Jumping Cholla

Is Phil Gordon Really a Democrat?

2005-10-16T07:37:00.000-07:00

Phil's going to lose his Democrat up and commer status if he keeps going.

Gordon and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who have been friends for about two years, met recently in Los Angeles to talk about public safety issues.
[...]
"At this point, it's just establishing the will to think outside of the box . . . and not have to rely on the federal government," Gordon said.

After all the post-Katrina fighting whether FEMA/FedGov should/could have acted sooner or if it was a state/local responsibility, it is amazing that Phil is going to act like a libertarian and take responsibility for his own city's preparedness. Wouldn't the Democrat way be to insist the feds be ready to instantly pluck us from disaster and then care for our every need?

But there's more. Phil is on a campaign to get rid of a 17 year old Phoenix business because he doesn't like it. Teaser's is a small topless bar on Camelback at 7th Avenue and will have to move because of the light rail project.

"I don't believe our city should be opening up these businesses, whether it's because of a light rail relocation or not," said Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon. "This city isn't going to build its future on sexually-oriented businesses. That's a false economy, and not one I'm going to rely on."

Apparently Phil's been watching (figuratively) Teaser's for a while now, and just waiting for an opportunity to get rid of it.

Gordon said that for many years Teaser's had a negative impact on the neighborhood near its previous location on Camelback Road, and relocating to near another neighborhood is "something I won't support."

Gordon said that [bar owner] DiBernardo will be "fully compensated, not only for the real estate, but for the business operation, as required by law."

He said he understands the city may have to pay more because of the license being denied.

"To save a few dollars at the expense of a neighborhood is something that I can't support," he said.

So let me get this straight, he couldn't do anything as a councilman about a bar in his District 4 through zoning or liquor law violations, but now that he's the mayor and the business has to relocate (and wants to relocate to an industrial area on Grand Avenue) he's going to block the new location and shell out extra taxpayer money to buy out the business rather than just relocation money.

Is there anyone that doesn't think this sounds like a conservative bible-thumping Republican twisting use of the law for his own moralist ends? Or maybe he's a Socialist, it seems like he wants economic control, dictating which businesses are allowed in his Phoenix economy of the future.

Women Drivers?

2005-10-14T11:02:00.000-07:00

Maybe, says the King of the House of Saud in an interview with Barbara Walters. "Driving licenses for women 'will require patience. In time, I believe it will be possible,' the king said in the ABC report, which was posted on the Internet. But when pressed on whether he would legalize female driving, Abdullah indicated Saudi men were too conservative for such a step any time soon."

This from a country that waited until 1962 to outlaw slavery! Where female circumcision is still practiced. Where honor killing is committed by the (former) king's elder brother. Where women require permission from their male head of household to travel.

This isn't "conservative". It is domineering, repressive, controlling, abusive. "Saudi" Arabia has a lot more serious problems that need solved. Watch Barbara Walters slow pitch to the King tonight on 20/20 and Nightline.

Assume the Worst?

2005-10-11T05:27:00.000-07:00

Here's another example where someone assumes the worst. The Cowboy Artists of America don't have any women members. Their website has photos of all of them and yep, no women. So Melissa Morrison and Eileen O'Connell are organizing a protest of the sale and exhibition at the Phoenix Art Museum.

The article says "Cynthia Rigden has sought membership in the Cowboy Artists of America." Well for one thing, membership is by invitation only, there is no application. Since these are probably 'stand on your own two feet, independent coyboys', I'm thinking that they don't take too kindly to anyone trying to get a member to nominate them. And maybe this bunch of guys does have a back room agreement to keep women out like Morrison says. But she would be able to convince me if there were some breakdown about how many total invitations there were, how many were approved and the gender breakdown.

There's other activities that go with membership regarding promoting "the spirit of the old American West". Maybe the CAA didn't take to Rigden because of her view as her place as an artist ... "Yet she doesn't call herself a 'western artist.' Rather she is an artist who comes from the West."

