- McCain campaign offices in battleground states are open and operating, just like yesterday.
- McCain's television ads are on the air, just like yesterday.
- McCain media flacks are all over the news networks, just like yesterday.
- McCain's campaign staffers are working, just like yesterday.
- McCain's campaign website is up, soliciting contributions and promoting McCain's message, just like yesterday.
- For the big White House meeting today, Barack Obama was told not to bring any campaign aides, so he's bringing a legislative assistant from his Senate staff. John McCain is bringing a campaign advisor.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Suspended what?
WHAT DOES A 'SUSPENDED' CAMPAIGN LOOK LIKE?.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Letterman
I don't usually watch Letterman, but I tuned in to see his opening bit after hearing that John McCain canceled his planned appearance on the show late this afternoon. He "had to go back to Washington" and deal with the crisis.
Except not so much. He joined his running mate and did an interview with Katie Couric during the taping of the show, when he should have been on Letterman. Just down the street. Letterman was stood up. Letterman might host a late-night talk show, but he's no lightweight to piss off with a capricious and false excuse.
If McCain wanted to cancel, just cancel. Why weasel out of this and then do another, friendlier interview elsewhere instead? Oh, wait! I think I just answered my own question. Can't actually face anyone who isn't friendly. Nope!
And I'm waiting for Palin to find one example of McCain's actions to manage regulation and the markets and "bring it to you", as she finally managed to stammer when pressed in the interview.
This is reaching epic proportions of comic ridiculousness. This is a presidential candidate?
Except not so much. He joined his running mate and did an interview with Katie Couric during the taping of the show, when he should have been on Letterman. Just down the street. Letterman was stood up. Letterman might host a late-night talk show, but he's no lightweight to piss off with a capricious and false excuse.
If McCain wanted to cancel, just cancel. Why weasel out of this and then do another, friendlier interview elsewhere instead? Oh, wait! I think I just answered my own question. Can't actually face anyone who isn't friendly. Nope!
And I'm waiting for Palin to find one example of McCain's actions to manage regulation and the markets and "bring it to you", as she finally managed to stammer when pressed in the interview.
This is reaching epic proportions of comic ridiculousness. This is a presidential candidate?
The Dog Ate my Homework
I can decide if I should laugh or cry. McCain wants to postpone the debates , nay, the very campaign, so he can be in Washington to "work on the bailout proposal" with the President and congressional Republicans.
As if he as anything substantive to do with it. He doesn't sit on any of the committees that might be convened, he doesn't hold any sort of tie-breaker vote, he doesn't seem to have any sort of plan of his own that he needs to propose. Sure, the president needs all hands to flog this idea, but this sudden need to be involved is a pretty thin, pretty pathetic excuse to not debate Obama on Friday. He has no primary role in this economic crisis, except to campaign. Neither of the candidates do - and if they are needed in Washington on Friday to discuss the proposal in congress, they should both be able to manage a debate that night. That's not an unreasonable expectation from someone, anyone, who want to be the President.
He claims that we all need to focus on this economic problem, that he needs to stop everything he's doing to be there in Congress and get his spoon on the pot.
What the hell? He can't actually manage to do more than one thing at a time? He can't deal with more than on crisis without running away? And this is a person who could be the President? Does he think that when competing problems erupt -- and they do -- he can just skip out on one if he doesn't want to deal with it. I would like a president who realizes that you have to multi-task, or at least be able to deal with the rigors of a very stressful, very difficult job.
I know this was supposed to play to the US Public as McCain being concerned about the crsis, jumping in to focus on the big issue and be all presidential. Unfortunately, it has come across to most people as "I dont' want to talk about economic issues with Obama on Friday." You can supply the reason - not prepared, don't have a position to articulate, overly stressed, whatever, but it isn't coming across as noble and self-sacrificing, it's a gimmick, and z shallow, transparent one at that.
If McCain really does need to be in Washington, then they should shuffle the debate schedule and have the VP debate on Friday (instead of "rescheduled at some point in the future"). Biden and Palin should be ready, right?
Right?
