Tennis anyone?

Found this little nugget at www.xpresspress.com (a great source for the weird and wacky):

Land O'Lakes, FL - May 6 /Xpress Press/ - Lake Como Nudist Resort (www.Lakecomoresort.com) in Land O'Lakes, Florida announces it is hosting the first ever nude tennis tournament to be webcast worldwide May 14, 2003. www.tennisinthebuff.com will have the privilege of presenting for webcast -- the first ever tennis tournament from a nudist resort. Beautiful Lake Como Resort has exceptional tennis facilities, and has opened its doors for the world to see the healthy fun and exercise enjoyed by nude tennis players.

According to the website, there were over a million webcast viewers for the tourney in 2003 so they had another one this year over Labor Day weekend (darn - missed it). Bet the balls were really flying!

They even offer a taped version of the tournament along with commemorative hats and t-shirts. ??? T-shirts to commemorate a nude tennis tourney. Hmmm. Maybe they just should have sold sunscreen.

Abolish the IRS?....hmmm......

What an interesting concept. Proponents are proposing a national sales tax to take the place of income tax - no more April 15, no more deductions from my paycheck. My knee jerk reaction was YIPPEE (although it would also mean no more tax refunds)! Then I kept reading...

Estimates for the percentage for this tax range from 23% to 60%. That's on top of the state and local taxes. The concept is that the poor ($9310 for singles, $18850 for a family of four) would be tax-free - in the form of "pre-bates". Doesn't this create a new government entity to take the place of the IRS? Now we need someone to administer the prebate program.

The estimated amount just floors me. I can't help but believe our economy would tank. Granted, I have a four children so I have less taken out of my check that a single person, but pulease! They would not recoup near enough to offset an additional 50% on all spending. Can you imagine shopping for a car? Sticker price is $20,000. Oh yeah - don't forget about the new sales tax. That car is now priced at $30,000 + state taxes and ttl.

Consumer spending is the bellwether for the state of the economy. I know that personally my consumer spending would decrease dramatically - especially on big ticket items. What would happen to the US dollar in the world market?

I'm not an economist - hell, I don't even play one on TV - but this feels wrong. Maybe they have crunched their numbers and it would be a good thing for the country as a whole. All I can do is crunch my own personal numbers and for my family this would suck!

Iowa vs. Michigan...

Iowa lost again this week. This time to Michigan. They looked better than they did against Arizona State and one of my favorites, Ed Hinkel, made an unbelievable one-handed catch for a touchdown early in the game to pump up the Iowa fans.

Next week - Homecoming (Michigan State)

Powerful message...

For those who don't read Big Dick's blog I wanted to pass this one on. He posted a letter from the daughter of a Vietnam war veteran. It is very powerful and beautifully written.

To play or not to play...

Shawn Green has been all over the news this week. His decision to observe Yom Kippur has baseball fans all abuzz.

The end of this article makes a great point. If he was missing for the birth of a child or an injury, no one would think anything about it. Players have missed with jammed fingers and ingrown toenails, but missing for a religious reason has people freaking out.

Green has been accused of letting down the fans. I think the fans are letting him down.

Jack Hensley...

It is reported that the other American civilian that was kidnapped has been beheaded.

We knew yesterday the identity of the bastard that beheaded Eugene Armstrong. Why is he still sucking oxygen today?

I have no words.

Beheading of Eugene Jack Armstrong...

I am physically sick from seeing the video. For those of you who haven't seen it - it is horrific.
A liberal moron on the radio was spouting the opinion that we should seek to arrest this asshole and put him on trial for what he did. We know who did it. We have identified him through voiceprint. He claims (the liberal) that this insane fuck has the right to a fair trial.
Hmmm....since when do we arrest and try our enemy during a war? Do we try to cuff a sniper picking off our troops or our civilians? Do we read his Miranda rights?
The right to a fair trial, the right to remain silent, the right to freaking everything we hold dear are rights of the American citizens - not some terrorist - not some lunatic fundamentalist freak that has declared a holy war on us.
Kill him, kill him fast, kill him deader than dead.

Iowa Loses...

The Hawkeyes got spanked by ASU. It was depressing. Not only was the game scheduled late but was then delayed due to bad weather and didn't start until about 9:45. Iowa looked terrible. I am the first to admit it when we suck. That doesn't mean that I still don't love my Hawks.

I was watching the Florida State game on Saturday afternoon and was disheartened when FSU fans booed their team. They were winning - playing awesomely. The quarterback threw an interception and everyone (not just the drunken asshole in the front row), but the entire crowd began to boo. It was sad. I love my team no matter what. I'm like one of the three losers dressed as Indians and banging the drum in the movie Major League.

Moving...

I so hate to move. I am a pack rat. This is a fact that I freely admit.

I am moving to another building at work. I HATE it. Packing, sorting, unpacking - all the while actually trying to get work done.

The worst part - Paula and I won't be in the same building anymore. Hard to have Cwawfee Tawk in the mornings over the phone. **sigh**

Assault Weapons Ban...

The assault weapons ban was allowed to expire yesterday. I admit - I have mixed feelings about this. The weapons that this ban targeted are not typical hunting fare - basically they are "scary" looking to the general populace. They say they were banned to help prevent crime. Maybe someone should read the US Department of Justice statistics regarding crime and guns before continuing to make that claim or lamenting the expiration of the ban, citing the notion that we will now be a lawless, machine-gun-toting society.

I have mixed feelings because while I'm not jumping up and down in glee over the fact that I can legally buy an Uzi. I'm not perusing my closet for the latest in tactical gear. On the other hand, I AM jumping up and down in glee over the fact that as an American, I have had a right restored to me.

