Author: Sammy G

Christy brought up bullying and I’d like to follow up with a post specifically to that subject. I’ve got teachers asking when we’re going to release a show on bullying. I know this is a current national concern in the education world.

Are you parents out there really seeing this happen?

Sam

Delta slashed their fares in half today, more or less setting the ground for fare reduction across the entire air commuter industry. They call their new program “Simplifares”.

I couldn’t get through to Delta’s reservations phone line. Their website was timing out all day. I’m figuring that everyone is calling, trying to get on board at the new low fares.

A shame that I don’t live anywhere near a Delta hub.

Just wanted to ring in the New Year by imploring both Uncle DOW and Aunt NASDAQ to make a nice run in 2005.

Last week Time Magazine awarded their Blog Of The Year. These are the three guys responsible for unveiling CBS News as frauds. Their coverage led to show how the Bush National Guard documents were fakes.

Anyway, what’s been interesting is that two of the three live here in Minneapolis. They’ve been keeping busy posting to their blog on a daily basis. The legacy, mainstream media has been hounding them because it’s sort of obvious that these guys don’t work hard for a living (lawyer in a big downtown firm, VP of a bank) but instead use their time to blog during the day, sort of demonstrating that their presence has become an online beacon for right-wing agenda advancement.

I actually read their blog. I think it’s neat because these guys don’t have to answer to journalistic standards. Instead, they have to write knowing that it’s their professional reputation on the line (pun intended). Interesting distinction.

But…what’s heated up is that the Star Tribune responded.

It’s sad that my notion of fun-juicy-gossip is now watching journalists and bloggers go back and forth in a saucy tiff.

EDIT by matthew: Tag ends, formatting adjusted.

That thing was awful. I feel so terrible for those people.

I subscribe to “Cruising World” magazine, which is part technical-sailing and part fantasy. A lot of stories from people who sail to exotic and remote locations around the world. Something, these stories involve excursions to the Indian Ocean.

Lots of small islands with small populations. People living in stilt houses. People eating what they catch during the day.

I was in the library this afternoon when I ran across a copy of Wil Wheaton’s “Just A Geek” sitting on the shelf. I wasn’t interested in reading at Star Trek memoir, but instead, I wanted to get a glimpse into the guy who brought semi-celebrity blogging to the forefront of online geek culture.

In keeping with typical Sammy G behavior, I flipped through the first couple of pages, to make sure that the book would make a worthwhile checkout. The “Forward” section of books is usually something to skip over. But Neil Gaman wrote the best “Forward” for any book I have read.

Ever.

I took the book home as a direct result of the power of Gaman’s writing. I think all editors and publishers across the country should herald this as the new standard for Forwards. Typically long, and off-topic, and self-serving, Forwards bore me and don’t pack a punch. But Gaman took it to the next level.

Just when I thought BitTorrent was a big secret…

www.cnn.com/2004/BUSINESS/12/15/film.piracy/index.html

CNN running a story is the equivalent of the UMBC’s Office of Residential Life showing up at Severn 112 and shutting down the Hard Mic Party.

EDIT by matthew: Linked.

Even though the van missed me by only a couple feet, I walked away from the collision without a scratch. I believe that I now have six lives left.

Minneapolis had around 175 accidents and 3 deaths two days ago in the wake of freezing rain. Between 6 and 8AM the freezing rain put about 1/2 inch of ice on all roads, including highways. You can imagine driving down the road and seeing cars in ditches, trucks jack-knifed, vehicles stuck in medians after 360ing.

My incident occurred on the exit ramp off a main highway going into downtown St. Paul. I was coming around the exit ramp when my Honda CR-V spun out of control. Now, this wasn’t freaking me out, because I have plenty of experience maneuvering cars over ice and snow from my DC days and nights. Sort of. I managed to get the car to careen over the curb and come to a rest just off the exit ramp lane. No big deal, no damage to the car.

About a split-second later I realized that, being a metropolitan area, that other cars may be coming off the highway exit ramp as well.

Sure enough, he comes Mr. Big & Mighty Van, careening directly at me at 25 MPH. Luckily, the broadside collision impacted the rear driver side, missing the driver door by about 3 feet. We both went blasting down the highway exit ramp, which luckily move us to an area that would inevitably render my immovable car out of striking distance from other cars sliding down the exit ramp.

Nothing sucks worse than handling the swap of post-accident consideration and information than doing it in 5 degree weather. Plus, all my musical gear was in the back of the car, and I hauled it a position behind a tree, in the event that other cars ended up slamming into my helpless, smoldering vehicle.

The good news (besides surviving) is that within 3 hours after the accident, the insurance companies determined it wasn’t my fault.

Regarding Weed’s comment in the earlier post, I figured the convergence of “liberal” and “media” deserved its own blog entry.

Here’s a capture from today’s Star Tribune, the lead story on the front page…

*********************************** State ban on smoking heating up Conrad Defiebre, Star Tribune November 18, 2004

Proposals to extend indoor smoking bans to restaurants, bars and workplaces statewide are gathering interest from legislators, and some form could gain passage next year if backers can sway enough undecideds, a Star Tribune survey of the Legislature shows.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty has promised to sign such a bill should it pass, and the survey of more than three-quarters of the 2005 Legislature found significant numbers in each house at least open to the idea. The Star Tribune reached 52 of 67 senators and 103 of 134 House members.

Many legislators remain undecided, but those firmly opposed — largely Republican or outstate — do not appear to have the numbers to block a ban on their own.

In another sign of momentum for the initiative, a Republican House member, with the blessing of the GOP majority leadership, plans to introduce a smoking ban bill early in the session that opens Jan. 4.

***************************

You guys know I want the smoking ban more than anything, but talk about liberal bias in the media. I think what the paper did is terrible. Their front page lead story from this morning reports how the “state ban on smoking heating up” when it was their own survey they put in the field. That’s creating the news, not reporting it.

What makes it even more damaging to the paper’s reputation is that they released an editorial two days ago that called for a statewide ban. They went right from advocating for a statewide ban on smoking to putting 5 repoters in the state capital to conduct their own survey, and then lead the news with how a smoking ban is gaining traction. What traction? Your survey?

It’s this kind of crap that gives the media a bad name. How about just reporting the news and letting me make my own decisions. Report on the GOP majority interested in putting the bill in play and if you’re going to support it with a survey, do it with a survey from a public health care entity.

A couple days ago, Elton John was doing a television interview when he was asked about recent surgery to his vocal chords. Elton was asked whether his voice was stronger after the surgery.

Elton’s response was that his voice is stronger now than it has ever been in his life.

Dear Elton:

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no .

I’m sorry, Elton, but I grew up on your albums, committed them to my personal spirit even, from your first album in the late 60’s through Goodbye Yellow Brick Road in the mid-70s. And I’m here to tell you that you are selling out when you make those kind of statements about your voice.

Because anyone who has the capacity to hear sound can listen to Honky Chateau, the album you recorded in one night, probably doped up and hammered, in which your powerful, clear contralto voice rocks like nothing ever before, and then can listen to the Lion King soundtrack, and wonder if it’s even the same person.

Elton, I saw you perform a corporate show for Best Buy last year. I stood 100 feet from the stage when you played for the small room. You sounded good, but it’s not anything like you were 25 years ago.

I call you a “sell out” because you make those types of statements and it’s like you’re still trying to make sure people buy albums and come to Vegas to see your show.

So if you read this blog, don’t go around making foolish statements about your voice like that.

And if you’re smart, you’d start working towards the 25th anniversary of the aforementioned GYBR and get a band together to tour with just songs from that album.

Call me if you need a bass player.