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« September 2007 | Main | November 2007 »

“Minorities don’t become elderly the way white people do; they die first.”

Oops.

That’s a direct quote from John Tanner,  The chief of the Justice Department’s voting rights division.  Tanner was groveling before a congressional panel yesterday tring to explain exactly what he meant when said that statement.

As the Washington Post reported, his repeated apologizing didn’t seem to get him very far.

Can you say Don Imus?

Posted by on October 31, 2020 at 08:50 AM in Legal, Politics | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Red Sox, 2007 World Series Winners, Now Face Player Decisions

As noted in my local paper, the Portland Press Herald, and undoubtedly written about in many other places, the Red Sox now face some important decisions about which players they’ll keep on the team.

Sure, Mike Lowell is now a sentimental favorite — especially after having been chosen as the Most Valuable Player in the World Series.  But the Sox also have to decide on a total of seven free agents, including starting pitcher Curt Schilling and relievers Mike Timlin and Eric Gagne.

After winning the 2004 World Series, the Red Sox had at least four key free agents: Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe, Orlando Cabrera and Jason Varitek.  Only Veritek was kept.

A year later, Johnny Damon left and went to play for the bad guys.

So while it’s quaint to think that the Red Sox will keep this team intact and protect popular players like Mike Lowell, don’t bet on it.

There is one thing that matter first and foremost to the Red Sox:

Golddollar

Make no mistake about it, money drives the hiring decisions of the Red Sox and also the choice of players on where they’ll play.  Keep that in mind, and you’ll go a long way to figuring out who will stay and who won’t.

 

Posted by on October 31, 2020 at 05:19 AM in Business, Entertainment, Games, Sports | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Judge Who Lost Pants Suit Gets Canned

The Washington Post reports that Roy L. Pearson Jr., the judge who unsuccessfully sued a drycleaner for $54 million when they allegedly lost his pants, was not reappointed.

Finally — a showing of common sense!

 

Posted by on October 31, 2020 at 04:52 AM in Music | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Innocence; Be The Pack Leader; Dinner With Dad — Book Reviews

Innocence

 

Innocence

By David Hosp

Warner Books

$24.99, hardback, 416 pages, 0446580147

 

            This is your typical novel about a man wrongfully accused and convicted of a horrible crime.  Vincente Salazar, an illegal immigrant and doctor from El Salvador, was sentenced to fifty years with no parole for the assault of Madeline Steele, a Boston undercover cop.  She identified Salazar and his fingerprints were found on the gun that shot her. 

 

Open and shut case, right?  Hardly. 

 

Enter Scott Finn, a sole practitioner who is barely making ends meet by taking any case that walks in the door.  Finn agrees to represent Salazar and as he digs deeper and deeper for the truth of what happened, he finds that the police are hiding a dark secret – one that quickly puts Finn’s life at risk. 

 

I liked this book and it enlightened some interesting facts about the criminal justice system and what is needed to get a new trial for those already convicted of crimes.  For those interested in seeing justice for those who innocent people who don’t deserve to be in jail, it’s a worthwhile read.

 

The author, David Hosp is a Boston lawyer at Goodwin Procter who for the past few years has worked with a team of attorneys representing various individuals wrongfully convicted.  The factual basis for this novel is similar to the case of Stephan Cowans who was convicted for the shooting and attempted murder of a Boston cop, but was later exonerated and released from prison through the work of the New England Innocence Project.

 

Buy it here.

 

 

 

Pack leader

 

Be The Pack Leader

By Cesar Millan

Harmony Books

$25.95, hardback, 316 pages, 978-0-307-38166-8.

 

            If you enjoy watching Cesar Millan in the National Geographic Channel’s Dog Whisperer, you’ll like this book.  Although Cesar reviews some of the some cases that have already appeared on the television show that you might already have seen (John Grogan, author of Marley & Me, and his new dog Gracie), the book provides plenty of other examples that will be new to you.

 

            As always, Cesar repeats his advice of using calm-assertive energy with your dog.  He also uses his tried-and-true formula for working with difficult dogs: exercise, discipline, and affection – in that order. 

 

            Cesar also reviews tools for using with dogs, including various leashes, collars, muzzles, electronic fences and other items.  He discusses different breeds and what you might expect from certain types of dogs.  An Appendix provides a quick reference to becoming a better pack leader.

 

            Cesar focuses throughout the book on his familiar theme that it is unstable owners who make unstable dogs.  That central idea is part of the fun in watching the television show – the realization in the owner’s eyes when he or she understands that their dog has all these problems because of them. 

