Saturday, September 20, 2008
Vladimir, if we could limit our dealings to a quick exchange of soundbites, I would really appreciate it
At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.
Friday, September 19, 2008
this is probably nothing to worry about
we are now seeing what happens when a 20 to 21 percent of GDP financial sector starts to come unglued... never had so much polarization and wealth disparity and just groaning wealth right at the top of ladder as we have now... the central component of the rise of the financial sector is the rise of the debt industry... it's a package which Americans have to understand is going to be awful... seven sharks in the tank with the economy... first is financialization because we're so dependent on this industry that's sort of half lost its marbles... second is that you have this huge buildup of debt, absolutely unprecedented anywhere in the world... third is you've now got home prices collapsing... fourth is you've got global commodity inflation building up... fifth is you've got flawed and deceptive government economics statistics... sixth is that you've got what they call peak oil where the world is, to some extent, running out of oil... last thing is the collapsing dollar... whenever you get this sort of package in one decade, you got a big one... another variation but on a par with the Thirties... The British were absolutely top dog in the world in 1914. Two world wars and 35 years later, they were having, after World War II, they were having food rationing, the pound sterling crashed, dukes were giving guided tours of their castles because they couldn't afford to maintain them otherwise. Doesn't take long. And I'm afraid the United States is coming right into that period which marks a couple of decades coming up that are going to be very difficult for America.
I blame myself
This intriguing title is due for an October release... if we last that long...
Plait, Philip. Death from the Skies!: These Are the Ways the World Will End.... Viking. Oct. 2008. c.324p. illus. index.
Plait (Bad Astronomy) runs the popular blog BadAstronomy.com and is a former astronomy professor. Here, he describes the myriad ways that astronomical events could end life on Earth. These include comet and asteroid impacts, massive solar flares, supernova explosions, gamma-ray bursts, black holes, diseases of extraterrestrial origin, the eventual death of the sun, and the wobbly orbit of the sun around our galaxy that could expose us to cosmic rays.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
And only 118 pitches tonight...
The Giants have decided to keep Tim Lincecum on four days' rest next week to give him two more starts after tonight. Getting a Cy Young Award apparently trumps the hopes of the Giants' franchise going forward. Lincecum should have pitched only once more because of the Giants' off day Monday, but he'll go Tuesday and Sunday. Jonathan Sanchez loses a start as a result. This likely means that Lincecum will finish with the year at 225-230 innings pitched. The Giants shut him down after 177 1/3 innings in 2007.
~
~
this is probably nothing to worry about
"Let me tell ya somethin' that's goin' on today in our world, particularly here in our Nation, that needs some shakin' up and some fixin'..."
-- Sarah Palin, 45th President of the United States, on the Yoooge Depression of 2009-2022
-- Sarah Palin, 45th President of the United States, on the Yoooge Depression of 2009-2022
Bush: genetically defective?
Are you a born conservative (or liberal)?
A new study suggests that your political attitudes are wired in from the beginning.
A new study suggests that your political attitudes are wired in from the beginning.
[insert own joke here]
Also in the News: Hackers target Palin's e-mail account
Hackers gained access to the Yahoo e-mail account Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin uses to conduct some official state business, The Associated Press reports.
It was unclear how the hackers broke into the Republican vice presidential candidate's "gov.palin" account. (Maybe they guessed the password: "mooseandsquirrel"? - Ed.) But the AP reported that the incident raised further questions about Palin's practice of conducting official business using a private e-mail account. (Now that she's a higher-up, she can skirt the law in style on her shiny new Republican National Committee e-mail account like Turdblossom and the other big boys... Ed.)
Hackers gained access to the Yahoo e-mail account Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin uses to conduct some official state business, The Associated Press reports.
It was unclear how the hackers broke into the Republican vice presidential candidate's "gov.palin" account. (Maybe they guessed the password: "mooseandsquirrel"? - Ed.) But the AP reported that the incident raised further questions about Palin's practice of conducting official business using a private e-mail account. (Now that she's a higher-up, she can skirt the law in style on her shiny new Republican National Committee e-mail account like Turdblossom and the other big boys... Ed.)
What's wrong with this picture?
News item: New Minneapolis bridge opens, 13 months after collapse, on budget, ahead of schedule.
News item: Seven Years After Attacks, No Memorial In NYC.
News item: Seven Years After Attacks, No Memorial In NYC.
the case against retractable roofs (why not rooves?) continues (cont'd)
Houston Texans considering Rice Stadium for next home game
HOUSTON (AP) - Houston Texans owner Bob McNair has discussed the possibility of his team playing at Rice Stadium if repairs to Reliant Stadium from hurricane Ike can't be made in time for its first home game on Oct. 5.
The stadium's retractable roof lost five pieces in the storm and officials said large pieces of debris had fallen into the stadium.
Though he has discussed playing at Rice, which is six kilometres from Reliant, McNair is... Wait wait wait wait wait... six what? Does the Associated Press think Texas is some far-flung backwater outpost of the al Qaeda caliphate? We measure distance in American miles here bud, as in one mile = 3520 cubits as God intended.
HOUSTON (AP) - Houston Texans owner Bob McNair has discussed the possibility of his team playing at Rice Stadium if repairs to Reliant Stadium from hurricane Ike can't be made in time for its first home game on Oct. 5.
The stadium's retractable roof lost five pieces in the storm and officials said large pieces of debris had fallen into the stadium.
