Zoom, Zoom!

Please pause for a moment of silence to honor the passing of my 1997 Ford Escort. After 103,000, I retired the Escort last night. In its place is a nice shiny new 2007 Honda Civic with Navigation system. It's zippy, quiet, and pretty. And with the Atomic Blue color, I finally have seen the last of either silver or gray cars (my previous two vehicles).

The road to my very first new car began two weeks ago when the check engine light came on the way home from work. It wasn't the first time it had happened while I'd owned the car; in some cases it meant a small problem, and others a big one. Considering I'd just done major work on the car in January, I had a feeling this wasn't a good sign. But, I was still hopeful that it could be fixed with minimal pain to my bank account.

I'd been looking at new cars for the last year, but I just wasn't ready to dive back into the land of debt, having only paid off the Escort 3 years prior. For kicks last Monday, I solicited some bids for a new Honda Civic and a Toyota Prius through Edmunds.com new car buying service. I wasn't really planning on buying just yet, but I thought maybe it was a good idea to start looking since my car was becoming increasing unreliable. I wanted to go the Internet route, because I wanted to be able to do my price research online and to avoid the high pressure sales tactics until I was actually ready to buy and walk into a dealership.

Buy the end of the day Monday, I had 7 bids which I could use to compare prices on the base model plus the options I was looking at. Much to my surprise when I got home I had 5 voice mails from dealers, despite requesting that I only be contacted by email. Apparently, I wasn't going to be allowed to escape their sales pitches after all. Since I really wasn't ready to buy, I just deleted their voice mails. This was a drill to be repeated several times over the next few of days. These folks just don't listen. When I say, "Don't call me; I'll call you," I mean, "don't call me" NOT "ignore my request and call me anyway."

I was waiting for my Friday appointment at the Ford dealership to figure out what was causing that pesky red light on my dashboard. Finally, at noon on Friday came word from the Ford service department that my Escort was on its last legs. They catalytic converter was dying a slow and painful death. While it wasn't immediately fatal, it could be soon. It was going to cost far more to fix the problem than the car was worth and I was suddenly tired of pouring money into an automotive bottomless pit.

After picking my car up at lunch, I set the wheels in motion to find financing. Capital One, with whom I have a credit card, has been pummeling me with offers to get me to finance a car through them for about 6 months. They promised great rates, no down payment and the ability to walk into any dealership and negotiate like you had cash. It all sounded a little too good to be true, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to apply and see what they offered me.

I applied for my loan online and within 10 minutes I had a call from CapitalOne Auto Finance to verify it was me actually me applying using a series of security questions. Ten minutes later I had an offer for a loan at a great rate, with more money pre-approved than I had any intention of spending, and a blank loan check on its way to me to be delivered the next morning. I couldn't believe how quick and easy it all was.

Now that the financing issue was settled, I started digging back through my email for the bids from the various car dealers. I tossed them all into a spreadsheet to see who had the best deal. I combine their information with the reports I had received from Edmunds True Market Value (TMV) Report.

The TMV report gives you two key pieces of information. The dealer invoice price and what others in your area are paying for the base model. These two pieces allow you to see how much a mark up the dealer has placed on the price they gave you and how good of a deal others in your area have been able to negotiate for their vehicles.

I went into my dealer negotiations knowing there were very few deals out there for Honda Civics--no special finance offers or cash back deals. They are popular cars and they pretty much sell themselves based on the quality of the vehicles and the good gas mileage. With my TMV pricing report, various bids and my pre-approved loan, I was finally ready to step into the dealer bear cage. I was ready go in for the test drive and to negotiate.

On Saturday morning, I picked one of the two dealers who had actually listened to my requests not to call me, located about 15 minutes from my house, Keenan Honda of Doylestown. Keenan wasn't the cheapest, but I knew that they guaranteed that they'd meet their competitor's prices, so I knew I had room to negotiate. I scheduled my test drive and was hooked on the Civic with Nav system in minutes. Being the techno geek that I am, I loved the all the Nav system features, voice activated response system and XM radio immediately. By the end of the test drive I was completely sold.

I followed Ron Davenport, Keenan's Internet Sales Consultant, into his office tucked away in the back of the dealership. Since he wasn't dependent on walk-ins, he had no need to see the walk-ins coming into show room floor. We sat down at his desk and began the negotiation process. He pulled out his 4-square sheet which all dealers use to negotiate the price you end up paying.

I'd read Edmund's undercover report about the car buying process and knew this was one of the key tools dealers use to attempt to jack up the price. In the upper right hand corner, they put the vehicle price, and in the other boxes, the trade-in value, payment amounts and down payment amounts. Usually they start out by asking what size monthly payments you want and how much you want to give them for a down payment. You tell them the amount you want and then they usually say "Up to ..." and let it hang in the area until the unsuspecting person tosses out their upper limit not knowing they've just committed to paying more $50-100 or more a month than they needed to. Same thing with the down payments.

I intended to escape all of those traps since I'd done my research ahead of time. As soon he asked if I'd gotten the vehicle price I sent him, I took control and pre-empted what I knew was coming. I told him that I'd gotten bids from 5 other dealers and that his wasn't the lowest. I let that sink in for a moment and then asked if he was willing to meet the lowest price I had from another dealer. Looking unhappy, he said that it was their policy to meet the competitions price. Visions of his commission must have been going up in smoke at that point. I pushed the email from the other dealer across the desk and he looked even unhappier. The competing quote I had was at dealer invoice, far less than the average going price in the area and nearly $2,000 less than his original offer. He picked it up and went off to talk to his manager.

