What First Amendment?

This is how Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Representative in the United States Congress, ended her “Republican Response” to the President’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday night.

“Tonight, I simply offer a prayer… A prayer for Sgt. Hess’s family, your family, and for our larger American family. That, with the guidance of God, we may prove worthy of His blessings of life … liberty … and the pursuit of happiness. For when we embrace these gifts, we are each doing our part to form a more perfect union. May God guide you and our President, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.”

Was this a sermon or a political speech? (Trick question! It was actually a mindless, bland recital of pabulum containing no actual substantive policy suggestions.)

Jebus H. Christ, don’t these people realize they’re supposed to represent ALL Americans? (Another trick question. Of course they don’t.)

Rachel in London 2

Rachel's been in London for a total of five days now and she's already seen four shows. In addition to Richard II with David Tennant, she saw Rupert Grint in Mojo, Matt Smith in American Psycho, and some Cirque Du Soleil-esque show.

That's four shows and she's already seen Ron Weasley and TWO Doctors. Wow.

Automotive Stuff - Success!

All done. Everything works great and all the engine trouble codes have gone away! I spent a grand total of $67 for the parts.

Here she is, all ready to go. The bulbous black pod hanging down is the new resonator.

Automotive Stuff - A small snafu

 

Last night when I returned home from work I was surprised to see the intake hose I had ordered on eBay had already arrived. Hooray! Worried about how much trouble I had getting the old hose out, I approached putting the new one in with some trepidation. Happily, since the new hose is still pliable, it was much easier to get back in. I connected the small hose protrusion, the two large ends, and then the first of two “resonators” which are plastic boxes that attach to nozzles on the hose. The first went on easily, but the connector for the second resonator was the same size as the opening of the nozzle. What?!?

I did some quick research and found that since 2008, Kia had redesigned the intake hose and changed the size of the second resonator chamber, so my old resonator wouldn’t fit the current nozzle. D’oh! Very unhappily, I took the entire thing back apart and asked Carol to take it to the dealership to see if she could get a new resonator. I gave her the hose so she could make sure it fit before buying the new part. If they didn’t have it, I’d have to order it on eBay and wait more days for it to arrive.

Today Carol went to the dealership and they had the new part on hand for $25. Hooray! Now I have to reinstall the entire thing again tonight. But at least I know I can do it.

Republican Raspberries at SOTU

So here’s the list of things President Obama said in his State of the Union that Congressional Republicans DID NOT applaud:

• That it's a good thing that after 12 long years the war in Afghanistan is finally coming to an end
• That Congress shouldn't shut down government or threaten the full faith and credit of the United States
• That Congress should pass legislation to put more Americans to work in the tech manufacturing sector
• That he'll protect natural lands with his executive power
• That Congress should repeal tax breaks for Big Oil
• That Congress should restore unemployment insurance that it let expire at the end of the year
• That women deserve equal pay for equal work
• That nobody who works full time should have to raise a family in poverty, so Congress should raise the minimum wage to $10.10
• That Congress shouldn't have another 40+ votes to repeal Obamacare
• That votes, not money, should drive democracy
• That he'll work to prevent more tragedies like Sandy Hook

Way to go Republicans! Way to stand up for paying women less! Way to support exploiting our natural lands! Way to show your disapproval of those Commies who want more “jobs” in the tech sector. Way to stick it to “Big Peace” who want us out of Afghanistan and don’t want further mass shootings at American schools. You go, Republicans, doing what you do best!

Sitting on your asses.

Are you on the side of women?

In his State of the Union speech tonight, President Obama said this:

Today, women make up about half our workforce. But they still make 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. That is wrong, and in 2014, it’s an embarrassment. A woman deserves equal pay for equal work. She deserves to have a baby without sacrificing her job. A mother deserves a day off to care for a sick child or sick parent without running into hardship – and you know what, a father does, too. It’s time to do away with workplace policies that belong in a “Mad Men” episode. Let’s work together – Congress, the White House, and businesses from Wall Street to Main Street – to give every woman the opportunity she deserves. Because I believe when women succeed, America succeeds.

Earlier today, Congressional Republicans passed a sweeping anti-abortion bill that prohibits the use of federal tax dollars for abortion, something that's already illegal due to previous laws. It also would make it harder for women to buy private insurance to cover abortions. The bill has no chance of passing the Senate and would be vetoed by the President, but they passed it anyway, just to show how much they don't care.

The contrast between the Democrats and Republicans on women's issues could not be more stark. So if you support women, women's health and women's rights, why the hell would you ever vote for Republicans?

Automotive Stuff

Last year I was one of the first buyers of the Automatic Link. The Link is an OBD-ii reader you plug into your car's dataport to get data directly from the car's computer and send it to your smartphone. There have been (cheaper) OBD-ii readers available for years. What set Automatic's apart is the the slickness and user-friendliness of the user interface. We have it in our Kia Sedona minivan.

