On hope (and why I still have some)

JD posted a pessimistic look at the current state of affairs in Israel/Lebanon/Iraq/etc.

Nothing he posted is wrong, and I can't argue with his conclusions. But my Supermodel Wife and I had a discussion on the whole topic, and I came away hopeful that the problem will eventually go away.

My hope stems from the fact that all of the fighting and destruction has at its root oil. Oil is the only reason anybody outside of the Middle East is even interested in the region. Oil is what the warring parties within the Middle East use to fund their machinations (with the possible exception of Israel).

And control of the oil (and thus the source of money and power) is the entire raison d'être for the different warring factions. Sure, we've been told that they're mostly bickering about different religious interpretations of various ancient texts. But obviously in this case, religion is the crystal meth of the masses -- a tool used by those in power to convince people that blowing themselves up with a suicide vest is a good idea.

So, it all comes down to oil. And that's the good news, because sooner or later we won't need oil any longer.

Some people say that we're pretty much out of oil already, that it will only be a couple more decades before oil passes from fossil fuel to folklore.

I think that the last 10 years or so have shown us (particularly Americans) the real danger of being a nation of petroleum junkies, and we're starting to wake up to the importance of finding another source of energy.

Agribusiness conglomerate Cargill, for example, recently announced a plan to build a $40 million biodiesel plant in KC. There are other plans by other companies to build ethanol processing facilities as well.

I know there are doubts about the ability of current biofuels technology to support the current energy consumption of the U.S., and since I'm not an expert, I can't refute those doubts.

But I believe that there will be a confluence of genetic and biofuels technology that will result in the development of genetically modified soybeans or sorghum that will result in greater energy output -- enough to allow us to turn out backs on petroleum oil.

When that happens, nobody will care about the Middle East. The US will have no strategic reason to be there. Without the demand for oil, the power brokers in the area lose their primary source of money. So the warring factions will continue to fight it out amongst themselves, but with less and less money to fund new weapons and violence.

Then we'll be able to move on to different wars and violence.

tagged: Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Islam, Jews, United States, oil, peak oil, biodiesel, ethanol, biofuel, war, peace, religion

Holey Mission

The hole where the Mission Center Mall used to be continues to get bigger and bigger.

In just a few short weeks, destruction crews have taken out two thirds of the Mall at the corner of Roe Avenue, Johnson Drive and Shawnee-Mission Parkway.

I estimate the whole thing will be gone in another two weeks and the end of an era will come to Mission. Not that that's a bad thing.

Anyway, here's what the mall looked like a month ago. As you can see from the series of pictures below, the entire center section that formerly included the atrium and fountains is now gonesville.

I think it's a little humorous that crews put the "Mission" sign outside the big dig. Not sure if it was meant as a joke, but there seems to be some irony there.

Here are the pics.












tagged: Kansas, Mission, mall, development, destruction, Roeland Park, Fairway

Dinner with a celebrity

Dinner last night was at Plaza III with some business associates and agency partners.

It's one one of the nicer places in KCMO, so if you're going spot a celebrity in this town, it would just as well be there.

And, since it is rumored to be George Brett's favorite restaurant (I've heard he likes it more than his own restaurant), it wasn't a surprise to see him walk in while we were picking at our hors d'oeuvres.

But that's not the celebrity I'm referring to. The person I met and had pleasant conversation with wasn't a celebrity in the pop culture sense -- not a bubble-headed hotel heiress or a no-neck millionaire jock or a blinged-up, p-diddy hippity-hop pimp from the hood.

Overland Park resident Paul C. Rogers is a bit more unassuming than all of those people. Still, he has contributed more to the good of the world than any of them (and most of us) ever will.

Rogers, a good friend of one of my business associates, is one of the few remaining members of 101st Airborn Division, Easy Company, the famed Band of Brothers documented by the HBO mini series.

Rogers entertained us with stories of the D-Day invasion, including his early morning jump from an airplane into the Nazi-occupied French countryside. On the way down, he lost his jump bag (which contained most of his gear including his rifle and ammunition) and landed in a tree. With only his trench-knife, a few grenades, some water and chocolate rations he managed to evade German troops long enough to catch up with the rest of Easy Company.

All of us at the table were riveted by his stories, even as he told about his interviews for the Band of Brothers production, meeting Tom Hanks and touring France 60 years after the D-Day invasion. We were humbled to be in his presence.

The man is all class. Quite a departure from today's popular so-called celebrities.

As Mr. Rogers left after a long and satisfying dinner, he remarked that "I've dined with movie stars and dignitaries, but I've enjoyed talking to you all more than any of them."

Like I said, all class.

We all know how the war turned out, but it's something special to hear about it from someone who lived through it. So many sacrificed so much for so few.

From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother;

tagged: WWII, World War II, Band of Brothers, Easy Company, celebrity, Kansas City, plaza

Man grabs a log*

It's been both a slow and a fast couple of weeks. It's been slow, because I haven't been posting much (struggling to post at least once a day). It's been fast because I've been hellabusy in both the work and personal lives.

I hope to elaborate soon on the personal life crap. It's all good news, I just haven't had time to document it.

Until then, I've come up with this little ditty to keep my reader occupied.

It's (cue Monty Python theme song)...

Emawkc's blog anagram game!!!

So here's how it works: I've anagramized (yeah, I don't know if that's a word either) the names of 10 blogs. Your job is to decode them, working out which blog name corresponds to each anagram below. It's fun, see?

Put your answers in the comments section. The winners will receive fabulous prizes worth millions.**

One more thing, all of the correct answers are listed in the blogrolls to the right. That should help out a lot.
Okay. Ready? Here we go...

1. Bang a hippy (<- updated to be more clever)
2. Bugling duo loot
3. Tom's a cretin
4. A sty contains sky
5. Cop Joule
6. Bend a limo rig
7. Out no evil
8. Goldmine
9. Creed for hurt jots
10. A short fang's hot musk

Bonus:
• A cockerel moth

Over the next few days, I'll link the anagrams to their respective blogs so you can see the answers. Keep checking back.

*Bonus points if you decode the anagram title of this post
**No actual prizes will be given. What, do you think I'm made of money?

Update:
Nobody got all of the anagrams, but a lot of people figured out some of them. So you're all winners. I've updated the links to reflect the missing solutions for #9 and the bonus #11, so click the links to find out where they go. As for the title, "Man grabs a log" is an anagram for "Blog Anagrams".

Thanks to everyone who played.

tagged: blog, game, anagram, fun

YouTube Tuesday: 12th and life

YouTube Tuesday is usually on the lighter side. Typically I post something I think is hysterical, or at least mildly amusing. Sometimes just entertaining, as in a music video.

Not today.

Sorry to be a downer, but the YouTube video I saw for today is just sad. I'm not sure that the original producers meant it to be depressing. By the tone and style of the production and smiles on the faces, one would think the subjects of this short-form documentary are happy and pleased with the life they lead.

Maybe they are. Probably they know no other life.

But it is sad to see a community that has completely given up on itself. Even the mature adults who should know better seem to glorify the "gangsta" culture of violence and drugs.

"We kill people for tellin'. We kill people for taking a stand. And their mommas and daddies had to go. That was the code."



"Where's my wife and family? What if I die here? Who'll be my role model now that my role model is gone."

tagged: movie, YouTube, video, thug, hood, Kansas City, ghetto, culture

Book it

I just wanted to take a quick moment from this hellabusy day to say congrats to WaiterRant.

The waiter, one of the best bloggers in the blogiverse, announced last week that he has signed a book deal. Presumably, the book will consist of edited versions of his blog posts, which I've been reading for a year and a half or so.

Waiter is absolutely one of the best writers out here. He always seems to have something interesting to say without stooping to petty sniping and partisanship (like many of us do at times).

If you're not a regular reader already, go check it out and you'll soon be a repeat customer.

So congrats Waiter, you deserve it. Now where's my freakin' pudding?

tagged: blog, waiter, rant, waiterrant, book, deal

Out of the corner of my eye

Bill Gnade, the hyperintelligent proprietor of Contratimes, has hosted a discussion about The Greatest Rock Song of All Time. I weighed in last week with my nomination, Springsteen's Born To Run (see the comments section here).

Yesterday, Gnade posted his pick for greatest rock song and a defense thereof. I started to post a reply in his comments section, but I was struck with a serious bout of diarrhea of the keyboard. So I decided to post it here instead.

Read on, if you're not already too bored.

"Gnade,

That's a very fine deconstruction of that song. I'm a huge Pink Floyd fan, as regular reader (sic) of my blog would know.

Roger Waters is one of the music world's best lyricists, and your assessment of the guitar solos (not just in this song) is spot on. I could (and have-back in college) listen to The Wall for ages and always hear something new, not to mention Dark Side and Animals. All are very high concept albums, indeed works of art in the finest sense.

That said, I don’t think I can support your assertion that Comfortably Numb, great as it is, is "the greatest rock song of all time."

The only reason I say this is the simple fact that it doesn't rock. It lacks that certain quality that makes me want to get up and move, that certain je ne sais quois that makes my toe tap and my adrenaline rush. Indeed, it makes me want to sit quietly and reflect (which is an important call to action).

But for a song to be the greatest rock song of all time, as Christopher Walken would say, "I gotta have more cow bell."

One other comment on your interpretation of the song: I think I agree about 95 percent with you discussion. But...

It's a bit unfair to discuss this song out of context with the rest of the album, particularly because it comes at such an important point in the story of Pink. It's a bit like just reading about Judas' betrayal and Jesus' crucifixion in the Bible, then stopping. You miss the most important part (resurrection).

However, a very fine point of differentiation is that I think Voice 1 (and indeed the entire first "act" of the album) is really about the amalgamation of "characters" and events in the world that drive us to self-destructive behavior. These people and events (different for everyone) are what cause us all to have our own demons, and to build our own psycho-spiritual walls. It's the very process of adolescence and what makes it so painful (does anyone really want to go through junior high again?)

But I think the point of the album (driven home in the last two tracks), is that we should strive to avoid indulging our inner demons and dragging around the psychological weight of all the crap that everyone goes through. Instead we should look for positive influences (both external and internal). If we can do these things, we stand a better chance of not breaking through the thin ice of modern living, and we will be happier in the end.

Man isn't meant to live inside his own mind. We need to be open to our feelings and the love and kindness of others, and that's incredibly difficult for some of us.

No man is an island, after all.

All alone, or in two's,
The ones who really love you
Walk up and down outside the wall.
Some hand in hand
And some gathered together in bands.
The bleeding hearts and artists
Make their stand.

And when they've given you their all
Some stagger and fall, after all it's not easy
Banging your heart against some mad bugger's wall."


tagged: music, Rock and Roll, Pink Floyd, The Wall, comfortably numb, cow bell, demons

Back from the Satellite of Love

I was a huge fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000 during the '90s.

For some reason there are few things more entertaining to me that (half)witty repartee between a human and three robots during especially bad movies.

That's why I was so excited to read in the Star today (yes, dammit, I still read the Star) that MST3K's head writer/host Mike Nelson is reviving the concept in downloadable MP3 format.

The project/website is called RiffTrax. The idea is that you buy an audio track of Nelson's smarmy comments about, say, Road House, and then play the track in sync with the DVD playing on you home TV.

Check out the sample on RiffTrax, which has chestnuts like "Ah, ya have to irritate an old guy at least once a day, otherwise what's life good for?"

The timing couldn't be better for Nelson to launch this project. Thanks to iTunes and podcasting, audio downloads have become de rigueur. And thanks to the nature of the Internet, Nelson will be able to take advantage of low overhead to capture a long tail market that can't be served by traditional distribution.

And let's face it, there's lots of bad movies to draw material from these days. I mean, how did the black community let the Wayans brothers release Little Man?

Anyway, sign me up for RiffTrax. I have a feeling Nelson is going to clean up with this, especially when he discovers how to sell subscriptions to the service over iTunes so that we get automatic downloads of the latest riffs.

tagged: video, MST3K, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Mike Nelson, podcast, audio, pop culture, RiffTrax, Road House, Little Man

I don't want my MTV

I missed it. A lot of people missed it.

Hell, even MTV didn't want to acknowledge their 25th birthday. That's right, 25 years ago yesterday, MTV launched itself into pop culture with Video Killed the Radio.

In the following years, as the network cut more deals to get on more cable TV plans, it introduced a whole new medium with an entirely new definition of cool. Remember David Lee Roth's "Dave TV! ALL DAVE ALL NIGHT!" Ah, the memories.

For better or worse (I would argue worse), MTV helped video become as much a part of music as audio. And I admit that it was cool to see the artists I'd been listening to on the radio perform on TV regularly.

But then, the network made an interesting discovery. With the trial of its first "game show" Remote Control (the show that made Colin Quinn a household name), they found that they could engage users for half an hour instead of the 5 minutes of a music video. This of course, meant they could charge more for advertising, which in turn bolsters the bottom line leading to nice fat bonuses for the network execs.

Bye bye music, hello Real World.

Anyway, it's a cultural cliche anymore that MTV isn't really MTV. It completely sucks anymore, but that's okay because the entire traditional music industry sucks too.

Of course maybe, like MTV, I'm just getting old.

tagged: music, video, MTV, old, Remote Control, Colin Quinn, pop culture

YouTube Tuesday: Chad Vader

Chad Vader is one of the rising stars of YouTube. You may have heard of his older brother, Darth, but Chad has a story of his own.

In Episode 2: Day Shift Manager, Chad struggles to find love while keeping his choice gig as day manager at a supermarket...



tagged: movie, YouTube, video, Vader, Star Wars, humor, comedy, culture