Though he has discussed playing at Rice, which is six kilometres from Reliant, McNair is... Wait wait wait wait wait... six what? Does the Associated Press think Texas is some far-flung backwater outpost of the al Qaeda caliphate? We measure distance in American miles here bud, as in one mile = 3520 cubits as God intended.
Having offed Hillary, will Indy shock it to McCain?
Sen. Barack Obama holds a tenuous lead over Sen. John McCain in Indiana, with one in four likely voters saying they could change their mind on who to support for president, according to a new Indianapolis Star-WTHR (Channel 13) poll.
Obama's three-point lead in the poll, 47 percent to 44 percent, reinforces Indiana's status as a battleground in the race for the White House...
Pollster J. Ann Selzer said the poll, with a 4 percentage point margin of error, reflects a lead by Obama that is tentative and reliant on a solid turnout in the Indianapolis metropolitan area.
Obama's three-point lead in the poll, 47 percent to 44 percent, reinforces Indiana's status as a battleground in the race for the White House...
Pollster J. Ann Selzer said the poll, with a 4 percentage point margin of error, reflects a lead by Obama that is tentative and reliant on a solid turnout in the Indianapolis metropolitan area.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
k-mad is out for blood, my friends...
9/17 8:22 pm: Rockies setup man Taylor Buchholz (Horrorz, Prairie Chickens) will miss the remainder of the season with an injured shoulder. Buchholz said he will get an MRI in the next few days, according to the Denver Post.
Why does Neil Steinberg hate God? Oh wait, he's... never mind
Dumb isn't the answer - Nation is at crisis stage on multitude of issues that will get worse with time and will require intelligence -- not prayer -- to solve
Something to consider while you're fluttering your hands to heaven and declaring that dumb is now chic, that dumb is the new black.
Something to consider while you're fluttering your hands to heaven and declaring that dumb is now chic, that dumb is the new black.
Why does the Pope hate God? Oh wait, he's... never mind; or, the non-apology non-apology
Vatican: Guess what, Darwin? Evolution is OK
VATICAN CITY - The Vatican said on Tuesday the theory of evolution was compatible with the Bible but planned no posthumous apology to Charles Darwin for the cold reception it gave him 150 years ago.
VATICAN CITY - The Vatican said on Tuesday the theory of evolution was compatible with the Bible but planned no posthumous apology to Charles Darwin for the cold reception it gave him 150 years ago.
abridged LoC statistics (updated) (cont'd)
What a difference six days makes!
Google rank for the search "maverickyness" - 1st!
followers - 1 (admittedly, some of them are Brain-Dead Bob)
Google rank for the search "maverickyness" - 1st!
followers - 1 (admittedly, some of them are Brain-Dead Bob)
a further indication that our military is on the brink of collapse
Akron is a 10-point favorite over Army.
Well, they're not lies if a P.O.W. tells them...
McCain Lies Watch: 56 and counting
McCain Contradicts Himself -- Yet Again
John McCain Abandons 26-Year Record Opposing Regulation
Unable to Understand Economy, McCain Suggests 9/11 Commission-Style Probe He Opposed
CNN Demolishes Every McCain Campaign Lie
Obama wants to teach sex to kindergarteners? Lie.
Palin opposed the Bridge to Nowhere? Lie.
Palin hasn’t taken earmarks as Governor? Lie.
Alaska produces 20% of America’s energy? Lie.
Palin visited Iraq and Ireland? Lie.
~
McCain Contradicts Himself -- Yet Again
John McCain Abandons 26-Year Record Opposing Regulation
Unable to Understand Economy, McCain Suggests 9/11 Commission-Style Probe He Opposed
CNN Demolishes Every McCain Campaign Lie
Obama wants to teach sex to kindergarteners? Lie.
Palin opposed the Bridge to Nowhere? Lie.
Palin hasn’t taken earmarks as Governor? Lie.
Alaska produces 20% of America’s energy? Lie.
Palin visited Iraq and Ireland? Lie.
~
k-mad's debate plan
Two podiums (podia?), two microphones, a button on each podium. A clock on the front of each podium; each clock shows 60:00 (sixty minutes). When a guy hits his button, his clock ticks down, his microphone goes on, the other guy's clock stops, the other guy's microphone goes off (sorta like a chess clock). No phokking stooge like Cholly Gibson or Stephanobrainless or Bernie Shaw asking asinine questions. Just talk til you say what you want to say and then let the other guy talk for a while. But don't stand there talking for an hour, or the other guy gets the whole second hour.
There would be a few things to work out, like how the opening scrum for the conch should work, and how to keep both guys from just banging on their buttons repeatedly like lab rats pounding compulsively on their pleasure buttons. Also gotta figure out how you could keep one guy from going four corners on the other dude and letting his clock run down (maybe the button should turn your microphone off and the other guy's on...) But imagine what it would do to campaigning if they could ask each other questions like, "Why did you run that ad where my face morphs into a weasel?"
There would be a few things to work out, like how the opening scrum for the conch should work, and how to keep both guys from just banging on their buttons repeatedly like lab rats pounding compulsively on their pleasure buttons. Also gotta figure out how you could keep one guy from going four corners on the other dude and letting his clock run down (maybe the button should turn your microphone off and the other guy's on...) But imagine what it would do to campaigning if they could ask each other questions like, "Why did you run that ad where my face morphs into a weasel?"
