2008 archive
Down at the Farm 0
The router’s kicking up. Getting a new one tomorrow.
What a Maroon 0
Grover Norquist on CNN. It’s an oldie but a moldie. Watch as the other panelists dissolve in laughter at his wingnut wankery:
Freakin’ fruitcakes.
H/T Ray who not yet written his hedgefund post for the link.
Journanimalism 0
Our media: A study in peripheral preoccupation.
Pretty much all they could talk about at Mr. Obama’s press conference today was the non-links between Mr. Obama and Mr. Blagomumble.
An analogy: If they were standing on a corner within ten feet of a firey crash between a loaded school bus (we’ll call it “the economy”) and a loaded ambulence (we’ll call it “Iraq”), they would be too busy trying to stare down the dress of the lady next to them to notice the ruckus in the street.
Fortunately, Mr. Obama could give poise lessons to Cary Grant.
Via the Huffington Post.
And This Surprises Us How? 0
Prop 8: The Musical 0
Pay close attention to the part along about the middle about picking and choosing. That’s what tipped me over to the side posting this. Then I had to spend 15 minutes tinkering with the embed code to get it to fit my column:
H/T Alison for the link.
Nomination Time . . . 0
. . . for the Dukies.
Why I Ignore the Land Line 0
Twenty-eight messages on the answering machine over the past week.
Three from real persons that I know, about real things that at least sort of matter at least a little bit (and I heard those through the “call screening” feature and took care of them already).
Two others from real persons trying to sell me something I’m not interested in (I’m happy with my Comcast and don’t want Verizon FiOS, thank you).
Four from recorded voices nattering on about stuff I’m not interested in or that’s not relevant to me.
Nineteen (Xcalc tells me that’s 67.8%): Dead air from when the incoming robocall did not hang up before triggering the answering machine.
Bushonomics: Nowhere To Go Today Dept. 0
’nuff said:
Initial claims for state unemployment insurance benefits jumped by
Dammit (Updated) 0
(Link added at the beginning of paragraph four below.)
As much as I loathe Republicanism, I have known many Republicans and conservatives over the years whom I have liked and and respected. They were persons of integrity, even though I may have disagreed with them.
But, frankly, today’s Republicans have spun off into some kind of parallel universe disconnected from any sort of reality.
Today’s Republicans or, at least, those who carry their standard just suck.
They have nothing left (the rest of us have nothing left either, thanks to their policies) other than name-calling and lies.
I extend my sympathies to the few remaining Republicans of integrity. And I have a question.
How the hell can you stand the company you keep?
Gift Idea 0
Here.
It doesn’t get you much. A few discounts here and there but nothing big.
But you can carry the card with pride.
Obligatory Blago Bloggo 3
I have it on good authority from within the center of an Illinois state government office yesterday that there was non-partisan rejoicing on the part of state workers and professional staff.
The exact sentence was, “. . . you’d think it was Bastille Day.”
Apparently, Blago was an equal-opportunity alienator.
End of Rags? 0
You Geeks out there, take a look at the embed code and tell me why it has references to John McCain and Sarah Palin. Yeah, I know they’re comedic, but really.
Oh, forget it. I cleaned up the code. It was a mess. Comedy Central needs some webdesigners who know what they are doing.
Via Will Bunch.
Eagles Owe Philadelphia $8,000,000.00 0
Kicked to the front page.
Via Phillybits.
Also at
And numerous other places which you can see if you follow the link to Phillybits.
Why I Don’t Understand Why Anyone Settled North of the Potomac River 0
Full Disclosure: It’s a clip from an old Midas commercial.
Via NN.
J Street 0
One of the topics I do not generally touch is US/Israeli policy. I am not some kind of guru; I’m just a guy who hear himself talk, whether or not anyone else is listening. (That’s one of the wonderful things about this medium–as long as you don’t look at the hitmeter, you can convince yourself someone is out there.)
I have strong opinions in that area but scant knowledge; my academic training and my interest is in US domestic history, in sociology, in learning theory, and in group dynamics, not in foreign policy (though domestic events and foreign policy are often inseparable)–and you know my knowledge must be really scant to keep me from shooting off my mouth.
But someone for whom I have the highest respect recommends this organization. That’s all I need to know to pass it along as worth a look.
“Let’s Do the Time Warp Again” 0
Somebody needs to tell Janine Davidson that the election is over.
Nutcase II: Good Old Days Dept. 2
One difference today from when I was a young ‘un is that a much higher percentage of parents seems to be paranoid nutcases about their kids’ health. I say, if they wanna eat dirt, let ’em eat dirt. It’ll make ’em healthy.
El Reg:
Writing in the British Medical Journal, Nicholas A Christakis cites the extreme example of when a potentially fatal peanut was “spotted on the floor of a school bus, whereupon the bus was evacuated and cleaned (I am tempted to say decontaminated), even though it was full of 10-year-olds who, unlike two-year-olds, could actually be told not to eat food off the floor”.
(snip)
The facts are these, Christakis insists: “About 3.3 million Americans are allergic to nuts, and even more – 6.9 million – are allergic to seafood. However, all told, serious allergic reactions to foods cause just 2,000 hospitalisations a year (out of more than 30 million hospitalisations nationwide). And only 150 people (children and adults) die each year from all food allergies combined.”
These folks are gonna end up raising a generation of cotton balls.
Economic Train Wreck 0
Reuters:
The display will be dismantled after the holidays and won’t be back next year.
The savings for Citigroup? About $240,000 in 2009.
$240,000.
This is the same outfit who gave their retiring CEO $29,500,000 last year.
The big banks have been run by empty suits.
