Blogcritics Author: Tom Bux

Simple Joys: Old TV Shows and Network Sign-Offs

Tom Bux — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:03:01 EDT

I miss old television shows, station IDs, channel sign-offs. These are gone forever.
I've mentioned in previous columns my love of the simple joys of cast iron cooking, vinyl records, and manual typewriters. These are all niche pastimes, but pastimes that are either seeing a small resurgence, or are still holding on by a small thread; hanging on to the train of progress. In today's age where technology moves at lightening...

The Joy of Cast Iron

Tom Bux — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 14:09:16 EDT

You'll enjoy and grow to love this classic, proven cooking method - starting with this recipe for pineapple upside down cake.
I am a staunch supporter of and advocate for cooking on cast iron cookware. I own half a dozen pans and use them almost daily. Cast iron cookware has been around for hundreds of years. The same reasons that made it popular 200 years ago make it popular today. It is durable, non-toxic, non-stick, heats evenly, and retains heat well.There are styles...

The Typewritten Manuscript

Tom Bux — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:57:58 EDT

Not having the distraction of iTunes, e-mail, and high-speed web browsing makes me stick to my craft.
A while back I wrote an article about collecting typewriters. I only briefly discussed the joys of actually writing on one, and why it works for me. In my last article I discussed the joys of listening to vinyl records. I made the case that the medium is making a comeback. A commenter rightly pointed out that these claims are dubious at best. I...

The Comeback of Vinyl

Tom Bux — Sat, 8 Mar 2008 20:47:39 EST

It seems an old technology is taking the hearts and minds of America.
I like technology, but sometimes I get a little too much of it. In the day and age when you are bombarded with cellular calls, text messages, e-mails, and pop ups, sometimes too much is too much.Even music has gotten high tech. A recent study pointed out that 48 percent of teens didn't purchase music CDs in 2007, instead opting for music...

Product Review: The Harmony One Remote Control

Tom Bux — Wed, 5 Mar 2008 05:58:15 EST

I recently had the opportunity to test a new remote control from Logitech. Those of you who are audio or...
I recently had the opportunity to test a new remote control from Logitech. Those of you who are audio or videophiles will recognize the Logitech Harmony series of remotes. These remotes work on the concept of "activities", such as watching TV, or a DVD, a video, or listening to music. The remote is programmed to operate your equipment...

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

TV Review: ABC's Notes From the Underbelly Is About Everyone Who's Ever Been Pregnant

Tom Bux — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 14:47:50 EDT

Last night my wife and I watched a new show on ABC called Notes From The Underbelly. From ABC's writeup:Andrew (Peter Cambor) and Lauren (Jennifer Westfeldt, Kissing Jessica Stein) have just found out they're going to have a baby, and they're having a difficult time following rule number one -- keeping it a secret. Suddenly switching to decaf, becoming a teetotaler at cocktail parties, and going to the OB/GYN are all difficult to keep from family and close friends.I've heard somewhere that the best books, stories, and films are the ones we can identify with. When we see parts of ourselves in the characters it makes for a better story. Well, Notes From The Underbelly was written for my wife and me. No, the writers of the show did not call us and decide to write our life story, but it is really creepy how this show follows our lives and our impending parenthood.My wife and I are expecting a baby. You head it here first. We are pregnant. We are running the early rollercoaster ride of fear and excitement. Listening to the conversations protagonists Andrew and Lauren had before they had the baby and then when they got pregnant eerily mirrored the same discussions we had.In the show there are friends of Lauren and Andrew, Julie and Eric. They are totally baby crazy, and are several months farther along. Julie and Eric are also the names of our baby-crazy and several months farther along sister and and brother-in-law. So aside from the similarities, this show is tremendously funny. It is filmed in the laugh-trackless, one camera approach most popular now in sitcoms (Scrubs, 30 Rock, and The Office). The writing is spot-on accurate. As I said, it is basically mirroring the same discussion my wife and I had before we got pregnant, and then after we found out the good news.Even the way people discovered our secret was the same as happened in the show. My cigarette smoking, beer and coffee drinking wife suddenly switched to chewing on pens and drinking decaf and root beer; people knew right away.This show had us laughing out loud at spots and looking nervously at each other at others. It was a fun ride, and I hope ABC keeps this show, and doesn't dump it like it did another great show about families and life, Sons and Daughters.This show is funny, well written, warm, and satirical. Anyone who has ever had a child (if you have the time from parent stuff) or are currently with child (if you can bear to accept the reality of it) should give this show a shot. I'm sure you'll believe the same thing. This is a story about you.Notes From The Underbelly airs Wednesdays at 8:30 on ABC.