If Zogby knew anything, Kerry would be running for re-electoration
Obama leads McCain by 2 points: Reuters poll
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama has a 2-point lead in the U.S. presidential race on Republican John McCain, whose choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate helped shore up support for both candidates, according to a Reuters/Brain-Dead John Zogby poll released on Wednesday.
"We're back to where we always thought we would be -- in a very competitive race, and with my head tucked far up into my own @ss" the profoundly brain-dead pollster John Zogby said.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama has a 2-point lead in the U.S. presidential race on Republican John McCain, whose choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate helped shore up support for both candidates, according to a Reuters/Brain-Dead John Zogby poll released on Wednesday.
"We're back to where we always thought we would be -- in a very competitive race, and with my head tucked far up into my own @ss" the profoundly brain-dead pollster John Zogby said.
Dis explains a lot (cont)
America's Most Stressful Cities
Maurna Desmond, 09.15.08, 6:00 PM ET
Record weekend rainfall isn't the only thing worrying Windy City residents.
Chicago's rising unemployment rate, expensive gas, high population density and relatively poor air quality create a perfect storm of stress, according to measures we used to calculate the country's anxiety hot spots.
New Yorkers can relate. Locals in the country's most densely packed metro have to fiercely compete for subway seats, cabs, apartments, elite preschools, dinner reservations and bartenders' attention. This constant grind compounds the area's other anxiety factors including costly housing (the country's third least affordable) and allergy-inducing pollution. Throw in Wall Street's woes, and you've got a Molotov cocktail of concern.
In Depth: America's Most Stressful Cities
At No. 6, San Diego was the most unexpected city on our list. How could a laid-back beach town be stressful? Well, it's got the fifth least affordable housing of the 40 major metro areas surveyed, a 6.4% unemployment rate and car-happy residents paying $3.81 for a gallon of gas. But, they don’t let those numbers get them down. Pleasant weather and beautiful beaches contribute to a serotonin-soaked attitude that appears to take the edge off of tough times.
Now I understand why Herr Doctor moved. It was for his health. Explains Smiff's move too.
Maurna Desmond, 09.15.08, 6:00 PM ET
Record weekend rainfall isn't the only thing worrying Windy City residents.
Chicago's rising unemployment rate, expensive gas, high population density and relatively poor air quality create a perfect storm of stress, according to measures we used to calculate the country's anxiety hot spots.
New Yorkers can relate. Locals in the country's most densely packed metro have to fiercely compete for subway seats, cabs, apartments, elite preschools, dinner reservations and bartenders' attention. This constant grind compounds the area's other anxiety factors including costly housing (the country's third least affordable) and allergy-inducing pollution. Throw in Wall Street's woes, and you've got a Molotov cocktail of concern.
In Depth: America's Most Stressful Cities
At No. 6, San Diego was the most unexpected city on our list. How could a laid-back beach town be stressful? Well, it's got the fifth least affordable housing of the 40 major metro areas surveyed, a 6.4% unemployment rate and car-happy residents paying $3.81 for a gallon of gas. But, they don’t let those numbers get them down. Pleasant weather and beautiful beaches contribute to a serotonin-soaked attitude that appears to take the edge off of tough times.
Now I understand why Herr Doctor moved. It was for his health. Explains Smiff's move too.
One Weekend in Milwaukee and...
...Cubs warm to idea of new park
How come this didn't come up the 400 other times they've played at Miller Park? OK so it's probably more like 50. But still. If they started on the planning now, by the time they'd get it done, all these players would be gone. So suck it up & play.
I don't even want to imagine the can of worms building a new Wrigley would open up. Wrigleyville or somewhere else? Play in Sox Park or Miller Park or just kinda tour the midwest? I just have one requirement, the new stadium better have a retractable roof on it...
Tear it down?
Should the Cubs abandon Wrigley and build a modern facility like Miller Park?
Yes (1275 responses) 40.0%
No (1915 responses) 60.0%
3190 total responses (Results not scientific, but profoundly moronic)
How come this didn't come up the 400 other times they've played at Miller Park? OK so it's probably more like 50. But still. If they started on the planning now, by the time they'd get it done, all these players would be gone. So suck it up & play.
I don't even want to imagine the can of worms building a new Wrigley would open up. Wrigleyville or somewhere else? Play in Sox Park or Miller Park or just kinda tour the midwest? I just have one requirement, the new stadium better have a retractable roof on it...
Tear it down?
Should the Cubs abandon Wrigley and build a modern facility like Miller Park?
Yes (1275 responses) 40.0%
No (1915 responses) 60.0%
3190 total responses (Results not scientific, but profoundly moronic)
just in time for squirrel hunting season
WASHINGTON: The House took up legislation Tuesday to eliminate most of the gun restrictions in the U.S. capital, including a ban on semiautomatic weapons.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Famous Last Words
Fung's watching the Cubbies (well, back & forth between the Sox & Cubs, but at that point he was on the Cubby game) and whoever the play by play announcer is says (Fung paraphrasing here):
"Prince Fielder, had 50 home runs last year. He won't get there this year obviously. Coming into this game, he has 30."
And just then, Fielder absolutely positively crushes one to Sheffield, ending 21 scoreless innings of Cubs pitching and pulling the Brew Crew to within one and leaving Fielder 19 short of last year's target. It's like Fielder heard him, or something.
