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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
RISE AND SHINE
GOOD MORNING, DELAWARE COUNTY
At about this time six years ago today, MTV was taking a shot at airing a reality show starting Ozzie Osbourne and his family. At about this time six years ago today, NASA's Mars Odyssey begins to map the surface of the red planet. At about this time six years ago today, President George Bush, after having choked on a pretzel, used the term 'axis of evil' to describe the Middle East. At about this time six years ago today, Great Britain was in mourning after the death of the Queen Mother. At about this time six years ago today, the original Spider-Man was taking in billions at the movie house. It was closely followed by Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. At about this time six years ago today, 'Get the party started' by Pink was a sensation at the clubs. At about this time six years ago today, a little book called 'Lovely Bones' was jumping out of the book stores. At about this time six years ago today, Playstation 2 was starting to turn minds to mush. At about six years ago today, the Phillies, faced with pitching woes, fell to 17-21 after a disheartening 17-3 loss to the Houston Astros. At about this time six years ago today, the Eagles, despite cutting linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, were 5-1 odds to reach the Super Bowl. At about this time six years ago today, a lack of any kind of wet weather for months put Pennsylvania inot a spring drought. At about this time six years ago today, a little boy came kicking and screaming into this world. His parents, having searched and searched for the perfect name for weeks, settled on one they thought was perfect. Turns out he is: Happy Birthday Brendan! Have a great day.
What a fine morning it is out there, huh? These May flowers better be pretty nice after the weekend we've been put through weather-wise. Anyway, as a nasty cold continues to go through the house, I have to wonder if everybody is dealing with some new kind of virus. It used to be you get a cold, it knocks you out for a day or two, then you're back grooving. Now, and it's not only one house, but a lot of houses, the cold/virus/flu/whatever sticks around for weeks. Just when you think you are done, it's jumped to another person in the house and the cycle continues. Eventually, it gets back to you and the whole thing starts over again. Much like the other changes, political and climate-wise, in the world these days, it appears nusiance ills are stronger than ever. Nature has a way of adapting. Try to get rid of the squirrels and they learn how to avoid the traps. Spray for ants, and the ants become immune to the poison. It's the same with colds. The reason we can't cure the common cold is because it's no longer common. We've invented so many cold formulas and medicines, it's now evolved into something else. So, instead of going the drug store route, the best way to stay healthy is what Mom said all those years ago: Eat your vegetables. That seems to work best.
Well, here's an early shout out for Mother's Day. It comes Sunday, but we never celebrate Mom's enough. So, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! To that end, here is a short list of the great things Mom's do: Clean our noses; Get us the extra blanket when it's cold at night; Clean up our messes; Help with homework; Shuttle us around; Make sure our breakfast is ready; Keep us healthy. I know there's more, but the sickness that knocked Rise and Shine out Thursday, is still holding on a little bit.
By the way, have you noticed how Mother's Day, much like just about every other 'Day' has become overcommercialized. Years ago, some flowers, a hand-drawn card and maybe a nice brunch was enough. Now, at least if you watch commercials or see other advertisements, you are a bad person if that's all you do. You have to start the day by giving a new Blackberry, follow with a light breakfast, then something from the jewelry store, then head to Outback for lunch, go over to the park 'find' something else from the jewelry store. Follow that with dinner somwhere nice and, oops, is that another jewelry box. Now, I don't think that's reality. The mom's I know are just as happy with the flowers and the hand-drawn cards. In the end, they mean more and will last forever. Just stop knocking us over the head with all the other stuff. Here's a good place to find a gift: CLICK HERE for something nice
Is there anything worse than a spring cold? The sun is shining bright, the temperatures are nice and warm and your head is so stuffed up you can barely walk straight. The nights, of course, are a chore. Going from sweating to chills sometimes every hour can play havoc with your body. So, when what you really need is a good night's sleep, you instead are moving all over the place. Finally, the morning comes and the whole things starts over again. The sneezing, coughing, achy muscles. Forget it. OK, there are certainly worse things in this world than a spring cold. Just look at Philadelphia right now to see that, but it does stink to have one of these things. Of course, in our house, it spreads from one to the other, then starts the cycle all over again. Excuse me while I have a sneezing attack.
