Coco the Underdog

I root for the underdog.  It's ingrained in me, I just can't help it.  The only exceptions to this rule are when either UNC or the Vikings are playing.  But rooting for the Underdog is a tricky, tricky business.  For example, after the Vikings beat Dallas last week, I felt so bad for them- they had become the new underdog.  I got over it pretty quickly, but still...

I can't believe I'm about to blog about Conan and Leno and the Tonight Show fiasco, but I am.  For the sake of pop culture posterity.  Okay.  So way back, five years ago, when NBC announced they were having Conan replace Leno in 2009 and Leno went on the record saying he didn't want to retire, I immediately was on Team Leno.  Which is odd, because I am a loyal Letterman fan.

And then I watched Leno's last Tonight Show, and as his eyed filled with tears, so did mine.  I thought it served Conan right that NBC gave Leno his new prime time gig.  Team Leno all the way.

I still didn't watch either show, I'm a Letterman Girl, but I'd tune in occasionally when nothing else was on.  Then came the current fuster cluck that became then end of The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien.  I don't know what I was hoping for in terms of a resolution, because really, there wasn't any outcome that I would have liked.  But I never wanted NBC to fire Conan and replace him with Leno.  They didn't even give him a year.  It took Leno three years as the host to finally beat Letterman in the ratings.  NBC didn't go Ooops, we made a mistake when we chose Leno over Letterman to replace Johnny Carson- let's get rid of him and hire David.  I know television is a money making industry, but you have to give these things a chance. 

So today when I read that Conan was officially out, I was really sad for him.  Then when I read that  he demanded part of his contract include $13 million for his production staff and crew, I was officially on Team Coco.  He's the new Underdog.  But here's the thing;  I feel guilty for being on his side because I was Team Leno for so long.  And it's not really Leno's fault, I mean it kinda is, but it's mostly NBC's fault for creating this whole stupid fiasco in the first place.  They should've never ousted Leno in the first place, and once they did, they should have let him go to a competing network instead of holding him to his original contract which didn't expire for another year.  And poor Conan.  He picked up his entire life, uprooted his family, and his crew's family for his dream job, the job of his lifetime- all to be fired within 7 months.  It's just wrong.

Rooting for the Underdog is not always easy, but someone has to do it.

The Tea Baggers

*UPDATE* Chuck Norris announces on the radio that he would like to be the President of Texas, should the secede from the Union. He said "I may run for president of Texas,” Norris wrote Monday in a column posted at WorldNetDaily. “That need may be a reality sooner than we think. If not me, someone someday may again be running for president of the Lone Star state, if the state of the union continues to turn into the enemy of the state.”

I try not to talk about politics too much on here, because for many people, it's a touchy subject- especially during this time of economic hardship. But today I'm not going to try to avoid stepping on toes. I just read about the most appalling words the Governor of Texas said yesterday while at a Tax Day Tea Party.

At one the parties, Governor Rick Perry said to the crowd, "I'm just not real sure you're a bunch of right-wing extremists. But if you are, we're with you." He said this as the crowd chanted "Secede" over and over again in the background.

I can't tell you how disgusted that makes me. I expect fringe groups to make claims of secession, but not from the Governor of Texas, who is conveniently up for reelection this year and also has his eye on the 2012 ticket. What makes it all the more troubling, is that he said this on the heel of of a report released by the Department of Homeland Security that contends right-wing extremist groups may be using the recession and the election of the nation's first African-American president to recruit members.

Defined, "Right Wing Extremists are typically those who believe in an ideology which is hostile to the constitution and mostly contemptuous of human life. They are often recognized by their hostility towards minorities and violence directed against minorities only because of their ethnic origin." So I'm a bit confused why Governor Perry would include himself, and his fellow Conservatives, in this group.

I certainly don't think that regular Conservative Republicans are RWE, and don't think RWE think regular Conservative Republicans are RWE. It's hard for me fathom that a popularly elected Governor of the second largest state in the Union would lump himself and many others, in a group who's heros include Adolf Hitler, Augusto Pinochet, Timothy McVeigh, and David Duke - just to name a few!

Later on in the day, when a reporter asked if Texas might actually consider seceding from the Union, he replied, "if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that."

