Bill & The Terminator in 08!

While reading my scrum of daily newspapers online today, I stumbled across an interesting op-ed piece in the LA Times from Professor Brian Gary of UC Hastings College of LA – Bill Clinton in 08!

In his piece, Professor Gary proposes that due to some ambiguity and loop holes in the United States Constitution, former President Bill Clinton and Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger could both be eligible to be Vice President of the United States.  Yeah, really!?!

Okay, let’s first break it down to why Bill and “The Terminator” can not run for president in a bit more detail.  The 22^nd Amendment states that “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”  This amendment officially makes Bill unable to run again at any point in time for President.  Does this amendment bar Bill from taking the office of the President if died/removed or would the Speaker of the Speaker of the House be President instead?  Good question…I guess that would something that the Supreme Court would need sort out.

With Arnold the situation is a bit different since he was not born in this country.  Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution states “no person except a natural born Citizen … shall be eligible to the Office of the President.”  So he is out for President.  However, no where in the Constitution does it state the qualifications for Vice President, so it would be safe to say that he could be VP.  Only thing that I wonder is, if the President died or was removed and Arnold was VP could he ascend to the office of the President or would the Speaker of the House be President instead due to the citizenship issue.  Hmmm….

These are all good questions to ponder, to throw insult to injury; we need to also take in account the 12th Amendment that states that the President and Vice President can not come from the same state.  That definitely puts a wrinkle in a Hillary/Bill ticket for now.

Any way you put it, having these two gentlemen on the ticket would put any of the current candidates over the top with the undecided and independent voters which are needed to win the 2008 election.  I will say, this scenario would make an already interesting Presidential race even more interesting.  Something to ponder…

See you all the polls on November 4, 2008!

Pick your 2008 Presidential Candidate

A friend of mine Marc LaFountain stumbled across an interesting web site that assists the voter in picking a candidate for 2008 Presidential election – http://www.dehp.net/candidate/.  This site lists all the main issues for the election with drop down boxes that record your answers.

With in minutes you have the results to answers and who you are likely to vote for.  For myself, the results were not too surprising – Guliani.

Have fun it and I will see you all at the polls in November 4 2008.

The Dark Knight News – Batman’s new ride and suit

Holy Hell’s Angles, Batman!  You guessed it, the new Batman movie opening July 2008 – “The Dark Knight” will have a new set of wheels in the garage.  The Batpod.  If you thought the Tumbler was bad-ass, the Batpod is hells on wheels!  Lucky for us, the Superherohype.com has the inside scope of the Batpod.  It has

• Grappling hooks, cannons and machine guns.
• Engines in the hubs of each wheel.
• No handlebars. Steering is done by the shields that fit each arm similar to sleeves and provide the ability to rotate around the frame of the bike.
• An interesting seat position. The rider lies belly down on the bike.
• A high-performance engine.

Along with new wheels, Batman will also be sporting a new suit.  Thanks to EW.com we have a bit of insight on the new Bat threads

• The cowl is now flexible enough for Bale to able to move his head which will provide better motion.
• The cape has new abilities that are “top secret” . . . for now.
• Razors on Batman’s forearms are now attached to the suit which allows them to be retractable weapons.

Make sure you tune in at the same Bat-time and to same Bat-channel for further breaking news on the new 2008 Batman movie. 

Torchwood – Secrets of Season Two

Thanks to Sci Fi Wire, a few minor spoilers have been reveled recently about Season 2 of our favorite Cardiff By Division – Torchwood.

Season 2 will bring a bit more insight into the background of Captain Jack Harkenss (John Barrowman).  The viewers will see flashbacks of Jack during his childhood, his mother and father.  We will also learn about the death of his father, plus what occurred after Capt. Jacks’ escape from Satellite Five and how ended up in the 19^th century-present.  The views might also be privileged to see the offer Jack is given to join the Time Agency.

Also, James Masters aka “Spike” from Buffy the Vampire Slayer will be a guest star this season.  He role has not been released, but from what interviews Masters has give it definitely a “juicy” role.”

Along with Masters, Freema Agyeman aka Martha Jones from the third season of Dr. Who will be going Torchwood.   She will be reprising her roll as Jones.  Exacltly what she will be doing, it has not been said as of yet, but she will be spliting time between the 2nd season of Torchwood and the forth season of Dr. Who.

To get an idea of what is store for the Torchwood team, check out the demo for Season Two.