As if he as anything substantive to do with it. He doesn't sit on any of the committees that might be convened, he doesn't hold any sort of tie-breaker vote, he doesn't seem to have any sort of plan of his own that he needs to propose. Sure, the president needs all hands to flog this idea, but this sudden need to be involved is a pretty thin, pretty pathetic excuse to not debate Obama on Friday. He has no primary role in this economic crisis, except to campaign. Neither of the candidates do - and if they are needed in Washington on Friday to discuss the proposal in congress, they should both be able to manage a debate that night. That's not an unreasonable expectation from someone, anyone, who want to be the President.
He claims that we all need to focus on this economic problem, that he needs to stop everything he's doing to be there in Congress and get his spoon on the pot.
What the hell? He can't actually manage to do more than one thing at a time? He can't deal with more than on crisis without running away? And this is a person who could be the President? Does he think that when competing problems erupt -- and they do -- he can just skip out on one if he doesn't want to deal with it. I would like a president who realizes that you have to multi-task, or at least be able to deal with the rigors of a very stressful, very difficult job.
I know this was supposed to play to the US Public as McCain being concerned about the crsis, jumping in to focus on the big issue and be all presidential. Unfortunately, it has come across to most people as "I dont' want to talk about economic issues with Obama on Friday." You can supply the reason - not prepared, don't have a position to articulate, overly stressed, whatever, but it isn't coming across as noble and self-sacrificing, it's a gimmick, and z shallow, transparent one at that.
If McCain really does need to be in Washington, then they should shuffle the debate schedule and have the VP debate on Friday (instead of "rescheduled at some point in the future"). Biden and Palin should be ready, right?
Right?
Bailout? Not like this.
I wonder why the powers-that-be aren't publicizing this particular statement in the bailout proposal:
Sorry, as a taxpayer, this is not an acceptable solution.
"Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency."Got that? NO oversight. NO review. Just give him the money and go away. No need to know how it will be spent or how it is disbursed. Nope. Just trust us. Give us the money, and release all control. Give the Executive Branch full and unfettered authority to do whatever it wants with it, and just shut the hell up.
Sorry, as a taxpayer, this is not an acceptable solution.
Yes. This.
I'm sure you know that I'm not a Palin fan (if you don't, it's probably because I haven't spoken to you, yet!) but this call by Campbell Brown that everyone -- the media, the Republican party, the McCain campaign, everyone -- start actually treating Sarah Palin as a real, live candidate is exactly what I've been thinking.
Women can do anything they want. A woman can be qualified for anything. So what's with the kid gloves and 'delicate flower' treatment? It does a disservice to her, and to any woman trying to rise to a position of power. It's insulting and patronizing-"oh, we have a woman on the ticket! Isn't that just too cute? Yeah, we're all equal-opportunity! See? She wears skirts, and she's a real, honest-to-goodness woman!" I'm really not getting the message that the conservatives are actually taking her seriously, and if I was her, I'd be pissed off. If there's some substance there, let's see it. Quit trying to shield her from the press, quite trying to make sure she never has to answer a tough question. I may not like the answers (I'm quite sure I don't so far), but damn, Republicans/McCain, at least show women in this country the respect of acknowledging that you really believe a woman can do the job instead of bringing her along like a trophy wife.
