Travels

Went to Las Vegas for a conference. Still don't like that city, cannot understand spending my hard earned money to visit such a fake, phony, depressing place. And it's no longer cheap. I won't even go in to the water that is wasted on that desert oasis, what an environmental nightmare. Conference was good, so at least I had that.

Houston: Went here in March for a couple of days for work. Stayed in the Museum District, which is a nice area of the city, near Rice University. It wasn't bad. The city wasn't as sprawling as I expected and there were a lot of parks, at least near where I stayed. Got to meet Bob Dole, a Republican I can stand. Had dinner in the Museum of Natural History dinosaur room, that was cool. I guess low expectations and good food and a schedule that only shows you the nice areas does wonders for impressions

WalMart

WalMart sues a former employee who was hit my a tractor trailer truck leaving her an invalid. WalMart actually paid out money for her care because she actually paid money into their horrible insurance plan. But WalMart has a clause in their plan that allows them the right to recoup medical expenses if an employee collects damages in a lawsuit. Even though this settlement is designed to help her be able to live for the rest of her life in the nursing home where she is confined. Doesn't matter to WalMart. Doesn't matter to WalMart that her son was just killed fighting in Iraq (think the family needed the money and/or that seemed like his best option for a better life due to the GI Bill). Just an awful company. I will not shop there, I never have shopped there, and I am very proud I live in a city (even if it was the powerful grocer union that was responsible) that told them to take their little yellow price cutting thing and and his price cutting sword and haul ass back to Arkansas. Read for yourself below.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/25/walmart.insurance.battle/index.html

Five years

For 5 years we have been in this awful war. A war that has cost us upwards of $3 trillion, has made us much less safe, has made the US hated across the world, and has killed 4,000 US soldiers, and tens of thousands of Iraqis. Oil is trading over $110 a barrel, our economy is in the shit and going down fast, yet people care what some candidate's pastor said. Well you know, if this country elects McCain to continue this fucking war (100 years, he doesn't care), the environmental destruction of this administration, the economic policies of Bush, etc., I will say God Damn America because this will no longer be a country in which I want to live. I am truly disgusted, angry, and just plain sad that dumb people in this country may elect another Bush term. The last 7 years have been so good?? Are you that fucking stupid??? I am at a loss.....

Foxwoods

I have not been to Foxwoods in years have not been to a casino since 2004 when I was in Las Vegas (a city I really dislike, but that's another story). There was a time for maybe a year when I went to the casino way too much and I will not deny I do enjoy craps. It's a fun and exciting game, but I especially found my trip to Las Vegas too depressing. Just the degenerate, depressing factor was too much. I though that might be my last time at a casino

But I saw myself in Foxwoods this weekend because my friend George had a "party" and was generous enough to provide me a room free of charge. First things first, getting there is not easy from New York. The idea of taking the bus there (5 hours seemed too long) so I took the train to New Haven and then the bus from there, with stops at New London and Mohegan Sun prior to the big obelisk of greed in the wilds of Southeastern Connecticut. The thing is like a tapeworm, it just gets bigger and uglier as time goes on.

First the good, my hotel room was very spacious, I saw George, his 2 brothers, his sister's husband and our friend Sean. We had a fair amount of laughs and we had a nice dinner at the Cedar steakhouse. It was a fun time

But now my analysis of the bad and fascinating, often the same person, who are these other denizens of the casino?

Old people, really old people, spending their retirement money. At least those at the tables are doing something, it's those at the slots just mindlessly putting money into the machines that make me want to go to the bar.

Frat boys wearing baseball caps who needed to be punched in college, still do.

White trash with bad teeth, worse clothes, and even worse sense of what is fashionable jewelry but who is playing $100 a hand blackjack. Where do they get this money? Are they truly gambling the rent money, did they win the lawsuit against the A&P? Who are these people, they fascinate me.

Asians: I don't want to stereotype, but Asians do like to gamble and they do play a lot of games that I don't understand. Py Gow poker, baccarat...? The number of Chinatown buses I saw was pretty impressive. But they're there for a reason, very businesslike, I can respect that.

Girls with big hair and bad make-up, often chewing gum with names like Crystal and Tiffany, but probably spelled Krystal and Tiffani. They often seem to be playing blackjack, Roulette, and occasionally craps. Rather harmless, though their perfume could play havoc with your sinuses.

Fat girls. we're not talking girls with some junk in the trunk, we're talking a double wide in polyester pants and Quacker Factory finery (not familiar, good lord http://www.quackerfactory.com/). They usually limit themselves to slots.

Other observations, there is a reason they give out a free coupon to the buffet with your bus ticket. The food is poop. Watching an old women, maybe 80, get off the bus and run to the escalator so she can spend her Social Security checks even quicker. Though sad, 80 year old women running are sort of funny.

People love their Wampum card, it's the I gamble a lot card. I shouldn't scoff, it paid for my room, but damn if the pit boss doesn't acknowledge the Wampum Card in 2 seconds, there is hell to pay.

Lastly, we treated the Indians like shit, we put them in reservations after killing off their society which was a hell a lot more advanced than Europe in 1492. But is giving the descendants of these people some weird ability to allow gambling and tax free cigarettes on their land really the best way to make it up to them? For those Indians, and I have heard questions about the legitimacy of their claim, in Connecticut, it's a gold mine. But for the Navajo and Apache who don't live a 4 hour drive from 30 million Americans, is it really a help to them?