OK, it's another 'HUGE' primary day where voters will go to the polls in Indiana and North Carolina and vote for Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. Still, no matter how it turns out, there will be another 'HUGE' primary day coming soon. Then another. Then a big convention where one of them will be nominated for president (and, in a likely scenerio, the other being vice president). The latest rhetoric coming from the candidates, including GOP leader John McCain, is about suspending the gas tax for the summer to 'help out' people filling the tank. OK, 18 cents is nice, but, really, is it going to make much of a difference? 18 cents. By the time our Government decides to make such a move, gas prices will have risen by about 50 cents, so that 18 cents does absolutely nothing. It sounds good, but it's not going to help when we are paying close to $40 to fill up a Saturn. How about this: Don't drive. Yeah, it's simple and it's been said before, but if we limit the amount of time on the roads and, say, make one trip to the store a week, that gas bill will no doubt go down. Anyway, here they are worried about 18 cents a gallon when there are other wars out there, so to speak. Not even mentioning the joke in Iraq, how about the war on the streets? If somebody can get a Chinese-made assault rifle to gun down police, there probably not going to think twice before taking your car or busting into your house. Money is one thing, life is another. Are there any good uninhabited islands?
What a fine morning we have, with the sun shining bright and the promise of a nice new week. Now, with that out of the way, got to thinking about all things in general. After I put my head back together, I started to wonder what has happened to things. Sure, the world is changing. We all know that. We are going digital. Everbody has a cell phone and cars eat up too much gas, but there are smaller things here. For instance, what happened to video game arcades. In the early 80s, they were all the rage. Every mall had a store put aside for games, most of which cost a quarter to play. It was a chance to hang out with friends and play a few games. There was always a line at PacMan. There were sports games, space games, driving games (the favorite among those in the know) and, of course, pinball games. You threw in a few quarters over the course of a few hours, got out of the house and actually interacted with people, some of which you didn't even know. Now, video games are played in the house in front of the television. If children aren't playing alone, they are playing with a small group of friends. Sure, the technology has improved to the point that today's video games make yesteryear's look like board games. OK, I get the 3D graphics and the role playing, but it's not enough. Playstation, X-Box and the like not only are making our children lazier and, probably, a little heavier, but there's a social aspect missing as well. Even if we were doing the same thing, at least we were out with people. Learning everbody in the community was a little different, liked different games. Maybe it's not the most important thing in the world, but, in a world that's increasingly busy, the little things do matter a lot. OK, here's a classic from days gone by:
We love lists, don't we. This week, we've had the 100 most influential people in the world, a new look at the 100 best movies of all time and the 10 best songs of the 90s. A while ago, television host David Letterman floated out news he was going to stop is nightly Top 10 list, which itself started as a joke about lists. There was such an outcry, it only lasted about a week. Now, you can find your favorites any time you want. There are books dedicated to the top whatever of whatever. There are probably lists about everything. There was even a list of rejected People Poll questions. It all comes down to fun. It's fun to argue about the top of the lists. It can make a boring work day go a little quicker. So, I offer a list, pulled together while following the Pennsylvania Primary: The top political coverage in the country: 1. CNN 1. (tie) FoxNews 1. (tie) MSNBC 1. (tie) CNBC 1. (tie) CBS News 1. (tie) ABC News 1. (tie) ESPN.
Maybe it's just me, but who in the world is Shigeru Miyamoto? Did this person come up with a miracle cure for cancer? Did he give away billions to help others? Did he come up with an alternative energy source so we don't have to fund the houses in the South of France for the CEOs of oil companies? I know, maybe Shigeru Miyamoto is personally bringing down the government of China and its questionable human rights stance? How about this, Shigeru Miyamoto is a video game designer. He was also named the No. 1 most influential person in a Time magazine poll. Shigeru Miyamoto, the designer of such world changing things as Donkey Kong and the Legend of Zelda, narrowly beat out somebody named Rain for the top spot. Rain, by the way, is described as a 'Korean pop sensation' whatever that is. Television comic Steven Colbert came in a distant third, followed quickly by Heidi Klum and Tyra Banks. Here's the whole list OK, now, I can only assume there was some serious ballot stuffing for this list. After all, if a guy can design Donkey Kong, he can probably bust into the online voting and give himself, say, a million votes. Still, this is a little disturbing. How are any of these five people influential at all? Have they done anything to better our lives. The only Rain I know of will be falling later this afternoon. While it makes the grass grow and the flowers look pretty, I don't think it's very influential. It's certainly not influential when we have to pull out the lawnmower. So, this can only lead to the next logical question: Who is the most influencial person in Delaware County? Are there any? I'd be willing to bet if there was such a poll, the top spot would be going to somebody sitting in prison or something like that. Maybe that guy who used to walk around the Hook in his bare feet. A vote like that would be scary. Hey, even Gil Spencer would probably break the top five. We all need a break:
If you have any cool links or photos or want to vote for an influential person, send an e-mail to onlinedelco@gmail.com or leave a comment at the end.