The initial app release had limited functionality, but over the past year they've been issuing regular updates to add new functions and they're not done yet. Eventually, the Link (hopefully) will provide full real-time stats from the engine. 

What it does now is monitor your driving to track your car's mileage, provide a summary, complete with map, of every trip taken, tell you how much you spent on gas, and monitor bad driving habits. There are also two other really cool features. The first is Crash Alert which, if you get in a crash, will call up to three phone numbers you give it and tell them you've been in an accident. It will also contact a staffed On-Star-like call center. None of this requires a subscription, it's all included in the price of the Link.

The second really cool thing is that when your check engine light comes on, the Link will give you the specific engine trouble codes involved. This allows you to figure out what's wrong, possibly fix it yourself, and avoid having to take the car into the garage. It also allows you to turn off the check engine light. When we were returning from Indiana last month, the check engine light came on and with the app we were able to see that it wasn't a crucial problem and so could continue our trip. That was a huge relief.

Last week, the light came on again and we got an error code indicating a problem with air flow to the engine. Then we got another, similar, code. Eventually, we ended up with six different trouble codes. Yikes.

I've never taken an automotive class in my life. I have learned to do some simple car maintenance tasks like changing light bulbs, headlights, and various filters, but the task has to be fairly simple. But I like to save money, so me doing the repairs is always on the table. I did some research and the biggest problem associated with the codes was a leak in the engine air intake hose. That's this ugly fellow.

There wasn't any breakage visible, but others reported that the problem was often on the underside. Great. So, yesterday after some amount of struggle, I got it out. And then you can see this:

That's a big tear. I've ordered a new hose and hopefully I can get it in. The part cost $45 on eBay but that's the entire cost and I figured I saved at least a couple of hundred bucks. Hopefully, this will clear all the trouble codes. It might not, in which case I'll still have to have the dealership look at it, but the savings for the hose will still be there. The Link has already paid for itself a couple of times over.

Oh, and through my research, I also learned that the van has a replaceable air filter behind the glove compartment that filters all the air that goes into the cabin through the heater and air conditioner. Ours had never been changed. Here's what it looks like. Note that I did not add the sticks and leaves. Those were there.

Yikes. I've ordered a new one of those as well.

(I highly recommend the Automatic Link, but if you're interested in a cheaper OBD-ii setup, this unit is only $24 and is the best seller on Amazon. It pairs with an Android app called Torque.)

Rachel in London 1

Here's Rachel at Dulles, getting ready to check in for her Thursday flight to London.

I tracked her flight across the Atlantic using Flightaware and was put in no small amount of distress when the telemetry from the airplane stopped for three hours over the Atlantic. I finally checked out some other flights and determined that it's a typical thing. Stupid Flightaware, might want to post a warning about that.

She arrived safely and has been fighting jetlag to get through orientation. She must not be doing too badly, though, because yesterday she waited in line and got the next to last ticket ever sold for the Royal Shakespeare Company's Richard II starring the 10th Doctor himself, David Tennant! She texted that it was the "best show ever" and "amazing".

Rachel Flying Away

Tomorrow night, Rachel flies to London for a semester abroad through her school, James Madison University. She'll have limited class time and will be going on many sponsored field trips throughout the country (and Paris!), including seeing nine(!) West End shows. When she's done she'll have earned her Minor in British Media and Communications.

Basically, this is a dream come true for her. She's been an Anglophile for years and living in London has been one of her goals for a long time. She's well prepared and organized for the trip, unlike some of her classmates who this very evening were texting her with questions about using credit cards in England. Oy.

During her spring break in March, her boyfriend will be visiting and they're going to Ireland and Germany together. Then in April, Carol, Ben and I are visiting for ten days. It's an exciting time for all of us.

Bon Voyage, Rachel.

The Spoils of Babylon

Last week, IFC (Independent Film Channel) launched a six episode mini-series, The Spoils of Babylon, produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, created and written by SNL alums and starring Tobey Maguire and Kristen Wiig among a large cast. I've been watching it and really enjoying it.

Spoils of Babylon is a parody of the big-budget, melodramatic mini-series from the seventies and eighties like The Thorn Birds or anything else starring Richard Chamberlain. Basically, it's the story of a rich oil family, father, daughter and adopted son, starting in the 1930's and moving into the 1970's. The humor is all over the place including broad satire, slapstick, word humor and anything else they can throw at the wall (in the second episode, Maguire has sex with a mannequin, but it's okay, she's his wife). Much of it works. Will Ferrell opens and closes each episode as the author/director who adapted the mini-series from his own book and directed what we're watching. Understanding that what's on the screen is the product of Ferrell's mad character adds a layer of fun subtext.

