chicus.com

Links and Such    Jun 08, 2008
A few links and other thoughts.

I would say this is Darwin at his finest but nobody died. Note to all. If you hoard 45 gallons of gas in 5 gallon water jugs and 'cap' them with rags you deserve whatever you get, if not worse.

This one kind of gets me. On one hand I understand that these attendees are not used to a life or rice and beans with meager spices. However, there is something to be said for the hypocrisy. If you are gathering to meet about the plight of those with no food wouldn't it seem reasonable that you moderate what you eat? Isn't it like showing up at an intervention while high? "Jim, you have a problem and we are all here because we care about you and want to help you resolve it. But it is your problem, not mine, so I am not going to change my ways even when trying to help you." People mocked up in college when we spent a night in cardboard boxes in a field on campus, saying we were just 'pretending' we were homeless. But at least there was some attempt to relate to those we were trying to draw attention to.

Finally, I was pleasantly surprised to notice how many people were carrying their own cloth shopping bags when I went to the grocery store this evening. I have no hard numbers to suport my belief but it appears many more people are bringing their own bags.

I've personally been much more concious about my consumption of plastics because they are created by oil. In addition to using as few plastic bags as possible I have taken to re-using my cups when I get iced coffee at Starbucks. As far as I have seen nobody else is doing this (and I can't say I am surprised, it is a bit odd). I've been washing out my cups between uses and having them refilled. While my main goal is to use less plastics the addend advantage is that they charge me only $.53 for a refill. Anyhow, it is just good to see that people are more mindful of this stuff. I have no clue exactly what it saves but I know that plastics are made from oil so in theory a dramatic reduction in our use of disposable plastic products should result in a reduction in demand and therefore oil/gas prices.

Hey, at worst it is a good theory and doesn't hurt any of us.

It Feels Like A Bribe    Apr 28, 2008
This whole tax rebate thing is getting even more goofy. All of a sudden the government is running ahead of schedule so the rebates will be coming earlier? When has the government ever been ahead of schedule? I dunno, I just feel like it is a bit suspect.

I'm not going to make some moral stand by not accepting the $$ but I am not a fan. Personally, I wish they would take the money and invest it in something long term that would allow alleviate the root of the problem. Something like say...sustainable energy. Whatever, I know I sound like a broken record but I don't believe we would be in this situation if we had continued on the path of diminishing our reliance on oil. It wouldn't help the fact that there are more mouths to feed worldwide which has certainly affected the price of food but it would have kept gas down and it would have kept corn prices in check, which wouldn't hurt anything.

Sorry, I don't have the drive to delve into it further. You know I am happy for my extended family and the other farmers who have suffered through deflated prices for so long. However, it is tempered by my knowledge of the larger effect it is having on the world.

I Can Be Your Hero    Apr 02, 2008
My day took a turn for the strange at around 3:20 this afternoon. But I can't very well lead with the best part of the story, can I? In fact, if I really want to run this like a network news program I would tease you with a hint and then head to a commercial, go to other normal stuff, and then throw it in somewhere near the end of the show. Luckily I am not like that.

Some coworkers were going out for ice cream and invited me along. Truth be told, I had little desire to eat ice cream on a day where the high temp was somewhere around 50. It was beautiful when in the sun and out of the stiff wind but otherwise, not ideal ice cream weather. However, in the interest of bonding with my department, I went along.

After grabbing a small cone with a scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough and my first ever scoop of Chunky Monkey we headed back up St. James towards the office. As we hit a slight bend in Providence St., on the way to Arlington, we heard a yell. Nobody thought much of it as it wasn't blood-curdling or more alarming in any way, it could have easily been some random guy yelling for a friend. However, a second later I looked up and saw a man lying in the crosswalk at Arlington and St. James.

There were people on the sidewalks around the intersection and looking at the man but none were attending to him. It seemed ridiculous to me and I took off in as near a sprint as I could to the intersection, still having no idea if he had been hit or what circumstances led to his lying along the first and second lanes of traffic. There was a man who had stopped those lanes of traffic nearest to the still man but as the light changed cars began to slowly move again in the third.