Season Two is currently in the middle of production in Wales and will be broadcasting in the UK January 2008.  Torchwood’s first season will air on BBC America in September.

That is it for now.  Stay tuned as more news of Season Two trickles across the Pond.

Beef – Greenhouse contributor?

The Telegraph has an interesting article today about “Eating beef is less green than driving.”  In this article, Japanese scientists have claimed that producing 2.2 lbs of beef creates as much or more greenhouse gas as driving a car nonstop from Richmond, VA to Baltimore, MD (3 hours).

Wow!  Now beef is bad . . . what is this world coming too!?!  These scientists concluded that the processing of four steaks of average size is equal to the equivalent of 80.25 lbs of carbon dioxide while consuming around 169 mega joules of energy.  The “processing” included the following items – producing cattle, transporting, cattle feed and etc.

Okay, we know that fossil fuels, cars, planting trees in northern countries, airplanes, buildings, deforestation, and now beef are all contributors to the Greenhouse effect.  The next thing either Al Gore or these “so called” scientists are going to tell us is that only way to stop the Greenhouse effects is to exterminate the human race!  Hello, that was already tried without much luck in WWII.  I guess being vegetarian is going to be good for environment — for now.  Who would of thought? . . . life’s pleasures and necessities are now considered evil. 

Then again, this could be an evil propoganda ploy by Chick-fil-A to influance the world population to eat more chicken.  I will let you deside which is true…

President vs Congress – who is better? America has spoken

While visiting Independence Hall on the 4^th of July, I was amazed at the anti-Bush and 9/11 conspiracy protesters that were marching and demonstrating.  Most of these people were clamoring about how we need to impeach Bush, how much of a tyrant he is, how 9/11 was an inside job, etc. 

Well, it got me thinking about our democratic process especially since I was at the birth place of our nation – Philadelphia.  What is so great about our nation is if the will of the people do not like the current air in Washington, then the people have the power to vote a new representatives into office that share their political views and wishes.  This power was exactly what was done with election of a Democratic-controlled Congress in 2006. 

Since the beginning of 2007 we have had two distinctive branches of government that are controlled by different political parties and philosophies.  So, I thought it would be interesting to see who is doing a better job Congress or the President.

Per the most recent Gallop Poll (June 11^th) – Congress has an approval rating of 24%.

Per the most recent Gallop Poll (July 11^th) – President Bush has an approval rating of 31%.

Interesting . . . the President has a higher approval than the Democratic-controlled Congress.  What does that tell us?  Well, several things.

First, politics has become way too partisan and polarizing so getting a true account of how each branch is performing is difficult.  Secondly, you could conclude that Bush is doing a better job than Congress.  And finally, will this disapproval of the Democrats play a small or major part in the 2008 Presidential elections? 

Whatever the case might be, our democratic process is the greatest example of freedom and change works.  With that said, the 2008 Presidential elections will be one interesting race.

Rescue Me

Let Rescue Me Rescue you from a drab evening

Four years ago my wife and I fell in love with this funny, raw, dramatic series on FX called Rescue Me.  If you are not up to speed on the plot of the show, let me briefly fill you in.

The show is based around a firehouse in lower Manhattan several years after 9/11.  The show follows the lives of these firefighters, in particular one fireman name Tommy Gavin, in and out of the firehouse. 

Tommy like the rest of the men in this house is a typical male -a drunk, foul mouthed womanizer full of excess testosterone.  However, Tommy is also suffering from survivor’s guilt from escaping the tragedy at the World Trade Center while is buddies weren’t as lucky.  It is this guilt that fuels some of his most inhospitable actions — adultery, lying, drug use, and alcoholism — and also causes him to see/talk to ghosts of his fallen brethren from 9/11.  All in all, Tommy is your typical anti-hero. 

Along with Tommy, the supporting cast is made up of the men in his firehouse along with his estranged family — father, bother, cousin (former priest), sister, uncle, wife, kids and his dead cousin’s wife.  It is the interactions of Tommy with his personal family and his professional family that fuels the weekly adventures of this show.

Like similar FX shows, Nip/Tuck and The Shield, Rescue Me pushes the envelope of what can be said on cable from the language it uses and what can be shown by the various sex scenes, but these devices are used to accent the best stories and the writing that is currently on today.  The only writer(s) I have found that can do a better job with screen plays and dialog on television is Joss Wheadon.

