Friday, February 29, 2008
Now She Says Winning Ohio Is Enough
Even with the bar (seemingly) lowered, she has to be nervous about Tuesday evening. If she loses TX and wins OH, can she hold off calls for unity until April 22 in PA? That's a long time to hold on. There are some small states in between, but she really still has to win OH and TX, or the delegate math is really against her.
The Real Rupert, and FoxNewsPorn...
Fox: "exposed" for what it really is, a tabloid. (I wonder what Pastor Hagee thinks?)
Sorry for the lack of effort on my part...
Work has been quite hellacious for several weeks now.
Have a great weekend and enjoy some Rush as you return to your subdivisions...
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wearing a lapel pin doesn't necessarily make you a patriot...
...but being a Republican Congressman from Georgia does apparently make you functionally retarded...
The Double Talk Express leaves the station...
When will the U.S. be out of Iraq?
100 years...10,000 years...3 weeks...within the next several months...
These are all answers that have been posited by that paragon of "straight talk" and media darlingatude, John McCain.
Trust him at your peril...
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
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The fruits of Bush's "strong dollar policy"...
Mr. 19% has always maintained that he advocates a "strong dollar policy".
As with everything else he says, the complete opposite is true...
The dollar sank Wednesday to its lowest level ever against the euro after markets took comments from the Federal Reserve chairman as a sign that yet more U.S. rate cuts are on the way.
The 15-nation euro topped $1.50 for the first time since its 1999 introduction in Asian trading, then surged in Europe after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke told the House Financial Services Committee that "the economic situation has become distinctly less favorable" since last summer.
His voice might be my favorite ever...
...and I don't think I'm willing to entertain any opposing viewpoints on this topic.
This song may actually be the highwater mark of American musical history...
"(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" by Otis Redding
So, who goes to jail???
The Huckabilly wants to amend the Constitution to define every fertilized egg in America as a person.
So, my question is this:
If a woman decides to have an abortion, who should serve the jail sentence for killing the baby? The woman? The father? The doctor? Who?
It seems to me that the anti-choice crowd is quick to criminalize these personal decisions, but are very slow to define who the criminals are and how they should be punished...
UPDATE: The Virginia House of Delegates has passed a bill to felonize not just abortion, but miscarriage, as well. Welcome to the Stone Age!!!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
In Case You Haven't Seen It Yet
This is Jimmy's response to Sarah.
(Watch Sarah's first if none of this sounds familiar.)
Admitting It is the First Step
We are all addicted to AC power.
- We are ALL seriously addicted to AC power, like it or not. If you are reading this on a screen, you couldn't be doing it without the AC drug and the internet. Cell phones might be battery powered but sometime, somewhere they must ALL be plugged into AC and recharged unless you live in your car or in an RV. But the fuel for that vehicle must be pumped out of storage tanks in the ground and that also requires alternating current.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
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Friday, February 22, 2008
Because it just feels like a weekend song...
...and anytime is a good time to hear one of the greatest voices in rock history.
"Rock N' Roll Girls" by John Fogerty
Some hypocritical B.S. from Hillary...
Honestly, I want to like her more than I do.
But when she jumps on Barack Obama's ass for alleged plagiarism, then cribs her final statement directly from her husband's 1992 presidential campaign, what am I supposed to say?
Nevertheless, she's still a far better option than the hot-headed fossil from Arizona...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
I didn't get any sleep last night, if you know what I mean!
Of course, "what I mean" is "The twins woke us up at 12am, 2am, 3am and 4am last night."
Luckily, they're very cute...
There's no dilemma for this Catholic!
I'll still be partying. How about the rest of you?
St. Patrick's Day causing Catholic dilemmaSaturday, Sunday, Monday...take your pick. I'm there!
That famous saint named Patrick will have his green-drenched party this year, but it's unclear when the guests are supposed to arrive.
For the first time since 1940, St. Patrick's Day will fall during Holy Week, the sacred seven days preceding Easter.
Because of the overlap, liturgical rules dictate that no Mass in honor of the saint can be celebrated on Monday, March 17, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
But a few Roman Catholic leaders are asking for even more moderation in their dioceses: They want parades and other festivities kept out of Holy Week as well.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
More Bass
Talent, humor, what more can you ask. You'd never see lead guitarists do this sort of fun s###.
Dwight Howard is an unbelievable bad ass!
This guy is a joy to watch, he's having a great time, and he (along with LeBron) is the future of the NBA...
19%???
It might be an outlier, but if it's not, George W. Bush is less popular than chlamydia at this point...
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Anyone had an experience with "The Flip"?
This thing looks incredibly cool. I tested one yesterday and it seems like a pretty strong video recorder. Very easy to use...
Anyone else checked it out?
