- Once again I have overestimated you, America, and for that I apologize. I felt that weeks, nay months of non-stop commercials warning about the need to prepare for the transition to Digital TV were enough to clue in even the most clueless among you. Either get cable/satellite or a digital converter box - that much was apparent to even people with the IQ of broccoli, or so I thought. The numbers, specifically the number of people calling the Federal Communication Commission’s help line the past two days, would indicate otherwise. According to the FCC, 317,450 calls had been handled on Friday alone by the commission's help line, 1-888-CALL-FCC. "Of the calls handled by live FCC help-line agents, nearly 30 percent concerned the operation of digital converter boxes," the FCC said. "Most of those calls were resolved when consumers were instructed to 're-scan' their converter boxes in order to receive the digital channels that had moved to new frequencies.” Sounds good, crisis averted….right? Not exactly. There are still quite a few people out there struggling with the fact that 971 full-power stations across the country have switched to digital television. According to Nielsen Co., which measures TV ratings, more than 3 million U.S. households were not ready for the transition. Because many of these unprepared people are technologically-stunted senior citizens who are still confounded by the miracle that is a VCR, volunteers are going out around the country to help them get their converter box installed and running. The FCC has more than 4,000 agents answering calls, making for an average wait time on the help line of 4.6 minutes. To all those who are still struggling with the DTV transition…..Congress passed the law in 2005, so four years seems like ample time to prepare. Should you be one of the laggards who still hasn’t purchased a converter box, government coupons (sadly, not accompanied by government cheese) worth $40 to help offset the cost of converter boxes are available through July 31. If that deadline passes and you still haven’t figured things out….you just don’t deserve to and you don’t deserve any help either……..
- You win some, you lose some. International diplomacy is no different than Little League baseball (except for no trips to the ice cream stand following big diplomatic meetings and summits). While President Obama has made strides in improving relations with Cuba and other nations around the world, he’s making no friends in Venezuela and Nicaragua. A few weeks ago it seemed like Obama and Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez were also learning to get along, but the decision to yank a $62 million gift that had been promised to Nicaragua by the W. administration seems to have ruffled feathers south of the equator. Venezuela has promised to give to replace the money, which was to have come from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a U.S.-government-funded anti-poverty fund set up by W. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega Saavedra is none too happy about having the aid withdrawn and drew an unlikely comparison between Obama and former President Ronald Reagan. “He expresses good will, but in practice, he has the same policies as President Reagan," Ortega told a crowd of supporters in Managua's Plaza of the Revolution. Of course, if there’s anyone who can make that comparison, it would be Ortega. He was around in 1982 when Reagan supported funding the contras, the forces opposed to Ortega and his socialist Sandinista Party, which had come to power after overthrowing the U.S.-backed Anastasio Somoza in 1979. Now, he’s leading the country and relying on the U.S. to follow through on its promises to provide aid. He called the decision not to follow through on the payment "disrespectful.” So why did the American government reverse course and decide not to pay what had beep previously promised? Well, it was announced last November that aid to Managua was being suspended in the wake of what were alleged fraudulent municipal elections. Ortega disputes those claims (of course he does) and claims that the $62 million would have been used to build 12 highways, not to support his government. Honestly, I can see both sides of the debate. For one, the Obama administration is under no obligation to follow through on paying money that the previous administration, coincidentally the worst in American history, promised. On the other hand, Nicaragua isn’t exactly a world power and whether they have a corrupt government in power through bogus elections or not, there are a lot of people in the country who could use financial assistance. Ultimately, you need to do what you think is right and if it pisses off Ortega and Chavez in the process, so be it……
- So Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez is “likes to fight” guy. We all know at least one guy who is “likes to fight guy,” willing to throw down at any time, for any reason and with anyone. It’s not all that surprising to learn that K-Rod is that guy, given how demonstrative and animated he is on the mound. Guys who gesticulate wildly, dance on the mound and point to the sky tend to have a lot of emotion and emotional guys are typically the ones who are also “likes to fight” guy. Now that K-Rod is in New York and playing his first season with the Mets, more eyes are on him and it’s more likely that someone is going to take exception to his act. As it happens, a guy playing across town in the Bronx has a problem with K-Rod and he is New York Yankees reliever Brian Bruney. Over the weekend, the Mets and Yankees played their traditional interleague series at the new Yankee Stadium. In Friday’s series opener, Rodriguez came in for the ninth inning with his team leading by a run. He allowed two runners to reach base but appeared to be on the verge of wiggling out of the jam and getting the save for his team. With two outs, he induced Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez to pop up to second base. It was a routine popup for second baseman Luis Castillo, a play he and every other second baseman in Major League Baseball makes 9,999 times out of 10,000. On Friday night, Castillo dropped the popup and two runs scored, giving the Yankees a dramatic, improbable win over their crosstown rivals. It was K-Rod’s first blown save in 17 chances this season. For some reason, after the game someone decided to stick a microphone in Bruney’s face even though he has pitched only once for the Yankees since April 21 because of a strained elbow. Maybe it was his perfect inning Saturday in a rehab appearance for Double-A Trenton that drew the media to his locker, I don’t know. But once he had a chance to take a shot at the more-talented, more-successful, higher-paid pitcher across town, Bruney opened fire. Speaking about the way the game ended, he said, “Unbelievable. I've never seen anything like that. I have, but in high school," Bruney said. "It couldn't happen to a better guy on the mound, either. He's got a tired act. I just don't like watching the guy pitch. I think it's embarrassing.” Never mind that Bruney's teammate, Joba Chamberlain, also has irritated opponents with his loud screams and animated fist pumps after inning-ending strikeouts. So Bruney opened his mouth when he probably should have kept it shut and of course, K-Rod heard what he said and was none too happy about it. During batting practice before Sunday’s game, Rodriguez sought out Bruney and found him on the outfield grass in left field. After saying previously that Bruney should "keep his mouth shut," Rodriguez went looking to back up his words. When he found Bruney, he began screaming him down and gesturing pointedly in his adversary’s direction. Bruney didn’t react or show much emotion, mostly taking it and trying to stay calm. Eventually Yankees reliever Jose Veras stepped between them and Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey followed suit, ushering K-Rod away. "I was probably 10 feet away and I just saw K-Rod pointing and raising his voice," Pelfrey said, "and I just came over and grabbed him and I said 'C'mon, lets go in.' He was upset I guess." In the end, I’m siding with K-Rod on this one partially because I think he’s a better player and has more of a right to do what he does on the mound, but mostly because “likes to fight” guy is always awesome and livens up any party. Bruney seems to have learned from his mistake, saying on Sunday that he may have handled things incorrectly. “I probably shouldn't have said what I said. I made that mistake and I've learned from it,” he admitted. And all it took was for K-Rod to seek you out, scream you down and help you see the error of your ways……..
