Base10Blog
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
 
Beach Photo of the Day

rockawayboardwalk, originally uploaded by base10blog.

This is a picture of the Rockaway boardwalk at about Beach 108 or there abouts. It was taken in RAW mode and converted to jpg format.

Hey, I'm starting to run out of beach pics. I may have to go back this weekend!


 
Another Thing I Hate About Politics

Base10 saw a campaign commercial for Anthony Weiner. In it he suggested a tax cut--for the middle class of course. He said it would be funded by a small tax increase on the rich. I don't know, but it always seems that in these calculations, I end up being the rich taxee (even though I'm only a humble civil servant) instead of getting anything back.

But that's not what annoys me. As a matter of fact, this commercial didn't even feature the metaphor I'm about to describe--although the class warfare issue just mentioned come very close. Base10 hates when politicians use the 'fighting' metaphor.

You've heard it. Politician X will 'fight' for you. Politician Y is "fighting to protect the rights of women/men/children." Who exactly are you fighting? Is there a big enemy? Can you tell me who it is? The response is usually the "political establishment." You know, City Hall or Albany or DC insiders. But isn't the politician using the fight metaphor also one of that ilk?

I think the fight metaphor is really a way to divert attention from the fact that you're offering no real policy change. It's very easy to claim that, "I'll fight for you!" or make vacuous statements like "I'm against drugs in schools." These statements don't mean anything and don't commit the candidate to any real reform. Not there's anything wrong with running on the status quo if that's your position, but when was the last time you heard a candidate say that they would keep things exactly as they are. The fight metaphor candidate is really doing just that.

What about some suggestions for real reform? Is anybody making a plan to slash the size of city government and eliminate some city agencies? Do we really need a Department of Cultural Affairs? How about real and substantial tax cuts to spur growth? The City government should not be merely a jobs program. Where are the suggestions to privatize operations like the Department of Sanitation--services which operate privately at far lower cost in most cities. Health and Hospitals can surely privatize some hospital facilities as can the Department of Education. Why aren't we talking about these issues?

I'm not suggesting that all city services be privatized. Police and Fire must ceretainly remain core government services, but frankly just about everything else is up for grabs. The bottom line is each of these groups represent constituencies that the candidates do not wish to offend. So instead of beginning a debate in earnest they merely assert that they will "fight for you." If you ever hear this expression, try to figure out exactly what new policy this candidate will use to win this fight.


 
Katrina Update

It seems that saying New Orleans was 'spared' was really premature. Eighty percent of the city is underwater and one of the levees was breached. The last Base10 heard, the Army Corp of Engineers had committed every possible resource to closing the breach.

Base10 saw some of the rescues. In one scene, a Coast Guardsman was lowered to the rooftop of a submerged house and broke through the roof with an axe to rescue a mother and child.

In other storm news, prisoners were rioting and had taken hostages in a New Orleans prison. In addition, at least two parishes have declared martial law. There are also reports of widespread looting.

The Superdome--whose roof had breached during the storm--was being used to house those rescued. The situation there was getting worse as well with barely working sanitary facilities. (It is safe to say that the Saints will miss their season opener).

Declaring a state of emergency, residents could return only with photo I’D and only temporarily to retrieve personal effects. Otherwise, residents were told to stay away for an entire month. Experts believe the death toll will be well into the hundreds and insurance commentators expect losses to exceed $26 billion.

Once again, Base10's prayers go out to the victims of this calamity.


Tuesday, August 30, 2005
 
World War II Should be Lesson to Germans on Appeasing Foreign Dictators

"Katrina Should be A Lesson To US on Global Warming" - Der Spiegel. (Actually, Spiegel is just highlighting what's in other German papers).

Even the NY Times disagrees!

Via Drudge.
 
Beach Photo of the Day

birdandseaweed, originally uploaded by base10blog.

Hey, it's bird. It's on the beach. What can I say?


 
Mayoral Race

Electoral politics in New York City is always interesting--and largely Democratic until someone breaks the mold. The Primaries are held a week after Labor day. This insures--what's the word?--minimal participation by all except the party faithful. This system works beautifully for a Democrat. The machine turns out the vote in early September and then once the general election comes, the five-to-one Democratic majority kicks in and you're a shoe-in.

My hats off also to the fellow who decided that the mayoral election must be an off-year affair. This way no Republican candidate could get a "coattail" effect from a popular Republican running for national office.

This system works beautifully for an entrenched Democrat. Except, the city has had a Republican mayor for the last twelve years. How did this happen? Easy, populist Republicans made the Democrats the victims of their own strategy. By minimizing participation in the primaries, politicians aspiring to the generally open Repuiblican ticket could get on the ballot in November. They dicovered that populism works in this city. While the Dems are fond of interest group politics, they have become incapable of getting up on a soapbox and promising crime reduction, lower taxes and schools that actually educate their children. Republican populism, as embodied by Giuliani and Bloomberg, have generally delivered on all three. (For the purpose of argument, we'll forgive Mayor Mike his tax increase in the wake of 9/11--and both men their ridiculous ignorance of the Police collective bargaining situation).

So while Democrats have tried to buy the necessary primary votes by promising the moon and stars to community groups and local political clubs, Republicans have appealed directly to the mass voter. By framing the contest in this light, the Republicans win.

Make no mistake though, it takes a Republican with quite a bit of stature to pull this off. Giuliani managed it with a prosecutor's backround and fiery rhetoric about crime. Throw in Dinkins' abject failure in Crown Heights and you have a winner. Like him or not, Bloomberg has brought a businessman's common sense to City Hall. While many people did not believe in the "millionaire mayor" early on, he has clearly been successful.

So what's going to happen? Ferrer and C. Virginia Fields are still playing yesterdays political race game. Gifford Miller and Anthony Weiner are lightweights--and each of them have been sucking up to the teacher's union in most ungentlemanly fashion lately. (Remember boys, Randi hasn't backed a winner in a long time).

In the end, it really doesn't matter what the Dems do. None of the Democrats possess the gravitas necessary to replace Mayor Mike. The only way Mike Bloomberg is not getting elected is if he's found in bed with a twelve-year old boy. (And in this city, he still might get elected)!

Base10 also gets a kick out of the ridiculous campaign commercials run by the Democrats. Did you know Ferrer shined shoes as a boy? I'm sure that reflects on your ability to lead a big city. Did you know Gifford Miller wants crime out of our schools? Shockingly original, that.

Base10's bold prediction: Fernando Ferrer wins the primary after a runoff with Gifford Miller. Bloomberg easily defeats Ferrer in the general election. Remember, this is an official prediction.


Monday, August 29, 2005
 
Base10's Day

Base10's day today didn't completely suck! That's certainly a mark in the win column as far as he's concerned. It was pretty busy. As a matter of fact, I looked around and it was 5:30 before I knew it. In any event, Base10 is still involved in the "very important project" but that gravy train will probably end soon.

While Base10 did not catch preseason MNF for any length of time, he did watch Maria Sharapova just about kill he competition this evening. A sad note about the match: Maria is no longer emiting that high pitched squeal whenever she hits the ball. I don't believe there were any major upsets today, but I have not really checked the results on Yahoo.

BTW. Please add to your Labor Day sports schedule the World Cup Qualifier between Mexico and the US of A. Big battle here if you're into that other kind of football game.


 
Beach Photo of the Day

tidal, originally uploaded by base10blog.

Another color photo! Anyway, this is from Rockaway and was taken with the EOS 20D straight to a jpg and digitally altered using the highlight/shadow tool.


 
Base10's Press Camera

Base10's press camera has shipped! W00t! When last checked, the package was residing at a UPS facility in Phoenix, AZ. Resting up for it's long trip to New York, no doubt. The first thing I'm going to do is to get a polaroid back to test exposures. I can also run a few rolls through the roll film holder. I can't wait.