I can be convinced, but it has to be something more than "I can't imagine any other reason" or "it just has to be that way." That's what the Intelligent Design" crowd says.

DARPA Grand Challenge

2005-10-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

The DARPA Grand Challenge (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is over. Stanford University's Stanley is the winner of the two million dollar prize. Two entries from Carnegie Mellon (a robotics research powerhouse) were close behind. The challenge was to have a vehicle navigate and drive itself along a 131 mile course in the Mojave Desert with a number of obstacles along the route including off-road driving, cattle guards and tunnels. Congratulations to all the students that participated, this is priceless experience even without the engineering challenges.

One of the other team leaders comments at Slashdot about how DARPA wanted to finally get some practical results out of their money which sounds like a good idea to me. "The whole Grand Challenge was created because of unhappiness at DARPA with the rate of progress in mobile robotics. DARPA has been pouring robotics money into CMU and Stanford for thirty years, without getting much back. The head of DARPA, Dr. Tony Tether, decided that it was time to do something about that. It worked."

Then I was intrigued when I saw that Kieran Healy writing about the race. What might a UA sociology professor find interesting about a military sponsored, engineering project? But then it all came clear in the second paragraph when he takes a jab at DARPA. They invented the Internet, but they invented bad things too like "microwave-based riot-control/torture devices". The article doesn't say anything about torture, just that it was under test for riot control. So I'm curious how the leap was made from non-lethal crowd control to torture. Is it an assumption of the worst possible scenario? Is it true that certain groups always make the negative assumption? Hollywood's portrayal of the military is heavily, if not completely, negatively biased. But then why didn't the anti-war crowd assume Saddam had massive quantities of biological and chemical weapons? He had them because he used them (on Iran and the Kurds) and resisted proving he had destroyed them. So why assume the worst about the U.S. military and yet give a torturer, murderer (he killed his own son-in-law) and user of WMD a pass? I dunno, sounds like a question for a sociology professor.

Google Changes Government of 22,000,000 People

2005-10-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

I saw this this morning and decided to wait for Google to fix it. Hey, everybody makes mistakes. (Microsoft MapPoint labeled Kashmir as disputed territory upsetting some Indians.) There's nothing on Google's Blog yet, so it is starting to look like they're waffling on how to keep communist China (and the revenue stream) happy.

Taiwan is no more a province of communist China than Kuwait is the 19th province of Iraq. No matter how many times communist China says it (or even Google), doesn't make it true.

PS. Blogspot's (owned by Google) spell checker doesn't know "Google".

FEMA Needs a Brain

2005-10-04T17:02:00.000-07:00

I've held back from blaming FEMA or the LA govenor or N.O. mayor or whoever for the fiasco of Katrina preparedness and recovery. Yeah, things could have been better but it's a tough job too so I didn't join in the dogpile of pointing fingers. But now they've just so obviously lost it. Phoenix sent a Fire Department's Urban Search and Rescue team with four Phoenix police officers that had been deputized as U.S. Marshals. Now FEMA is suspending the Phoenix team because the officers were armed!

These teams are supposed to arrive self-supporting for a number of days so it isn't like the 4 officers were adding to the FEMA logistics problems. And even without Katrina 20-20 hindsight, there aren't that many emergency situations where armed officers might not be needed. Apparently FEMA wasn't providing security for the fire fighters and yet wouldn't allow them to supply their own security?! And by what legal authority do they think they can disarm U.S. Marshals?

FEMA needs to take a long look and decide what side they're on.

Variable Tuition Rates?

2005-10-04T05:09:00.000-07:00

The State Press is reporting: "ASU President Michael Crow said the University is ready to make tuition different for each academic level and degree program as soon as next fall, the first step in his 10-year plan to increase access to ASU."

