As millions of students have already realized, Wikipedia is down today (January 18, 2012). Did Wikipedia forget to pay their electric bill?
Nope, nothing like that. Wikipedia and other big (and small) sites are participating in a blackout to protest SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act). When the calendar flips to Thursday, Wikipedia will once again be live.
The intent of SOPA, sponsored by Texas congressman Lamar Smith, is to aid law enforcement agencies in their fight against intellectual property violations. That sounds like a great thing, right?
The problem is that the government could shut down sites that are allegedly violating intellectual property laws without significant due process. SOPA would make also make a rights holder who falsely accused a site liable for damages. However, under SOPA, it’s quite likely that rights holders would try to press the issue and attempt to force law enforcement agencies to grant them protection that exceeds what they are actually legally entitled to. I think this because there already a lot of example of rights holders trying to expand the reach of their protections (no, I’m not talking about illegal downloads).
What SOPA would essentially do is turn the internet into a “shoot first and ask questions later” landscape. Sites that operate without the boundaries of the law could get shut down while an investigation take place. Whole sites could be taken down even if there were only a single case of copyright infringement – even if the site’s owner did not approve of then infringing content. If a visitor to this site were to leave a long comment that they stole, lock, stock, and barrel, from someone else, I wouldn’t necessarily know this. I could honestly believe that they had themselves written the content.
I do believe that intellectual property rights should be protected. However, I also believe that due process should be allowed to run its course and that law enforcement doesn’t rush to judgment simply because a rights holder says that a site violates intellectual property laws. There should be a balance between intellectual property rights and the first amendment.
Taking a sports angle on a bigger topic this week.
What can confidence, or belief in someone really achieve?
This year in the NFL we have seen two of the largest examples of this in recent memory.
First, (and apologies here as many have already beaten this to horse glue) but look at Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos. Ridiculed by many, he took a team that was 1-4 to start the year and made them an 8-8 club. He led the Broncos to a division title, beat the defending AFC Champions Steelers in his first ever playoff game. Lucky? Overachiever?
Perhaps.
The fact is that Tim Tebow has shown at the college level and now the professional level that he is a great leader. Teammates believe in him. Obviously I am not on the practice field, on the sidelines or in the huddle…I am not even a Broncos fan. But you can’t dispute the results of what he seems to have accomplished this year basically on heart and guts alone.
An even bigger example is Alex Smith. He has been tossed on the scrap heap in San Francisco on a few different occasions. The Niners have played musical coaches and musical offensive coordinator in their coaching hierarchy over Smith’s entire NFL career.
All it took as a new head coach, Jim Harbaugh, to come into the organization with the attitude that “hey this Smith kid is good, he just has not been properly coached. Voila’ The player who has been told by fans and media his entire career that he was a bust as a #1 Draft pick out of Utah has talent, that he is good, and that they can win games with him.
What happened with the San Francisco 49ers? They won their division, beat a favored team in the playoffs last week in one of the most exciting NFL games in recent or distant memory and are now poised to make the Super Bowl for the first time since they have had Hall of Fame quarterbacks at the helm.
The secret – Having the right people in the right place at the right time.
No doubt that Tebow, gave the Broncos a lift just when their organization needed it. The debate is still out if he is a long-term solution, but there is no denying the entire team has played much better since he took over as their quarterback.
San Francisco has shown that the right coach, who personally got to know his personnel and giving them the proper confidence and feedback to help them succeed, now has a team that were total underachiever’s in the eyes of many to on the verge of being NFC champions.
For those reading this article you likely can look to leaders in your place of employment and point to situations where strong leaders have assisted you, or assisted one your co-workers to achieve personal successes. I am certain you can also remember instances where this has not worked out so well.
Just like in the NFL combine where 40 yard dash times and repetitions in the weight room can increase draft stock, window dressing in the workplace is not always enough.
Sometimes….. what all of us need, whether is it in our parenting, our careers or in our sports pursuits is a some good coaching, and a little confidence.
Until next time, stay classy Charlotte, North Carolina.
I want to start this with a disclaimer that I am not suggesting that there is anything wrong with the activities I am avoiding or the products and services that I am no longer using. The first area of life that I am resetting is the use of my spare time. I have cleared my friends list to just actual friends and family. I have stopped using the time consuming on line games that kept me going through my period of heavy travel. I am limiting my television watching to planned program viewing. All of this is to realign the use of my time with what I have claimed (and really want) I want to do.
