Baseball Sucks Now

I have spent some time watching professional baseball and have come to the conclusion that the administrators of the game have made it SUCK. Teams can now have umpires calls checked and have the home office review video and uphold or overturn the call made on the field.

After umpiring the game for 20+ years at many levels, I can say that umpires get few calls wrong, and what I have seen with this review process supports my opinion (as most calls are not over turned and the arbiter had it right). Hopefully they will see this and get rid of this stupid allowance and return the game to the players and officials involved in the contest. This needs to be quickly before this trickles down to youth sports and parents are coming out of the stands with their cell phones with different angles of the play and pleading for Johnny or Missy to have the call reversed in their favor.

Sports are a peoples' game, that should have many aspects of human error built into it. Whether it is the players making the mistake, the coach or manager's bad decision, or an official missing a call, it is all part of the game. Allowing any and everyone to dictate the calling of the game makes the contest inane. This is not a court of law, with people pleading their viewpoint.

The thing that has destroyed most professional sports has been instant reply, slo-mo,  reverse angle, and jumbotrons in every stadium. Before the dust has even settled and the official has finished his call, it is replayed for all to see. Whatever happened to the game being played out on the field? Now it is played through video tape in a control room, and decided by those not even on the plane of play.

Police, Militarization, and Citizens

Over the last week or so, I have witnessed from my friends and contacts on Facebook and news on the television, voice concerns over police brutality, the so-called police state, and the responsibilities of citizens in America. The following is an opinion piece of my views, thoughts and feelings about all of this.

Law enforcement today is a thankless job. For some reason society has become disenchanted with the men and women behind the badge. I am not sure why this has come about, it may be a number of causes. It may be television and the media with the way police are portrayed in the news and that every talking head no longer reports the facts, but has to opine about the situation. It is shows like 'Cops" which displayed people breaking the law and being belligerent during their interaction with authorities, because it is boring just watching people cooperate, so they edited that out and showed more "exciting" arrests.
Also since policing has become a thankless job, I believe many great qualified people with the right temperament are not entering into service. Who wants to put their life on the line in today's world. Instead we are getting people that have illusions of who-knows-what and not being throughly vetted (background checks, psychological, training, performance reviews, etc...), becoming law enforcement agents, and then gunning down, use of force, and not earning the respect behind the badge.
Many are referring back to the good old days of 'Barney Fife", and why aren't today's police departments (PDs) like that anymore? Just look at the world around you, we can not even pass decent gun control legislation, and that we as private citizens want to stock pile weapons in our homes, along with loads of ammunition. Poor Officer Fife does not stand a chance against that type of unchecked citizenry. Which leads into the next part of this...

Many are paranoid that the PDs of today are becoming too militarized and the good old U S of A is becoming a police state. But is it any different from the times of Kent State, the Race Riots of the South, or the Watts Riots in our history? Not really, we just have short memories and as we are removed by time from these incidents we become numb to what happened.
The 1033 (formerly 1208) programs are providing equipment from the invasions of other countries, to local Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs). Every one thinks this is a looting of the armories of the military, but a quick search will tell you that it is much more regulated then that. Before anyone is handed a new vehicle for SWAT use, the LEAs must go through the proper training to use the equipment. And the 1033 and Homeland Security programs give monies to maintain the equipment, easing local budgets. BTW, you have to remember that the 1033 program was created in the early 1990s as the first invasion of Iraq ended and is not a new program.
All this equipment is not used for "evil" by the departments, anyone remember Superstorm Sandy, these tactical vehicles were used to rescue people stranded during that emergency. I don't remember people bitching about it then. Everyone got nervous when Boston was shut down and a man hunt was conducted, people complained of marshal law, but I personally liked that the authorities conducted what they had to, to keep everyone safe as possible. Yes it was an inconvenience, but it was necessary.

The citizens of the US have all become little street lawyers and think they know their rights and think that their rights are given no matter what. Because of this they think they are empowered to question any and every thing. That as soon as they are approached by authorities, their rights kick in automatically, and they have no need what so ever to cooperate in any manner because it says so in the constitution. This leads to a lot unsavory confrontation on many levels.
I have been stopped on a number of occasions, even retained until things got sorted out. Never panicked that my rights were being violated or infringed, knowing with confidence that it will get corrected in the end.
I am not sure what it is like to be a person of color or a minority and be profiled, born with the white privilege (I didn't ask for it). I still see the underlying prejudice that exists in society, even when everyone talks a strong game of tolerance, we are still not a very tolerant country. Racism, sexism, agism, and classism are very much the norm. Not sure what drives this, our beliefs (religious and political), our upbringing, our experiences, whatever...some how we need to break it and get over it. Probably won't happen in my life time, but one can hope.

