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Oceanside Cop Back to Work
Well Fred, I have less of a problem with the cops, than I do the jury system. After all, the jury that decided he was "not guilty" consisted of NO LAW ENFORCEMENT officers (I'm guessing). As much as you, and spliff, and others hate the "cops", I hate the system. We really need to do away with the jury system. For people like Robert Blake, Spector, OJ, to have gotten off "the first time" is just an insane travesty of justice. All because they have the money to have specialists come in and BS the jurors. I can't say any more on the police case, as Ponzi above, has said it all.— June 25, 2009 7:31 a.m.
Breaking the Law, Breaking the Law (when it's students)
Okay, you got me. I hate women. Darn it. I always thought I'd be able to hide that side of me. To clarify WHY I feel differently about the two situations: The kid in San Ysidro (you say "perpetrated physical violence on his classmates"). I first ask, how? Not one student was hurt. He put bombs in trash cans. If just one student was hurt, even as much as a scratch, I'd have no sympathy for the kid (who has since lost his scholarship...something I'm sure you can have sympathy for...a kid from an inner-city school, getting a scholarship to better educate himself). The cheerleader was kicked off her cheer squad. And the parents first instincts? To sue the school. Instead of telling their daughter that maybe she learned a valuable lesson. Or taking the cell phone away so their daughter can't be involved in child pornography (as the daughter was under 18, and that's what it's considered if any adult has that picture of her daughter). Nope. The parents just decide to be bad parents, and take their kids side, and act like the world is against them. Therefore, I have no sympathy for her. The San Ysidro kid should've gotten into trouble, but jail time?? For a kid that's been an excellent student, doesn't have any priors, etc. I just thought it was extreme. As the hardcore liberal that you are, I'm sure you're all for people in jail reforming and becoming normal members of society, right? Well, sending a straight A student to jail, when he was looking at a full ride to college, does the opposite. If it makes you feel better, had it been a male cheerleader sending photos of his junk around, I'd be just as hard on him (hey...that kinda sounded dirty). You're one of these idiotic liberals that just WANTS to get mad about things, and can't rationally figure out why. I read something you wrote in CityBeat where you were so mad about that late-term abortion doctor being killed. You said something about it being the most upsetting thing you had heard all week. Now, I'm all for a woman having the right to choose. And it bothers me that this guy was murdered. But...the murder of him is what is the most frustrating thing for you that week? Not one of these little girls that was abducted and probably molested and killed? Not a soldier that died for our country? Nope. You're most angry about someone that performs abortions for women that are 7 and 8 months along, because it's what your little liberal brain tells you you have to be angry about.— June 23, 2009 3:30 p.m.
Weddings
In theory, I totally agree. But when you're 23, and had been friends with someone for 10 years, it's a bit of a jolt to find out that you can go to the bachelor party, but not the wedding. Aqua...I hadn't honed the craft of crashing in my early 20s. And, now that I think about it, I'd have no problem crashing a strangers wedding, but that would look odd to crash a wedding I wasn't invited to. Which reminds me of yet another topic...whether or not you can bring a date to a wedding, if they didn't specify on the invite.— June 23, 2009 3:16 p.m.
NBA -- Playoffs and Personalities
Oh...and in regards to Magic talking smack, I still contend...if he did, it was because the other player did first. Even if that meant in a previous game, or to the news media before a bit game. He wouldn't just score a basket, or make one of those great no-look passes, and start running his mouth while going back down court. At least not in the hundreds (oops) of games I've seen him play.— June 23, 2009 9:11 a.m.
