I Misunderestimated W.

Today, as I was driving to work, I received a call from my sister. She told me to turn the radio to NPR, where the Interim Prime Minister of Iraq was addressing Congress. My sister, a Kerry supporter, feels that the speech may be the nail in Kerry's coffin. As I thought about that comment throughout the day, I tend to agree with her assessment.

Although I believe that the Prime Minister was painting an overly-rosey portrait on the situation oversees, I am beginning to feel that no matter how horribly I believe the war is going, there are enough "status quo" people out there to keep Georgie in office. I see and hear people everywhere who refuse to actually look at what's going on (both internationally and domestically) and profess their undying allegiance to their King. That just astonishes me! What makes people like this guy so much? Is it the fact that:

• ...he is the last president since Hoover to have a net loss in jobs?
• ...he hoodwinked the American people to buy into his agenda of invading Iraq?
• ...he squandered an inherited budget surplus by "generously" giving people tax refunds, only to drive the deficit into astronomical heights, instead of investing it or allocating those funds to other needs?
• ...he entered Iraq without a real strategic plan?
• ...the country hasn't been this divided since the 60s?
• ...he belittles his middle class supporters by speaking in in a more "folksy" tone by speaking in colloquialisms?

I'm seriously beginning to think that he has some superpower that hypnotises people when they make eye contact with him or that people become brainwashed when he presses a button on his watch (Similar to the movie Naked Gun, where Reggie Jackson was programmed to assassinate the Queen. "I must kill the queen").

Anyways, I am just waiting patiently until the debates. I believe that is the only way Bush loses in November. HE MUST STUMBLE. A tie is not good enough. He must lose decisively for Kerry to have a chance. I hate to admit that, but I'm afraid it may be true.

So, in true juvenile fashion, copied below is a poem that appeared in the Washington Post, which was written by a satirist. However, it's a poem that is entirely made up of Georgie's quotes.

If you can't beat them, just ridicule them...

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MAKE THE PIE HIGHER by George W. Bush

I think we all agree, the past is over. This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses. Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning? Will the highways of the Internet become more few? How many hands have I shaked?

They misunderestimate me. I am a pitbull on the pantleg of opportunity. I know that the human being and the fish can coexist. Families is where our nation finds hope, where our wings take dream. Put food on your family! Knock down the tollbooth! Vulcanize Society! Make the pie higher! Make the pie higher!

Quote of the Day

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." -- Theodore Roosevelt

Life Is a Mystery. Everyone Must Stand Alone. I Hear You Call My Name, and It Feels Like...Home.

September 20, 2004
Written By: bb
special to bbelbis.blogspot.com

TEL AVIV - In light of [International Superstar] Madonna's visit to the Holy City, in which she has denounced violence around the world, President George W. Bush of the United States, Jordanian extremist Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, and Al Queda leader, Osama Bin Laden plan to meet later this week in Jerusalem to sign a peace treaty, vowing to end violence throughout the world until the end of time.

Madonna is the most well known Kabbalist. A Kabbalist studies the spiritual interpretation of Jewish Scriptures. Formerlly known as "The Material Girl", Madonna has recently taken the Hebrew name of "Esther".

"Hearing Esther speak this weekend brought me to tears", said an emotional Bin Laden during an appearance on an Al-Jazeera talk show, similar to [U.S. television show] 'Live with Regis & Kelly'. "Her words were so powerful. I had no choice but to call the leaders of my terror network in for a meeting yesterday. We all decided that war and terror is Un-Godly and that we all must just live in harmony with the world around us."

Bin Laden later said in the program, "I would like to propose to the world leaders that we show our gratitude to Esther by throwing a lavish celebration in her honor, similar to a rave."

From the Oval Office, President Bush commented on the upcoming treaty. "This is a historic event that will secure peace and prosperity for the world. God Bless the United States of America and God Bless Esther!" Bush, who is vying for re-election as President, now enjoys a substantial lead, according to Gallup. A recent Gallup poll shows that 93% of likely voters prefer Bush to his opponent Senator John F. Kerry (D-MA).