Tonight I call on the McCain campaign to stop treating Sarah Palin like she is a delicate flower that will wilt at any moment," said Brown. "This woman is from Alaska from crying out loud. She is strong. She is tough. She is competent. And you claim she is ready to be one heart beat away form the presidency. If that is the case, then end this chauvinistic treatment of her now. Allow her to show her stuff. Allow her to face down those pesky reporters... Let her have a real news conference with real questions. By treating Sarah Palin different from the other candidates in this race, you are not showing her the respect she deserves. Free Sarah Palin. Free her from the chauvinistic chain you are binding her with. Sexism in this campaign must come to an end. Sarah Palin has just as much a right to be a real candidate in this race as the men do. So let her act like one." [catch the video here]I may not agree with Palin's policies or her ideas, but frankly, I've been unable to actually figure out what some of them are, since she's been so carefully cocooned from the press, hasn't answered any unscripted questions, and is pretty much kept under wraps and trotted out as the "token female" in the Republican party. Why? If she's up to the job, she should be able to handle it. What are they so afraid of? The more she is hustled off stage, the more the campaign demands that we show her "deference" (wtf? Is she the queen?), the less likely it is to me that she's actually capable of the job. I think she probably has something else to say, and she should be scrutinized and questioned and evaluated just like any other candidate. It's not sexist to question her abilities, it's not sexist to demand proof of her statements. It's not sexist to suggest that she is unqualified, or that she holds certain opinions any more than levelling that sort of question or observation about a male candidate would be sexist. That's just how we, the people, can vet candidates. Trying to parse any criticism as sexism is just bullying the public into shutting up and not asking any questions.
Women can do anything they want. A woman can be qualified for anything. So what's with the kid gloves and 'delicate flower' treatment? It does a disservice to her, and to any woman trying to rise to a position of power. It's insulting and patronizing-"oh, we have a woman on the ticket! Isn't that just too cute? Yeah, we're all equal-opportunity! See? She wears skirts, and she's a real, honest-to-goodness woman!" I'm really not getting the message that the conservatives are actually taking her seriously, and if I was her, I'd be pissed off. If there's some substance there, let's see it. Quit trying to shield her from the press, quite trying to make sure she never has to answer a tough question. I may not like the answers (I'm quite sure I don't so far), but damn, Republicans/McCain, at least show women in this country the respect of acknowledging that you really believe a woman can do the job instead of bringing her along like a trophy wife.
The timing is off
I got an astroturf email today from some random person (who I think is trolling the forum and snagging email addresses, ah, well) going on and on about Muslim extremists and how Muslim terrorists are the root of all evil and we need to return to that good old timey religion and conservative politics to survive. It's pretty common rhetoric, and I was about to delete it as junk when the following claim leapt out at me as just too much to pass up:
No verses in Revelations mention the Antichrist. The only time the term is mentioned is in 1 and 2 John. Revelations has beasts and dragons aplenty, though, and is a rather fever-dream apocalyptic sort of story, but no anti-christ, and certainly not specifics. In fact, references occur in John to multiple anti-christs, always lower cased.
Revelations was probably written in the first century AD (estimates are roughly 65-93). Muslims didn't exist. Islam was founded around 600 AD. According to most interpretations, Islam is the one religion that the antichrist could not come from. There are quite a few protestant sects that are quite sure that the Pope qualifies, though. That was a bit surprising.
Claiming the Bible says something when it does no such thing is awfully common among people with an axe to grind. The person starting this email did a rather poor job of it, actually. We can all go and look this stuff up. If you're going to email a xenophobic rant, at least get your facts straight!
According to the Book of Revelations:I had to comment.
The Anti-Christ will be a man, in his 40s, of MUSLIM descent, who will deceive the nations with persuasive language, and have a MASSIVE Christ-like appeal....the prophecy says that people will flock to him and he will promise false hope and world peace, and when he is in power, he will destroy everything.
No verses in Revelations mention the Antichrist. The only time the term is mentioned is in 1 and 2 John. Revelations has beasts and dragons aplenty, though, and is a rather fever-dream apocalyptic sort of story, but no anti-christ, and certainly not specifics. In fact, references occur in John to multiple anti-christs, always lower cased.
Revelations was probably written in the first century AD (estimates are roughly 65-93). Muslims didn't exist. Islam was founded around 600 AD. According to most interpretations, Islam is the one religion that the antichrist could not come from. There are quite a few protestant sects that are quite sure that the Pope qualifies, though. That was a bit surprising.
Claiming the Bible says something when it does no such thing is awfully common among people with an axe to grind. The person starting this email did a rather poor job of it, actually. We can all go and look this stuff up. If you're going to email a xenophobic rant, at least get your facts straight!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Who do you agree wtih?
This quick quiz showed up in one of the forums I read -- it was really interesting to see who I really agreed with!
