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The Donnybrook
Saturday, December 30, 2006
 
Proof Positive That Fox News Thinks It's Viewers Are Brainless Sheep...

What a sight to see: The Fox & Friends anchors all aflutter with the execution of Saddam Hussein, a worthless crackpot dictator whose capture has cost the lives of 3000 U.S. troops, billions of dollars, and a boatload of prestige around the world.

But, they felt they needed to really drive the point home with a graphic that would tie the whole situation together in a way that even a 2-year-old could understand.

And there it was: two pictures of Hussein side-by-side, one showing Hussein happy and healthy, the other a picture of Hussein's corpse lying in a body bag.

Not content with it viewers' ability to connect the dots on their own, Fox News helpfully labeled the two pictures with the captions, "ALIVE" and "DEAD".

If I can locate a screen cap of this transcendant moment, I'll be sure to share the image that made everyone at Peak Fitness in Cary think I was a cackling hyena for a solid five minutes...

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Friday, December 29, 2006
 
The Video Is Hokey, But The Groove Is Undeniable...

"Home" by Marc Broussard...


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"Taking what they're givin', cause I'm workin' for a livin'!"

George W. Bush: Just an ordinary average guy working his hardest to get American troops out of an Iraqi civil war.
President Bush worked nearly three hours at his Texas ranch on Thursday to design a new U.S. policy in Iraq, then emerged to say that he and his advisers need more time to craft the plan he'll announce in the new year.
Vacationin' sure is hard work!

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White House Official: Capturing Bin Laden Is "A Success That Hasn't Occurred Yet"...

That gem comes from President Bush's Homeland Security Advisor, Frances Townsend.

According to Townsend, the Bush Administration deserves credit for things it's failed to do for over 5 years. She debuted this line of airtight reasoning on CNN last night.
HENRY: You know, going back to September 2001, the president said, dead or alive, we're going to get him. Still don't have him. I know you are saying there's successes on the war on terror, and there have been. That's a failure.

TOWNSEND: Well, I'm not sure -- it's a success that hasn't occurred yet. I don't know that I view that as a failure.
Quick aside: My ability to bench 500 pounds while singing a spot-on a capella rendering of "The Kid Is Hot Tonight" is a success that hasn't occurred yet...

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Thursday, December 28, 2006
 
Did Anyone Else See This Interception?



It may have been the single most impressive defensive play I've ever seen. I'll see if I can find video. Brian Dawkins is unreal, and probably should snag at least a few votes for Defensive Player of the Year.

Jeff Garcia, on the other hand deserves some consideration for Comeback Player of the Year. The award certainly should go to Carson Palmer or Chad Pennington, but Garcia deserves to be in that conversation.

I must admit, after that embarrassing loss to the Colts, even I had pretty much written off the Eagles. Four weeks later, they're as good, if not better than any team in the NFC.

Big props to Dr. Masse who was right about the Eagles needing to run the ball more. They have, and it's worked like a damn charm...

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Wednesday, December 27, 2006
 
How Exactly Did President Ford "Restore Faith In The Presidency"?

Don't get me wrong here, I'm not bringing this up to crack at a former President that has passed away. Gerald Ford seemed like a really nice guy, a guy that served bravely in World War II, and was truly one of a dying breed: a moderate Republican.

However, I don't understand the idea being floated around that Ford helped "restore faith in the presidency", when a mere one month into his term as President, he granted a pardon to his staggeringly corrupt predecessor, Richard Nixon.

How exactly did that decision improve America's view of its chief executive?

P.S. I'm not being a smart ass (for a change), I really want an answer to this question...

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So, What Did Everybody Get?

Burnishing her qualifications for "Coolest Chick Ever", my wife got me The Trivial Pursuit 80's Edition, an Atari Flashback 2, the "Little Miss Sunshine" DVD, and a killer karaoke machine!!!

What did you guys get?

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Friday, December 22, 2006
 
Merry Christmas, Buddies!!!



Take good care of yourselves over the holidays, my friends.

Be good to each other and everyone you meet...

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Thursday, December 21, 2006
 
"Rocky" Is A Winner Once Again...

My wife and I saw "Rocky Balboa" last night, and it was everything I'd hoped it would be. It was more than that, actually.

The movie reminded me of why people like the Rocky character so much. He's a genuinely good guy with a good heart. Sylvester Stallone focused on that aspect of the character and gave him a very fitting and touching farewell.

There are enough callbacks to the previous movies that "Rocky" loyalists will have a lot of great nostalgic moments, but even if you're a newbie to the franchise, I doubt you'd be lost.

