go.

Mariah Carey is dating Aussie billionaire James Packer.  His father was Kerry Packer, a well-known "player" of both gambling games and women.  Wonder if the apple fell far from the tree or not.

In case you're wondering what new pizza to avoid it's the Pizza Hut pie with hot dogs wrapped in the edge of the crust.  460 calories and 30 grams of fat in one slice.  Wow. 

Some of the opponents of Hawaii's new law that raises the legal age to buy, smoke or possess cigarettes/e-cigarettes are saying it is unfair to military veterans under the age of 21.  "They're old enough to die for their country, but not old enough to smoke it in" is their statement.  Well, until they raise the legal age to drink alcohol to 21, they have no room to talk.

Like any other fan of "Storage Wars" I'm hoping we'll get to see the "brawl" that broke out between auctioneer Dan Dotson and the "Yup" man, Dave Hester.

Apparently 1,000 or so people who were busted for DUIs and had a court clerk "fix" their cases are going to face justice after all.  Must suck to think you got away with it and now have to answer for your crime.

If white racists continue to target black churches then whites who oppose violence and racism must stand watch with our black brothers and sisters over these holy places. 

After listening to the comments of Fox News Channel pundit Kimberly Guilfoyle about President Obama's response to the Charleston, SC church shooting as not being "presidential" enough, one has to wonder what reaction she was watching compared to the rest of us.  Aside from his choosing to go ahead and golf the next day, he was very presidential.  Maybe we should cut her some slack because she's the one in the "Leg Chair" on "The Five."

Comparisons aren't always valid

I've read a number of people stating that society isn't being fair to Rachel Dolezal.  That she shouldn't be receiving all this criticism in comparison to society's generally strong acceptance of Caitlyn Jenner's announcement and unveiling.  Why should someone who is transgendered be treated better than someone who is obviously transracial.

On the surface it seems a valid comparison.  Both involve someone who believes themselves to be something other than the "image" that others perceive them to be.  Both involve a person who is making a choice.

So where is the difference?  I don't see where Caitlyn Jenner ever attempted to portray herself as something she wasn't.  She was open and honest about her transition.  While we don't have all of the facts, we do know that Ms Dolezal has not been open and honest about her desire to transition from being Caucasian to Black.  Howard University (according to a Boston Globe Op-Ed piece) believed her to be black when she applied and gave her a scholarship on that basis.  Is that being transracial, or is it fraud?  Was that scholarship designated for a minority student?  Was her position teaching Africana Studies designated for a minority professor?  Ms Dolezal claimed to be White, Black and American Indian on an application for an appointed position in Spokane government.

Caitlyn Jenner knew from an early age that in her mind, being born male was just wrong.  She was a woman trapped in a man's body.  Can Ms Dolezal honestly claim that she knew from early on, before her parents adopted black children, that she was born into the wrong race?  If she can't, then any comparisons between her and Caitlyn Jenner are of the apples and oranges variety.

If what she did is to be considered acceptable, what will stop high schools students seeking scholarships that are limited to "minority" students from claiming to be transracial?  Or in seeking admission where racial diversity is a factor in such decisions; in order to create a diverse student body population?

I believe she should have identified herself as transracial when she first sought election to leadership positions in the NAACP.  Transparency is paramount.  If those who voted for her would have voted differently because they knew all of the facts, their prejudice is their issue.  Should Ben Affleck ever stand for election to political office, should the fact his ancestors owned slaves be concealed or disclosed, especially if the issue of human trafficking arises during the campaign?

Personally I don't give a darn what race Ms Dolezal wants to identify with.  If she wants to call herself Black, that's her business.  As long as she isn't engaged in deceit that benefits her personally, it's nobody else's business.

* * *

72 year old Tim Hunt had some great jobs as a scientist and now most of them are gone because of what he calls an attempt at a joke.  In case you missed it, he was giving a speech at the World Conference of Science Journalists in South Korea in which he said that girls cause trouble in labs because "you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticize them, they cry." Now he's been fired or resigned from three of his main positions and the question becomes, was the punishment too harsh?  Was he really attempting to make a joke?