Update - next at bat, crushed it again.
"Prince Fielder, had 50 home runs last year. He won't get there this year obviously. Coming into this game, he has 30."
And just then, Fielder absolutely positively crushes one to Sheffield, ending 21 scoreless innings of Cubs pitching and pulling the Brew Crew to within one and leaving Fielder 19 short of last year's target. It's like Fielder heard him, or something.
Update - next at bat, crushed it again.
Nat'l Journal's Rauch: Schmidt going post-Rovian
"That was when it dawned on us. We're way beyond cynicism here. We've warped out of cosmopolitan logic altogether. We're in a new political space. We're epistemological pioneers! Republicans are the party of freedom and personal choice, right? So what's the ultimate freedom? What's the ultimate choice? 'X and not X--you can have it all!'
"The public wants change and experience. That's what you're promising. They're 90 percent there. All you need to do is help them close the deal. Here, listen to this script:
"Barack Obama says he's 'young.' But is he really? Being young is about more than just talk. Look behind the words, and you'll find the same old policies. From the same old people.
"Anyone can come out of nowhere and claim to be young. John McCain has been proving his youth for decades, ever since he was a young POW in a dark isolation cell in Vietnam.
"John McCain will bring real youth to Washington. The kind of youth that gets results.
"John McCain. A president you can trust to be young."
"The public wants change and experience. That's what you're promising. They're 90 percent there. All you need to do is help them close the deal. Here, listen to this script:
"Barack Obama says he's 'young.' But is he really? Being young is about more than just talk. Look behind the words, and you'll find the same old policies. From the same old people.
"Anyone can come out of nowhere and claim to be young. John McCain has been proving his youth for decades, ever since he was a young POW in a dark isolation cell in Vietnam.
"John McCain will bring real youth to Washington. The kind of youth that gets results.
"John McCain. A president you can trust to be young."
Rape Seed
Palin is apparently in support of rape. In addition to opposing abortion in cases where women are raped. [Ed: why should a baby be punished for the sins of the father?]. She apparently was in favor of charging women who sought a rape kit. [Ed: why should the father be punished for sins of the father?].
Makes sense.
Really the bottom line is that women should be married or getting married and that their husbands or fiances should be protecting them from rape. Only women who aren't real women who are with men who aren't real men get raped. Praise Jesus.
Going to read that one bible story about the two daughters who hooked up with their dad again. So hot!
Makes sense.
Really the bottom line is that women should be married or getting married and that their husbands or fiances should be protecting them from rape. Only women who aren't real women who are with men who aren't real men get raped. Praise Jesus.
Going to read that one bible story about the two daughters who hooked up with their dad again. So hot!
Chicago Smiff Invasion
Air Itinerary
Trip Date Day Stops Routing Flight Routing Details
Depart Oct 16 Thu Nonstop SAN-MDW 1923
Depart San Diego (SAN) at 4:30 PM
Arrive in Chicago (MDW) at 10:15 PM
Return Oct 21 Tue Nonstop MDW-SAN 906
Depart Chicago (MDW) at 1:25 PM
Arrive in San Diego (SAN) at 3:50 PM
So, who's picking me up, where i am staying, and what are we doing (which doesn't involve a bar)?
Also, if yas got some time coming, taking off Friday and/or Monday would be cool...
~
Trip Date Day Stops Routing Flight Routing Details
Depart Oct 16 Thu Nonstop SAN-MDW 1923
Depart San Diego (SAN) at 4:30 PM
Arrive in Chicago (MDW) at 10:15 PM
Return Oct 21 Tue Nonstop MDW-SAN 906
Depart Chicago (MDW) at 1:25 PM
Arrive in San Diego (SAN) at 3:50 PM
So, who's picking me up, where i am staying, and what are we doing (which doesn't involve a bar)?
Also, if yas got some time coming, taking off Friday and/or Monday would be cool...
~
Funny Stuff
Is this:
A. Fung on vacation in Brazil
B. Two employees of a new theme park
C. The worlds smallest man & the woman with the longest legs in the world
D. What happens when you alter just one gene
E. Smiff on vacation in Florida
funny funny stuff
On Aug. 17 of this year, Palin was in the pews at the Wasilla Bible Church, when a visiting speaker, who has been widely criticized by the Anti-Defamation League, made controversial statements about Jews.
David Brickner, the founder of Jews for Jesus, which aims to convert Jews to Christianity, told congregants that terrorist attacks on Israel were God's "judgment" of Jews who haven't embraced Christianity.
The pastor of her former church, Assembly of God, which she still visits, has damned Democrats. Pastor Ed Kalnin implied in 2004 that church members who vote for John Kerry for president would go to hell. "I question your salvation," he said. This week the church issued a clarification saying Kalnin was only "joking" when he suggested "Kerry supporters would go to hell."
David Brickner, the founder of Jews for Jesus, which aims to convert Jews to Christianity, told congregants that terrorist attacks on Israel were God's "judgment" of Jews who haven't embraced Christianity.
The pastor of her former church, Assembly of God, which she still visits, has damned Democrats. Pastor Ed Kalnin implied in 2004 that church members who vote for John Kerry for president would go to hell. "I question your salvation," he said. This week the church issued a clarification saying Kalnin was only "joking" when he suggested "Kerry supporters would go to hell."
good morning haters (cont'd), or, Sarah Palin isn't not not dis-un-lying about not being a global warming non-denier
"A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. ... I'm not one, though, who would attribute it to being man-made." ("Why? Because I am a fucking moron, that's why."--ed.)
