Whatever happened between us, it saddens me that something of our individual nature has disappeared into the divide, our unique voices are being worn down and everyone is communicating within the safe and strident anti-wonder of grievance politics.
Nick Cave
Showing posts sorted by date for query Nick. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query Nick. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Friday, November 09, 2018
Anti-wonder
A lot of meaning in this quote, both in its original context and in the wider socio-political context of the moment…
Thursday, August 01, 2013
YouTube Tuesday: How To Hack A Website
This amazingly awesome satire series by Wired stars John Hodgman as an aging NSA agent who reminds me quite a bit of Uncle Nick. And, it's awesomely amazing.
tagged: YouTube, Tuesday, NSA, satire, John Hodgman
Thursday, February 04, 2010
De-pressing
One of the interesting... not necessarily good, but interesting... things about the time we live in is watching the changes in what us old-timers used to call journalism.
I'm sure you're aware (you being of above average intelligence according to the data I get about you from Quantcast) the newspaper industry as we know it is in it's final death throes. Saint Nick is keeping us abreast as the bells toll for the Kansas City Star's parent company and even that of The Pitch.
As an old newspaper man, I have mixed feelings. Its easy to wax romantic about my previous career in journalism -- late nights in the newsroom, the panic and thrill of pushing a story right up to a deadline, the smell of and feel of wet ink on fresh newsprint as you examine the first pages hot off the press1. I've got some great stories from my newspaper days. Stories involving poisonous snakes, dismembered fingers, bloody hand prints, bullets lodged in brains -- most of which never made it into print.
So in some ways, it's sad for me to watch what's happening to the newspaper industry.
But it's not surprising. A lot of us saw this coming years ago. I opted out of the newspaper biz about 13 years ago. Decided working late nights and weekends for little pay wasn't conducive to family goals I had. I went into an editorial position at an Internet company because I could see even then that printed paper as a medium was a losing proposition.
That's not to say that the gathering and disseminating of information is a losing proposition, only that the "traditional" print media haven't been able yet to develop the business agility needed to find a new and relevant business model.
Sure, they are trying to convert their old business practices to work in a digital venue -- notably the Press+ system that is currently in beta2. Unfortunately, in my view, there are a few problems with this effort.
First, it's nearly a literal translation of the failing offline subscriber model to online. Yes, many organizations have shown that micropayments can be a significant money maker (Amazon and iTunes). But Press+ seems to ignores the fact that money from subscriptions never was the primary revenue source for most publications. It's difficult to see how people will be willing to pay more through online micropayments than they would be through traditional subscriptions.
It also ignores the fact that once information is released "into the wild" it will be pretty much impossible to collect micropayments on it. Just like people who subscribe to dead tree publications like to pass on what they "read in the paper" or even leave the paper at a barbershop or coffee shop for others to read, online micropayment subscribers will want to pass on what they've read. Copy-and-paste makes it all the easier.
Now, lest I be branded a pessimist, I still think there is a way that advertisers can continue to support journalism-- at least for the larger news organizations. In my opinion, the plan being considered by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and Microsoft is heading in the right direction.
Essentially, Microsoft pays a fee to the news organization (Wall Street Journal) for exclusive access to the product of their newsroom. Stories from WSJ (and presumably any other NewsCorp organization) don't show up in the Google search results. So NewsCorp gets paid for the content, Bing gets a competitive advantage and the end user pays nothing for the content.
In theory Google would follow suit, bidding for the content of other news organizations -- or maybe even for NewsCorp content. One could even see the news organizations selling "clicks" to content the same way the search engines sell keyword ads. Content creators could "flip the script" on Google resulting in the search engines bidding for their content.
This is the kind of paradigm3 shift required for "journalism" to move forward as a money-making prospect.
1. Note: Presses are no longer hot. In fact, the moist ink is a bit cool to the touch when the pages first come off the press.
2. Hat tip to Nick.
3. Off topic: The other day my 7-year-old daughter asked me what a "paradigm" was. I told her it was twenty cents.
tagged: newspaper, journalism, advertising, press+, Murdoch, NewsCorp, Microsoft, Bing
I'm sure you're aware (you being of above average intelligence according to the data I get about you from Quantcast) the newspaper industry as we know it is in it's final death throes. Saint Nick is keeping us abreast as the bells toll for the Kansas City Star's parent company and even that of The Pitch.As an old newspaper man, I have mixed feelings. Its easy to wax romantic about my previous career in journalism -- late nights in the newsroom, the panic and thrill of pushing a story right up to a deadline, the smell of and feel of wet ink on fresh newsprint as you examine the first pages hot off the press1. I've got some great stories from my newspaper days. Stories involving poisonous snakes, dismembered fingers, bloody hand prints, bullets lodged in brains -- most of which never made it into print.
So in some ways, it's sad for me to watch what's happening to the newspaper industry.
But it's not surprising. A lot of us saw this coming years ago. I opted out of the newspaper biz about 13 years ago. Decided working late nights and weekends for little pay wasn't conducive to family goals I had. I went into an editorial position at an Internet company because I could see even then that printed paper as a medium was a losing proposition.
That's not to say that the gathering and disseminating of information is a losing proposition, only that the "traditional" print media haven't been able yet to develop the business agility needed to find a new and relevant business model.Sure, they are trying to convert their old business practices to work in a digital venue -- notably the Press+ system that is currently in beta2. Unfortunately, in my view, there are a few problems with this effort.
First, it's nearly a literal translation of the failing offline subscriber model to online. Yes, many organizations have shown that micropayments can be a significant money maker (Amazon and iTunes). But Press+ seems to ignores the fact that money from subscriptions never was the primary revenue source for most publications. It's difficult to see how people will be willing to pay more through online micropayments than they would be through traditional subscriptions.