It isn't the existence of Twitter or the internet that was his downfall.  It was not thinking before speaking.  It might have taken more time back in the day when we relied on print media and sexist drivel was more acceptable.  But times have changed.  Even the female scientists who claim he was punished too severely seem to feel some kind of discipline was in order.

Is love in the workplace a good idea?  99% or so of the time the answer is no.  That part of what he said isn't all that objectionable.  The bit about women crying was extremely sexist.  Especially when we live in a world where men crying isn't seen as a sign of weakness.

Bottom line here is that he brought this on himself.

* * *

Jurassic World opened up with a weekend box office total of over $204 million.  Second best of all time, behind 2012's Avengers.  But is it really?  If you adjust for inflation and the fact there are more and more screens available each year, are these numbers truly comparable?

The answer is, they are.  I went back and ran some comparisons between Jurassic World and other blockbuster box office hits on a per screen average, adjusting so that inflation wasn't a factor.  It beat Star Wars Episodes IV and V easily because those two movies didn't open wide at first.  But it beat 1996's Independence Day easily and that opened on over 2,400 screens.  It blew away 2003's Matrix Reloaded, with a per screen average adjusted for inflation of more than $10,000 higher that this big hit.

So what's the difference between then and now?  Movies have bigger budgets for marketing.  Movies take full advantage of social media in that marketing.  Oh and FYI, despite opening overseas only a few days earlier than here in the U. S., Jurassic World had earned over $300 million in overseas box office.  I imagine the sequel got greenlighted the day it opened.

* * *

Random Ponderings:

The Christian Post is suggesting that if Caitlyn Jenner were to take her own life at this point, it would be an act of mercy.  The height of hypocrisy.  Advocating a mortal sin.  The people behind that site are ultra-morons.

Naturally, when I finally drag my ass out for a breakfast of steak and eggs, the darn place is out of my favorite juice.  Figures.  Murphy's Law and all.

If actress Lark Voorhies wants to marry a man wanted for making death threats, that's her business, not her parents.  Yeah, they can call her and ask her to come to her senses but once she refuses, that's that.

Will the people who were outraged when pro athletes weren't immediately suspended and so on for domestic violence still purchase Nike products after the company announced they won't drop Hope Solo?

FYI, Jurassic World is a direct sequel to Jurassic Park, with the first two sequels set "aside."

I know this is petty but I'm really tired of TV shows about the military that talk about military personnel being given dishonorable discharges without mention of a court-martial.  You can't get a DD except as punishment at a general court-martial.

Some former Marines (I know, no such thing, but we're talking about people who were booted out of the Marine Corps) are refusing to testify at the retrial of one of their own.  They're taking the 5th, which tells me the allegations of arm-twisting by the real NCIS to get their original testimony may have some validity.

Prosperity gospel is nothing more than a racket to shear the wealth of the congregants who believe the person preaching this pablum.  Now Creflo Dollar, one of the best at this scam is getting his $65 million dollar dream jet.  IIRC, Jesus spread the gospel on foot and on occasion using a donkey for transportation. 

When you are so drunk, prior to 8 p.m. that police take you directly to the ER for treatment, something is very, very wrong.  Stay tuned to see what happens to John Stamos.

I'll miss Dusty Rhodes, who along with Ric Flair was one of the best at the figure-four leg lock.

So the fact the new handgun used by L. A. Sheriff's deputies has an easier trigger pull is why there are so many more accidental discharges?  Maybe it's the fact there's no safety on the damn thing?

Goals

You just finished your gym routine while working with a professional trainer.  You were unable to meet any of the goals that the trainer set for any exercise routine.  He wanted 30 pushups for each cycle and you could only do 25 before stopping to rest.  He demanded more reps on several weight machines than you could do.  You're exhausted, drenched in sweat and too tired to drive home without resting for a few minutes in your car.  Should you be please or frustrated with your performance?  Most of us are going to be frustrated because we failed to make those goals.

