Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Today, in Professor McCain's geography class...
I learned that Spain is in Latin America, and Venezuela is in the Middle East...
The ongoing miseducation of Caribou Barbie...
Sarah Palin can't name a single Supreme Court case, other than Roe v. Wade, thus proving herself as having less of a grasp on the topic than an unmotivated 9th grader...
Monday, September 29, 2008
Senile...Old...Windbag...
John McCain did nothing to get the bailout passed, and now he's looking to not place blame for his failure...my ass...
"Senator Obama and his allies in Congress infused unnecessary partisanship into the process. Now is not the time to fix the blame, it's time to fix the problem."And now is definitely not the time for me to call John McCain a senile old windbag.
See how that works???
For those of us working in a certain business...
...times have gotten, let's call it, interesting.
Fortunately, there are happy moments to get us through the rough times.
Watch as CNBC's Erin Burnett goes apeshit on the air. Great stuff...
Tina Fey rules, Part II...
As you're watching this, keep in mind that the most cringe-inducing part of this bit is an actual quote from Sarah Palin...
Sunday, September 28, 2008
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Saturday, September 27, 2008
Paul Newman, RIP...
I never met the man, but he seemed like a great guy. And he was easily one of the greatest American actors of all-time.
He'll break your heart in this scene from "The Color of Money"...
Question...
If you refer to yourself as a maverick, are you really one?
It seems like a title that one shouldn't self-apply, like "World's Greatest Lover" or "#1 Granddad".
Discuss...
Quality Never Dies
Brian May makes the electric guitar the perfect substitute for the violin. The vocals speak for themselves. One of their greatest tunes of all time.
Friday, September 26, 2008
My one problem with Obama in the debate...
Stop praising John McCain. He detests you, he doesn't respect you, and he has intention of returning your praise. Shit, he won't even look you in the eye.
Just stop praising him.
All told, it was a fairly uninteresting affair which reaffirmed my notion that John McCain is a crotchety old man with no positive vision for the country and no desire to be honest with American voters.
Barack Obama looked and sounded like a President that America could be proud of, a president that actually has a mind that is suited for the job he seeks.
Oh, and Obama was wearing a flag pin and McCain was not, so Obama must love America more...
To kick off the weekend
An ode to my future home state (unless we live in New Hampshire – which has far cooler license plates...)
State of Massachusetts - Dropkick Murphys
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Serious about fixing the banking system...
Barack Obama? Yes. John McCain? Not so much...
Republican presidential nominee John McCain has not introduced any banking or housing bills in the 110th Congress, while Democratic rival Barack Obama has proposed five.Gramps is really earning his $160k salary!
Why would he have read it?
John McCain is so serious about the financial crisis (that he didn't think existed last week), he's suspending his rudderless campaign.
Apparently, McCain feels that action is so grandiose and impactful, he doesn't even need to read the details of the proposed bailout plan...
Breaking: McCain wants to delay Friday's debate!
You've got to be kidding me...What kind of cheap stunt is this???
UPDATE: This graphic says it all!!!
2nd UPDATE: This one's back at the top because McCain isn't content ducking his own debate, he wants Caribou Barbie to duck hers as well...
McCain supporter Sen. Lindsey Graham tells CNN the McCain campaign is proposing to the Presidential Debate Commission and the Obama camp that if there's no bailout deal by Friday, the first presidential debate should take the place of the VP debate, currently scheduled for next Thursday, October 2 in St. Louis.Chickenshits...
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
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Sign of the Times
General Motors to Sell Factory, Hummer Brand
Good to see an American auto maker make a good decision for once. I wonder if Hummer drivers realize their "American" behemoths are made in......France. (HummerMan, you drive a froggy, weasel-mobile!)- ...the automaker is planning to put its Strasbourg, France, manufacturing operation and its Hummer truck brand up for sale, and it may announce more asset sales later this year.
Whoa! Bailout Calls for Blank Check, No Accountability
- Section 8 of the Paulson proposal reads: "Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency."
- "I don't like to be in this position, asking for things and, you know, answering to the American taxpayer," Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson informed the Senate banking committee yesterday.
UPDATE: Bailout Could Deepen Crisis, CBO Chief Says
Asset Sales May Lead to Write-Downs, Insolvencies, Orszag Tells Congress
- In an interview later yesterday, Orszag explained using the following example: Suppose a company has Asset X, whose value is recorded on the books as $100. Because of the current economic decline, Asset X's real value has dropped to $50. If the company takes part in the government bailout and sells Asset X for $50, the company has to report a $50 loss on its books. On a scale of millions of dollars, such write-downs could ruin a company.
- "The key question is: What are we buying and what are we paying for it?"
My guess is that because people don't really think in the long-term, that a bail-out will pass this week or early next week. Will the check be blank? Will it carry more than token strings? I can only hope, but will not be surprised, if Paulson gets the "nobody can review my decisions" clause passed. Paulson has likely read the Constitution and knows this plan needs such blanket immunity to cover his ass.
Here's a great tune I'd never heard before today...
God bless Ron & Fez. They always turn me on to good music...