It also ignores the fact that once information is released "into the wild" it will be pretty much impossible to collect micropayments on it. Just like people who subscribe to dead tree publications like to pass on what they "read in the paper" or even leave the paper at a barbershop or coffee shop for others to read, online micropayment subscribers will want to pass on what they've read. Copy-and-paste makes it all the easier.
Now, lest I be branded a pessimist, I still think there is a way that advertisers can continue to support journalism-- at least for the larger news organizations. In my opinion, the plan being considered by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and Microsoft is heading in the right direction.
In theory Google would follow suit, bidding for the content of other news organizations -- or maybe even for NewsCorp content. One could even see the news organizations selling "clicks" to content the same way the search engines sell keyword ads. Content creators could "flip the script" on Google resulting in the search engines bidding for their content.
This is the kind of paradigm3 shift required for "journalism" to move forward as a money-making prospect.
1. Note: Presses are no longer hot. In fact, the moist ink is a bit cool to the touch when the pages first come off the press.
2. Hat tip to Nick.
3. Off topic: The other day my 7-year-old daughter asked me what a "paradigm" was. I told her it was twenty cents.
tagged: newspaper, journalism, advertising, press+, Murdoch, NewsCorp, Microsoft, Bing
Friday, January 22, 2010
Surely some revelation is at hand
Uncle Nick was kind enough to point out one of the money quotes from the ongoing Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission hearings headed by Phil Angelides (a Democrat from California, which has one of the brokest-ass budgets in the country, so you know this guy has the fiscal street cred).
Here's the quote:
Just to make sure that sinks in, they were bringing in 100,000,000 dollars A DAY.
Anyway, Blofeld's
The temerity of these bank executives during the hearings would be comical if it weren't so enraging. C-Span has video of the hearing on their website. If you feel the need for a quick hit of Hulk rage, I highly suggest you watch. Skip through the first 40 minutes or so since that's just the bankers reading their prepared PR statements.
In the meantime, here's an example of why The Onion is the smartest news source. EVAR. Jon Stewart is getting his ass kicked by these guys.
In The Know: Are Politicians Failing Our Lobbyists?
tagged: politics, economy, bailouts, The Onion, Doomsday Cycle, Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, Phil Angelides, humor, satire
Here's the quote:Wall Street is in effect selling cars with faulty brakes, and then taking out insurance on the buyers.The statement was directed at Lloyd Blankfein, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs (and budding Bond Villian). Remember, this is the same Goldman Sachs that was making $100 million a day just a few months after taking a $20 billion bailout payment from you and me.
Just to make sure that sinks in, they were bringing in 100,000,000 dollars A DAY.
Anyway, The temerity of these bank executives during the hearings would be comical if it weren't so enraging. C-Span has video of the hearing on their website. If you feel the need for a quick hit of Hulk rage, I highly suggest you watch. Skip through the first 40 minutes or so since that's just the bankers reading their prepared PR statements.
In the meantime, here's an example of why The Onion is the smartest news source. EVAR. Jon Stewart is getting his ass kicked by these guys.
In The Know: Are Politicians Failing Our Lobbyists?
tagged: politics, economy, bailouts, The Onion, Doomsday Cycle, Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, Phil Angelides, humor, satire
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Harnessing the God particle
Looking for something to break me out of a bloggy funk, I landed on the story of the ill-fated Large Hadron Collider.
By now I'm sure you've heard that mankind's latest, greatest, most expensive attempt to find the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe and Everything was scuttled once again last week when a crust of bread fell on it.
Uncle Nick breaks it down like this:
What I find interesting is that according to the leading theory of the origin of the Universe, the matter that makes up the bread and the matter that makes up the LHC at one point, a split second before the Big Bang, were occupying the exact same place in space-time. And now, a bird brought them back together and it nearly destroyed one of them (not that matter can be created or destroyed -- except through the will of the Supreme Ironist).
I guess it's not really here nor there (as much as any of us are here or there -- you know, on the quantum level), but can you imagine the incredibly long odds at work here, the vast improbability of having a bird fly by this particular place at this particular time with a particularly sized piece of bread in its beak and dropping it with the accuracy of Luke Skywalker bullseyeing womp rats in his T-16 back home into this air vent that, just incidentally, was enough to cause the whole damn production to shut down?
Amazing.
These long odds led a couple of fairly credible scientists to posit the idea that maybe, just maybe, the Higgs boson doesn't want to be found.
According to this New York Times article, there's a chance that the LHC's many problems are a result of sabotage from the supercollider's own future.
I mean, it's an achievement that would be matched only by the discovery of a way to fix Kansas City Missouri's school system.
tagged: science, physics, Big Bang, Large Hadron Collider, Luke Skywalker, Kansas City Missouri Schools, Infinite Improbability Drive
By now I'm sure you've heard that mankind's latest, greatest, most expensive attempt to find the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe and Everything was scuttled once again last week when a crust of bread fell on it.Uncle Nick breaks it down like this:
A widdle birdie dropped a piece of bread on the Doomsday Machine - the one that 'everyone' is worried will create a black hole centered where Earth used to be and extend outward for 5 light years - and shut that sucker down.Personally, I kind of appreciate the cosmic poetry of the situation. This machine is designed to allow physicists to find one of the most elusive subatomic particles yet, the Higgs boson. This particle is so elusive, in fact, that it has never been found. It's only theorized at this point.
All I can say is if there is a Supreme Entity That Oversees All, it sure is an ironist of the first order. And with timing? Oh, snap!
What I find interesting is that according to the leading theory of the origin of the Universe, the matter that makes up the bread and the matter that makes up the LHC at one point, a split second before the Big Bang, were occupying the exact same place in space-time. And now, a bird brought them back together and it nearly destroyed one of them (not that matter can be created or destroyed -- except through the will of the Supreme Ironist).