It is not confirmed whether North Korean Leader, Kim Jong Il will be included in this historic peace treaty. Kim Jong Il, a known Scientologist is currently in Los Angeles, consulting with Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and Leah Remini on the matter. He will notify the media once the talks are concluded.

Other confirmed attendees of the peace treaty signing will be fellow Kabbalists Ashton Kutcher (Actor), Britney Spears (Singer/Actress), and Paris Hilton (Reality TV Star/Socialite).

Esther plans to eliminate world hunger next week by visiting The Sudan. Upon learning about her visit, Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir shouted from his balcony overlooking Greater Khatroum, "HELP IS ON THE WAY!"

The Patron Saint of This Blog 

Polls: Are they good for America?

• "President Bush has a double-digit lead over Sen. Kerry"
• "Bush's bounce has evaporated; Virtual tie in race for White House"
• "68% to 28% in favor of Bush"
• "Kerry holds slight lead in key swing states"
• "Bush holds slight lead in key swing states"

Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah! Over the past few weeks, we have all been bombarded by more percentages and surveys than an actuary encounters. In fact, we are forced to digest so many numbers that we don't know what to think anymore.

One poll states that "Candidate A" has a lead and yet another has "Candidate B". Which one is it? Which one can you trust? If it's a CNN poll, you wonder if it has a left-wing bias and if the poll is reported by FOX, a right-wing bias is suspected.

The problem with this is that many Americans don't bother to sift through information on their own. They depend on 8 second soundclips they here on the 10 o'clock news made by Kerry or Bush (does the media even cover Ralph Nader?). They also consider public opinion. "Who does my neighbor favor in the upcoming election?" Unlike in sports, where the underdog is often rooted for, I believe that in politics, people like to attach themselves to a winner. Who wants to "waste" time and a vote, only to lose in the end? So, when these people see polls, which are often skewed, the polls will have a definite influence on who the person will vote for or if he/she will actually go out to vote.

Why does there have to be polls? Why can't the media just put out concrete information out there and let the people cast their votes on Election Day?

I have never taken a Political Science class not have I ever taken a statistics class. So, if anyone out there can enlighten me on the necessity of election polls, I am willing to hear your argument. Because, seriously, I'm clueless.

Btw, 100% of me is voting Kerry/Edwards.

F#%k you, Ragweed! I hate you!

....Oh my God! I think I'm going to die. For the past month or so, every waking moment is spent rubbing my eyes, rubbing the bridge of my nose or blowing my nose as loud as a foghorn. On some occasions, I even get a bonus, consisting of a pain in my neck at the base of my head. Oh, by the way, that occasion happens to be now. I think it's caused by violent sneezing. Did I mention that I sneeze constantly (which causes a bloody nose). God, I'm a wreck!

The cause? Seasonal Allergies (Ragweed).

I am willing to bet that no matter what time of day you see me, I can be seen with a paper towel somewhere in the vicinity of my nose, usually hanging out of my mouth for quick access (as is the position at this moment).

I know that seasonal allergies are are an ailment that only pussies complain and whine about. There are people out there with "chronic this" and "terminal that". But, in the realm of nagging and just plain goddamn annoying conditions, hay fever is the absolutely worst.

Wait.....One Sec.....I have to sneeze.

God Bless Me. (Ouch, my head)

I have tried every drug on the market; From Claritin, to Allegra, to Rhinocort, to Patnol, to Flonase. Nothing seems to work. Everyone tries to offer something. "Have you tried....". Before they even finish their sentence, I just tell them "I've tried it all. Nothing works." I don't mean to by snippy at them. I know they're just trying to offer some relief. But, after suffering for the past 14 years, I've lost all hope. I am resigned to the fate that I will NEVER enjoy a pleasant end to a summer.

So, as the world is trying to hang on to the pleasant days of summer, I am yearning for the leaves to fall off the tree and mornings that I wake up with the ground covered in a white frost. For me, that's my favorite time of the year. 1) I can finally be awake and breathe normally and 2) football season is in full swing :)

Die, Ragweed, Die!!

