Archive for the ‘ Pet Peeves ’ Category

Hey Ray…

Author: Paul

Jun 22

Ray Lewis said a while back, that the longer the NFL lockout went on, the more crime there would be?

Well, if anyone should know about crime, it’s Ray Lewis.

I’m still mad at Ray for screwing UP the Atlanta Superbowl back in 2000.

Not that I hold a grudge or anything.

But, alas, Ray is wrong. As it turns out, there is no data to back UP his statement.

Ray Lewis

Sounds very familiar to me.

According to the AJC, the Baltimore Raven said, in a recent ESPN interview, that “…if we don’t have a season — watch how much evil, which we call crime, watch how much crime picks UP, if you take away our game” His premise was that the lockout affected the fans as much or more than the players and owners.

OK, number 1, Crime is Evil and Evil is usually Crime.

“There’s (sic) too many people that live through us, people live through us,” he said. “Yeah, walk in the streets, the way I walk the streets, and I’m not talking about the people you see all the time.”

Note to Ray: I love football, high school and college, but I don’t live through anyone else, especailly not pro-football players – really guys, you’re not worth the cash you get.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution accepted Lewis’ invitation to do that research. They contacted the Northeastern’s Sport in Society center and the paper was told that “there is very little evidence supporting Lewis’ claim that crime will increase the longer the work stoppage lasts.”

The AJC cited a similar crime study.

The Baltimore Sun took the challenge as well, they found, looking at the crime statistics in 1982, an increase in only one area.

Homicides.

Hmmmmm.

The Sun did all they could to justify Lewis’ claim. The newspaper’s Crime Beat blog looked at crime data last season, during the Ravens’ bye week. They found that there was a slight UP tick in crime while the Ravens were off.

Interestingly enough, The Sun found when it looked at crime in Baltimore after the season had ended, that there was less crime.

When The AJC looked for increases in crime during bye weeks, they found “No real evidence was presented that would lead in one direction or another.”

Criminologist James A. Fox, a Northeastern University professor, did a study after hearing Lewis’ claims.

He looked at key FBI data from the last three years available, 2006 through 2008, focusing on the week before the Super Bowl because there were no games that week, but there was intense hype and interest in football. Fox, says he found no increase in crime the week there was no football.

Fox stated, “I took the Ray Lewis challenge and I don’t see any evidence of a crime increase.” Fox, whom I trust far more than Ray Lewis, is the author of several books on crime who also writes a crime and punishment blog for the Boston Globe. He’s also well respected by the FBI.

OK, so maybe that’s not a kudo.

Apparently the idle time doesn’t impact the players much either, well, excepting maybe Kenny Britt and the Tampa Bay Bucs. Other than that, there hasn’t been a drastic increase during this off-season.

So, Ray, sorry, wrong again.

You are why I’m not a Ravens fan.

So this Fall, when the lock out continues and the season is reduced to 8 or so games…I’ll not be rioting, or committing any other crimes. I’ll be watching something else on TV, or reading…yeah, reading…now there’s an idea.

And frankly, I think Cee-Lo Green said it best…in his latest hit.

Cee-Lo Green

5 Comments

Filed under: Boy Am I Pissed!, Controversy, Miscellanea, Opinion, Pet Peeves

This Is A Cluster!

Author: Paul

Jun 10

I posted a similar post to this one on another site a while back. You may have seen it, and you may recognize part of it, but…I think it bears repeating.

It might help someone else.

I suffer from Horton’s Syndrome. It is a form of Classic Chronic Cluster Headaches usually found in men. The cluster headaches started UP about 12 years ago. In the rare cases when women have them, they often say it’s as bad as childbirth. I won’t make that claim, I’ve never given birth, I’m a man, and that would be presumptuous.

The pain is excruciating. And comes out of nowhere. No real warning, just a slight burning in the nose and then Bang! There they are.

They are unilateral, one side of the face and all. And they are really not headaches, but face aches. My teeth hurt, my nose burns, my tongue burns, and my head throbs.

I have one now. And I’ve had it for 10 days!

They make me unpleasant.

Some would say grouchy.

Some would say intolerable.

Some would say things I can’t put in print!