Pick the statement you agree with more, for a dozen categories, and it will tell you who you agree with. Interesting!
Pick the statement you agree with more, for a dozen categories, and it will tell you who you agree with. Interesting!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Childhood Desires
I meant to post this last week, since it was my sister's birthday (Happy Birthday! Yeah!), but I got a bit sidetracked.
About a year ago, her son had a complete meltdown in Target because he wanted some toy. Hey, at 6 years old, that can be a big problem! Since Nin wasn't going to buy said toy, she sat him down and explained to him that when she was a little girl, she really, really, really wanted a Cabbage Patch doll. They had just come out and they were The Thing to have and they couldn't afford it and they were very hard to find, and so she just didn't get a Cabbage Patch doll. Sometimes you just don't get what you want.
So, last week, he and Grandma went to Target to pick out a present -- and he spent his allowance to get mom a Cabbage Patch Doll.
Aaaaawwwww. How unbelievably sweet.
About a year ago, her son had a complete meltdown in Target because he wanted some toy. Hey, at 6 years old, that can be a big problem! Since Nin wasn't going to buy said toy, she sat him down and explained to him that when she was a little girl, she really, really, really wanted a Cabbage Patch doll. They had just come out and they were The Thing to have and they couldn't afford it and they were very hard to find, and so she just didn't get a Cabbage Patch doll. Sometimes you just don't get what you want.
So, last week, he and Grandma went to Target to pick out a present -- and he spent his allowance to get mom a Cabbage Patch Doll.
Aaaaawwwww. How unbelievably sweet.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Gluttony and Sloth
An absolutely perfect day for the Winefest - breezy, cool (except for a brief bit right after lunch), 40 wineries, and food galore. It was a lot of fun. We met two couples from Salt Lake City, and spent the day tasting new wines and eating tasty food in the tent.
But the highlight was the Wine Maker's Dinner at the Chateau at Two Rivers, catered by The Cowboy and the Rose-- a seven course dinner paired with wines from Two Rivers (and other wineries). We attended this dinner last year, and it's definitely going to become a yearly event.
The buffalo was just about the best thing I've ever had -- so tender it didn't even require a knife. And - someone spent a lot of time on presentation and plating. The seafood course was parboiled squid that was stuffed with linguini, so it looked like a squid swimming lobster sauce. They even tied the beans together with a chive. It was lovely.
And the Vin de Glace with dessert? One of my favorites. We bought two bottles at the festival during the day and were so pleased it was on the menu!
I'm calling to get on the list for next year's dinner as soon as possible.
But the highlight was the Wine Maker's Dinner at the Chateau at Two Rivers, catered by The Cowboy and the Rose-- a seven course dinner paired with wines from Two Rivers (and other wineries). We attended this dinner last year, and it's definitely going to become a yearly event.
1st Course
Two Rivers Reisling
Salmon and Cheese
2nd Course
Two Rivers Merlot
Red Pepper Gouda Soup
Garlic Parley Soup
3d Course
Grand River Viognier
Stuffed Roma Tomato with Micro Greens, Balsamic Vinaigrette,
Mozzarella, Crispy Proscuito, Carpaccio
Intermezzo
Black Currant Sorbet
4th Course
Slate Point Pinot Gris
Squid ink Linguini Stuffed Calamari w/Lobster Sauce,
Baby Zucchini, Roasted Heirloom Tomato
5th Course
Two River Syrah
Smoked Quail with Dried Cherry Sauce, Purple Potato, Quinoa
and Pearled Onion
6th Course
Two River Vitners Blend
Buffalo Tenderloin with Cabernet Sauce
Hericot-Vert beans, and Baby Carrots
7th Course
Garfield Estates Vin de Glace
Key Lime Pudding Cake with Guava and Raspberry Puree
and Grilled Pineapple
And the Vin de Glace with dessert? One of my favorites. We bought two bottles at the festival during the day and were so pleased it was on the menu!