NBA -- Playoffs and Personalities
Well, another Laker that didn't talk trash, that deserves to be on the list with Kareem and AC, would be Kurt Rambis and James Worthy. Those guys just did the job, without much jabbering. Thanks for the clarification on the other things, but let me explain it another way. Without using Bueschler, as I agree, he seems very happy with life. When those hall of flame players are being interviewed by some show, they always use the cliche...that they would've rather won a championship, than all the great stats they got. And I contend, that that just isn't the case. Barkley is a prime example. He always says that. And, I'll use another heavier athlete that most people know to compare to: Tony Gwynn. When the Padres were having their fire sale, he was content to stay in San Diego, on a losing team that would continue to lose. He knew he'd still make the All-Star team, win his batting titles, and some day make the Hall of Fame. Shouldn't he have wanted to win? Now, I don't knock him for that, but it's something to think about. And, as painful as it is for Barkley to be among those great Dream Team players, he was one of the few that didn't have a ring. And it makes great print for him to tell media members, that he'd give it all up for a ring. But, do you really think Barkley would've rather made $10 million in his career, averaging 6 points a game...then the money he made? The fame, etc? I doubt it.— June 23, 2009 9:10 a.m.
An $80,000 Song. And a Dead Pilot.
I read an interesting Phil Spector item the other day. A story in the LA Times about the wonderful songwriting team of Leiber/Stoller. They hired Spector early on, and everyone was in awe of his genius in the studio. They sat down and wrote a song...something like "Under the Boardwalk," but I'm not positive. And, the contract was signed regarding all the details. Spector than signed with another record label, and somehow started collecting ALL the royalties on that song. They went to look for the contract, before suing. And the contract had been stolen. Spector had a set of keys to where that contract was located, and legally, there was nothing they could do. One of them than says, "So I wasn't surprised with any of the stories I heard about him years later." Which to me is a bit of a leap. Because, it's one thing for producers/songwriters, etc, to want to legally screw you over. It's another for him to beat women (as Ronnie contends), and sticking a gun in everyones face (as John Lennon, and countless others, have said).— June 23, 2009 1:48 a.m.
Shark Sandwiches and Drug Busts
Yeah, I guess you're right, gardenparty. I didn't really compute it all. But, as SD above points out...I always seem to hear about all these shark attacks, and each time, they say "This is the first time in 50 years," and my first thought is "Didn't one get reported last year?" Obviously, it was probably a different place, as I doubt these newscasters are getting their facts wrong. It just sounds like when we have a hot day, and the weatherman says "This is the hottest it's been on June 15th in 85 years."— June 23, 2009 1:44 a.m.
Top 10 -- Famous Dead People You'd Like to Meet
I've seen that photo before. It's a classic!— June 22, 2009 8:17 p.m.
Shark Sandwiches and Drug Busts
First off, thanks for the numbers. It does put a perspective on it all. But...something to keep in mind is, I said "going into the ocean." The last time I was at a beach in Del Mar, I was in water at my feet, running with my dog. But before that, the last 25 times I had been to beaches here in town, I hadn't stepped foot in the water. So all those people on the beach in Florida, are laying out and getting sun, people watching, building sandcastles, and everything else but actually going into the water. Again, I'm saying the stat would only involve people that have gone into the water, not just visited beaches. Although, you're right, the numbers would probably still be less than my 1 in 1,000 guess.— June 22, 2009 8:15 p.m.
An $80,000 Song. And a Dead Pilot.
Was that a cheap Phil Spector joke? I'm guessing it's not. I remember when I first started buying CDs, everyone said they were so great because, unlike an album that gets scratched or a cassette tape that wears out eventually, CDs can be played for ever. So, I got the soundtrack to 1969, a great Bruce Dern, Robert Downey, Keifer Sutherland film. After three times playing it, the thing started skipping. I have no clue as to how it got scratched, as I'm careful handling CDs. I'm guessing that 1 in 20 CDs I own (which is over 1,000), probably has a scratch/skip. And of the thousands of albums I have, none that I've ever gotten (brand new) ever got scratched. It was only from albums I let people borrow, or bought at used record stores that already were scuffed up a bit. I don't own an Ipod of MP3 or any of that, either.— June 22, 2009 2:59 p.m.