Now don't me get wrong, I do believe in States' Rights, it's part of the fundamental check and balance process that keeps our government from swinging too far in any direction. I don't think that States' Rights means Governors' Rights. In addition to Perry, the Governors of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alaska, and South Carolina have all rejected huge portions of the Federal Stimulus money meant to help struggling local economies and create more employment opportunities. I believe this is wrong; in my opinion that kind of decision needs to be made by the respective state legislatures- the voice of the citizens. If they decide not to accept it, that's fine, but at least it wasn't the decision of one person, who most likely has visions of being on the Republican Presidential ticket in 2012, i.e., Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, and Rick Perry.

One of the reasons I majored in Government was that I loved the idea of differing opinions and ideologies coming together to make decisions that would steadily improve quality of life, be that in homeland security, education, health care, or commerce. Even though you might disagree on every level of the political process, everyone shared the common goal of doing what was best for the nation. Yes, that sounds a but idealistic, but I really believe it. That's why this makes me so mad!! By giving any kind of proper acknowledgement to a group that's openly derisive towards everyone who's not "just like them," he's done nothing but give them political legitimacy. And the idea of a Texas secession is just crazy, it's never going to happen, and even entertaining the notion of it shows how he is willing to cut off his nose to spit his face (Texas).

Wow, I feel a lot better now that I've gotten that of my chest! Don't worry, this won't be a regular occurrence, my heart is pounding just thinking about clicking that Publish Post button. If you passionately disagree with this, I'd love to hear why. I like understanding every side of the coin and being able to understand and accept differing opinions is all part of the process of self-improvement.

And P.S.- why do yesterdays protesters and organizers keep referring to themselves, and the other attendees of the Tax Day Tea Party, as Tea-Baggers and that by attending a TDTP you were Teabagging? Do they not know what that means? They showed a picture on MNSBC of a little boy wearing a shirt that said "I'm Teabagging," and when I saw it, I almost spit my diet coke out of my mouth, I was laughing so hard. Well, if they don't know, someone might want to give them a little heads up on what Teabagging is.

Billions and Billions and Billions of Diamonds

I think most people know by now that diamonds actually have very little value. De Beers has a monopoly on the diamond market and in order to keep the prices of diamonds inflated, they restrict the supply that's released for retail purposes. By increasing the demand and then intentionally limiting the supply, they are able to outrageously bloat the value and price of diamonds. If all the diamonds that De Beers had stored away were put on the market today, they would be worth almost nothing.


There are about a billion reasons this infuriates me, Africa being number one, but that is for another rant. Today I read here that De Beers is doubling their ad campaign expenditures in the United States. Their logic being that in an economic crisis people will want to buy something that is "forever," rather than wasting their money on the trends of the day. The LAST thing people need to do is go out and buy a diamond- sorry all you diamond lovers. Go put that that money in a savings account, college savings fund, buy property, gas, etc. and if you must buy precious gems, purchase a ruby, they are the most rare stone. Fun Fact, the phrase "A Diamond is Forever" is the most recognized ad slogan from the 20th century- De Beers coined the phrase in order to increase the public "oh la la" perception of diamonds. In 1939 they launched the first ever ad campaign that linked diamonds and engagements; prior to that, diamonds were not part of an engagement.

Life Questions

You meet a magician. He can do 5 simple tricks--pull a rabbit out of a hat, make a coin disappear, turn an ace to a joker, and two similar others. These are his only tricks, and he cannot learn any more. HOWEVER he is doing these tricks with REAL MAGIC. No illusions, he can actually conjure a bunny, and move a coin through space. He is legitimately magical, but limited in scope.

Is this person more impressive then Albert Einstein?

Yes. Theoretically, everything that Einstein accomplished could be replicated by another genius. Not to take anything away from him, but all he was, was smart. We understand smart and we can study smart. That cannot be said for magic. There are no known ways or tools to be magical, to acquire magical abilities, or to understand it in terms of theoretical physics.

Even if the magician can only do a few random, silly tricks- the fact that it is actually magic means that it is something Einstein, or any other genius, can/couldn’t do. The possibility to learn about real magic and maybe even being able to replicate it- that would be so cool!