If you enjoy this kind of thing, I recommend it.

Snow Day 2014

I had a snow day from work today. Woke up at 7AM and checked the OMB app from bed. I was surprised to see the word CLOSED as it's rare that the government shuts down. And it hadn't even started snowing yet! It turned out to be a good call as thousands would have been stuck at work or a terrible commute home.

Tragically, I couldn't fall back asleep and so got up and watched TV. Tough life, I know.

On Reagan's birthday, they'll raffle senility

One of the more recent Republican talking points is that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Republican. This is, of course, complete nonsense and, even if he had been historically a Republican, the idea that he would support today's wingnut-filled, chock full o' racists, Republican party is ridiculous for anyone who knows anything about what he stood for.

Fortunately for Republicans, they know nothing about what he stood for.

Portland, OR January 13, 2014: Multnomah Country Republicans recognize the incredible time of year we are in. In successive months to start the year, we celebrate the legacy of two great Republicans who demonstrated leadership and courage that all of us still lean on today: Martin Luther King, Jr and Abraham Lincoln. In celebrating these two men, and the denial of the rights they fought so hard against, the Multnomah County Republican Party announces that we have started our third raffle for an AR-15 rifle (or handgun of the winner’s choice). The drawing will be held at our Lincoln Day Dinner on February 15th, 2014. Tickets are once again $10 apiece, or 12 for $100, and there is a hard cap of 500 tickets in the raffle.

They're raffling off a rifle in honor of a man who was shot to death. Brilliant.

Republican outreach to women continues!

Women, what’s not to like?

Ken Buck, a Republican district attorney and erstwhile Tea Party darling who has announced he will challenge Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) in the midterms this fall…

BUCK: Yes, I am pro-life. While I understand a woman wants to be in control of her body — it’s certainly the feeling that I had when I was a cancer patient, I wanted to be in control of the decisions that were made concerning my body — there is another fundamental issue at stake. And that’s the life of the unborn child.

See, a woman WANTS to be in control of her body, but tough shit.

Oh, and being pregnant is like having cancer.

Belated reactions - Anchorman 2 and Frozen

When we were in Indiana, we saw two movies with family to pass the time. First up was the long-anticipated comedy Anchorman 2. Doing a sequel to a much-beloved, innovative comedy more than a decade after the first is a very risky business. It’s hard to capture the same tone and spirit.

Anchorman 2 did a pretty good job of it. As usual with these types of comedies, it’s very hit and miss. Some segments were very funny and some painfully bad, especially a dinner scene where Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) has dinner with his black girlfriend’s family. I think I know what they were trying to do but it just didn’t work. There are, of course, some callbacks to bits from the first movie and these were mostly fine. The major callback near the end of the movie wasn’t hysterically funny, but all the cameos were fun. Anchorman 2 was a good sequel that will become a welcome part of the Anchorman canon.

Frozen, the Disney-animated musical, was really good. Given that it’s animated and that the ad campaign predominately featured the living snowman, Olaf, you expect it to be silly and fun. But the story was surprisingly serious and mature. The musical numbers, also surprising for their frequency, were really great. I found Frozen to be a nice surprise. It should and will join the roster of wonderful Disney animation that includes The Little Mermaid and the Lion King.

Accountability?

I just watched an HLN (CNN Headline News) story about the chemical spill in West Virginia. The story talked about people not being able to drink the water or bathe, emergency relief efforts, the impact on the West Virginia economy, and when it might all be fixed. During the entire story they didn't mention the name of the company responsible for the spill even ONCE.

That company would be Freedom Industries.

Freedom Industries spilled toxic chemicals into a nearby river and have deprived around 300,000 people of water. And CNN didn't see fit to mention their name in a story about the tragedy.

Where's the liberal media again?

Autumn Games - Rosenkonig

The next game in our Autumn Games competition was a new one for us, an older game in the series that I bought after we had started playing last year. That game is Rosenkonig (War of the Roses) by Dirk Henn.

The two players represent the Lancasters (red rose) and the Yorks (white rose) battling over the British throne. The game is played with 24 cards, each of which has a sword pointing in one of 8 directions with either a I, II or III at the top, allowing you to move the crown piece 1-3 spaces in the direction the sword is pointing. The round tokens are two-sided Powerstones and mark which side has power in each square on the board. Finally, each player has four single-use Hero cards.

The object of the game is to create groups of Powerstones in your color by the end of the game. Each group orthogonally (not diagonally) connected gets you points based on the square of how many Powerstones are in the group. So, one Powerstone gets you 1 point, two together gets you 4 points, three gets you 9, four gets you 16, etc.