- Look out, New York City geese! The Man is coming for you and he’s coming with the worst of intentions. Spurred in large part by the incident in which geese getting in the way of US Airways Flight 1549 in January, damaging both engines and forcing the now-infamous landing on the Hudson River by heroic pilot Chesley Sullenburger, authorities in New York City have decided to kill at least 2,000 geese this year, all of them living in close proximity to the LaGuardia and JFK international airports. “The serious dangers that Canada geese pose to aviation became all too clear when geese struck. The incident served as a catalyst to strengthen our efforts in removing geese from – and discouraging them from nesting on – city property near our runways,” said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. So you can’t deal with the geese any other way than to kill them? No relocation program for the geese, maybe offer them a huge government grant to move to Florida permanently? Look, I get that flocks of birds cruising around the skies, especially near airports, are a problem for planes. They can get sucked into the engines and cause them to fail, so there clearly has to be something done about the problem. I just have a feeling that if you made an effort to negotiate with the geese, you’d find that they’re amiable and won't drive a hard bargain. For Pete’s sake, they eat worms and trash, so how tough of a negotiator can a goose be? Throw in a bag of Schwebel’s bread and you’d have a deal. Besides, announcing that you plan to kill at least 2,000 geese is going to inevitable cause a backlash from one of my least favorite groups of all-time, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Those freaks at PETA sit around waiting for days like this, when the New York Port Authority and the mayor’s office team up on plans to remove all Canadian geese on a several-mile radius around the two airports by lethal means. Actually, I’m surprised this hasn’t been a bigger rallying cry for those PETA idiots in the past, given the fact that in NYC, more than 1,200 geese have been netted and gassed over the past six years on islands around the city. Because offing 1,200 geese hasn’t done the trick, the city will up that amount by 67 percent in a single year and hope that solves the problems. “Research has shown that resident Canada geese in several New York studies stay within five miles of a particular location and that 74 percent of wildlife strikes occur at or near the airport," said Martin Lowney, director of the US Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services program in New York. Sort of gives credence to my idea of bribing the geese to move to Florida, given the fact that they tend to stay within a five-mile radius. But barring that, the city and Port Authority are simply biding their time, plotting and determining the best time to strike in Operation Gas Geese………
- I believe indie rockers Kaiser Chiefs said it best on their debut album in 2005: I predict a riot. It’s true in most any city where a major college or professional sports team wins a championship, but perhaps nowhere is it truer than in Los Angeles. Los Angelinos love to riot when their teams win and in recent years, the only SoCal team bringing home titles has been the Los Angeles Lakers. With their chances to riot limited to only one team, you just knew that the diehard Lakers fans in L.A. were bracing to riot the instant it became clear that their favorite team had a legitimate chance to win its 15th NBA championship. Some time around the All-Star break, they began collecting spare bricks, searching for just the right rocks to hurl and practicing their car-flipping and dumpster-burning techniques. All of that hard work and preparation paid off Monday night, with fans bum-rushing the streets before the final seconds ticked off the clock in the Lakers’ Game 5 triumph in Orlando to win the NBA Finals by a 4-1 count. The fans knew it was coming, the police knew it was coming and even the Lakers knew it was coming. The team and city officials tried to get out ahead of it by having Lakers star Kobe Bryant film a TV commercial that aired near the end of Game 5, urging fans to “celebrate responsibly.” Right, because that commercial was going to work. You could have looped that spot 24/7 every day since the start of the season and it wouldn’t have made a difference. These freaks who hit the streets looking to loot, riot, pillage, plunder and burn when their team wins a championship LIVE for that moment. To them, it’s not truly a championship until they’ve turned over a car, smashed a store window and looted inside or hurled a brick at the cops. The chance to riot is just as important to them as seeing their players hoist the championship trophy. That much is evident by the fact that many of the rioters were headed out to the streets before the game even ended. It made for an interesting night in L.A., to say the least. In the riots, 25 people were arrested for disturbing the peace, arson and other infractions and eight police officers suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospitals for treatment. A shoe store was vandalized and looted, as were buses and police cars (big ups on that, by the way) and several fires were set around town. I’m just guessing, but I’d say that at least half of the rioters had perhaps drank an alcoholic beverage or five. My favorite part of the night may be the fact that among the 25 people arrested for rioting, three of them were juveniles. Yes, three parents either allowed their child to hit the streets and riot or were right there with them, lobbing empty beer bottles at police cars and smashing store windows. Nothing says good parenting or supporting your favorite sports team more than some parent-child rioting action, no doubt. So a big tip of the cap to all the zealots, er, fans in L.A. who took time out of their evening on Monday to join other fans in the street and show their passion and fandom by rioting, well done…….
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