Feelings aren't wrong, but I think that in this case you should be pleased with your performance.  Part of what a trainer is supposed to do is push you.  If you achieve all of the goals in every workout, are you really being pushed?

Back when I was a competitive bowler I did a lot of practicing.  It's part of the process.  I kept track of my scores to try to track my progress.  Then one day I went to the lanes to practice.  A friend of mine was there practicing, a friend who was a member of the Professional Bowler's Association.  I noticed that he wasn't keeping score so I asked him why.  He told me that there was no point to keeping score when practicing.  He said "the function of practice is to improve your game.  You work on improving how you bowl both physically and mentally.  Some days you should work on spare shooting.  Others you work on throwing strikes."  From there the conversation got into the more technical aspects of good shot-making.  So I tried his approach and made a dramatic improvement in my game.

Setting goals is great when just working out, but the reason isn't so you make them every workout.  You set slightly unattainable goals and when you are able to meet them, you raise them so they are again just out of reach.  Then, reach them!

* * *

There is a lot of talk about how police officers handle traffic stops and other interactions with the public.  The rules that govern such things are important.  But more important, at least IMHO, is to properly train these men and women in the art of deescalating situations.  That is the real problem.  Officers are right to be concerned with their own safety and that of the public, but they can't allow that to drive them into making interactions with the public worse, rather than better.

We were trained in that area when I received my law enforcement training during my time in the Air Force.  It was invaluable training once I was dealing with the people I encountered in that work.  I learned not to personalize what was said to me.  I learned how to remain calm and not let my emotions govern my actions.

Granted, I wasn't facing the same dangers that urban police officers face.  But the same concepts apply.  Stay alert.  The best way to resolve a situation is peacefully.  Talk rather than act.  It isn't an easy thing to do when you're dealing with someone who is distraught or high or whatever.  It is still better than having to draw a firearm.

* * *

Random Ponderings:

This one is directly mostly at my former colleagues at a certain private school.  FF to 7:41 and ask yourself, does the interviewer remind you of anyone?  :)

Why is it that when you tell a store clerk they've rung up your order incorrectly they take it as a personal affront?  I knew the total was wrong, I told him so and when he canceled and re-rang my order, it was $4 lower.  Yet he insisted it was right the first time.

You think that when you tell the management of a theater that one of the bathroom stall doors is broken (the door was pushed through so that the latch is outside rather than inside of the catch), it would be repaired 2.5 hours later when you exit the auditorium.

The moment in Love Actually where "Jamie" (Colin Firth) proposes to "Aurelia" (Lúcia Moniz) is my favorite of that movie.  It even gives me a fraction of a moment's worth of hope for finding love. A very small fraction.

Never thought I'd see the Reverend Al Sharpton as a proponent of the rights of the transracial.

If you see a link to an item about The Rock setting a new world's record, skip it.  It's just an advertisement.

CNN anchor Fredericka Whitfield said, “It was very courageous and brave, if not crazy as well, to open fire on the police headquarters, and now you have this scene, this standoff. So you believe these are the hallmarks of more than one person’s involvement” regarding a man who opened fire on a Dallas police building.  Is she nuts?

Do we really need to know which celebrities are going "commando" at movie premieres?  I don't think so.

If I were a golfer and I scored 17 on the par 5 first hole of a course, as a Russian pro golfer did, I'd just put the clubs back in the bag and call it a day.  He persevered and went 18 over for the round.  

If all of the pretend people who post bullshit about making lots of money per hour working from home on the net were real, the economy would be booming.  They ain't and it isn't.

Building a new monument

I watched President Obama placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier recently and found it soothing and refreshing.  Hopefully our nation will never forget the sacrifices of the military members who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of said nation.  I know I'll never forget.  There are so many heroes who have been saluted and honored.

I propose a new monument.  The Monument to the Unsung Soldier.  Yes, there are soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, but we've never worried about changing the name of the Tomb of the Unknown to something more inclusive.