He came back 10 minutes later, to find me looking relaxed and reading his newspaper as I waited. I think he was used to coming back to anxious and nervous customers. He told me his manager had signed off on the price and then we started to negotiate the options I wanted--moon roof, moon visor, fog lights, auto-dim mirror and iPod adapter. In the mean time he sent someone out to look at my trade-in.

Finally, the topic came around to the financing and payment issue. He reached for his 4-square and I stopped him once again. I broke the news to him that not only was I pre-approved, but I had gotten a really good finance deal. After telling me that Capitol One was slow to pay dealers, he asked if I would be interested in financing through Honda. I told him him I'd consider it just to make him feel better. I knew I wasn't going to get a better deal, but I figured there was no harm in letting him go through the motions he was supposed to go through. I had plenty of reading material in the mean time. Finally, 15 minutes later he came back admitting defeat. He couldn't top the deal I had gotten. So, we finished filling out the paperwork and I gave him my vehicle deposit. It would take about a week to find the color I wanted and get my extra equipment installed.

I could have gone to a dealer that had what I wanted in stock and probably driven it off the lot that Saturday, but most of them had already shown themselves to be pushy and aggressive and I just didn't want to deal with that. So, I waited the week to get what I wanted. I'm now the proud owner of a new 2007 Honda Civic with Nav system in Atomic Blue which I love and I got it with minimal haggling and pressure.

I learned that there are 4 keys to having a pleasant car buying experience:

1. Do your research. Use the Internet to look up the cars you are considering and the options you want. Find out how much the dealer invoice is and have a firm understanding of what others in your are paying for the same vehicle. This gives you negotiation wiggle room.
2. Get prices from more than one dealer. Take the time to shop around and make them compete for your business. This only strengths your negotiation position. My sales guy seemed shocked that I had gotten prices from more than one dealer.
3. Go in pre-approved for your loan if you intend to finance your vehicle. This allows you to negotiate from a position of power. If you don't like the deal you're offered, you can walk out of the dealership at any time. You don't have to play the "Up to ..." game. If you have access to the Internet, you can find a great deal. CapitalOne Auto Finance has great rates. You can also get competing offers through sites like LendingTree.com. Don't forget your bank. Most banks allow you to apply for a loan online in just minutes. It never hurts to allow the dealer to try to match or beat your offer. Occasionally, they do have special finance incentives. But, keep in mind, unless your credit is spotless and well above 720, you aren't going to qualify for their best rates.
4. Don't be afraid to walk out if you don't get a deal you don't like or aren't treated with respect. If you follow steps 1-3, you're in control, NOT the dealership. You aren't beholden to a dealer for financing or just because you happened to test drive the vehicle there. If you feel like you're being jerked around, you probably are. Unless you live in a tiny town with one dealership, others will be just as eager for your business. And if you do live in a tiny town, drive to a bigger one. There's a good deal just around the corner.

Shock Jock Crosses Line

Racism, sexism, basketball and free speech, all collided last week on radio shock jock’s Don Imus’ radio show which is simulcast on MSNBC and CBS’s radio network. Calling the Rutgers’ Women’s basketball team “nappy headed hos” following their loss in the NCAA Women’s National Championship, Imus set off a firestorm which reached it’s crescendo today when CBS fired him. It’s not the first time Imus had made racist or sexist remarks on his show. But, this time was different. He attacked members of a basketball team who are neither “nappy-headed” nor “hos”. These young women are role models. They are both intelligent and well-spoken (and they have good hair). Not one of them fits Imus’ slur.

In the age of the Internet and 24-hour media, Imus’ comment spread from coast to coast in a matter of minutes. A stunned Rutgers team spoke out against Imus. Advertisers began to pull their spots and women and black activists began to turn up the heat on Imus. MSNBC suspended Imus for a two-week period. Calls for his firing began to build. CBS finally capitulated today as the rumors of cancelled sponsorship started to climb into the 3-digit range.

But, did CBS do the right thing in firing Imus? Activists, advertisers and a portion of public opinion say “yes”. Free speech advocates say “no”. Those that favored Imus’ firing say that Imus’ hate speech has no business on the public air waves. Free speech advocates say that no matter how distasteful you may find Imus’ words, he has a right to say them. They believe that his firing is tantamount to corporate censorship. There are those among the media and the general public that argue that firing Imus will have a chilling effect on commentators, shock jocks and the press in general. Their argument is that if they have to be worried about being fired for what they say, it will result in self-censorship and a less independent media.

Others have lambasted CBS for firing Imus, saying that CBS only chose to do so for financial reasons once controversy-adverse sponsors began to pull their lucrative advertising dollars. After all they’ve left Imus on the air after other occasions he used slurs.

So, who is correct? Is a network, media company or even a Web site obligated to publish or broadcast speech that they find offensive under the rubric of freedom of speech? Unfortunately, the issue isn’t as clear cut as either side would have you believe.

Freedom of speech, expression, and the press are among the fundamental underpinnings of our society. These freedoms are among those that make us different from totalitarian societies such as Russia, Cuba, or China. First Amendment rights are sacred in this country.

