Bruised Orange

Please pop over and visit our new sister site at Brass Knuckles.  Same viewpoint, a bit grittier and guest bloggers.

Brietbart carries a video clip tonight of some cranky New Hampshirtites disrupting a Hillary Clinton event in Salem, NH by chanting “Iron My Shirt!” and holding up some signs stating the same.  Hillary tossed it off with a quick snappy comment, and then went on to talk about how this was one of the final “glass ceilings” she’s trying to break through.

Yeah.  I was born at night, but not last night.  Seems more than a little contrived.

Remembering today for no particular reason my shop teacher in high school, who was also a football coach.  Ben Madrid, Sr.  It’s amazing now how many times I pull skills that he taught me out of the air, much to the amazement of my wife. Coach Madrid was an amazing educator who managed to reach a class that reached the whole spectrum, from young men who would hope to earn a buck pulling a saw, to guys like me that just liked the smell of sawdust and appreciated the craft.  Coach Madrid was also one of the first people I disappointed with my abunance of raw talent, but utter lack of discipline and commitment.  Ditched his class alot with my buddy Barry, who had an eight year old 1970 short bed Chevy S-10 that ran like the devil.  We’d ditch out of class and cruise around town and shoot the shit and smoke.  I was a more than a little humiliated when Coach Madrid called me on it, and let me know that the reason he’d spent a little extra time with me was because of my family and his friendship with them. (Continued)

I’m more than a little disappointed that the Boston Legal writers have still not gone on strike.  Their last offering on Tuesday was absolutely pathetic.  How bad? My wife and I, who have not missed a single episode, both fell asleep.  Not a good sign. 

I wondered at first what William Shatner did to piss the writers off, given the fact that they have moved well beyond turning the character of Denny Crane from a mustang into a gelding, and are now openly mocking him.  I would think it would be at the least an interesting condundrum if an actor is at all invested in the character, but I don’t think it’s much of an issue in this instance.  Given the caricature-like quality that William Shatner has brought to the role, it almost seems like he’s tired, is putting in the minimum effort and waiting for them to kill Denny Crane off. My spirits were actually raised a bit when a doctor diagnosed a marker for Alzheimers in the Denny Crane character, and then pronounced that given his lifestyle, Denny Crane might not live long enough to suffer the effects of the Alzheimers that he fears so profoundly.  I can almost feel a “Denny Crane Memorial Episode”.

For me, it’s not even about “the ripped from the pages of the Daily Kos” outright and blatant liberal bias anymore;  that’s been the hallmark of this season.  What does get tiresome is the high school freshman-style of having the characters spew long-winded drone-on-forever full blown dKos diaries everytime they feel compelled to make a point, which is always.  What ever happened to the nice tight “show me, don’t tell me” writing style that was taught when I took creative writing classes some twenty-five or so years ago?  Combine that talky style with a stable of major and minor characters that are all little more than political caricatures, and it’s just about unbearable. The writing is so bad, that even when I agree with the premise or sub-plot, the resulting court scene is still a groaner. 

Honestly, it’s not even fun to write about the show anymore.   

Technorati Tags: Boston Legal, Denny, Crane, Alan, Shore, Shatner, Spader

Donald Newbury has gone on trial for the murder of Irving Police Officer Aubrey Hawkins, who was brutally slain as the Texas Seven was committing a robbery of an Oshman’s Sporting Goods in Irving just over seven years ago.  PO Hawkins was having Christmas Eve dinner with his family when he received the call, and I can’t imagine the devastation visited upon the Hawkins family, losing their husband and father at Christmas.  I was living in NYC at the time, and the Texas Seven jailbreak during the Christmas season was a small source of amusement, as nobody was harmed in the jailbreak.  The murder of PO Hawkins, the sheer brutality of it, was for me a turning point and sober reminder of the fact that these men were in prison for a reason. (Continued)

I honestly thought it was satire.  Ok, I know it’s a breakthough for wymyn and eases or eliminates periods. But Lybrel?  What’s wrong with Wyngnutte?

Great finale, but once they announced the two finalists, the winner should have been obvious.  Which guy would you award a VO5  ”Victory Hair” modeling contract to?  I don’t give VJ extra credit for having the mane, but it certainly calls into question Andre’s smarts.  And yes, I know you didn’t ask, but I am straight.  And a big Ben Stein fan. 

Another thing about this season; what was up with Andre constantly harping about being “Soviet”, but not being able to speak Russian?  Turns out he’s Romanian, which yes, was indeed Warsaw Pact, but not the first country that pops into my mind when I think “Soviet”. 

