Danger behind the wheel

I saw a little part of a piece on the news the other morning where the Transportation secretary was again talking about how people think they can drive safely while texting or using a device but they can't.

I'd argue that people cannot drive safely. Period.

Allow me to elaborate.

Go, Kings, go.

Working late this evening (because the wife wouldn't be home until late due to a work function) I was walking through downtown to the train after the Kings' Stanley Cup final game had finished. Had they won it would have clinched the franchise's first title. I'd looked up the score on my phone, but even if I hadn't I could have told from the solemn looks on the faces of those in Kings' jerseys that the Devils had taken game 4.

Of course, the Kings are still up 3 games to 1 in the series, and need only win one out of the next three to hoist the Cup. Now the series shifts back to New Jersey for game 5, and as they're undefeated on the road in the playoffs this year, so it's cause for cautious optimism.

Still, to have won it in front of the long-suffering home crowd would have been pretty awesome. But the fans were out in force tonight.

And people say L.A. doesn't get excited for its sports teams.

Democracy inaction... in action

Today was California's primary election, and aside from the pointlessness of voting for an already-decided presidential candidate there were a number of local races and a couple state-wide propositions on the ballot. They're expecting low turnout at the polling places, and as usual that's considered cause for despair among those who report on such things and those who pay attention to those who report on such things. If only 35% of eligible voters bother to cast a ballot that's viewed as a bad sign for democracy.

While I understand that sort of sentiment, and as hard-fought as were battles in the distant past to get everyone the right to vote, I also think in a state this large, getting roughly one out of three to do anything is phenomenal, and to be dispirited about that is probably holding the population to a standard that's unrealistic in this day.

Tiny triumph: New towels

Last weekend we were in Bed Bath & Beyond to pick up some items, and wanted to get some new hand towels for the guest bathroom, as we were to have guests later that day. While in the towel section we realized that the fancy bath towels we got for a wedding gift were now nearly three years old, and between those and one other set of towels that we pretty well alternate using and washing, using and washing, week after week, it may not be out of the question to consider some new bath towels for our own purposes.

We didn't get the really fancy ones; we didn't get the cheapest ones either (they were $15 each). We aren't living high on the hog but we can afford $30 in new towels.

It's funny how extravagant new towels seemed before we got them—or at least, how out-of-mind buying new towels was. But after getting them and drying off after showering… it's amazing how wonderful they are!

So, do yourself a favor: Buy new towels every year or two. Even if you're on a budget, it's worth the investment.

The futility of surveys

On the Political Gabfest they cited a phone survey conducted last year where Americans were asked whether they would vote for a theoretical presidential candidate who had a specific non white heterosexual Christian male aspect. If the person were qualified but were African American, or Latino, or gay, or atheist, etc., would that prevent voting for that candidate. And the results apparently were such that only 94% responded they would vote for a qualified black candidate—that there were 6% who would admit in a non-anonymous survey to another person on the phone that no matter what they'd never vote for someone on that racial basis. As an aside, the host pondered aloud who, in 2012, says that openly?