Round Two?

So I haven't really touched this blog in like a year, but I figured hey, what the heck, I might as well splurge all of my sentiments onto a webpage so as to condemn any future political battle, right?

I'm not sure how often I'm going to run, given my return to law school in a month, but I guess I might try more often. Sometimes it's a bit more relaxing to be able to put your thoughts down on a page, release some tension.

I'm sitting my bed right now, really bored. Just watched Entourage and True Blood.
I'm really enjoying the show TB so far, but like, imagine if the scenario were true. Imagine if one day, some scientists created a drink that allowed vampires to come out of their shells and reveal their true colors to the world. This world already has issues with folks who are different. Imagine what the introduction of an entirely developed and likely more advanced species to the world might do?

Look how hard the U.S. is trying to resist growing Chinese power (as it should). Everything runs more smoothly when we're on top, when we control the decision-making process. Now transplant that perspective and replace foreign policies of nation-states with emotional, living species. That is screwed up.

Evidently, vampires aren't real (my mom told me so!). But even so, it's a shuddering thought to actually conceive of a world in which they were. Where a person you meet could actually be innately craving your dark blood.

Some people fear homosexuals simply because "he may want my shit," but that's just ignorance. If vampires were real, I feel like the world would devolve quicker than a Michael Bay movie plot. Yeah, I know. Cheap shot. I'm tired of explaining this, and frankly, my mind is spinning circles cuz I'm tired and I really just have a low entertainment threshold for HBO dramas.

Yeehaw

Went down to N.Carolina (still am there now) for my sister's Score at the Shore tournament. Which is a pretty ironic name considering the shore is over 100 miles east. Silly southerners.

Visited UNC-Chapel Hill to see my friends Salem and Whit from Spain and was by no means surprised. Beautiful campus, beautiful weather, and of course, the women made GW girls look like mongooses with palsy. I enjoyed their company.

They took me to "Mama Dips", a southern home-style cooking restaurant and once again I walked away thoroughly impressed. They were a lil shocked that I had no idea what hushpuppies were, but c'mon, I'm a white Jew from New York. Give me a break.

They were, might I say, incredible. Apparently their name is derived from a similar food given to dogs to keep them quiet at night. Why do people give me food for animals? Why do I voluntarily eat dog food? No, I meant Taco Bell.

At night we went over to NC State to see Whit's friends. Now, ya know how everybody always says state schools always have the hot girls. This is entirely true. It was certainly an entertaining night. Got back the next morning after a quick pit stop at McDonalds, even though I fought for the Waffle House. I mean, who doesn't want to see a grizzly looking redneck with no teeth munching on poorly made waffles?

Actually, here in NC, i was pleased by the courtesies of most Southerners. "Hello", "Good Morning", "How ya'll doing" go a long way toward establishing a good rep with others. On the other side of the spectrum, there are the walking stereotypes, always a mixture of hilarity and utter tragedy. In fact, at times they were tragically comedic, but at others, just sad. Plain sad. I witnessed my first bout of true anti-Semitism, much to my disbelief, even after I told them I was Jewish and they didn't believe me. We were at a house party and some of the guys started cracking Jew jokes (the benign oh-look-how-they-are-cheap jeers as opposed to the neoNazi-get-em-done cracks). Now, I really didn't mind it too much but I was just shocked that it actually occurs.

Like, I come from Long Island, not exactly a brimming pot of ethnic and religious hatred. So for me, to witness this mild debasement of a peoples regardless was still sort of lurid in my eyes. Not to mention, there was an African American in the room. I guess the tension still exists. Oh well. No harm no foul.

We went to Duke to see some gardens or something afterwards. It was pretty. Considering it was over 100 degrees outside and my brain felt more fatigued than it does after Lindsay Lohan decides on pot or coke, i just wasn't in the mood to play and frolic in the flowers. Though, I did see all the major NC schools of the area, and to this, I am proud.

Later that evening before I crashed, I began to say things like "tiierd" instead of "tired" and "ya'll" instead of "you guyz", so sleep was essential.

Double Standards

Once again I find myself impressed that the media will go to great lengths to misjudge. I just read an article about how Obama's going to Israel and security fears are high. Critical advisors feel attempts on his life would be just as appealing to Palestinians as living. Fine. We get it, Israel has some problems. If that's an understatement if you ever saw it.