Why I Left the Conservative Movement

Tom Bux — Wed, 6 Dec 2006 10:36:21 EST

A recent article by Dennis Prager is a prime example of why I no longer consider myself a Republican and consider myself outside of the current conservative movement. I would like to lay out for you why I believe he is dead wrong, and show the history of oaths and affirmations in a different light.Dennis Prager says a Muslim elected to Congress should not take the oath on the Koran. Not only that, but he says allowing it is un-American.Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress, has announced that he will not take his oath of office on the Bible, but on the bible of Islam, the Koran.He should not be allowed to do so - not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization.What? America was built on religious tolerance. Though I have my qualms with some of the religious leaders of Islam, primarily abroad, if a Muslim wants to swear his oath to defend and protect the United States of America on the Koran, he should be allowed to. It is his Holy book.The purpose of using a Holy book to swear oaths is to be held accountable. It makes you accountable to a higher authority. Namely God. If you believe in God, and you promise, declare, and swear in the presence of your God to serve your country you are swearing to the highest authority. If there is anyone that you will want keep your oath to, it should be God above all else. In other words, If you are to be held accountable to anyone, God should be the one you are most accountable to. To say that it undermines American civilization is, if not bigotry, then it is supreme ignorance of the Constitution. Article 6 of the Constitution says regarding oaths: Emphasis givenThe Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.If no religious test is required, where did the idea of swearing the oath of office on a Bible come from?The whole tradition of swearing on the Bible goes back to when George Washington, a Freemason, was preparing to be sworn into office. Washington, along with many others in the ceremony, were prominent Freemasons and they thought it appropriate to swear the oath of office on a Bible, in a similar fashion to how it is done during ceremonies in Lodge. The nearest Bible that could easily be retrieved was a Bible owned by St. John's Lodge #1. That was the Bible that started the tradition of swearing on the Holy Book. Many Presidents have used that same book. Some have used other Bibles. Some Presidents, such as Franklin Pierce and Herbert Hoover, did not swear on the Bible at all. The used no book and instead used the word Affirm; in accordance with their Quaker faith which prohibits swearing of oaths.I believe that Prager's column, and the support of many right wing pundits of it, shows an attitude of religious intolerance and some selective reading of the Constitution. They believe that we are foremost a Christian nation. Though most people in this country who consider themselves God fearing are Christian, we are not a country that endorses any religion. It is in the Constitution. It was one of the founding beliefs of our founding fathers. The first of the Bill of Rights lays it out. Emphasis added.Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.This is just one argument against Dennis Prager's viewpoint. There are many others for and against. But next time you see an oath of office and you see someone swear on the Bible, I want you to have a little historical perspective on what they are doing, and why it came about.

Starbucks Vs The DoubleShot Coffee Company For Naming Rights

Tom Bux — Mon, 3 Apr 2006 02:11:36 EDT

Usually I am very pro-business. I believe business is the lifeblood of the American economy. Our ability to open a business is the cornerstone of American success. That we can use our own money, sweat, and hard work to get ahead is what makes capitalism work. Wal-Mart started as a small mom and pop; Kmart and Starbucks did, too.But when these companies grow and start to use their strength to crush competition and threaten the very institution of small business that drives this country, then something has to be done. Stores like Wal-Mart threaten small business through their ultra-low prices and selection, but Starbucks is a great example of a true corporate bully. The way many people view Starbucks as a bully is through it's use of litigation or threat of litigation against its competition. Some recent examples are quite shocking. You've probably heard of some of them. Recently they shut down an independent company named after its owner, Sam Buck, causing her to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees to Starbucks. She is also required to change the name of her small shop.They also attempted to stop a brewer from selling a beer called Star Bock. For those of you who don't know, Bock is a type of strong lager. Another recent suit involved a small roaster who had a very dark roast called Charbucks. We also can't forget the artist who parodied the Starbucks siren, or HaidaBucks, a small sandwich shop in a remote section of Canada whose name, Starbucks claimed, was a "confusing variation." And my favorite annoying stupid lawsuit, threatening legal action for linking to the Starbucks website.Fortunately for Star Bock, HaidaBucks, and Charbucks, Starbucks did not win. But that did not stop them from incurring legal fees that nearly bankrupted them. A small privately owned company with half a dozen employees does not have the money that a company like Starbucks has at its disposal for legal and court costs. Sometimes just the threat of a lawsuit can wield results.The most recent target of the ire of Starbucks is a small independent coffee shop and roaster of ultra-premium coffees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. DoubleShot Coffee Company recently received a letter asking it to change the name of the store. It turns out the name DoubleShot Coffee Company is close to the name of a Starbucks product. Starbucks Doubleshot is an espresso and milk drink served in cans and sold at convenience stores and supermarkets. The similarities end there. Again, let's review: Starbucks Doubleshot is a mass produced coffee-drink sold in stores nationwide, and the DoubleShot Coffee Company is an independent roaster of beans selling whole bean coffee and operating a small coffee shop in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area. Starbucks contends that you will mistake the two. Judging from recent suits against Sam Buck's and Charbucks, I say they just don't want small independent coffee shops anywhere in the country. Brian Franklin, owner of DoubleShot Coffee Company, explains the name of his store comes from the term "doubleshot", a common way to order espresso, something his coffee shop is especially known for in and around Tulsa."It's a common thing you'd find in any coffee shop," Franklin explains. "It would be like Starbucks suing over the name 'coffee' in our name. It's ridiculous."But regardless of whether it's reported or not, the ends that Starbucks goes to to pick on and attempt to put these small coffee shops out of business speaks volumes for the attitude Starbucks has regarding their competition. Rather than compete on a relatively level playing field by innovating and offering better products, it silences competition by threatening to sue. Starbucks' worldview is that there should be a Starbucks in every town in America, which is all well and good. They have done great things and have raised awareness about coffee, something that has lead to more informed consumers wanting quality products. But these advances come at the expense of small businesses like DoubleShot Coffee Company. As John Stossel frequently says during his many personal appearances, "Lawsuits are so destructive that we treat them like missiles, force is government in litigation. We need some, but force wrecks lives." That force of litigation also hurts competition. Because when litigation causes a store to close or someone who may have a fabulous idea on how to improve a product to rethink opening a store, we all lose.The only one who wins is the corporate bully.