"The Dark of the Matinee" by Franz Ferdinand
Heading into the debates, Obama starts to pull away...
In a poll that contains this great news...
More voters trust Obama to deal with the economy, and he currently has a big edge as the candidate who is more in tune with the economic problems Americans now face. He also has a double-digit advantage on handling the current problems on Wall Street, and as a result, there has been a rise in his overall support. The poll found that, among likely voters, Obama now leads McCain by 52 percent to 43 percent. Two weeks ago, in the days immediately following the Republican National Convention, the race was essentially even, with McCain at 49 percent and Obama at 47 percent....this is the part that makes me happiest...
As a point of comparison, neither of the last two Democratic nominees -- John F. Kerry in 2004 or Al Gore in 2000 -- recorded support above 50 percent in a pre-election poll by the Post and ABC News.Who wants to take odds on how many times Grampy McCain falls asleep during the debate on Friday night?
I don't know whether to laugh or cry
The inner workings of the current financial crisis remain somewhat opaque to me. I can grasp some of the analogies offered up by those writers who seem to understand it, but I’m not sure what to believe in an era where spin has been honed to such a precision I might question whether or not I’m actually breathing if I read the right source.
But I knew I didn’t need a credit card with a $20,000 limit when I was 18 in exchange for a free T-shirt when I was making less than $5/hr working in a dairy plant. Something seemed strange about the zealousness in which these well-dressed pretty people snaked their way through the courtyards with a clipboard and a nicely set-up tent near by. But they are there – on nearly every campus all of the time. No one seems to question the wisdom of handing masses of kids the unfettered ability to grievously wound an economy or themselves financially for a lifetime. But they sure as hell better not get caught swigging a beer back in the dorm room.
I get bombarded with offers to refinance my house continually by the company who supposedly gave me the best offer to begin with. I suppose tag lines including “urgent” or the use of increasing font size is going to drive me to the bargaining table. They always failed to mention how in the long term they could raise the interest rate exorbitantly to the point I couldn’t pay it. I’m not “high risk.” I’m not rich either. I’m just skeptical of those who “should” be helping me when their intention belies nothing of the sort. I trust people to do for me the things I cannot, just like everybody else here. I don’t need to be told financial ruin is my fault because I took some bad advice. I need someone to watch my back – I can make enough stupid decisions on my own without someone prodding me over the edge because they’ll stand to turn a profit from it.
Somebody or something is going to get the blame, although we can probably guess which end of the totem they reside at. Given the season, what better time for some finger-pointing from any side? It seems like someone offered us a great chance to go and f*ck ourselves on a nice silver platter courtesy of a whole lot of people who knew better.
Mission Accomplished.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
You might've thought it only happened in China...
...but alas, it seems like we're living in the same petri dish of nastiness as those in Shanghai, thanks to the Bush EPA...
EPA won't limit rocket fuel in U.S. drinking waterI'm sure we'll be seeing some of that righteous anger welling up very soon...
The Environmental Protection Agency has decided there's no need to rid drinking water of a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that has fouled public water supplies around the country.
EPA reached the conclusion in a draft regulatory document not yet made public but reviewed Monday by The Associated Press.
The ingredient, perchlorate, has been found in at least 395 sites in 35 states at levels high enough to interfere with thyroid function and pose developmental health risks, particularly for babies and fetuses, according to some scientists.
The EPA document says that mandating a clean-up level for perchlorate would not result in a "meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction for persons served by public-water systems."
The conclusion, which caps years of dispute over the issue, was denounced by Democrats and environmentalists who accused EPA of caving to pressure from the Pentagon.
Funny notes about preparations for Friday's debate...
Two things stand out here:
1.) John McCain was actually able to find an African-American Republican to act as a stand-in for Barack Obama in mock debates, albeit one that hasn't held elected office for two years.I really hope Gramps brings his blankey with him to the debate...
2.) Gramps McCain will be taking a nap immediately prior to the debate, while Barack Obama will work out or shoot hoops.
Monday, September 22, 2008
McCain is against golden parachutes...unless you work for his campaign...
Then, they must be okay, but he's not sure why...
Reflections on a great sports weekend...
First the NC State Wolfpack took down the 15th-ranked East Carolina Pirates in OT...
...then the Eagles took down the Steelers, beating Ben Roethlisberger to a pulp in the process...
...and Phillies expanded their lead in the NL East to 1.5 games as the Mets continued to gag away another season and a few hundred million dollars...
Somehow, I doubt that will help...
Josh Marshall has a perfect description of President Bush's completely unrealistic Wall Street bailout plan:
Nationalize Losses, Privatize ProfitsHow else do you explain a plan to handout $700 billion (yes, that's a "B") to the same crooked jizzbuckets that ran their industry into the ground, and have the whole process over seen by one man, who is in the pocket of those same jizzbuckets?
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Where’s the righteous anger now?
I guess sick and dead babies don’t rile up the granola crowd like multi-century territorial pissing disputes between the Buddhists and the Sino confederacy.
This is the second time they’ve been caught adulterating a product served to a helpless population with an industrial chemical. Except this time it wasn’t just one company.
