Archives---June, 2004
...The deciding game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs is set for 8:00 Monday in Tampa Bay. Televised by ABC in prime time, it will be as compelling a sporting event one is apt to run across. This regardless of whether you like hockey, the teams or share a general disgust about the league's impending labor problems. Watch this game. Come to think about it---not a bad sports week at all. The aforementioned hockey, NBA finals begin and the US Open this weekend.
...Jack makes the cut at the Memorial. Great stuff, and I hope he enjoys it, but you'll excuse us if we don't get real worked up about this perhaps being your last appearance and all. Arguably, the games greatest player, but its always been about Jack and many of us have long tired of an insufferable, sanctimonious old man with the personality of a dead flash light battery. Perhaps the mystery retirement is a good thing, cause the send-off would be underwhelming.
...A day to digest the Tenet resignation, and it would appear that he volunteered to fall on the sword, given his intent to quit later this year, combined with the anticipated less than flattering report on the intelligence community by the 911 Commission.
...With all due respect to my idol worshiping heathen brothers and sisters, this Weekend at Bernie's thing with the Pope has got to stop. Even worse was President Bush having to sit through the ordeal, no doubt, wishing Squeaky Fromme would pop out of somewhere and cap him (the President) so he could get out of there. And while I'm at it---memo to the Vatican: we'll stay out of the pontification business if you guys will shut your yaps on U.S. foreign policy. Bottom line: nice house your Holiness. No need to thank us for the fact you live here or that we saved the European continent from three stabs at totalitarian rule...And just for kicks, exactly what degree of force does John Paul II believe would have been acceptable to free the Poles from Hitler or Stalin? And yall hadn't started the damn Crusades to begin with...
...I am hopeful that the media attention surrounding the 60th anniversary of D Day will reinforce my attempt to be mindful of the fact that the geezer, with huge ears, wearing a hat, and driving an automobile the size of a small New England state not quite as fast as I would like was more than likely rather busy 60 years ago. All a piece of the Suttle dog food theory of life. For the uninitiated the dog food theory is based on the fact that within 2 miles of my home are three supermarkets, each with an aisle devoted to nothing but pet food. Things can't be that bad, and aren't because of sacrifices beyond my ability to comprehend made by so many.
...Reports this morning that President Regan's health has mercifully taken a turn for the worse. It is sad news on what is an already rather sobering historical day, but no one with the vitality and brilliance of the former President should be subjected to his shell of an existence. God's speed Mr. President. Poor taste on my part to take a cheap political shot, but I am genuinely amazed at the juxtaposition of two marriages in Los Angeles, CA and Chappaqua, NY.
...The few snippets gleaned regarding the Clinton book and interview get filed under very predictable. The great right wing conspiracy pushed him over the edge emotionally, resulting in his self-admitted abhorrent behavior (perjury, obstruction of justice, et al). No sell Mr. President. I'm willing to buy there are some serious personal issues at work, but they are all demons from within Bill. Pathological lying comes to mind (see aforementioned book). Ken Star didn't make you do it(s); nor did Newt or Limbaugh. My understanding is that being constantly locked in a loving embrace left little time for Comrade Rather to ask about Juanita Broderick in his intimate get together with Clinton last night on 60 Minutes. By the way, remember the outrage at President Regan picking up a few bucks at speaking engagements after leaving office? The best estimates, have the Clintons being paid over $20 million since leaving the White House. Good work if you can get it, but I don't get it---what the hell their work is/was to begin with (enhancing personal political power notwithstanding).
...The third of the year's five high holy days of sport has arrived---final round of the US Open. The fourth comes in a month with the final round of the British Open and then a long dry spell til NFL conference championship Sunday, but lot's of fun mixed in along the way. Many calendars print Father's Day on this particular date. This was a poor choice by the greeting card people, because the ritual is dwarfed by the Open.