Monday, February 18, 2008
Peggy Can Put It Like Nobody Else Can
I often disagree on policy with Peggy Noonan, but her assessments of candidates and how they are being perceived by voters and the media are always acute and thoughtfully expressed. She nails it with this line:
- Her whole life right now is a reverse Sally Field. She's looking out at an audience of colleagues and saying, "You don't like me, you really don't like me!"
Although of course she's not saying it. Her response to what from the outside looks like catastrophe? A glassy-eyed insistence that all is well. "I'm tested, I'm ready, let's make it happen!" she yelled into a mic on a stage in Texas on the night of her latest defeat. This is meant to look like confidence. Whether or not you wish her well probably determines whether you see it as game face, stubbornness or evidence of mild derangement.
De Facto Contraction in the NBA
It comes down to basic economics, Adande says, as he makes the anti-parity argument:
- "There are too many teams," one All-Star said. "There needs to be, like, 20 teams." But because the owners won't give up that additional revenue and the players won't give up the extra jobs, we're stuck at 30. The best we can do is have the best players concentrated among a few elite teams.
Euros Accepted
In the New York City. Watch for some alarmists from both sides of the aisle call for outlawing the acceptance of anything but the U.S. dollar.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Echoes of Jaco
From the Crossroads Festival, Chicago 2007. Though the focus of the video is on Jeff Beck and he delivers, Tal Wilkenfeld steals the show starting about 1:20 (or 6:10, your choice) minutes in. To his credit, Beck knew she would and he digs it. She is 19 when this was filmed. Pastorius would be pleased. And Beck still has all his chops in tact...
Read His Lips
No new taxes if McCain is elected. He is starting to sound Clinton-esque in his ability to promise anything to anyone. (Voted against the '01 and '03 tax cuts but now vows to see them made permanent, for example.)
I hope he does not run against Hillary, because he could be elected President that way...
Friday, February 15, 2008
Probably the most male-sounding female singer in history...
Think of "Hot Child In The City" or "Jackie Blue", but in the complete opposite direction...
"Only You" by Yazoo
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Another problem I have with Hillary...
She has some real assholes running her campaign...
"Could we possibly have a nominee who hasn't won any of the significant states -- outside of Illinois?" Chief Strategist Mark Penn said. "That raises some serious questions about Sen. Obama."What exactly constitutes a "significant state", Mr. Penn?
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Dawson or Rice?
When people talk about Hall of Fame snubs every year I always scream that they should be talking more about Andre Dawson not getting in than Jim Rice. I think Dawson was the better player. Rice was the best hitter but that's about it. Here's what I mean...
Andre Dawson: .279; 1373 runs; 2774 hits, 438 HR, 1591 RBI...here's the big one...314 stolen bases, including 7 years with more than 20 and 13 with more than 10. 1 MVP, 1 Rookie of the Year, twice second in MVP voting...here's the other big one...EIGHT gold gloves in nine years.
Jim Rice: .298, 1249 runs, 2452 hits, 1451 RBI; 382 HR, ONLY 58 stolen bases, including a season-high of 10. Like Dawson, Rice was an 8-time all-star and a one-time MVP and Rookie of the Year. He finished third in MVP voting twice.
Now, Dawson played five more seasons than Rice so obviously his offensive numbers appear better. I concede that Rice was the better hitter; however there also is somethign to say about Dawson being able to play 21 years and still being productive in his 19th while Rice ceased being productive after his 15th season. Basically, I'd give Rice an edge in terms of shear offense and run producing. However, it's not by a lot and Dawson demolishes him in speed and defense. Dawson was a true five-tool player while Rice was basically just a great slugger and hitter.
The Hall of Fame is for the best PLAYERS of all-time, not just the best hitters and Dawson was the better and more complete player.
That's my opinion anyway...
Democratic turnout in Virginia puts GOP'ers to shame...
Excellent news from a swing state that continues to trend blue.
Barack Obama received 623,141 votes yesterday. That's 135,485 more than voted for all of the Republican candidates combined.
Nice job, john!!! Now, will we get Jim Webb on the ticket for VP?
A perfect explanation as to why Jack Nicholson sucked in "The Departed"...
From Bill Simmons, in a column about Shaquille O'Neal joining the Phoenix Suns:
Jack's performance failed because Jack thought it was good. He believed all the mugging and over-the-top theatrics were a good idea, and nobody told him differently because he's Jack.Exactly...
Feel That Political Progress!
Iraqi parliment may be dissolved. Good thing we sent more troops to allow the Iraqis some time to achieve this milestone on reconcilition. You know, this is going well enough that we should probably slow down on the (partial) draw-down.
Who honestly believes that Iraqis will pass a significant oil law that each major group can live with? And what are they smoking?
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Huckabee: Ditch US laws, use 10 Commandments instead...