I guess it's not really here nor there (as much as any of us are here or there -- you know, on the quantum level), but can you imagine the incredibly long odds at work here, the vast improbability of having a bird fly by this particular place at this particular time with a particularly sized piece of bread in its beak and dropping it with the accuracy of Luke Skywalker bullseyeing womp rats in his T-16 back home into this air vent that, just incidentally, was enough to cause the whole damn production to shut down?Amazing.
These long odds led a couple of fairly credible scientists to posit the idea that maybe, just maybe, the Higgs boson doesn't want to be found.
According to this New York Times article, there's a chance that the LHC's many problems are a result of sabotage from the supercollider's own future.
A pair of otherwise distinguished physicists have suggested that the hypothesized Higgs boson, which physicists hope to produce with the collider, might be so abhorrent to nature that its creation would ripple backward through time and stop the collider before it could make one...Can you imagine the technical leap forward our species will make if we can isolate and harness this so-called "God particle"? Forget about the energy crisis, say hello to interstellar travel. Hell, it might even mean the development of the Infinite Improbability Drive.
“It must be our prediction that all Higgs producing machines shall have bad luck,” Dr. Nielsen said in an e-mail message. In an unpublished essay, Dr. Nielson said of the theory, “Well, one could even almost say that we have a model for God.” It is their guess, he went on, “that He rather hates Higgs particles, and attempts to avoid them.”
This malign influence from the future, they argue, could explain why the United States Superconducting Supercollider, also designed to find the Higgs, was canceled in 1993 after billions of dollars had already been spent, an event so unlikely that Dr. Nielsen calls it an “anti-miracle.”
I mean, it's an achievement that would be matched only by the discovery of a way to fix Kansas City Missouri's school system.
tagged: science, physics, Big Bang, Large Hadron Collider, Luke Skywalker, Kansas City Missouri Schools, Infinite Improbability Drive
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Come on in here, boy. Have a cigar.
One of the great things about this medium is that you develop relationships with people who look out for each other.
For example, the other day my boy Nick over at WNTV had my back in the career department by bird dogging for me the link to apply for a White House Internship.
Now, I know what your thinking. Why would a successful upper lower middle manager like myself be interested in an entry level White House internship?
Well my friends let's face it, the economy's not getting any better. Banks are insolvent, the markets are crashing, unemployment is at it's highest point of the century. At this rate, even my job of Assistant to the Regional Manager may not be secure.
So I clicked with interest on the link Nick provided.
I learned that to be a White House intern, there are a few provisos, a couple of quid pro quo. This is politics after all even if the new rulers say things have changed.
First is that I have to be a U.S. citizen. Luckily, nobody has ever been able to prove that I'm not despite the efforts of a clique of Internet crackpots who swear I was born in Kenya.
I also have to be at least 18 years of age on or before the first day of the internship. Luckily I squeaked in right above that criteria. I don't want to say my actual age, but let's just say I used to carry my Rubik's Cube in the inside pocket of my Members Only jacket.
Next, up is that I have to be a student or grad student. No problemo. I can go back to KU and get my advanced degree in French Fry and McNugget Marketing.
So now all I have to do is decide what internship I want to pursue. I could opt for the Office of Cabinet Affairs, but I'm not really into carpentry.
The Office of Presidential Personnel sounds promising. They're the people who oversee selection of presidential appointments. But it seems like it's really tough to find appointees who haven't cheated on their taxes. Seems like too much work.
Actually, the Office of the Vice President looks like the best option. I mean, the VP doesn't really do anything and I can just tell that Joe Biden is one hell of a partier. And I'm not talking about political parties here.
So I'm off to fill out my application. I know some of you may be see this as a step down in the career department. But the way things are going we'll all be working for the government in a few short months. After they take over the banks, the automakers, the newspapers, insurance companies, real estate agencies, power companies, Internet providers, technology companies... well, anyway it's pretty clear that everyone will have a government job. I might as well get in on the ground floor.
And yes, I know how interns are treated at the White House. But we've all got to pay our dues.
My only question is, do I have to bring my own cigars?
tagged: White House, internship, Lewinsky, Joe Biden, career
For example, the other day my boy Nick over at WNTV had my back in the career department by bird dogging for me the link to apply for a White House Internship.
Now, I know what your thinking. Why would a successful upper lower middle manager like myself be interested in an entry level White House internship?
Well my friends let's face it, the economy's not getting any better. Banks are insolvent, the markets are crashing, unemployment is at it's highest point of the century. At this rate, even my job of Assistant to the Regional Manager may not be secure.So I clicked with interest on the link Nick provided.
I learned that to be a White House intern, there are a few provisos, a couple of quid pro quo. This is politics after all even if the new rulers say things have changed.
First is that I have to be a U.S. citizen. Luckily, nobody has ever been able to prove that I'm not despite the efforts of a clique of Internet crackpots who swear I was born in Kenya.
I also have to be at least 18 years of age on or before the first day of the internship. Luckily I squeaked in right above that criteria. I don't want to say my actual age, but let's just say I used to carry my Rubik's Cube in the inside pocket of my Members Only jacket.
Next, up is that I have to be a student or grad student. No problemo. I can go back to KU and get my advanced degree in French Fry and McNugget Marketing.
So now all I have to do is decide what internship I want to pursue. I could opt for the Office of Cabinet Affairs, but I'm not really into carpentry.
The Office of Presidential Personnel sounds promising. They're the people who oversee selection of presidential appointments. But it seems like it's really tough to find appointees who haven't cheated on their taxes. Seems like too much work.
Actually, the Office of the Vice President looks like the best option. I mean, the VP doesn't really do anything and I can just tell that Joe Biden is one hell of a partier. And I'm not talking about political parties here.So I'm off to fill out my application. I know some of you may be see this as a step down in the career department. But the way things are going we'll all be working for the government in a few short months. After they take over the banks, the automakers, the newspapers, insurance companies, real estate agencies, power companies, Internet providers, technology companies... well, anyway it's pretty clear that everyone will have a government job. I might as well get in on the ground floor.