Next, I am no longer consuming carbonated beverages (colas, beer, etc.). These beverages are liquid candy and except for the beer, have no nutrition value. I am reducing the amount of sweets (candy, pie, cake, cookies, ice cream) to actually be treats. I am forgoing the second helpings of my favorite meals (pasta, pizza, turkey, stuffing). These actions are to reduce my caloric intake to address the fact that I am significantly over weight.
Things I am starting
I am spending more time writing. I have taken up crocheting again. I have already completed two single bed afghans for my college age kids. This is something I learned as a child at the feet of my grandmother. I have even gotten books from the library to help me understand the secret language of the crocheting patterns. I am doing this with my wife (she actually is knitting and taking classes). It is something we do together while watching television programs. Having something to do with you hands really cuts done on the snacking or even the channel surfing. These activities help to calm me especially during high stress with work, kids or life in general.
I am going to the gym more. I am trying for at least three trips a week. This in combination with my eating adjustments should work towards my weight loss goals. My doctor has told me to try for at most one pound per week. This is the sustainable loss rate the will result in a weight that can be maintained. If I success, I will lose 50 pounds by next Christmas. So far I have lost five pounds in the first three weeks of 2012. I know that there will be plateaus, but I am encouraged.
Other adjustments
I was wrong in my prediction that Green Bay would make it back to the Super Bowl, but I still stand by my prediction that Baltimore will win it all this year. I did not win the lottery – again- so I will just have to keep working and earn a retirement. The History Channel and National Geographic Channel have become my favorite stations, mostly because they are not reporting on the primaries. And finally, I really have to get my first book into the Hyrax store.
A lot of people are yammering about the BCS SEC National Conference Championship game, while others are talking about this weekend’s Tebowl. Naturally, I’m focused on baseball.
The voting for the 2012 Baseball Hall of Fame has been announced. Here are my thoughts on the voting:
Hall of Famers
Barry Larkin was elected in his third year of eligibility, jumping from 62.1% of the vote last year to 86.4% this year. Anyone who saw Larkin play during his prime realized that it was just a matter of time before he was elected.
After toying with his emotion for year, the Veterans Committee posthumously elected Cubs great Ron Santo to the Hall of fame.
Future Hall of Famers
This is an unofficial category, as you never know when a player’s candidacy is going to run out of steam. However there are several players who took big steps forward this year.
Jack Morris was the winningest pitcher in the 1980s and the ultimate gamer. However, his lack of eye-popping stats has kept him on the ballot for 13 years. With a jump from 53.5% last year to 66.6% this year, Morris could slip in next year as the first big batch of steroid-tainted players hit the ballot. If not 2013, then definitely in 2014, as players often get a bump from the voters during their last year on the ballot (you can be on the ballot for a maximum of 15 years).
Jeff Bagwell is tainted by the fact that he played during the steroid era, despite the fact that he has never himself been accused of any wrongoing. In his second year on the ballot, he jumped from 41.7% to 56%. Likely member of the HOF class of 2015 as he gradually pushed his numbers up.
The dynamic Tim Raines climbed from 37.5% to 48.7% in his 5th year on the ballot. He still has a sizeable hill to climb, but I think he gets there eventually. HOF class of 2019.
Lee Smith was the all-time saves leader when he retired. However, he has been passed since then (most notably by Mariano Rivera) and there’s less respect for the raw statistics of saves than there was in the past. In his 10th year on the ballot, he jumped from 45.3% to 50.6%. I’m not sure if he’ll make it or not. I hope he does, because I remember his as a fierce warrior on the Cubs teams in the 80s.
Everyone else
There are a lot of other great names on the ballot, but I don’t see any of the others making it into the Hall of Fame. Some thoughts on the rest of the group:
I loved seeing Larry Walker play for my Rockies. However, a relatively short career coupled with the advantages of playing at Coors Lite (pre-humidor) dooms his candidacy. Very exciting player – too bad he couldn’t have put together a few more good years.
Dale Murphy was a back to back MVP (1982 and 1983) but will fall off the ballot next year. He received a mere 14.2% of the vote this year.