  Technorati Tags: America’s Most Smartest Model, Andre, V.J., Reality

Good for Fred Thompson. During the Iowa caucus debate, the candidates were asked an ambush question by Des Moines Register editor Carolyn Washburn, doing her best stern schoolmarm impression.

Carolyn Washburn: “I want to take on a new issue. I’d like to see a show of hands: how many of you believe Global Climate Change is a serious threat and caused by human activity?”

Fred Thompson: “I’m not doing… I’m not doing hand shows today.”

Carolyn Washburn: “No hand shows today.”

Fred Thompson: “No hand shows today.” (Continued)

Unbelieveable.  While driving between locations on my rig tripos yesterday, I heard a talk show host discussing the research out of FSU in this article from Fox News.

America’s collectively growing waistline has made it more “socially acceptable” for people, especially women, to carry a few extra pounds, a new report says.

Researchers from Florida State University and Federal Reserve Bank of Boston argue that this “acceptance” has fueled the ballooning weight of the population as the perception of what is considered a normal body size changes.

“This is a social force that we are trying to document because the rise in obesity has occurred so rapidly over the past 30 years,” said FSU assistant professor of economics Frank Heiland, in a news release from the university. “Medically speaking, most agree that this trend is a dangerous one because of its connection to diabetes, cancer and other diseases. But psychologically, it may provide relief to know that you are not the only one packing on the pounds.” (Continued)

I’ll be driving out to Tyler, Texas today to visit our other rig. Posting will be light today, but I’m back tomorrow.  Thanks for visiting, and please stop by later.

Al Gore and the IPCC are slated to receive their Nobel Peace Prize today, and his comments are priceless.  I know, I know… it’s not the messenger, it’s the message.  Unless we’re talking about the war; then unless you’re wearing a CIB and are willing to press your adult children into service, you’re a “chickenhawk”.  (Continued)

Reading an AP article by Sharon Cohen, I couldn’t help but thinking, but where’s the story?  What’s the news being reported?  No, no news, just a story about a mother whose son has been in prison for the last nine years. He was a good boy, she misses him, thinks his sentence was excessive and hopes he gets out of prison soon.  I believe this article is Ms. Cohen’s way of trying to be helpful.

Every month or so, Missy Phillips makes a four-hour drive to visit her son in prison, refusing to accept that his fate has been sealed - and he will die behind bars. Joshua, just 23, is serving a life-without-parole sentence in Florida for a ghastly crime - the bludgeoning and stabbing of his 8-year-old neighbor, Maddie Clifton. He’s nearing the end of what could be the first of many decades behind bars.

But his mother doesn’t see it that way. (Continued)

Human Rights Watch has grabbed the AP’s attention to call on NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg to confront the Chinese on their human rights record, and their tradition of supressing the press.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said Bloomberg, who is visiting China this week, is obligated to express concern about media freedoms because of his background as founder of the global financial news service that bears his name.

“Bloomberg should explain to the Chinese government how important media freedom is to China’s social, economic and political development,” the group said in a statement Saturday.

Bloomberg is scheduled to attend a series of meetings with government officials and business leaders in Beijing and Shanghai.

I honestly don’t know or much care about the nature of Mayor Bloomberg’s meetings with the businessmen in Beijing and Shanghai, but I doubt he’s going on a State Department mission.  There’s a whole group of government emissaries from all over the globe engaging the official Chinese government representatives in Bali, and it sounds like they’ve having a real love-fest over there. (Continued)

I halfway braced myself as I read the headline of an article by Noor Khan, “Afghan, NATO Operation Leaves 14 Dead“, and prepared myself for the worst.

Then I read the lede:

A NATO and Afghan operation to retake a Taliban-controlled town in southern Afghanistan has killed at least 12 Taliban fighters and two children, the Afghan Defense Ministry said Saturday.

The death of the children is a tragedy, no doubt.  But somebody needs to explain to Noor Khan that the whole damn purpose of the operation was to kill Taliban.  Somebody then needs to explain to the jackass who wrote the headline that unless the children killed were Taliban warriors, or unless the Taliban warriors were children, their headline is about fifty cents short of a lie, propaganda or both.  Who edits this stuff?  Anybody?

Technorati Tags: Afghanistan, Taliban, AP, Noor Khan, NATO, Bias

The reaction to Mitt Romney’s “Faith in America” Speech seems to be measured to underwhelmed.  Interesting - my visceral ration to the speech was that it was powerful, courageous and moving.  I understand the reasons behind why he had to give the speech; and I understand that the Huckabee factor definitely played a part.  Charles Krauthammer explains the hand that Huckabee is playing. (Continued)