Circling The Wagon Around Bush Regarding the Port Issue

Tom Bux — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 11:56:40 EST

What Bush recently said has made me second-guess my support for the man. He has stated that he will veto any legislation that would block an United Arab Emirates owned company from taking over control of American ports.I just don't think we should trust this company without further inquiry. Any Arab-owned company gives me pause. I don't think we should simply deny them, but let's have some more time to investigate. This isn't a company owned by Muslim shareholders or a board of directors, it is a company owned by a Muslim nation. A non-elected Muslim nation, held accountable to no one. While the security will be controlled by the more-than-able Coast Guard, I find it hard to believe that this company will have no inside security knowledge of the ports they control. If you own a parking garage, and some other company controls security, you will surely have knowledge of their practices. That is what really set me over the edge on this issue combined with the President's "trust me" attitude. I believe in the old saying, "Trust, but verify". The last time he said "trust me" was during the Harriet Miers nomination fiasco, and we know how that turned out. I trust George Bush, but let's verify first. President Bush says that the whole process was vetted by intelligence agencies. Were these the same intelligence agencies that were 100% positive there were weapons in Iraq? According to what we know, the whole process only took 25 days, not quite enough to do a full investigation of a billion-dollar company. All I want is for the legislature to take a second look. I trust our elected officials to do this; after all, we do live in a republic, and that's their job. And that's what they want to do. They want 45 days to take a second look. If after 45 days, all is proven as the President said, I'm sure I'll support the deal. Like a child threatening to go to his mother when his father won't let him have his way, he promised a veto.I agree with Michelle Malkin. He won't veto campaign finance reform or immense pork spending, but he'll veto this. Lawmakers should call his bluff. Pass legislation to delay for a full inquiry. If he vetoes it, override it.Read more at The Age of Reason.

When the State Police Act Like The Mafia

Tom Bux — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 21:01:44 EST

As a libertarian minded conservative, I was angered recently when the Pennsylvania State Police and the Liquor Control Board raided a local Elks club and seized money and video poker machines. Many people where I live are livid about the raid, and blame the State Police and Liquor Control for their overbearing tactics.The Elks are popular in this town of about 4,200 that's still struggling to recover from the decline of the coal industry. The lodge sponsors a Little League baseball team, summertime movies in the borough park and a fishing tournament for kids. To many Frackville residents, the raid was politically motivated or was another example of how the downtrodden region gets no respect."It would be different if they were selling dope or prostitutes or if the football pool was $100,000 a block," said Bender, who is not a member of the Elks. "It's a shame. The state police and LCB don't realize what the Elks do for the veterans and the kids." I agree that the police overstepped their bounds. The Elks clubs of the United States do more for the communities they serve in one weekend than most State Police barracks do in a year. What really upset many people was that several months ago a woman joined the Elks and Elks Auxiliary. Turned out she was an undercover State Policewoman. She joined and was active in the Elks for the last several months. The day of the raid she was serving breakfast at their monthly breakfast fundraiser. She joined a fraternal organization, and during the solemn and serious initiation ceremony, she promised to never wrong a fellow Elk. Though it may seem trivial to some, members of these fraternal organizations mean it when they promise to uphold the tenets of their orders. And the fact is that the police officer basically made a mockery of it, and that really stung.I find it ironic that the government wants us to gamble. The Agitator compares law enforcement's tactics to those of the Mafia . If the Mafia tries to break up a rival gambling ring, it's a crime even though they are just protecting their own economic interests. But the State Police do it, and it's just to "protect us". If we need protection from gambling, then just ban it. The gambling at the Elks' was cutting into the profits of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, plain and simple. Here in Pennsylvania, the lottery recently started pulling two sets of numbers, and our legislature recently approved slot machines at racetracks and casinos. See the connection? The money from these illicit sports pools are cutting into the pockets of the government. It isn't about protecting us; it's about protecting the interests of the state. Those police should be ashamed.Related links: BPOE Elks USA PA State Police Liquor Control and EnforcementI expand upon this story in my latest podcast.Read more enlightenment at The Age of Reason.