"When a species' habitat (in this case, sea ice) is declining due to climate change, but there are no discrete human activities that can be regulated or modified to effect change, what do you do?" (Stick your pea-brained head in the ground?--ed.)
"I'm not an Al Gore, doom-and-gloom environmentalist blaming the changes in our climate on human activity." (Hey, he's just trying to make a buck, and isn't that The American Way?--ed.)
"Show me where I have ever said that there's absolute proof that nothing that man has ever conducted or engaged in has had any effect or no effect on climate change... I have not said that."(Well, she's never lied before...--ed.)
"When a species' habitat (in this case, sea ice) is declining due to climate change, but there are no discrete human activities that can be regulated or modified to effect change, what do you do?" (Stick your pea-brained head in the ground?--ed.)
"I'm not an Al Gore, doom-and-gloom environmentalist blaming the changes in our climate on human activity." (Hey, he's just trying to make a buck, and isn't that The American Way?--ed.)
"Show me where I have ever said that there's absolute proof that nothing that man has ever conducted or engaged in has had any effect or no effect on climate change... I have not said that."(Well, she's never lied before...--ed.)
Monday, September 15, 2008
Wall Street Journal - liberal, elite, and against Main Street values
A few days ago I talked politics with Donn Teske, the president of the Kansas Farmers Union and a former Republican. Barack Obama may come from a big city, he admits, but the Farmers Union gives him a 100% rating for his votes in Congress. John McCain gets a 0%. "If any farmer in the Plains States looked at McCain's voting record on ag issues," Mr. Teske says, "no one would vote for him."
Now, Mr. McCain is known for his straight talk with industrial workers, telling them their jobs are never coming back, that the almighty market took them away for good, and that retraining is their only hope.
But he seems to think that small-town people can be easily played. (He's right... Ed.) Just choose a running mate who knows how to skin a moose and all will be forgiven. Drive them off the land, shutter their towns, toss their life chances into the grinders of big agriculture . . . and praise their values. The TV eminences will coo in appreciation of your in-touch authenticity, and the carnival will move on.
Now, Mr. McCain is known for his straight talk with industrial workers, telling them their jobs are never coming back, that the almighty market took them away for good, and that retraining is their only hope.
But he seems to think that small-town people can be easily played. (He's right... Ed.) Just choose a running mate who knows how to skin a moose and all will be forgiven. Drive them off the land, shutter their towns, toss their life chances into the grinders of big agriculture . . . and praise their values. The TV eminences will coo in appreciation of your in-touch authenticity, and the carnival will move on.
If Smiff wrote the transactions...
The Nationals aren't expecting Dmitri Young to play again this season because he's fat.
Brandon McCarthy left his start Monday because he's made of balsa wood and cheap glue.
Hong-Chih Kuo, who took a loss in a 1-0 game on Sunday after missing a few days with a sore arm, again complained that K-Mad owns him.
Chris Davis has a sore back and is getting the night off. Whaaaaa? But the Fants need him in the lineup!
Kenny Rogers has been shut down for the season because he's old, sucks and is a HYOOOGE @SSH@LE.
Brewers fired manager Ned Yost because he is a brain-dead manager.
According to the Boston Globe, J.D. Drew (back) is unlikely to rejoin the lineup before Friday because he is gutless.
Chorye Spoone will miss the remainder of this season and much of next year following shoulder surgery and because he has a funny name and K-Mad thought about drafting him once. Expect a spider attack soon.
Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said Conor Jackson could be used as a pinch-hitter on Monday and return to the lineup on Tuesday. Jackson has missed three games because his gigantic eyebrows had completely engulfed his face.
~
Brandon McCarthy left his start Monday because he's made of balsa wood and cheap glue.
Hong-Chih Kuo, who took a loss in a 1-0 game on Sunday after missing a few days with a sore arm, again complained that K-Mad owns him.
Chris Davis has a sore back and is getting the night off. Whaaaaa? But the Fants need him in the lineup!
Kenny Rogers has been shut down for the season because he's old, sucks and is a HYOOOGE @SSH@LE.
Brewers fired manager Ned Yost because he is a brain-dead manager.
According to the Boston Globe, J.D. Drew (back) is unlikely to rejoin the lineup before Friday because he is gutless.
Chorye Spoone will miss the remainder of this season and much of next year following shoulder surgery and because he has a funny name and K-Mad thought about drafting him once. Expect a spider attack soon.
Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said Conor Jackson could be used as a pinch-hitter on Monday and return to the lineup on Tuesday. Jackson has missed three games because his gigantic eyebrows had completely engulfed his face.
~
When will the candidates address the issues?
Like this one?
Porn on a plane: Flight attendants want filters
Given that people are packed onto planes literally elbow to elbow, it's often hard not to at least glance at the laptop screen of the person sitting next to you. But airlines have not banned people from reading pornographic magazines or watching their own DVDs on flights. And it's just as easy for someone to view a DVD of an adult video on a laptop or flip through Hustler as it is to surf porn Web sites.
What is it about the internet that just makes people go nuts?