To say I was prepared to help is a drastic understatement, I had no clue what to do initially. I just kind of stood there for what felt like forever but was in actuality no more than 5 seconds. I started asking if anyone had called 911, which a couple of people had. "Was he hit by a car?" No came the answer, he just collapsed.

I was hesitant to touch him, I must admit sheepishly. There was no blood but he had a haggard look about him. His hands were a very, very dark orange and his face and neck were only slightly lighter. It looked like he had overdosed on tanning cream. To compliment his complexion were black-painted fingernails and long, unkempt hair and an unclean brown coat. He didn't look homeless but he didn't look as though he was doing well for himself, either. His look was reminiscent of the lead character from The Crow but with orange skin instead of white makeup. It was kind of creepy. As much as I hate to admit it my first thought was that he was into drugs or mentally ill and despite the comfort I have while working around the controlled environment at the BLC I couldn't shake the feeling that he may have some disease which I could contract. I only wish I had taken the time to read a headline I saw about the new recommended way to perform CPR, which is free of mouth-to-mouth contact. (BTW, they say it is to eliminate confusion but in a discussion after the event, we all agreed it was more likely due to circumstances like this, where people fear coming into contact with a strangers mouth).

I bent down and started asking the man questions, to which he didn't respond and nor did he open his eyes. I checked for a pulse, which he had, and he kind of moved his mouth and soon I could see he was also swallowing. This brought up a new fear, should I reach into his mouth and hold his tongue so he doesn't swallow it? I did not and as he seemed to come to I asked if he had any medical conditions, to which he replied no, and relayed that to a man on the phone with 911. At this point I was again lost so I just moved back a bit as he was breathing, responding, and trained professionals were on the way. At that point he shot up to a near sitting position for a second and I swear he flashed a smile before lying back down. That really creeped me out and made me think he was in fact a bit crazy.

Within 30 seconds more (still just guessing) an ambulance pulled up. Though I was his primary caretaker out there I had nothing to offer them as I had not seen it occur and had passed all information I had to the dispatcher. Therefore I just left.

Along the way I took a moment to yell at a cabbie who was upset because there was a narrow lane he could have used to turn off of St. James and onto Arlington but another motorist refused to drive through it because it would have taken him within a couple of feet of the injured man. I yelled but also apologized as I knew I had a valid point, the cabbie should have had more respect for the situation. However, my yelling at him really served little purpose at that point.

As I walked back to the women of my department I noticed how strongly my heart was beating from the adrenaline and then looked down to see I still had the ice cream cone in my right hand. I do recall thinking of discarding it as I began to run but there was no garbage receptacle around and it seemed strange to just chuck it somewhere so evidently I hung onto it the entire time. Fortunately the cool weather caused only minimal melting and nary a drop had touched my hand.

So yeah, that "hero" thing is clearly not applicable. I didn't save his life or anything. I was just trying to draw you in.

Jack is Back!!    Mar 24, 2008
I grilled this evening for the first time since probably October or early November. Casey moves to Colorado on Wednesday so we got together for some NY strips, asparagus cooked in a pouch with onions, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and pesto bread. Oh, and an easter egg. It was very nice, like old times, and a nice send-off as she makes the move.

So Jack Kevorkian is running for Congress. I'm trying to think of slogans. "I'll give you liberty or give you death." Whatever, I think the fact that he has only voted once in his life kind of hurts his chances. If he hasn't been active in democracy it seems kind of hard to make him a democratic representative of the people...or maybe that is just me. Either way, it is a fun story.

Hybrid Tax Credits    Jan 06, 2008
I was visiting Rob, Ginger, Win, Wes, and Charlie (the triplets) earlier this week and was surprised to learn there was no longer a tax credit for purchasing a Toyota Prius. The program has expired for cars made by Toyota (including Lexus) because they surpassed the threshold of 60,000 hybrids sold. Further research found that the incentive for purchasing Honda hybrids will similarly be phased out by the end of 2008 for the same reason.

This was all a shock to me because I didn't realize there was a time line. I suppose most of these tax credits have time lines and for that reason I should not be surprised. However, I had thought the credit was to encourage the purchase of hybrids for ecological reasons but clearly it was aimed at assuring automakers they were not building hybrids which were doomed to gather dust in lots at their factories.