There was another period in our history when an inanimate object was blamed for all of the world's ills. It was thought to cause a breakdown in family values, an increase in violence, and a myriad of other horrendous things. The object was not found to have any positive purpose or redeeming qualities. Sound familiar?

Due to these "reasons" (among many other political ones that don't illustrate my point), Prohibition was born. Now we look back at that period in history and wonder how our leaders - how our nation - could have been so single-minded, so simplistic in logic. Now we know that it is not the alcohol that causes all of the horrors of the world. People who abuse alcohol are treated, punished, and dealt with at the individual level - leaving the rest of us to drink in peace (and legality).

I fully believe that this period of time, during which guns are the focus of our wrath, will be viewed similarly someday. According to statistics motor vehicles are much more dangerous to us than firearms ( 47% vs. 2% of deaths). Anybody up for banning cars? I heard an argument yesterday that the lifting of the ban would allow terrorists to obtain assault weapons. Hello....do you really believe that a terrorist is walking into a sporting goods store and picking up their favorite firearm? In fact, the most horrific terrorist attack on our country didn't involve a gun at all. It was accomplished with box cutters and airplanes. (Maybe we should outlaw box cutters).

Iowa vs Iowa State

Good news for the state - neither team sucked. Great news for Hawkeye fans - WE WON!!!!

How I love this game. The only thing that could have made it better would have been tickets at Kinnick.

Remembered...

Zero tolerance...

The topic of zero tolerance came up this week and I wanted to vent. Zero tolerance had good intentions - violate the rule and receive no quarter. The concept put into practice to the extent that it is makes it ridiculous.
We have "zero tolerance" to thank for a girl getting expelled for giving another girl a Midol. She was lumped in with crack and heroin dealers and there is zero tolerance for drug dealing on school grounds. It cropped up when a kindergarten student hugged a friend on the playground. There is zero tolerance for "sexual contact". It showed it's face when an elementary student held up a fish stick in the lunch room and pretended to shoot it. There is zero tolerance for firearms (and apparently imagination as well).
Zero tolerance has taken the decision making authority from our school officials, police officers, and judges. There is no decision to be made about intent or fairness - and no responsibility to be taken for any decision made. The written policy or law has already made the decision and outlined the punishment with no allowance for variance. It has tied the hands of the very authorities we entrust with decision-making power. Zero tolerance has taken common sense and thrown it out of the window.

What the F?

Yesterday John Kerry announced that the W. in George W. Bush stands for Wrong. What does the F. in John F. Kerry stand for? There was a radio show yesterday afternoon that asked listeners to call in with their opinion regarding the meaning of the W. and the F.

Here are a few examples of F.
Fake
Fluff
Fool
Failure

A couple of mine:
Foundationless
Fickle

My favorite, however, was a man who called in to say he just wish the F. in John Kerry would go away. (say it out loud)

Profiling or self-preservation?

All Muslims are not terrorists, however, the world's terrorists are all Muslim. This is a self-admitted fact.
Profiling is done on a daily basis in advertising, yet it is a dirty word in the fight against terrorism. It makes no sense to pull an 80 year old grandmother out of line at the airport and all but strip search her while letting a young man of Middle Eastern descent pass through unquestioned, all because of the concern over "fairness".
Guess what - the attack on the USS Cole wasn't fair, 9/11 wasn't fair, the Russian school tragedy wasn't fair. Nothing about these bastards is fair - why are we concerned over someone's inconvenience at an airport?
While it is important to remember that not all Muslims are terrorists (see the start of this post) and that we live in a country where you are innocent until proven guilty...I believe we should adopt another catchphrase - suspicious until proven trustworthy - not guilty, but suspicious. If forty-something, fat, white mothers were committing heinous crimes, I would expect to be looked at with suspicion!

Ah...the college football season

The college football season is upon us. YIPPEE! I can't put into words how much I love college football. The Iowa Hawkeyes kicked Kent St. tail today and it was a beautiful thing.

The whole throwback thing was excellent. They were celebrating Kinnick Stadium's 75th year and not only were the teams in throwback uniforms, the referees were also. They wore baggy white knickers and white straw hats with black bands. It was a hoot.

The Hawks looked excellent today and I can't wait until next week! The UofI/ISU feud will be kicking into high gear!

How does this make sense?

I heard someone say they would not vote for Bush again because, although he has been a good President, it was only because he surrounded himself with very smart people. What a dumbass comment! Would you prefer a President that surrounded himself with morons? Are you at all concerned with the fact that it's a huge job to run a country and occasionally it is necessary to delegate responsibility? By all means, hire a bunch of idiots to entrust with that responsibility.

Was I Dreaming?

Last night during the RNC coverage on MSNBC, they cut to the commentators (Chris Matthews and crew) outside of the Garden. Just as one of the panelists was about to speak, camera in close, he has a startled expression and draws away. The camera shakes and cuts to a wide shot. A police officer is flying across the news desk to tackle a man with a black mask who had apparently tried for his 15 minutes. MSNBC cut back to the floor of the convention where Campbell Brown picked up without missing a beat.

Later they came back to the group outside - not a word was said. I just searched the MSNBC website for an inkling of what the hell that was all about...nothing... Is this because they don't want to give an idiot any publicity (so unlike the press - read Kato Kaelin) or because they are downplaying the fact that this idiot is a Democratic protester? Would the reaction have been the same if this had happened during the DNC? Or would the press have had a field day with the crazy right wing nutjob that dared attack a journalist?