But on that same page, I see an article about Bush going to Jerusalem. The headline for the article? "Israel makes arrest in alleged plots against Bush". Alleged?

Yes, I know what the word means. But I also know that the word alleged is used anytime someone wants to minimize the possibilities of something really happen, to strike through the credibility of an issue. For example: "So you allegedly murdered this girl"
or "OJ Simpson alleges in his new book that his wife is still alive and he's determined to find out who really was double-murdered in his house that night". The word alleged is a cue for a second guess on authenticity. Now why would a man, President of the United States, aggravator of all, instigator of two wars in none other than Israel's region have an alleged plot to kill him. Why would the media paint this as something someone might make up in collusion with the Bush administration...to feel sympathy? harden his position on terrorism policies? Prove he's right about terrorism?

Then Obama, a man with a security detail who has yet to define a specific threat, gets plastered on the papers as if his life is not only in future of being danger, but has been in the past. I'm at a loss for words. Thank you drudge for continuing to disappoint. Ridiculous.

Add-on

Fyi, I think the Media in our country, a free press if you will, is not only desired, but necessary to a function democracy like ours. BUT, it must tread with caution. Right now, I'm just disappointed with the state of our press. I realize trauma and misery creates news, but the news also has the tremendous opportunity to mold our minds, shape our perceptions. Right now, my perception is that CNN, FOXnews, even Comedy Central's fake news shows, can shove it. You may be funny, but in the end, what are your viewers really taking out of it. I don't like how Jon Stewart thinks he isn't part of this crappy media establishment, cuz he damn is, but his rant against Tucker Carlson helped get rid of the terrible show and he certainly has a point. Oye!

Not Welcome eh

Watching American History X. Great movie, so underrated at times. I think it's interesting how movies like "Crash" get so much public appeal when they demonstrate happy endings and massive epiphanies of racial injustice without really getting to the issue at times. That's not to say Crash isn't a good movie, but I feel that movies that tend to show the more violent, more realistic, less pollyanna side emote much much about racism and anti-Semitism in the public eye.

As Danny says in his final scene, his departure toward heaven or hell (depending on how you view his spiritual catharsis), "We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory... ...will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature." (Abraham Lincoln, Inaugural Address).

On a more somber note, why does Brendan Frasier still try to act?

lol.

I was watching Christopher Titus stand up last night and he started to make jokes about Bush (actually not too harsh) and of all politics and of everything geopolitical and I realize as much as I enjoy it, I think I enjoy it less considering I know many people feed into that bullshit. Many people listen to FOXNews and CNN and gulp down doses of depression and gloominess, feeding into the cycles of stock market failures, bank foreclosures, and end of the world theories. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot more to it, but the media is really starting to tick me off. And they feed crap to hard working Americans who'll believe it.

Especially with the economy. I saw a poll on MSNBC the other day that said 17% of all Americans believe President Bush is the cause of today's economic stresses. Seriously? Is this a friggin joke? Forget the mortgage bonds of the 1980s, the creation of a bond market for mortgage securities. Forget the fiscal policies of the Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton Administrations of the past. Forget the fiscal irresponsibilities of banks giving away sub-prime mortgages to anyone with a nickel in their pocket. Forget the free meals of desperation served by every media outlet telling them to go to the banks and pull out their money before Venus hurtles into Earth. Forget two wars that were initiated by dozens of nations, international organizations, NGOs, President(s), poor information, the unfortunate miscoordination of intelligence agencies all over. Forget 9/11, the destruction of a world trade center with hundreds of America's most important firms. Forget the continual buying on credit of the American people, with absolute ZERO intention of paying it back. Forget the slowing of an economy that barely has any room to grow with the upsurge of India, China, and the labor-intensive EU. Forget the connected markets and the realization that every tick in the system sends a ripple through. No. Ladies and Gentlemen, the man you lampoon each and every day as being the so-called dumbest President of our United States has outwitted us all, and caused an outdated financial system of the 80s and 90s to fail, along with thousands of other businesses. You've been a great audience. Goodnight.