 

            The subtitle to the book reads: Use Cesar’s Way to Transform Your Dog … and Your Life.  Although I recommend the book, even if I were able to completely rid my dog of all her “bad habits” using Cesar’s methods, it’s quite a stretch for me to believe that the ideas in this book will transform my life.  I’d be happy if I could just get my dog to come when I call her.

 

            Buy it here.

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Dinner with dad

 

Dinner With Dad

By Cameron Stracher

Random House

$22.95, hardback, 242 pages, 978-1-2019-6537-0

 

            I don’t quite know what to make of this book.  The author, Cameron Stracher, is obviously a bright guy.  He graduated from Harvard Law School and has written two previous books.  He’s a graduate of the Iowa Writers workshop and has written articles for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and other major papers and magazines.

 

            Cameron has a lovely wife, two great children, a nice home and a good job as a successful lawyer.  Like many folks who make tradeoffs with their family in order to work enough hours to justify a well-to-do lifestyle, Cameron spends little time with his wife and kids and too much time at the office.

 

            So one day, he decides he’s had enough. 

 

He begins an experiment where for the next year, he’ll be home by 6:00 p.m. at least five days a week to sit down with his family for dinner – and he’ll even help cook the meal himself.  He imagines it will be an Ozzie and Harriet type of existence where his (vegetarian) wife, 9-year old son, and 6-year old daughter will be delighted at his newfound ability to be home.  Naïve?  You bet.

 

            The difficulty I have with this book is the way that Cameron keeps insisting on making food that his children don’t like.   His daughter prefers plain pasta and his son like hot dogs.  So what does Cameron prepare?

 

            How about things like: cassoulet, garlic shrimp, spicy peanut noodles, falafel, tofu with edamame, shrimp and black bean fajitas, couscous, penne with pesto, and risotto?  His children, quite naturally, often fail to eat what he cooks.  He often gets angry and they often are set to bed.  Why?

 

            It’s no mystery that many children are fussy eaters.  Oh, I know not all of them – but many are.  Yet Cameron keeps making these elaborate meals with food his children have never tried before and he continues to fume and pout when they refuse to eat what he cooks.

 

            Other than this jarring nod to reality that Cameron is intent on ignoring, the rest of the book is quite charming.  Full of touching family moments and witty observations on life, this book has an enduring message:  being close to your family is worth all the effort. 

 

            Buy it here.

Posted by on October 30, 2020 at 04:51 AM in Book Reviews, Books, Entertainment, Writing | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Patriots Run Up The Score On Redskins

The New England Patriots decimating the Washington Redskins yesterday, 52-7.  The Redskins scored their only touchdown with just three minutes left in the game.

For a fan, there was little joy in watching this game.  The Pats led 24–0 at halftime and never looked back.

In the fourth quarter, the Patriots went for it twice on fourth down.  The first time they were up 38-0, the second time it was 45-0.  They made it both times.

The Redskins accused the Pats of running up the score.

Said Patriot coach Bill Belichick, “What do you want us to do, kick a field goal? It’s 38-0. It’s fourth down. We’re just out there playing.”

What a crock.

When you’re winning but that score, there’s no need to go for it on fourth down.  The Redskins were right, the Pats showed little class in this game.  I don’t support Belichick’s decision to keep piling on the points once it was obvious that the Redskins were no match for them. 

The Patriots have little to be proud of with this game.

Posted by on October 29, 2020 at 05:53 AM in Business, Entertainment, Games, Sports | | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

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Red Sox Nation Rejoices

With the 4–3 win last night, the Red Sox are the 2007 World Series Champions.  The Colorado Rockies made it an exciting game with a 2 run homer in the 8th.  But Papelbon came in and shut down the remaining batters for the Rockies.

This sweep of the Rockies comes on the heels of the 2004 sweep of the Cardinals.  Ask most Red Sox fans what they remember about the 2004 series, and they’ll probably talk about beating the Yankees four straight after being down 3–0.  For many fans, that was just as thrilling as winning it all.

Congrats to the 2007 Champions.

 

         RockiesbaseballBroom

Posted by on October 29, 2020 at 04:42 AM in Business, Entertainment, Games, Sports | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Sox Are Just One Win Away

With a 10–5 thriller last night over the Rockies, the Red Sox are just a win away from the Championship.  Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia were the big-bat heroes last night — as well as Dice-K for his pitching.