Each episode explores another side of humanity that in lot ways is a bit dark but not too far from what each one of us had experienced in life our lives — from relationships, to death, rebirth, alcoholism, redemption, and friendship.  The show demonstrates to the viewer that life is not alway  a box a chocolate, but a bag of jelly beans.  Sometimes you get that black lickerish bean on occasion and you have to deal with it.

If you have not watched Rescue Me then you are not getting it… this is appointment TV at its best!

The 15 Attractions every American needs to see

During the 4^th of July holiday, I had the pleasure of being at the birth place of our democratic process – Independence Hall in Philadelphia.  If you have not had the opportunity to tour the hall and see the Liberty Bell, then I urge every American to do so. 

So, it got me thinking…what are the Top 15 national attractions every American should see in his/her lifetime?  Well, you have guessed it, I have a list.  Please take a look and let me know if you agree, disagree, or if you have your own list.  Enjoy! 

1. Independence Hall – Philadelphia PA, where the Declaration of Independence was created and signed by the Continental Congress. 
2. Liberty Bell – Philadelphia PA.
3. Mount Vernon – Alexandria VA, Home of George Washington (General of the Continental Army and US 1^st President).
4. Monticello- Charlottesville VA, Home of Thomas Jefferson (The author of the Declaration of Independence and US 3^rd President).
5. Jamestown – Jamestown VA, 1^st permanent English colony in North America.
6. Yorktown – Yorktown VA, the surrender of the British Army and the end of the American Revolution.
7. Gettysburg – Gettysburg PA, the defeat of Robert E Lee’s invasion of the North and turning point of the Civil War.
8. Appomattox Court House - Appomattox VA, Lee’s surrender to Grant and the ending of the American Civil War.
9. White House – Washington DC, the house of the President.
10. National Archives (view the Constitution & Declaration of Independence) – Washington DC.
11. The National Mall - Washington DC (Vietnam Memorial, WWII Memorial, & Korean War Memorial)
12. Capitol Hill – Washington DC, the house of Congress.
13. National Museum of American Indian - Washington DC.
14. Arlington National Cemetery – Arlington VA.  The home of the tomb of the Unknown Solider and National Cemetery.
15. Colonial Williamsburg- Williamsburg VA, a living museum of life in colonial American and the 1^st state capital of Virginia.

I do have a few honorable mentions. 

• St. John’s Church – Richmond VA, this is the church where Patrick Henry gave his famous speech “Give me liberty or give me death”.
• The Alamo – San Antonio TX.
• The National Museum of American History – Washington DC.
• Valley Forge - Valley Forge PA
• USS Constitution – Boston MA

Dracula’s Castle

Ever since my twins were born a couple of years ago, our house has steadily become smaller and smaller each passing day.  I guess we could blame the increasing amount of toddler toys, the wife’s increasing “collection of memories” (I say that with affection) and our two dogs.Well, I have found a great solution to our problem — Bran Castle in central Romania.  Yeah, Romania . . . I figure with having two dogs, a wife, and twins the cost of living in Romania would be lower in the States and I could live like . . . well, a King in matter of speaking.  Plus it has a dungeon we could use as the mother-in-law suite.

Bran Castle is an example of 13th century architecture and was originally built by the Teutonic Knights as a stronghold against the invading Turks into central Europe.  Over the years, the castle has had a list of colorful and interesting owners.  Some of the past and present owners have been Queen Marie, the Communist government of Romania, and the Saxons of Kronstadt. 

Oh, I forgot to mention that one of its most famous owners was Vlad Tepes.  “The Impaler” is also known as Vlad Dracula or Dracula.  In case you are not aware Vlad is the principal character that Bram Stroker fashioned Dracula on in his 1897 novel.   Stroker also used Bran Castle as the model for Dracula’s castle in his novel. 

Boy, what a conversational piece at parties — “Have you seen my house? No.  Oh, it the castle over there that once owned by Dracula.”  Now that’s one way to bring attention to yourself.

Enough on Vlad, lets talk about my new home.  Bran Castle is a 4-story stronghold with a watch room, several bedrooms, dining room, chapel, music saloon, a great hall, a room for hunting trophies (if I only hunted) and etc.  Enough space that I would need a road map to reach the other floors.  Plus, the fountain in the square can provide drinking water for the dogs.  Now that is a house!!!

For as little of $135 million I can have this wonderful piece of history all for my own.  Now that is truly a bargain.