 
A Good Week

This morning begins the US Open. This means that this week and next is an appropriate time to feign illness and go over to Flushing Meadow to watch. I have to see about getting in as a "filler"--a person who runs from match to match to fill empty seats for the TV cameras.

The Open is a bit pricey, though. But who doesn't mind playing paying $8 for a plastic cup of warm Budweiser? Hmm, if there's a Met day game on Thursday, I may have the makings of a plan here.

All in all, this next week or so figures to be a pretty good week in sports. I believe the first NCAAF game is Thursday and the College Football kickoff is on Saturday. Monday night brings a matchup between Florida State and Miami--an excellent prospect for a game.

Of course, looking forward to post-Labor Day joy, the NFL kicks off ten short days from now.


 
Hurricane Katrina

Base10 was watching the coverage of hurricane Katrina this morning. It looks like New Orleans was spared from a full frontal assault, but will still suffer plenty of damage. New Orleans authorities had set up the Superdome as an emergency shelter for thos who couldn't evacuate. NBC had a reporter inside when the roof started to breach. Some portions of the roof opened up allowing rain to pour in. It was getting worse over the course of the hour I was watching.

New Orleans, of course, is not designed well for hurricanes. It is basically in a bowl that would essentially fill with water if hit by the storm head on. It looks like they ducked it this time, but there's going to be plenty of damage.

It looks like Louisiana and Mississippi will get the brunt of the damage. As another not-so-fun fact, 25% of the US oil supply comes from refineries in that area.

Base10's prayers go out all those effected by the storm.


Sunday, August 28, 2005
 
The Mets and The Jets

How shall we say? Today the Mets have once again failed to meet expectations. Today's 4-1 loss to San Fran is certainly not good, especially given Saturday's 2-1 loss. Still, going 5-7 on the road in the West Coast is no shabby achievement.

Well, enjoy your day off boys. Tuesday begins the end of the season. What you do in the next month will make all the difference.

The Jets also dissapointed yesterday. The defense did look great. They scored all of the 14 points scored by the Jets in the game. Chad and the offense, however, looked pretty lame. Still, it's only the preseason and when you're showing only plain vanilla on offense, it's hard to shine. And of course, you can win a Superbowl with a defense like that, in spite of an anemic offense.


 
Daily Beach :Pic

rocksandwater, originally uploaded by base10blog.

This was the jetty near the surfer's beach. Beach 85th Street or thereabouts. I used the highlight/shadow tool to bring out the sky since it was very hazy.

Base10 will by busy with fantasy football preparation today so posting will b e light.


Saturday, August 27, 2005
 
Daily Beach Pic


As promised, today's beach picture is up. I badly over exposed this image and was amazed to see that Photoshop could actually clean this up. Using the shadow/highlight tool I managed to salvage this. I like it. It has an otherworldly quality to it.
Friday, August 26, 2005
 
Buchanan Calls for Carter Recall, Too
"Nader Wants Feds to Issue Ford Advisory" - AP.
 
Daily Beach Pic


This photo was taken at Rockaway near the surfer's beach. The exposure value was adjusted slightly in RAW mode and the highlights were enhanced using Photoshop to bring out the color of the foam in the surf. See. I actually do take color photographs on occassion.
 
The Amazins' Strike Back!

Pedro pitched a gem last night (no-hitter up until the sixth inning) as the Mets swept Arizona. Dominating pitching throughout most of the game one this one 3-1 as the recently explosive bats quieted down a bit. (Hey, it's not really a quality win unless you score 14 or more runs. What can I say?)

The only astonishing thing I saw was Randolph take out Heilman to put in Hernandez--who prmptly gave up a run. But it's a four-game sweep so Willie get a play on this one.

Tonight's action pits the Mets against a poor but recently resurgent San Fran club. It is also a dreaded 10PM start. (On the bright side, the two games over the weekend are 4PM starts--a much more civilized time to play baseball, IMHO).

Perhaps while you wait for Mets action, you will tune into the Jets-Giants preseason battle for New York (or at least that part of New York located in the Meadowlands). Remember, the Jets and Giants had a little scuffle at the beginning of the month during a joint scrimage. Giants coach Tom Coughlin apparently complained that the Jets were hitting too hard during the practice session, to which the Jets defensive coordinator replied, "That's how we practice." Interested fans can therefore tune in tonight to see if the Giants do indeed play like girls. (I take that back--comparing the Giants to a bunch of girls is an insult to girls everywhere).

The Jets-Giants game is usually the best of the bunch. The third week of preseason is usually the best. Players are playing at game speed and the starters spend a lot of time on the field, as opposed to the fourth week when coaches tend to rest their starters. I'm looking forward to it.

And please, no angry comments. I love the Giants, too.


 
Why Fantasy Football Matters

In spite of the fact that I'm not all that good at it, Fantasy Football is a great endeavor for any football fan.

The best thing about fantasy football is that it gives you a reason to watch every game. You usually have either a player or someone you're interested in in every game if not on every team. You also get a much deeper understanding of the sport--essentially you go from rooting to play calling.

Base10 doesn't like any of his potential keepers this year. He has Ben Rothlisberger, (sp?) but his numbers aren't all that great--the Steelers success last year was a team effort. Indeed, Tom Brady's numbers aren't that great and he's got quite a few Championship rings.

My quandry this year: keep Antonio Gates? Will he be the next Tony Gonzales or will revert back to average this year? News out of San Diego is that Gates signed a six-year deal but will miss the season opener due to a suspension over his holdout.

I should of course plant misinformation in my blog to throw off my fellow league members. (Base10 makes evil laugh).


Thursday, August 25, 2005
 
Daily Beach Pic
Base10 has decided to publish a beach picture every day that he is not there. Here's today's image:






This image was taken in B&W using a green digital filter, cropped and then Selenium toned for the ocean effect.

It's nice that Rockaway finally allows surfers. For years, the surfers had to do their thing on the sly, since beach regulations prohibited surfing. Recently, the city relented and now the surfers have a beach all to their own.
 
Some Thoughts on the Mets

4-1
14-1
18-4

Dwell on that for a moment.

It seems Base10's beloved Mets went to Arizona and brought a butt whoopin' with them. Up 3-0 in a four game series, the Mets offense has come alive. As Mets fans know, you do not get many opportunities to gloat, especially on the road.

And who is this Jacobs kid? Where have they been hiding him? Can't they find a roster spot for him so he can replace one of our tired and aging everyday players?

The possibilities are tantalizing. A four game sweep of the D-backs would certainly give the team some momentum going against San Francisco over the weekend. Starting Tuesday, the Mets play almost exclusively Division games (except for series against Colorado and St. Louis) for the rest of the season.

Anything can happen. Remember, this is Base10's official prediction.


 
Some Thoughts on Lance Armstrong

Allegations continue to swirl around now-retire cycling giant Lance Armstrong. In the latest go aroung, French tabloid L'Equipe has published a story that urine samples given by Lance in the 1999 Tour tested positive for a substance called EPO. EPO can boost endurance by increasing an athletes red blood count and has been banned since 1990 but there was never an accurate test until now (and that's open to question, too).

The story is, as I understand it, that a French lab developed an accurate test and used old samples to prove it. The lab released its results and the tabloid was able to match the code numbers with Lance's coded samples apparently from another source.

Not everybody is buying it, however. Several riders complained that samples should not be tested so long after the event and questioned the legality of doing so. Some even questioned the accuracy of the new test. Lance for his part issued his usual denial. The Tour Director called for Armstrong to explain.

What should one make of this? EPO was apparently widely used by cyclists because it was undetectable. This does not excuse Lance if he used the substance, but does put it in a broader context. If we are going to test 6 year-old samples, lets test everyone's urine and release all the results. You also have to question whether the samples could have been tampered with over such a long period.