While the USDA & FDA will remain vigilant (Chinese formula is banned by the Feds), the “globalized” economy dictates the possibility of this garbage seeping through cracks somewhere else. Speaking from the viewpoint of a cog in the machine, scruples aren’t exactly what dictate some of these purchasing departments.
Maybe one day “Don’t Give Infants Kidney Failure” will make a fashionable T-shirt in the vein of those featuring a certain religious leader. But for now, if you want to see real lipstick on a pig, forget Alaskan governors –go to Shanghai.
Friday, September 19, 2008
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As steep as K2...
Sarah Palin's favorability numbers have hit the skids...
All that's left on the GOP ticket is a bellicose old liar with a shit memory, a bad temper and no vision for the future of America.
Must be fun being an elephant today...
(Thanks to DailyKos.)
Just because it makes me feel good...
...and some days, that's really what you need...
"Another Nail In My Heart" by Squeeze
How about some love for Glenn Tilbrook, a criminally underrated guitarist???
Sitting Republican congressman endorses Obama/Biden...
But will the media give him the same attention given to Joe Lieberman and Zell Miller?
Don't hold your breath...
Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, a maverick Republican from Maryland, endorsed Illinois Democratic Sen. Barack Obama for president in an interview Wednesday with WYPR, Baltimore's National Public Radio station.
Gilchrest, who lost a primary campaign and is retiring from Congress, has already endorsed the Democrat running for his seat, Frank Kratovil. Justifying his endorsement of Obama, Gilchrest said that "we can't use four more years of the same kind of policy that's somewhat haphazard, which leads to recklessness."
Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), "have the breadth of experience. I think they're prudent. They're knowledgable."
Fear and Loathing in Cary
One of the things I despised the most about the current administration was the perpetual use of fear mongering to keep the flock in line. Colors for “terror levels” akin to the forest fire indicators you find in a state park. Putting plastic sheeting over your windows to prevent anthrax from getting into your house (some genius actually stole my respirator from work because of this, which makes working with sulfuric acid and ammonium hydroxide even more fun than normal.) But the most grating is the continual references to fascism while utilizing the same tactics themselves.
So this is the reward for living in a “swing” state: a DVD that states one thing in the beginning yet the context belies something different. The N&O sells out its own mantra in an election time for a film that’s 2 years old and donated by a group that won’t disclose its own identity (check out the Clarion Fund.) The people who are supposed to expose the truth are more than willing to hide it for the sake of money. I used to think this only happened in other places in other times.
This is what the Rovians think of us. Islamofascism is a threat and it is frightening. Nobody is going to deny that we are engaged in a war which far exceeds a simple battle of ideologies. But the fact that such a thinly disguised ploy is being carried out so willingly by the local media outlet is by far more disturbing.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The Woman for Me
If you know her, please introduce us. She's playing an Irish composer's tune (O'Carolan's Concerto) with quick, classical, Spanish guitar sound.
Geek Haiku
In Japan [according to an unknown source], Sony Vaio machines have replaced the impersonal and unhelpful Microsoft error messages with their own Japanese haiku poetry.
Windows 97 crashed.
I am the Blue Screen of Death.
No one hears your screams.
A file that big?
It might be very useful.
But now it is gone.
The Web site you seek
Can not be located but
Countless more exist.
Chaos reigns within.
Reflect, repent, and reboot.
Order shall return.
ABORTED effort:
Close all that you have worked on.
You ask way too much.
Yesterday it worked.
Today it is not working.
Windows is like that.
First snow, then silence.
This thousand dollar screen dies
So beautifully.
With searching comes loss
And the presence of absence:
"My Novel" not found.
The Tao that is seen
Is not the true Tao, until
You bring fresh toner.
Stay the patient course
Of little worth is your ire
The network is down
A crash reduces
Your expensive computer
To a simple stone.
Three things are certain:
Death, taxes, and lost data.
Guess which has occurred.
You step in the stream,
But the water has moved on.
This page is not here.
Out of memory.
We wish to hold the whole sky,
But we never will.
Having been erased,
The document you're seeking
Must now be retyped.
Serious error.
All shortcuts have disappeared.
Screen. Mind. Both are blank.
What If...?
Kudos to Kevin LaFond for this fabulous letter to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
- What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review? What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class? What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said “I do” to? What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?
- What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization? What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard? What if Obama were a member of the “Keating 5”? What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
- If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?
- This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.
McCain (Again) Displays a Fundamental Misunderstanding of the Job He Wants
McCain calls for firing of SEC Chairman Cox
Poor old fart doesn't even realize that the President does not have the power to fire the SEC Chair. That is among the few powers not grabbed by the Executive Branch under Bush.Watch your back, old man...
Your #2 has already got designs on the gig you don't even have...
P.S. Those of you who thought Tina Fey was overdoing it with Palin's accent really need to listen to this woman...
The truly frightening side of John McCain...
His level of political cowardice is one thing. Here's a guy who seemed to have principles at one time, but has since pissed them all away in order to become President.
However, the truly frightening thing about the specter of a McCain presidency is his seemingly diminished mental capacity, and what the consequences of that could be in times of crisis.