Don Mattingly was the face of the game for a few years before a bad back sapped him of his power. 17.8% in his 12th year on the ballot. Mattingly has been on the Hall of Fame ballot for 12 years? That makes me feel old. Maybe he’ll make it to the Hall as manager.
Without the stench of steroids attached to his name, Rafael Palmeiro would have been a first ballot Hall of Famer. As the first big star to test positive, there’s no way he’ll make it. The irony is that he already had HOF numbers at the time of his test. Had he retired a year earlier, he’d be in the Hall.
Mark McGwire actually lost votes, dropping from 19.8% to 19.5%. This is fairly hard to do, as once a player crosses the Hall of Fame threshold in a writer’s mind, it’s unlikely the writer will demote him. However, the actual group of voters has a bit of turnover from year to year. Some McGwire backers may have retired and been replaced with those who aren’t likely to vote for him. although he never tested positive for a banned substance, he admitted to being using Andro (which was not banned) and was the subject of other rumors.
Edgar Martinez and Fred McGriff each made small jumps in their 3rd year on the ballot. Martinez climbed from 32.9% to 36.5% while the Crime Dog went from 17.9% to 23.9%. At this point, it seems unlikely that either will make it to the required 75%. The fact that Martinez was a DH works against him, as it should. He was still a great contributor as a hitter, but didn’t add as much value as a comparable hitter who also played the field. McGriff was one of the most feared sluggers in the game during his prime, but his lack of a team identity could hurt him – he bounced around like a ping pong ball.
Alan Trammell jumped from 24.3% to 36.8% in his 11th year on the ballot. I alway thought of Trammell (and Lou Whitaker) as very good players, but not great ones.
Bernie Williams debuted at 9.6%. Another guy who was a good player, but not a Hall of Famer.
Several players were dropped from future consideration after falling below 5%. Who would have ever guess that Juan Gonzalez would spend only 2 years on the Hall of Fame ballot.
Eric Young achieved his goal and received a vote. Just one, but better than 4 time All-Star Ruben Sierra, Jeromy Burnitz, Terry Mulholland, Phil Nevin, Brian Jordan, and Tony Womack.
The Worst Form of National Economics, Except All the Others That Have Been Tried
Like Winston Churchill Said …
Let me get this out of the way, I’m not against capitalism. Winston Churchill once said of Democracy that it’s the worst form of government, except all the others that have been tried. Capitalism is the financial equivalent to that form of governance – it’s the worst form of national finance, except all the others that have been tried. I have no problems with capitalism. People should be free to make the money they want, as long as that money making doesn’t harm others. Well, that harming others is where I have a problem with the twisted brand of capitalism that so many modern corporations practice – Vulture Capitalism.
Back in the late 1800’s there was a term used for the leaders of companies so powerful that they were indeed “too big to fail” – Robber Barons. These men were known for using unethical practices to obtain their obscene wealth. They acquired personal wealth at the cost of anything, including in many cases people’s lives. The recession of 2008 also had its roots in corporate entities that were “too big to fail” and the results where a handful of individuals gaining wealth and the vast majority of the country either being stagnant or losing ground. Again, I have zero problem with people becoming rich. I have many problems with people becoming rich because the money elects the politicians and then the politicians make the rules and then the rules favor those with money.
Trickle Down is Now Upside Down
An article just out last week showed that not only is the idea of “Trickle Down” wealth false, things have been the opposite in recent times. Even before taxes of any kind are taken into effect, the rich are still getting richer and everyone else – 99.9% of the country – are either stagnant or losing wealth.
Think of it this way; you’re in a group of 100 people, and you and 98 others all drive mid 1990’s SUVs and make $10 an hour. The last guy drives a Prius and makes $100 an hour. The price of gas for you and the 98 is $3.50 a gallon, but because of the fact he drives a non-guzzler, the guy who drives the Prius only has to pay $2.00 for a gallon of government-subsidized gas. Not only does he have a lot more money to cover his basic expenses, you and the other 98 are at a disadvantage because of government loopholes – loopholes put there by a combination of his money, and money from Toyota and the gas companies. Back before the Prius was invented, and before he was making so much more things were even, but as time goes on the playing field becomes less and less level.
It’s like a very small deviation in a course, over a mile being 1 degree off course will only put you off your final destination by a few dozen feet, but if you extend that trip to a few hundred miles you will be dozens of miles off by the time you get to where you’re going – magnitudes of order. Think that’s bad? What exists between the .4% and the rest of the 99.6% now is many magnitudes of order.
