Lattice of Coincidence: 2/1/09

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Miraculous recovery!

+42 in the last 12 hours! ...that's the temperature here in northern Virginia, not anything having to do with the economy. 23 F at 5am, 65 now?!

This really encapsulates the debacle quite nicely...

From Gail Collins today, who has been my favorite columnist at the Times lately:

I dropped out of school for a semester to campaign for Barack Obama. And now I’m asking myself whether I spent four months living with my aunt and going door to door in Dayton, Ohio, just so we could have a stimulus plan written by a bunch of moderate Republicans and conservative Democrats in the Senate.

The great scientist speaks (again)

Paul Krugman, February 21, 2001:

Last but perhaps not least among causes of the consumer funk is the administration’s own determined pessimism. Mr. Bush has a bully pulpit, and he is using it to preach economic alarm. This adds powerfully to the chorus of doomsaying. And when it comes to short-term economics, believing can sometimes make it so.

The title of Krugman's column from this Thursday? "On the Edge." Consider it his own little contribution to the insane amount of doomsaying being done by our current President.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Here's what he said Wednesday about city workers, as justification for selling off the Skyway, the parking meters, and anything else that might generate long-term revenue, for beellions of instantly gratifying dollars:

"They're not customer-related. They're gonna leave at 5 o'clock. They're gonna leave at 4:30 or 4:00. (Why not 3:30? - Ed.) I'm sorry. (He's not sorry - Ed.) We're on a time clock. They walk out. But in the private sector, when you have a customer, you're gonna stay there making sure they're happy and satisfied.

"We can't compete with the private sector. The private sector has a complete idea of who your customers are. (They know when your customers are sleeping... they know when they're awake... Ed.) Government doesn't have customers. They only have citizens. (Very naughty, ungrateful citizens... Ed.)"

Here's what he said Thursday, when people who are out all night plowing snow objected to being portrayed as 9-to-4 clock-watchers:

"I said that some people just watch the clock -- government workers or anybody else -- and leave. (Actually that's exactly NOT what I said, but I'm Da Mare... Ed.) But here in Chicago, we're fortunate that people just don't watch the clock... I never said city workers of . . . Chicago are not good workers. Would you correct that for me? (Because my point was that Chicago needs to sell off all its assets because workers in other government bodies are not good workers -- would you correct that for me? Ed.) I know it's hard because I'm a ping-pong ball for the media. (Yes, I'm deploying the Palin Defense - 'the media doesn't get me...' Ed.) (Also, if I'm a ping pong ball, it might be the kind that's been shot out of the *&%@ of a hooker... Ed.) City workers work hard. I talked about the city in a positive way. But you're trying to follow me in a negative way so you have people yelling at me."

Is this Decker's life story?

For my money, Ebert is the best writer in Chicago.

"The Class" might have been set in any classroom in the Western world, and I believe most teachers would recognize it. It is about the power struggle between a teacher who wants to do good and students who disagree about what "good" is. The film is so fair that neither side is seen as right, and both seem trapped by futility.

we are living in a golden age (cont'd), or, these are k-mad's eyeballs on caffeine

"Nutritionist Caffeine Eye Roll-On is a new roll on with a massage application and is specially designed to encourage drainage around the eye contour area. The massage technique from the roll on effect stimulates the natural micro-circulation and drainage of the skin."

K-Mad needs a weekend

I was going to post something making fun of Da Mare, but every time I look at the Scum Slimes there's so much other depressing stuff in there that it seems pointless. This is what happens when it warms up enough to thaw my brain and all the foul humours are unleashed...

So in a nutshell - Da Mare is putz.

Shocking (cont)

Palin names daughter after ESPN HQ town?

What was even more shocking is that there are kids out there named ESPN. At least Bristol, no matter the motivation, is a real name. Whenever we think she's gone totally overboard, it turns out there are people crazier than she. Which is phokking scary.

They can have my Arctic cod when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers

Global warming spurs commercial fishing moratorium in U.S. Arctic

Thursday, February 5, 2009

He seems to have gotten the handle on being a Senator pretty quick...

Constituents finding it hard to reach Senator Roland Burris
February 5, 2009
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Constituents say they are finding it hard to contact Sen. Roland Burris by telephone and through the Internet.
Wayne Lovern of Chatham said he called Burris' office in Washington five times on Tuesday and got nothing but busy signals. He said he resorted to sending an e-mail to Sen. Dick Durbin's office and asking his staff to walk it over to Burris' office.
Bill Franklin of Springfield wanted to tell Burris how he should vote on the economic stimulus package but couldn't get through to anyone. Franklin said he's resorted to Googling Burris to find some way to contact the senator but with no luck.
Burris' chief of staff, Darrel Thompson, said the senator's office is doing its best to answer phones amid high call volumes and a small staff.
~

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Thanks for the warning, DICK

Cheney warns of new attacks, curses purifying rays of the sun

Former Vice President Dick "Dick" (Dick) Dick Cheney warned that there is a "high probability" that terrorists will attempt a catastrophic nuclear or biological attack in coming years, and said he fears the Obama administration’s policies will make it more likely the attempt will succeed.

I don't doubt the first part for a moment, but the second part sounds pretty assfaced coming from the guys who did such a swell job in 2001...
~

Oh, I think they probably do

"I don’t know if the American public deserve me..."
-- Joe the Phokking Plumber
~

Cheering thought as the baseball season approaches...

Clonod (St. Louis): The Cubs' core players (except Soto and Z) are all 31-33 years old, and their farm system is a disaster. Is it just me, or is that window closing fast?

Joe Sheehan: Hence the push to trade for Peavy and open it as wide as possible. They're where the Astros were in 2004-05.