Oh, and don't get me wrong, Bush's expansion of the federal government hasn't exactly made our lives easier, but to say that he is the single cause of years of distress is just as laughable to say that Obama is a Muslim. Economically, the thing that pissed me off the most of President Bush is after 9/11, when he told everybody to go out, vacation, have a good time, return to normal routine, and to, of course, buy,. That wasn't my favorite thing considering now America, on top of the world for 70-80 years, feels entitled to everything! We're a strong nation with a strong backbone, but we can't even weather through a recession anymore. We've dealt with dictatorships and empires, injustice and inequality, secession and depression, but now we're told we can't buy our cake AND eat it too, and we flip a shit. Gas goes up to 4 dollars a gallon (still tremendously better than the rest of the planet), and Americans sound more willing to withhold wheat and food to the rest of the world just so we can get out oil. Get used to it. It isn't Bush. If we're gonna stick to oil, then we have to get used to it. It's the system. You can't break it. You can try to circumvent it (energy independence) or overcome it (new renewable energy). I prefer the latter over the former, because pulling out of the middle east entirely leaves an entire region to now sell oil to China, and Russia, and what good that'll do. We'll be back in Square one within a few years.

I understand I'm not a homeowner. I get it that I don't have kids. I realize people have lost ALOT of money. And I feel for them. But this...is the system. We've ridden to the top of the world on the back of a pony named capitalism, and now capitalism,a risk oriented activity, is biting us in the behind. We've taken our lumps in the stock market, a market built on risk-taking. We've watched hundreds of other nations follow our example, only to succeed, and then we get angry that they've copied us, even though we told them to for years. And we expect the good ole Federal Government to save us. Should the fed intervene? Well if it continues down this path with banking and mortgages, yes. It has to stabilize our confidence. But it is not the job of the USG to intervene in every little squeak of the system, or else we've lost our uniqueness and turned to socialism. I don't need the government to tell me where to put my money or where half of my paycheck goes. I think the government can do a lot of good, and a lot of bad. This issue is obviously a touchy one, but we must have faith. Perception is reality, and the perception permeating in the world today is that America is falling. America is falling hard, right? Or maybe is it that all other countries, following our example, have begun to level the playing fields economically. Maybe it's that our own fiscal irresponsibilities have smacked us back, and we must stand up, admit to our mistakes, and look to a better, brighter future. Maybe being Pro-hope, as Mr. Obama argues, isn't that bad of thing. Because looking at the media these days, I see gloom, doom, and more gloom. And frankly, I'm sick of it.

In the 1940s we went 4 years without an automobile being made for public consumption. Everything was directed toward the war effort. Today we have a public out of touch (either ignorantly or by choice) with our own two wars being fought across the ocean. Regardless of how it was started, we're there. Even more so, we have no backbone for survival. Do you think we would have fought in WWI or II if the people of America had the media of today? Do you think we would have won and prospered into the greatest nation, the most free and liberating nation on planet earth? Americans today are lucky we don't have to sacrifice. And maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the fights of the past we meant to free us from our burdens of the past. Maybe we can have our cake and eat it to. But that makes us vulnerable to anguish whenever a challenge presents itself. Today, we are faced with a challenge. And we will overcome. Jesse Ventura said it best: "Americans are bootstrappers, the word 'can't' isn't part of our vocabulary". I think however the tree of liberty and prosperity must be refreshed with the blood of patriots and tyrants from time to time, and that can be just as metaphorical as it is literal. We'll never know what the state of mind of "cant" is until we find something difficult to tackle. And if we never tackle something head on with American resolve, we'll never win. We must have resolve today and not become a nation of "whiners" as McCain's advisor recently said, because then we lose. I'm gonna go with losing not being an option, how about you?

Just wanna give a shout out to Billy Wagner, reminding him of his lovely performance in the All-Star Game again. G-d Bless, and get well soon.

The Never Ending All-Star Game

Unless of course Michael Young does something big with 1 out in the bottom of the 15th inning.

If anybody watched the Derby...did anybody have a problem that whenever Josh Hamilton's name was employed, it was followed by the words
a) Drugs
b) Cocaine
c) What a Happy Tale

Cuz for the a and b, I just feel bad that that's how he will forever be associated with. As for the c, it's a happy tale for Josh Hamilton. It's great that a man who barely knew how to live and got 26 tattoos without even realizing it was able to not only recovery (with a handler), but regain the strength to move up to the Majors. But serious....(pause)

I hate the American League. Don't you dare Joe Buck tell me that the AL is consistently better than the NL cuz the last time I checked, the power hitters were moving to the NL and all of the great AL pitchers are having some trouble when they move over to the NL. Don't test me Joe Buck.

