Organized Chaos (original) (raw)

Adoption in Film: Star Wars The Force Awakens	[Jan. 1st, 2016|10:17 pm]Lord of the Chaos
[Tags**|adoption]Having not posted on LJ in over two years, I'm trying to start something new with reviews of films from the optic of the adoption community. As anyone still reading my blog likely knows, I am the father of two adopted sons. As anyone who is familiar with adoption is likely aware, there are concerns that you face as part of the adoption community that are not intuitive to the outside, and I thought I would try to add something from that perspective.In any event, since azriona has already posted her review of The Force Awakens, I figured I'd start here. The bottom line is that this is a pretty good film (closer to Episodes IV-VI than to I-III, but definitely in between the two groups). However, there's some really troubling stuff in here from an adoptive family standpoint for which you will want to watch out.( Massive, Humongous Spoilers Under the CutCollapse )**In any event, it was a good film, well acted (especially by Harrison Ford) and despite obviously being the opening act in a three act play had enough going on to hold anyone's interest. However, it could have been so much better, and anyone in the adoption community needs to look out for a couple of landmines.
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2012 Presidential Election Interactive Map	[Nov. 6th, 2012|11:00 pm]Lord of the Chaos
[**mood** |curious]Under Hatch Act rules, I can't endorse a candidate, but I can still provide my unsolicited opinion. Which is that Obama will win with 293 electoral votes and 49.5% of the popular vote (Romney will be around 48% of the popular). If accurate, this would mean that Obama is the first first-term president since Woodrow Wilson to win re-election with fewer electoral votes than he recieved when originally elected. (FDR got fewer votes in his third and fourth runs, but more in his second than the first.) Yes, I'm a geek.2012 Presidential Election Interactive Map
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The Braun Appeal	[Feb. 24th, 2012|07:04 pm]Lord of the Chaos
[Current Location |Home] [mood	confused] [music	You Ain't As Much Fun Since I Quit Drinkin, Toby Keith]Brewers star and reigning NL MVP Ryan Braun was cleared on appeal by a Major League Baseball arbitration panel yesterday following an apparent positive steroids test. There's nothing that says justice like the words 'urine' and 'sloppy handling' appearing repeatedly in articles about this case.Let me be clear. Although it disappoints me to say it, I suspect Braun is probably guilty. That said, many commentators are claiming that Braun was cleared on a 'technicality.' As many a criminal procedure professor will tell you, the definition of a 'technicality' is the law, and it is there to make sure that people are not wronged by the system. If there is one thing that is clear from this case, it is that MLB's drug testing regimen was rife with errors that would have eventually ensared an innocent victim, if they have not done so already.Let's start with the most basic problem. There's only one sample, and only one test. Any kind of coherent testing regimen like this should be pulling three samples, likely on consecutive days, to ensure that they are screening out false positives and problems with the handling. If the first two samples agree, you have a solid case. If they differ, you have a third sample to clarify the matter. Especially in a case like this - where Braun's people have rightly pointed out that he has passed over 25 drug tests in his career - having more than a single-threaded case is critical.Moreover, the chain of custody issues which were critical in this case need to be addressed. MLB apparently was collecting samples from multimillionare stars using part time employees hired from local hospitals. In this case, depending on who you believe, the part-timer either left Braun's urine sample (and possibly others) on his desk for two days in a tupperware, or stored it in his fridge for the same amount of time. This whole process smacks of ameteur hour; if MLB is serious about this testing, they need to standardize and professionalize the entire process.Finally, it's increasingly clear that MLB leaks like a sieve. The allegedly anonymous tests which led to the current policy have slowly leaked out. Braun's initial positive was similarly supposed to stay under wraps until the appeals process was complete - depending on who you believe, Braun's was not the first successful appeal, only the first one which was publicly known. If baseball can't keep confidential material confidential, they need to adjust, at a minimum by publishing yearly statistics on postive tests and successful appeals so that leaks, when they occur, can at least be placed into some kind of context.In the meantime, Braun will have an uphill battle restoring his reputation, even with his offer to take a DNA test to confirm if the sample in question is his or not. If he's innocent, he now has to prove a negative (that he did NOT take performance enhancing drugs), which will be all but impossible. Unless someone comes forward to say they sold/injected Braun, it's extremely unlikely the full truth will ever come out.
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