:: Ray's Periodic Rantings ::

:: Friday, December 29, 2006 ::

Protect us with your black greyish-orange blanket of night...

CNN reports that today's youth are apathetic about space exploration. Maybe it's because most of them can't see the stars.
:: Ray 2:13 PM [+] ::
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Forgive my cynicism, Mr. President

In this past Saturday's weekly radio address, after a lead-in about wages and spending, President Bush raised the subject of earmarks:

Earmarks are spending provisions that are often slipped into bills at the last minute, so they never get debated or discussed. It is not surprising that this often leads to unnecessary federal spending -- such as a swimming pool or a teapot museum tucked into a big spending bill. And over the last decade, the Congressional Research Service reports that the number of earmarks has exploded -- increasing from about 3,000 in 1996 to 13,000 in 2006. I respect Congress's authority over the public purse, but the time has come to reform the earmark process and dramatically reduce the number of earmarks.

He said a few words about progress made by the Republicans in this area, and then this:

This is a good start, but Congress needs to do much more. My administration will soon lay out a series of reforms that will help make earmarks more transparent, that will hold the members who propose earmarks more accountable, and that will help reduce the number of earmarks inserted into large spending bills.

Mr. President, over the past decade you mentioned in your address, your party has increasingly controlled the federal government, starting with the House, then the presidency, and finally the Senate. The Republicans been living high on the hog, doling out pork in the ever higher numbers you cited, while YOU looked the other way. And only now that the Democrats have retaken the House and Senate do you start making noise about cracking down on earmarks?

Earmarks in the budget are destructive and corrupting, and they ought to be severely restricted. But given the timing of your announcement, Mr President, it is hard for me to conclude that your motivation is pure. You, sir, came off on Saturday sounding like a sore loser, who can't stand the idea of the other party controlling the purse strings.

I hope the Democrats reduce and/or eliminate earmarks, Mr President, not because you think they should, but because in doing so, they would show the country yet again what crappy stewards your party has been for all these years, and how loose you have been with our MY hard-earned money.
:: Ray 11:00 PM [+] ::
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Yippee!

Just to satisfy my curiosity, I stopped by the lost and found office at Northwestern Station to ask one more time if my Xootr had been turned in. Amazingly, it had! I have sidewalk wheels again! Life is good.
:: Ray 2:00 PM [+] ::
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Possibly the most snobbish statement I have ever heard

January's Town & Country magazine features a cover story on Giada De Laurentiis, who, I didn't realize, is the granddaughter of movie mogul Dino De Laurentiis. I like Giada's cooking show on FoodTV, Everyday Italian, though I don't watch it regularly. I will admit that she converted me to boiling broccoli from steaming. Florets only (plus I peel and chop the stems), three minutes in salted, boiling water, not a second more. Drain and toss with a splash of lemon-infused olive oil. You never knew broccoli could taste this good.

But I digress. Giada is a babe, with more teeth than any human being needs. In fact, you have to be careful not to be blinded by her smile. She always struck me as probably being high maintenance, but I had no idea.

The quote from Town & Country that struck me is this: "Obviously I can't wear Gucci and Dior when I'm in the kitchen, but I don't just wear Gap."

I am open to nominations for snobbier statements, but I think this is a hard one to beat.
:: Ray 5:44 PM [+] ::
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Jetsetting for Jesus

One of my favorites of the top televangelist scam artists of the world, Benny Hinn, absolutely must have a brand new Gulfstream G4SP in order to more efficiently spread the word of the lord. And, perhaps, he might zip down to the Caribbean for a week in the islands once in a while without having to suffer the commoners in First Class? Or, with a range of over 4,000 miles, maybe he'll jump the pond for an occasional English breakfast? Sounds like an appropriate use of tax-deductible donated money to me! Ole' Benny prays that 6000 believers will pony up a grand each. Won't you help?

(via MetaFilter and many others)
:: Ray 9:16 PM [+] ::
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Kup's first winter, and an unexpected segue

Yesterday, as I passed the statue of the late, long-time Sun-Times columnist Irv Kupcinet, on Wacker Drive, across the river from the former location of the Sun-Times building, I realized that this was probably the first of many, many snows that will coat him. The image and the moment seemed poignant, and though I wish I had had a better camera with me than my phone, these photos will have to suffice.



On a related note, look closely at Kup's face in the second and third shots. Now look at the faces of the characters in one of Ben Katchor's strips. Call me a kook, but I really think that the statue's face is modeled with lines similar to the product of Ben's hand. Kup's pose wouldn't look out of place in a Katchor strip, either.

Incidentally, I think that Ben Katchor is a genius. Consider the first frame of an episode of Hotel and Farm. We see a man reclining on a manger-like object. A caption at the top reads, "The Cincture of Play, that equatorial republic, is the only nation on Earth to have adopted the bed of lettuce as a common sleeping arrangement." The reclining man says, "so cool and crisp." The strip goes on to describe how in this country, salads aren't on the menu ("The eating of one's bedding is taboo in most cultures."), and about the protests of humanitarian groups, who are depicted carrying a sign that reads, "LETTUCE RECONSIDER." It's brilliant stuff, these remarkably detailed fictional worlds that he creates, and he has been doing it week after week for years.
:: Ray 11:30 PM [+] ::
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Miscellany Fun Pak

Sad Emoticon

Last week in a scramble from the wrong Metra train to the right one, I inadvertently left my Xootr behind. It has not yet shown up at the lost and found office. Bummer.

The Same, but Different

Last night, while pouring some Organic Valley milk purchased at Whole Foods, I noticed that the packaging was different than the Organic Valley milk I buy at other stores. The carton poured from the folded spout, instead of a plastic cap. Curious, I looked more closely at each, and realized the contents are different, too. While the Organic Valley milk from other stores is ultra-pasteurized, which some say destroys beneficial enzymes, the stuff they sell at Whole Foods is pasteurized conventionally. I think it tastes slightly better, too.

Incongruity of the Senses

On this morning's walk from the train station to my office, surrounded by the white of the first snowfall of the season, the olfactory presence of the Blommer chocolate factory made itself known again. The scent was the same pleasant one as always, but somehow and befuddlingly so, instead of chocolate, the image that the smell kept bringing to mind was dog shit, even as I thought to myself, "that's not right."
:: Ray 1:33 PM [+] ::
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