And yes, I know how interns are treated at the White House. But we've all got to pay our dues.My only question is, do I have to bring my own cigars?
tagged: White House, internship, Lewinsky, Joe Biden, career
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Movie Mini Review: Shaun of the Dead
Title: Shaun of the DeadCast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Bill Nighy
Plot summary:
Quintessential loser Shaun decides to finally get his life together. Step one is to get his girlfriend back after she dumps him for being a layabout. Unfortunately, he picks a bad day to make a fresh start. It's hard to get your life together when your roommate's trying to eat you.
My thoughts:
I'm not going mince words here. I freakin' loved this movie. Every time I watch it I'm reminded that the first 20 minutes of Sean of the Dead is sheer cinematic genius.
Director Edgar Wright did a masterful job of cleverly and simultaneously introducing the main characters and the primary plot points. Seeing Shaun (Simon Pegg -- he plays "Scotty" in the upcoming Star Trek prequel) going about his morning completely oblivious to the zombie apocalypse happening around him was both hilarious comedy and insightful commentary on modern society.When Shaun and his best friend Ed (Nick Frost) finally realize they are under attack by zombies -- killing the first one by frisbeeing vinyl records at it -- Shaun quickly formulates a plan: Take the car, pick up his mum and rekill his zombified step dad, go get his girlfriend, then hide out at the local pub until it all blows over.
The situations and dialogue along the way are witty and clever. I always laugh out loud at the way the characters handle all the weirdness with straight-faced matter-of-factness.
One could argue that the movie is formulaic. It does follow the standard "boy meets zombie, boy bashes zombie over head with cricket bat, boy saves girl" template. But Shaun of the Dead shows that, despite the suckage of 90% of the dreck shuffled out of Hollywood for the past 20 years or so, a talented director with a talented cast can successfully take a fresh approach to an old idea.
My final rating:
Five out of five zombie bites
Favorite quote:
"Take car. Go to Mum's. Kill Phil - "Sorry." - grab Liz, go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over. How's that for a slice of fried gold?"
tagged: movie, review, Shaun of the Dead, zombie, Simon Pegg
Friday, February 06, 2009
Easterly neighbors
Just catching up on some RSS feeds after a busy couple of weeks in the real world and I wanted to pass on some helpful information I found over at WNBT.
One of my favorite local writers Nick Charles found it within himself to grace us lowly Kansans with a much appreciated bit of automotive advice.
It's solid advice from the logic-based culture that permeates Kansas City Missouri down to the very soles of the bare feet in city hall.
And because Mr. Charles was so helpful (misspellings aside) in his recent column, I was hoping that he and his KCMO/JACO brain trust could give us JoCo cretins a little advice on a few other items.
1) Whenever I venture into Kansas City, Mo, I'm always envious of the awesome steel plates that cover virtually every inch of pavement. How I long for such extravagant luxuries in our little burg of Johnson County. Sure, they're a pain to drive on, and maybe they do shred your car's tires like an Independence Avenue working girl with Lee Press-On Nails.
But certainly a city's wealth and affluence can be measured in it's willingness to destroy it's own transportation for the sake of rusty steel roadways.
2) Johnson County Kansas seems to be way behind the times when it comes to sewer and storm drainage. Currently, we are still in the dark ages of collecting our waste water and filtering it through a multi-stage purification process resulting in the reduction of pollution returned into the natural environment.
How I long for the day when JoCo can be more like Kansas City, Mo., allowing our most foul waste to flow through the creeks and streams of our neighborhoods and shopping districts creating a signature aroma known far and wide as the Kansas City Stink.
3) When it comes down to it,
a city is only as good as the people who manage it's government on a day-to-day basis. And I think there can be no argument that Kansas City, Mo., has the best that money can buy.
From the city council, to the mayor's office to the school board, Kansas City government is virtually synonymous with efficiency and effectiveness.
If only the various governments of Johnson County could learn to be a fraction as effective of the Jackson County governments. Then we could have cities and neighborhoods that people actually want to live it. We could have a school system where children feel safe and nurtured.
Yes, we in Johnson County have a long way to go before we can claim to have cities the caliber of Kansas City, Mo. But with the help of people like Mr. Charles, I have hope for great change.
tagged: Kansas, Missouri, Johnson County, Kansas City, streets, sewer, city council, schools
One of my favorite local writers Nick Charles found it within himself to grace us lowly Kansans with a much appreciated bit of automotive advice.
It's solid advice from the logic-based culture that permeates Kansas City Missouri down to the very soles of the bare feet in city hall.
And because Mr. Charles was so helpful (misspellings aside) in his recent column, I was hoping that he and his KCMO/JACO brain trust could give us JoCo cretins a little advice on a few other items.
1) Whenever I venture into Kansas City, Mo, I'm always envious of the awesome steel plates that cover virtually every inch of pavement. How I long for such extravagant luxuries in our little burg of Johnson County. Sure, they're a pain to drive on, and maybe they do shred your car's tires like an Independence Avenue working girl with Lee Press-On Nails.
But certainly a city's wealth and affluence can be measured in it's willingness to destroy it's own transportation for the sake of rusty steel roadways.2) Johnson County Kansas seems to be way behind the times when it comes to sewer and storm drainage. Currently, we are still in the dark ages of collecting our waste water and filtering it through a multi-stage purification process resulting in the reduction of pollution returned into the natural environment.
How I long for the day when JoCo can be more like Kansas City, Mo., allowing our most foul waste to flow through the creeks and streams of our neighborhoods and shopping districts creating a signature aroma known far and wide as the Kansas City Stink.
3) When it comes down to it,
a city is only as good as the people who manage it's government on a day-to-day basis. And I think there can be no argument that Kansas City, Mo., has the best that money can buy.From the city council, to the mayor's office to the school board, Kansas City government is virtually synonymous with efficiency and effectiveness.
