PAUL RANTS

Posted by Paul at June 24th, 2008

Sushi Planet in Moorpark, CA opened in Summer 2005 and has become one of the most popular eateries for miles around. Why? Larger portions and lots of extras that you won’t find in other sushi places, including Thai inspired specialty rolls and softball-sized deep fried green tea ice cream drizzled with chocolate, to name a couple. There’s a reason people wait 20 minutes for a table some Friday nights when there’s sushi alternatives nearby. Maybe the others don’t use a variety of seafood vendors to get just the right fish, or offer freshly made boba drinks as well as beer and sake cocktails. Now along comes Sushi Planet Camarillo, right off the 101 freeway, featuring a premium Thai menu as well as all the sushi goodness you’ll find in Moorpark.

(Photo: sashimi salad at Sushi Planet)

Posted by Paul at June 23rd, 2008

No one remembers laughing for the first time, but it may be possible to remember when something first struck you as funny on an intellectual level. At a certain age, around 11 or 12, we leave knock-knock jokes behind for what humors our new found sensibilities. Luckily for me, that’s exactly when George Carlin’s second and third ground breaking comedy albums were released. Fueled by cocaine (he eventually gave it up cold turkey), he hosted the debut of Saturday Night Live in 1975, the obvious choice. Possibly the most prolific stand-up in history, he taped a record fourteen HBO specials. Listening to Carlin in my room was pure unadulterated joy. Irreverent and profound, insightful, and in the end, curmudgeonly; he enlightened and validated, but mostly made — and makes — me laugh very, very hard.

Posted by Paul at June 21st, 2008

Charles Gibson of ABC news has a thought. It’s about fairness. It seems Obama is raising much more money than McCain. And Obama intends to spend that money on the campaign. What Gibson wants to know is this: is that really fair? Raising money for your campaign and spending it on its intended purpose? Notice Gibson’s concerned gaze. Did I mention he’s on a major television network?

Posted by Paul at June 19th, 2008

The quote below is why Obama is the nominee and not Clinton. Obama does not appease and enable on Iraq, like most of Congress, but calls out those responsible. Just as more evidence of White House sanctioned torture and a trusted insider’s account of how we were misled in to war are plastered across the news, the next president points out what we all now understand.

I refuse to be lectured on national security by people who are responsible for the most disastrous set of foreign policy decisions in the recent history of the United States. The other side likes to use 9/11 as a political bludgeon. Well, let’s talk about 9/11. The people who were responsible for murdering 3,000 Americans on 9/11 have not been brought to justice. They are Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda and their sponsors – the Taliban. They were in Afghanistan. And yet George Bush and John McCain decided in 2002 that we should take our eye off of Afghanistan so that we could invade and occupy a country that had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11. The case for war in Iraq was so thin that George Bush and John McCain had to hype the threat of Saddam Hussein, and make false promises that we’d be greeted as liberators. They misled the American people, and took us into a misguided war. Here are the results of their policy. Osama bin Laden and his top leadership – the people who murdered 3000 Americans – have a safe-haven in northwest Pakistan, where they operate with such freedom of action that they can still put out hate-filled audiotapes to the outside world. That’s the result of the Bush-McCain approach to the war on terrorism. - Barack Obama

Posted by Paul at June 8th, 2008

Someone needs to tell Celtics Forward Paul Pierce that he’s in the NBA, not the WWE. “Suffering” from a “injured knee” in game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Lakers on Thursday night, Pierce had to be carried off the floor by two men — no, he didn’t hobble, he didn’t limp — he was carried. Tears streamed down his face. You had to feel for him as he winced in pain. There it was: the tell-tale agonized expression of a seasoned player who knew he was done for, a broken man. And just as the Lakers were making a push.

My feelings were mixed. I wanted to see the Lakers beat the Celtics on an equal footing, but also felt relieved to have their best player and captain off the court. And of course, big things happen in championship games. It’s all part of the drama of the greatest rivalry in NBA history. Magic’s impossible hook shot. Larry Bird twisting an ankle. Now Paul Pierce, struck down by fate with a dislocated knee in game 1 of the final.

But wait!

I’m not sure if it was the next time-out or the one after that, but it was minutes after Pierce was carried off. Now pain-free and on his feet, Pierce came bounding on to the court as if he had just been introduced by the PA announcer, hand raised in victory as the Boston crowd cheered. He entered the game and immediately hit a 3 pointer. Then another one. A miracle! Or really good sports medication. Or…

OK, I’ll say it: chicanery. Manufactured drama. Pro wrestling level histrionics. Except, unlike in wrestling, the other guy wasn’t in on it. There’s nothing in the NBA rules about faking a debilitating injury so you can triumphantly re-enter the game to pump up your team and fans. But it seems we are witnessing the Hollywoodization of professional basketball. And not by the team from Hollywood.

Go Lakers.

UPDATE: Game 2. It was the referees this time who thought they worked for the WWE. They gave a Celtics second-stringer more foul shots in 14 minutes of play than the entire Lakers team had the whole game. It hardly mattered that the Lakers overcame a 24 point deficit in the last 7 minutes. The fix was in. A questionable win for the Celtics, a bitter loss for the Lakers.