Porn on a plane: Flight attendants want filters
Given that people are packed onto planes literally elbow to elbow, it's often hard not to at least glance at the laptop screen of the person sitting next to you. But airlines have not banned people from reading pornographic magazines or watching their own DVDs on flights. And it's just as easy for someone to view a DVD of an adult video on a laptop or flip through Hustler as it is to surf porn Web sites.
What is it about the internet that just makes people go nuts?
K-Mad jinxed it
Though we got off to a good start, we faded down the stretch and only managed 72 posts for the week, tied for 3rd most this year. Though it seems this Tina Fey I mean Sarah Palin has people all riled up, so maybe that will help us get over 80 in one of these weeks. And if the unthinkable happens, and Obama/McBush wins, I can see a hyooge spike coming, either of unmitigated joy, or of co-ordination efforts for the move to New Zealand.
Should this be scary?
Or is this just CNN trying to bring today's failed banks into today's political campaign in an unexpected yet irrelevant way...
Obama, McCain big beneficiaries of Wall Street
Posted: 10:31 AM ET
From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
(CNN) — Both Barack Obama and John McCain have strongly benefited from Wall Street this election cycle, an analysis from the Center for Responsive Politics reports.
According to the non-partisan research organization, employees of security and investment firms have donated nearly $10 million to Barack Obama this year and close to $7 million to McCain's presidential bid.
McCain has particularly benefited from Merrill Lynch, the global financial services firm whose sale to Bank of America shook Wall Street Monday morning. He has raised nearly $300,000 from Merrill employees this year — more than any other firm.
Barack Obama, meanwhile, has strongly benefited from employees of Lehman Brothers, the financial firm that filed for bankruptcy Monday morning. The Illinois senator has raised approximately $370,000 from Lehman employees this year, more than three times what McCain has raised from employees of the failing firm.
Both McCain and Obama sharply criticized Wall Street practices Monday morning, and are calling for more regulation in the investment industry.
Obama, McCain big beneficiaries of Wall Street
Posted: 10:31 AM ET
From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
(CNN) — Both Barack Obama and John McCain have strongly benefited from Wall Street this election cycle, an analysis from the Center for Responsive Politics reports.
According to the non-partisan research organization, employees of security and investment firms have donated nearly $10 million to Barack Obama this year and close to $7 million to McCain's presidential bid.
McCain has particularly benefited from Merrill Lynch, the global financial services firm whose sale to Bank of America shook Wall Street Monday morning. He has raised nearly $300,000 from Merrill employees this year — more than any other firm.
Barack Obama, meanwhile, has strongly benefited from employees of Lehman Brothers, the financial firm that filed for bankruptcy Monday morning. The Illinois senator has raised approximately $370,000 from Lehman employees this year, more than three times what McCain has raised from employees of the failing firm.
Both McCain and Obama sharply criticized Wall Street practices Monday morning, and are calling for more regulation in the investment industry.
some (k-mad?) will try to point fingers
News item: Afghanistan Is in Its Worst Shape Since 2001, European Diplomat Says
Well, you know, we had to deal with those other guys who attacked us...
Well, you know, we had to deal with those other guys who attacked us...
k-mad is puzzled my friends
Ok, Ned Yost ain't exactly Uncle Cholly, but why would you do this two weeks before the playoffs?
Yost relieved of managerial post
"In the end, this was a collaborative decision (sure, duck responsibility... Ed.) made to put our Club (did he specify 'Club' with a capital C? how Teutonic... Ed.) in the best position for the final two weeks of the season."
Dale "Swing-em &" Sveum, the Brewers third base coach, will take over in an interim role as manager for the remainder of the season.
Yost relieved of managerial post
"In the end, this was a collaborative decision (sure, duck responsibility... Ed.) made to put our Club (did he specify 'Club' with a capital C? how Teutonic... Ed.) in the best position for the final two weeks of the season."
Dale "Swing-em &" Sveum, the Brewers third base coach, will take over in an interim role as manager for the remainder of the season.
this should settle it
Sarah Palin Isn't Not Not Dis-Un-Lying About Banning Books
This statement, by McCain spokesman Brian Rogers, looks a lot more forceful:
* "The fact is that as Mayor, Palin never asked anyone to ban a book and not one book was ever banned, period."
That's true, as far as it goes, but look at it again. Fans of Jesuitical hair-splitting might think the wiggle room here comes from the distinction between asking someone whether you can ask them to do something and asking them to do it. But that's not it.
Ignore "period." Look at the place where he might have said "dependent clause." The important words are:
* "The fact is that as Mayor,"
Sarah Palin never asked anyone to ban a book as Mayor. As Mayor -- of a Wal-Mart and a snowmobile trail -- she was only interested in censorship in general.
As the New York Times reported this weekend, she only pushed to ban books by name when she was on the city council.
I hope that clears up everything.
. . .
Brian Rogers kind of reminds me of something John McCain said during the national pig/lipstick crisis last week:
* "Senator Obama chooses his words very carefully, okay? He shouldn't have said it. He shouldn't have said it. He chooses his words very carefully."
He's right. You've got to despise people who act like that.
This statement, by McCain spokesman Brian Rogers, looks a lot more forceful:
* "The fact is that as Mayor, Palin never asked anyone to ban a book and not one book was ever banned, period."
That's true, as far as it goes, but look at it again. Fans of Jesuitical hair-splitting might think the wiggle room here comes from the distinction between asking someone whether you can ask them to do something and asking them to do it. But that's not it.