But are these rights unlimited? The Supreme Court says no. You can’t yell “Fire” in a crowded theatre and so-called “fighting words” (certain utterances that are likely to provoke the average person to retaliation—Chaplinksky v. New Hampshire, 1942) are not constitutionally protected. Nor is slander. While freedom of the press is a holy grail in our society, even the press’ rights are limited. They cannot knowingly libel an individual or commercial entity. The bottom line is this--with all freedom comes responsibility.

Where the law and courts become murky is the area of hate speech. The Supreme Court has long protected speech that much of mainstream America finds offensive. In a 1989 case Johnson v. Texas the court ruled that the government can not forbid expression of an idea simply because it finds the idea offensive. While some utterances may cross the line from offensive to fighting words, the courts are very much in disagreement as to what actually constitutes fighting words. For example, calling an officer a “son of a bitch”, while offensive, does not constitute fighting words (Johnson v. Campbell, 9th Circuit, 2003). However, other lower courts have ruled that yelling racial slurs at someone (re John M., Arizona Court of Appeals, 2001) or repeatedly calling a woman at a nude beach a “whore”, among other things, (Wisconsin v. Ovadal, Wisconsin Court of Appeals, 2003) does rise to the level of fighting words.

In answer to those that say that the CBS and MSNBC were wrong to fire Imus on free speech grounds, I must respectively disagree. At least by lower court standards, Imus words rose to the standards of “fighting words”. Imus used his public bully pulpit to insult the Rutgers' women’s basketball team (none of whom he knew or with whom he’d had any personal interactions), calling them “nappy-headed hos”. While one could argue that calling someone “nappy-headed” is an offensive slur, I think it falls under the area of opinion and thus, is protected under our rules of free speech, no matter how distasteful it may be.

However, Imus’ use of the word, “ho” (slang for whore) could be ruled slanderous and not protected under the First Amendment right to free speech. All of the women on the Rutgers' basketball team denied being sexually promiscuous. Imus had no personal knowledge of their sexual habits. Should they be so inclined, they could reasonably sue Imus on the grounds of slander. It might be a tough case to prove in court because there is no legal standard for what defines promiscuity, but I think a good argument could be made that Imus attempted to ruin their reputations through his reckless on-air conduct. The Supreme Court has, in fact, differentiated between what is speech and what is conduct that can be regulated. Both CBS and MSNBC, I believe, also would be legally liable for broadcasting the slanderous content, had they not chosen to take action against Imus.

Second, in the age of easy access to Internet with its pod casts and online video-casting, one can make the argument that Imus has many forums to express his opinions, distasteful or not. No corporation should be forced to support speech that they find distasteful with their advertising dollars nor should any corporation be forced to condone conduct such as Imus’ that attempts to damage another’s reputation under the guise of free speech or freedom of the press. If Imus wants to continue to express opinions that much of mainstream America finds offensive, there is nothing stopping him from doing so on the Internet where he doesn’t have to worry about sponsors or network codes of conduct.

One can’t legislate decency, class or niceness. But, we, as a society, have an obligation to limit conduct that flies in the face of our societal norms and laws. We have an obligation to say what behavior is proper and what is not. Imus deserved to loose his job, not because he expressed an opinion that was offensive, but because his comment crossed the line from a mere offensive opinion to slanderous conduct. Imus has a right to free speech; he just doesn’t have the right to harm someone else in the process. Maybe the loss of his livelihood and reputation, even temporarily, will teach him a much needed lesson.

Selected Bibliography:
The First Amendment Center. “Personal and Public Expression in Speech—Fighting Words.” 2007. http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/speech/personal/topic.aspx?topic=fighting_words

Mason, Alpheus Thomas and Donald Grier Stephenson, Jr. American Constitutional Law: Introductory Essays and Selected Cases, 9th Edition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. 1990.

What in the Hell Is Wrong With New Jersey?

Yes, a rather broad question for which the answer probably is "a lot". But, after a rather hellish morning commute due to only a couple inches of snow, I'm left with a burning question: Does the State of New Jersey own either a snow plow or salt truck? And if the answer is yes, do they ever use them? I knew after the forecast last night that it was supposed to snow lightly in the wee hours but we wouldn't get much. The main brunt of the snow would start just in time for the morning commute and end some time in the afternoon. Often when the weather is bad, I'll work from home. But we were only supposed to get a couple of inches in total. I figured the roads couldn't be that bad.

As usual, my subdivision was snow covered. But, it was only an inch or two and driving through it to the main roads wasn't a big deal. Once I hit the Pennsylvania turnpike, it was smooth sailing at a normal 65 mph. The PA Turnpike people are smart. Before it starts snowing, they hit the roads with a brine solution to help keep the roads clear once it snows to prevent it from sticking (at least my tolls go towards something useful). Route 1 was even in pretty good shape. I-95 in PA was backed up almost to the entrance ramp from Route 1. Although traffic was moving at a glacial speed, the roads were mainly in good shape.

It was only as I crossed the New Jersey state line after the Scutter Falls bridge that the first signs of trouble appeared. Within a mile, it became clear that nary a snow plow had skimmed the pavement, much less was a salt truck anywhere near and forget brine. I don't think brine is in NJDOT's lexicon. The major artery running running up and down the eastern seaboard was down to tire tracks between slush and snow covered pavement. Luckily, traffic was fairly light. New Jerseyites clearly get that their roads crews are non-existent and useless and wisely don't venture out unless it's absolutely necessary.