Second, Base10 just doesn't buy it. L'Equipe has run other lurid stories about Lance and has previously accused him of doping. None of these allegations ever panned out. Lance Armstrong, as he often says, was the most tested athlete in the world. If he was using banned substances, wouldn't he have been caught red-handed?

The problem for Lance is that there is no way he can counter these allegations other than by a denial. He can't exactly pull out his way-back machine and get a fresh sample from 1999 to test.

I for one believe Lance until it is proven to me otherwise. French journalism (an oxymoron if there ever was one) has just gotten it wrong so many times before that Lance gets the benefit of the doubt in my book.


UPDATE: Here's a link to the story on AP.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
 
Rockaway Pic


Rockaway Beach

Since Base10 is preoccupied with the beach today, he decided to post an image taken at Rockaway over the weekend. This is a B&W digital image taken with a Canon EOS 20d and edited in RAW mode. The RAW image was sepia toned and Photoshop was used to bring out the highlights of the water bouncing off the rocks.
 
And You Were Worried About High Prescription Prices
"Study: Placebos Make People Feel Better" - AP.
 
Pat Robertson

Base10 gets a kick out of Pat Robertson's suggestion that the US do away with Hugo Chavez, Sopranos-style. While Base10 wholeheartedly agrees with this sentiment--Chavez is exporting communist terror to other latin American countries--Base10 questions whether this suggestion should come from a clergyman. Maybe it's just me.

Link to Chavez' big hug with papi Fidel later when I get to work.

Update: Link here for the story.


 
Base10's Retirement

On days like today, Base10 can't help but think of retirement. It is perhaps the nicest day of the year. That is of course if you like beautiful sunshiny days that are not oppressively hot. But I'm in that group, so I think today is fine. In any event, instead of enjoying the day, I am on the subway heading to work. I increasingly ask myself why?

Base10 became elligible to retire on August 15. I could, if I choose to, walk away on any given day. This concept is somewhat liberating in the workplace.

But what will Base10 do? Perhaps open up a storefront yoga studio. I jest, but why not? Right now I'm leaning toward academic pursuits: take a year and finish the PhD. This would give me the opportuinity to do some teaching, some writing and some photography without dropping out of the workforce entirely.


Tuesday, August 23, 2005
 
Why Bother with Medium Format?
Why bother with medium format when you can go large? Base10 just bought a "Speed Graphic" on ebay and awaits for delivery. Click here for more information on the Speed Graphic and other Graflex cameras.

I really can't wait to get it. Although probably close to about sixty years in age, these cameras were photographic workhorses in their day. Some of the greatest images of the 20th Century were taken with the Speed Graphic, including the American Flag being raised on Iwo Jima, the Hindenburg explosion, and Lee Harvey Oswald being shot by Jack Ruby.

Shooting 4"x5" film, the Speed Graphic produces negatives that are 16x's the size of a 35mm camera. The one I bought has two Schneider lenses, which if in good condition, are well worth the price I paid. This camera was also made famous by Weegee--aka Arthur Fellig--who used it to capture the images in The Naked City and other books.
 
Firefly/Serenity

Base10 doesn't write about science fiction shows too much. After all, nobody is reallly interested in how the Membari defeated the Humans in Babylon-5. But hey, sometimes something comes along to break the mold. One such show is Firefly. Although it only lasted twelve episodes, Firefly was a quality SF show. It was created by Joss Whedon of "Buffy the Vampire" fame. The reason that it's getting a bit of attention in the blogosphere is that a feature film adaptation is coming at the end of September. Base10 watched the trailer and it looks pretty good.

I have to confess that I only watched the show once when it was on the air. It turns out that the particular episode I saw was probably the weakest of the bunch (for reasons I'll get into in a bit). So at the time, I didn't think much about the show, although I was surprised Fox pulled it so quickly.

There are several good things about the show. First, it has a complex back story that is only revealed in tantalizing bits and pieces. The most obvious back story item that is featured in the show is the war between the Alliance and the Independents. The Alliance represents a seemingly totalitarian government while the Independents have a more libertarian bent. Anyway, the last major battle in the war occurs at Serenitry Valley where Independent forces are completely defeated. Our protagonist in the series is a merchant ship's captain named Malcolm (and ironically nicknamed "Mal") who named his ship--an obsolete cargo vessel-- "Serenity." Tantalizing clues. The story is far removed from earth. We hear the Alliance refered to as the "Sino-American" alliance. Indeed, one sees Chinese influence in the language and clothes used by the characters. The inner worlds are rich and technologically advanced. The outer worlds are quickly terraformed and colonists with little more than
the clothes on their backs are left to fend for themselves. One gets the feeling that they are sometimes there through forced deportation.

The second thing I like about the show is the complexity of the characters. They are not Federation do-gooders. They are ostensibly a ship for hire, but seem to do more than their fair share of smuggling and other law breaking. Mal is the captain whose life changed at Serenity Valley. Jayne is a mercenary who's aboard as a hired gun. Shepard is a man of the cloth, but also has something to hide about his past. The doctor and his sister are--well, we'll get to them. Each character has both good and bad qualities. A few are one dimensional--the ship's pilot, for one, and his wife, a tough lady who served with the captain at Serenity Valley--and both deserve to be fleshed out. The interrelationships are fascinating. Inara--a passenger who works as a "companion" has strong feelings for Mal. Mal feels strongly about her but so detests what she does for a living--legal prostitution--that it never gets past the hatred.

There's one incident (caution, spoilers coming) where Jayne attempts to turn in the Doctor and his sisiter to Alliance authorities. He is double-crossed by an Alliance officer but manages to escape with the two in tow. They think he rescued them. The captain figures out what happened and forces Jayne into an airlock at gunpoint when they are taking off. As the air is rushing out, Jayne pleads with the captain not to let the rest of the crew know what he did. "Make something up," he cries as they are about to hit orbit. At that point, Mal has a change of heart and closes the airlock. This is the ecquivalent of Kirk trying to kill McCoy after McCoy tries to betray Spock.

The third thing I really like about the series was the story telling. The show had interesting stories as opposed to the formulaic Kirk/Janeway/Picard/Sisco crawling through a Jeffries tube and punching a series of buttons in rapid succession kind of story. The plots are interesting and often pose a moral dilema for the captain and crew. Humor is mixed in liberally. Another plus is the meta story. The doctor rescued his sister from the Alliance. He is bright and from a rich family but his sister was a genuine prodigy. She is taken by the Alliance to attend a "special" school where they perform all sorts of nasty experiments. The doctor manages to rescue her and is trying to flee to the outer worlds. He becomes a member of the crew while he tries to figure out how to treat his sister, who exhibits some remarkable powers of her own.

But it can't all be good. I have two objections to the series. One concerns their technology and the other concerns one of the plot elements.

First, the technology is not sufficiently explained. Many people object to the idea that a high-tech civilization would use low-tech weapond like guns and low tech transportation like horses. Indeed, Firefly does contain many Old West themes, but it is incorrect to say that this wouldn't be the state of affairs on a colony world. You don't need a factory to produce horses nor do you need a highway system. And where would you get petroleum on a terraformed world? As to the firearms, what's more reliable, a pistol that has few moving parts or some high tech energy weapon?

No, the technological objection I have is something more basic--how exactly do you go from star system toi star system? This question is critically important to figure out the type of interstellar civilization that you get. Jerry Pournelle created a universe of Alderson points--points in space far from the sun's gavity well that allowed transit to another system. This allowed systems to be defended and made space travel possible, but like a long ship voyage--travel between the stars was instantaneous but it still took lots of time to get to your destination. Compare this to other versions of "hyperspace" travel. If you could travel instantaneously from point to point in space, interstellar government would not be possible. Other series have gotten around this in other ways. Babylon 5 used "jump gates" for routine travel from system to system, but military ships could create their own jump points. Also, travel was not instantaneous. Star Trek had warp speed, but this was also
not instantaneous.