Am I exagerrating that point?
"We really don’t need a lot of law if we’re people of morality," Huckabee said at the Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, according to a report in the Lynchburg News Advance. "There are only 10 basic laws that we need … the reason that the law is more complicated is because we try to find clever ways around those 10."There you have it. A call by a Republican presidential nominee (who's still winning states, BTW) to turn the United States into a religious theocracy a la Saudi Arabia.
How very American...
Monday, February 11, 2008
Buried Report
After 18 months of research, RAND submitted a report in the summer of 2005 called “Rebuilding Iraq.” RAND researchers provided an unclassified version of the report along with a secret one, hoping that its publication would contribute to the public debate on how to prepare for future conflicts.
But the study’s wide-ranging critique of the White House, the Defense Department and other government agencies was a concern for Army generals, and the Army has sought to keep the report under lock and key.
The First Since Kennedy? (and fun with acronyms)...
The last POTUS who came from the Senate was JFK, with LBJ as is VP. This year looks to be the next time a Senator becomes POTUS. I prefer the Senator from IL to the Senator from NY, who I prefer to the Senator from AZ.
Now here's an interesting voice...
Just heard this chick on Ron & Fez. Her music has a very cool vibe and she's got a very different voice.
Nicole Atkins with "The Way It Is"...
What friggin' year is this???
Herbie Hancock wins the Grammy for Album of the Year for a collection of Joni Mitchell covers.
American music is in DEEP SHIT...
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Compare the Cost of the Stimulus Bill to the Cost of Iraq
Our total spending on Iraq is closing in on one Trillion dollars. Imagine if we had not spent(borrowed) that money on Iraq, but left the splintered groups in that "country" alone like we do most others who are ruled by despots and had run up that much less debt over the last five years. Most folks in this poll who thought that would be a good idea for the futre were Democrats, not surprisingly.
- In the poll, 61 percent said they think the economy is already in a recession.
Friday, February 8, 2008
This Story Will Have Legs Once the Forsensic Audit is Complete
Cole (R-TX) deserves real credit for insisting on the audit.
- But most members and aides have shown a distinct unwillingness to learn much more about the investigation for fear of getting ensnared in it.
- The acknowledgment that the committee’s financial records might be inaccurate or falsified opens the possibility that the accounting problems could run much deeper than initially suggested in Cole’s original public statement on the matter.
How delusional do you have to be...
...to think of four more years of George W. Bush as a good thing?
To chants of "four more years," President George W. Bush told some of his staunchest supporters Friday that the November elections are a referendum on his policies from the Iraq war to stem cells.Boy, I hope he's right.
Since a full 70% of the American people think his policies are shit, I'll take those odds any day...
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Pancakes, Waffles or French Toast?
It might be the toughest question I've ever asked, so by all means, take your time answering it.
Here's my vote...
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
An embarrassing statistic for St. McCain...
Granted, he's the favorite to take the GOP nomination at this point, which by all accounts is like being valedictorian in summer school, but he couldn't even muster 50% of the Republican votes in his home state of Arizona...
John McCain 47%
Mitt Romney 34%
Mike Huckabee 9%
Ron Paul 4%
Rudy Giuliani 3%
UPDATE: Once again, Democratic turnout broke records and bodes very well for us in November...
2nd UPDATE: Some more interesting turnout stats from CNN's resident curmudgeon, Jack Cafferty:
Here is perhaps the most fascinating statistic coming out of Super Tuesday: out of 14 and a half million votes cast in the Democratic race, only 53 thousand separated Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, that’s according to Time magazine.
And in case you’re interested: in the 19 states where both Democrats and Republicans had elections yesterday, there were 73% more Democratic voters than Republican voters – 14 plus million for Clinton and Obama to 8 plus million for John McCain, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Helping to Bring on a Recession
- Industries from coast to coast say the reduction in visas for temporary workers will hurt them and the economy.
Gallo says the H-2B program isn't controversial and offers businesses a legal way to bring in needed workers.
"This has nothing to do with immigration," he says. "Homeland Security knows who these people are. Social Security keeps on top of them. When their visa expires, they return home."
Reopening old wounds...
I think I purposely forgot this little nugget of Oscar trivia:
In 1996, Cuba Gooding, Jr. won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role in Jerry Maguire.
Not a big deal, until you realize who he beat out: Edward Norton in Primal Fear
How in the hell was that justified???
Ed Norton was AMAZING in Primal Fear!!!
So he's also a quitter...
Bob Knight is a hypocritical, obnoxious, loud-mouthed asshole and I personally am glad to see him go.
I assume that the powers-that-be at Texas Tech feel differently, since he signed a 3-year extension a mere 4 MONTHS AGO...
Monday, February 4, 2008
To all of you despondent Boston fans...