The movie has its share of cheesy stuff, but Stallone had the sense to reign those moments in with some very realistic dialogue.

Also, for the first time in a long time, the audience in the movie theater gave the movie a round of applause as the credits rolled. Good feeling.

3 1/2 out of 4 stars from me. Dr. Masse, you're gonna be very pleased...

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Wednesday, December 20, 2006
 
What About Giuliani's Lack Of Foreign Policy Experience?

An excellent point brought to us by an emailer to Josh Marshall's Talking Points Memo:

Am I the only one who is bothered by the way the pundits continually point out that Edwards’s or Obama’s lack of foreign policy experience is a genuine weakness, while Guiliani’s lack of foreign policy experience is never mentioned? Unlike Guiliani, at least Edwards and Obama have served in a national office.
I'll take it a step further: What was the extent of George W. Bush's foreign policy experience back in 2000, other than giving the king of Saudi Arabia the occasional reach-around?

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On A Scale Of 1 to 10...

...how excited are you about "Rocky Balboa"?

About a week ago, I was a solid 7, but after reading some of these reviews, I'm hovering around a 9.5.



Oscar buzz for the 6th "Rocky" movie???

The wonders never cease for the Kensington palooka...

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Tuesday, December 19, 2006
 
Another Asswipe President Suffers A Stinging Electoral Rebuke...

Fresh on the heels of George W. Bush and the Republican party losing control of both houses of Congress in the midterm elections, Iran's whackjob President encountered his own pissed-off electorate in local Iranian elections yesterday.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suffered an embarrassing blow in local council races, according to partial election results Monday, in voting viewed as a sign of public discontent with his hard-line stance.

The balloting represented a partial comeback for opponents of Ahmadinejad, whose Islamic government's policies have fueled fights with the West and brought Iran closer to U.N. sanctions.

Former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, a relative moderate, polled the most votes of any Tehran candidate to win re-election to a key assembly post.

The biggest victory was for "moderate conservatives," supporters of Iran's cleric-led power structure who are angry at Ahmadinejad, saying he has needlessly provoked the West with harsh rhetoric and has failed to fix the country's faltering economy.
True, Ahmadinejad's rebuke wasn't as relevant or far-reaching as Bush's, but either way it's nice to see hard-liners of any stripe take it in the shooter...

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Monday, December 18, 2006
 
Eli Manning Is A Mopey-Faced Hayseed Loser...



I'll bet you're wishing you hadn't pitched a fit and taken your "aw, shucks" bullshit to San Diego, aren't you Cletus?

Meanwhile, the Eagles have won 3 in a row and control their own destiny to not only make the playoffs, but to win the NFC East...

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Friday, December 15, 2006
 

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Thursday, December 14, 2006
 
Since We're All Working For The Weekend...

...here's a little video accompaniment...



P.S. Yes, I know it's cheesy, but you music snobs (read as: john) aren't gonna bring me down today...

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A Few Outrages From The Golden Globe Nominations...

Let me start off by saying that "The Departed" was good. Not great, but good.

The reason it doesn't qualify as "great" can be traced to one man, and one man only:
Jack Nicholson.

He was TERRIBLE in that movie. Way too over-the-top, way too West Coast to play the head of a Irish crime syndicate in Boston.

Now, he's nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe. Heinous. Mark Wahlberg doesn't deserve his nomination either.

Adding insult to injury, Steve Carell received no nomination for his excellent work in "Little Miss Sunshine".

Stupid, stupid, stupid...

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DrFrankLives Takes The Lead On A Very Disturbing Story...

Check out his thoughtful take on the killing of Peyton Strickland, an 18-year-old kid suspected of stealing two PlayStation 3's, who apparently fell victim to freakishly excessive police force.

For a general overview of the situation, click here...

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Wednesday, December 13, 2006
 
One Last Republican House Seat Turns Blue...

Democrat Ciro Rodriguez takes down incumbent Republican Henry Bonilla (TX-23) in a decent-sized upset in the heart of Bush country.

Irrespective of the fustercluck going on in Florida's 13th district, here are the current tallies for the 110th Congress:

House
233 Democrats
201 Republicans

Senate
51 Democrats
49 Republicans

UPDATE: It looks like Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) may have had a stroke. If he passes away or resigns his seat, South Dakota's Republican governor would name his successor, leading to a 50-50 split in the Senate.

In this scenario, Vice President Cheney's tie-breaking vote would swing control of the Senate back to the GOP...