Apparently the Board of Regents approved different tuition levels in April and Crow is proposing implementing it by student year and college. This doesn't sound like such a great idea to me. "This would make it easier for individuals to access the University programs that are focused on their own interests, he [Crow] said." How does a variable rate between colleges increase access if my interest is History? Or are they planning on luring freshmen with low tuition and increasing tuition the longer they stay? And while the true worth of a degree is the education, there's bound to be comparisons between students, "My degree cost more so my degree is better." Is that what they want? Divisiveness?

And I'm interested in the who and how of the tuition setting process. Will it be set based on the relative "worth" of a degree as seen by Crow or someone else? From the power politics view, ASU has long been a cesspool. (Those that swim in it probably don't see it that way.) This just creates a new fiefdom to which the colleges must pay respect. Or it is a power grab? It depends on who is setting the tuition. Could tuition based on the size of the college's budget? Or could it be based on wanting to "help" a college with low enrollment? What about students that haven't picked a major yet? This whole thing is starting to stink.

But wait, Crow isn't done yet. He wants to split things up between the ASU campuses.

Although he admitted students might be wary of attending the extended campuses at first, thinking the quality of education would not be the same, Crow said there would be "equally good stuff on all the campuses."
[...]
While the same majors will not be available on all the campuses, the quality of degrees will be comparable. "A student can get a degree in English or something that looks like English on all campuses," he said. [emphasis added]

What the hell does that mean? This is a university president speaking? If a different president had said this you know it would be hanging on the Bushism Hall of Shame.

The Real Killers?

2005-10-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago today O.J. Simpson was found innocent of criminal charges in the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. If a jury found him innocent, then that's the decision.

But back then he said

"When things have settled down a bit I will pursue as my primary goal in life the killer or killers who slaughtered Nicole and Mr. Goldman. They are out there somewhere. Whatever it takes to identify them and bring them in, I will provide somehow."

So ... O.J. ... have you caught the real killers yet? Or are you signing autographs at a Los Angeles horror convention?

Pull Down That American Flag?

2005-09-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

The City of Scottsdale bought a big tent structure recently. It is white and most of it is covered with an equally big American flag. It's just north of Frank Lloyd Wright and east of the 101. Now some people are complaining about the flag.

[Barbara] Barr said it was disrespectful to use the American flag to draw attention to for-profit events like car auctions and horse shows. "It looks like we have a circus tent in the middle of the desert - it just doesn't fit," she said. "To put it like they did is a misuse of the flag."

I drive past it daily, and it doesn't look inappropriate or a misuse to me. And I didn't think it was tacky either.

"I think anything would look better than that big flag," resident Marcia Fisher said. "That's all you see when you drive by. It's just really tacky."

Marcia, I don't think there's anything that would look better.

What is tacky, is that PatchLink semi trailer sitting near there as a billboard in a blatant attempt to get around the city sign ordinances. It isn't part of any nearby construction and it's been sitting there for months.
(I'll get some pictures posted tomorrow morning.)

UPDATE: (click the pictures for bigger version)

The flag from 92nd St & Bahia. Yes, it is big.

The advertising at the corner of 101 access road and Bahia.

Serenity Wrap-up (no spoilers)

2005-09-28T21:49:00.000-07:00

WOW!

If you're an SF fan, or have seen any of the Firefly TV series, or are an action/adventure buff, or a libertarian, man is this your flick! Simple theme with a not overly complex, but still compelling story wrapped around it. You can see it without having seen any of the TV series because each character's role is introduced but you can see deeper into the characters if you've already met them. And wow, does stuff happen in this movie!

I'm worried that the general public may not get it. But then I don't know how it could have been done any better. Leave the pre-teens at home, and maybe some of the teenagers too: there's a heap o' violence and I think the theme needs to be appreciated.

I'm sure to go see it again this weekend and will do a better job as an observer/critic for a better review. This time I was totally wrapped up in the movie.

Serenity Tonight!

2005-09-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

To get to see Serenity (for free tonight, general release Friday), the movie based on the Firefly TV series, I'm supposed to post this link to the movie.