If only the various governments of Johnson County could learn to be a fraction as effective of the Jackson County governments. Then we could have cities and neighborhoods that people actually want to live it. We could have a school system where children feel safe and nurtured.Yes, we in Johnson County have a long way to go before we can claim to have cities the caliber of Kansas City, Mo. But with the help of people like Mr. Charles, I have hope for great change.
tagged: Kansas, Missouri, Johnson County, Kansas City, streets, sewer, city council, schools
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
YouTube Tuesday: Peter Schiff and his Magical Time Machine
I was mildly blown away when I saw this clip posted by Nick Sloan.
Schiff is almost as prescient as El Borak. Almost.
tagged: Peter Schiff, recession, financial, economy, video, You Tube
Schiff is almost as prescient as El Borak. Almost.
tagged: Peter Schiff, recession, financial, economy, video, You Tube
Monday, December 17, 2007
Homecoming
As I sat on the pull-out bleachers in a general purpose building on a remote corner of Fort Riley, I wasn’t quite prepared for the emotion that was about to strike.
Certainly I was expecting some emotion. It was an emotional event. My brother-in-law Nick was returning with his command unit from a 15-month deployment in Iraq.
About 80 soldiers stood at attention while the ranking officer gave a short speech welcoming them home and thanking them for their service.
To his credit he only spoke for about a minute. And then, after 15 months in the desert and 30 hours on military and civilian airplanes, the soldiers embraced their families and friends.
It was very moving. I have to admit that even a crusty old cynic like me had moist eyes.
The joy was palpable. It a very genuine, understated flavor of joy mixed with a dash of relief that the soldiers were finally home.
But though it was understated, it was no less intense. Grown men had tears in their eyes and they hugged their comrades in arms goodbye and their families hello.
Buying Nick and a couple of his comrades lunch and throwing them a reception the next day was nice. But I'm sure it was nothing to them compared to just being home.
tagged: Iraq, war, deploy, family, homecoming, soldier, Fort Riley
Certainly I was expecting some emotion. It was an emotional event. My brother-in-law Nick was returning with his command unit from a 15-month deployment in Iraq.
About 80 soldiers stood at attention while the ranking officer gave a short speech welcoming them home and thanking them for their service.
To his credit he only spoke for about a minute. And then, after 15 months in the desert and 30 hours on military and civilian airplanes, the soldiers embraced their families and friends.
It was very moving. I have to admit that even a crusty old cynic like me had moist eyes.
The joy was palpable. It a very genuine, understated flavor of joy mixed with a dash of relief that the soldiers were finally home.
But though it was understated, it was no less intense. Grown men had tears in their eyes and they hugged their comrades in arms goodbye and their families hello.
Buying Nick and a couple of his comrades lunch and throwing them a reception the next day was nice. But I'm sure it was nothing to them compared to just being home.
tagged: Iraq, war, deploy, family, homecoming, soldier, Fort Riley
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Good luck with that
So the Johnson County Republicans have decided to take another stab at unseating Dennis Moore next year. The LJW had the report (hat tip to JD):
Moore doesn't seem to be too concerned. He told the LJW he isn't even going to start thinking about campaigning until next year (kudos for that). And he probably doesn't have much to worry about, given the current political climate.
But one of the quotes I found particularly interesting:
I mean, a guy could get the wrong impression, what with the fact that the approval rating for Congress is at its lowest point since Gallup started tracking it 30 years ago.
tagged: Dennis Moore, Kansas, Johnson County, politics, Congress, Nick Jordan, election
State Sen. Nick Jordan, a Republican from Shawnee, has announced his bid to represent the 3rd congressional district, which includes east Lawrence and is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, a Democrat from Lenexa.Frankly, I've never heard of Jordan. Anyone who knows anything about his policy stances is encouraged to comment. But good luck to you anyway Nick, I think you'll need it.
Moore doesn't seem to be too concerned. He told the LJW he isn't even going to start thinking about campaigning until next year (kudos for that). And he probably doesn't have much to worry about, given the current political climate.
But one of the quotes I found particularly interesting:
"He can start the campaign now if he wants, but I'm going to continue on being in Congress and serving my constituents, and I think we've done a good job."A good job? Wow, thanks for clarifying that for me Denny.
I mean, a guy could get the wrong impression, what with the fact that the approval rating for Congress is at its lowest point since Gallup started tracking it 30 years ago.
A new Gallup Poll finds Congress' approval rating the lowest it has been since Gallup first tracked public opinion of Congress with this measure in 1974. Just 18% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, while 76% disapprove, according to the August 13-16, 2007, Gallup Poll.But Denny, you just keep telling yourself how good a job your doing. It might just make next year's election campaign mildly interesting.
tagged: Dennis Moore, Kansas, Johnson County, politics, Congress, Nick Jordan, election
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Uninvited guest
"Just don't tell my Supermodel Wife about this," I said to Bill as we drove back to the house.
I needed to give this one a few days to blow over before breaking the news to the wife. After all, we still had a two and a half hour drive home and I didn't need her worrying about this.
Bill (my way hip step-father-in-law) and I were helping my sister-in-law with some home improvements. Her husband Nick is serving a tour in Iraq, dodging IEDs, so this seemed like a meaningful and fitting way to celebrate Memorial Day.
And part of building the new fence in the back yard required us to make a trip to the local hardware store in Junction City. The trip was uneventful, just needed to pick up a few lag screws, washers and L-braces for the project.
But as we returned to my car, from across the small parking lot, we saw what looked like a thin shadow floating across the pavement toward rear passenger side of my car. As we came closer, we saw a rather large, thick black snake slithering toward the protection of my car.
It was about four feet long, about an inch in diameter in the middle and black as fresh tarmac.
There was no rattle, and it didn't have the triangular head of venomous snakes so I wasn't worried about being poisoned. I was content to let it crawl away, or if it didn't, I would just run over it when I pulled out of the parking space.
