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The Donnybrook
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
 
The KISS pacemaker will be available this winter...

...that is, if Gene Simmons has anything to say about it.

If you had any doubt that Mr. Simmons was money-obsessed automaton, I've got your proof right here:

Last Friday, before a KISS gig in California, Paul Stanley's heart began beating at more than double its normal rate. He was quickly rushed to the hospital.

Rather than rush to the bedside of his songwriting partner of 30+ years, Gene decided that KISS should play the concert as a trio.

That's cold...

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Monday, July 30, 2007
 
The Coming Civil/Proxy War

As Iran and Syria arm the Shia, we arm the Saudis (who are Sunni). Naturally we arm Israel and Egypt, but that is SOP since the Carter era. Meanwhile, China arms both sides. Do these sound like positive developments?

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Bill Walsh, R.I.P.

Bad week for coaches. Condolences, DrMasse. Walsh was an innovator, winner, and a class act. The sports world is the less without him.

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This is how baseball players should wear their socks...



Why the hell do so few major leaguers wear stirrups, anyway???

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Friday, July 27, 2007
 
Have fun bagging groceries next year, rookie...

I dare this fuzznuts to step to the plate the next time he pitches in Philly...

Nationals left-hander John Lannan made his Major League debut against the Phillies on Thursday afternoon and it was an eventful one at that. Lannan was ejected by home-plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt in the fifth inning.

In that inning with one out and the Phillies leading, 3-2, Lannan hit Chase Utley and Ryan Howard with pitches. After Howard was hit, Wendelstedt ejected Lannan, who immediately left the game. According to baseball historian David Vincent, Lannan became the first player since Reds infielder Aaron Boone in 1997 to be ejected in his Major League debut.
Chase Utley is out for three weeks in the middle of a pennant race thanks to this minor-league embarrassment...

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Thursday, July 26, 2007
 
How Far Can This Go?

Now the FBI Director is contradicting Gonzales on that meeting at Ashcroft's hospital room. Is there no end to the misguided "loyalty" Bush is showing to his incompetent flunky? Can Rove/Bush/Cheney not see that what this is doing to the DOJ? Do they even care? I thought Alberto G would have been gone months ago. I wonder if there is any circumstance under which W would fire the prick. I'm doubting that there is...

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R.I.P. Skip Prosser

56 is too young. He was a good coach and by all accounts I read and heard - a favorite relative of mine and as well as a good friend attended Wake Forest - a good person as well. Condolences to his family and all Wake fans for their loss.

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That's a deadly pussy...

This cat is an evil little creep...

Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours. His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means they have less than four hours to live.

"He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die," said Dr. David Dosa in an interview. He describes the phenomenon in a poignant essay in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

"Many family members take some solace from it. They appreciate the companionship that the cat provides for their dying loved one," said Dosa, a geriatrician and assistant professor of medicine at Brown University.
...or maybe he's an angel. I don't know...

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Wednesday, July 25, 2007
 
Do You Hate Hip Hop?

Not me. Just most of it and the assholes who have hijacked it. Hip hop kept poetry alive for more than a decade. Don't skip NWA and Dr. Dre as you pass thru the '90's.

Still got love for the streets. ;)

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Toast to Freddie...

One of Queen's finest. I've always been partial to Don't Stop Me Now.

For harmonies, Somebody to Love, and it's gospel sound best represent Queen for me. Send in Queen tunes you like...

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Best commercial ever...

If I'm remembering correctly, this thing debuted during the Super Bowl a few years ago and caused one of my patented 5-minute cackling fits...


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Fantasy football is fast-approaching!!!

Finally! Let's start the draft talk here.

Who's a keeper? Who's a sleeper? Who just flat-out sucks???

This year will mark the first time in years I won't be keeping Donovan McNabb.

Instead, I'll be keeping the 49ers new stud, Frank Gore, the only guy who kept me from losing all my games last season.

