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OOC

Member since: Sep 14th, 2007

OOC's Latest Comments

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Recent Comments:

Best Boxed White Wines (Slashfood)

May 23rd 2010 12:23AM One of the reasons that glass is used is because of its incredible stability. Do box wine containers need seals such as Bisphenol A? Is the wine packaged like milk in a carton? Or is it more like juice boxes where the juice is contained in a plastic bladder (bag)? Besides being light and requiring less fuel to transport, are the box containers actually eco friendly?

Why Liberals Are Right to Refuse to Honor the Confederacy (Politics Daily)

Apr 18th 2010 3:26AM In my opinion, the Confederate Flag is analogous to Germany's swastika adorned flag from World War 2. I am sure that there were Germans who either did not know or did not believe that the Final Solution was being carried out. Maybe they thought it was merely exaggeration by the media. Still, they had been educated and raised by the German state which was now in war with the United States, Great Britain, etc. Maybe their families were military families who served honorably for generations. And they entered the service to defend their country, right or wrong, much the way we ask our soldiers to even today. And I am sure there were German soldiers who served honorably on the Eastern front. I can imagine, generations later, wishing to honor your grandfather for his service to Germany, although Germany's aims were judged to be evil by history. But no matter what, I cannot see a swastika without recalling the holocaust. And although I am certain there were people who served honorably, I wouldn't fly that flag in order to honor them. And I cannot look at a Confederate flag without having the evil institution of slavery brought to mind. I know that economics also shaped the secession movement and that there were economic reasons for the South to go to war. I believe thousands of men fought honorably for principles that they believed in and others of thousands fought honorably for principles they might not have believed in, but felt obligated to defend nevertheless. My country right or wrong. But I would never fly the Confederate flag to honor these men. I would not fly it as a sign of respect for the many women and families who sacrificed and paid a heavy price for their involvement in and support of the Confederacy. However, because that flag cannot be separated from the support and promotion of the institution of slavery, I would never, ever fly it. On those occasions when I see it, I am not lifted up by the reminder of those times, rather I am weighted down by the same chains that bound people as property. I feel the shame of our country's mistake in allowing slavery to take root in this country. And when I see the flag flown at tea party gatherings with caricatures of Obama that are drawn from stereotypes of the appearance of black people, I am ashamed for today and I know the flag is not meant to hono the sacrifices made on behalf of the Confederacy, out of which grew the union, but it is meant to "put him 'Obama" in his place, even as it was meant to put nameless black faces in their places in the mid nineteenth century. It was used the same way in the mid twentieth century to threaten and put back in their place all those who would dare follow Rosa Parks to a seat in the front of the bus or to register to vote. So yes it is time to let it go except as an interesting artifact. As a symbol for the South today, or a sign of respect for those who sacrificed for the confederacy, it is as inappropriate and offensive as a Germany's swastika laden flag from World War 2.

Tiger Fooling Nobody With 5-Minute Blips (Fanhouse - Jay Mariotti)

Mar 22nd 2010 5:15PM Just because he plays great golf, doesn't make him public property. Most people are hesitant to really look at themselves in the mirror. It does take a great deal of courage to really subject one's own character to the same degree of scrutiny and as much as colonoscopy is between he and his doctor, so is psyche. Not to mention that part of his success is rooted in his personal strength. He wouldn't want to give anything away. And I don't want him to, either.

Thin Lizzy Live Album Tops Poll (Spinner)

Mar 7th 2010 7:15AM Nirvana Unplugged. I think it qualifies as live and it is AMAZING!

SmackDown: Did Air Traffic Dad Really Do Anything So Wrong? (ParentDish)