Each turn, a player must take only one of three actions. One, you can play a card. Two, you can draw a card. And three, you can play a card plus a hero card. If you can do none of these, you must pass.

When you play a card, you move the crown piece unto an unoccupied board space and place one of the Powerstones onto that space with your color face up. Restrictions are that you can't move the crown onto an occupied space and you can't move off the board. Plus, you have to move the full number of moves on the card. If you can't do that, you can't move.

Drawing a card is just drawing a card and putting it in your hand in front of you, face up. As all cards are face up, you can always tell what options any move will leave your opponent. You may only have a maximum of five cards up in front of you, so if you have five cards, you may not draw more.

Ipecac's hand early in the game.

Finally, playing a card plus one of your four hero cards allows you to move the crown onto an opponent's already played piece and flip it over to your color. You do this to capture strategic points, break up one of your opponent's groups, or connect two of your groups. You only have four hero cards for the entire game, so choosing when to play them is important.

The game ends when the Powerstones are all played, or both players have no legal play. Highest score wins.

Carol (white rose) holds the lead

As the game started, both Carol and I realized that she had a better grasp on the game then I did. She quickly started making larger groups and I was forced to use my Hero cards to break them up. As we went, however, I started catching on and made some progress. Eventually, I was able to mold a large group in the center of the board that she was unable to crack.

When scoring, Carol and I each had one large group and a number of smaller groups. The point total of our smaller groups was 44 for Carol and 29 for me. Alas, Carol's large group was only 12 strong for 144 points while mine was 15 strong for 225 points, giving me the win.

Final Scores:

Carol    188
Ipecac  254

Next up, our penultimate game, Flowerpower.

Community Repilots

On Thursday, the best sitcom of the past decade, Community, returned to NBC's Thursday night lineup with two new episodes. Last year's fourth season was wildly uneven as NBC fired show creator Dan Harmon and his replacements had a difficult time finding the right tone for the show. In an almost unprecedented move, NBC renewed the show and rehired Harmon for this shortened season.

Amazingly, the two episodes demonstrated immediately why it's hard to take over for a brilliant, mercurial show creator and how that creator can instill a unique voice in a show. The two episodes were great, reestablishing the characters into the Greendale universe and restoring the distinct, fast-paced dialogue the show uses like few others. The difference from last season was startling. Chevy Chase was the only original cast member not to return, but (spoiler) he made a wonderful, completely unexpected cameo that I absolutely loved.

TV critics received five episodes for early reviews and word is that the fourth episode is amazing.

Can't wait.

The Company You Keep

Here's all I have to say about the racist, homophobic asshat from Duck Dynasty, Phil Robertson, and the ensuing crapstorm he unleashed.

If the people defending you are conservative Republicans, who will defend any expression of hatred, while simultaneously showing no understanding of the First Amendment, you've already lost. Sarah Palin was an immediate and passionate defender of the guy, and a week later she admitted she hadn't even heard or read what he had said.

That tells you all you need to know.

You can call me Mr. Steve Martin

A couple of weeks ago, comedian, author, and guy who can do anything, Steve Martin, apparently sent out a racist Tweet. As such things happen, he was quickly called on it,and he apologized after deleting the Tweet. I was in Indiana at the time and didn't delve deep into it, but I was certainly disappointed in Steve Martin.

Now the full story has come out.  The staff at Salon.com, who started the outrage, turned what was actually NOT a racist Tweet from Steve Martin into a racist Tweet by CHANGING THE WORDS in their article. Yikes. Nothing like a misquote to ruin your reputation.

For the full story, check this out from Bob Cesca.

Just Compensation

In 2011, President Obama, in an unsuccessful attempt to get Republicans to acknowledge his fealty to austerity (he is, after all, a socialist), froze federal salaries. He then kept them frozen in 2012 and when he tried to raise them for 2013, Republicans in Congress stepped in to keep them frozen. So for three years, pay for federal workers, of which I am one, hasn’t gone up. Given inflation, that means my buying-power has actually gone down.

Recognizing that diminishing salaries isn’t good policy to attract quality job-seekers or maintain a dedicated, experienced federal workforce, the President implemented a 1% salary increase for 2014 and Congress, probably more due to its ineptitude than anything, didn’t challenge that. So salaries just went up a whopping 1%.

Unfortunately, also due to its ineptitude, Congress didn’t renew a transit benefit that provides subsidies to those same federal employees who utilize the DC area’s mass transit system. This benefit is a net economic positive as it moves thousands of workers from the highways onto public transit, thus reducing commuting times for everyone, wear and tear on the highways, giving the Metro a badly needed financial boost, and reducing pollution. Failure to renew the benefit will actually harm the local economy.

As for the personal impact, the reduction in transit benefits is just about equal to the increase I received in my salary. So, stagnant wages for another year for me.

Huzzah.