I'm talking about people like John J. Major.  He rose to the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force, served nearly three decades and was a positive force in the lives of so many men and women he served with.  There are tens of thousand like him.  Served honorably with distinction, and aside from a few service medals and a pension for those who reached retirement age, little else.

Obviously the names of such men and women could not be listed in their entirety.  But the monument would be enough.

* * *

On a somewhat related note, one has to wonder why the Army chose to downgrade the recommendation to award the Medal of Honor to SSGT Earl Plumlee to a Silver Star.  His actions in an attack in Afghanistan sure sound worthy of an award higher than a Silver Star.  Multiple general officers endorsed the nomination for the Medal of Honor.

But it turns out that the Army's Criminal Investigation Division (CID) investigated SSGT Plumlee for allegedly attempting to illegally sell a rifle scope online.  No charges were brought and the investigation was closed, but there is much speculation that only "perfect" soldiers are being put forward by the military leadership for the nation's highest award for valor.  Actually, it might be worth taking a look at the criteria for this particular medal as codified in the law.

10 U. S. C. § 3741

The President may award, and present in the name of Congress, a medal of honor of appropriate design, with ribbons and appurtenances, to a person who while a member of the Army, distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty—

(1) while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States;

(2) while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or

(3) while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.

Please note that there is nothing about how one's conduct off the battlefield has anything to do with whether or not a person is deserving of our nation's highest honor.  Only their actions on the field of battle should be the subject of deliberation and decision-making regarding the award of the Medal of Honor.

* * *

Random Ponderings:

The head of sports for NBC wants NHL players not to grow beards during the playoffs?  Get serious.

American Airlines has no business trying to avoid compensating the woman who was forced to crawl onto their plane and to her seat, because they wouldn't put a ramp in place to handle her wheelchair.  Pay the lady, jerks.

Two boxers and two soccer players were the highest paid athletes for 2015.  Interesting.  Wonder if that will change the athletic choices of kids pinning their hopes on getting rich by being an athlete?

Homer and Marge Simpson are splitting up.  A really important split like this calls for the skills of a divorce lawyer like Raoul Felder, Sorrell Trope or Arnold Becker.

Brian Williams won't be back to work for NBC News, or at least that's the rumor.  Seems like the right move by the network.  His credibility is shot.

Phil Hellmuth has won more World Series of Poker bracelets than any other poker player.  His "brat" act is his schtick and he's given evidence of this by announcing he will give his latest WSOP bracelet to the family of the late Dave Goldberg.  Nice work, Poker Brat.

Since Tomorrowland is tanking, will George Clooney start handing out refunds to people who paid to see it?  I'd like my $14.29 back if that's the case.

After reading an article about a woman who advocates eating the placenta, I had to grab these images:

Will the U. S. Supreme Court overturn Obamacare over four little words?  Stay tuned.

Fox News needs to open the Republican Debate in New Hampshire to all candidates.  I'm dying to watch Donald Trump die onstage in that debate.

There's something wrong with a system where public university presidents can earn more than twice what the President of the United States earns.

June 4th

Today is June 4th.  On this date back in 1937, my father was born.  This day eats me alive every single year and this year is no exception.  It's tough when you love a father as only a first-born son can, and at the same time you hold so much negative energy from how he treated you during his life.

I'm not going to rehash all of the bad things he did to me during his life.  That would serve no purpose.  Forgiven, but not forgotten.  I do want to touch on how living with two sets of such polar opposite feelings toward one person can make one question their sanity.  While I know logically that I am quite sane (although some of what I write here might make one wonder), emotionally the feelings that come up when I think of my father do make me wonder.

I don't think of my father daily.  There are times when the thought comes to mind frequently, and others when it is very infrequent.  Perhaps that is because of the two types of feelings he engenders in my brain.  When I think of my favorite pet from this lifetime, Scooter, I think only of the good things.  That's natural.  I don't spend a lot of time on the negatives.  The time he devoured an entire bottle of baseball glove softener, resulting in the need to shampoo the carpet as well as take him out to answer nature's call hourly for nearly two full days.  Or when my 2nd ex-wife turned her back on him for a moment and he snatched an entire pot roast from the cutting board, ruining it.  Or the shoes of hers he savaged.  Why he ate only her shoes and not mine is another story entirely.  Thinking of him makes me smile.  Thinking of my dad might make me smile, or it might make me grimace.