Start it up!!!

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Tuesday, July 24, 2007
 
Tim Donaghy: Doing Delaware County proud...

Oh, what a feeling!

One of DelCo's own is going to single-handedly bring down one of the four major American sports leagues, and help my home county make headlines for all the wrong reasons.



P.S.
Just about everyone I've ever met that went to Cardinal O'Hara was a shithead. Bears mentioning...

UPDATE: Is there a doubt in anyone's mind that when a movie is made about this whole situation, the role of Tim Donaghy will be played by Steve Carell?

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After 10 years, the minimum wage finally rises...

The Democrats finally got this one through even though the White House is suddenly veto-happy, and Senate Republicans are now obsessed with the filibuster.

Kudos to the good guys...

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Monday, July 23, 2007
 
Gary Bettman continues to make Bud Selig look competent...

Last month, I voiced my support for moving the Nashville Predators to Canada. It's a common-sense move for a struggling franchise without a natural fan base.

Now, it seems that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is attempting to block the sale of the Predators to a group interested in moving the team to southern Ontario.

How stupid is this tactic? Take a look at this eye-opening statistic:

The six Canadian teams -- Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver -- currently generate one-third of the 30-team league's revenues.
Wow. I knew the Canadian teams were killing it as far as attendance figures go, but their revenue figures are also through the roof.

So why block a move to Canada, Mr. Magoo....err...Bettman?

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GOP Congresscritter starts shit with Capitol Police officer...

...but you probably didn't hear a thing about it.

Funny, isn't it?

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Friday, July 20, 2007
 
Rob's Thoughts on American Idol Losers

Hilarious as usual. "I'm peaking right now!"

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Did You Ever Try?

To say "Unique New York" out loud, three times, fast? How did you do?

.....What about the "world's hardest tongue twister"?
How did you do with that one? :)

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The dirtiest job of all...

I'll bet you didn't know that the hilarious Mike Rowe, host of "Dirty Jobs", got his start selling shit to well-moneyed insomniac dopes on QVC.

In this installment, Mike is pimping the Katsak. Watch and see...



There's more comedic brilliance here...

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Holier-than-thou NC GOP'er accused of paying for sex...

What did I just say last week?

Coy Privette, a retired Baptist pastor, conservative lawmaker and outspoken advocate for Christian groups, was charged Thursday with paying a 32-year-old Salisbury prostitute for sex acts.

The 74-year-old Cabarrus County commissioner was arrested at his home in Kannapolis early Thursday. He appeared before a Rowan County magistrate on six misdemeanor charges and was released on a promise to appear in court Aug. 22. He did not return e-mail messages or calls to his cell and home phones, and no one answered the door at his Kannapolis home.

Privette, a prominent Republican with a 30-year career, is one of the state's most vocal opponents of alcohol sales and legal gambling. He also serves on the State Baptist Convention of North Carolina and as president of the Christian Action League of North Carolina.
It must be a mistake. Surely, such a Godly and righteous man couldn't possibly be caught up in something like this...

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I don't know if you guys have seen the weather report for this weekend...

...but apparently, there's a 75% chance of Chocolate Rain...



If I just ruined your weekend, I'm truly sorry...

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Thursday, July 19, 2007
 
What's your favorite song about drugs?

I'll go with "White Lines" by Grand Master Flash.



It's nice to know there was a time when rap was interesting...

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Wednesday, July 18, 2007
 
Nothing better on a busy day...

...than your weekly dose of 80's fromage.

"Stay The Night" by Chicago



I don't think Peter Cetera did his own stunts...

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Tuesday, July 17, 2007
 
Why live in one great town when you can live in TWO?!

That's right!

Thanks to a strange post office assignment, my wife and I officially live in two of Money Magazine's Top 25 Best Places To Live for 2007!

Apex (our address) comes in at #14, while Holly Springs (our physical location) is at #22.

That's good living right there...