Cranial Dribble

                           <Abstract random thoughts>

A lot of things have been bouncing around in my skull, but not enough to really construct a full post, so the following is a compilation of what has been on the mind and going on in the world around me. Excuse the brevity...

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge-
Interesting viral campaign that has raised money and I guess some awareness about ALS, aka Lou Gehrig's Disease. I will not get into my opinion on the semantics of the endeavor, but I think everyone that has participated in it has been having fun. People have even been following up and actually submitting their donations, so the ALS Association which has seen a rise from $22k last year during this quarter to over an estimated $1.5M this year. That is awesome....but now what? Is there a mechanism in place to coordinate and distribute these monies for research and/or care for individuals with ALS? How much of that money will be eaten up in administration costs?

Ferguson, MO.-
I personally saw something like this coming from a long way off. This could have happened anywhere, but it was bound to happen. We have all been taught to tolerate each other and we all talk a great game, but how many actually put into practice what we have been taught? And we have so bastardized the word tolerance so bad, it holds little meaning for anyone anymore. I always thought tolerance was about how much you were willing to put up with before you were not going to take anymore. What every happened to acceptance and understanding?

Technology-
Question for the IT advanced and the nomenclature people; what is up with tablets coming with fold away or attachable keyboards? I thought the whole point of the tablet was to do away with the keyboard. If your want a keyboard, get a laptop. And why do we call them laptops? Most of us now use them at a desk, so why are they not called desktops? And the ones that are call desktops, are hidden away under the desk to allow more space on the desk. Please explain....

Friendship and getting older-
I had the chance to spent some time with an 'old' friend the other afternoon, and catch up on our lives. We talked about our kids, relationships, what is going on in the world, but the topic that came up that was the most interesting to me, was about getting older and our thoughts on aging. We conversed about our failing bodies (both of us played sports and had no respect for the vessel in our younger days and it is now catching up to us) and how it is getting tougher to keep in shape and stay active and that our lifestyles get in the way (along with being lazy). The interesting part is that we both agreed that we did not feel our age mentally, and believe we are much younger in thought process, and then realized we are not familiar with the thought process of people our age so we may not be thinking like a younger person, or are we? Totally confused...maybe this is a sign that the mind is also starting to go...

Enough drippings for now....

Lipstick

I have never been enthusiastic about women that wear lipstick (especially a lot), I guess kissing something greasy is not a turn on for me and that I like a more natural look and feel. Then I saw the meme above and it got me thinking....

Everyone today is all gluten-free-range-organic-not tested on animals-all-natural-no chemical based in their lifestyle or at least they try or pretend to be. So I looked up what is in lipstick (not all), but some and most have some really interesting ingredients and components that go into them.

So lets take a look into what is found in lipsticks, like I said some but not all....

The ingredients of lipstick has to be approved by the FDA, but the amounts and mixtures do not. FDA requirements are a lot looser then most people think, but that is a whole other blog post.

Most lipsticks are wax based and use three different waxes, bees, candelilla, and carnauba (the same stuff we wax our cars with). The wax, by the way, is to hold its shape. Oils are the next ingredients, oils provide some of the shine. Castor, vegetable, mineral oil, and lanolin are the most common oils used. The wax and oils make up 60% of the lipstick.

Now the other stuff involved, pigments and dyes, fragrances, preservatives, and pearl essences. 

Pigments and dyes provide the color of the lipstick. These can range from bismuth oxychloride, manganese violet, titanium dioxide, D&C Red No. 6, D&C Red No. 21, D&C Orange No. 17, to D&C Red No. 34. Fragrances contain alcohol and are used to mask the smell of the other ingredients and as a solvent for the wax and oils. Preservatives and/or antioxidants are added to keep it from going rancid. 

Pearl essence is not made from pearls like the name would suggest. It is actually the scales of herring or other really shiny fish. They have also been known to use silica and mica, also known as rocks.

Other ingredients that are showing up in lipstick are jojoba oil, chamomile oil, Shea butter, along with pigments like turmeric and beetroot extracts, see there is some good stuff in there.