It’s great to see the rookies Ellsbury and Pedroia doing so well at hitting — especially since David Ortiz and Manny Ramírez have been noticeably “absent” at the plate (though I realize no one in the Red Sox Nation is talking about it).  Let’s see, I think Ortiz got a double last night and Manny was walked once (and got thrown out at home in a close play).  Other than that, neither player contributed with their bats.

Thank goodness that J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell, Kevin Youkilis and the others are doing so well with their bats.  If this team were entirely dependent on Ortiz and Ramirez for their offense — at least the way they’ve been playing in this series — the Sox would be hurting.

Come to think of it, I really enjoy seeing the gritty determination and joy in the faces of the rookies when they do well.  I thought that I’d miss seeing Manny’s showboating arms up in the air when he cranks one.

I don’t.

Posted by on October 28, 2020 at 10:40 AM in Business, Entertainment, Games, Sports | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Papelbon Pickoff of Holliday in Game 2

The Sox didn’t crush the Rockies last night like they did in game one — they just went out and won the game.

One of the sweetest plays was Jonathan Papelbon’s pick-off of Matt Holliday at first base to close out the 8th inning.  If you missed it, see it here.

The Red Sox are halfway.

Posted by on October 26, 2020 at 08:40 AM in Entertainment, Games, Sports | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy

THE ROAD

By Cormac McCarthy

Alfred A. Knopf

$24.00, hardcover, 241 pages; ISBN 0-307-26543-9 (2006).

           

            This book will haunt you for days after you read it.  It is a dark and depressing picture of a post-apocalyptic world that you never imagined.  Forget the somewhat desperate community pictured in the television series Jericho striving for a “normal” life; in The Road the world has reverted to the Dark Side.  Cities are ruined, the dark sky bleeds ash instead of rain, plants and animals are all dead and few people survive.  It’s winter and a father and his young son trek south in search of food and warmth.  With no plant and animal life, lack of food is a constant companion.  The few human survivors they encounter are often to be feared: emaciated cannibals ready to sacrifice their humanity to ease the pain in their empty bellies.

Despite the gloom and utter destruction of nearly everything, this unnamed father and his son never waver in their love and dedication to each other.  And if the food runs out, or the prowling starving remains of human life capture them, the man has a gun with two bullets left.  But until that time comes, he remembers the world that was and passes on those memories to a son who knows only this decaying landscape.   

McCarthy writes in simple direct language that speaks far more than the most detailed description, as in this memory of the last conversation he had with the boy’s mother:

 

“They say that women dream of danger to those in their care and men of danger to themselves.  But I dont dream at all.  You say you cant?  Then dont do it.  That’s all.  Because I am done with my own whorish heart and I have been for a long time.  You talk about taking a stand but there is no stand to take.  My heart was ripped out of me the night he was born so dont ask for sorrow now.  There is none.  Maybe you’ll be good at this.  I doubt it, but who knows.  The one thing I can tell you is that you wont survive for yourself.  I know because I would never have come this far.  A person who had no one would be well advised to cobble together some passable ghost.  Breathe it into being and coax it along with words of love.  Offer it each phantom crumb and shield it from harm with your body.  As for me my only hope is for eternal nothingness and I hope it with all my heart.”

 

Once you get past the ugliness and terror that permeate every phase of life in this bleak new world, you come to understand that this book isn’t the horror novel of your nightmares.  Instead, it’s an enduring paternal love story between a father and his only son.  Against nearly impossible odds, this gaunt boy and his ill father find a way to endure, a way to keep surviving.  How long can they go on?  What will happen if they’re caught, get hurt or one of them dies?  Will the darkness overcome them or are there others out there who have retained the capacity for human compassion? 

From start to finish, this book will have you in its spell.

Buy it here.

Posted by on October 26, 2020 at 07:10 AM in Book Reviews, Books | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Red Sox Hammer the Rockies

It started with Josh Beckett striking out the first three batters in the 1st inning.  Then Boston’s leadoff batter, Dustin Pedroia, smacks the second pitch of the night over the green monster for a home run.

Right then, you knew this game was one to remember — at least for the Red Sox Nation. 

After this 13–1 drubbing, the Rockies have clearly lost that magic touch.  And I don’t care what their coach says about it being “just one game” — their confidence has to be in tatters. 

Welcome to the World Series.

Sox Josh Beckett                         Sox Dustin Pedroia

Posted by on October 25, 2020 at 05:47 AM in Business, Sports | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (1)

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