I had a couple of heart pounding moments as my car suddenly started fishtailing gently as I passed Exit number 4. Luckily my 4 years of driving experience in America's version of hell frozen over (aka Vermont) kicked in. I removed my foot from the accelerator, let gravity slow me down and stopped sliding. Then, less than a mile from my exit, I had to change lanes for my Route 1 exit. That was when the real fun started.

I held my breath as I plowed through the piled up slush and snow between the lanes to get into the line of backed up exit traffic. Suddenly the car in front of me also changed lanes and slammed on their breaks. This of course forced me to hit mine and suddenly I was sliding directly towards their rear end. Even though I had given them more distance than I normally would have, I was rapidly running out of pavement. I could feel my antilock breaks kicking in to no avail as I closed the distance between me and the car in front of me. I had no choice but to aim for the shoulder and hope to miss them.

My guardian angel was watching out for me. As I steered out of the slush and onto the fluffy shoulder snow, suddenly I had traction and cleared the idiot in front of me by a good three inches off to his right hand side. He had started moving again, completely oblivious to the fact that I had almost plowed into his back bumper due to his failure to signal and hit the breaks move. I was able to angle myself back into the exit lane with no harm done except an over abundance of adrenaline running through my system.

Cursing idiot drivers and NJDOT's lack of winter preparedness, I finally made it safely into the office. Luckily the roads were in better condition for the drive home.

More Pictures From New York City

Get Thee To A Supernova Concert

Ever have one of those days where every thing goes perfectly, like it's meant to be? I had one of those days on January 31st. I worked half a day before heading up to New York City for the Supernova concert. On a whim, I signed onto to Ticketmaster because I was curious to see what tickets were left and how close the concert was to a sell out. What to my wondering eyes should appear? A single front row pit ticket. I snapped it up and sold the 2nd row pit ticket I had previously bought on E-Bay to a height-challenged friend, stuck a few rows back who feared getting stuck behind an amazon. My piece of luck with the ticket set the tone for the day. I got the last covered space on top of the Hamilton train station and one subway train after another arrived moments after I stepped onto the platform. No matter how crowded the subway train, I always managed to get a seat. Little did I know where my good fortune would carry me later in the evening.

I checked into my hotel, freshened up and headed off to meet friends at my favorite Thai restaurant, Bangkok House. All three are huge Lukas Rossi fans and I had a good time listening to them squee over the singer while dining on Basil Chicken Noodle. While I've mostly enjoyed the new Supernova CD, I was really looking forward to seeing the openers: Magni and Dilana, Juke Kartel and the Panic Channel. I'd read mixed reviews of the Supernova concerts and had carefully been schooling myself to keep my expectations in check. However, my dinner companions enthusiasm was contagious.

After a 15 minute wait out in the freezing cold, the doors finally opened and we navigated the security juggernaut to get inside. We milled around Radio City for a bit and finally wandered into our seats. The concert kicked off shortly after 8 pm with Dilana, Magni and her guitarist Christian with an acoustic set.

Dilana

Magni

Juke Kartel's guitarist Dale Winter's joined the group for one last song, a cover of "She Talks To Angels". (I'll eventually have some video of this.")

Juke Kartel was next on the stage with songs from their new EP including "Save Me", "Throw It All Away", and "December".

Toby Rand

Tommy Kende and Todd Burman

Dale Winters

Eddie Murphy

Juke's drummer is only 20 years old and is destined to be one of the greats, I think--up there with Tommy Lee and Jon Farriss. Every once in a while, you go see a band and you realize that one of the band members is better than the band they're actually with. Don't get me wrong, Juke Kartel is a great band. But, Eddie is just amazing. Keep your eye on this one.

After a short intermission, Panic Channel came out. I'd been meaning to download their album before the concert so I would at least be somewhat familiar with their stuff, but it never quite happened. I'd say I liked about half of their stuff. Their lead singers banter was rather political which didn't bother me at all since I agreed with him. But, there was some grumbling from those that didn't. But, it was great to see Dave Navarro. He's a lot of fun to watch and is great about posing for the cameras. He jumped down off the stage towards the end of the set right in front of my friend Fransi who took my old 2nd row ticket and pretty much played directly too her for a few minutes.

Dave Navarro

Replacement bass player Siggy Sjursen is a cutie, but lead singer Steve Issacs is a little too emo for my tastes.

Siggy Sjursen and Steve Isaacs

Dilana came out to join the Panic Channel for their final song, a cover of "Highway to Hell".

After the final intermission, Supernova finally took the stage one by one.

Gilby Clark

Johnny Colt

Tommy Lee

Lukas for some reason has always reminded me of a wolf. Maybe it's the spike hair. I've had this mental image of him since he sang "Creep" on the show this summer and threw his head back for the high pitched money note, like he was howling at the moon. His fur-trimmed black leather jacket on Wednesday night did nothing to change the image in my head.

Lukas Rossi

It was a high energy show that included a string quartet for a cover of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" and "Can't Bring Myself To Light This Fuse" (one of my favorite songs off the CD). Thankfully, the dancing girls and titty cams from Vegas were no where to be found.

Towards the end of the main set, Toby Rand from Juke Kartel came out to do a duet with Lukas for "This Is My Home".