Funny how people can make us feel so differently about them at different moments.

* * *

It's been awhile since I wrote a segment of As The Assisted Living Facility Turns and since yesterday was the June meeting of the Resident's Advisory Council (RAC), it seemed appropriate.  Let's begin with a resident I am now referring to as the wannabe mayor.

A little background first.  Each of the three daily meals is done in two seatings.  Breakfast from 7:00 to 8:15 and 8:30 to 9:30.  Lunch from 11:00 to 12:15 and 12:30 to 1:30.  Dinner from 4:00 to 5:15 and 5:30 to 6:30.  The wannabe mayor dines on the first seating and comes back during the second seating to visit with second-seating diners while they are trying to enjoy their meal.

A number of those second-seating residents have complained to the president of the RAC about the actions of the wannabe mayor.  They don't want to be bothered while they are eating, and a few of the female residents think this is part of some move by this man to form "interpersonal" relationships with them beyond the level of friendship.

So at the RAC meeting, a new rule was adopted.  It basically prohibits his current behavior.  The question becomes, what will he do once this new rule has been explained to him.  Stay tuned.

* * *

My employer has offices all over the Southern California area.  In the district where I work, most of our offices are within the limits of the City of Los Angeles.  That means that the minimum wage for people who work in those offices is going up, once Mayor Garcetti signs the new law passed by the City Council.  While it won't reach $15 per hour until 2020, it is creating a nightmare for employers and employees alike.

Picture this.  When advanced classes resume later this summer, I'm scheduled to teach a class from 9 to noon in an office within the city limits of Los Angeles and I'm also scheduled to teach from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. that evening at an office in Santa Monica.  My employer has to pay me two different rates for the same work on the same day in two locations.  While it can be resolved with proper computer programming of the payroll system, it won't be easy.

I'm not even going to get into the impact on the economy.  Right now I'm just worried about the logistics for larger employers.

* * *

Random Ponderings:

Lawyers for Bowe Bergdahl are seeking to have the general who is the convening authority in his pending military legal matters disqualified because he has been nominated to become the Army Chief of Staff.  Since that requires confirmation in the Senate, the argument is that this might influence his actions.  Maybe he should be disqualified.

The idiotic comparisons between what Lena Dunham wrote about and what went on in the Duggar's house are more than stupid.  They are misleading and reprehensible.

Renaming Bruce Jenner Lane is a bad idea.  It's in Texas.

It is very cool that the grandson of the man who piloted the Enola Gay is now commanding a B2 bomb wing.

There's a Republic of Korea Air Force member on a U. S. airbase near Seoul who has MERS and is in quarantine.  That makes me very nervous.  Many U. S. military personnel stationed at small bases throughout South Korea transit through this base on their way home.

In the wake of publication of a news article looking deep inside the workings of SEAL Team 6, concerns are being raised that there isn't enough oversight of their missions.  Establishing an independent group consisting of members of Congress and retired federal judges, along with retired intelligence analysts and military experts would be a good idea.

Sending positive thoughts and energy to the Red Sox fan who was critically injured by pieces of a broken bat.

Using DNA to prove it was the waiter who spit in a restaurant customer's to-go cup seems a bit extreme...except that it proved he was guilty of it.

As my binge-watching of L. A. Law moves into Season 6, it is more clear than ever that both Harry Hamlin and Michele Green made the wrong move in leaving the show.  For their own careers and for the show.  It might have lasted several seasons longer if they'd stayed with the series.

Aloha is not doing well at the box office.  I doubt that's because of the criticism of casting Emma Stone as "one-quarter Hawaiian."

I am not questioning the courage of Caitlyn Jenner to undertake her transition in public.  But I do suspect that the choice to award her the ESPY award for courage was influenced at least in part by the fact choosing her would definitely send ratings for the award broadcast soaring.