The real cause isn’t known. But there are things that exacerbate them. All the things that are supposed to be healthy for me do the trick. Avocados, walnuts, strong cheeses, DARK CHOCOLATE, many of the things I love, many of the things that are good for me. They make them kick in.

And stress.

Some last for a few minutes. I take OTC pain killers, a mix of Excedrin, Tylenol, and Advil along pure oxygen from a tank and with an ice pack on my face, and I can usually get them to go away…for a while.

I use a product called “Sinus Busters” too. They aren’t sinus headaches, but they mimic them, and “Sinus Busters”, which is made of capsasian C aka pepper spray, and burns like crazy, can knock them out for a while.

The worst one lasted for 57 days. It was horrid. I wound UP in the ER.

The headache pain and experience is depressing, and we Cluster heads call it “dancing with the devil”.

You have suicidal thoughts. It would just be easier to die than live like this.

After the headaches subside, or go away completely, the depression kicks in. I don’t know if it’s that way for everyone, but for me, it’s deep, dark, and devastating.

The anger gets turned inward. For years, no one, and I mean NO ONE believed I was in as much pain as I was.

I was “emotionally fragile”, overstating it, being weak. Faking it.

But I was in pain, and I was depressed.

And even now, when they go away, I get dark, I get depressed.

Therapy helped. The doctor I saw showed me a few “tricks” to use on myself to bring me out of the funk that the headaches leave me in. I refused medicine. I have an aversion to alcohol or any possibly addictive drug, so I steered clear of all that.

Walking helps. With cluster headaches, a dark room, quiet, solitude: they don’t do the trick. There has to be light, noise, action, movement. So I walk, I read, I write.

And I talk. Talk to anyone who will listen, keep company, and keep the dark thoughts away. I usually try to steer clear of telling the listener what’s going on with me, it just scares them off. And I need them. I need the interaction. I need the company, I need the comfort. I need to avoid the anger. I need to keep from turning on myself.

So, talk to me, tell me your story, hell, tell me a lie. I don’t care. Listen, and talk.

10 Comments

Filed under: Boy Am I Pissed!, Me me me me and me, Odd Things About Me, Pet Peeves

Senseless Violence…

Author: Paul

Nov 9

Tragedy struck this past weekend when an 18 year old young man was beaten and stomped to death simply for waking past his attackers at the wrong time.

According to Douglas County Sheriff Phil Miller, Bobby Tillman died before he could be taken to the hospital.

Four people have been arrested.

There were 80 people at the house party. Ten were invited.

The Sheriff said, “Some very responsible parents let their daughters have a party at their house, and there were only 10 people expected to come.”

When the parents asked the party-crashers to leave, a fight began between two girls outside the home.

One of the girls hit a guy, he getting at least one thing right, said he wouldn’t hit a girl but would “…hit the next dude walks by…”

According to Sheriff Miller said. The 5-feet-6 inch, 124 pound Tillman was the next male.

Tillman was still breathing as deputies arrived at the scene according to Miller.

Deputies administered CPR, but it was too late, he did not survive.

“It’ll bring tears to your eyes,” Miller said. “It’s just so sad.”

It’s not only sad, it’s infuriating.

57 people were interviewed after the “incident”.

Witnesses were taken by bus to the sheriff’s office. And of course, civil rights activists are all UP in arms about that! What were the police supposed to do? Let witnessess get away, not get the real story, let it go. NO!

Four people were arrested, and investigators do not believe there will be additional arrests.

The homeowners are not expected to face charges.

“They were doing the very best they could,” Miller said. “The situation got out of hand.”

Ya think?

I’m sure more will come out. I can’t wait to learn about the four people who thought it was ok to stomp and beat someone to death just because some stupid girl went off on them.

And, according to the story, she only hit one guy, so the other three…what was your excuse?

As to the parents and homeowners - the minute the 11th person showed UP, you should have called the police and shut it down. One would think after 40 unwanted guests arrived, you’d have done something.

As to the parents of the four people who murdered Bobby Tillman, nice job, really, good work.

7 Comments

Filed under: Boy Am I Pissed!, Controversy, Pet Peeves, Sad Things