John McCain

The Straight Talk Express continues to careen down the embankment and off the cliff and takes the sycophant press with them smiling the entire time because Johnny boy is a regular guy they want to have a beer with. Wasn't that how we got Bush?

Anyway while Obama had to defend himself because Farrakhan made some nice comments about him which he in no way asked for, McCain enthusiastically accepted the endorsement of one John Hagee. Who is John Hagee? Besides looking like Jabba the Hut's ugly fatter cousin, he is one of the most hate filled bigots on the Christian right (and that's a line where it's really hard to get to the front). Like Pat Robertson who loves to blame natural disasters on some offense to god, he stated that Hurricane Katrina was an act of God to punish New Orleans "for a level of sin that was offensive to God." That level of sin, a gay pride parade was scheduled for the city the day the storm hit. Nearly 2,000 Americans die, a great city is ruined, and he takes that as a good thing to be celebrated. Well, we haven't even gotten started.

Hagee is one of the post crazily pro-Israel people you are going to ever see, he's to the right of Likud, but why is this? A great love for Israel or the Jewish people?? Well, not so much. He only supports Israel because Israel being in Jewish hands allows the Rapture and once Jesus returns (millions of people really believe this crazy ass shit) any Jew who doesn't convert will be sent into the fires of hell with all the other nonbelievers. I wouldn't exactly call that a friend to Israel, but it doesn't stop Hagee's BFFs like Joe Lieberman and AIPAC from getting in bed with him. As an aside, it seems to me as a rather disinterested person in the Israel matter, except that I wish each side would stop kill one another over some desolate rocks, that Hagee is not the man for those of whom Israel is a very important cause to be buddies with, seeing that he wants all out war with Jerusalem and Tel Aviv as the front line, but that's just me.

So who are these other nonbelievers? I think you might have to put the Catholics in that group going by what Hagee has said about the Catholic church. These include calling the church "the great whore," a "false cult system," and "the apostate church."

Oh, and like seemingly every televangelist he has become filthy rich bilking his dumb flock who he robs blind, but it seems like that is a prerequisite to succeed in the right wing machine of hypocrisy and hate.

Imagine for a moment if Obama had happily accepted an endorsement from Farrakhan? What sort of outrage would have been seen? His campaign would have been over, yet McCain accepts, hell he sought out this endorsement from an end timer, hater of science, someone who wants to attack Iran (that's a whole other batshit rant of his), bigot. Where is the press. Oh wait, "McCain is our buddy, we can ignore this."

Well you can ignore it, but the Democratic party better not. Whether it's Obama or Hillary who pulls out some miracle, I submit that Hagee and McCain hugging each other be broadcast in commercials across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and other battleground states with heavy Catholic populations and among all sane people who don't welcome an apocalypse with open arms. Let the press be the pathetic sheep who can't do their jobs because they want to have a beer with McCain, but let us look at this as our own manna from heaven and use the endorsement of this hate filled lunatic to beat McCain and the other GOP candidates over the head until we win back the White House and a veto proof majority in the Senate.

Palm Springs

This was my recent most trip. Went there this past Sunday, came home late Wednesday. It was a work trip, so I won't bore you with that. I did get to see Malcolm Gladwell speak, and he was very good. I read the Tipping Point and found it interesting. Also saw the guy who was the real character of the Catch Me If You Can movie. He was OK.

I got to play golf at PGA West (Stadium Course). I don't play golf much anymore now that I live in NYC, so I didn't know what to expect. I played fairly well, though my pitching was weak. You lose your touch if you don't play a lot. I did drive the ball well and did hit the green on the 17th (famous hole it has an island green).

Before my round I had my swing videotape analyzed by Phil Blackmar who played on the PGA tour (he also played a couple of holes with us). It was rather sad. He asked how often I played. I said a couple of times a year. He said "if that's the case, you're fine." My grip is bad and my swing is ugly, but it's pretty effective. He was a really nice guy and as a former winner of the GHO (note, I am a golf nerd. If there was a golf nerd handicap, I would be a scratch player) he's my new favorite player on the Senior Tour (he just turned 50).

I stayed at the La Quinta resort, which is a bit nicer than the La Quinta Hotel chain. I have stayed at resorts like this before, they are nice but without a car you're sort of trapped there like you're in a gilded cage. For three days, though, it's not a bad place to be trapped. Cage me anytime!

Anyway, it was sunny the entire time there and the 10 day forecast was sun, sun, sun. Is may be just me, but I think I would eventually grow to hate the sun. There is no variety, except the temperature. Doesn't that get boring? Wouldn't cloudiness and maybe even a bit of rain spice things up? Can 80 and sunny (though in the summer it's more like sunny and 120) become tedious, to me I think it would. But I'm sort of weird.

In closing, Palm Springs seems like a nice place to visit, especially if you like golf (flying there it was either desert or golf course below) and it's especially nice in February coming from New York. Next up, Houston. I go there in 2 weeks.

My first post

This blog will be exactly its title, as I will post about whatever interests me. So what are those things.

I live in New York City, so there will be posts about the goings on in the city. What I hear, what I see, what I do. You may see posts on sports, entertainment, stories of my crazy friends. I enjoy traveling and have been a fair amount of places, so that may be covered. You may also see some reviews of movies, events, restaurants. You will probably also see a lot of posts on politics. As a person who plans to move out of this country if another republican is elected, I think it's easy to see where my politics lie. Bush is a disgrace and 01/20/09 cannot come quickly enough. So if politics do not interest you, you can ignore my anti-present US government diatribes.