Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

More this & that

The 25 most dangerous neighborhoods in the United States. I've actually walked through a few of these. They seemed pretty rough at the time, certainly. But accidentally typing "danderous neighborhoods" somehow made them seem less so...

Some straight talk about the budget deficit.

Judge likely to deny government request to stay DADT order. We're going to look back on this in years to come and go "what was the problem here?" Just like we look back at the arguments about not having women serve on the front lines.

-Government is 2 of 3 against credit card companies.

-working from home myself, I'm a little envious of Jack Prelutsky, who leaves his house and takes a ferry to an apartment across the bay where he works. A work apartment would be pretty bitchin'.

-the most segregated cities in the United States. Love the discussions, especially about lily-white Portland.

-don't forget to listen and vote for entries in the Poets Walk, Rochester.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Typo of the day...

Live in Chicago, and want to vote for a rich whitey this November?

Now's your chance!

If President Obama was a Republican, and he proposed the exact same policies....

The Right would be hailing him as a model of a post-racial compassionate conservative, and:

-his healthcare plan would be lauded as a "commonsense, market-based solution."

-his educational policies would "reflect the reality that parental responsibility needs to replace expectations of entitlement."

-his shifting of troops and attention into Afghanistan would "continue the work to refine and learn from the lessons of the War on Terror that President Bush began."

-his decision to put the question of the future of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy to the military first rather than doing away with it by Executive Order "would demonstrate, again, his caution and procedural respect for the military."

-his work to support TARP despite the fact that it was extremely unpopular when passed would be a sign of courage and far-sightedness, and the fact that TARP will turn a profit for the government when all is said and done would be an indication of his being right despite the unwarranted criticisms;

-the inclusion of billions of dollars in tax breaks into the stimulus program and healthcare bills for nearly all small businesses would demonstrate his committment to those small businesses, who "are the economic engine of entrepreneurship and enterprise."

-his willingness to continue to reach across the political aisle despite getting his hand bitten off nearly every time merely reflects how shallow and un-ready to govern the other side really is.

-his amazing rhetorical ability would be sourced as coming from "both his ability to connect with ordinary folks, combined with the hard work necessary to convey difficult ideas in ways people of all political stripe can connect with."

-his continued insistence that, despite America's open hand to others, there is a distinct American exceptionalism that is both our birthright and our promise (and Obama's overseas speeches which continue to make this point time and time again) demonstrates "his commitment to our national identity and way of life."

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly?

5 weeks in, he was booted as lead in BACK TO THE FUTURE.

Would have liked to hear/have heard his reaction to this. I also would have like to have seen more than just the snippets of him in the role.

more this and that

Heh:



Germany pays off their WWI obligations. Here's how they did it.

Some solid advice on the budget deficit (and why it doesn't matter as much as the harpies on the Wacky right say).

One of those things you never knew you needed: Female character stereotype flowchart.

The federales are 2 for in settling suits with credit card companies.

Friday, October 08, 2010

This and that...

-"Die Hard" director goes to prison for a year for being an asshole. Just kidding--wiretapping case nabs him.

-Not the best title "How to writer 85000 books"--should be more like "How to have a machine crank out books for you."

-J. K. Rowling plot spreadsheet. Looks like a relationship plot.... I hear she said she could write several more Potter books, no problem. So what's keeping you, J? Anne Rice found a groove and stuck with it, and look at her! So did Anne McCaffrey, for that matter.

-Ted Hughes poem about Sylvia Plath found. Seems to me this is one that should have been found long ago.

Father and son send camera into space on a balloon

Very cool. This is like the ultimate father & son craft.

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Racist story of the day

Good stuff, from TDW.

Sun Chips giving up the noisy bags

They were damn loud. If you didn't get one, you'll probably have longer hearing that the rest of us (but try to find one in the store and give it a squeeze. Same looking bag at 5 times the decibel level).

Story.

Oh Michael, Michael...

Michael Steele doesn't know what minimum wage is. And says it doesn't matter.

I guess when your job is to just make crap up while not pissing off your conservative media overlords, he's probably right.

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Tea Party rallies for beleaguered puppy mill owners!

The Tea Party (including Joe the Plumber) has rallied against puppy mill legislation of all things, claiming that requiring puppy mills to provide basic food, shelter, vet care and so on will raise the cost of puppies so much, "making it ever-more difficult for middle-class American families to be dog-owners."

I hadn't realized there was a puppy deficit in the middle class. I guess all the time I spent re-reading my marxists tracts has caused some things to pass me by.

Meanwhile, about 56% of the millions of dogs entering shelters are euthanized every year....

Sunday, October 03, 2010

Friday, October 01, 2010

Neil Alan Smith

No, you probably don't know him. He was a quiet man, killed in a hit & run

Saw this via TPM. A nice tribute to a man who seemed to be a decent person, just living his life.