I'm calling to get on the list for next year's dinner as soon as possible.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Threat Level Orange
We are in Grand Junction at the Colorado Wine Festival, enjoying a weekend of sloth and gluttony (lovely wine, lovely food, chocolate, you name it!) and went out to dinner tonight at The Winery Restaurant downtown, which was recommended by my in-laws, who were out in Grand Junction two weeks ago.Neat place, in a 100 year old firehouse, good food. We were not familiar with the fish that was offered as the special for the night - escolar. We asked what it was and the waiter told us it was a mild white fish, "much like tuna". Huh? Tuna is anything but a light white fish, so The Adorable Husband pulled out the handy-dandy interwebs on his iPhone and looked it up.
This fish should really be called Horrible Orange Explodey Butt fish. Seriously. It's banned in Japan and wikipedia has the following to say about eating it:
Like its relative the oilfish (Ruvettus pretiosus), it cannot metabolize the wax esters (Gempylotoxin) naturally found in its diet, which accumulates to give an oil content in the muscle meat of 18–21%. These wax esters may rapidly cause gastrointestinal symptoms following consumption; however, these effects are usually short lived.
The gastrointestinal symptoms, called "keriorrhoea", caused by these wax esters may include oily orange diarrhea, discharge, or leakage from the rectum that may smell of mineral oil. The discharge can stain clothing and occur without warning 30 minutes to 36 hours after consuming the fish. The oil may pool in the rectum and cause frequent urges for bowel movements due to its lubricant qualities and may be accidentally discharged by the passing of gas. Symptoms may occur over a period of one or more days. Other symptoms may include stomach cramps, loose bowel movements, diarrhea, headaches, nausea, and vomiting.
Oh, fun! That sounds like something I'd like to eat, yummy! It should come with a warning. A bright orange warning sticker or something.
To be fair, of course, the solution is strict portion control and cooking by grilling or some other method to reduce the oil, which is how this was offered. We kept looking over at the table sitting next to us and wondering if we should share our Wikipedia knowledge with them as they considered the special.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Where's Waldo?
Oh, this made me chuckle a bit.
Notice a distinct lack of the current president hitting the stump for Republican nominees? That he didn't speak at the convention? It's not really a coincidence, according to Bloomberg news.
Notice a distinct lack of the current president hitting the stump for Republican nominees? That he didn't speak at the convention? It's not really a coincidence, according to Bloomberg news.
The president, who toured the Beijing Olympics last month, spent more time in front of cameras with the U.S. women's beach volleyball team than he has lately with the Republican nominee.It seems that poor Dubya is considered a liability. He's still the Fund Raiser in Chief -- and as a money-maker, he does a bang-up job-- but no one really wants to be seen with him. Everyone is desperately trying to avoid being linked to the current administration.
Queen of Klutziness
Behold me! Queen of the Klutz People! Unable to walk in her own backyard!
So, I tripped in a hole in the backyard, twisting my right ankle.
Which flung me willy-nilly into one of the big sprinkler heads with the exact center of my left kneecap and twisted my knee. It's possibly sprained. Swelled up like a canteloupe.
So I can't really walk well, my knee hurts, my ankle hurts. I can't drive (no clutching for me).
Ta-da!
So, I tripped in a hole in the backyard, twisting my right ankle.
Which flung me willy-nilly into one of the big sprinkler heads with the exact center of my left kneecap and twisted my knee. It's possibly sprained. Swelled up like a canteloupe.
So I can't really walk well, my knee hurts, my ankle hurts. I can't drive (no clutching for me).
Ta-da!
Diagram that Sentence
“Disapointed that taxpayers are called upon to bailout another one,” she said. “Certainly AIG though with the construction bonds that they’re holding and with the insurance that they are holding very, very impactful to Americans so you know the shot that has been called by the Feds its understandable but very, very disappointing that taxpayers are called upon for another one.”I'll give $50 bucks to anyone who can actually diagram that sentence.
Yeah, I know, it's a bit ridiculous, but we have to have fun somehow!
AIG bailout
It's been an interesting week at work -- or, well, interesting for my client I guess. They do the bulk of their business with AIG insurance and have been fielding calls from panicking clients wanting to know what's going to happen with their insurance.