Since I loved the series, I'll probably like the movie too but I'll try to write an objective review afterwards. (Glenn had to do it too.)

UPDATE: I am supposed to include the synopsis they gave me ...

Joss Whedon, the OscarR - and Emmy - nominated writer/director responsible for the worldwide television phenomena of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE, ANGEL and FIREFLY, now applies his trademark compassion and wit to a small band of galactic outcasts 500 years in the future in his feature film directorial debut, Serenity. The film centers around Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a hardened veteran (on the losing side) of a galactic civil war, who now ekes out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire aboard his ship, Serenity. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family -squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal.

McCain/Sheehan

2005-09-28T05:31:00.000-07:00

Cindy Sheehan met with Sen. McCain Tuesday. Why is the MSM so hyper-focused on this anti-war protestor? How many stories and column inches have been devoted to her? Compare that to the dearth of stories devoted to mothers like Margaret Johnson, who attended the pro-troops rally in Washington. Sheehan is no more newsworthy than any of these other moms. So she camped outside Bush's ranch in an attempt to meet with him. There's a lot of tragic stories in the country, she already met with Bush once after her son died, maybe she could give someone else a chance?

And check out the bottom of the article,

Karen Pomer, a spokeswoman for Sheehan, said, "She's exhausted and she's not feeling well, but she intends to meet her obligations."

Wow, Cindy has a spokesperson! I won't question that she went to Texas on her own but from further activities it seems pretty clear that she's a pawn for the anti-war left. When they can't wring any more publicity out of her, she'll get dumped.

Live Music?

2005-09-27T17:31:00.000-07:00

Could one of you Web 2.0 guys do up an app that combines a calendar with an RSS feed for local music venues, bands and concerts? Something so I can track favorite local bands, big name groups when they do concerts here, of course links to band and venue web sites. And a mash-up with Google Maps. And based on my selections, make suggestions of other bands I might want to see. And not just Ticketmaster or Celebrity's upcoming, but the little places too. Think the next generation of New Times music search.

The business model is advertising and referals to ticket agencies. If there's already something out there like this please let me know.

The Guardian: Dolphins

2005-09-26T16:55:00.000-07:00

Leave it to the Guardian to take one person's claims, not do any further investigation of the claim and present it as news. And the claim just doesn't stand the test of logic.

The claim is that the U.S. Navy was training dolphins near New Orleans to attack terrorist divers with "toxic darts". And that when hurricane Katrina hit, the armed dolphins escaped into the Gulf of Mexico.

'My concern is that they have learnt to shoot at divers in wetsuits who have simulated terrorists in exercises. If divers or windsurfers are mistaken for a spy or suicide bomber and if equipped with special harnesses carrying toxic darts, they could fire,' he said. 'The darts are designed to put the target to sleep so they can be interrogated later, but what happens if the victim is not found for hours?'

The Guardian makes it seem there are multiple "expert" sources for this information but really it is only one, Leo Sheridan, who claims that several people told him. No word on who these people are. Could they have followed up and got direct quotes?

But let's think about this. For one thing, the darts certainly wouldn't be toxic. Anesthetic, maybe. But the military is in the killing business, not the toxic or knockout business. Sure, patrols are sent out to capture enemy prisoners for intelligence purposes. Counting on a dolphin for that just doesn't sail. If anything the dolphin would be trained to kill.

Second, during training to attack divers the dolphins wouldn't be loaded with any kind of live ammo.

Third, the dolphins wouldn't be armed all the time but only during training. Maybe a harness but certainly not a weapon.

Fourth, you'd have to assume that every Navy officer, civilian scientist and trainer heard about category 5 Katrina coming their way and thought "Let's leave these highly valuable creatures loaded with dangerous weapons attached so that when something bad happens I can get fired or court martialled." Duh.

This doesn't pass the smell test. Multiple, verified sources next time, OK? And more facts, that way you won't have to pad the article with background material.