The best of the best

Military "experts" appearing on the various news programs are talking about the U. S. raid into Syria attempting to capture the so-called CFO of ISIS.  He was killed rather than captured, in spite of claims by these experts that the operators of Delta and SEAL Team Six  are the best in the world.

Since all of these experts are from the U.S., other than nationalism, how do they quantify these claims?  Is there a Special Forces Olympics held in secret on a quadrennial basis, where the various Special Forces (SF) units of nations around the world compete?  I don't believe there is.

Try telling the operators of the UK's Special Air Service or their Special Boat Service that they aren't as good as the U.S.'s units are and you'll get a very strong argument against that notion. Same from the Israeli's spec-ops units, and those of many other nations.  It is easy to buy into the concept that your country's spec-ops units are the best because we all want to believe we live in the best of the various nations on Earth.

That is nothing more than national pride.  We take pride at all levels.  Local.  If the local team is competing, we support them.  Regional.  State-wide.  National.  And if someday we're involved in interplanetary competition, the same people who cheer USA, USA will be chanting EARTH, EARTH.  So we believe our nation's special forces are the best, even if we have no basis for making such an appraisal.

The U. S. has what the public knows as SEAL Team 6, Delta Force, the Army's Rangers, Force Recon and Scout Sniper Marines, and the Air Force has its own special operators aside from their Pararescue forces.  We Americans think ours are the best there is.  Because that's how the services "market" them, that's how government officials bang their chests with national pride and because we want to believe that our country is the best at everything we do.  It is human nature.

So who is the best of the best?  It's all a matter of opinion.  I'll reserve judgment until I have a better way to analyze the question.

* * *

Now that Caitlyn Jenner has declared she is a woman, she has a problem.  Over 15 years ago or so, Bruce Jenner joined the Sherwood Country Club.  It's located in Thousand Oaks and the initiation fee is more than $200,000.  He played there almost every day he wasn't away from the area.

Now he is she and since the club's dining facilities are segregated by gender, Caitlyn won't be able to hang with her long-time golfing buddies.  They also report that the club's board plans to enforce these rules, but that Caitlyn would be free to petition to keep the same rules as before in her case.

I can't imagine how that could make any sense.  The LGBT community, rightly so, is pushing for equality of treatment.  Allowing transgender women to still have access to male areas isn't equality, it's special treatment.  It is in effect saying "yes, you're a woman, but we'll let you be a man when it suits you."  There's no way this could possibly be acceptable.  Now that Caitlyn is a she, as long as this country club segregates facilities by gender, why should she be treated differently than any of the other female members?

* * *

Random Ponderings:

ThinkProgress.org is claiming "Fox News repeatedly mocks and misgenders Caitlyn Jenner."  In fact, it happened on one show, on the Fox Business Channel, in one segment.  That it happened is bad.  That host should be criticized.  But the whole network isn't doing it.

Now Mike Huckabee is mocking the transgendered by saying he wishes he could have identified as female during high school so he could look at the girls while showering with them.  Proving he's a moron in addition to being a bigot.

I like the punishment that a judge meted out to a 19 year old woman for stiffing a cab driver over a $100 fare.  She got a choice between walking 30 miles or going to jail.  Creative and appropriate.

Currently the threshold where a jackpot win in a casino must be reported to the IRS is $1,200 and they are considering cutting that in half.  Casinos are not pleased with the proposal.  More on this in a future blog.

Nichelle Nichols, best known for her role as Uhura on the original Star Trek TV series, is resting in a hospital after a stroke.  I send her best wishes for a speedy and full recovery.

The idiots behind the petition seeking to have the gold medal awarded to Bruce Jenner in the 1976 Summer Olympic Games need to get a life.  Glad the IOC has made it clear it has no interest in their petition.

 I'm binge watching L. A. Law and I'm on the episode where Diana Muldaur is introduced.  The minute she walked on screen I visualized her falling down the elevator shaft in an upcoming episode.  In case you've never seen that

United Airlines made the right move when it took action to preclude the flight attendant who refused to serve an unopened soft drink to a woman wearing a hijab will not be serving customers in the future.