Case in point, in an interview with a Spanish radio network, John McCain made it clear that one or more of the following statements are true:
1.) He thinks Spain is in Latin America.How scary is that???
2.) He doesn't know who Spain's Prime Minister is.
3.) He doesn't know if Spain is a friend or enemy of the United States.
A man who stakes his political reputation on being better-versed on foreign policy than anybody is capable of that kind of ignorance.
Ignorance is scary enough, but ignorance coupled with belligerence is downright terrifying. McCain strikes me as a mean old bastard who could drop bombs on a country over a complete misunderstanding and convince himself that he was justified in doing so.
Eight years of that shit is enough...
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
More socialism for a multi-billion dollar corporation...
Why can't these companies just pull themselves by their bootstraps like the rest of us rugged individualists?
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Tandem Writing
The process is simple. Each person will pair off with the person sitting to his or her immediate right. One of you will then write the first paragraph of a short story. The partner will read the first paragraph and then add another paragraph to the story. The first person will then add a third paragraph, and so on back and forth.
Rebecca starts:
At first, Laurie couldn't decide which kind of tea she wanted. The camomile, which used to be her favorite for lazy evenings at home, now reminded her too much of Carl, who once said, in happier times, that he liked camomile. But she felt she must now, at all costs, keep her mind off Carl. His possessiveness was suffocating, and if she thought about him too much her asthma started acting up again. So camomile was out of the question.
Gary:
Meanwhile, Advance Sergeant Carl Harris, leader of the attack squadron now in orbit over Skylon 4, had more important things to think about than the neuroses of an air-headed asthmatic bimbo named Laurie with whom he had spent one sweaty night over a year ago. "A.S. Harris to Geostation 17," he said into his transgalactic communicator. "Polar orbit established. No sign of resistance so far...". But before he could sign off a bluish particle beam flashed out of nowhere and blasted a hole through his ship's cargo bay. The jolt from the direct hit sent him flying out of his seat and across the cockpit.
Rebecca:
He bumped his head and died almost immediately, but not before he felt one last pang of regret for psychically brutalizing the one woman who had ever had feelings for him. Soon afterwards, Earth stopped its pointless hostilities towards the peaceful farmers of Skylon 4. "Congress Passes Law Permanently Abolishing War and Space Travel." Laurie read in her newspaper one morning. The news simultaneously excited her and bored her. She stared out the window, dreaming of her youth -- when the days had passed unhurriedly and carefree, with no newspapers to read, no television to distract her from her sense of innocent wonder at all the beautiful things around her. "Why must one lose one's innocence to become a woman?" she pondered wistfully.
Gary:
Little did she know, but she had less than 10 seconds to live. Thousands of miles above the city, the Anu'udrian mothership launched the first of its lithium fusion missiles. The dim-witted wimpy peaceniks who pushed the Unilateral Aerospace Disarmament Treaty through Congress had left earth a defenseless target for the hostile alien empires who were determined to destroy the human race. Within two hours after the passage of the treaty the Anu'udrian ships were on course for Earth, carrying enough firepower to pulverize the entire planet. With no one to stop them, they swiftly initiated their diabolical plan. The lithium fusion missile entered the atmosphere unimpeded. The President, in his top-secret mobile submarine headquarters on the ocean floor off the coast of Guam, felt the inconceivably massive explosion which vaporized Laurie and 85 million other Americans. The President slammed his fist on the conference table. "We can't allow this! I'm going to veto that treaty! Let's blow 'em out of the sky!"
Rebecca:
This is absurd. I refuse to continue this mockery of literature. My writing partner is a violent, chauvinistic, semi-literate adolescent.
Gary:
Yeah? Well, you're a self-centered tedious neurotic whose attempts at writing are the literary equivalent of Valium.
Rebecca:
Asshole.
Gary:
Bitch.A loss is still a loss...
...especially when it's to the Cowboys.
However, the Eagles proved a hell of a lot more about themselves last night than I ever could've hoped for. Also, I'm certain they got a lot more out of this loss than they got from their Week 1 blowout of the Rams.
They now have an explosive offense to go with their (usually) solid defense. Donovan McNabb is back to his old self again, and Brian Westbrook is probably the top all-around running back in the league.
They'll take the loss and learn, and the Cowgirls will be in Philly after Christmas for some payback...
Monday, September 15, 2008
Palin installed a tanning bed in the governor's mansion...
Sure, she paid for it herself, but John Edwards paid for his $400 haircut and we all know how much fun the media had with that non-issue.
Besides, she's just folksy haaaackey maaaaam. What use could she find in such an extravagant item?
P.S. If you're keeping score at home, the GOP ticket now includes a candidate who's had cancer, and another who's apparently hoping to get it...
The inevitable has happened...
It was only a matter of time until somebody from the McCain campaign labeled Tina Fey's portrayal of Sarah Palin as "sexist".
Carly Fiorina, who got a $21 million golden parachute after doing a shitty job as the CEO of Hewlett-Packard, was tasked with the duty.
Shocker...
Redemption, thy name is Brett Myers...