(As an aside, Base10 always felt the most interesting science fiction occurs when the assumption against faster-than-light travel is not relaxed. But that is another post).

In any event, my point is that the method of interstellar travel is critical to how the society around it is shaped. It seems that in Firefly, they punted. They never explain. It does take them time to go from system to system, but the mechanism is never really explained. Such a high level of thought was given to every other aspect of the series that I am surprised that this aspect was not fleshed out a little bit.

The second thing I don't like about Firefly is a social construct. The pilot (and the one episode I saw) featured the "reavers." They are never seen, but they are semimythical men who live as savages on the edges of space. When faced with the possibility of being boarded by reavers, one crew member explains, "They'll rape us to death, eat our flesh and sew our skin into their clothes. If we're lucky, they'll do it in that order."

Now I can accept a vicious enemy, but this is a very weak plot element. If these people were so savage, how could they operate a spacecraft? Indeed, how could they obtain a spacecraft to begin with? The fact that they can travel through space indicates a high level of social cooperation. Personally, I think this aspect of the story is pretty lame, but maybe they'll have some answers in the movie--it does seem to indicate that the reavers make an appearance.

In spite of my criticism, the show is great and rightfully has achieved a sort of cult status. I would recommend the DVD to anyone who likes science fiction. I do wonder why it was cancelled. This show could have run for ten years. Well, we can hope that the movie resurrects some interest in the series. I'd love to see it come back.

Click here for the movie trailer.


 
Chuck Hagel

Is an idiot.


 
Preseason Issues.

Base10 thought the Jets looked pretty good Friday night against Minnesota. On offense, I think that bringing back Coles really helps his game and really helps Pennington's performance, too. It just seemed like there was a sort of chemistry there. It's not the kind of thing that shows up in stats, but you could see that they just feel comfortable with each other.

I also liked the defense. You know how some defenses swarm. It's hard to describe, but whenever there's a play--be it a run or a pass--there's always a gang of Jets there to make a tackle. Let's be thankful for our defensive coordinator. And who is that safety Celestin? Was he in on every play, or what?

Our crosstown cousins however, did not fair so well in their game. Eli Manning was blind-sided and suffered an elbow injury. He will probably not play in the Jets-Giants preseason game this week. Base10 thinks that give the condition of the Giants offensive line, Eli may want to spend some extra time on the treadmill considering he'll be running for his life most of the season.

In other NFL news, tragedy struck the 49'ers this weekend. Journeyman OL Thomas Herrion collapsed and died immediately after The Niners's Saturday night game in Denver. The autopsy so far is inconclusive and authorities are awaiting the results of toxicology tests. Of couirse, had it been a natural death, I suppose the autopsy would have picked up on that. It was probably not dehydration either, since it was a very pleasant evening at Mile High and Herrion was used to playing in high altitudes. Whatever the cause, it surely is a shame. Herrion was 23 years old.

In other sports news, Base10's favorite tennis player, Maria Sharapova, was elevated to number one today. Other news reports indicate the the eighteen-year old has not stopped growing. Apparently, there's an extra two inches of Sharapova to contend with this year. While Ms. Sharapova is not ecstatic about her height, Base10 wonders when this growth spurt will end? Attack of the 50 Foot Tennis Players?

Base10's beloved Mets are on a roadtrip out west this week. Tonight was the first game in a four-game series against Arizona. When Base10 last looked, the Mets were up 2-0. For any hope at a post season berth, the Mets cannot collapse on this trip. At the end of this month, the Mets will proceed through September with virtually their entire schedule consisting of division games. Hey, beat some NL East rivals and you get a Wild Card berth. Collapse and, well you collapse. It's the thing Mets fans have come to expect. But don't let me complain. That's all part of being a fan.

UPDATE: The Mets did win last night, 4-1.


Friday, August 19, 2005
 
Lack of Posting

Base10 has been working like a hampster in a Habitrail this week on a "very important project." Consequently, he apologizes for his lack of posts. In any event, he will try to post a little today (even though the "very important project" is not yet complete) and will even try to have a Friday photoblog.


 
Shorts

While I may write more on these topics, here goes:

- Cindy Sheehan. Idiot. I wouldn't normally say that to anyone who lost a loved one at war. By turning this into a personal antiwar crusade you degrade the memory of your son. You're the one who entered the political realm. You have to face the consequenses. Idiot.

- United Nations. Couldn't you just predict that Kofi Annan would scapegoat Benon Sevan? And can any more of the Secretary-General's family get implicated and he still remain "vindicated?"

- The Economy. Good. No caveats. No "buts." The economy is humming along at a little over 3% real GDP growth. How great is that?

- The Deficit. Better. Mainly due to the Bush tax cuts that spurred growth, increased the size of GDP and therefore increased tax revenues. The deficit's size is well within its historic percentage of GDP. Plus, the deficit picture will get even rosier if spending in Iraq is reduced.

- Social Security. When will Washington start paying attention to Social Security? Base10 is nearing retirement from the police force. He needs to know. Baby boomers start to retire in 2008. That's just the first wave. Base10 is a tweener: born in the mid-sixeties at the very end of the baby boom. I consider myself a boomer socially. The earliest year that Base10 will be eligible to collect the reduced payments from Social Security is 2031. This is only a few short years before benefits are projected to be reduced by 33% if nothing is done. Washington, get a move on!

- NYC's Mayoral Election. In what is turning out to be a complete snoozer of a race, in case anybody cares, some people are running against Michael Bloomberg. None of the Democrats have anywhere near the stature of Bloomberg. The only way he loses is if he's found in bed with a little boy. Even then he may win. Who is a threat? Fernando Ferrer? Loser. Gifford Miller? Lightweight. C Virginia Fields? Race-baiter. Come on!

- Air Enron. While this story is now on the news radar, where is the outrage?

- Able Danger. Is this story true? Did a Defense intelligence group identify Mohammed Atta and other 9/11 bombers in 2000 as being members of an al Qaeda cell? Were they prevented from passing this information on to the FBI because of hypertechnical interpretations of the Posse Commitatus Act by the Clinton administration? Was the person responsible for this decision Jamie Gorelick--a Democratic member of the Commission? Is this what Sandy Berger was doing when he stuck documents down his pants and snuck them out of the national archives? Even if this story isn't true--and the jury is certainly still out--it is the best conspiracy theory to come along in years. It ranks right up there with Farenheit 9/11.


Monday, August 15, 2005
 
Medium Format

Base10 had a fairly uneventful day today--just one minor crisis toward the end of the day and it wasn't even mine but someone else's that I helped on.

But I did do the pictures earlier. They were taken with a Canon EOS 20D. I love the Canon. It's a great camera and at 8.2 megapixels it's more than enough for anything I'm going to use it for. I have to say that its results are awesome. My only complaint is that that the images sometimes seem rotationally skewed so they have to be rotated several degrees and cropped. I don't know why this is, but it doesn't happen with film cameras. All in all, with the capability of taking large density digital images and getting immediate results and being able to easily manipulate the images afterward makes the digital SLR a winner.

But over the weekend, Base10 also took out his Yashicamat twin lens reflex film camera (until or course he got caught in Sunday's torrential downpour) and took some photos. Base10 is very happy with the reults of the development and subsequent scans of the 6x6 images. Therein lies the problem.

I want to do more with film. I'd like to try large format. As a matter of fact, I've had my eye on a couple of Speed Graphic press cameras on ebay. This is the next level after medium format and although the press camera doesn't have the complete movements of a view camera, it does have some and would be an interesting learning experience and not be too expensive.

