Scissors Vs. Paper, ... Rock Vs. Computer!

The collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that has apparently sent shock-waves across global markets didn't have to happen 35 days before the election. Anyone with the most basic understanding of economic fundamentals could have seen this coming.

Watch this 8 minute video to see the real story behind the collapse:

This is quite possibly the biggest economic scandal in U.S. history and oddly enough the cries for rounding up those responsible and throwing them behind bars seem to be falling on deaf ears.

I know I'm late on this one, but I just can't help chuckling every time I'm reminded of it.

Put this one down in the record books for one of the most brain-dead rhetorical remarks ever to be uttered by a politician running for President of the United States of America:

You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them... and they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not.

And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

-- Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)

The hypocrisy is plain as day. By accusing small town America of bigotry the speaker betrays his own bigotry towards middle America.

Clearly, this was an uncharacteristic moment for such a brilliant and talented presidential candidate as Barack Obama.

Perhaps, if this ever comes up in the debates, Barack Obama can just toss his speech writer under the bus.

I can almost see it now: ... "Bitter, clinging to their guns and religion - not my words"

Living literally minutes from Mt. Vernon, it's hard not to be aware of an eighth grade teacher being accused of imposing his religious beliefs in the classroom and "branding" students with crosses. Because of this the school board voted 5-0 to fire the teacher. At the time the teacher, John Freshwater was still under investigation.

The following video clip features David Daubenmire, a local radio talk show host better known as Coach Dave, defending friend John Freshwater on Geraldo's program.

Here's a sample:

GERALDO: ... branding students? Don't you think that's a little far out?

DAUBENMIRE: ... John Freshwater did not harm anyone. He did not brand or burn any crosses...

GERALDO: But if he did that to my son, Dave, you know, I would be very very angry

DAUBENMIRE: But he did not do that

GERALDO: Well I saw the pictures and the board saw the pictures. Are you saying that the board lied?

DAUBENMIRE: I think that what you've seen is a very biased one-sided presentation right now...

GERALDO: No, what I'm seeing is a cross branded onto a youngster's arm.

DAUBENMIRE: Yes, I know that you are, but you're smart enough to know that evidence is not necessarily proof, that's why we have courts of law, that's why a man like John is going to have a chance to defend himself...

Finally, near the end, Daubenmire has his say (emphasis is mine):

"... there's a terrible character assassination that's going on here. This whole investigation has been one sided and what John Freshwater did is - in 2003 he began to teach, what was then the state standards to teach, the controversy in Evolution and unfortunately he made the wrong people mad. And some of them have laid in the weeds for about five years to try to get back at this clearly Christian teacher."

Geraldo responds doing his best Bronx style impersonation while acting as judge, jury and executioner:

"... when you mess with a student physically like that, you get fired! I don't care what your religion is!"

I wonder, would Geraldo also believe, "Chuck Norris with a BB gun."?

Exit question: Did Geraldo actually say, "Good luck with your torture ...[inaudible]...", at the end?

Stay classy, Geraldo!

Update: removed some non-compliant xhtml code from embedded video.

Last weekend I witnessed the quickest amount of snow to fall in Ohio in thirty years! We measured 16" just five feet away from the house.

Back in February I was blown away by the musical talent of Phil Keaggy. I've heard of him before and even heard some of his music before, but on February 10, 2008, I discovered the live side of Phil Keaggy's guitar. This guy can really groove and jam! At Keaggy's The Master and Musician Tour - 30 Years Later, preforming live in Grove City, OH, Keaggy effortlessly amazed a crowd of, what appeared to be, nearly a thousand with his master guitarmanship.

The concert was kicked off by multi-instrumentalist Tom Shinnes, playing a century old double-necked guitar-harp which was followed by a very ambient sound-scape of a performance by the Lautenbachs. With wife Melissa on flute and husband Bryan on keyboard. Keaggy's performance was usually accompanied by a drummer, a bass guitarist, and Tom Shinnes playing of various instruments, ranging from acoustics to percussion.

During intermission I would muse with my fellow audience members how similar the songs from Master and Musician were to some of Genesis earlier work of the same period. It turns out I wasn't too far off the mark after all. John J. Thomspon recounts the story at Keaggy's site:

Despite the difficult times surrounding the writing and recording of The Master and The Musician, Keaggy was, and is, completely proud of the final results. "When I listened back to the final mixes I felt that it was the best album I had ever done," he remembers. "Because Gary Hedden was involved it had some feelings of What A Day, but it went really deep and explored some new things guitar-wise for me. The influence of Anthony Phillips (a founding member of Genesis,) the twelve-string stuff and classical stuff all combining and gelling together was nice. When I listened back on a nice turn-table and a nice sounding stereo system I was extremely pleased." His audience was similarly enthused, as The Master and The Musician would go on to become the best selling album of Keaggy's career.

Perhaps, I'm more musically inclined than I realize.