Cheer Up, It Can Only Get Worse!
It will only get worse, too. Every senator and representative makes over twice as much as the average person, easily putting them in the top 2% Unless they specifically vote to freeze their own pay on an annual basis, they get about a 3% “cost of living” raise. I’m a state government employee and because of “budgetary” reasons I haven’t gotten a cost of living raise in more than a few years. Combine that with the fact that my medical benefits have decreased and gotten more expensive (higher out-of-pocket, higher salary deduction), I’ve actually lost money, comparatively.
For the vast majority of congresspeople, the bulk of donations to their political campaigns come from the ultra-rich or corporations. Why wouldn’t a senator not vote for changes that help the rich? Not only are they helping themselves, they’re most likely helping their kin since inherited wealth is taxed at a much lower rate, sometimes not at all with loopholes and trust funds. Finally, once voted into office a congressperson gets lifetime health care and a retirement check. It’s a revolving door – rich corporations and the top .4% help get people into office, those people in turn pass laws and write loopholes that help the rich corporations get richer and top .4% keep more of their money, who in turn help who they want to be in office get there.
One of the biggest pieces of evidence of this is the Wall Street bailouts. Wall Street started voting in people who would deregulate finance laws, in turn Wall Street was allowed to take bigger gambles with collections of money – money at least in part made up of millions of retirement and savings accounts. Those risks failed, and in failing the richest of the super-rich made money because they hedged their bets. The companies they left sinking were then bailed out by the government, while the vast majority of people got nothing. The rich gambled with our money, lost it, made money themselves on that gamble, and then got the government to bail out the companies they shattered with that gamble.
It’s not just Republicans, on this one, either. After promising to change Washington in his election campaign, Barrack Obama turned around and filled his most important cabinet positions with ex-bankers, and ex-Wall Street types. I’m not sure which is worse, Obama failing like that and still decrying the evils of “Trickle-Down” or the Republicans still trying to get you to believe it works.
Plugging the River-sized Leak with Chewing Gum
Remember Citizens United vs. The Federal Election Commission? I’ve written about it before – it essentially removes limits to anonymous corporate spending in political campaigns. It’s just the latest in a long-line of laws that essentially give a corporation similar rights to that as a person. Even with the millions of people making political donations, corporations can still outspend us, even more so with the whole rich-getting-richer, poor-getting-poorer trend of the last few decades. We need to even the odds, we need to call in a few bulldozers to plug the leak that’s been growing larger since the 1980’s. If corporations have all the benefits of being a person, they need some of the drawbacks. When I see a corporation getting executed in Texas I’ll consider it a decent first step toward the playing field being level.
This is not about class warfare, this is about correcting a wrong that has been snowballing since the early part of last century and snowballing out of control since the 1980’s. That few degrees off course that accumulated under Reagan, Clinton, and the Bushes has us hundreds of miles from where we should be. Democrats are at least arguing that the problem exists, even if they are taking corporate money in one hand while placating you with the other. Republicans are arguing for less regulation, less restrictions on campaign finance, and calling the Democrats placation “class warfare.” It’s hard to have a class war when some 400 people have more resources than 40 million.
Capitalism is wonderful, but thanks to greed it needs oversight, especially when the people making the rules are put in place by the people with the money.
I’ve had an interest in writing since my elemenetary school days. This is how my life as a writer has evolved throughout the years.
The Early Years
I was selected to attend a Young Writer’s Conference in sixth grade. The conference was geared to 4th through 6th grades, and since I wasn’t selected in 4th or 5th grade, I assume that the writing bug must have hit me in sixth grade.
From day one, I wanted to be a fiction writer. My earliest report cards contain comments about me drifting off into my own world at times. The job of a fiction writer is simply to drift off in those dream worlds and write down what happens. I’ve always been pretty proficient at non-fiction, but have never found it as interesting as fiction.
Most of my earliest stories were about sports. This makes sense, since I was a huge sports fan (some things never change). My teacher told me that she’d select me for the writer’s conference (a day away from school!) if I proved that I could write a decent non-sports story. I wrote a story about Bigfoot.