But lets get to the real reason I want to stay in medium format film cameras: I want to buy a Hasselblad. There, I said it. I've always wanted one. I can afford one. And it will probably be the last medium format camera I will ever buy. (I reserve the right to buy another digital camera in the future). The thing about the Hasselblad is that it is a precision mechanical instrument. Heck, you don't get cameras made any better. While there are some quirks to their operation, Hasselblads are generally considered the finest camera ever made.

One of the selling points as well is the existence of a very large secondary market. This doesn't really exist for say the Rollei 6008. Also, the cost of the equiptment is really the cost of the lenses--precision Carl Zeiss optics. With such a large secondary market you can pick up great lenses at pretty good prices.

The thing I don't like about Hasselblad is the fact that they charge for everything. The camera doesn't even have a meter. Either you use a spot meter, or you pay through the nose for a metered viewfinder. Jeez, a winder costs over a grand new. In that sense, the company gives you nothing extra.

I think I would also buy the initial outfit new. Although you can save a significant amount of money buying used, prices are still very high. I think I'd rather buy new and get the three year warranty on something that expensive rather than trying to save a few bucks by buying it used or gray market.

But why spend this kind of money on a film camera? Well, digital backs are also available. These are actually the highest resolution digital cameras. A digital back can get up to 22 megapixels. The downside: the cost is about the same as the number of pixels. Expect to pay $20-30 thousand dollars. I suspect the prices will decrease in the future and on the used maket, but even then it'll be high. However, with the Hasselblad, you know that there won't ever be compatability issues. Who would make a back that wouldn't fit a Hassy?

Even Mrs. Base10 is not completely against the idea. She sees my looming retirement and has offered her support. All lights are green here.


 
Playing with Color
Not having the patience today to write about something interesting, Base10 decided to break out some pictures from around the downtown area and play with photoshop to see what he could do. Most of the stuff is just using Photoshop defaults. Really nice, I must say. I also wanted to check out the Blogger photo hosting service.



This is a view of the Brooklyn Bridge from the Manhattan side.



This is the same image in B&W mode.



This is the federal courthouse as viewed from the southern side of the Brooklyn Bridge.



This is the Municipal Building as viewed from Police Plaza.



Here's a view of the Woolworth Building from in front of Police Plaza. I get very sentimental about this view because at night the World Trade Center towers dominated this view. Now the largest building to be seen is this one.



Here is the same view, but taken in B&W. I tried to add a sepia quality to it using the color mixer, but I'm not satisfied with the results.

Verdict: Blogger photo hosting is easy to use. It has an intuitive interface for uploading photos, but doesn't give an easy way to manage your storage space--a big drawback.
 
What a Way to Lose
At least when the Mets lose, they manage to do so in spectacular fashion. Last night is no exception. Pedro Martinez pitches eight innings of no-hitter. There's one away and Antonio Perez hits a 1-1 pitch driving the ball to the wall. Gerald Williams--subbing for injured Carlos Beltran--could not make an admittedly difficult play at the wall. One pitch later a homer scores two runs. The no-hitter, the game, the series and perhaps the rest of the season is decided. Bottom line: Mets take only two games in their road trip. Post season hopes keep fading. Click here for the recap of the game.
Friday, August 12, 2005
 
Liveblogging the Jets

Base10 is safely ensconced in a drinking establishment watching the Jets play the Lions in a preseason game. It's more of a "friendly" match as they say in the European version of football, but at least it involves extremely large gentlemen smashing into each other at high rates of speed.

The Jets just drew first blood and scored at the very beginning of the second quarter. Jay Fiedler is the acting field general this evening and I must say that he looks pretty poised. I wouldn't feel all that uncomfortable with him at the helm should the unthinkable happen.


 
Medium Format Photos
As promised, here are some photos that I took with the Yashicamat TLR. Some of these photos may look familiar if you are a frequent reader. Look here for similar shots taken digitally with a point-and-shoot. These shots were taken either downtown, in Union Square Park and its environs or in Juniper Valley Park in Queens. Bear in mind the images that you see are far smaller and less detailed than the files that I have. The detail is striking though, even in the lower resolution jpegs.



This image is from Union Square. It is a closeup of the black freize on the central flagpole in the park. I was very surprised that the image came out so well. The sculpture is jet black and this was a very sunny day, so I was afraid of glare (there is a little at the top right since this is cylindrical--not flat). It is cropped slightly from the original.



This image is from the inside of the Old Town Bar on 18th Street. It is an ambient light photograph made at low shutter speeds. I like the image but do not care for the glare. This is due to, I think, not using a lens hood.



This is the first picture I took when I brought the twin lens out of mothballs. This was also taken at Union Square.



This was taken in front of the Appellate Division across the street from Union Square. Notice that the caption on the statue reads, "We Must Not Use Force Till Just Laws Are Defied." A good sentiment.



This image was taken at the small burial ground at Juniper Valley park. Although it looked similar to the cleaned-up image seen here, manually setting the exposure on the TLR resulted in a far better image from the start.



This is the northeast corner of Juniper Park. I don't like the way this came out. It would have been better with a yellow or red filter.



Here is some vegetation in Juniper. It's okay, but the picture doesn't do anything for me.



This was taken at City Hall Park in the late afternoon. Kind of your standard monument composition; nothing to write home about. I remember this was a very hazy day, too. This would have benefited from an orange or red filter.
 
Weekend Sports Preview
Sports fans have a lot of good stuff to look forward to this weekend. First, in the world of preseaspn football, the Jets face Detroit tonight in a preseason matchup. Unfortunately, reports are that Chad Pennington will not play. This may give pause to some fans, but I for one do want to see how Jay Fiedler does with the first team. Our crosstown cousins, the Giants face Cleveland on Saturday night while a Terrell Owen-less Philly plays Pittsburgh in Monday night's battle for Pennsylvania (no preview available).

In baseball action, starting tonight, the Mets have a three game series against a struggling LA Dodgers squad. Not that the Mets don't have struggles of their own, but the when they play the Dodgers it's usually pretty good. Base10 thinks it's important for them to take two so that the stay at .500 on this road trip. Click here for a preview of tonight's matchup--a dreaded 10:30 game. Our uptown cousins, the Yankees are in the midst of a four game series against the Texas Rangers. The Yanks so far lead the series 1-0. Click here for a preview of tonight's game.

NASCAR fans will see Nextel Cup action at Watkins Glen on Sunday as well. Click here for a preview. Busch Series racing is also at the Glen on Saturday in the Zippo 200. IRL fans have the Indy 300 on Sunday as well (no preview available).

Golf fans have what is shaping up to be a really interesting PGA Championship. With Tiger Woods fading, Phil Mickelson is looking to win big. We'll see, there's still a lot of golf to play.

Tennis fans also have something to watch. The men face off in the Rogers Cup this weekend, while the Women have the JP Morgan-Chase Open. As the story notes, Base10's favorite female tennis player Maria Sharapova overcame an upset bid and played through a strained pectoral muscle. Poor Maria! Good luck in the quarterfinals.

Finally, even horseracing fans have some good stuff this weekend. At Saratoga on Saturday is the Sword Dancer Invitational and the Alfred Vanderbilt Handicap. That should keep you going until the Travers!

Base10 has plans for Saturday, but might very well head to the beach on Sunday thanks to the afternoon start for the Mets game. Enjoy!
 
Mets Lose Outfield!

Most of them, anyway. In a chilling turn of events, Mike Cameron and Carlos Beltran collided while going for a ball yesterday afternoon. It looked really bad. While I didn't see the event, Mrs. Base10 reports that Cameron didn't move for several minutes.

It appears that Cameron got the worst of it. (Base10 must admit that his first question upon being informed of these events was, "Who got hurt?" And Base10 breathed a sigh of relief when he heard it was Cameron and not Beltran. No offense Mike. Really. Get well soon.)