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Tuesday, December 12, 2006
 
"What goes up must come down...spinning wheel, round and round."

Instant karma just cornholed me.

11 days ago, I won a $3000 guitar.

This week, my car's engine exploded and needs to be replaced at a cost of............$3000.

Wow.

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Conservative Web Site Says Soy Products Can Turn Your Kids GAY!

And really, that's all I can rationally say about this gem from WorldNetDaily...
There's a slow poison out there that's severely damaging our children and threatening to tear apart our culture. The ironic part is, it's a "health food," one of our most popular.

Now, I'm a health-food guy, a fanatic who seldom allows anything into his kitchen unless it's organic. I state my bias here just so you'll know I'm not anti-health food.

The dangerous food I'm speaking of is soy. Soybean products are feminizing, and they're all over the place. You can hardly escape them anymore.
Wait, it gets better...
Soy is feminizing, and commonly leads to a decrease in the size of the penis, sexual confusion and homosexuality. That's why most of the medical (not socio-spiritual) blame for today's rise in homosexuality must fall upon the rise in soy formula and other soy products. (Most babies are bottle-fed during some part of their infancy, and one-fourth of them are getting soy milk!) Homosexuals often argue that their homosexuality is inborn because "I can't remember a time when I wasn't homosexual." No, homosexuality is always deviant. But now many of them can truthfully say that they can't remember a time when excess estrogen wasn't influencing them.
Cue Charlton Heston: Soybeans are homo food! They're HOMO FOOD!!!

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Monday, December 11, 2006
 
I've Got A Novel Idea, Let Me Know If You Like It...

The 110th U.S. Congress doesn't convene for another 3 1/2 weeks, and I'm already sick of camera-hungry U.S. Senators jockeying for position in the 2008 Presidential election.

Take a look at the field of Senators that are expected to run for President:

Democrats
Hillary Clinton
Evan Bayh
Barack Obama
Joe Biden
John Kerry


Republicans
Chuck Hagel

Sam Brownback
John McCain


We've already got 8% of the Senate with its eyes on the next office they're hoping to hold, and it would've been 10% if Rick Santorum and George Allen hadn't received electoral pink slips last month.

That many legislators with their focus set somewhere other than the business of the Senate is a problem. Here's my solution for the problem:

All current Senators or Congressmen wishing to run for President, must resign their positions immediately.
No, it won't happen, and no, it's not practical, but it makes a lot of sense.

Say what you want about Bob Dole, but he did the right thing in 1996 by resigning his Senate seat to focus on his futile Presidential campaign...

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Holy-Rolling Do-Gooder Shocked That Victoria's Secret Would Display Their Products In Their Stores...

Man, there are some truly repressed individuals in this country.
A lingerie display at a Victoria's Secret store in the new Green Oak Village Place mall has stimulated a boycott, protest letters and spun off pickets at another lingerie and adult novelty store in nearby Brighton.

Robin Blaszak, a 46-year-old Hamburg Township resident, said she was shocked by what she saw.

"They had six mannequins standing in different ways in G-strings, stilettos and high-top nylons and skimpy bras," Blaszak told the Detroit Free Press for a Sunday story. "I thought, 'I can't believe they're doing this.'


"A lot of young women tend to look at the fashion industry to see what sort of image they should be projecting. "I don't think this is a little thing. It's like that pebble you throw in the water. It has that ripple effect."

Blaszak helped launch a letter-writing campaign with fellow members of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church asking for less racy displays and a meeting with corporate officials.
Note to Ms. Blaszak: Victoria's Secret sells panties, bras, and other undergarments that frighten you. If you don't want them being displayed in their stores, do your best to get the whole store shut down. If you fail, shut up and go home.

Note to Victoria's Secret: Don't bother meeting with this group of sexually-repressed do-gooders. Let them rant and rave. At the end of the day, their objections don't mean shit...

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One Last Picture Of The New Guitar...

My buddy Kreese (not the guy from the "Karate Kid" movies) found me some shots of the exact model I'll be getting.

Nicely done, sir...



I'm done talking about this now. I swear.*

*-Brian reserves the right to bring up this topic at any point over the next 4+ months...

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Friday, December 8, 2006
 
Just Picture It In Emerald Green...



Emerald green like this:




UPDATE: I've scoured the internets, and I can't manage to find a picture of the PRS Singlecut Trem Satin in the Emerald Green finish, but here's a good shot of the orange finish. I'm way too excited about this...



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Thursday, December 7, 2006
 
Don't Do Us Any Favors, Mr. "Leader Of The Free World"...