Ignore "period." Look at the place where he might have said "dependent clause." The important words are:
* "The fact is that as Mayor,"
Sarah Palin never asked anyone to ban a book as Mayor. As Mayor -- of a Wal-Mart and a snowmobile trail -- she was only interested in censorship in general.
As the New York Times reported this weekend, she only pushed to ban books by name when she was on the city council.
I hope that clears up everything.
. . .
Brian Rogers kind of reminds me of something John McCain said during the national pig/lipstick crisis last week:
* "Senator Obama chooses his words very carefully, okay? He shouldn't have said it. He shouldn't have said it. He chooses his words very carefully."
He's right. You've got to despise people who act like that.
in fairness, she ain't real bright...
"Fascist writer Westbrook Pegler, an avowed racist who Sarah Palin approvingly quoted in her acceptance speech for the moral superiority of small town values, expressed his fervent hope about my father, Robert F. Kennedy, as he contemplated his own run for the presidency in 1965, that 'some white patriot of the Southern tier will spatter his spoonful of brains in pubic premises before the snow flies.'
It might be worth asking Governor Palin for a tally of the other favorites from her reading list."
-- Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
It might be worth asking Governor Palin for a tally of the other favorites from her reading list."
-- Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
When even Karl Rove thinks you're an @sshole....
you're a YOOOOOOOOOGE @SSHOLE.
But when half the electorate is profoundly developmentally disabled, being an @sshole works.
Turdblossom: "There ought to be an adult who says, 'Do we really need to go that far in this ad?'"
But when half the electorate is profoundly developmentally disabled, being an @sshole works.
Turdblossom: "There ought to be an adult who says, 'Do we really need to go that far in this ad?'"
It's spreading
Widely believed in the United States, creationism - the belief that God created the earth and man in six days - is enjoying a resurgence of support in the UK, say its believers and its critics.
An estimated 47% of Americans reject outright Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, accepting instead the Bible's account of the creation of the universe - as laid out in the first chapter of Genesis.
47%? Really? Wha? How? Erm, wha? 47%? And I'm guessing that 99.9% of them are voting for McCain because of his running mate. So McCain just needs a fraction of the non-believers. No wonder our elections have been so close...
An estimated 47% of Americans reject outright Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, accepting instead the Bible's account of the creation of the universe - as laid out in the first chapter of Genesis.
47%? Really? Wha? How? Erm, wha? 47%? And I'm guessing that 99.9% of them are voting for McCain because of his running mate. So McCain just needs a fraction of the non-believers. No wonder our elections have been so close...
keep moving folks, nothing to see here, she's folksy, etc. ...
Congressional requests for administration documents while investigating the dismissals of the U.S. attorneys required the Bush administration to reveal that not all internal White House emails were available, because they were sent via a non-government domain hosted on an e-mail server not controlled by the federal government. Conducting governmental business in this manner is a possible violation of the Presidential Records Act of 1978, and the Hatch Act.
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The governor and her top officials sometimes use personal e-mail accounts for state business; dozens of e-mail messages obtained by The New York Times show that her staff members studied whether that could allow them to circumvent subpoenas seeking public records.
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The governor and her top officials sometimes use personal e-mail accounts for state business; dozens of e-mail messages obtained by The New York Times show that her staff members studied whether that could allow them to circumvent subpoenas seeking public records.
liberal media tied up in knots - HATERS!
Fortunately the good American people see through all this fact-mongering
Seeing Is Experiencing, But Better
As a mom, I don’t have to have any experience at these things. You would not ask a man to have any experience, and so I don’t understand why I am being asked about this. Do I think I need this experience?
No, I do not.
Seeing Is Experiencing, But Better
As a mom, I don’t have to have any experience at these things. You would not ask a man to have any experience, and so I don’t understand why I am being asked about this. Do I think I need this experience?
No, I do not.
we also need to address the buggy whip shortage
Making America Stupid (there's a challenge... Ed.)
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN (HATES America)
Imagine for a minute that attending the Republican convention in St. Paul, sitting in a skybox overlooking the convention floor, were observers from Russia, Iran and Venezuela. And imagine for a minute what these observers would have been doing when Rudy Giuliani led the delegates in a chant of “drill, baby, drill!”
I’ll tell you what they would have been doing: the Russian, Iranian and Venezuelan observers would have been up out of their seats, exchanging high-fives and joining in the chant louder than anyone in the hall — “Yes! Yes! Drill, America, drill!” — because an America that is focused first and foremost on drilling for oil is an America more focused on feeding its oil habit than kicking it.
Why would Republicans, the party of business, want to focus our country on breathing life into a 19th-century technology — fossil fuels — rather than giving birth to a 21st-century technology — renewable energy? As I have argued before, it reminds me of someone who, on the eve of the I.T. revolution — on the eve of PCs and the Internet — is pounding the table for America to make more I.B.M. typewriters and carbon paper. “Typewriters, baby, typewriters.”
. . .
ENOUGH with the liberal hectoring of that nice NRA lady already
Will Palin Get the Same Scrutiny Hillary Got? (Lemme throw out a hunch here, NO - Ed.)
So now we learn that Sarah Palin did not go to visit troops in Iraq, as the McCain-Palin campaign originally claimed, nor did she visit Ireland, as a spokesman claimed – she went through Ireland only for a refueling stop... (SHOCKING - But if their story wasn't factually true, it had an emotional truth within a larger folksy narrative, so I'm ok with it... Ed.)