I don’t remember there being much emphasis on creative writing in my junior high and high school years, so I didn’t write a lot, although I did read hundreds of books during these years. The one story I do remember writing is “The Case of The State Vs. Santa Claus”, where the head elf goes on trial for vehicular manslaughter in the death of Grandma.
College
Reading textbooks during my college years tempered my enthusiasm for reading and writing. Since I pursued a minor in English as well as degrees in business disiplines, I generally had quite a bit of reading on my plate. When I wrote, it was usually discussing topics such as the mental state of Hamlet.
When I did write, I made an effort to have some fun. One of my freshman composition papers discussed basebal’sl anti-trust exemption.
I wrote a handful of stories during this time frame, but I don’t have copies of many of them any more.
Post-college
For several years after college, I basically stopped writing altogether. Every couple of years, I’d get to itch to write, hammer out a couple of stories, and go into hiberation again.
Eventually, I fell into a group of friends who did dinner and a movie once per week. At some point, I became the organizer of events, and began inject a bit of flair into them. This is a dinner invitation from a few years back. Bob Inferapels stars as “pudgy man with a limp”.
You reach tentatively toward the door. It creeks as you open it. Once inside, you are treated to the pungent aroma of the roasted, rotted, flesh of small mammals. In the back, you see the milk maids turning cow and goat milk into fetid cheese. A gardner whistles a drinking song while violently slicing vegetables into tiny chunks. The serving wench balances eight mugs of ale on her tray. An angry chef shouts orders above the fray, but nobody appears to be listening.
You look down at the parchment once more. Could this den of inequity be the right place? Have you been lured into this location by a highwayman with larceny in his heart?
You peer around the corner. Ah, you see the tall man in spectacles. And there, leaning against the wall, is the pudgy man with the limp. They are listening intently to their feudal lord. As you enter the room, the trio quickly looks up … they are aware that their plans are now in great danger.
Beginning Anew
In 2008, I received encouragement from a friend to launch a blog. Blogs were completely foreign to me at this point. I was aware of the concept, but hadn’t paid attention to how prevalent they had become. It seemed like a great way to get immediate feedback on my writing. One thing that I had always disliked about the writing process was inability to get quality feedback.
I jumped in head first and began writing as many as seven articles per week, on topics as diverse as politics, sports, and personal finance. A few months later, I began featuring a short story every week. Fiction Friday is on hiatus for a while so that I can focus on some other fiction projects, but it allow me to work on my writing technique.
Eventually, The Soap Boxers grew beyond a simple excercise to work on my writing technique and became the site you see today.
The Professional
In 2011, I was approached and asked if I would consider doing some freelance writing. I had never really considered it, but decided to give it a shot. I’d be doing the work for someone I considered to be a friend, so I was confident that it would be a good working relationship.
When the first payment hit my account, it was official – I was a professional. I wasn’t getting rich from my writing yet, but I was getting paid – and that’s the first step.
Helping Others
I’ve had a lot of help in recent years. People that I have never met in person – but have come to know as friends – have donated thousands of dollars of expertise.
I’m trying to pay this forward. In addition to trying to trying to launch a few of my own projects this year, I am assisting a few other writers in their efforts to launch eBooks. At the moment, I’m volunteered to help at least four other writers get their books into print (well, ePrint, anyway). For the writers, this will be a completely turnkey operation. They had over a Word document and a cover image to me, and a few days later, their book will appear on Amazon.
I did learn three things watching the National Championship game last night.
Brent Musburger likes to use the phrase Honey Badger more than I like to eat Beef Jerky (trust me on this one…I am a big fan of beef jerky)
No one outside of Alabama or Louisiana really even wanted to see these two teams play again in a bowl game this year.
Another over hyped, super boring, BCS National Title Game.
Yawn…..
Did anyone outside of Alabama or Louisiana really even want to see these two teams play again in a bowl game this year.
Matching up teams that have already faced each other in the same season always seems to be a recipe for disaster – at least in terms of creating an exciting bowl game to tune in and watch.
It has happened plenty of times before. Oklahoma and Nebraska in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day 1979, Miami and Florida State faced off a few times in bowl games to see who could have the most unsportsmanlike penalties called on their team.
This year was no different. All that was proven is that Nick Saban had his team better prepared, better coached and more confident and it showed last night.
Somewhere Mike Gundy is wondering how the Oklahoma State Cowboys would have fared.