And left us twiddling our thumbs for a bit, since the new system we wrote is customized specifically for AIG business and would need to be changed/de-linked if AIG disappeared or was downgraded to such a credit risk that they could no longer do business with them. There were some very tense calls ysterday. I don't think we've seen the whole fallout yet, but it was certaining an up-close-and-personal view of how this was happening.
Fun, too, to listen to the politicians trying to make hay on this one. McCain claimed (wrongly) that his committee (the Commerce committee) was in the thick of things and could affect change -- which is 100% wrong, by the way, commerce is specifically excluded from the banking and finance industries) and, even better, that he (McCain) had warned about this coming mortgage crisis and his prescience simply went unheeded. Which is also wrong. Just before the primary, he was talking about how he didn't see this coming and really didn't understand the forces at work. I didn't hear Barack's speech, I'l lhave to go listen to it online, I guess. I do know that he talked about mortgage relief and new bankruptcy laws, but I don't know the details.
It looks like the government is going to bail them out -- o the tune of 85 billion dollars -- in order to keep that sector in finance from collapsing completely. It was not a sure thing -- and may still be in the works -- but here's hoping that it stabilizes things.
And left us twiddling our thumbs for a bit, since the new system we wrote is customized specifically for AIG business and would need to be changed/de-linked if AIG disappeared or was downgraded to such a credit risk that they could no longer do business with them. There were some very tense calls ysterday. I don't think we've seen the whole fallout yet, but it was certaining an up-close-and-personal view of how this was happening.
Fun, too, to listen to the politicians trying to make hay on this one. McCain claimed (wrongly) that his committee (the Commerce committee) was in the thick of things and could affect change -- which is 100% wrong, by the way, commerce is specifically excluded from the banking and finance industries) and, even better, that he (McCain) had warned about this coming mortgage crisis and his prescience simply went unheeded. Which is also wrong. Just before the primary, he was talking about how he didn't see this coming and really didn't understand the forces at work. I didn't hear Barack's speech, I'l lhave to go listen to it online, I guess. I do know that he talked about mortgage relief and new bankruptcy laws, but I don't know the details.
It looks like the government is going to bail them out -- o the tune of 85 billion dollars -- in order to keep that sector in finance from collapsing completely. It was not a sure thing -- and may still be in the works -- but here's hoping that it stabilizes things.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Taxes as a primary issue
One of the issues that is bandied about a lot in this political season are "tax cuts" - everyone wants tax cuts, everyone thinks they pay too much tax. However, everyone I talk to seems to think that the Republicans will always do better than the democrats -- I suppose that's true, if you're in the top 4% or so of earners. Otherwise, the myth of the middle-class-tax-cut by the Republicans is just that - a myth. Most voters believe that Obama will "raise their taxes", which is more a nod to the success of the Republican campaign to paint it that way, than any real numbers. In fact, for nearly everyone I have talked to about taxes, they are not sure or are misinformed about what the impact really is.
Now this is not a complete picture - we're talking only about SS and income taxes, but CNN Money did a very clear analysis of what a 2009 tax bill would be for each income bracket, if either Obama's plan or McCain's plan were implemented. (Note that this assumes the whole shebang - which is probably unlikely in either case).
In general, if you make > 150K household income, your bill will be lower under McCain's plan. If you make less than that -- like 95% of the country -- then Obama's plan will be better for you.
Now this is not a complete picture - we're talking only about SS and income taxes, but CNN Money did a very clear analysis of what a 2009 tax bill would be for each income bracket, if either Obama's plan or McCain's plan were implemented. (Note that this assumes the whole shebang - which is probably unlikely in either case).
In general, if you make > 150K household income, your bill will be lower under McCain's plan. If you make less than that -- like 95% of the country -- then Obama's plan will be better for you.