Like most shows, the concert ended with an encore. Towards of the end of the encore, a beer bottle that Lukas had been using to spray the crowd with slipped out of his hand and skittered diagonally across the stage in front of my section of the front row, shattering. Thankfully, not a single one of us were hurt. The glass seemed to just miss us all some how, even though it was all over the floor around our feet. I gingerly moved a few pieces of glass out of my way with my foot and looked up to see Johnny Colt, the bass player staring at me with a really concerned look on his face. But, it was all good. Aside from few drops of beer, I had come through unscathed.

Right after the show ended, one of Lukas' bodyguards came out with backstage passes for those of us in the front row that had had a narrow miss with the flying glass. I snagged one for Fransi as well since I knew she was a big Lukas fan. We were herded off to the side of the theatre to wait in line where we were taken upstairs in groups. An interesting side note, while we were standing waiting in line, an usher asked the couple behind us, who they were there to see. They said Jason Newstead, the Supernova bass player who had been injured back in November, who Johnny Colt is filling in for. My ears perked up a little at that and I wondered if he was lurking back stage somewhere. If so it's a good sign that he's on the mend.

Eventually, we were taken upstairs to in groups of ten and then herded into an empty dressing room that was being used as a holding pen. Lukas' body guard came back in and said that the band was in a meeting and now they weren't sure if any of them would be able to meet us because they had some sort of appearance to make at 12:30 am. A few seemed disappointed and left. The rest of us chose to stay and wait. As we waited, we watched Magni and Dilana wander out of a dressing room. Then Toby and Tommy from Juke Kartel came out. Toby, ever the sweetie, came in to do a quick meet and greet. At about 12:15 am in came Lukas. Toby who was still chatting with us, drummed up a round of applause for Lukas, much to his embarrassment. It's nice to know that rock stars can still blush, even the newly minted ones.

Lukas was very apologetic for the bottle incident. He came across as very personable, accessible and charismatic. He worked his way around the room until he got to Fransi and I. Fransi, who has met him on several occasions was rewarded with a huge bear hug and a kiss. I introduced myself to him and Fransi piped in that I was a Moderator at Rockband.com. I told him my screen name and he got this big smile on his face and said something to the effect of "I know who you are." (I was too dazzled by the smile to remember his exact words.). We chatted for a couple of more minutes before he got called away for a picture. Before too long, he and his girlfriend had to scoot off to the appearance and we were all headed out the door into the night.

It really was the perfect ending a perfect day. Sometimes, things start with a single fortuitous event and they just happen they way they're meant to.

Do You Have A Terror Score?

Do you often get pulled aside at airports for extra searches? If so, it may be because your Terror Score is higher than average. What? You say you didn't know that everyone who travels in and out of the US through certain modes of transportation or certain entry or exit points (like border crossings) gets assigned a potential terrorist score by the US Government? You aren't the only one who didn't know.

Last week it came to light that for the last four years, the US government has secretly been using a system called the Automated Targeting System (ATS) to build a file on every American or foreigner that flies through American air space or crosses one of our borders. Airlines, Amtrak and maritime carriers (i.e. cruise ships or cargo ships) all pass your data into this system. Like an inverse credit score, the higher the number the bigger the potential risk. If you pay for a one way ticket for business or you want to fly to visit Aunt Sally and drive home that new car she bought you, your score goes up. Request a certain seat on an airplane? Expect your score to go up. Request certain special meals in flight? Yes, you can expect that to factor into your score.

Unlike a traditional credit score, you have no right to see it. No right to find out if there is erroneous information contained in it. No right to challenge it at all. Oh, and did I mention the government plans to keep the score on file for 40 years and may share it with foreign, state or local governments, courts, Congress or private employers at their discretion? Oh, and did I also mention that you could also be denied employment, licenses, security clearance, benefits or entrance to the country based on your Terror Score?

Scary, eh? This is just the latest abuse of civil liberties by the Bush Administration in the name of protecting our country. This latest exercise in data mining comes on the heels of the Bush Administration's attempt to implement a screening program called "Secure Flight" which so alarmed the Republican-held Congress that it refused to let Bush implement it until it met 10 criteria for accuracy and privacy protection. This new program was implemented without Congressional oversight and under the radar. The few that did know of it thought it was only to be used to track incoming cargo or cruise ship passengers. The vast expansion of this program only came to light in the last week when a notice was published in the Federal Register exempting it from a number of Privacy Act provisions that prevent the Federal Goverment from building secret dossiers on its citizens.

This just scares the hell out of me. Not that I think that I'm a particularly big terrorist risk, but because the basic Terrorist Watch flight lists are loaded with bad information and this just carries the errors to new heights. As it is I can't get aboard an airplane without using at least my middle intial or full middle name because someone out there with my name is on a watch list some where. Scads of people with very basic names like John Smith are stuck on watch lists and can't get off them and are being hassled every time they check into an airport. And now we find out that the goverment is keeping secret files on us that we have no way to know if they are correct or not. What is this Russia?

Of course, all of this is being done in the name of our protection from the supposedly monolithic terrorist threat. I don't know about you, but I'm more fearful of our government's shredding of the constitution these days than I am of the terrorists. Now, I'm not your typical big-brother-is-watching-government-conspiracy type of gal. I abhor conspiracy theorists. But, I have always been a big-time civil libertarian. Our right to privacy is woven in the very fabric of our society and numerous clauses in the constitution.