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Monday, July 16, 2007
 
To all the people having a chuckle at the Phillies' expense today...

Go phuck yourselves...How ya like 'dem apples?


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Friday, July 13, 2007
 
Allow me to rock you into the weekend...

This is an absolutely killer performance of "Magic Man" by Heart going all the way back to 1976...



Yes, Anne used to be the hot Wilson sister...

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Wanna hear the sound of 250 million Americans not giving a shit?

Then be sure to tune into David Beckham's first game with the LA Galaxy.

On a positive note, it's good to see his wife is finally moving on with her career after posing for the cover of Whitley Streiber's Communion.

Seriously, could I see a little more press about a hyped-up athlete who'll be playing an uninteresting sport in the 2nd most dispassionate sports city in the U.S.???

UPDATE: Ha! ESPN is gauging America's interest in Becks' arrival. 56% of respondents don't care, while 5% are flat-out annoyed...

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Thursday, July 12, 2007
 
Let's do a little quiz...

It's just a one-question quiz:

Do you agree with what Bill O'Reilly is saying in this clip?
If you feel like answering, just give me a simple "YES" or "NO" answer. Nothing more.

Just trying to gauge my readership...

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A college exam I would have aced...

A mere 12 years too late, I would've ganked this thing...

N.C. State University will require incoming freshmen under 21 to take a three-hour alcohol awareness exam before starting classes this fall.

The test, which students will take online at their leisure, combines a survey on drinking habits, tests on alcohol knowledge and lectures on the effects and dangers of drinking and the social problems it can create. Sexual assault, poor academic performance and health problems are all covered.
Right place, wrong time...

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The best stories always come from Florida...

Interesting state you've got there, big brother!

A Florida teen has been charged with a felony after getting caught watching pornographic material, but it's not what he was watching that got him into trouble, it was where he was watching it.

Leah Leon says her 15-year-old neighbor, Jeremiah Issac, broke into her southeast Cape Coral home so he could look at pornography on her computer.

"He was sitting here and the chair was more like this and he had just went to touch the screen and his hand was on his head and I scared him because I screamed," said Leon.

Leon said she didn't think it was the first time he had been there.
Here's the worst part of the story: Can you imagine how crunchy the carpet in front of that computer is?

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Wednesday, July 11, 2007
 
Best "movie song" ever?

I'm talking about a song that is primarily known as it's heard in a particular movie.

Even though I didn't really dig the movie, I'll go with Stevie Wonder's "Stay Gold" from The Outsiders.



I have to say, although I didn't really dig the film it did bring back fond memories of my childhood as a young greaser in rural Oklahoma.

I'll never forget the time my buddy (an Italian kid inexplicably stuck in the God-forsaken Midwest) and I got into a scrap with some rich assholes and he killed one of them.

He's dead now, but there's not a day goes by that I don't think of him...

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Tuesday, July 10, 2007
 
Musical plagiarism rears its ugly head again...

Avril Lavigne has officially joined the ranks of Ray Parker, Jr., Poison, and Vanilla Ice with this one.

She claims that this song is nothing like this song.

You decide...

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You fans of the silver screen will love this one...

Be sure to watch all the way to the end.



Oh, it's soooooooooooooooooo bad!!!

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Another GOP "family values" hypocrite is exposed...

It never ends, does it?

Louisiana Sen. David Vitter, whose telephone number was disclosed by the so-called "D.C. Madam" accused of running a prostitution ring, says he is sorry for a "serious sin" and that he has already made peace with his wife.

"This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible," Vitter said Monday in a printed statement. "Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling. Out of respect for my family, I will keep my discussion of the matter there — with God and them. But I certainly offer my deep and sincere apologies to all I have disappointed and let down in any way."
The lesson continues: Those who scream the loudest about "family values" and morality have the most to hide.