"Some reports are issued and just gather dust. And truth of the matter is, a lot of reports in Washington are never read by anybody. To show you how important this one is, I read it."

--President Bush, at a press conference, on the Iraq Study Group report.
What a great man, and a reader to boot...

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One Of The Greatest Songs By A Fake Band EVER...

"Hell Hole" by Spinal Tap...



Brilliant...

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Wednesday, December 6, 2006
 
Republican Congressman Whines About Having To Work Five Days A Week...
"Keeping us up here eats away at families…The Democrats could care less about families -- that's what this says."

--Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), quoted by the Washington Post, in response to incoming-Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s (D-MD) plan to increase the House’s work schedule from three days a week to five.
Wanna spend more time with your family? Don't seek a job that requires you be in Washington, DC for an unholy 5 days a week!

And by all means, forfeit the $165,200 you'll be making next year, Rep. Kingston. Your constituents hired you to be their full-time Representative, not less than half the week.

God forbid you earn a paycheck like the rest of us, you dope...

UPDATE: Upon further review, the family-minded Rep. Kingston is only looking out for himself, and not actual working families.

According to VoteSmart, he's voted against raising the minimum wage FIVE TIMES since 1995...

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Tuesday, December 5, 2006
 
"There's sadness in that chord structure!"

A classic from The Kids In The Hall...



P.S. Don't forget that most bass players are failed guitar players. Heehee...

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A Sorry Excuse For A Fantasy Football League...

Take a look at the final regular season standings from my B-league, the league I won last season:

*Camel Clutch (12-1)
*South Holston Bears (9-4)
*BuckiFlyers (8-5)
*Tequila Mockingbirds (6-7)
*Crouching Tigers (6-7)
*Bolts R Back (6-7)
Irish Pub (6-7)
Keeno's Killers (6-7)
Ol' Gravylegs (6-7)
Damp Goaters (5-8)
Merry Meekers (4-9)
Gridiron Grinders (4-9)

A sad state of affairs, to be sure.

9 of 12 teams under .500, three of which will be heading to the playoffs, and one team amassed enough talent to go 12-1, a number I've never seen in fantasy football...

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Eagles Declaw The Kitties, 27-24...

...Jeff Garcia showed flashes of his old self, and the Eagles' D rose to the occasion, at long last.



Where's my boy, Jamz?

P.S. How did Keyshawn not get thrown out of the game for throwing his helmet after Lito Sheppard's game-saving interception?

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Monday, December 4, 2006
 
I'm Gonna Be Hung Up On This Guitar Thing For A While...

...so please endulge me as I show off a few more of my PRS compatriots:

The aforementioned Mark Tremonti of Alter Bridge playing "Down To My Last". The solo that begins at about 4:47 is one of the greatest rock solos EVER...



Alex Lifeson of Rush doing "Limelight"...



...The legendary Carlos Santana doing "Maria, Maria"...


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A Great Article About The Guy Who'll Be Making My New Guitar...

Quite a guy, this Paul Reed Smith.

This article has too many good parts to paste one, so check out the whole thing and enjoy.

Smith and his guitars are truly American treasures.

This is gonna be a long 4 months...

UPDATE: You guitar geeks will like this mini-lesson with fellow PRS player/Alter Bridge guitarist, Mark Tremonti...


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Friday, December 1, 2006
 
GUESS WHAT I WON TODAY!!!

UPDATE: Chris brings a cool idea to the table:

Give me some suggestions for a song I can play on my new axe once I receive it and record so you fine people can see it. I may need some help on getting it posted, but I'll try.

Also, be forewarned that I won't be receiving the guitar for about 4 months since it hasn't been built yet, and PRS makes all their guitars by hand...



What you're looking at is the Paul Reed Smith Singlecut Trem Satin that I won this morning as the 2nd prize winner in PRS's "Play A PRS" giveaway!!!

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No Comments Needed...




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Legally Blind 94-Year-Old Woman Bowls A 224...

Meanwhile, I'm a perfectly healthy 29-year-old, and I've broken 200 exactly ONCE in my life.
CENTRALIA, Wash. - Esther Medley of Centralia is legally blind, but when she bowls she can glimpse a bit of the floor to line up with the lane.

Medley, 94, can't see straight ahead, so her 86-year-old husband Ralph tells her which pins are left after her first ball.

That's how Medley recently bowled a score of 244, which included eight strikes, at Fairway Lanes in Centralia. It was the second-highest score of the year for her league.
In my defense, I do wear contact lenses...

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