Here's a guy that shit the bed so badly in the first three months of the season, he got sent to the minors!
Now he's lighting up the NL and leading the Phillies back to the playoffs.
Check out these numbers...
Before Demotion
Starts 17
W-L 3-9
ERA 5.84
K-BB 88-44
Since Recall
Starts 11
W-L 7-2
ERA 1.80
K-BB 69-17
Saturday, September 13, 2008
I've figured out why the GOP'ers are so enamored of Sarah Palin...
She puts an attractive face on a movement that is anything but.
The picture most people have of the conservative movement is an angry old white man turning his nose up at gay people, minorities, poor people and pretty much anyone else who doesn't look and act exactly he and his closest friends and family.
Archie Bunker, in a nutshell.
By getting an attractive and "folksy" woman to take a lead role in the movement, they turn that negative image on it's head.
My great hope is that people with common sense won't be fooled.
My interest in Sarah Palin stems from the fact that she is the living, breathing embodiment of John McCain's poor and, let's face it, dangerous judgement...
It was as bad as I thought it would be...
...and then some. You can see a listing of the atrocities here.
Here's my "favorite":
On Russia:
PALIN: We’ve gotta keep an eye on Russia. … You can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska.So, she comes from the "It's a small world after all" school of foreign policy.
GIBSON: What insight does that give you into what they’re doing inside Georgia?
PALIN: Well, I’m giving you that perspective of how small our world is and how important it is that we work with our allies to keep good relations with all of these countries, especially Russia.
Hooooooooooooooooleeeeeeeeeeeeeee shit...
Friday, September 12, 2008
Go ahead and defend this, I dare you...
This woman knows shit about the world in which we live.
If a creampuff like Charle Gibson can get you this flustered about a simple question, you're nowhere near fit to be working anywhere in the executive branch of the American government...
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Palin's hometown charged rape victims for their rape kits...
Because if you've been raped, why not pony up a few hundred bucks for your treatment?
Eight years ago, complaints about charging rape victims for medical exams in Wasilla prompted the Alaska Legislature to pass a bill -- signed into law by Knowles -- that banned the practice statewide.Sarah Palin's Wasilla: Meth capital of Alaska and financial vortex for the wayward rape victim...
"There was one town in Alaska that was charging victims for this, and that was Wasilla," Knowles said
A May 23, 2000, article in Wasilla's newspaper, The Frontiersman, noted that Alaska State Troopers and most municipal police agencies regularly pay for such exams, which cost between $300 and $1,200 apiece.
"(But) the Wasilla police department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests," the newspaper reported.
It also quoted Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon objecting to the law. Fannon was appointed to his position by Palin after her dismissal of the previous police chief. He said it would cost Wasilla $5,000 to $14,000 a year if the city had to foot the bill for rape exams.
You know what today is...
...and it's not my job to tell you how to feel about it.
I will say that this one of the few 9/11-related songs that didn't strike me as overly opportunistic, corny or trite.
In fact, it tells a great story and makes me feel hopeful every time I hear it...
"The Rising" by Bruce Springsteen
God bless Philadelphia...
Stick with fly-over country, old man. Nobody in the cities wants to hear from you, especially if you don't bring your interview-fearing lackey...
Republican presidential candidate John McCain cut short his first public appearance without running-mate Sarah Palin after chanting supporters of Democratic rival Barack Obama interrupted his speech.
After lunching with a roundtable of women at Philadelphia’s Down Home Diner, McCain shook hands with supporters and strode up to a podium to deliver a statement. But as he spoke, chants of “Obama, Obama, Obama" filled the room.
My rant against academia, Part 1
I remember having to buy this very organic chemistry textbook years ago for a price as nearly as absurd as this. I also recall that the professor required the newer addition the next semester because for some reason the field of organic chemistry had made such leaps and bounds over the 3-week winter break that my already feeble understanding would be surely torn asunder without another 20 lb behemoth full of what I still consider to be subjects consisting of a bunch of semi-controlled accidents and voodoo.
Congress doesn’t need to enact a law requiring publishing companies to divulge the price of textbooks to professors. That’s not going to change a thing. Flip open to the first few pages and there’s almost a guarantee that the professor requiring the textbook had a hand in writing it – they know exactly how much that book costs because they’re making money from it. And if they don’t know, I’ve never been on any campus where a university bookstore wasn’t a stone’s throw from the ivory towers. Try walking in the shoes of the masses you’re supposed to be serving instead of flying each other around the globe and giving each other awards.
Internet trading of text books is a free enterprise solution to this issue. Proclamation of copyright infringement may carry some validity in some cases, but unless these institutions are willing to end this systemic price gouging which has been occurring brazenly for years, they’re reaping exactly as they have sown.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Perspective
- A local mountain lion came face-to-face with a group of hikers and made it out alive, sources reported Monday. Wildlife officials are crediting the courageous cougar's quick thinking, catlike reflexes, and 150 pounds of coiled muscle with successfully fending off the human foot travelers.