A weekend of rest, movies and binge-watching television

This blog is going to be mostly about films.  Films I've seen and not gotten around to reviewing, and films I want to see.  I did see San Andreas today and my joke about it is that it wasn't groundbreaking like 1974's Earthquake.

I should mention that given the opportunity to screen any of these films below would change my choice about seeing it to a yes.

In the coming month there are the following movies being released:

Entourage - I'm not really interested in this movie.  Maybe because I was never a fan of the television series (haven't had HBO on my cable package in decades).

Spy - I will see this.  It looks funny.  Melissa McCarthy is a major comedic talent.  I'd like to see her in a drama.  Most comedic actors can do superb dramatic work when given the chance.

Insidioius: Chapter 3 - Horror isn't my bag.  I see one on occasion.

Love and Mercy - Dying to see this biopic on Brian Wilson.

Police Story:  Lockdown - I'll go see any Jackie Chan pic.

Jurassic World - I saw the others in the theater and I'll see this.  But I have to wonder, in a world where The Lost World: Jurassic Park saw a T-Rex ravaging San Diego; and then the discovery of the dinosaur production facility on Isla Sorna in Jurassic Park III, what moron would construct a new dinosaur attraction?

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - Sounds a lot like The Fault in Our Stars but I might give it a shot.

The Wolfpack - No interest at this point.

Inside Out - This looks like a surefire winner and I want to see it.

Dope - Looks interesting.  Part of a double-feature if possible.

Infinitely Polar Bear - No interest at this point

Manglehorn - Al Pacino, Holly Hunter and Harmony Korine?  Oh hell yes.

Ted 2 - I'm looking forward to this, if only to see how they try to top the brilliance of the original.

Max - Inspirational movie about a military working dog and the efforts to save him....yep, that' s going to make my list.

Big Game - I suspect I'll be disappointed, but I'll probably give this a try.  Just to see how much further over the top Samuel L. Jackson will go this time.

Batkid Begins - a documentary about a true story that brought tears to the eyes of tens of thousands.

A Murder in the Park - I'll watch this, but on VOD.

In July:

Terminator Genisys - While this should be titled Terminator Sexegenarian, I'll still see it.  I like the Terminator franchise with Arnold in it.

Magic Mike XXL - If for no other reason, just to feel the rush of estrogen and pheremones in the air from all the women swooning over the beefcake on the screen.

Minions - Uh...no.

The Gallows - Horror.  Looks like bad horror.  No.

Self/less - Interesting premise.  Looks promising.  Yes.

The Bronze - No.

Ant-Man - Yeah, I'll give this a try.

Trainwreck - Looks like a better than average rom-com but only time will tell.

Irrational Man - Woody Allen is hit and miss over the last decade and requires further thought before deciding to see it.

Mr. Holmes - Maybe, depending on scheduling.

The Stanford Prison Experiment - Looks promising.

Pixels - Against my better judgment, I'll see it.  Because I loved most of the video games that are integral parts of this film.

Paper Towns - The trailer for this film hooked me.

Southpaw - Another film where the trailer hooked me immediately.  The more I've learned about it, the more I'm dying to see it.  Plus Antoine Fuqua is directing and aside from Olympus Has Fallen and The Equalizer, he's made nothing but really good films for a long time

* * *

Much is being made about the fact that the Social Security Administration paid out over $20 million to World War II era Nazis.  It seems to be to be a tempest in a teacup.  Why do I think that?  Because these payments were made before January of this year.  That's when legal authority to deny the Nazis social security benefits became law.  Prior to that, there was no way for the SSA to deny these payments.  The No Social Security for Nazis Act is the law that allows these benefits to be stopped.

It reminded me of the case of Jerry Sandusky.  You remember him.  The member of Joe Paterno's coaching staff at Penn State who will likely spend the rest of his life in prison for molesting young boys.  He was eligible for and had been receiving pension payments of $4,900 per month until they were revoked in October of 2012.  The court battle over whether or not he will get those payments reinstated is continuing.