I realize the Cowpokes blew a game to lowly Iowa State on the Road earlier this year. But I am sure they would have generated more than 92 yards of total offense which was the output of the Bayou Bengals.
Many folks in SEC country will say that these two teams have stellar defenses, and that is what wins championships, and that is why neither team can score touchdowns against one another in what becomes a punt, pass and kick competition without the passing.
While it is apparent that both teams are loaded with talent on defense, Jordan Jefferson is not a good passer. LSU was unable to even move past midfield until late in the 4th quarter. Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron had a career game mainly due to a fine game plan that had him frequently rolling out of the pocket and completing short passes. This appeared to get him confidence early.
Bama threw the ball early and often at Heisman Trophy finalist Tyrann Mathieu. Unfortunately for the basically home crowd LSU fans, Mathieu was basically unable to make any significant plays in the ballgame defensively.
I guessed I also learned that honey badger don’t care that elephants are dominating his football team.
Oh well, as most all college football fans say everywhere else but in Alabama….
This weekend, all of the home teams in the NFL playoffs won. One game went to overtime with the new rules, but a quick touchdown made those new rules mute. What did we learn from these games? Well actually a lot. First, apparently Tim Tebow can throw the ball. The best defense in the league was not that good suggesting that offense is trumping defense this year. The Houston Texans are for real, the Detroit Lions were not. There will not be a rematch in the Super Bowl. The Atlanta Falcons cannot buy a forth down conversion, and the Cincinnati Bengals cannot get a challenge in their favor.
Professional football – Divisional Weekend
In the end, the New York Giants move on to play the Green Bay Packers while the New Orleans Saints go to San Francisco to play the 49ers in the National Football Conference. The Denver Broncos visit the New England Patriots while the Houston Texas will challenge the Baltimore Ravens in the American Football Conference. Since I was wrong in three of my four predictions this week, I will reassess my predictions for the Super Bowl. I now believe that we will have a Green Bay Packers – Baltimore Ravens match up with the Ravens winning it all. Go ahead, make comments.
College Football – the Bowl Games
It looks like the Big XII did the best in the bowls with a 6-2 record. That is pretty good for a conference with only 10 teams. Next year they will be down to 8 of the original teams, 5 from the Big 8 and 3 from the Southwest Conference. We will have to see what additional realignments come about. The Mid-America Conference (MAC), Conference USA (CUSA), and the Big East have the same winning percentage with a 3-1 record. The SEC could have done better, but since tonight’s game is a win and a loss, they will be 6-3 in bowls. All of the other conferences had losing records with the Big 10 having the most teams with 10 but only a 4-6 record.
You could say that there are way too many bowl games. At this point more than half of the teams in the BCS conferences get to go to bowls. We have to remember that this is part of the college experience and one last opportunity for some of these players to audition for jobs in the pros. I like seeing people put on their college colors and cheer on the team. I for one had a great bowl season since my school won. I am hoping for a complete analysis of the BCS championship from Johnny since he is the ”sports guy” for the Soap Boxers.
Joran Van der Sloot is expected to plead guilty to charges of murder today. He faces as much as 30 years in prison for the death of Stephany Flores.
This means that Van der Sloot, still just 24, will be released before he turns 55. Depending on the leniency of the judge, perhaps long before then. This disturbs me greatly. If the allegations against Van der Sloot are true, he is a cold, calculating monster with no conscience. Even his own mother is distancing herself from him.
Let’s do a run-down. Note that these are all allegations – none of the charges have been proven in a court of law.
Van der Sloot first popped up on the radar as a 17 year old in 2005 when he was arrested for involvement in the disappearance and presumed murder of American teenager Natalee Holloway. Holloway’s body was never found, and eventually van der Sloot was released from custody. In my opinion, it’s unlikely that Van der Sloot will ever go on trial for Holloway’s murder.
In 2010, he extorted money from Beth Holloway (Natalee’s mother) in exchange for disclosing the location of Natalee’s body. Beth and her representative participated in a sting operation, and van der Sloot got $25,000. Before charges could be filed, van der Sloot traveled to Peru. The information about the location of Natalee’s body was determined to be false. Talk about rubbing salt in the wound.