- Outnumbered four to one, the cougar, fearing for its life, somehow managed to stay calm. It remained perfectly still in a crouched position and stared directly at the hikers, in the hopes that they would simply pass by. The hikers, however, were undeterred. They began shrieking loudly, clapping their hands, and throwing sticks and rocks at the animal in an apparent attempt to injure it.
That is a snazzy new sweater!
The Carolina Hurricanes just announced their new 3rd jersey and it's pretty cool looking, although I would've opted for an old school lace-up neck line a la the New York Rangers' home sweaters...
I always fall for these cheap merchandising stunts.
Sorry, Rich!
Maureen Dowd on "McCain's Pygmalion"...
The "My Fair Lady" stuff is right on, but here are the real gems from Dowd's piece on the preparation for Sarah Palin's first actual interview as McCain's running mate...
What kind of budget-cutter makes a show of getting rid of the state plane, then turns around and bills taxpayers for the travel of her husband and kids between Juneau and Wasilla and sticks the state with a per-diem tab to stay in her own home?McCain chose Palin as his VP pick two weeks ago and she's still dodging the media. What the hell?
Why was Sarah for the Bridge to Nowhere before she was against the Bridge to Nowhere, and why was she for earmarks before she was against them? And doesn’t all this make her just as big a flip-flopper as John Kerry?
What kind of fiscal conservative raises taxes and increases budgets in both her jobs — as mayor and as governor?
When the phone rings at 3 a.m., will she call the Wasilla Assembly of God congregation and ask them to pray on a response, as she asked them to pray for a natural gas pipeline?
Does she really think Adam, Eve, Satan and the dinosaurs mingled on the earth 5,000 years ago?
Why put out a press release about her teenage daughter’s pregnancy and then spend the next few days attacking the press for covering that press release?
McCain campaign = Whining pussies
It looks like their strategy for November is to throw a 60-day hissy fit over complete non-issues.
This "lipstick on a pig" farce shows exactly why the Obama campaign shouldn't waste their breath trying to be respectful to John McCain or Sarah Palin.
No matter what you say, they'll still spin it as offensive.
Stick to the unvarnished truth: He's a dottering old Bush clone with no vision and she's an extremist blank slate with no experience for the job she's seeking.
Stop with the timid bullshit...PUT THEM ON THE DEFENSIVE!!!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Woooooooooooo!!!
Ric Flair's own daughter set him up with the ol' crimson mask!Ric Flair was bloodied and bruised, witnesses said.That's quite a heel turn!
But this wasn't a scene from one of Flair's big professional wrestling matches. It reportedly happened Saturday night, in the parking lot of an apartment complex on Conner Drive in Chapel Hill.
Police in Chapel Hill said they arrested Flair's daughter, Ashley Fliehr, 22, and charged her with assaulting a police officer during the scuffle, which also involved her father and another man, whose name has not been released. Fliehr is a former standout volleyball player at Providence High School.
Kinda makes the whole Shawn Michaels/Marty Jannetty blow-up seem tame by comparison...
Monday, September 8, 2008
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Hear About McCain's 8 Point National Lead?
Seems is was a Gallup Tracking Poll.
Thanks as always to Josh at TPM.
"Favre-itis" Strikes Armstrong
Armstrong to come out of retirement to "compete in next year's Tour de France, VeloNews reported Monday, ..."
Favre's 4th and 13 TD pass yesterday was the difference in the game. About the only difference. Either the Jets are not too good or the Dolphins have improved a lot (or some combo of the two). Still, with Brady out, the Colts and Bolts losing, the Jets made a great start on Sunday.
Truly critical reporting from the Associated Press!!!
I barely recognize what it looks like at this point, but this reporter actually did her homework instead of swallowing the McCain/Palin line hook, line and sinker:
John McCain and Sarah Palin criticized Democrat Barack Obama over the amount of money he has requested for his home state of Illinois, even though Alaska under Palin's leadership has asked Washington for 10 times more money per citizen for pet projects.Not content with doing her job once, the reporter goes on to get it right again!!!
Obama hasn't asked for any earmarks this year. Last year, he asked for $311 million worth, about $25 for every Illinois resident. Alaska asked this year for earmarks totaling $198 million, about $295 for every Alaska citizen.Damn, that feels good!
Palin has cut back on pork project requests, but under her administration, Alaska is still and by far the largest per-capita consumer of federal pet-project spending.
P.S. When the least popular and least capable President in recent memory says this about you...
"She's had executive experience, and that's what it takes to be a capable person in here in Washington, D.C., in the executive branch," he said in a Fox News interview to be shown Tuesday....do you actually take it as a compliment?
Socialism is okay, as long as it benefits corporate power...
But thankfully, Sarah Palin doesn't know a thing about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, so she won't have to address such silly issues if she becomes Vice President.
And really, why should we expect her to be well-versed in such trivialities?
McCain campaign: Media can't talk to Sarah Palin unless they promise to kiss her ass...
The shielding of Sarah Palin continues...