...Memo to Commissioner Stern: here's an idea. Instead of trying to create super hero action figures, how about putting a decent product on the floor on a consistent (i.e. February) basis? In the same me lieu, not only would I say no to an invite to go the Athens and play Olympic hoops, I'd say hell no! First, the games are going to be an abject failure. Second, there is a real security risk. Finally, NBA players put in around 100 games a year with pre-season and playoffs. They want to take a few weeks off, just like the rest of us boys and girls who could care less about Olympic basketball to begin with. Folks who make phone numbers for a living need down time too (though most rarely do which is why they are making a phone number to begin with).
...The US Open is great. The US Open is always great. It seems I remember a certain ass hole with a web site who warned of the Ernie. But to paraphrase another Ernie, there's a lot of golf left to be played---a war of attrition which is how the final round of a US Open should be. To its credit, the USGA had admitted error, but that doesn't change the fact that #7 was just stupid yesterday, lacking only a windmill and clown's mouth to make the face complete. Still, there is the amusement factor of watching the greats not play like us, but achieve similar results. Coverage starts at 12:30 on NBC.
...Boy that White Sox/Expos game was a thriller. In the true spirit of their heated rivalry, Chicago ekes out a 17-14 win. Did I mention that inter league play sucks?
...All below mentioned items of great value are at present, accounted for and in their full upright and locked position. Dogs spent the night inside (Gracie lingering per usual) without incident
...The silence is deafening, giving pause to perhaps reevaluate hearing impairment towards the up side. Alone for three days in this house for the first time in over five years of occupancy is dumb founding, but I have made the sacrifice. With every fiber of my existence I shall protect the sofa, television and computer from being taken, disturbed or harmed in any way. I shall shoulder the onus of keeping up with the US Open in its entirety (Leaderboard Link). I shall suffer the vagaries of using indoor plumbing and air conditioning in lieu of the stifling, funky, fully saturated June atmosphere. You ask how can one currently half naked man, scratching at will, armed only with a keyboard and minor vision correction rise to such greatness? Because I'm a hell of a guy; that's why. This isolation provides the opportunity for great achievement on this site and elsewhere, but it won't. Instead the gentle surfer is cautioned to expect little in the way of production this weekend. I now head to full naked status, as I use both showers, scratching when and where I damn well please. It is my hope that any hideous imagery created is offset by joining in the joyous social vacuum that is the status quo.
...Speaking of old farts, Yeahhhhh Jay Haas! The geezer puts up a 66 on a course the above mentioned Waring said he had the honor to play several years ago. Toss in some general props for Julio Franco while we're at it.
...Obviously publishers much smarter than I know better, but who in the hell would want to read what Bill Clinton had to say about anything much less a reflection upon his debacle/administration. Will it be in the fiction or non-fiction section?
...Slow news day combined with a visit from Mr. Sparky (no, really, as seen on TV and everything---will report later) and Waring's appearance this evening, there is little time for genius (scratch that---see below Ray Charles reference) time for ponderous takes today.
...Ok, let me get this straight. Tampa Bay has the Stanley Cup. An old man, with big ears, in a windbreaker happens to also own the Detroit Pistons, who are the newly crowned NBA Champions. Gotta wonder what the number in Vegas was for the Pistons in 5---40:1 maybe. On top to this Phil Mickelson wears the ugly green sport coat. No doubt my dissonance can be remedied by breaking off a quick call to Jack McKeon. The manager of the World Series Champion Florida Marlins could explain the whole thing. Pencil in the Cardinals for a decisive Super Bowl win in January.
...Extra take on the NBA game 5, which I watched in its entirety---does the term girly men mean anything to you? Wilt has to be spinning in his king sized grave. The Lakers looked like they'd rather be serving jury duty than...
...US Open T Off Minus 2 days and counting. A classic track. Ernie is showing his ungodly game. Phil has the monkey off his back. Sergio has a bunch of impressive top tens. There's this Choi guy who keeps hanging around on Sundays (I assume he qualified). Vijay is always a threat. And then there's that Tiger thing. It is indeed a high holy week of sport, Sunday being on the the top five events of the TV sports year (Master's and British Open final rounds, NCAA semi final Saturday and NFL conference championship Sunday the others). And yes, I admit it, just like like the neckcar fan that goes to see the wrecks, I greatly enjoy watching the "these guys are good" guys hack their ways helplessly through ten inch high scorecard eating rough. And don't forget Andy North. If he's still alive, he's a threat for reasons, to North's credit, that he says he doesn't even understand.