When ABC News' Charlie Gibson asked her how Alaska's proximity to Russia gave her insight into that country, Palin replied: “They're our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.” That’s reassuring, isn’t it? (YES! And thanks to that nice Cholly Gibson for not calling her out as fullas#i+ when she spun that whopper... Ed.)
There is also a question here for the media. When Hillary Clinton claimed last March that she had to evade sniper fire during a landing in Bosnia in 1996, the media came down on her hard. It was a huge story. But at least Clinton actually visited Bosnia. Will the media focus the same attention on the false and exaggerated claims about Palin? (I'm getting a premonition here, NO - Ed.)
Journalists gave Al Gore endless grief about supposed exaggerations and even suggested he said things (about inventing the Internet) that he actually didn't say. Aren't Palin's claims about opposing earmarks, when she actually tried to get them, and about saying "no thanks" to the bridge to nowhere, when she initially supported it, part of a larger narrative of deception? (Now he's just picking on her... what a sexist... Ed.)
I continue to believe that Palin’s lack of engagement with most national and virtually all international issues until the moment of her selection will eventually become a bigger issue. So will McCain’s extremely limited personal knowledge of Palin before he picked her. (That would assume people actually give a s#i+ - an assumption which marks EJ as an old, fat, pasty, white, liberal, AmeriCANT ELITIST... and a sexist... Ed.)
So now we learn that Sarah Palin did not go to visit troops in Iraq, as the McCain-Palin campaign originally claimed, nor did she visit Ireland, as a spokesman claimed – she went through Ireland only for a refueling stop... (SHOCKING - But if their story wasn't factually true, it had an emotional truth within a larger folksy narrative, so I'm ok with it... Ed.)
When ABC News' Charlie Gibson asked her how Alaska's proximity to Russia gave her insight into that country, Palin replied: “They're our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.” That’s reassuring, isn’t it? (YES! And thanks to that nice Cholly Gibson for not calling her out as fullas#i+ when she spun that whopper... Ed.)
There is also a question here for the media. When Hillary Clinton claimed last March that she had to evade sniper fire during a landing in Bosnia in 1996, the media came down on her hard. It was a huge story. But at least Clinton actually visited Bosnia. Will the media focus the same attention on the false and exaggerated claims about Palin? (I'm getting a premonition here, NO - Ed.)
Journalists gave Al Gore endless grief about supposed exaggerations and even suggested he said things (about inventing the Internet) that he actually didn't say. Aren't Palin's claims about opposing earmarks, when she actually tried to get them, and about saying "no thanks" to the bridge to nowhere, when she initially supported it, part of a larger narrative of deception? (Now he's just picking on her... what a sexist... Ed.)
I continue to believe that Palin’s lack of engagement with most national and virtually all international issues until the moment of her selection will eventually become a bigger issue. So will McCain’s extremely limited personal knowledge of Palin before he picked her. (That would assume people actually give a s#i+ - an assumption which marks EJ as an old, fat, pasty, white, liberal, AmeriCANT ELITIST... and a sexist... Ed.)
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Maureen Dowd field dresses (what?) a barracuda
The really scary part of the Palin interview was how much she seemed like W. in 2000, and not just the way she pronounced nu-cue-lar. She had the same flimsy but tenacious adeptness at saying nothing, the same generalities and platitudes, the same restrained resentment at being pressed to be specific, as though specific is the province of silly eggheads, not people who clear brush at the ranch or shoot moose on the tundra.
I missed the apology
~
"I think they put some lipstick on the pig but it's still a pig."
-- John "Piggie" McCain, in 2007, comparing Hillary Clinton's new health care plan to the Clinton plan of 1993
Fungrant - Baseball Stadiums
This weekend forced home what I knew all along - baseball stadiums should have retractable roofs. I mean, if you have to stop the game because of rain, and rain happens quite a lot in the summer, then why wouldn't you put one on? Two new stadiums going up in NY, and I don't think either will have a roof on it. What gives? While I understand why you couldn't play in Houston, since fans would be blown away on the way to the stadium, and that's when they weren't been struck by all the debris our wasteful capitalism has created, we've had a deluge over here in Chi-Town that postponed 2 games, and I don't see them getting Sundays in either with the remnants of Ike getting here. We coulda got those games in if we had a roof, for sure. That means both the Cubs & Sox are gonna have a hectic last few games, the Twinkies & Brew Crew will do just fine with a roof over their heads. So why isn't there a rule saying every new stadium's gotta have a roof?
Bruce Bochy: is oxygen getting to his brain?
Tim Lincecum's first career complete game was a 138-pitch shutout of the Padres on Saturday. Lincecum is an incredible pitcher. We're really hoping that's still the case in a few years, but we're becoming more skeptical every time Bruce Bochy sends him back out for that one extra inning. Does anyone really think the NL's ERA leader needs a confidence boost at this point? Why on earth send him back out to pitch the ninth in a 7-0 game when he's already thrown 118 pitches? He just threw 127 pitches on Monday. He had an 132-pitch outing on Aug. 27 (and followed it up with one of his worst starts of the year). Lincecum gave up two hits in the ninth tonight, bringing the Padres' total for the night up to four. He ended up striking out 12. It was an outstanding performance. However, it wouldn't have been any less impressive had he left after eight.
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