Rick Davis, campaign manager for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., just told Fox News Channel's Chris Wallace that McCain running mate Gov. Sarah Palin won't subject herself to any tough questions from reporters "until the point in time when she'll be treated with respect and deference."Deference he says? Does he mean this kind of deference?
def·er·ence/ˈdɛfərəns/ nounLucky for the McCain campaign, ABC's Charles Gibson will be happy to lift his tail and allow Palin to steamroll right over him.
1. respectful submission or yielding to the judgment, opinion, will, etc., of another.
2. respectful or courteous regard: in deference to his wishes.
Take off the kid gloves, Obama campaign. Show the nation what this inexperienced zero is all about...
Next
No weakness here. Cheese-free and completely unpredictable. But before you write this off as “G posted another death metal band that grates on my ears,” make sure to listen to the entire song. These guys are on a whole other level.
Mordecai - Between the Buried and Me
On a side note, years ago my partners in crime and I we’re sitting around the practice space on Peace St. taking a break between songs and discussing our plans for the tour bus when we made it to Ozzfest (yeah, those were reeeeeal good intoxicants back then.) Earlier that afternoon, I had passed a group of what essentially looked like a bunch of kids in middle school hanging out innocuously in the hall outside of another room. Five minutes into our break, this is what came permeating through our wall. I believe this to be the moment when I realized with finality that I was never going to be a professional musician – these guys are monsters and the drummer is an absolute beast (check out Glass Casket from Winston –Salem to see some grinding virtuosity.) I’ll admit they may be an acquired taste, but “Silent Circus,” “Alaska” and “Colors” are three of the most brutal, beautiful and mind-bendingly complex albums I’ve ever heard. Check ‘em out if you want to try something different and challenging. And support the local guys.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Shamed Into Submission
HA ! The LPGA backs off its ridiculous xenophobic stance on language and LPGA players.
- The LPGA Tour's "mea culpa" didn't need much translation. Facing anger from lawmakers and bewilderment from sponsors, the LPGA Tour backed off plans to suspend players who cannot speak English well enough to be understood at pro-ams, in interviews or in making acceptance speeches at tournaments in the United States.
The policy has generated a storm of bad publicity since it was announced last month.
This is a victory for tolerance and decency and a happy defeat of fear-mongering, dumb-ass forces within the LPGA. Let the English-only fucktards start their own tour and see how well it rates versus a golf association that emphasizes talent over language.
Remarkable research skills for an acceptance speech!
For a dramatic touch, the McCain campaign wanted a shot of Walter Reed Army Medical Center displayed during a part of McCain's acceptance speech...
One problem...That's Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood, California.
This is Walter Reed Army Medical Center...
I'm a two-bit blogger and I got that right, the McCain campaign is literally a million-dollar operation and they fucked up something that simple...
In response to G, I'll opt for the curveball...
After receiving my challenge this morning in the form of a classic Megadeth tune, I'm inclined to respond in-kind with another heavy metal salvo.
Instead, I'm opting for a pop song that I believe is every bit as powerful. Maybe you'll agree...
"Mama" by Genesis
The blank slate will be answering NO QUESTIONS...
The obsession continues!
It looks like the McCain campaign will officially be keeping Sarah Palin under lock-and-key and far away from a questioning media because the American people apparently aren't interested in whether or not she has a grasp on relevant foreign and domestic policy issues.
And seriously, why would we need to know what she thinks about the issues?
Who are we to be so nosey???
25 Years of Excellence
OK, Mr. Anderson. The ball’s in your court.
Note: I could’ve actually posted 20 videos by these guys, but I’ve been digging this riff/bass line lately.
Megadeth – Train of Consequences
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Finally, a racist Republican says what the rest of them (racist Republicans) are thinking...
Honestly, I can't believe this didn't happen sooner...
Georgia Republican Rep. Lynn Westmoreland used the racially-tinged term "uppity" to describe Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Thursday.Let the floodgates, open! Who will be the next prominent Republican to go there?
Westmoreland was discussing vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's speech with reporters outside the House chamber and was asked to compare her with Michelle Obama.
"Just from what little I’ve seen of her and Mr. Obama, Sen. Obama, they're a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks that they're uppity," Westmoreland said.
Asked to clarify that he used the word "uppity," Westmoreland said, "Uppity, yeah."
Sorry, bro, you don't count...
What were you doing in 1988?
I was in the 5th grade, Barack Obama was entering Harvard Law School to study Constitutional law, and Sarah Palin was doing this...
I personally would like to see Obama bring on Bonnie Bernstein in order to counteract Palin's expertise on NCAA bracketology, but that's just me...
Liars, the whole lot of them...
Here's a listing of the GOP's deliberate obliteration of the truth...
If your city gets an NBA franchise...
...and this is the logo they come up with:
...you cannot be happy this morning.
Here's a funny reaction from a reader at Chris Creamers' Sports Logos website:
"That logo is so bad, I think we need to give the whole state back to the Indians, steal it back, and start fresh."
A very good breakdown of last night's GOP abomination...
This is dead-on...
So you have Mitt Romney -- one of the wealthiest men ever to run for office -- critiquing east-coast elitism, and Mike Huckabee -- who is an economic populist in disguise -- critiquing big government, and Sarah Palin -- who voters don't know one iota about -- critiquing Barack Obama's biography.In other news, Obama's bounce continues unabated...