Great Day

....So yesterday, I received some great news regarding Tim. After 5 weeks of uncertainty regarding his cancer, he received great news that his CT scan turned out negative, meaning that both his lungs and his abdomen is cancer-free! If it had spread to those areas, his mortality rate would have plummeted into the 10% range.

I asked him of his next course of action and he informed me that once his wound heals from his surgery, they can then start radiation treatment. Moreover, chemo seems highly unlikely. :)

Even though I'm not much of a religious man, I am thanking God that he has given Tim a new lease on life!

Preserving Old Buildings

Last year, I came acoss this picture as I was searching for vintage pictures of Chicago.

This intersection is a few miles from my house. It is located at the edge of downtown Plainfield, a downtown which is dotted with quaint shops and family restaurants, trying to find relevence in a gentrified world.

I went to the gas station this morning and picked up the local paper, which had a picture of a bull dozer demolishing this church. I learned that this chuch, which had been standing for 90+ years was destroyed because a developer wanted to put a bank at the site. I don't blame the developer for purchasing the property. It was a necesity because the church could no longer afford the upkeep. It is said that it would have cost the church approx. $1M to give the building a much-needed makeover - inside and out. However, I am concerned that the choice to demolish the building and start from scratch to build a run-of-the-mill bank. I contend that the building could remain and be used for commerce at the same time.

Two buildings down, on the other side of the street, a church stands. It is a church similar in style to the Baptist Church at the corner; tall steeple, arched stain-glassed windows. But if you look closer at the church, you notice that although it was a church in the past, it was no longer used as a place of worship. It is now an Italian restaruant. This example of creative use of existing buildings is evident all along Lockport Street in Plainfield. An old house now house a great restaurant and another old house is now the home of a bookstore.

This type of building preservation is also prominent in San Diego. Instead of bulldozing an old Metal Works shop to make way for Petco Park, the architects simply made the structure part of the ball park, converting them to luxury suites and team shop. Chicago did something similar with the renovation of Soldier Field by building around the historic columnades of the old Soldier Field.

Dear Urban Developers:

Please do what other creative developers have done in places like Plainfield, Chicago, and San Diego: Don't knock down old building, enhance them.

Welcome Me, to the City of Blogger

A little about myself:

I'm a gen-xer happily living a mundane life in a community nestled in Suburban Chicago. I have the typical family with a wife and 2 kids. The only thing that I'm missing is the white-picket fence and the family dog. however, if either of my well-spoiled daughters expresses any interest, the dog may be around the corner! :)

The one thing that kind of makes me unique is that I work alongside my father and brother in a business that has been in the family for decades. There are definitely certain perks that I enjoy at work, but as anyone out there (who has worked w/family) can tell you, there are definite fallbacks as well. Yes, I admit, that it's kind of nice that I can spend so much time with my dad and I find it pretty cool that we all get to work towards a common goal. But, on the other hand, I will never have a professional life that is completely seperate from my personal life. Everything I do at work will, and has, flowed over to my personal life, and vice versa.

I am a product of the Chicago Archdiocese School System for 12 years, where I was your typical uninterested, average student. I really didn't care much for school, as far back as I can remember. I'm just not good in that setting. With that being said, I still decided to go to college. I decided on the out-of-state, very expensive, University of Iowa. As I said earlier, I was not a very good student, but still decided to risk thousand of my parents' $$$ and try my luck at college. Well, that turned out to be a bad investment on my parents' part because I didn't live up to my part of the deal. I didn't do a damn thing while I was there, academically. I was a complete waste of an enrollment for the university. I was a "student" in name only. It was depressing knowing that 1) I was wasting hard-earned money that my parents' entrusted to me and 2) was losing faith that I would ever amount to anything.

Sounds awful, doesn't it?

With that being said, I wouldn't trade my Iowa days for anything in the world. Those days were absolutely fantastic. Probably the most fun I've ever had in my life. It was where I met my future wife. It was there where I tasted my true sense of freedom and began to form my own opinions on issues, not just relying on beliefs and information which I had grown up believing (i.e. religion, politics, music, etc.).

So, as this blog continues, I guess I will be sharing some random thoughts on life, current events, pop culture, and any other thing that pops into my dumb little head.

So, here it goes.....