AmericaBlog found a pertinent quote from Senator Vitter while he was railing against the evils of gay marriage last year:

"I don't believe there's any issue that's more important than this one...I think this debate is very healthy, and it's winning a lot of hearts and minds. I think we're going to show real progress."
To Senator Vitter, stopping gay marriage is even more important than not banging hookers behind his wife's back...

UPDATE: Oooh! Here's a juicy quote from Vitter's wife back in 2000:

Asked by an interviewer in 2000 whether she could forgive her husband if she learned he'd had an extramarital affair, as Hillary Clinton and Bob Livingston's wife had done, Wendy Vitter told the Times-Picayune: "I'm a lot more like Lorena Bobbitt than Hillary. If he does something like that, I'm walking away with one thing, and it's not alimony, trust me."
Ouch...

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Monday, July 9, 2007
 
I wonder if he tithes...

Mitt Romney is a funny guy.

He's running for the Republican nomination for President by parroting Fox News talking points and bashing the state that elected him Governor five years ago.

He was pro-choice for years until he began courting the dregs of the Republican party and became anti-choice.

Now he's jumping on this quote by Hillary Clinton to claim that she's a Marxist:

I prefer a "we're all in it together" society.

What Romney conveniently failed to mention is the very next line from Hillary's speech:

Now, there is no greater force for economic growth than free markets, but markets work best with rules that promote our values, protect our workers and give all people a chance to succeed.
Which brings us to a valid point:

Romney rejects the idea of a society in which sacrifices are shared, yet he belongs to a church that requires its members to pay roughly 10% of their earnings back to the church.

Is that also Marxism?

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I have to say it, this song is groovy as hell...

Sure, it's a total chick song, but here we are...

"Suddenly I See" by KT Tunstall


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Friday, July 6, 2007
 
How do you like your steak?

We hit an absolute home run on July 4th by marinating some filet mignons in olive oil and rosemary.

One of the best preparations I can think of...



What are everybody's favorite ways to cook a steak?

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Woo hoo!!! Our two tickets to paradise just got punched!!!

Eddie Money is playing the 2nd Annual Raleigh Wide Open on Saturday, July 21st!!!

There's a few other bands playing, but EDDIE FREAKIN' MONEY is the headliner!!!


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Thursday, July 5, 2007
 
More Happy Sounds

Nice whistle in this one. Fiddle is nice, too.

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Like It or Not

We are going to have to work with those who can govern. Fatah is no more in Gaza. If Tony Blair is to succeed in his new role, the US will have to come to terms with dealing with Islamsist parties like Hamas. Hezbollah will be next. The sooner we accept it the better terms we can negotiate.

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Damn, Oversight is Inconvenient!

The White House got spoiled on the rubber stamp Republican Congress. Whine on George and Dick, you asked for it, you got. Oversight. Whine on, whine on.

Wonder why this oversight stuff keeps happening? Stay tuned in the months ahead for a run down of the the no competition contracts for Iraq that went sour but paid off billions. How do you spell KBR?

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Happy Sounds

We miss you, Chet. Some bonus Knopfler, feeling it.

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Who's the greatest #32 in sports history?

...and who's the greatest at every number, for that matter?

Here's a cool article from SI's website listing the best athletes to wear each number from 00 to 99. Some are obvious, some are not.

As far as the greatest sports number in history (#32) goes, I'm sticking with SI's pick of Magic Johnson, although it's a tough pick when you consider all the greats that have worn the 32:

Marcus Allen
Jim Brown
Steve Carlton
Julius Erving (in the ABA)
Magic Johnson
Franco Harris
Sandy Koufax
Karl Malone
Shaquille O'Neal
O.J. Simpson

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Wednesday, July 4, 2007
 
No Wonder They Insist on the Burka

Those who slink away to suicide bomb on another day......have one less to work with. Terrorism as a tactic brands any who chose it as being outside the realm of those we can deal with on a human basis. Terror is its own enemy..unsustainable. There is no hope or solace in ritual anger. But the fight to make this point will take time. Less once we realize/accept that Iraq is fuel on the fire not an essential front line.