...It took until nearly sunset on the west coast yesterday for a notion to dawn on me that perhaps Friday's events were a bold faced exclamation point on the last sentence of the last chapter of the book that was the twentieth century. It was one hell of a book as centuries go.
...I am as guilty as anyone in abusing the language, especially as it relates to the term genius. The more appropriate use of the word should be reserved for those very few beyond the second and third standard deviations. Ray Charles was a genius. His death is deeply moving. Our loss is incalculable.
...The gods of poor taste have decreed that all future obligatory "blind" references be directed towards Stevie Wonder. Not that he didn't have a considerable market share before Ray passed away, but now he enjoys a monopoly on the metaphor.
...Everything's bigger in Texas, including, it would appear, body orifices. Bobby Knight just re-upped at Texas Tech and Bill Parcels is firmly entrenched in Cowboy land. To quote the great Kinky Friedman: "I'm proud to be an asshole from El Paso." Can anyone argue that the two above referenced "people" (not The Kinkser) are not the grandest of sphincters in their respective fields?
...Georgia v. Georgia Tech at noon today---"right here on this very stage" (ATL). Georgia took the first game Friday afternoon. A trip to Omaha and the College World Series is on the line. Unfortunately, though its a first class facility, Russ Chandler Stadium holds but 2,500, making tickets nearly impossible to come by. TV is ESPN 2.
...Is it just possible that Larry Brown has gone into his laboratory and created a faster and louder kind of defense that even the Lakers can't overcome, even on the nights they decide to show up. Perhaps its not so ugly as it is "a game with which I am not familiar."
...Not that it would take much effort...Newsmax has done a much more fitting tribute to President Reagan on their home page today than my humble offerings. Farewell, indeed.
...Us Georgians, with a hardy, heaping helping of our hospitality, are more than happy to host the current G-8 meeting, but for all the hoopla, one is left wondering what in the hell they are doing or why. The idea of the big dog and seven medium sized dogs confabbing every now and then looks good on paper, but assuming the Brits have mastered the use of the telephone (as opposed to central heating and air) the whole grandiose exercise would appear to be of little value. Reckon it can't hurt either, much like Friday's impromptu holiday---when government shuts down it affords less opportunity for government to do stuff to us. Hell, I'm all for renaming Friday Reaganday, allowing the feds to enjoy a four day "work" week.
...On a similar note, I suppose it was a dream or some sort, but I have this vague recollection of talk about eliminating the departments of Education, Commerce and Energy. If it was an idea that was truly floated, I suppose the powers to be have been too busy marking up $200 billion ag bills, etc... to get around to it. And how did that Lawrence Welk museum turn out?
...Talk about putting Reagan on the ten dollar bill is interesting, but Hamilton, as first Secretary of Treasury among other things, is an appropriate figure. How about the fifty? And how the hell did Grant end up on it in the first place? Yea, he enjoyed a reasonable degree of success in the War of Yankee Aggression, but was a hideous president, and left the lone legacy of "who's buried in Grant's tomb?"
...At the risk of President Reaganing everyone to tears, a few more takes...Newt certainly can sing the praises of the former President and relate the inspiration he drew from the man, but it might be nice for someone to point out that Newt dropped the baton which was the Reagan legacy to dampen his own genitalia. All testosterone based units understand fully the woes emanating from allowing the little head do the thinking, but throwing away 35 years of work...?!!!?
...And its not as though anyone cares about anything Nancy Pelosi has to say about anything, but for God's sake just shut up. Can any rational person argue that Zell doesn't have the correct take on the Democratic party? It was very appropriate for John Kerry to suspend campaigning this week to get in a photo op in front of a coffin in Santa Barbara.
...DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN! Good job Tampa Tribune. For those who missed it, the paper's first edition Tuesday morning ran an editorial explaining that while the Lightning didn't win the Stanley Cup, it was still a great run and good for the community. Its got to be a Cox paper and its also comforting to those of us in Atlanta to know we are not alone in the hideous newspaper department (the term newspaper being used rather loosely in describing the Atlanta
...I never voted for President Reagan, though I had that opportunity on two occasions. Fortunately, as is often the case, I was in the minority, and, consequently, we were treated to eight years of returning this nation the undeniable position as the world's leader economically, politically, and militarily, while freeing over a quarter of the world's population from the jack booted oppression of communism. Not a bad run, and one for which we are greatly appreciative---even our smug leftist friends, who might wish to give pause for consideration the next time they roll down the dog food aisle (see below referenced dog food theory of life).
...Precisely 60 years prior to this writing (Saturday morning -EDT-6/6/44), six thousand lifeless bodies lay on the beaches of France.
...Memo to the Bush campaign: the President can sew up his re-election this weekend. He and Chirac will no doubt have a photo op in which they will be shown strolling together along some pathway, allegedly discussing the pressing issues of the day. Provoked or not, Bush should just haul off and bitch slap the guy into next week and the election is over. Wise ass remark?---yes. Would it work?---yes.
...The paragraph below explains why we don't bet 2:5 horses. See boys and girls, that's a 40% return of your money in a little over two minutes. Ergo. if sure things were indeed sure things, the grandstands of the nations race tracks would be filled daily by tens of thousands of the Armani wearing Wall Street gang, instead of 8 homeless people which is typically the case on any given Thursday afternoon at Pimlico. No one is more disappointed by Smarty Jones placing than the horse racing industry which desperately seeks to make itself relevant again. Regardless, Yo and I still look forward to our first visit to Colonial Downs in July---my first trip to a track in over 15 years. One wonders as to whether the Lakers where watching the Belmont.
...Sure, Smarty Jones is the best horse in the field and should win the Triple Crown with a victory at Belmont this evening, but like many others, I wish only a $2 win ticket for posterity's sake. Once again, the gentle surfer is reminded that these races are the equivalent of a McDonalds All-American game, and asking 3 year olds to carry 126 pounds a mile and a half is a silly exercise that none of these horses will ever do again. Throw in an off track, and while it looks good in the DRF, there are no slam dunks in handicapping, especially at 2:5.
...Yes, the Stanley Cup residing in Tampa Bay does sound stupid (btw would the last NHL franchise to leave Canada please bring the Zamboni). As stated here time and again, the Atlanta Flames stint was the most fun I've ever had as a sports fan, but they've been gone for over a quarter century, ergo there are no allegiances here to Calgary. So what's not to like about hockey's Ernie Banks finally getting a ring. Good for Dave Andreychuk and good for all that watched what may be the last NHL game for quite a while. The contest itself lived up to a game seven, and the presentation of the Cup is one of the truly uplifting (pun partially intended) experiences in sport. The Gwinnett Gladiator's home opener is October 19.
...The death of President Reagan has provided a wonderful opportunity to be reminded of the amazing accomplishments he and his administration made and set in motion. Even better, is the amusement factor (make that piss your pants funny) of the left's hate filled remarks about the man. One can fantasize about each spending just one get away weekend at the gulag of their choice for an opportunity to ponder...oh say, 12 million folks exterminated by Stalin. Mao's scorecard was equally impressive. But you can't blame our poor delusional brothers and sisters. Who wouldn't want 22% interest rates, 13% inflation and 10% unemployment. You know---the good old days. The mouth salivates like Pavlov's dog at the thought of sitting down to a big steaming bowl of malaise. I do have some sympathy for our pinko pals. Those with an IQ higher than room temperature know better, and must suffer great angst constantly living with the dissonance. Those on the lower end of the scale---well, somebody has to cook the french fries. It really is worth bumping around on www.democraticunderground.com or www.moveon.com et al, while keeping in mind these are the folks who want to outlaw hate speech (hate speech, of course, being defined as anything said that the left doesn't like).