Sarah Palin loves that pork!!!
Here's a note from good ol' "SP" crowing about over $3 million in earmark money that her town of 8,000 people got from the federal government.
That's reform we can believe in!!!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
My best fantasy draft in years...I think...
It may turn out to be a bust, but I feel better about this team than any I've drafted in years...Starters
QB Ben Roethlisberger
RB Frank Gore
RB Maurice Jones-Drew
WR Brandon Marshall
WR Jerricho Cotchery
TE Chris Cooley
K Adam Vinatieri
D/ST Chicago Bears
Bench
QB Matt Schaub
RB Justin Fargas
RB Jerious Norwood
RB Ray Rice
RB DeShaun Foster
WR Donald Driver
WR Kevin Walter
No Eagles...bummer...
A walk down memory lane with Holy Joe...
He was for Obama, before he was against him...
"The gifts that God has given to Barack Obama are as enormous as his future is unlimited. As his mentor, as his colleague, as his friend, I look forward to helping him reach to the stars and realize not just the dreams he has for himself but the dreams we all have for him and our blessed country."There's your RNC headliner, Jamz...
--Sen. Joe Lieberman, introducing Sen. Barack Obama at the 2006 Jefferson-Jackson-Bailey dinner in Connecticut.
Sarah Palin's preacher called anti-Jewish violence "God's Judgment"...
This should send the righties into a fevered frenzy...
The hits keep on comin'!!!
How obvious is it that Sarah Palin wasn't vetted at all?
Palin Slashed Funding for Teen MomsAt this pace, we should see about 20 more damning stories about Palin before she speaks tonight.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee who revealed Monday that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, earlier this year used her line-item veto to slash funding for a state program benefiting teen mothers in need of a place to live.
After the legislature passed a spending bill in April, Palin went through the measure reducing and eliminating funds for programs she opposed. Inking her initials on the legislation -- "SP" -- Palin reduced funding for Covenant House Alaska by more than 20 percent, cutting funds from $5 million to $3.9 million. Covenant House is a mix of programs and shelters for troubled youths, including Passage House, which is a transitional home for teenage mothers.
Good times...
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
LPGA Xenophobes
It matters not if you can score lower than the rest of the field......if you cannot conduct an interview in English, the LPGA does not want you. Skill? Pah! It's speaking English that really matters to golf. Hell, while we're at it, let's kick out all the Asian and Hispanic MLB guys. If the bastards cannot speak English, how could they be any good? It's all about the language. Skill in your sport matters not. Yao Ming - pass an English test or leave the NBA!
I'd love to see a South Korean business group offer the richest prize in golf history and make speaking Korean a pre-requisite for playing.
This is a happy marriage of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (google it) and the LPGA. The hate group mentioned is all about blaming immigrants for anything possible and sees the LPGA as a good public vehicle to carry its water. The LPGA is tired of non-white winners on the tour and is taking this "step" to see it end. I really don't like or follow golf (too boring), but this really got my attention. The LPGA should be ashamed....but I doubt they have the capacity to feel remorse or shame.
Which songs can snap you out of a vicious fit of road rage?
My patience was put to the test this morning when my commute was inexplicably extended by abouf 30 minutes due to traffic.
Luckily, I keep a bevy of mellow tunes on my iPod. Here are a couple that got me through today...
"We're All Alone" by Rita Coolidge
"I Love You" by Sarah McLachlan
"We don't say we're Americans. We say we're Alaskans."
Sarah Palin used to be a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, a political organization that seeks to bring about a vote for Alaska's secession from the United States.
She's not a member of the party anymore, but as recently as this year she addressed their convention...
ALASKA FIRST!!!
Palin was member of secessionist Alaskan Independence Party...
"Country First", indeed.
Question of the Day: Will Palin make it to November 4th as the GOP's Vice Presidential nominee? At this point, I'm guessing "NO"...
Monday, September 1, 2008
Genetics and Monogamous Tendency...
It used to be that you only had to show a negative HIV test result. Imagine the screening processes our sons will face...
- Men are more likely to be devoted and loyal husbands when they lack a particular variant of a gene that influences brain activity, researchers announced yesterday -- the first time that science has shown a direct link between a man's genes and his aptitude for monogamy.
"Executive experience" starts here...
If running this show doesn't prepare you for the presidency, I don't know what does...
Mr. Nail, I'd like you to meet Mr. Coffin...
How will a position this extreme play out in a national campaign?
Palin On Abortion: I'd Oppose Even If My Own Daughter Was RapedAny reasonable person, pro-choice or "pro-life" has to see this an extreme position...
In November 2006, then gubernatorial candidate Sarah Palin declared that she would not support an abortion for her own daughter even if she had been raped.
Granting exceptions only if the mother's life was in danger, Palin said that when it came to her daughter, "I would choose life."
At the time, her daughter was 14 years old. Moreover, Alaska's rape rate was an abysmal 2.2 times above the national average and 25 percent of all rapes resulted in unwanted pregnancies. But Palin's position was palatable within the state's largely Republican political circles.