...seriously, the story is a personal success, nothing more. If anything, this supposed happy ending is in fact a terrible story for the public, a tale with a terrifically poor morale and lesson. "Hey kids, I'm Josh Hamilton, I did drugs, hit rock bottom, then recovered and am a famous all-star...you can do it too!" The message is not my favorite.

By the way, as one blogger commented, when John Kruk reminded Yankee fans that they should cheer for Hamilton cuz he might be a Yankee in a few years, he ruined my night and my future birthday in a single breath.

I found out Ryan Braun was Jewish. And Kevin Youkilis, and Ian Kinsler. That's a lot of All-Star Jews. Happy times. Oh, and Scott Schoenweis, but jews really don't wanna claim him as part of the group.

So the AL won 4-3, and I'm sure they think they're the shit. Thanks Billy Wagner for doing what you usually do in All-Star games...Suck. Thanks Dan Uggla for the 8 errors and 5 Ks. Can you even field? You look like a gremlin on crack. There, I said it. Take it or leave it.

I might as well extend the insult to Joe Buck. Yes, I acknowledge he's a good commentator, but he's a jackass. Especially last month when he acknowledged that 1) he hates baseball and 2) doesn't even prepare for games anymore cuz it's boring. Boo Hoo Joe Buck. Go find 20 million a year elsewhere. That really peeved me off. If I had the oral talent (no jokes necessary) and the wit to be a sports commentator and was blessed with my Pops coattails, I'm not sure I'd complain about my job on TV, even if it were true. Your candidness has made me sick.

I've never seen a stadium clear quicker than Yankee Stadium in the last five minutes. Wow. Just Wow. It was like 3 minutes and there was one poor guy standing near home plate. JD Drew won the MVP. Philly fans still want him dead. As they do pretty much every other human being. These are the guys that rooted for Vader over Skywalker, Apollo over Rocky, Coyote over Roadrunner. I'm pretty sure they held a mock funeral for Michael Irvin, and booed Santa Clause. Not to mention, they threw pills at TO. I realize many Americans dislike his swagger and arrogance, but to wish him ill after he attempted suicide? Are we that low a civilization? FYI, a word to Yankee fans..you don't actually own the song "New York New York" by Frank Sinatra. I believe in communal ownership or full copyright and trademark restrictions. So there, you're doing something illegal. Finally.

Le Fin

I guess a final, final update…

I’m sitting on the plane right now waiting to land in Boston. The flight is so far so good, minus the plethora of crying babies behind me. Seriously, I don’t care who you are and where you come from, but crying babies suck. They are not cute. They do not giggle. They look ridiculous. I was one of them and I would have beat me senseless. Regardless, I’m coming home and I’m happy, so I won’t fret.

I know I’m truly back to the US when all of the Spanish Iberian flight attendants address me first in English, then in Spanish. I made it abundantly clear I wanted to speak in Spanish when I did not answer her for “coffee” but rather “café”. Obviously, I’m milking my time abroad. When the plane landed, the seatbelt sign turned off and did the “bing bing” to which I responded like the Madrid Metro with “Proxima estacion, Callao….correspondencia con linea dos”.

Getting back was well…so American. After picking up my broken luggage (2nd time for Iberia), I went through customs and got a “Welcome to America, Mr. Rosen”. Oh happy days. Then came the true American experience. Crappy buses, overpacked terminals, a TSA taking away my duty free Sangria because apparently even though customs said it was okay, TSA said no. I will say with experience and research of my own and my work that the ‘no liquids’ rule is preposterous and also I’ll add that Deana Figlioni of the Transportation Security Administration is a massive bitch and I will her ill. By the way, American airlines is delayed again. I’m 28/28 in delays. Why can’t these people run a business? The beautiful thing about American capitalism is that they’ll be bankrupt soon either from oil prices or lack of customer services. AA can go fornicate itself. There, I said it and I’m relieved.

I’ll see most of you all soon. For those who were abroad with me, g-d bless and continue being preposterous!