...Some long awaited crumbs of 
news. A Master Plan gig has been set as part of Little
Stevie's shtick. A battle of garage bands kinda promo with the winner
being the opener for Master Plan on Long Island later this month. Also a
vague mention from JP that work continues on both the live CD and DVD. We
will interrupt regular programming as events warrant.
...A tough 2-1 loss for our Cubbies yesterday afternoon against the Pirates means the good guys and gals play again this evening (5:30 EDT) for a shot at the Warrendale World Series. They play the Reds who they beat last Wednesday, 2-1, and against whom they are 2-1 for the season. Check here for the latest scores and news even if I have to dig myself instead of being informed by Coach Cincotta, who is obviously much too distracted by matters at hand to inform insignificant people like me who devote web pages to their endeavors. Karen, I think I can now truly empathize with you in a very small way. Regardless, the Ideal Block Cubs are destined to repeat as champions. The entire Dictators Nation salutes your past and future successes.
...There's a fine line between US Open conditions and Goony Golf. The USGA certainly pushed the enveloped, but so did players who failed to heed the mantra of Open success---make pars! I'll take even in the clubhouse before any Open starts and like my chances. It was a great final round, and, Dirk Bremen, a spokesman for St. Heimlich Hospital, informed the media this morning that Phil is resting comfortably following successful surgery to remove the Titleist stuck in his throat. The 3 putt 17th was the epitome of choke, but a hell of a lot easier to swallow (damn, I'm funny) with an ugly green sport coat in your closet.
...Help Wanted: Team Welder to affect glove repairs; send resume and salary history to The Atlanta Braves, Turner Field, Henry Aaron Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30002. Life would be so much easier if one could hide one's nagging injuries and defensive liabilities behind a designated short fielder/hitter type rule employed by the American Softball League. Can't wait for the Royals to hit town next week---an inter-league rivalry like no other. Any of those yellow Charlie Finley baseballs still lying around?
...Plans have changed slightly for the '04 Summer Extravaganza. We've decided to annoy my mother for an additional day and take in a Wilmington Sharks game in lieu of a stop on the way back in Augusta. Yo gets another day at the beach and we get a chance to see play in the Coastal Plains League---one of several pseudo minor leagues primarily for college players, with a few American Legion, high schoolers and glory day walk ons thrown in. Should be great.
...Gas prices. A component on the promised Middle East position paper, but let's get this issue out of the way. At $2 a gallon, gasoline is cheaper than in 1974 when prices skyrocketed to 50¢ (in real dollars). Factor in increased gas mileage for the average automobile over the past thirty years and your MPRD (miles per real dollars) is right in line with the thirty year average, if not, cheaper. This doesn't account for the thousands grumbling in line at the local convenience store about $2 gasoline (pumped from deep in the ground, transported thousands of miles, refined into gasoline, run through a maze of pipelines, transported by truck to the pump...) with the $1.19 pint of water drawn from a tap in Asheville, NC in their hand. Let's try another illustration. An automobile driven 12,000 miles per year, getting 20 MPG, requires an additional $5.77 a week to operate if gas is $2.00 instead of $1.50 per gallon. "But, I don't want to pay that much," you whine ad nausium. Fine. Get the government the hell out of the way and start pumping huge reserves in Alaska and the Gulf. Allow refinery capacity to expand. Stop designing a different gasoline for every city in the country---overtaxing the pipeline infrastructure. Air quality in downtown Philly is better today than twenty years ago, and infinitely better than 200 years ago. And then there's Chinese demand. Instability in Venezuela. Just calm down.
...The Limbaugh divorce thing wasn't worth a mention, unless he did indeed, as I heard reported, start pointing fingers on the air yesterday.
...Umm...errr, I don't wish to be an alarmist, but there's a primary coming up in three weeks. How many of my neighbors no jack feces about any candidate in any non-statewide race? I must confess to be among that group. Consequently, Suttle World commits itself to issuing a sample ballot with endorsements where necessary in the very near future.