We all take it for granted that we can't be subjected to unreasonable searches and seizures as guaranteed by the 4th amendment. Yet, every day this Administration tries to find new ways to chip away at those rights that our Founders deemed so essential they enshrined them in the Bill of Rights. They've pushed for the right to conduct warrantless searches, the right to monitor where you go on the Internet without judicial approval by subpoenaing records from your ISP, the right to collect information about what you read from your local library, and the list of abuses goes on and on and on. Much of it has been done under the guise of the Patriot Act and the rest of it takes place under the cloak of Executive Orders issued by the President.

And, God forbid, you publicly challenge the administration on their attempts to subvert the constitution or chip away at your rights. You get labeled as non-Patriotic, or even worse an abettor of terrorists. I think one of the most patriotic things you can do is question your government's acts. This Administration is so wrapped up in its own agenda, it has forgotten that it's prime duty is to protect, not shred, the consitution. It's not only our right to question our government when it goes astray, but it's our duty as citizens.

But, luckily there's a new wind blowing in Congress. Plans for hearings on the Bush Administration's abuses are in the works for this winter. You can help move this to the top of the Agenda. Write your Congressional Representatives or Senators. Tell them that you won't stand for further erosion of your rights under the US Constitution.

You can find the information about how to contact your Congressional Representatives by clicking on this link: US Congress

Your US Senators can be reached through this link: US Senate

Schizophrenic First Effort

I got the new Rock Star Supernova CD right before Thanksgiving. After a few listens, my opinion of it remains unchanged. The new Supernova CD is a schizophrenic collection of 11 tunes by second season Rock Star: Supernova contest winner Lukas Rossi, Tommy Lee (Motley Crue), Gilby Clark (Guns and Roses) and Jason Newsted (Metallica). Produced by Butch Walker, the disc almost seems to have been created by two-different bands as the front half of the album has a classic rock-n-roll feel to it, while the back half is more of an angsty-style alt rock record.

The front-half tracks, mostly written by Lee and Walker and occasionally Clarke, have a bouncier, grooving, stadium-rock feel to them. Even if you aren't a fan of the more vapid lyrics in the front half, they're easy to remember and sing-along to. The back half--part written by Lee and part by Clarke--with lyrics provided by Rossi are darker and more introspective. They are deeper, moodier, and not quite as catchy, but infinitely better written; it takes a few listens for them to start to grow on you. But then, there are a few songs that never managed to grow on me (Leave The Lights On, Social Disgrace and Make No Mistake). Which half you prefer depends on how much you like to over-think (or under think) your music.

I'd like to blame the musical schizophrenia on the fact that they only had 6 weeks to create the disc after the end of the show, and they, in theory, had no idea who they were writing for. But, INXS had the same issue and still managed to turn out a good, cohesive CD. They were able to integrate JD Fortune and his style seamlessly. The Supernova boys haven't done as good of a job, despite Lee's assertion that he knew it would be Lukas even before the show aired. In fairness the 5 INXS guys have been together for nearly 30 years. But, they at least had the good sense to pick someone that was stylistically similar to them. Supernova chose someone they thought was hip, would draw a younger audience, but was not a particularly good match to their brash, 80s-arena rock style. So, perhaps the end result is not surprising.

Let's hope they have time to bond out on tour and the second effort, if there is one, is a little more cohesive and less all over the place. It will be interesting to see them on stage at the end of January. My final recommendation--skip buying the whole CD and just download the best tracks.

Download These Tracks: Can't Bring Myself to Light This Fuse
, It's On , Valentine ... The Dead Parade
is quirky, but I like it.

If you've got a couple of extra dollars you haven't expended on Christmas shopping: Headspin , and It's All Love

Don't bother or hit fast forward if you buy the CD: Social Disgrace ,
Make No Mistake--This Is The Take

An Ironic Twist Of Fate

"In an ironic twist of fate this week, Iraq affected regime change in the US," said Amy Pohler to open Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update last night. When I heard those words, I had one of those "holy crap, she's right moments". It is perhaps one of the greatest ironies in politics today. President George Bush went into Iraq to bring down a government and in turn essentially brought down his own. Talk about being hoisted on your own petard.

Even the most liberal of Republicans were unceremoniously tossed from office as the mid-term elections became a referendum on the Iraq War and the performance of the President. US Senator Lincoln Chaffee, a Republican so liberal that voted against Bush's agenda approximately 90% of time, was tossed out on his keester. Republicans across the country were swept from office in a domino effect from the Federal level down to the state and local levels.

As a Democrat, I should be doing cartwheels right now. To a certain extent I am. This election essentially offers a check on the right wing agenda. Bush's reactionary judicial candidates no longer have a snow ball's chance in hell of getting confirmed. (However, the damage has already been on the Supreme Court. I'm just hoping that the last of the liberals and centrists can hang on until after the next election). Bolton will be out at the UN and Rumsfeld is history.

But, I'm also concerned. I know that the exit polls tell us that that the new Democratic majority is more a repudiation of Bush's policies as opposed to an affirmation of the Democratic agenda. The Democrats won without having a clear message and plan for moving forward. There is much at stake between now and the next presidential election in 2008. Up for discussion: a long overdue increase in the minimum wage, environmental protection, eroding civil liberties and increased governmental surveillance, health care issues, education, abortion rights, stem cell research, and of course how do we extricate ourselves from the growing quagmire in Iraq?