But Bill, who was on that side of the car, saw that the reptile had other ideas.
"He crawled up into you wheel well," Bill said.
Clerks from inside the store had seen the events and were now approaching with a broomstick.
"Was that another snake?" said the clerk with the 'Rachel' name tag. Evidently, this sort of thing was a regular occurrence.
The brave Rachel bent down to poke the handle of the broomstick under my car. But by now, Snakey (I had named him) had taken up residence inside the wheel cavity, or bumper, or my tailpipe, or someplace else out of sight but still in my car. There was nothing to do but go back and finish our projects.
"I know where I wouldn't be parking tonight," joked Bill. And he was right. The car would stay parked in the driveway, not the garage.
For the rest of the afternoon, I kept wondering if Snakey were still in my car. If so, where? My fear was that when we left for home, he would be coiled up on the floor when we put our 4-year-old in her seat in the back.
And during the two-and-a-half hour drive home I worried that as the temperature cooled during the night, the serpent might climb higher into the engine to seek warmth, there to be chewed up by the various pistons and belts of the car's mechanics. Am I going to wake up to the smell of rotting snake carcass on my way to work one morning?
But the biggest question I have is when will it be safe to tell my supermodel wife that she may have shared the car with a 4-foot long snake yesterday.
So to any of you biology experts, how long does a garden-variety snake go without eating? Could he still be in there? Could he have survived two hours at 75-mph?
Maybe I'll go to Midas for a quick brake inspection/snake removal.
tagged: snake, serpent, reptile, animals, Memorial Day, car
I needed to give this one a few days to blow over before breaking the news to the wife. After all, we still had a two and a half hour drive home and I didn't need her worrying about this.
Bill (my way hip step-father-in-law) and I were helping my sister-in-law with some home improvements. Her husband Nick is serving a tour in Iraq, dodging IEDs, so this seemed like a meaningful and fitting way to celebrate Memorial Day.
And part of building the new fence in the back yard required us to make a trip to the local hardware store in Junction City. The trip was uneventful, just needed to pick up a few lag screws, washers and L-braces for the project.
But as we returned to my car, from across the small parking lot, we saw what looked like a thin shadow floating across the pavement toward rear passenger side of my car. As we came closer, we saw a rather large, thick black snake slithering toward the protection of my car.
It was about four feet long, about an inch in diameter in the middle and black as fresh tarmac.
There was no rattle, and it didn't have the triangular head of venomous snakes so I wasn't worried about being poisoned. I was content to let it crawl away, or if it didn't, I would just run over it when I pulled out of the parking space.But Bill, who was on that side of the car, saw that the reptile had other ideas.
"He crawled up into you wheel well," Bill said.
Clerks from inside the store had seen the events and were now approaching with a broomstick.
"Was that another snake?" said the clerk with the 'Rachel' name tag. Evidently, this sort of thing was a regular occurrence.
The brave Rachel bent down to poke the handle of the broomstick under my car. But by now, Snakey (I had named him) had taken up residence inside the wheel cavity, or bumper, or my tailpipe, or someplace else out of sight but still in my car. There was nothing to do but go back and finish our projects.
"I know where I wouldn't be parking tonight," joked Bill. And he was right. The car would stay parked in the driveway, not the garage.
For the rest of the afternoon, I kept wondering if Snakey were still in my car. If so, where? My fear was that when we left for home, he would be coiled up on the floor when we put our 4-year-old in her seat in the back.
And during the two-and-a-half hour drive home I worried that as the temperature cooled during the night, the serpent might climb higher into the engine to seek warmth, there to be chewed up by the various pistons and belts of the car's mechanics. Am I going to wake up to the smell of rotting snake carcass on my way to work one morning?
But the biggest question I have is when will it be safe to tell my supermodel wife that she may have shared the car with a 4-foot long snake yesterday.
So to any of you biology experts, how long does a garden-variety snake go without eating? Could he still be in there? Could he have survived two hours at 75-mph?
Maybe I'll go to Midas for a quick brake inspection/snake removal.
tagged: snake, serpent, reptile, animals, Memorial Day, car
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Dialog with a 4-year-old about Iraq
Scene: Me and the 4-year-old daughter B. in the car returning from Dairy Queen where we have picked up a "Welcome Home" ice cream cake for the homecoming party for Uncle Nick, who is home on leave from Iraq.
tagged: Iraq, soldier, war, family, parenting
B.: Daddy, does Uncle Nick have a big job?And... scene.
Me: Yes, he has a very big job.
B.: In... Iraq?
Me: Yes. He has a big, important job in Iraq.
B.: Oh.
B.: Is Uncle Nick a soldier?
Me: Yes. He's a soldier in Iraq.
B.: Oh. ... Does he have to fight?
Me: Sometimes. But only when someone wants to fight him.
B.: Who wants to fight him?
Me: The bad guys.
B.: Are there lots of bad guys in Iraq?
Me: There are some bad guys. But most of the people are good guys.
B.: What do they do with the bad guys? Do they kill the bad guys?
Me: ...
Me: ...
Me: They just try to catch the bad guys. They try to make them into good guys.
B.: Oh. So the bad guys won't be bad anymore.
Me: Right.
B.: Is Uncle Nick the only soldier?
Me: No. There are lots and lots of soldiers in Iraq.
B.: Like hundreds?
Me: More like thousands.
B.: Thousands? What's a thousands?
Me: That's a lot of hundreds altogether.
B.: What are their names?
Me: I don't know all of the soldiers' names. There are so many that it would be hard to know every name.
Me: My friend Bill from high school is a soldier. But there are lots more whose names I don't know.
B.: Oh.
B.: When are we going to eat the ice cream?
tagged: Iraq, soldier, war, family, parenting
Monday, May 07, 2007
At the very least you need a beer*
We had a lot to celebrate on Saturday. It was Cinco de Mayo, a day very important to my family's cultural heritage, and my brother-in-law Nick, recently arrived for R&R from his deployment in Iraq, was visiting.