If the above didn't raise questions lets get into the good stuff that is still approved by the FDA to be in lipstick. 

• Lead: some contain small amounts of lead (there is a limit, but it is still allowed).
• Coal tar derived coloring:  a number of red dyes are made from coal tar.
• Carmine: color made by boiling cochineal scale insect, yes, bugs.
• Lake colors: pigments that are made from aluminum, barium, potassium, and strontium.

So there you have it, Bon Appetite!

Robin Williams

As I scrolled through FaceBook this past week, I have seen everyone (including myself) pay tribute to Robin Williams. By posting quotes from him, about him, and even some negative stuff from the right wing. We lost one of kind, but I am grateful for what he has given and left everyone.

I have seen people talk about their favorite movies featuring Mr. Williams; World According to Garp, Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, Awakenings, Dead Poet's Society,Good Morning, Vietnam, Good Will Hunting, or Jumanji were some of the more mentioned ones. I have taken the week to think about my favorites from him and have come to a couple that I think are his best in my opinion, and suggest that people take the time to re-watch (or watch).

The first film is 'The Fisher King' (short clip above). I have always liked this movie, it just resonates with me don't ask me why. Maybe because it was directed by Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame and involves an Arthurian theme, and Williams won the Golden Globe for Best actor for his role in this film. This film ask garnered many awards at the Oscars that year.

The second film is 'FernGully', an animated feature (see below), in which Mr. Williams did the voice of Batty Koda, an escaped lab animal (bat), with many diatribes on the stupidity of man and what they are doing to the earth we live on. I know why I like this one.

A Milestone?

So I have reached a milestone, or at least to me....

I have 45 posts, over a 1000 views, viewers from 9 different countries, and to celebrate I updated my page template.

Enjoy!

The Comb-over

So in conversation the other day, a comb over came into topic, and it was about a very bad comb over. We are talking obvious, so much more than Donald Trump obvious, we are talking old school comb over.

Come on fellas, it is the 21st century, most people today just give up and shave as the bald look is accepted. But this guy was a doctor, so looks and presentation are part of his public life. He was sporting a few strands stretched across the crown with plenty of open space between. He is in the medical industry, he has to have connections for a transplant or  hair plugs. Or accept the fact that some people go bald, it is genetics.

Now I don't have this issue, I have a full head of hair, there is not even gray showing, let alone any male pattern baldness. They tell me you get your hair DNA from your mother's father, well my grandfather on my mother's side passed at the age of 89 with a full head of hair, and did not start to gray until his mid 70s.

I have never liked getting my haircut, even as a kid, I hated it. I have had my hair in different styles and lengths, short, shaved for the military, long <past my shoulders>, a mullet- it was the sign of the times, permed- don't judge it was an 80s trend, and everything in between. I personally wish I would go bald, the cost savings on shampoo (and now product) and haircuts would be appreciated. Although I am not one that wears sun screen, but I am a fan of hats, so I am covered. 

But a comb-over?

Lunacy Part II?

Last month when the super moon rolled by in the heavens we experienced an up tick in craziness around the world. We had the SCOTUS making idiotic decisions, the House suing the President, Ukraine shooting a plane down,  and the Israelis were just starting the assault in the Gaza Strip.

Well the moon is full (and super) and once again the craziness is back (or may be it never left us). The POTUS has decided to start bombing in Iraq, cops are shooting unarmed children in the streets, and everyone is obsessed with dumping ice water over there heads and challenging others to join in this bizarre ritual of merriment in hopes of raising awareness (and money) for Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS for the younger generation). All while we have drought in California and people are being denied access to water in Detroit.

Other lunacy continues with the legislature taking a 5 week vacation after getting nothing done for the past 4 years, the apartheid and genocide continues in the Gaza Strip.

But here is the real madness of the day after the super moon, a true genius and legend in his field, took his own life. I have to assume it was depression and/or mental illness. As much as we care for one another and promise that we will give to charities for buckets of ice water, we still have not done anything for the people that are mentally ill in this country or the world for that matter. We still are more concerned with gun rights, religious rights, and paying less taxes, then we are for caring for each other.

Mr. Robin Williams, you checked out too early, you didn't finish the game, but you gave so much and we will always be thankful for that.