I am off to western NC for a week+, have a happy 4th!

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He obviously has what it takes...

To be a Raider. Tradition lives. It's heartwarming, eh?

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What Would Be The One Gig?

You would see if you had a time machine for that express purpose? My answer changes depending on when I think of it. Right now my choice would be Eva Cassidy at Blues Alley. There is no RIGHT answer. Only the right answer for you right now. What is it for you right now? ( vid clip links appreciated....)

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Happy 4th of July!

Neal Schon performing "The Star-Spangled Banner"...


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Tuesday, July 3, 2007
 
Is a commutation actually worse than a pardon?

A presidential pardon is a way to express that someone was wrongly convicted of a crime.

However, commuting someone's sentence states that he/she was rightly found guilty, but should not have to serve the totality of the sentence handed down.

In the case of Scooter Libby, President Bush is saying Libby shouldn't have to spend even a single day in prison for breaking the law.

Which is worse???

UPDATE: Great bit from the Washington Post's editorial on the subject:

We agree that a pardon would have been inappropriate and that the prison sentence of 30 months was excessive. But reducing the sentence to no prison time at all, as Mr. Bush did -- to probation and a large fine -- is not defensible. ... Mr. Bush, while claiming to 'respect the jury's verdict,' failed to explain why he moved from 'excessive' to zero.

2nd UPDATE: The hits are coming quickly today. A great point from the New York Times:

Was the convicted felon Scooter Libby kept out of jail because the president was "worried about what a former loyalist might say when actually staring into a prison cell"?
Finally, Bill Scher from LiberalOasis takes apart Bush's argument that Libby's reputation is "forever damaged". Apparently, no Republican's reputation can be damaged enough to be denied work in future Republican administrations...

3rd UPDATE: A gem from George W. Bush's 1999 autobography, A Charge To Keep.

"I don’t believe my role is to replace the verdict of a jury with my own, unless there are new facts or evidence of which a jury was unaware, or evidence that the trial was somehow unfair."
Which leads me to another point:

Bush deemed Libby's 30-month prison sentence "excessive", yet he presided over 153 executions during his 6-year term as Governor of Texas.

Chew on that for awhile...

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Monday, July 2, 2007
 
We Can Remove the "A"

From ATF, apparently. Why? Because it (The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) was
Aw. Poor little gun dealers. Good thing we have a Republican Executive Branch, ready to cave to the bullet-heads.
I wonder how many NRA bullet-heads are members of a well-regulated militia......? Some are, no doubt. Most gun owners have no idea that that phrase is the beginning of the 2nd Amendment they cling to so desperately. It is time to put the "A" back in ATF. That probably has to wait until 2009.

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Flyers finally learn how to survive in the new NHL...

This is an absolute steal.

The last major piece of the Flyers' roster for next season came into place in the opening hours of free agency yesterday when the club signed 29-year-old Daniel Briere to an eight-year, $52 million contract.

Finally, the Flyers have a No. 1 center again for the first time since trading away Peter Forsberg in February.

"The opening up of the game is better for smaller, quicker players," said Paul Holmgren, the Flyers general manager. "And Danny is one of the quickest players in the game. He's one of the most exciting players in the game. He has creativity; he can score; he has a real knack for toughness in the offensive zone."
In spite of the Flyers' deep pockets, I'm still amazed when any Philadelphia sports team signs a premium free agent...

P.S. Sucks to be a Sabres fan today! In the space of one day, both of their co-captains moved on to greener bank accounts, er, pastures...

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How will you celebrate "Bring 'em on" day?

"There are some who feel like the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring 'em on."
--President Bush, July 2, 2003...Four years and roughly 3370 dead soldiers ago...
I plan on making a bunch of boastful threats to my co-workers, then hiding in my office and locking the door.

How about you guys?

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