Cameron suffered a concussion, fractured cheekbones and a broken nose. Reports are that he was placed on the disabled list. Beltran was taken to the hospital for observation but looks like he's okay. No word on whether he'll play tonight.

Later in the game, the Padres pitcher beaned Cliff Floyd with a pitch right on his kneecap. Floyd hit the ground writhing in pain but eventually was able to take his base gingerly.

There it is. Just like that. Your outfield is gone. Not a good day to be a Met fan. Reports this morning are that the Mets are bringing up Diaz to replace Cameron.

The Mets start a series against the Dodgers tonight. (It's a 10:30 start--pretty late for these old bones). Base10 will have more on what promises to be a pretty good sports weekend later today.

UPDATE: Click here for the AP account.


 
Medium Format Results

Base10 got some medium format pictures back from the lab and boy is he pleased with the results.

His compliments to www.prolabexpress.com. Base10 sent in three 120 rolls for processing and scanning. Most labs will do processing and scanning but return the images on a CD. This company posts them online so you can order prints or the plethora other products they sell. Great idea. Download your scans immediately. Base10 was able to use his 3vi1 haXX0r skillz to retrieve his image files. (Not really, but they do need to work on their web interface). In spite of this, I wholeheartedly recommend them. They charge $5 for shipping film + CD back, but will include them with your next print order. Orders over $15 (I think) have free shipping. Also, prices were very reasonable. About $10.50 for the service.

Like I said, I am very happy with the results. You are getting essentially a 5 megapixel scan off of a 6cm-by-6cm negative. You have to pay more for higher density scans, but this is sufficient for an 8x10. I was shocked at how detailed the scans were. I knew this could be done, but I didn't realize how well. The only drawback is the time delay for mail order. Next time I can time it a little differently.

My other surprise was how well my Yashicamat TLR performed. I didn't use a lens hood, so I have to admit there was visible flare on some images. (Buy lens hood--check). The overall image quality was striking, especially in B&W which imparts an artistic feel to even the most pedestrian image. I was also pleased that the metering on the Yashicamat was so accurate. There have been reports that since it originally used a mercury battery (current environmental no-no) when used with an alkaline battery it underexposed the image. This was not the case in my experience.

The worst thing about this, at least from Mrs. Base10's point of view, is that because of success here I am marginally more likely to buy a better medium format film camera now, like a Hasselblad. Eventually, they will also have affordable digital backs for these things.
Base10 will post some images later to fulfill Friday photoblogging contractual obligations.


 
Everybody's Favorite Receiver

Crybaby/ruthless self promoter/wide receiver Terrell Owens had a little incident at Eagle's camp the day before yesterday. According to what I saw on ESPN, it seems that America's most beloved athlete actually got suspended.

According to reports, Owens was practicing route running on a separate field away from the rest of the team. Coach Andy Reed apparently wanted to remind Mr. Owens about the letter 'I' not being in the word 'team' since, among other things, Owens wasn't talking to any other players and had not attended other team events like a group autograph signing. Owens, after being reminded that Coach Reid is in charge and not the other way around, blew a gasket and reportedly used an unspecified epithet toward Coach Reid. Reid being a devout Mormon seemed to take offense at this remark but in spite of this, in a show of generosity and kindness, proceeded to give Owens a week off from camp.

Owens immediately took advantage of this offer and quickly emptied his locker and vacated the premises.

This incident stems from Owens threatened holdout in his attempt to renegotiate his contract. This contract mind you is a rather lucrative seven-year deal that is only one year old! Unsatisfied with the deal he signed last year, TO wants more and has even used the ridiculous analogy that he had to feed his family. While I have no doubt the TO has many out-of-wedlock mouths to feed, I also think his current contract can easily cover those expenses.

The Eagles, however, are in trouble. Their other starting receiver Todd Pinkson is out for the season. The rest of the receiving corp has little game experience. They can welcome back Owens next week for more of the same, or they can try to deal him with the hopes of picking up a free agent receiver, though no good receiver is out there. The Eagles could conceivably bench Owens, but then they would still have to pay him, and while fans probably like what Reid did right now, when the W's start adding up the fans will turn.

UPDATE: Click here for the latest on TO.


Wednesday, August 10, 2005
 
Not So Amazin'

The Mets lost last night's road game in San Diego 3-8 in a rare game where Pedro got rocked. Base10 hates west coast road games, although the upside is the 3PM game on Thursday.

UPDATE: Click here for the recap and here for the preview of tonight's battle.


 
Iran, North Korea, Hiroshima and Nagasaki

This week marked the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We should all take pause that on two days sixty years ago, man used atomic weapons on his fellow man. It is important to remember, but Base10 will not engage in the sort of historical revisionism that vilifies the west for using nukes.

To engage in that debate would require one to weight the value of US soldiers's lives with the lives of Japanese soldiers and civilians. This type of calculus is simply unacceptable.

(Indeed, Base10's father served in Europe. Had the war in Japan dragged on for an additional year or more as some experts predicted, would he have been redeployed to the Pacific? Would Base10 be alive today?)

The atomic bombs caused devastation, but the Japanese at that point were unwilling to surrender. Remember we didn't start that war. We didn't decimate the population of Nanking. And we didn't kill thousands of POW's. I do not wish to denigrate the memory of the civilian victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I do wish to point out that the Japanese government--their government-- was ultimately the cause of their suffering.

It is striking today that events in North Korea and Iran have brought us closer to nuclear destruction than we were the day before. Iran has unsealed its nuclear facilities and will resume uranium enrichment activity while talks with North Korea have once again stalled.

Where is the worldwide anger? Where is the worldwide willingness to forcibly disarm Iran and North Korea? War would put you soldiers at risk? A nuclear NK and a nuclear Iran would be much greater risks. It seems to me the anti-nuke rhetoric is only aimed at the United States. When will the rest of the world, particularly the Euro anti-nuke nitwits realize that it is not enough to trash the US. It is your fight too. If you believe in ending nuclear terror, pressure you nations to fight for it. Indeed, you have to be willing to fight for it.


 
Cancer and Peter Jennings

Why must the media take every mention of Peter Jennings’ death and make it a diatribe against smoking?


Jennings was one of the few mainstream media personalities Base10 liked. I am sad to see him go and I wish other newsmen had the sort of wit and style he possessed.


In case you haven't heard it from sources too innumerable to cite, Peter Jennings died of lung cancer. He was sixty-seven. He was a long-time smoker but had quit more than twenty years before. Supposedly he started smoking again briefly after 9/11.


Every single thing I've read about Jennings’ death has taken the opportunity to rail against smoking pointing out statistics on lung cancer and suggesting its inevitability once one touches a cigarette to one's lips. Guys, get a clue. If you're going to take every opportunity to describe the high risks of ever smoking, what's the point of quitting?

Base10 is a former smoker. I quit about four and a half years ago. In my life I've been shot at, graduated law school, passed the bar, completed a Masters degree in Harvard and completed twenty years on the police force. But nothing was more difficult for me than quitting cigarettes. Even now, four years later, I still often feel an overwhelming desire to light up. If I stay off the smokes and live to be Peter Jennings’ age when he passed away, I will have been smoke free for thirty years. If I'm still likely to get lung cancer, why should I bother to quit?