...please cry yourselves to sleep on the 5 championship rings that your teams have won since 2002.
Sure, it's tough when your team shits the bed at the most inopportune time, but when you've had a run the likes of which hasn't been seen in a city since Pops Stargell and Terry Bradshaw were lighting up Pittsburgh in the 1970's, you need to put things in perspective.
Or, you can sulk. Take your pick.
Just know that you won't be getting any sympathy from this Philly fan...
Sunday, February 3, 2008
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Saturday, February 2, 2008
A Hopeful Perspective
The 2008 campaign has already served one foreign-policy purpose: It has changed how America's Western allies see the country.
The 2008 campaign has reminded the public overseas, and especially in allied countries, of the diversity and vibrancy of American democracy. It is hard for even the most hardened anti-American not to be impressed by the fact that the Democrats will nominate either an African-American or a women as their candidate, while watching this twisting and turning campaign play out gives the lie to the view that United States is some kind of corporate oligarchy.
Another piece of good news is that all three candidates with a realistic chance of being the next president play well abroad in a way that George W. Bush does not.
Thanks, FP Passport
Friday, February 1, 2008
Credit to the RNCC
For reporting fraud on its' books before anyone else found it and reported it.
- The National Republican Congressional Committee announced Friday it has alerted the FBI of possible fraud in its bookkeeping.
- The NRCC is the primary campaign fundraising group working to elect Republicans to seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Politico newspaper reported the possible fraud may involve "a former vendor [which] engaged in fraudulent activity with regard to the committee's financial audit process."
- In interviews and her lawsuit against her former employer Kellogg Brown and Root, Jones has said she was drugged and gang-raped by her co-workers on her third night in Iraq. After reporting the incident to KBR, she has said the company confined her to a modified shipping container. According to Jones, Rep. Poe played an instrumental role in winning her release by contacting the State Department, which dispatched agents to her location.
Update: Mike Conway R-TX deserves serious credit.
Does Obama Have the Juice to Get Nominated?
I am for Obama and will certainly vote for him in Va. on February 12th. I hope he will be nominated but my head says he just won't have enough momentum to get it done. Unless he picks up a few surprise large-delegate states this coming Tuesday, she will emerge with the lion share of the delegates at stake. That would sap some of his momentum. Clinton has good leads, even if they are shrinking, in most of the delegate-rich states. She is very likely to win CA, which has 370 delegates and New York and New Jersey. He will take some states but will likely come out of Tuesday with significantly less delegates. Nonetheless, I remain audaciously hopeful.
Update: Seems I may have miscaculated.
- But her advisers are already quietly conceding that the delegate count will be close at the end of the day, thanks to Democratic rules that award most delegates proportionally by congressional district.
Learn To Speak Potomac!
Great humor piece by Dana Milbank in the latest issue of The Atlantic (whose website no longer has a subscripition firewall). A few of my favorite examples:
- Frankly … The following statement is false.
- I don’t pay attention to the polls. My job-approval rating is 32 percent.
- I hope we can work together in a bipartisan way. I need to pick off one senator from the other party to pass this bill.
- This should not be a political issue. My party has a winning political issue.
- It’s time to stop playing politics. The other party has a winning political issue.
Galv Update:
- I have great respect for the senior senator. I am about to drill my elderly colleague a new one.
- War is my last choice. The bombing begins in three weeks.
It's a Long Time Until November, but...
This is an NFL post, not about the Presidential election), there are some troubling signs for next season. The NFL owners and NFLPA both have the option to end the current labor deal in November. The owners are unhappy with their 40% cut of TV revenues and are likely to pull out of the current deal.
- Small-market owners such as Ralph Wilson (Buffalo) and Wayne Weaver (Jacksonville) are particularly vehement about it. They can't readily cover increased costs like the big-market owners can. The league's fat cats generate far more revenue from pricey luxury suites and corporate sponsorship packages, and needn't share it.
In the 2006 agreement, which was the most difficult to reach since the 1993 agreement, the players got an extra $850 million to $900 million in the form of revenue sharing, raising the salary cap for 2007 to $107 million. Upshaw estimated it will be $116 million for 2008. "Everyone's doing well," he said. "The owners say they're not making money. I think everyone is making money. This isn't hockey, where the players agreed to a 25 percent pay cut. We're not going to do anything like that."
Sarah Silverman being Sarah Silverman, and Matt Damon proving why he's my favorite celebrity...
Be sure to watch the whole thing...
My Super Bowl prediction...and a Super-sized meltdown...
I'll keep it short and sweet for Super Bowl XLII:
New England Patriots 31
New York Giants 17
MVP: Wes Welker
Now, on to the fun stuff: Here's ESPN's Chris Berman losing his shite after he thought the cameras had stopped rolling.
Hilarity ensues...