...Please note the addition of Ridge's Rent-a-Teen link on the Suttle Word home page. As noted, nephew Ridge is visiting for the summer and eager to perform those tedious, nagging chores that one never seems to get started, much less completed. Need a yard mowed? Garage cleaned? Dog washed? Ridge is your man. Check the above link or email Ridge for a quote with which any non refrigerator box dwelling humanoid can live. We (aunt Yo and I) are begging ya. See, the more bucks Ridge makes, the fewer that come out of our pockets. Of course there's an ultertive motive. Should you find that surprising, then you're new to Suttle World, and I welcome you.
...Oh, the glory of inter-league play continues. The Astros and Rangers play for the Silver Boot this weekend? Were the cannon, boat, horse and top hat pieces already taken? Meanwhile, the heated rivalry between the Rockies and Tigers is being played out in Denver. Memo to MLB: Judge Stone Mountain Gino is prepared to take the reins and fix this and most other baseball messes at a price considerably less than whatever you're paying Bud.
...July 2nd---both the birthday of sibling John and the good ole USA. The Declaration was ratified on July 2. As to why the document is dated July 4 remains something of a mystery. For all the detailed notes made by many at the Continental Congress, there is virtually no record of anybody doing anything on July 4---reckon they were all grilling burgers and dogs for the holiday.
...Senator Clinton is without a doubt the most frightening figure in American politics, but she appears to be willing to try new strategies in pursuit of ruling the world. This time it was the heretofore untried use of honesty. Speaking at a fund raiser for Barbara Boxer, Mrs. Clinton lectured her audience about tax cuts, and that Democrats are "going to take things away from [us] for the common good." Those "things" to which she refers of course is a little more of your money that the kind folks in Washington allow you to keep. I do indeed admire the honesty, a refreshing change of pace for her, and a full and complete explanation of the mantra of the Democratic Party: "To each according to his need. From each according to his ability to pay." Republicans, of course, are similarly inclined, just buying votes from a different constituency, but at least they have the good taste to not use such graphic language in mixed company.
...Decision 2004. A short study of the July 20 primary reveals a rather simple course of action. The big race, of course, is for the 4th District House seat. Denise Majette, who unseated the incumbent clown, evidently went off her medication and decided to run for a Senate seat that she has about as much chance of winning as Stalin. Ergo, it is once again necessary to beat back the wicked witch---no, make that the moronic embarrassing race baiting fool-- again. FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS VOTE FOR CYNTHIA MCLOWNY. Full voting instructions to follow soon.
...Its generally considered bad business to
promote competitors, but
is bigger than that, and is always looking out for the little
people. Consequently, while I still encourage you to book early for the 2004
Summer Fun Extravaganza, I am also compelled to inform you that competing
airlines have Kilimanjaro and Dar Es Salaam on sale for a mere $1042 round trip.
...Congratulations to the kids, coaches and parents that make up the Ideal Block Cub Family. Despite a 14-12 loss in the final game of last night's Warrendale Little League World Series, the team finished off a very successful 2004 season, playing over .670 baseball for the year. Coach Cincotta is quite rightly proud of his Might Fighting Cubbies, having confided some doubts before the season began. Job well done, and I still think everyone should get a block.
...So it was just a quarter point raise---sue me. The net effect will be negligible. The market had long since priced the increase into its algorithm, and only 38 people will be priced out of the home buying market. Remember boys and girls its wasn't that long ago that getting 30 year money at 15% was considered a "good" deal.
...Those who have wondered about the hiatus of
the
will be delighted to learn that it has been brought out of moth
balls. It just got easier to peck out hideous prose on this page instead
of using both milieus, but Dirk Bremen called and said he wanted to get back
into the swing of things so... SNN
tries to give an upbeat spin on world events, but returns with a rather
disquieting story of the giant penis pointed right at beautiful Tucker,
Georgia. SNN urges the public to
stay calm, and consult web site of NPAS (National Penis
Alert System).
