2010 archive
QOTD 0
Saki (Hector Hugh Munro), from the Quotemaster (subscribe here):
People talk vaguely about the innocence of a little child, but they take mighty good care not to let it out of their sight for twenty minutes.
The End of the Hypocrisy of DADT 0
I say “hypocrisy” because “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” mandated that persons live hypocritically every day.
TPM:
As with almost everything in the Senate these days, the vote for something is a lot less newsworthy than the vote to consider voting for something. Thus, the real fight was over whether repeal proponents could gather the required 60 votes to break a GOP filibuster, end debate and hold a final vote. They did that — led by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) — and repeal moved ahead earlier today.
President Obama will sign it next week.
No doubt, the Republicans will continue hating on teh gay.
Hating on folks is their primary stategy.
It’s also their strategy in general elections.
Afterthought: Wonder how the Firebaggers will deal with this.
Addendum, via True Blue Texan:
Bowled Over, Market Saturation Dept. 0
I just looked at the college football “Bowl Guide” in the local rag.
Of the 35 bowl games listed, I’ve heard of 12, and several of those are under new names this year, like the perennially rebranded Peach Chick-Fil-A Bowl. (My friend was telling me just this noon that she had a bowl of Chick-Fil-A once and never again.)
Aside: Somehow, “Humanitarian” seems to be an inappropriate name for anything as concussive as football.
I’ve noticed that, when an outfit starts talking about “markets” and “branding,” bullshit goes up and value goes down.
In the immortal words of Yoghurt: “It’s merchandising.”
Another reason I’m losing interest in college football.
Meanwhile, Derrick Jackson covers another bowl, one which gets little coverage:
Car Talk 0
When I was a young ‘un, boys learned about cars. Now the only cars they learn about are in GTA. Cars are also much more complicated now; the era of the shade-tree mechanic has ended.
Jennifer Waters has column full of good car maintenance tips at MarketWatch. A nugget:
Aside: When my check engine light came on, Donny replaced the gas cap. Problem solved.
Prioritization Nation: Worst Things First 0
From the StevenD:
And helping 9/11 responders who risked their lives and suffered the consequences, and improving food safety for all Americans? “Too costly,” say the Republicans Tell me again, who exactly is waging class warfare here?
Bye, Bye, Blackbird 0
Social Diplomatic Networking 0
Andy Borowitz:
Mr. Assange said he came up with the idea for the new site while combing through hundreds of thousands of pages of WikiLeaks documents: “I realized that diplomats didn’t have a way to reconnect with old colleagues so they could lie to them.”
Follow the link for the full report.
QOTD 0
Mackenzie King, from the Quotemaster (subscribe here):
Government, in the last analysis, is organized opinion. Where there is little or no public opinion, there is likely to be bad government, which sooner or later becomes autocratic government.
Dustbiters 0
See “Flies, Dropping Like”:
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Community National Bank, Lino Lakes, Minnesota
First Southern Bank, Batesville, Arkansas
United Americas Bank, National Association, Atlanta, Georgia
Appalachian Community Bank, F.S.B., McCaysville, Georgia
And the FDIC hasn’t gotten to the west coast yet.
Magic Bullets 0
Remember RLS?
Three years ago, television was blanketed with ads for something to combat Restless Leg Syndrome. Now, RLS is a very real thing–I know someone who has had it–but the ads implied that it was more common than hinky bankers.
It isn’t.
It is, in fact, relatively rare and prescription medicine is even more rarely indicated.
Karen Stabiner, writing in the Philadelphia Inquirer, considers the recent spate of news of drugs’ being decertified, which seems to indicate that many of Big Pharma’s Big Remedies are based primarily on sound research with marketing department focus groups. A nugget:
Spill Here, Spill Now 0
The Booman analyzes Buccaneer Petroleum’s track record, as wikileaked.
The Rich Are Different from You and Me 2
They get to hit and keep on running:
(snip)
Haddon (the victim’s attorney–ed.) argued that the deal, which included two misdemeanor charges and no felony charges, wasn’t appropriate.
“I submit that in these kinds of instances, prosecutors can, should and do require felony pleas,” Haddon said.
Full Disclosure: I did not make the connection to this earlier post when I posted this Wednesday.
H/T Karen for the link.
It’s Awards Time II 0
Andy Borowitz:
The Borowitz Report has named Sarah Palin its Person of the Year.
And the year is 1641.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 4
This little story has been simmering for about a week. Now the D. A. has triggered charges (emphasis added):
(snip)
Groh, 52, was fatally shot in the chest with a high-powered rifle in a Richland Township creek bed along property Manilla owned. It is illegal to hunt with such a long-range gun in Bucks County, where only shotguns, muzzle-loaders, and bows are allowed because of the county’s population density.
Too many folks disengage their brains when they release the safeties on their firearms.