OK, a couple of weeks ago (actually it was just over a week, but I can hope) we were inundated with the voices of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. They were here, they were there, they were on TV, they were on the radio, they were in the newspaper. Then, the PA Primary happened and we haven't heard as much of the rhetoric. Sure, it's still there, but the candidates are all in North Carolina, so we aren't beat over the head with their talk. No, now, since there appears to be nothing else going on, we are hit again and again about just how bad the economy is out there. We hear about gas prices (like talking and yelling will lower the price anytime soon). We hear about food prices. We hear about a 'slowdown' which is actually a 'recession.' We hear about the Fed lowering rates, although it doesn't seem to have anything to do with our bottom line. Do we need to hear the depressing news every day, every hour. The talking heads on TV seem to be happy to tell us it's horrible out there and we aren't going to survive. Some nuts probably are starting to build bunkers in the back of their houses. Hey, it worked during the Cold War, why not during the Money War? So, here it is, the economy stinks right now and we need to tighten our belts a little more. We'll all survive in the end. That's it on the economy. Instead, think about this: What sound does a grape make when an elephant steps on it? None. It just lets out a little wine. Or this:
If you have any cool links, photos or videos, send them along to onlinedelco@gmail.com
OK, so the government stimulus check is going to be in our bank accounts over the next few weeks. While extra money is always welcome (in fact, if anybody wants to send me some now, I'd be thankful), this round of 'stimulus' I don't think will offer much help to the economy. Why? Well, it's simple, when people can barely make ends meet right now, no amount of extra cash will lead to extra purchases. When you struggle to fill the gas tank on the way to work, that big-screen television isn't going to make much of a difference. The government, once again the money is great, would be better served making things more affordable for the everyday working person. When a Saturn takes $36 to fill the tank, that's just too much. I can only imagine what kind of gas those big SUVs and pickup trucks go through. When you add together gas for the car, home heating, and the regular bills, that stimulus check is going to disappear than a plate of chocolate chip cookies. It's a help, but we need more. Now, I'm not looking for the government to come in and rescue us all by throwing more money out there. Maybe we need to look at all our expenses and try to trim things down. The bad part of that, though, is when we spend less, companies lay off workers. That puts us all in a bad sort. We should be going after big companies and banks and hold them accountable. When Exxon/Mobil is pulling in record profits and our cars are getting by on fumes, somethings wrong.
Well, it's definitely un-Spring like out there today. Maybe we were spoiled last week by the great weather. All of a sudden, it's cold and rainy and there appears to be no end in sight. Well, at least no end until Thursday.
So, the biggest non-event event of our time took place this weekend. No, I don't mean Barack Obama's appearence on FOX News. Despite the hype, it was the same rhetoric we've been hearing for months now. The biggest non-event of our time is the NFL Draft. ESPN dedicated two days to sitting around watching highlights of college football players as they are chosen by NFL teams. Probably less than half of these players will actually have any kind of career in the NFL, but, thanks to ESPN and the multitude of Web sites, the draft is almost as big as the season. Fans of this team or that team debate players picked and how their team shapes up after the weekend. It's almost as bad, but not quite, as the College signing day. Fans that day get on message boards and lament how this high school football player chose the wrong team. Coaches careers are made just by how they can recruit, look at Pitt's Dave Wanstadt for exhibit A. His head coaching career has been one bad loss after another, but, boy, can he recruit. Now we know the Eagles have no chance to compete for a Super Bowl because they traded out of the first round. Or, it's the best move Andy Reid ever made. Really, though, it's just a bunch of nothing that fills up a couple of days of television. Maybe run a marathon of Rock of Love 2 instead. It'll probably be more entertaining. Speaking of non-events:
So, just to prove you can never be too old to learn something new, I found out last night that crocodile's can smile. That's right. Those lizard-like animals who reside mostly in Florida, although there are a couple at the Philadelphia Zoo, can actually smile through those big teeth. Now, most people aren't going to get close enough to a crocodile to find out if he's smiling or not. In fact, for the most part, if you do get close enough, the croc will be smiling as he eats you. Still, a group giving a presentation last night, which was quite entertaining to say the least, have seen a crocodile smile. Anyway, this group was riding in a boat somewhere (sorry, it was too engrossing to remember every little detail) when they happened upon some interesting goings on. Apparently, there was some music, some dancing and a crocodile smile. Almost makes you want to get in that boat and find the place. Sounds like a nice place to visit. Just bring some crocodile snacks. Meanwhile, there's this:
