Chapter 29.5: Crash Goes 2004

For weeks I've felt like 2004 was already done. I haven't written 2005 on any checks yet, but as far as I'm concerned this year should be flushed and forgotten. Today I've experienced the perfect metaphor for 2004. From the time I got into the office at 8:30, the day has been pointless. My archaic Mac crashed three times before 9:30, and another five or six before I started typing this entry to close the day. I don't know if it suggests that I have no more metaphoric memory left for 2004 or I'm in desperate need of repair or perhaps I'm just falling apart. Maybe it's all three.

The time has come to say goodbye to a year that began with such promise and ends in stops and starts and restarts. The tragic tsunami of last week is still too painful and new a wound to the earth to serve as a metaphor. Yet, I can't help wondering if it's time to just wash away 2004. I think it's time for a beer or a nice scotch.

For those 10-12 readers out there (if that many), I pray your new year is wonderful and full of promise. Aim high but not so high that you come crashing down upon yourself.

Chapter 29.1: Not Science Fiction

As a fan of the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, I was curious whether Sir Arthur C. Clarke had survived. He has reportedly spent most of his waking hours in a wheel chair for years, so he seemed among those unlikely to get out quickly if the waves rushed at his home in Colombo. Like most Americans, I have no idea exactly where in Sri Lanka Colombo is. (Hey, I should at least get a point for knowing where the island was in the first place right?)

But Space.com anticipated my question and got a first-hand response from one of the 20th century's greatest creative minds (at least among writers).

Chapter 29: Horrible Tragedy

For anyone who reads this little blog, I hope you're able to assist in some way the thousands of people affected by the terrible tsunami that struck people throughout the Indian Ocean area -- Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Thailand, and elsewhere throughout that region. Today's reports show upwards of 44,000 people killed by this event.

While I've heard some people make comments about how God is being vengeful against mostly non-Christian areas, I think the proper thing for people to do is show charity knows no religious bonds. Indeed, all major religions promote doing good deeds for those less fortunate. This is the time.

Chapter 28.5: All Praise Nothingday

I was informed of a brilliant press release that captures my feelings about the ongoing debate about the appropriateness of celebrating Christmas publicly. Personally, I consider the argument that public schools or other government buildings noting religious holidays represents an illegal combination of church and state a waste of breath.

Celebrate Christmas, celebrate Ramadan, celebrate Passover, celebrate Nothingday, celebrate the autumnal equinox for all I care. Just don't hate other people because they're celebrating something you don't agree with. Are some people over the top? Yes. Should it be stopped? That depends on how egregious the practice is. Would I as a Catholic take offense at a huge menorah on the lawn of my town hall? Not at all. If a person who chooses not to worship any religion gets offended at the sight of a nativity scene in front of a public school, as far as I'm concerned that's their problem. Your choice to not worship shouldn't interfere with other people's choice to show their religious beliefs.

I'm not a Bible thumper. Most people I know consider me liberal; I consider myself politically moderate. But to me the decisions to stop playing Christmas music or recognize the significance of religious beliefs at this time of year, whether they be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Taoist, Pagan (if paganism is a religion), etc., is ridiculous. It takes away from what should be a special, pleasant time of year.

Chapter 28.3: The Loneliness of the Long Distance Swimmer

There is an interesting story I just read on nytimes.com about a whale that no one can identify. Scientists have said they don’t think it’s a blue whale, the largest creature on the planet, and not the second largest whale either, but such comments intimate that they think it’s of similar size. Not discussed thoroughly is whether scientists believe this is a new species. They call it the "52 herz" whale because of where its sonorous moans register (as regular as a metronome, as the article describes.)

While the article discusses the poignancy of this lonely whale's lament, to me the article drives home how much there still is to learn about life on this planet. I don’t believe in Bigfoot, per se, but I think it’s possible for a large ape-like creature to go undetected in the vast nothingness of the remaining heavily wooded regions of the Pacific Northwest. Gorillas were once considered mythological creatures. I can’t take the Loch Ness monster seriously when science shows there isn’t a viable food source for such a creature as has been described. Yet, if the creature is smaller than people think and amphibious, perhaps the food issue is less of a problem.

The lives of the large and mysterious continue to captivate us. Perhaps it’s because we tend to think of ourselves as less than we are. "I can’t do that. I’m not that important," we say. "I can’t go there, I’m not a star." And when others do things we wouldn’t ourselves do, we say, "Who the hell does she think she is?" or "How does he get away with that?" In the meantime, we swim through our lives nearly under the radar, our voices heard in the distance but misunderstood.

I admit I feel sorry for this whale, because it seems to be so much like us. Among the things we humans need to learn and relearn is that we’re not alone. It’s said over and over, sometimes at different frequencies, but we must recognize ourselves in others.

Chapter 28.1: It Took Two.

Saw some sad and odd news today. Gary Webb, a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist, reportedly shot himself -- twice -- to death.

While it's sad in itself, the manner in which he apparently committed suicide was almost fitting in its controversy. Webb was perhaps best known for writing about an alleged CIA relationship bringing drugs to California. His paper paid thousands of dollars on his trips to Central America to establish facts in the series, which I believe came out in 1996. After the story was reported and the government pressured the paper to present its facts, the paper retracted its findings, ruining Webb's career. I expect that he swore to his death that he was right. He even wrote a book about it.

I heard him speak back in 1997 or 1998 at an Investigative Reporters and Editors conference and met him briefly. He explained that there was no way to prove without a doubt that the CIA was involved; spies are too good at lying and covering their tracks to pin them down completely. An editor shouldn't have accepted that explanation, but it doesn't mean he wasn't correct.

Now that it apparently took him two shots to the head to kill himself (the report linked above does not detail where in the head the shots went, so it is indeed possible to necessitate a second shot, as grueling as that must have been), readers are left with a fading memory of one reporter's tragic career. There's a book out there for someone.

Chapter 28: Democracy In Action?

Was it the will of the people or the action of a power-hungry despot? I couldn't say, but the recent news that Ecuador's leader removed that country's Supreme Court judges should scare anyone who believes in the separation of powers. To be fair, I don't know how much separation there had been to start. The article noted an impeachment attempt against the sitting president, who I believe got his position through a coup d'etat.

But the dramatic shift still concerns me, and I think more Americans should be aware of it. Perhaps geographically the country is about as close as Great Britain is to us. Ecuador is due south of Florida (obviously hundreds if not thousands of miles from Florida and well below the Panama Canal), though most Americans are likely oblivious of this change in its realm of the world.

I guess the world these days is America's realm. Yet, I wonder how significant President Bush considers such a dramatic move. Would he replicate it if there were a Supreme Court decision that went against his political will? I doubt he would. Even if the court allowed gay marriages and upset much of his conservative base I expect he'd be reluctant to remove most or even all of the High Court. Not even the Republican majority in both houses of Congress could support that.

With the political problems throughout much of the northern end of South America, however, the shift in Ecuador only adds to the security concerns for Americans.

Chapter 27.8: Who's Your Daddy?

Some sports news today. Reports are that Pedro Martinez is signing with my beloved N.Y. Mets. I'm not crazy about signing a 33-year-old six-inning pitcher to a four-year contract, but I don't think the signing is only about the games he'll pitch. He's going to revitalize the Hispanic -- particularly the Dominican -- population's interest in the Mets. This signing is all about selling tickets, and that's fine.

I expect that once his signing is confirmed and there's a press conference praising the future Hall of Famer joining the staff with another former Cy Young Award winner and potential HOFer, Tom Glavine, ticket sales will increase. The Mets aren't winning the division with this club in 2005. They'll be lucky to finish third. But they were reportedly 18th or 19th in ticket sales last year. That's unacceptable in the New York market. Now Omar Minaya, the general manager, needs to improve the bullpen, because Felix Heredia isn't an answer to anyone's mid-game problems.

In a different sport, I read that Mia Hamm has been named among the three potential candidates for player of the year. If she wins, it would be the third time for her. The recently retired superstar, married to Cubs shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, has been a fantastic ambassador for women's sports. I think of her as the most important soccer player in the United States. I'm not saying merely women's soccer, but all U.S. soccer. For the casual fan and especially for the non-fan who at least likes sports in general, Mia Hamm IS American soccer. Not since Alexei Lalas and the 1994 World Cup team have American players been widely recognizable.

Good luck, Mrs. Garciaparra. You deserve all the accolades of American sports fans, in my opinion.

Chapter 27.7: Planting Questions

The revelation that soldiers' questions to Sec. of Defense Rumsfeld were "planted" strikes at the problem of access the current administration allows the press. But while I consider that a notable challenge, I think the administration is suggesting something far more insidious about how they view the troops fighting the war. The suggestion the soldier couldn't have asked the question himself is insulting.

Moreover, some of Sec. Rumsfeld's responses were so poorly phrased they sounded like he was not proud of our troops. I truly hope he didn't mean what it sounded like when he said, "As you know, you have to go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you want." I don't want to believe that the nation's top official on the war effort was intimating we didn't have the types of soldiers we need to protect the nation's freedom. I hope that when he referred to the Army in that manner he meant the materiel moreso than the personnel. I never served in the military, so perhaps it's a phrase that gets tossed around in those circles, but it doesn't play well in mass media. He shouldn't have said it.

Personally, I found the Pentagon spokesperson's comments ridiculous. To say reporters have ample access to Sec. Rumsfeld and that the reporter infringed on the soldier's time is disingenous. The reporter helped a person formulate a question, keeping the guy focused -- just as a person in Sec. Rumsfeld's position is briefed on subjects that will likely be asked. Seen another way, it's one reason why writers have editors.

The laudatory response by others in the crowd indicated the soldier's view about not having proper armor was not a solitary one. I suspect this question has been asked a hundred times, and what made this time different is that it was caught on film and was embarrassing to the administration. They should be embarrassed.

Chapter 27.5: Every Vote Counts

I just read in the Washington Post that the latest recount in the Washington state gubernatorial race showed a difference of only 42 votes. Imagine that, 42 votes, out of the estimated 6.17 million that live in the state (obviously not all voters). Reportedly, the state will now recount them all by hand, and it's impossible to say whether the state will be able to inaugurate its governor as scheduled in January.

Makes me glad I live in New Jersey, where we just let the governors come and go like waiters in college town restaurants. We don't worry about democracy as much here, I guess, since we've had two state senators become acting governor in the past five years. Actually, more than that considering the weird turn over after DiFrancesco stepped down. At least they were all elected officials, even if most of the state didn't have a right to choose its chief executive.

Chapter 27.2: Throw the Bums Out

I'm choking on the discussion about steroid-abusing baseball players. Here's a novel approach that won't happen: Expel these players from Major League Baseball. I know the Player's Association won't allow it and reportedly the Collective Bargaining Agreement hadn't included steroids as banned substances back in 2002. To hell with that: they cheated, throw them out.

Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield, some of the best players of our generation abused their privileges. I don't believe them for a second that they didn't knowingly use steroid-related substances. And I would not be surprised if estimates of 50 percent of players were using them up through the 2003 season prove to be low-balling the truth.

Such discipline should fall within the Best Interests of Baseball clause, or whatever it's called, that is within the commissioner's rights. Of course, that's one major reason it won't happen: the commissioner is closely aligned with ownership, having formerly owned the Milwaukee Brewers.

Barry will continue his assault on the most precious record in baseball. Giambi will field questions about steroids with the same dexterity he shows around first base (that is, not much) for the rest of his career. And Sheff will waggle his sanctimonious words around the league once more in the Yankee uniform, which used to stand for unquestioned success. There are questions now. Chief among them in my opinion is why do we continue to allow this?

Chapter 27: The Emergence of Blogs

I've gotten pretty well sick of reading other people talk about how ubiquitous blogs have become and how they're basically useless as marketing devices.

To me, a Web log is different than a Web site. I view blogs as an electronic journal of thoughts, quickly typed, often shoddily edited (if at all) and based on opinion. A corporate Web site should be an extension of the company; a blog should be an electronic extension of the person. Semantic distinctions of corporate vs. corporeal aside, I don't care if a blog isn't an effective marketing device. Furthermore, if it is a successful marketing device, in my opinion it's not a blog, it's a Web site.

Just as a writing journal kept bedside is not a book, neither is a blog a marketing device. The bloggers that attract attention to their opinions, that's fine. But would they spout off their thoughts if there weren't readers? I know I would. I do. Those that wouldn't, good riddance.

Chapter 26.7: As Stupid Does

Jason Giambi typifies the arrogant stupidity of the modern baseball player. His acceptance of the steroid-like, performance-enhancing substances exemplifies the types of things athletes have been doing for decades, if not forever. And we as fans need to stop encouraging it with our adoration of tape-measure home runs.

In this "Be Like Mike" world of emulation of the superstars, Jason Giambi's reported testimony shows what little personal regard athletes have for their bodies. It's all about their performance. And we as fans reward them for that, further feeding their addiction to performance, to the adrenaline rush of competition. Moreover, when one athlete shows it works, others will follow.

I think I see now why this story has become so attractive to sports fans: It's not merely about what our superstars will do in the quest for glory and that they'll "deceive" the world in their quest for millions. It's about winning at all costs, not merely for the team, but for themselves. We as fans recognize that this could happen to anyone, and when it's happening to people we love to see play games we enjoy, perhaps that makes them more like us.

Just like the players who strive to be better than their competition and better than their vision of their achievements, we as fans have juiced ourselves up on our teams' successes. We're just as dumb as they are, because we delude ourselves that it's "just a game" while we engross ourselves in water cooler discussions, bets and pools, sports-centered vacations, even our dreams. Giambi is responsible for his actions, as is Gary Sheffield for his, Barry Bonds for his, Sammy Sosa for his, etc., on down the road. We should also take responsibilty for how we accept their stupidity. It's time to stop being addicted to the athletes and show respect for the game. Win, but not at all costs.

Chapter 26.4: Formulating Questions

Today there appeared an excellent article by Mike Allen in the Washington Post about the fine line White House reporters walk when asking questions of President Bush at his infrequent press conferences.

Perhaps I think about proper questioning techniques and interview strategies more than many people, since I'm a journalist, but I think anyone interested in the nuance of the president's relationship with the press would find it fascinating.

If the link fails to work (which I'll keep checking), it's in the Dec. 1 edition of the Washington Post. It appeared on page C1. I presume it was above the fold.