I've been ranting a lot about this but it really irks me.

I remember a time when reporters would interrupt a guest doing editorial or opinion or just blabbing total BS and correct them or at least ask them questions about their BS.  These days the opinion stated as fact rules the TV ways... wtf?   I think there is a line where respecting opinion, and journalistic integrity meet up and you must at least QUESTION total BS.

I wish I was some big billionaire and could start my own news media conglomerate.  It might not be sexay, it might not be popular, but "Not Entertainment News Network" would rock in its own way.

Fair Trial

When will state sponsored news media figure out that news titles like Judges and lawyers: Rioters in Lhasa unrest receive fair trial sort of reeks of state sponsorship?

MN and Nationwide Politics

The Govenor pulled a line item veto on the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit (LRT) earlier this spring in MN.  Word has it there is a deal in place that should get it on a separate bill and hopefully passed.  Thank goodness.  We can't have every road be six lanes big.  I'm sure gas prices have something to do with it, but with transit ridership up like a bazillion percent in the Twin Cities, get the dang thing started already!

In related news the MN governor who has been pleading for a V.P. spot with McCain (although I don't seem much reason for McCain to offer it) was put in an awkward spot when McCain recently noted that the reason the 35W bridge collapse here in Minnesota was because of wasteful, unnecessary pork-barrel projects.  Wha?  The NTSB hasn't finished its final report, but they've already said a major cause was because the bridge was designed wrong from the very start and construction materials on the bridge may have pushed it over the edge.  Nobody misspent, and the inspections were all good said the NTSB.   You could have inspected it every day, even done renovation work on the bridge until the end of time and nobody would have noticed the engineering mistake because the work would have been based on the original design.

Even more awkward was the fact that the governor has been using a line don't politicize the bridge collapse to try to put down any changes to transportation spending here in MN.  Then McCain goes and does just that.  The governor's press conference was partisan politics at its best.  Rather than act like the Governor of Minnesota and note the actual reason the bridge failed, he stood sheepishly and did what he could in terms of damage control for McCain...

Taxes

I'll give this dude credit.  He didn't just not pay his taxes, he goes the religious / separatist route and formed his own little "court."  Normally you get these guys and it is just I don't have to pay taxes! but this guy went all out with the forming his own judiciary.  The sad part is it sounds like the dude would have been a millionaire even if he paid taxes.  I can understand if the dude thinks someone doesn't have the authority to take his money, I might not agree but whatever . . . still, dude, just pay'm and enjoy being a millionaire already!

Personal Information Stolen, from Work

So I got a letter from my employer noting my personal information was stolen when a piece of computer equipment was stolen.  The letter hinted that this computer equipment was NOT at work when it was stolen.  I did some inquiring and found out that the local HR person had their laptop swiped from their car.

Now my department is essentially open 24 hours a day and technically we're all on call constantly.  We need access to info.  So we take our laptops home all the time, but EVEN THEN to access customer info we have to VPN in and connect to a DB, jump thru security hoops and all that jazz.  Yet apparently my (and a few others, but not everyone's...) information was on this HR persons laptop.  HR, the people who are barely here between the hours of 9am and 3pm each day.  WTF do they need to take our info (all of it including our SSN) home with them for?

They sent us all a letter and we get a free year membership in one of those credit monitoring services.  I don't expect there will be any serious issues but COME ON.  Don't take that crap home.  The only reason I might think they'd need all of my info there with them was if . . . they were going to steal my identity...

GTA IV

I picked up GTA IV at Circuit City.  Normally I AVOID Circuit City as they're a pain to shop at.  Having said that, they occasionally have video game release SALES.  This one was that if you bought GTA IV you got a free $10 gift card.  Fine by me!

I haven't got a lot of time with the game yet but I'm enjoying it.  Like a lot of game review sites I think are learning there's not a lot about this game to say unless you're witting a paper on every aspect like some people do.  It is GTA.  They didn't screw it up.  There's the good old core gameplay and some new stuff.  You either want to play GTA, or you don't.  If you do, buy it.

The combat works and is FAR better than the awkward combat in the past that was left over from GTA III oh so long ago.  Now there are mechanics for using cover and a handy sort of heath bar for your enemies.  Additionally the tone of the story is a bit darker, more serious, and actually provides you with choices.  In the past you were just along for the ride doing this and that and the story was about as cheeky as the radio stations and billboards.  While I like the humor of GTA series, when it is in the mainline story and all over the game elsewhere the humor wore off me in the past.  This story lets you make some decisions on the way and you're not sure (I'm still not) what the consequences may be.  Either way it at least sort of engages you and the more serious tone IMO is a nice break from the typical GTA atmosphere.

Family Health Issues

About two months after I was engaged my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.  After full treatment and all she's been clean as far as the M.D.s can tell.  She attended the wedding with a wig as she had only recently quit the chemo.  In many ways the wedding was about her, not that she put herself at center stage, but all the families coming together certinaly had it on their mind.  That was about a year and a half ago.

Last week we heard my aunt was going to have a lump removed.  First word this week was that the lump was benign signs point to good, second word was the lymph nodes they took out, all have cancer, not a good sign.  The scary thing is how this stuff comes out of nowhere.

On to the next issue...

My Eye

So in the last huisiary I noted I had something up with my right eye.  Very worrisome, very annoying.

Short recap of symptoms:  I have a LOT of floaters, that is not new at all.  However, just recently in my right eye have this floater like object (it moves) but it is way larger, and far less defined (i can see the edges of floaters when I focus on them).  This thing I can see where it stops and starts when it moves into my field of vision, but the edges are fuzzy and not defined like floaters.  It is more ambiguous, much larger, but not changing as far as I can tell in size or such.

I found my old eye doc (hadn't been there in a while) didn't take the new insurance, or more accurately they didn't take the regular eye care insurance that I have.  They would have taken me for this issue because it would have gone to my usual medical insurance but if I have to find a new dude I may as well do it now I figured.  I found a new eye care dude closer to home since we moved.  It is some independent practice old guy near home.   I went and saw him the same day.

Dude took a look around, we did some tests, they dilated my eye.  More tests and peaking around.   They say I have a blind spot in my right eye at this point.  I don't see any dark spot there... the test involved staring into this dome thing and pushing a button when I see lights.  Dude spent quite a bit of time looking in my eye with a super bright light after that.  He then said I have a retinal lesion that could be caused by any number of things and needed to see a specialist.  He also said I need to come back for a usual eye checkup after the specialist fixes me (yup).   They called and made me an appointment at the specialists place.  May 20th.  MAY 20th!??!  YAY for that oh so speedy US health care system!  Only three weeks wait....   I've got something in my eye and it is both scary and damned annoying!

I thought the advantage of our system bankrupting and or letting the poor die is that I get the benefit of speedy medical services...

After leaving it occurred to me that a retinal lesion sounds like something that is in one place, but this blob is moving around.  Maybe it is a side effect or floating tissue from the lesion or something.  Anyway plan today is to call the specialist office and see if I can somehow get an earlier appointment.

Update: I sweet talked (cried) on the phone for a bit and I got an appointment for this Monday at 07:00 AM.  Darned early but I wanted ASAP...

Small update: The last husiary mentioned we might rent our town home to some folks who had ... well odd story.  They found another place, thank goodness.