It's been quite some time since we Democrats had a standard bearer--a leader to motivate the masses and make us vote for something rather than against. The leadership vacuum within the Democratic Party worries me greatly. Nancy Pelosi is poised to become the first female Speaker of the House. But, she's has the potential to be polarizing and is the type of liberal that, unfortunately, doesn't play well in the more conservative heartland. There's Hillary Clinton, who people either love or hate (see Nancy Pelosi's problem). I'm one of the rare ones who can't decide if I like her or not. Barak Obama has generated a lot of attention lately, but, he's untested and I really don't know enough about where he stands on the issues. John Kerry would like another crack at the Presidency, but frankly he's the King of Foot in Mouth Disease lately and he ran a crappy campaign last time. (I voted against Bush rather than for Kerry). Also waiting in the wings are Evan Bayah (who I don't like) and VP candidate John Edwards (from whom I'd like to see more). I'm sure there are a few others, but frankly, the fact that I can't remember who they are should tell you just how much of an impression they've made on me.

We need a leader to step forward that has a vision--a plan. And I fear greatly we don't have it. We've got 2 years to set ourselves up for success in the 2008 election cycle. The Republicans 2 years to regroup. If we muck up this opportunity, the odds of retaking the White House are slim. As much as I'd like to sit back and enjoy watching Bush stymied for two years, we as a party need to give our nation more than 2 years of gridlock. We need a leader who can provide hope and light the way to a brighter future. The question is, "Do we have one?"

Windmills, Vineyards and French Tragedy

I spent my last afternoon in Paris, wandering the winding, hilly cobblestone streets of Montmartre. I signed-up for a 2 hour walking tour through Classic Walks Paris. My guide for the afternoon, Connie, dubbed it the "Stair Master Tour" due the multiple trips up, down around the hill crowned by the Sacre Coeur Cathedral. It could also be called the "Tour of Artistic Tragedy". Montmartre was home to famous artists, singers and writers including Van Gogh, Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, Pissaro, Renoir, Utrillo, Matisse, Dalida and many others. Our afternoon walk started out in front of the famed Moulin Rouge.

The reason that the cabaret is topped by a windmill (Moulin) is that Montmartre was dotted with them back in the day. A handful still remain atop the hill.

After taking in the Moulin Rouge, we walked to the Montmartre Cemetery. The Montmartre Cemetery open roughly around the same time as the Pere LaChaise Cemetery that I had visited the week before. When it opened, the cemetery was on the outskirts of Paris and now, the city has grown around it and in some cases over it.

While Montmartre has its share of famous citizens (primarily artists, actors and writers who lived in Montmartre including Edgar Degas, Alexandre Dumas, Dalida), it houses many families of the non-famous. Unlike most US cemeteries where you buy a plot and it's yours forever, you only lease plots in most Parisian cemeteries. Your family has to renew the plots on a regular basis, to keep the bodies interred there permanently. If someone fails to renew and pay for the plot, eventually the bodies will be removed and moved to a central grave or crematorium for permanent storage. The plot will then be released to someone else.

One of the most famous recent denizens buried in the Montmartre cemetery, is Dalida, a legendary French singer that committed suicide in 1987 at the age of 54. Born in Egypt in 1933 to Italian parents, she was the first French female singer to have a record go diamond and recorded 55 gold records through her career. Despite her fame, Dalida was a tragic figure. Her first husband committed suicide after she left and divorced him for a painter Jean Sobieski (the father of actress Leelee Sobieski). After that relationship ended, her new lover Italian singer Luigi Tenco also committed suicide. She attempted suicide at this point as well. Later another lover, Richard Chanfray committed suicide 4 years before her death. Finally, in 1987 Dalida successfully took her own life through an overdose of sleeping pills. Immensely popular nearly 20 years after her death, her fans keep her lavish grave surrounded by flowers.

A note of interest, her psychiatrist, died two years later and is buried just down the row from her. His grave is one of the odder monuments there. His family had a plaster cast made of his face an it adorns his grave.

After leaving the cemetery we wandered into a pretty park watched over by a headless statue of St. Denis, the first Bishop Paris. So, the story goes, Bishop Denis was beheaded by the Romans. After his beheading, legend says that Denis picked up his head and walked several kilometres, all the while preaching to his followers, before finally collapsing at the current site of the Abbey of St. Denis. Canonized by the Catholic church, Denis is the patron saint of headaches and stomach problems, celebrated with a feast day on October 9th. The hill of Montmartre takes its name from his and his companions martyrdom ("Mont" refers to the French word for Mountain and "Martre" a Martyr--officially mountain of the martyrs.)

From the little park, we walked to the only vineyard left in Paris. It is owned by the arrondissement government and the grapes are harvested yearly. The wine is sold as a fundraiser for the arrondissement.

As we wandered up and down the hill, we visited a number of artists dwellings including that of Van Gogh and Marcel Amyé.

Marcel Amyé is a famous French write who wrote the tale of "The Man Who Could Walk Through Walls" (Le Passe-Muraille). In the book, Dutilleul, a civil servant who worked for the Registry Ministry, discovered that he could walk through walls due to a problem with his thyroid. After a number of adventures, Dutilleul accidentally took some medication prescribed by his doctor to correct the conditions and found himself stuck in a wall after a tryst with a new lover. A statue (of sorts) honors Amyé's character outside Amyé's former home.