Traipsing in SECT

So I set out to go to the shore with my daughter, our first stop was Barn Island Wildlife Management Area in Stonington, CT. When we arrived (ignoring the GPS) we were greeted with a parking lot full of boat trailers. We squeezed into a spot and wandered to the boat launch to watch the doings and snap a few photos. Maeve found a small horseshoe crab shell and that made her day, but the overcrowding was too much so we decided to move on.

 We did see this interesting house on the way out, the first of two castles we saw on the day

Our next stop was Bluff Point in Groton. This place was even crazier than Barn Island. the area to hang at Bluff Point is a good walk from the parking lot, but when you have to park 3/4 of a mile from  the trail head, then do that distance and more again, just was not into it. Especially when Maeve travels heavier then Hannibal crossing the Alps, and he had elephants.

So at this point we just decided to motor along routes 1 and 156(?) and see where the rest of the day took us. As we rolled into New London, we passed a store that caught Maeve's eye, so we stopped to get our geek on, and she bought her first comic book. Wonder Woman of course, she is thrilled with the purchase. Also got to go down memory lane rolling past the El-N-Gee (still there) and where Bank Street Tavern was, those were some fun times.

We continued down the road and headed toward Niantic and we were starting to get hungry and could go for some seafood. First place I thought of going to was out of business, the second had a line out the door, so I continued down the road and before long we were in Lyme. Checking with the GPS we saw the Black Seal come up on the radar and headed to Essex Village for some fine dining. Why not nothing else was falling into favor for us.

The Black Seal was quiet and the food was great. We split a RI Clam Chowder, clear broth our fav, and Maeve had a nice chicken parm and I had a fried Oyster Po'Boy. Also ran into an acquaintance from work which is always nice.

From there I decided to surprise her with a fun thing to do on the ride home, a side trip across the Chester/Hadlyme ferry. She got too distracted taking photos she forgot to get of the car until the ride was over. From there we headed home going past where JP Weigel used to be great bike frames (is he still around?)

So I now remember what I don't like about the beach....People. Besides that is was a great afternoon with my beautiful daughter.

Going Bad...

A question that routinely kicks around in my brain is...

Does food go bad?

We are constantly saving leftovers in containers and storing it in the fridge for a couple of weeks until we decide to throw it out. But does the food go bad?

I know everyone is thinking, yes, and you are probably correct in many ways. 

You say it is bad because of mold growth, but the food under that growth may be still good. I am not suggesting that you eat it, but the food is probably still good. The mold is a byproduct of something else, not the food going bad. We use a lot of bacterial/fungal byproducts for and in food, examples; yogurts, cheeses, beer, wine, soy sauce, vinegars, and others that I am just not remembering right now. You open the loaf of bread and there is that gray/greenish hue on the edges, and it brings disappointment that there will be no toast this morning. But is the bread bad? Can you trim the tainted part off? Is it salvageable? Probably, but you are just too cheeved out to do it and just toss it away.

Now I have seen some foods go bad, I have seen fruits and vegetables wither and start to rot. But to some this process is only the beginning. An example is grapes. Grapes start to wither and if you wait long enough you have raisins. The same with plums, figs, and many others. Then we step in and force this process on other fruits and veggies, i.e., tomatoes (sun dried anyone), pineapple, bananas (yuck), cranberries, cherries, etc... Allowing grapes to wither on the vine increases the sugars and then we make Rieslings, which is one of my favorite wines, so good job rotting fruit and fungi.

Even milk will curdle and become cottage cheese or sour cream, we get disturbed when we pour sour milk over our twigs and berries cereal, yet we will eat a side of yogurt with it. Does that make sense to anyone?

We will age meat and over time it becomes delicious--for those that like the carnivore thing. Bacon, hams, sausages, just to name a few. There is an art to aging meat and if not done right it can turn rancid and host parasites, but when well cared (cured) for, a prosciutto or pancetta is a nice addition to many dishes. It can take up to two years to make good prosciutto. The same can be said for fermented sausages, you know your hard salamis and what not. We also will age fish, beef, and poultry in the same manner.

Most of the processed food that are consumed today will not go bad. There is the urban legend that Twinkies have a shelf life of decades, yet they are sold with an expiration date. Most processed foods have a 'use by date' on them, but I think that is just for legal and sales purposes. I have never seen a bottle of soda that has gone bad because it was too old (if stored properly and unopened), the same with a lot of other items.