...Rejuvenator! Cubbies win game two over the Pirates 3-1 to send the Warrendale Little League World Series to a deciding game three this evening. First pitch is 5:30. The defending champion Cubs will strap on their gear for the fifth time in seven days. A case of aged Scotch awaits our victors---I'll go out and buy a cheap bottle, put in the closet, and in 10 years when the kids are legal, it will have been aged at least 10 and a half years. No doubt, the fine folks at Ideal will give each kid his own block. A block of what, I'm not exactly sure, but with a name like Ideal, it has to be good.
...Money and banking has always been my short suit in the economics department, but expectations of the Fed's increase in interest rates has me more confused than usual. Everyone agrees there will be a rate hike, with 25 basis points being the odds on favorite, followed by several 25 point increases in the coming months. My take, is that the Fed is loathe to act in the third and fourth quarters of an election year, so this may be their one bite at the apple until November. Consequently, I would not be shocked at a 100 point rise. Wall Street would soil itself, but quickly recover because 1) that would still leave the overnight funds rate at 2% and 2) you don't have to be Milton Friedman following steadily rising commodity prices over the past year, to see inflation raising its ugly head at the grocery store.
...Is it just me, or did anyone else notice that Iraq is headed towards self determination for the first time in the history of the birthplace of civilization?
...Heartbreaker! Cubbies drop game one of the Warrendale Little League World Series 7-6 to the dreaded Pirates. No details yet from Skipper Cincotta, but game two of the best of three series is this evening (Tuesday). Given Sunday's stunning come from behind win, remember...
...Though I play one on the internet, I am not an expert in matters of foreign relations, affairs of state or military strategy. Still, it occurs to me that if we compromise due process rights in the name of defeating terrorism, the fight is already over. Terrorists 1 Liberty 0.
...Perhaps this story was big news a few years ago and I just missed it, but bumping around the tube last night, I was treated to one of the most amazing feats of medicine of which I am aware. Here's the deal: 30 year old guy on the west coast gets really sick. Doctors are unable to diagnose the problem as he wastes away. Finally, with his major organs beginning to fail they figure out he's got rare bone marrow (as opposed to heart marrow) disease---almost always fatal. Dude's girlfriend is a grad student at UCLA. She devotes her life to consulting all the relevant literature and contacting every possible specialist in the country. Her search leads them to Mayo where the guy is further diagnosed. His form of the disease is caused by a liver disorder that doesn't process proteins properly (or some such thing), and that over thirty years these toxins had built up in his body, causing his other problems. He needs a liver transplant. Livers are tough to come by and this guy has six months to live. Doctors also mention the possibility of a living donor, and after an exhaustive search the husband of a high school friend (the patient is adopted with no knowledge of his bio parents) agrees to donate part of his liver after testing shows him to be a match. Pretty cool, huh? It gets better. Meanwhile another woman on the west coast has liver cancer and needs a transplant. With no donor in sight, the doctors offer her the original sick guy's liver, reasoning it took 30 years for him to get sick which is a lot longer than the six months she's been given to survive without a transplant. So this daisy chain of liver exchanges takes place and everyone lives happily ever after. Even my poor description of the events are awestriking. For those unfamiliar, the liver regenerates quite nicely, allowing a donor to give up a lobe, because it will grow back.
...
CUBS
WIN! CUBS WIN! It took nine innings, but our heroic Cubbies
pulled one out their collective orifices to advance to the Warrendale Little
League World Series. The Cubs trailed 7-3 in the sixth and then 10-7 in
the seventh, but rallied both times to hang on for a 11-10 win. World
Series play begins tonight against a very worthy Pirates team. Though they
finished second in the regular season, the Pirates hold a 2-1edge in
head-to-head games and won the Waltham City Tournament earlier this month.
This, of course, is of no import. We are dealing with a team of destiny, as last
night's events prove. Big ups to the entire Ideal Block Cubs
organization. Just received follow-up email from Cincotta leads me to
believe the coach got little sleep last night, explaining the game so exciting,
as to make the pending World Series seem almost anti-climactic. I
respectfully disagree with the coach, and suggest it is called the big mo.
No, not Rock Hudson, momentum! It will carry the Cubs to their second
straight title.