Scott Bradford: Off on a Tangent

Massive Destruction in Haiti

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Reports are emerging from Haiti of incredible death and destruction in the wake of yesterday’s earthquake, which measured 7.0 magnitude (BBC coverage; CNN coverage). Countless buildings—including the presidential palace and parliament building—have been destroyed or severely damaged in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Hospitals, schools, churches, homes, and more are in ruins.

The Prime Minister of Haiti estimates that over 100,000 have been killed. Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot of the Catholic Archdiocese of Haiti is among the dead.

As the magnitude of this catastrophe becomes clearer, I urge all of my readers to donate to reputable private and religious aid agencies. Haiti is among the poorest countries in the world and its people are in desperate need of assistance. The government of Haiti is, however, among the world’s most corrupt, so government-to-government aid may just go to waste. Our efforts are better spent on non-governmental aid groups.

I recommend making a donation to Catholic Relief Services (especially given the large Catholic presence in Haiti) or the Red Cross, both of which can very quickly put the money to good use.

The Ugliest Cars of the 2010 Model Year

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It’s shaping up to be a big year for ugly cars. Many manufacturers have introduced stunningly bad new models for 2010 and, meanwhile, most of the cars that graced my 2009 list are still in production. Only the Pontiac G6 Coupe has been discontinued, and I’m not sure if that even counts since the G6 was only discontinued because the entire Pontiac brand was.

Because of the surprising number of new additions for 2010, some really revolting cars like the Chrysler Sebring Sedan have been squeezed off the bottom of the list. If this glut of ugly vehicles continues, I may need to expand the list to 15 or 20 next year to make sure I capture everything. This year’s list also has a fair amount of ‘churn’ from previous years; some cars have started looking better to me with time, others . . . haven’t.

The criteria for this list is simple. I don’t include models that aren’t sold in the United States. I don’t include models that sell in low volume (and volume is defined subjectively based on how many I see on the roads in the Washington, D.C. metro area). I don’t include exotic, military, or special-purpose vehicles (so no super-cars, tanks, or postal trucks). It’s based entirely on my personal opinion of what looks good and what doesn’t.

Enjoy!

Read more . . .

Anyone Experiencing ‘Avatar’ Withdrawal?

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I haven’t seen James Cameron’s new film Avatar yet. I generally like Cameron’s films—The Abyss is one of my favorites—but I really, really hate movie theaters. I’ll catch it on DVD someday.

While reviews of Avatar have been mixed, to say the least, there are clearly a lot of people who like it. Having said that, I think that some people have taken the film a bit too seriously. Quoting from an article that appeared today on CNN.com:

James Cameron’s completely immersive spectacle Avatar may have been a little too real for some fans who say they have experienced depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film because they long to enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora.

Seriously?

I suspect I’ve made myself much more depressed by reading this article than I would have by watching Avatar and suffering from fictional world withdrawal.

Melissa Is Okay

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Just a really quick update: Melissa got through the surgery okay.

There were some complications, so the surgery lasted 4x longer than expected and they will be keeping her overnight. But she’s okay and should be heading home tomorrow.

Thanks for the continued prayers!

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Busy Few Days Ahead

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For at least the next few days I’ll be posting less than usual. My wife, Melissa, will be having surgery on Friday and that—and a few other things going on—will end up taking up a ton of time. Posting here will be about 53rd priority on my list until next week.

Of course there’s always the chance that I’ll be so bored in the hospital waiting room that I’ll write for the site. Don’t bet on it, but anything is possible.

Anyway, Melissa’s surgery is a fairly routine surgery to remove a large ovarian cyst. Assuming no complications, it will be an outpatient surgery and she’ll be home on Friday. There’s no need to worry, but you are totally welcome and encouraged to pray for her :-).

Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.