Pennsylvania law in 1999 when Sandusky retired from Penn State did not allow a pension to become forfeit because of conviction for sexual offenses against students.  That provision of state law didn't go into effect until 2004.

Making a law retroactive, which wasn't the case when this law was passed, is unusual.  Should teachers who molest students lose their teaching pensions?  The obvious answer is yes, but I'm not sure it's entirely fair if the molestation(s) happen after the teacher has retired.  Why would what a person does after they've retired have anything to do with what the person does after retirement?  Should pensions be stopped while people are in prison?  Reinstated when they are paroled?  Where do we draw the line?  Murders and rapists, but not burglars or robbers who aren't violent?  Serial parking violators?

* * *

The third film in the reboot of the Star Trek franchise is due out to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the original Star Trek TV series.  That would be September of 2016.  I'm sure they will get it into the theaters on time.  I'm hoping they'll find a way to get as many of the original series' surviving cast members into the film as they can.

Michael Dorn, who starred in Star Trek: The Next Generation, wants to start a new Star Trek TV series that is centered around Worf being Captain and in command of a starship.  Interesting, but not where the best possible chance for success lies; in my humble opinion.  I think the key to a new ST series would be Brent Spiner's character in TNG, Data.  Yes, Data was destroyed in the last Trek film prior to the reboot, but it was done in a way that allowed for him to survive.

So do Star Trek:  The Generation After Next.  Center it around Commander Data, first officer on the Enterprise-H.  Since the current film franchise revolves around the Kirk/Spock/McCoy generation, the TV series wouldn't be in conflict.  It's been two decades since TNG went off the air.  Technology has made giant leaps.  Do the same in TGAN.  Oh, and since that's the obvious acronym for the show, casting Chrissy Teigen in a small role would be genius.

* * *

Random Ponderings:

Kim Kardashian is pregnant.  I will be shocked if they name the kid anything other than South West.

Singer Enrique Iglesias was injured during a concert performance when part of the show that involved him catching a drone went wrong and he was cut.  Guess he should quit droning around.

How many minimum wage workers will lose access to government benefits that currently provide them with daycare for their kids, healthcare for themselves and their kids and more; when the minimum wage goes up to $15 an hour as being proposed?

The World Series of Poker's annual competitions are starting now in Las Vegas.  Playing in the main event of that competition is one of the items on my bucket list. 

Bob Schieffer has retired from the news biz after 58 years, 46 of them with CBS.  Host of Face the Nation as his last position with the network, he is one of the last remaining holdovers from the glory days of broadcast news.  While not as giant an icon as Walter Cronkite or Edward R. Murrow, he is still one of my news heroes.  I wish him a long, happy retirement.  He will be missed.

The scourge of ISIS won't be defeated until the United States takes a much more active role.

When I hear people saying that Jane Fonda should be forgiven for her trip to Hanoi, I have mixed feelings.  Everyone deserves forgiveness, but the fact that she herself called the trip "an unforgivable mistake" makes me wonder if she should be forgiven.

It's so tough sometimes to explain to someone whose heard everyone else tell them that a Roth IRA is better than a traditional one that it isn't cut and dried.  The person's age is a big factor in doing a complete cost-benefit analysis

Thanks to the honesty of the owners of a Silicon Valley recycling center, there's a check for $100,000 waiting for the woman who dropped off a really old computer there.  It turned out to be an Apple 1, one of only 200 made in 1976.  I am a big fan of honesty.

Abercrombie & Fitch lost the case where it refused to hire a woman because she wears a hijab.  I think that's a good thing.  Just so this isn't a slippery slope where we end up seeing Hooter's Boys.

All I can say about the above photos is...now that's a transformation.

Did you see the liplock Allison Janney laid on James Corden at the Critics Choice Awards?  It was epic.

Taylor Swift thinks she isn't "overtly sexy" and I think she's nuts.  She's quite hot.