As you wander through Montmartre, you get unexpected tantalizing glimpses of Sacre Coeur as you get closer to the top of the hill.

But, before you arrive at the Basilica, you wander through a square of active artists selling their paintings.

Finally, you arrive at the top of Montmartre. On top of the highest hill in Paris rests the Basilica of Sacre Coeur. Sacre Coeur is relatively new, having only been finished in 1914 on the eve of WWI. In addition to it's perpetually white, self-cleaning edifice (it's built of travertine stone containing calcite which whitens when it gets wet), it's world famous for the mosaics that decorate the inside. Sadly, it's original stained glass windows were blown out due to bombings of the surrounding areas during WWII. While quite stunning, the stained glass windows are not original. Sacre Coeur is also know for having the longest running prayer service without interruption in existence (The Perpetual Adoration of the Sacred Sacrament). It begin August 1, 1885 and continues today, day and night.

Homeward Bound

I'm going to keep this post brief tonight since I fly home tomorrow. I'm mostly packed and I get on a plane early tomorrow afternoon, arriving home just 2 hours after I leave by virtue of time zone magic.

I spent my last afternoon in Paris with a walking tour of the Montmartre district, or as our guide called it, the "Stair Master Tour". It could also be titled "tales of artists who either committed suicide or died destitute and alone." Check back in a few days for details after I get home. I also still owe you all my Halloween tale of the Loire Valley. You don't want to miss seeing Princess Foofy Pants in her native habitat (love ya Mia!).

Hopefully, my flight will be uneventful and my luggage will all be within the weight limits and my car service will show up on time (they were late picking me up from the airport).

Catch y'all State-side soon!

La Tour Eiffel

My time here in Paris is winding down now. It's hard to believe I've been here almost two weeks now. I've come to feel very at home here. It's such an easy city to navigate and despite the stereotypes, Parisians are very friendly. The great thing about Parisians is that if they're nice to you, you know they really mean it. Parisian's don't get fired for being rude in a store or restaurant. If you complain, they don't care for the most part. They just look at you and shrug with an attitude of "you're just lucky I'm helping you or paying attention to you at all." It's not a particularly customer-service oriented country. In Paris, the customer is rarely, if ever right. So, again, if they are nice to you, it's because they actually like you. In some ways, it's rather refreshing. At home in the US it's a fake niceness often--they have to be nice as part of the job. Truthfully, I prefer the French way. You at least pretty much know where you stand. Aside from one rather snooty hostess at Lênotre, of all places, my experiences really have all been good.

I finally made it to the Eiffel Tower today. I know, that would have be the place most people go first when they get here. But, not me. In my own defense, it's not exactly close to my hotel. It's about as far away on the left bank as you can get from my hotel. I'm staying a neat little hotel called Hôtel Britannique a block from the Seine and the île de la Cité where Notre Dame is located. It's a 39 room hotel that is close to just about everything historic--the Louvre, Les Halles, the Marias, Notre Dame, Ile de St. Louis, the Latin Quarter, St. Germain de Pres--except the Eiffel Tower.

I finally figured out the best way to get there by Metro (Line 1 from the Chatelet stop to the FDR station and then transfer to line 9 down to the Trocedero stop). By arriving from the Trocedero, you really get a great view of the Eiffel Tower as you come through the Jardin du Trocedero across the Pont d'Iena. The first thing you notice is it's massive size. The tower soars into the sky and just dwarfs everything around it. The pictures I've seen before just don't do it justice. This first picture was taken some distance away from the top of Trocodero Plaza across the Seine. It's still about a 5 minute walk to the Tower from here.

The Eiffel Tower extends 1000 feet into the sky (approximately 92 stories). There are observation platforms at 200 (18 stories), 400 (38 stories) and 900 feet (83 stories). You get to the top through a series of 3 elevators. The higher you go the more you pay--11 euros to take the elevators up to the top platform. Each time you get on an elevator, they tear a corner off your ticket. It is possible to walk to the second platform, but after my experience with the Arc de Triumph, I decided to take the elevator.


Fortunately, since it's November the Tower wasn't crowded and it didn't take that long to get into the first Elevator. The elevators are powered by the same hydrolic lifts used in 1889 when the Tower opened (part of which you can see in the picture to the left). As you creep closer to each level, you can feel your ears pop with the increasing elevation. You peer out through the Tower's iron work as the Paris skyline receeds below you.




The first two platforms are are fairly wide with restauarants, gift shops and a post office. These are the best places to get a bird's eye view of some of the cities attractions.



As you climb to the top platform, the space narrows with the Tower and it can be hard to manoever through all the people. The inside observation deck is ringed with distance markers that show how far it is as the crow flies to places like Reykjavik, Los Angeles and Brazil, etc.

The view from the top is spectacular. On a clear day you can see for 80 miles. Even on a hazy day you can see pretty far.

As amazing as this Tower is during the day, it becomes breath taking at sunset and in the dark of night. Around 5:15 the Tower lights start to come on one by one. The sky begins to darken and natures light show takes over.

Then, at 6:00 pm, the Eiffel Tower starts to sparkle. The dancing lights continue for 10 minutes until fading away until the next show at 7:00 pm. The sparkling lights have been the exclamation point at the Eiffel Tower since the millenium celebration six years ago.

By 6:30 night has complete taken over and the brightly lit Tower can be seen for miles around Paris.