The answer here lies in ignorant reporting. First, the biggest risk from smoking is heart disease not lung cancer. While lung cancer is associated with smoking, its incidence among smokers is still quite small. When a reporter quotes a study that says you are 2000 times more likely to get lung cancer as a smoker than as a non-smoker what he is really saying is that an infinitesimal risk becomes slightly less infinitesimal when you're a non-smoker. In other words, while your risk is 2000 times larger than a non-smoker's risk, it's still a really small risk, too. They say in Peter Jennings case, after cessation of smoking for twenty years, his risk was 400 times greater than a non-smoker, about on par with someone who has a family member with lung cancer.
This still sounds like a five-for-one improvement. Again, 400 times a really small number is still a really small number. The statistical name for this tendency to give more weight to low-risk events than is warranted is called "low base-rate fallacy" and you see a lot of it in medical reporting.


The point I'm trying to make here is that more accurate reporting would encourage more people to quit. Most of the stories I've read make me think there's no reason not to go back.


 
Strange Retirement Plans for a Supreme Court Justice
"O'Connor Reflects on First Reggae Album" - AP.
 
Sad Shuttle to Remain in Orbit
"Japanese Happy Shuttle Returned Safely" - AP.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
 
Vote Buddhist in 2008!
Jerry Falwell is under fire again. As a Christian minister, what exactly is he supposed to advise his flock?
 
What We Need is a Good Catchphrase!
Although groovy Michelle Malkin has suggested calling it Air Enron, allow me to suggest the description Franken-gate.
 
Space Shuttle Returns

Base10 was happy to see the space shuttle land safely this morning. We all know what we were afraid of and it doesn't rate mentioning again.

Base10 has an extra connection with this particular mission. Astronaut Charles Camarda is from Ozone Park, Queens--the neighborhood where Base10 grew up. Dr. Camarda also attended Base10's high school. I believe he is the first spaceman among the alumni. Go Stanners!

Good wishes aside, it is really time to dump the shuttle.


 
Not So Intelligent Design

Base10 would like to touch on the so-called intelligent design controversy raised by the President in recent remarks. Basically, he said that intelligent design should be taught in school along with evolution.

While this statement obviously panders to the religious right, it also has a sort of shallow intellectual appeal. Why not present competing sides to an issue? After all, isn't that what education is all about? But this is where that pro-intelligent design people get it wrong. While they argue about the fossil record, they miss a much deeper question which science has failed to answer.

The idea that the complexity of life is proof of the existence of God has been expressed by theologians and philosophers for centuries. A competing view was that of the wind-up clock creator. Under this guise, the creator wound up the universe like a clock only to set it ticking to see what unfolds.

It is however only in this context that the idea should be taught. It belongs in philosophy class, not biology class. I am reminded of my own Catholic school experience trying to reconcile religious teachings from that of other classes. (Why are the Romans the good guys who spread civilization in history class but the bad guys when they oppressed the Jews during Christ's time? Be quiet young man!)

The fact is, intelligent design is not science and doesn't belong in a science class at any level of education. Let children discuss with their parents and clergyman the religious implications of the scientific principles they learn. Even a cursory look at the fossil record should convince any observer of the truth of evolution.

But what the religious right is missing is a chance to ask a question that science simply cannot answer. Namely, how exactly did life begin? Remember this is a much different question than how life developed after it began.

Think about it. The earth existed. The oceans were a sort of chemical soup. Lifeless. All of a sudden, there are self-replicating DNA strands. Life. How did this happen? The most popular theory is based on the Urey-Miller experiment where scientists put all the chemicals found in the primordial sea in an apparatus where it was circulated through an electric current to simulate lightning. The popular notion is that after the device was set to run for a period of time, amino acids--the precursors of proteins--were found in the "soup."

There are many problems with this experiment. The most prominent being that the process didn't produce life forming amino acids at all but just lifeless hydrocarbons--tar, if you will. Even if you did accept that the primordial seas were rich with amino acids, the chance of the right combination combining into a strand of DNA is staggeringly small. Other theories involve the creation of life near the earth's extreme environments like volcanic fissures. Still others postulate a galactic cloud of organic material that seeded the earth. While this "panspermia" idea has some liberal Star Trekky charm to it, it is as scientifically unsatisfying as the others.

How did life begin? Who knows? But the religious right would be far more persuasive if they suggested that that the intervention of a creator was one competing theory on the origin of life rather than its evolution.

The theories described in the post are largely derived from a book called "Origins" by Robert Shapiro. I will post a link when I get to work.

UPDATE: Here is a link to Shapiro's book on Amazon. Highly recommended.

UPDATE: Base10 swears he ddn't read this Peter Wood article at NRO until after 9PM this evening.


Monday, August 08, 2005
 
Jets Sign Ty Law
Reports indicate that the Jets have come to terms with former Patriot cornerback Ty Law. Although coming off of a foot injury, Law is definitely an upgrade at CB. As it stood, with the retirement of Donnie Abraham, Ray Mickens was penciled in as the starting corner. While Base10 has always liked Mickens, he is and always has been a nickel back, not a starter. Sad to see him go, though, and Jets fans most certainly wish him well.

Get ready for all the "Jets Lay Down Law" headlines to follow.
 
Raging Ninnies

The Today Show did a feature on the "Raging Grannies", a self-styled anti-war group in Arizona. The selling point of the story--the reason this is news, if you will--is that this group is made up exclusively of women 70 or older.


The feature was dripping with vacuous and positive statements about the group but I believe it missed the most basic rules of journalism--questioning what you're being told.


First, the group's rhetoric is nothing more than recycled sixties radicalism (which most of the grannies probably experienced firsthand) repackaged for Iraq. How many times did we hear the mantra "illegal and immoral war" or "Bush lied" during this piece? People generally equate age with wisdom, but this is not always the case, as this group certainly shows. Since their reason for being on the show was their age, why didn't a reporter ask them whether they thought the US should have gotten out of Germany before the job was done? Should we have retaliated against Japan after being attacked at Pearl Harbor? Should we have stopped Hitler's death camps even if we weren't directly threatened by his regime? If the elderly have wisdom, please ask them what an appropriately waged war on terror would look like. Was the campaign in Afghanistan justified? If you did ask these questions, you would expose them as the loony fringe-left group that they are. Instead they are praised for their "tenacity" and "spirit" in the cause of "educating the public about our viewpoint" and "empowerment."


Second, several of the Grannies have been arrested. They entered a military recruiting office and refused to leave. They claim they are seeking to enlist so that some of the troops in Iraq can come home. They claim they were honestly trying to enlist and not engaging in civil disobedience. Base10 says, this is a great idea. Let's have them sign waivers and put them through boot camp until are capable of going to Iraq. I'm sure they're willing to die trying.


Finally, the Grannies claim that "they're fighting for the people who are fighting for them." I suppose undermining the war effort is one way to help our soldiers. Why didn't any of the journalists ask them this? A simple question: Do you realize that thousands of soldiers over there think you're stabbing them in the back by doing this? How about interviewing a soldier in Iraq or a recently returned veteran and ask his or her opinion of the Grannies?


 
Mets Win!

Really! Over the weekend the Mets swept the Chicago Cubs, generally combining good pitching with massive offensive output. What does this mean? Well, they are three games behind Houston in the wild card race. Unfortunately, their division standings have not changed. The Mets are in last place but in a virtual dead heat with Florida, Philly and Washington, all of whom are also obviously ahead of us in the wild card race. But there is reason to cheer, so here goes: w00t!

Unfortunately the Mets are on the road this week. The good news: they play beatable Padre and Dodger teams. The bad news: the Mets suck on the road. Still, if they could put together a nice streak here, they'd really be in a good position entering the stretch. (Dead heat? Stretch? It must be horse racing metaphor day).

The Mets are off tonight so I can almost guarantee they will not lose today, but don't take off from sports yourself because the Hall of Fame game airs at 8PM. I know it's preseason. Wait, it's really pre-preseason because the majority of preseason games don't start until next week. But it's the Hall of Fame Game. It means football has started. Tonight's matchup pits the Bears and the Dolphins. Click here for a preview.