While in Peru, he strikes up a relationship with Flores. After spending time in a casino, they go to his hotel room early in the morning of May 30, 2010. Violence ensues – likely due to a discussion of his involvement in Holloway’s murder – and Flores ends on the floor with a broken neck and blunt force trauma to the head. By the time her body is discovered on June 2, van der Sloot has fled to Chile. He was arrested on June 3 and eventually extradited to Peru.
And the one that nobody talks about much – his involvement in the sex trafficking trade. An investigate report by Dutch journalist Peter R. de Vries shows that Van der Sloot, at the time an owner of a restaurant in Thailand, sold Thai girls to groups involved in the sex trafficking trade. Van der Sloot posed as a representative of a modeling agency to lure the girls, who were shipped to the Netherlands to become sex slaves. For his efforts, Van der Sloot received a heathy fee of $13,000 per girl.
That’s a pretty extensive resume for a 24 year old. While Van der Sloot often seems portray a lone wolf psychopath working along, it seems unlikely that this is actually true. It’s fairly obviously that he has cultivated some relationships with other criminals. How else could he have possibly gotten involved in the Thai sex slave enterprise?
I’m hoping the judge decides to impose the maximum penalty of 30 years in prison – and fear the day that Van der Sloot is able to walk out of the doors a free man once again. How many other women will he kill after his release from prison?
Here we are 5 days into the New Year. I’m still struggling with hangover #1 for the year. This New Year I had the joy of discovering a new scotch. I actually discovered scotch last fall on a business trip, but have been “acquiring” the taste for it. I now have fully bought and paid for that appreciation for scotch. This New Year I appreciated Highland Park 15 year old which every scotch drinker will enjoy.
Politics
Iowa caucus results were Romney #1, Santorum #2 down by a mere 8 votes and then the whack job Ron Paul came in at #3. I understand the votes for Romney and Santorum as they both have qualities that make them electable and they are both on the conservative side of Obama. Ron Paul though? That really causes me to question the rationale of 26,129 Iowa voters. Let me just say…WHACK JOB.
What is going to happen with the GOP?
Romney is an excellent debater and has a great chance of beating Obama. He’s the most liberal of the GOP candidates and conservatives are left feeling funny endorsing Romney with many of the views that he has had. It’s difficult for people to go along with candidates that flip flop. It’s difficult for conservatives to endorse a candidate that has voted against the 2nd amendment, endorse homosexual unions and put through a state health care plan similar to Obamacare. Romney will probably pull more TRUE centrists though. His experience with business/economy and limited time in government is his greatest assets. In a debate, he’ll eat Obama for lunch.
Ron Paul is a serious whack job that will not be strong enough on defense for conservatives. There is no way he can walk away with the Republican candidacy. If Paul were to debate Obama I think he’d struggle. I only hope that Ron Paul doesn’t try a 3rd party run, the only thing he will do is be a spoiler.
Santorum is a core conservative that will excite the conservative base. He’s strong on defense, 2nd amendment rights, Christian values and family. He is not a strong debater and I question if he’ll gain the endorsement of TRUE centrists. I think we’ll see Santorum gain momentum as more caucuses and elections take place. I believe he has a chance of stealing the nomination from Romney although Santorum is the underdog with limited funding compared to Romney. I don’t believe that Santorum’s chances of taking the nomination are great though.
Gingrich says he’s still in the race, but I don’t think that will last long.
Cain was my favorite candidate, but has become unelectable after thinking too much with his little head.
Bachmann has suspended her campaign after disappointing results.
Perry is going back to Texas to consider his next move.
Other news
In other significant headlines, Iran is threatening to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a much needed path to ship oil through. The US has an aircraft carrier in the area and Iran went on to threaten that if the aircraft carrier moves into that region, they will attack. My thoughts on this:
The military won’t be pushed around by Iran
We need to eliminate this need for oil from the Middle East.
Meanwhile, CBS is reporting that $5 gallon gas can be expected this summer due to all the problems happening with Iran. Need more reasons to expand US drilling on and off shore?
Nobama???
How could I neglect to include one of the most earth shattering news stories of the year! A Mexican “Grand Warlock”…pardon me, THE Mexican Grand Warlock (Brujo Mayor) has made a very pleasing prediction for 2012. He has announced that Obama will lose the election this year. I have a few questions that I’d love to run past the Warlock, I wonder if he’s available.
Have a Happy New Year and if I didn’t have the chance to tell you earlier, Merry Christmas!
RSS
kosmo - See all 763 of my articles