Mar 5th 2010 4:20AM I think the Dad goofed. I don't think he ought to be fired and I do think there ought to be a policy in place that kids shouldn't ever be administering a flight plan. As a consequence, should any pilot or passenger hear a child administer (and I am not clear how the hearer would know the child was only administering directions not actually making the decisions) they should regard a child's voice as an emergency circumstance. As to Tom's argument that the reason I worry about such things is because I have no life, he is wrong. I worry about such things because I saw to airliners crash into what I thought were impervious, if not indestructible, buildings. More to the point, I have heard all the air traffic control tapes that preceded all of those jets crashing. Had air traffic controllers been more alert to the possibility of disasters perhaps, and I have to emphasize perhaps, fighters would have been scrambled earlier and been able to intercept these jets before they collided with the Towers. And I mention passengers hearing such things because I know some planes still run the radio traffic on the internal broadcast system. That means passengers are also potentially evaluating this anomaly and wondering if it is a reflection of some kind of emergency. Should they plan on storming the cockpit? And let's be clear, besides the threat of terrorism, the "friendly" skies have been rendered far less safe by repeated incidents of air rage, incidents which have required the intervention of not only air crews, but passengers in order to control the situation. So now that the policing of the skies is increasingly reliant on fellow passengers, I feel even less inclined to subject them to any oddities such as a child's voice suddenly directing air traffic. There is so much that can't be controlled, from weather to air sheers to human nature with its extremes of self destructiveness (remember the suicidal guy who tried to rush the cockpit), rage, hatred, etc. and the potential for catastrophic disaster, I prefer to err on the side of safety. Incidentally, thinking about it a little further, I realize that, too, my understanding of the capacity and capabilities of children to plan and execute destructive acts (the nine year old who even now the justice system is trying to deal with in the wake of him shooting and killing his step mother and in utero half sibling), I wouldn't feel safe assuming that a child's voice necessarily reflected a benevolent force. And since the margins in air traffic are far less than do a loop de loop, literally a matter of degrees, why chance it?

Pumpkin Carving Perfection -- Throw the Perfect Pumpkin-Carving Party (Lemondrop)

Dec 5th 2009 5:40PM This is a hot flavor tip off. Peppermint ice cream or fro yo with gingerbread.

Should Conan O'Brien Leave Sinking Ship NBC? (Inside TV Blog)

Nov 24th 2009 6:49AM Conan should leave and retool the show. Also, Conan along with being funny has the academic chops to do a Phil Donahue/Oprahesque Show. And Oprah is leaving. There will be a vacuum. Conan's comedy has always thrived on him being everyman or everyman lesser and funnier so that people feel a little better about themselves after watching. He allows them to laugh both with and at them. If Oprah and Conan were smart, they would make Conan's Show syndicated and take it back to Boston. The problem with doing an audience participation show in Los Angeles is that people don't relate to the aspiring models, and biz people in the audience. With O's extended good bye tour, C would have time to build the show and the audience. C would do very well financially and whatever NBC's motive in putting Leno on at ten, they hosed C. Letterman talks about staying at NBC after they promised Leno the Tonight Show and he was struggling so that NBC went back to offer Letterman the show. Letterman called Carson for advice. And Carson told him it was about respect and Letterman went to CBS. Carson would tell Conan the same thing.

John Hughes Movie Quotes (Moviefone Blog)

Aug 7th 2009 11:19PM I can't think of Hughes without remembering the soundtracks to the movies. I know his wife worked with him on those and I thought they were great. I think it was Hughes's particular brilliance that nearly all of us and each of us saw ourselves and our friends in his movies. I noticed he had sort of dropped off the map, but I thought that in a kinder and gentler America, he might make a comeback. If john's heavenly reward is to experience only a tenth of the pleasure that his audiences did, he will have a joyful eternity. Naturally, condolences to the family.

Teachers Wanted, No Classroom Experience Necessary (ParentDish)

Jul 27th 2009 9:47PM I want to commend Ms. Crespin and her family. In a time when the financial markets are in spasm, causing the whole economy to shiver, Ms. Crespin has stepped out of her comfort zones, both professionally and personally. That her daughter and husband have inspired and enabled (in all the best ways) her to make this change is wonderful. As a nation, we pay lip service to the idea, the value, that children are our future, etc. except we pay teachers very little and demand a lot from them. I try hard not to make value judgements about what people contribute to society. People do what they can. In fact, it is critical to the health and well being of our society that we all have different values. One example of this is that in the wake of every catastrophe from 9/11 to Katrina there are people who set out to rescue and provide for pets that are displaced as a consequence. My dollars are for people, but because other people prioritize differently both humans and pets are supported. Because of that, it is difficult for me to say that Ms. Crespin is making a more valuable contribution as a teacher than she did as a banker. At the same time, it is impossible to ignore that banking and bankers bear a disproportionate responsibility for the mess we are in while teachers remain heroes. So again, thank you and congratulations to the Crespins. The only aspect of the article which I take issue with is the number of potential teachers who are being turned down by teach America. Surely there are more than 2 to 3% who are qualified to teach.

New York Times to ask online readers to pay up (Daily Finance)

Jul 10th 2009 10:43PM Actually, when the Times first went online they charged for crossword puzzles, most editorial content, and access to back issues. I also believe that there was a two tiered payment structure for awhile. My guess is that the Times has figured it that it has already winnowed away people who do not consider the Times a "necessity." I also wonder what it mean in terms of web sites that offer content directly from the Times as well as those sites which offer summaries of articles with links to Times content.