This was rather disappointing to me. We are in the midst of a presidential campaign where the environment, our economy, and energy independence are focal points. Hybrids benefit each of these items and yet we are taking away an incentive for consumers to take action to correct the problems.

Obviously as the prices come down, as they have, consumers need less incentive. However, I think a tax incentive needs to be less for the benefit of a corporation and more for the benefit of the people. If we are going to have a tax credit, it should not expire at different points for one automaker than another. Why should Toyota be punished for being ahead of the curve?

That is a question I would like to see posed to a candidate for president. If driving a hybrid benefits society in three ways, why are the tax incentives aimed to benefit the corporations? And as a follow up, do you support extending the credit to all hybrids or do you feel they should go away completely?

Huckabee and AIDS    Dec 09, 2007
The Globe is running an AP story saying Mike Huckabee wanted to isolate HIV/AIDS patients from the rest of the public.

I generally align with a different political group than Mr. Huckabee but I am not so blinded by political party as to not be able to provide defense where I feel it is due.

While there may be nothing inaccurate about the report, I have difficulty holding him accountable for such a statement. AIDS was a far different topic in 1992 than it is now. If you recall, Magic Johnson came out very late in 1991. I clearly remember sitting in front of the TV at 3:00 central time and hearing the statement and believing his death was imminent. I was 14 at the time and I offer that my perspective may have been different had I been older. However, I am not exactly positive it would be. AIDS was to the early 90's as terrorism was to the early 2000's. Something which we were taught to fear even though what we were fearing was kind of abstract. We could define both fears but we couldn't identify either one when walking down the street. We just knew they were both trying to kill us.

In my time volunteering at the BLC, I have learned that even within the gay community the perspective has changed. Through homosexual HIV-positive coworkers, I have learned that they used to see HIV as something to be feared, and without quoting, a death sentence. However, in recent years, that fear has subsided as the lifespan has been extended by cocktail drugs. It has, in some ways, caused a problem, as people are not protecting themselves the way they once did.

If the perspective within the most widely affected social group has changed, who is to say it is wrong for the perspective of a political candidate to change? Even after reading that Huckabee 'opposed increased federal funding in the search for a cure and said homosexuality could "pose a dangerous public health risk"' I find it hard to hold his prior thoughts against him. I feel it would be like faulting someone for a statement made about terrorism on September 12, 2001 when people were reacting on emotion, not logic.

Junk Bonds    Jun 01, 2007
Normally when I write on a topical nature I do some research. At bare minimum I read a relevant article and it isn't unheard of that I would check 3-5 sites for information. However, I cannot bring myself to research a key point for this article. My apologies in advance.

As Barry Bonds approaches the MLB record for Most Track Marks Amassed Between His Toes there is a buzz around the sports world. It is most apparent on ESPN, who is reporting on it as frequently as Lindsay Lohan reports to rehab. (Heyo! I know pop culture!)

There are two worst parts to this. The first worst part is that Barry is an asshole. Seriously, let's call a spade a spade. I reserve language like that on this site for times when it is warranted. That being said, Barry is a F-ing asshole. The latest bit is that he may withhold memorabilia from the Hall of Fame to cash in on it himself. He's made a shade under $174 mil through his career but still feels the need to squeeze a bit more from it. I support a man's desire to provide for his family, just ask Latrell Sprewell. But really, there comes a point...

The second worst part is that Barry could break the record in Boston. I cannot stomach the thought of seeing replays of the infamous home run flying over the Green Monster for years and years to come. It would be akin to being a Yankees fan watching a playoff team down 3-0 and seeing highlights of the Sox storming back, the only MLB team to come back from such a deficit (sorry Nae, had to throw that in).

It's like Bucky Dent, the 2004 ALCS, Bartman, and the Black Sox...watching a bit of baseball lore which you despise going down in your home park.

That is the part I didn't research. I think he is around 9 homers short and they are coming to Boston in two weeks. It's an aggressive pace to make it but sadly, it is possible.