So what better way to commemorate both occasions than to enjoy an activity so close to the Mexican culture: a tour of a local artisan brewery.
We arrived at Boulevard Brewing Co. on (fittingly) Southwest Boulevard a couple minutes early for our 10 a.m. tour. According to our schedule, we would take the tour then be finished just in time to slosh down enough free beer samples to get us through lunch.
The tour started in the Boulevard tasting room with a brief introduction by our host, Jason, about the history of beer in the U.S. According to Jason, the pilgrims stopped at Plymouth Rock not because they had arrived at their destination, but because they had run out of beer and needed to find provisions to brew more. (Presumably, after brewing more beer, they were too "chemically inconvenienced" to go any further).
Anyway, fast forward a couple hundred years during which beer became so popular that pretty much every town in the Union had a brewery or three, to prohibition in the 1920s which effectively shut down all but the biggest breweries, to 1989 when I graduated from high school and John McDonald founded Boulevard Brewing Co. (I may have left out a few details, but you can fill in the gaps for yourself when you take the tour).
We then were guided through the brewery proper. Jason showed us the original brew house that was bought from a small town in Germany. We were walked through the brewing process, from the milling of barley, making the mash, introduction of hops, fermentation, filtering and bottling.
Jason showed us the new expanded brew house that will allow Boulevard to ramp up production to meet a growing demand for their beers.
Employees at Boulevard get some great perks, including a basketball court inside the bottling plant, a workout facility and an employees-only bar where you can drink (of course) free Boulevard beer.
Finally, we ended the tour back in the tasting room where the five Boulevard brands were ours for the tasting.
I had previously tried the Unfiltered Wheat (my favorite) the Pale Ale, the Dry Stout (very smooth, not at all bitter, my second favorite) and the Bully Porter, so my first sample was of the Lunar Ale. I gotta say, it didn't speak to me. It's a wheat based beer, but it had a taste on the back of my tongue that I can only describe as "green."
So I switched to the sixth beer on tap, labeled only as "Test." Boulevard often has a test beer on tap in its tasting room and today it happened to be an India Pale Ale.
It was a great surprise for me. I'm typically not a fan of the bitterness of IPAs, but it didn't bother me in this test brew. It was so well balanced and the finish so crisp that this ended up being one of my favorites.
Boulevard would do well to add it to their brand lineup.
*10 points to the first person to name the author of this quote.
tagged: Kansas City, Boulevard Brewing Co, beer, India pale ale, stout, porter, Cinco de Mayo
So what better way to commemorate both occasions than to enjoy an activity so close to the Mexican culture: a tour of a local artisan brewery.
We arrived at Boulevard Brewing Co. on (fittingly) Southwest Boulevard a couple minutes early for our 10 a.m. tour. According to our schedule, we would take the tour then be finished just in time to slosh down enough free beer samples to get us through lunch.
The tour started in the Boulevard tasting room with a brief introduction by our host, Jason, about the history of beer in the U.S. According to Jason, the pilgrims stopped at Plymouth Rock not because they had arrived at their destination, but because they had run out of beer and needed to find provisions to brew more. (Presumably, after brewing more beer, they were too "chemically inconvenienced" to go any further).Anyway, fast forward a couple hundred years during which beer became so popular that pretty much every town in the Union had a brewery or three, to prohibition in the 1920s which effectively shut down all but the biggest breweries, to 1989 when I graduated from high school and John McDonald founded Boulevard Brewing Co. (I may have left out a few details, but you can fill in the gaps for yourself when you take the tour).
We then were guided through the brewery proper. Jason showed us the original brew house that was bought from a small town in Germany. We were walked through the brewing process, from the milling of barley, making the mash, introduction of hops, fermentation, filtering and bottling.
Jason showed us the new expanded brew house that will allow Boulevard to ramp up production to meet a growing demand for their beers.
Employees at Boulevard get some great perks, including a basketball court inside the bottling plant, a workout facility and an employees-only bar where you can drink (of course) free Boulevard beer.Finally, we ended the tour back in the tasting room where the five Boulevard brands were ours for the tasting.
I had previously tried the Unfiltered Wheat (my favorite) the Pale Ale, the Dry Stout (very smooth, not at all bitter, my second favorite) and the Bully Porter, so my first sample was of the Lunar Ale. I gotta say, it didn't speak to me. It's a wheat based beer, but it had a taste on the back of my tongue that I can only describe as "green."So I switched to the sixth beer on tap, labeled only as "Test." Boulevard often has a test beer on tap in its tasting room and today it happened to be an India Pale Ale.
It was a great surprise for me. I'm typically not a fan of the bitterness of IPAs, but it didn't bother me in this test brew. It was so well balanced and the finish so crisp that this ended up being one of my favorites.
Boulevard would do well to add it to their brand lineup.
*10 points to the first person to name the author of this quote.
tagged: Kansas City, Boulevard Brewing Co, beer, India pale ale, stout, porter, Cinco de Mayo
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
I ask myself the same question
It's ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand (or at least it was when it was today there).
This day obviously has more meaning for the Aussies and Kiwis than to a Yank like myself, but it always makes me think of the famous and excellent song And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda by Eric Bogle.
In my opinion this is one of the best war songs written. Definitely not a jingoistic, rah-rah patriot song, but not quite a preachy protest song either.
Just a song that makes us to ask serious and important questions of ourselves.
This version is performed by the Clancy Brothers.
My brother in-law Nick will be home this weekend from Iraq for some much deserved shore leave. It will be great to see him again.
tagged: Australia, New Zealand, And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, Anzac Day, war, Eric Bogle, Clancy Brothers
This day obviously has more meaning for the Aussies and Kiwis than to a Yank like myself, but it always makes me think of the famous and excellent song And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda by Eric Bogle.