Wednesday, August 03, 2005
 
Notes from the Train: Sports and Politics

Base10 is up on his way to work unusually early today. He is supposed to meet his ex-partner (meaning partner in the police way not in the more modern sort of non-traditional domestic relations way) for drinks after work. I must say, it is rather easy to compose a post on my Audivox xv-6600. The only drawback is the difficulty in using the thumb keyboard. So Base10 appologizes for any spelling errors due to this.

Anyway, how 'bout those Mets? Last night's come-from-behind victory over the Brewers was something. While Zambrano was unusually shacky, giving up 5 runs by the 2nd inning, the Mets bats came through to tioe it up and eventually win in extra innings. And on a walk-off walk by Mike Piazza with bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th inning! (Click here for the recap). Tonight Pedro is pitching so there is certainly hope for another win. (Click here for the preview). Hope springs eternal...

TV Coverage Note: The pitch count is 3-0. The bases are loaded with one out. The TV announcer says that he has often hear Mike say that he likes to swing at a 3-0 pitch. Mike, Mike, Mike! Don't listen to this fool. Just stand there for at least two more pitches and see what happens. As if magic and mental telepathy work, an instant later Piazza walks and the game is won.

Base10 was perusing the Mets schedule and notice that from the end of August on through the end of the season, the Mets play exclusively division games (except for two series against St. Louis and Colorado). Certainly a rocking way to end the season if they're still in contention.

On to Politics:

Sydney Schanberg had an article yesterday in the Village Voice exhorting journalists involved in the Rove/Wilson/Plame/Novak affair to meticulously document their involvement. He argues that unless the media admit to its role of complicity in the "outing" of Plame (his use of scare quotes, not mine--hey it is the Voice), reporters will lose all credibility. In my mind this raises a question he did not intend. It raises the issue of Valerie Plame's culpability. Did reporters latch on to this story because it looked like a CIA officer was engaged in a serious conflict of interest? Other than conservative bloggers, the media is giving short shrift to this aspect of the story. Do Federal laws or CIA rules prohibit recommending family members for assignments? Let's face it, if this was a local mayor in NJ awarding a municipal construction contract to his brother-in-law, the media would be all over him with phrases like "the appearance of impropriety" or "alleged conflict of interest."

Yet Plame may have committed similar misconduct on the far more serious playing field of national security. Where is the media's quest the truth? I don't know the details of Valerie Plame's involvement with the appointment of her husband, but I want to, especially since hubby lied about it later.

So, along with Sydney Schanberg's call for an account of the media's own activity, there are three other questions that I would like answered:

1. To what extent did Valerie Plame influence the decision to select her husband for the Niger trip?

2. Did her actions in the selection process violate federal law or agency rule?

3. If so, is she or has she been disciplined for the violation?


 
Jets Schedule

In our never-ending quest for Jets football hegemony, it is time for an analysis of their schedule for the 2005 campaign. First, let me say that the Jets have as good a shot as any other team in the AFC East to win big. The fact that they were a field goal away from the AFC Championship last year in spite of nagging injuries to QB Chad Pennington is a testament to his character and the resourcefulness of Coach Edwards. New offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger and the re-acqusition of Laveranues Coles can only improve things. (By the time the season starts, I vow to be able to spell Heimerdinger and Laveranues without the need to check)!

Second, the landscape in the division has changed as well. Miami is still in rebuilding mode in spite of the return of Ricky Williams. Their QB situation is still unclear and does not give Dolphin fans confidence. New England also seems to be one the verge of coming down to earth. Losing both offensive coordinator Charle Weiss to Notre Dame and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel to the Browns will undoubtedly take its toll. Also, losing two starting linebackers and an offensive lineman isn't going to help either. Buffalo is still a question mark in my mind, having what should be a great ground attack but being vulnerable in other areas.

So the Jets do have some potential to dominate their division. But usually when Base10 looks at the schedule he just assumes they will go .500 in their division games, on the theory that division games are closely contested because teams play each other so often. So let's start there: 3-3 record in AFC East play.

Our other AFC rivals are from the AFC West. The West is shaping up to be a pretty good division. The Chargers look tough, but the Chiefs are beatable and so are the Broncos. The Raiders look good this year but they have allot of question marks: Will Kerry Collins hold up as QB? Will former-Jet Lamon Jordan be able to cut it as an every-down back? Will Randy Moss implode when he finds that he's not getting the ball from Collins? I'm going to say that the Jets will take Denver and Kansas City games and win one of the Oakland and San Diego matchups. Record against the AFC West: 3-1.

The Jet's NFC rivals are the probably weak NFC South. We play the Buccs, Atlanta, New Orleans and Carolina. Frnakly, I think the Jets could beat every team in the South, but let's assume a loss to either Carolina or Atlanta. Record against the NFC South: 3-1.

Our two other games are based on records against AFC rivals Jacksonville and Baltimore. Let's asume a loss to Baltimore and a win against a rebuilding Jacksonville team. Non-Division Conference Games: 1-1.

Total record: 10-6.

Let the drum roll begin. This is Base10's official pre-season prediction for the Jets this season. While Base10 reserves the right to change his opinion at any time and claim he felt that way all along, this is still an official prediction.


Monday, August 01, 2005
 
The Amazin's

This Sunday the Mets eliminated all doubt about their ability and proved that they could take one game out of four from any team in the National League!

Suffice it to say, our beloved baseball team has once again failed to meet expectations. The really sad part is that the Mets had an opportunity to virtually eliminate their Wild Card deficit with Houston. Had they gone three-and-one rather than one-and-three, Mets fans would have been seeing visions of the postseason. Instead, we're back home and one game over .500. Coulda, woulda, shoulda...

In spite of the--wait, let me count--a two-and-seven roadtrip, the Mets are still in it. The odd, but not necessarily dissapointing thing this weekend was that they did not pull off a trade for Manny Ramirez. No complaints on that ground. I am sick of the Mets selling their promissing youngsters to buy "proven" veterans who come here, walk into Shea and promptly forget how to play the game.

Also surprising was the fact that the Mets didn't try to dump salary, which says what? I read it as a statement to the world along the lines of, "Hey America, we don't completely suck!"

Not yet anyway. But it is safe to say that unless the Mets manage to create an extended winning streak soon, they will be golfing in October.

The boys are back on Tuesday.

MASCOT NOTE: The Mets estimable and appropriately named mascot, Mr. Met, has been appearing in a series of commercials bemoaning the Mets being away. In the spots, our large-headed hero is wandering the stadium, bored and getting into all sorts of mischief. The commercials are available for download and are quite funny. Base10 will post a link when he gets to work.



UPDATE: I notice not all of the commercials are here yet, but most are. Enjoy!
 
Football

Need I say more.

Ah, the long night that is the off-season is coming to an end. Beginning this Saturday and continuing through the weekend, the NFL preseason begins with the American Bowl and culminates with the Hall of Fame Game Monday Night at Canton. Granted, these are often amateurish affairs, but it is never too early to start scouting your fantasy football team. I like the fact that the Canton game is now a Monday night affair. It's only right to give the Canton inductees some national airtime on the sidelines.

Camps have started, although there is little news of substance yet. I think when the preseason games start, that's the time you realize opening day is in a month and football season is not far away at all.

Sure, there are other sports to keep you occupied. Baseball must go through its fall spasm. And who knows, maybe the Mets will be in it and I won't rapidly lose interest in the sport like I usually do this time of year. There's also the US Open coming up at the end of August. There's a lot of intrigue this year given Venus William's return to glory at Wimbleton. Base10 will, of course, be rooting for his new tennis favorite, Maria Sharapova.

There's also the NASCAR season, where the finalist get into a sort of playoff for the Nextel Cup. I don't know the mechanics of the series (excuse the pun), but NASCAR gets interesting too.

Enjoy your August.



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