In my opinion this is one of the best war songs written. Definitely not a jingoistic, rah-rah patriot song, but not quite a preachy protest song either.
Just a song that makes us to ask serious and important questions of ourselves.
This version is performed by the Clancy Brothers.
My brother in-law Nick will be home this weekend from Iraq for some much deserved shore leave. It will be great to see him again.
tagged: Australia, New Zealand, And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, Anzac Day, war, Eric Bogle, Clancy Brothers
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Deployed: A hell of a ballance
I wanted to post a follow up to two previous posts about my brother-in-law Nick, who was deployed last month as part of an MP patrol unit in Iraq.I'm sure you've all read/heard that October was one of the deadliest months so far of the war in Iraq with 104 soldiers killed.
As a member of the military police, Nick is tasked with making regular patrols outside of American bases. He and his comrades are the targets of the infamous IEDs.
Anyway, I wanted to pass along this note from Nick to anyone who might be interested. I've edited out some of the more personal and personally identifiable information.
Hey Everyone,
Really great to hear from you all. Iraq is okay and ironically enough though it is sandy, it's way less sandy than Kuwait was.
I find myself here being very bored when I'm not going on missions and also very uncertain when I go out. It's a hell of a balance: either stay back and be bored or go out into Iraq on missions and play chance. In the end I find that playing chance works better for me because at least it keeps my mind occupied.
I don't really follow anything in the news, all I know is that for us (Military Police) it's been dubbed the year of the police in Iraq, and we're here to support that. No explosions yet, knock on wood.
I'm glad that Julie has you all there to help her with this. Being away from her makes me realize how terribly in love I am with her. Simply put I am not the same guy without her, and I just want to get this over with and come home to her the same person I was. That's all this year is to me. It's what I have to do to get home, and I'm just going to lower my head and motor through it until it's done.
Anyway you all take care. Write often cause its great hearing from everyone. Take care of Julie the best you can for me (thanks for helping with the house) and take care of yourselves.
tagged: Iraq, war, soldier, military police, October, home
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Deployed: Kuwait and wait
Thanks to everyone who expressed their concern for my brother-in-law Nick as he shipped out to serve as an MP in Iraq.
Nick arrived safe, but tired, in Kuwait. I was forwarded the following email from my Supermodel Wife's Supermodel Sister and wanted to post this portion of it as an update on Nick's adventure. Names have not been changed, although I have omitted the more private and personal content.
tagged: Iraq, Mosul, Kuwait, war, military, soldier
Nick arrived safe, but tired, in Kuwait. I was forwarded the following email from my Supermodel Wife's Supermodel Sister and wanted to post this portion of it as an update on Nick's adventure. Names have not been changed, although I have omitted the more private and personal content.
Hey Honey
Just wanted to drop you an email. Its 5 dollars to access the slow ass internet here for an hour so this wont be too long. Right now I'm in Kuwait as you already knew. We're not doing much but we're going to be training soon. It's so weird here. It's dark by 6PM and light by 6AM and it's hot. I'm sick of sand which is probably bad because it's all I'm going to see for awhile. I'm not sleeping well, normally about 5 hours but it may get better as it wears on me some more and I develop a routine.
What else.... I go to the gym about 2 times daily and that's been fun but I am sore. We're supposed to head to Iraq about the 16th or so and I'll know more about things then. Everything is good and my spirits are high but I miss you pretty bad. Okay I've got a list of things I need you to mail out ASAP....
I need one pair of large PT shorts and one large short sleeve PT t-shirt from clothing and sales.
I need you to send me more boxer shorts. 3-5 pairs as they are non existent here and I didn't pack near enough.
I need you to go to a Sams Club and buy a 600 minute rechargeable international phone card and that will be what I use to call home with. Because its rechargeable it makes it a lot easier. I've had to buy some stuff since I've been here, (underwear, pillow, a watch, etc.) but haven't spent too much money.
That's really about all I have to say. I love you. I miss you and I cant wait to talk to you soon. The sooner they get phone cards here the sooner I'll call. They are currently out here and I'm not calling with the credit card again. May be a few days. BTW I leave for a 3 day field exercise on Thursday and won't be back until Saturday. That will probably be the next time I call.
I love you so much.
Love, Nick
tagged: Iraq, Mosul, Kuwait, war, military, soldier
Friday, September 29, 2006
Deployed
Nick shipped out early yesterday morning.
He had a one or two stops to make in country, so by now he's probably on a plane with the rest of his platoon on their way to Kuwait for a couple of weeks of training.
From there, it's into the shit.
Nick will be stationed in Mosul. He's part of an MP battalion that will make regular driving patrols around the region.
What's amazing to me is that Nick is only 25 years old. 25, and he's commanding a group of men who, in all likelihood, will have to kill someone at some point. Not to mention the high probability that some of them probably won't come home. That's some heavy shite.
I try to think back to when I was 25. At the time, I was editor for a small daily newspaper in Kansas. As such, the biggest danger I faced was a tongue-lashing (heh) from a pissed-off reader.
Certainly, I never stared down the barrel of an IED (it's a figure of speech. I know IEDs don't have barrels).
So yes, we're all nervous about Nick's safety. He understandably doesn't like to dwell on it.
We bought him and his Supermodel Wife of a year (my Supermodel Wife's sister), lunch last weekend when they came to town. He reluctantly talked about his mission, and was frank about where he was going and what he was getting into. He noted that most of the support staff will never leave the military base, and as such will be pretty safe.
The MPs units however will face daily danger as they make their patrols. But Nick would rather focus on the task at hand, whatever it may be, than worry about the danger and risk. A result of his military training, no doubt.
So, let me just take this chance to ask you to keep Nick and all of our soldiers on your mind.
And to wish Nick godspeed and safe returns.
tagged: Iraq, Mosul, war, military, soldier
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)