The summary of the tax plans is usually explained as:MCCAIN OBAMA
Income Avg. tax bill Avg. tax bill
Over $2.9M -$269,364 +$701,885
$603K and up -$45,361 +$115,974
$227K-$603K -$7,871 +$12
$161K-$227K -$4,380 -$2,789
$112K-$161K -$2,614 -$2,204
$66K-$112K -$1,009 -$1,290
$38K-$66K -$319 -$1,042
$19K-$38K -$113 -$892
Under $19K -$19 -$567
McCain: The average taxpayer in every income group would see a lower tax bill, but high-income taxpayers would benefit more than everyone else.
Obama: High-income taxpayers would pay more in taxes, while everyone else's tax bill would be reduced. Those who benefit the most - in terms of reducing their taxes as a percentage of after-tax income - are in the lowest income groups.
The data is supported By the Tax Policy Center research -- a long, detailed analysis of the proposed plans. It's well worth a read and is probably far more detailed than most people would need, but it is the best source I've found so far for unbiased information. I'm still not entirely sure I understand all the details!
But let's also keep in mind that McCain plans to end the largest tax break that affects every working American -- he proposes to remove the exemption for health insurance (currently paid for with pre-tax dollars for over 60 million workers) and apply income tax to that amount.
In general, though, those of us over the cutoff point are likely to see a tax increase (really the revocation or non-renewal of the Bush tax cuts, if I understand correctly) back to the levels before 2000, and those in the lower tax brackets will see a cut. The bunch of people who are comfortable and making 100K-ish, are probably more in the gray area- maybe better, maybe worse, depending on the rest of the pictures (dependents, etc).
Saturday, September 13, 2008
SNL
You have GOT to see the opening from SNL - Tina Fey does such a spot-on impression of Palin that it's almost eerie. For just a second, I actually thought they'd gotten the real deal! Pohler's Hillary is good, too, and the opening is absolutely hysterical.
Tina Fey has her own show now, and it was a coup of monumental proportions to get her in.
Here's the video from Hulu.
Tina Fey has her own show now, and it was a coup of monumental proportions to get her in.
Here's the video from Hulu.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Freakiest Cake Ever
You all know I love to read the Cakewrecks blog, it's all good snark.But this. This thing. Eeeu.
THIS has to be the most disturbing, gross, disgusting cake ever. Yes, it IS a cake. A groom's cake at a wedding, no less. I mean, the decorator was gifted, but...WHY?
I don't think I could eat this. I don't even want to look at it.
[image from cakewrecks]
We're still here!
Well, the new Hadron Collider has been tested, and despite some fears that it would actually destroy the earth, we're all still here. There were actually worries that this test could trigger a black hole that would swallow the earth, or something.
But so far, the tests have been going well.
Well, they haven't actually bashed anything together yet, I guess, but you can check out the liveblog here, from the folks at Cosmic Variance.
But so far, the tests have been going well.
Well, they haven't actually bashed anything together yet, I guess, but you can check out the liveblog here, from the folks at Cosmic Variance.
Bad Credit Ads
I really dislike the FreeCreditReport.com ads - you know, with the weird-looking guy singing about how he has to live in his in-laws basement because his new wife has bad credit, or he has to drive a jalopy becuase he didn't check his credit first? They are SO ANNOYING.
I do, however, hate him less now that I know he's a French Canadian actor lipsynching to words he doesn't really understand (he's not fluent in English).
That makes them sort of charming, in a weird way.
I do, however, hate him less now that I know he's a French Canadian actor lipsynching to words he doesn't really understand (he's not fluent in English).
That makes them sort of charming, in a weird way.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
It's about Time!
Lieberman has been kicked out of the Democratic caucus lunches and meetings. Considering that he's one of the Republican's biggest cheerleaders (and spoke at the RNC, and not in support of the democratic candidate), all I can say is, it's about time.
He became and "independent" because he couldn't get support for a presidential nod from the Dems, but at least said he was going to caucus --and thus support -- the Democrats. But the reality has been quite different. Old Joe has an ideology far closer to the R than the D, if you ask me, and apparently this was the last straw. He had ceased to be a "colleague" for quite awhile.
Of course, his people say he voluntarily left. Not true. Reid booted him. Hah!
He became and "independent" because he couldn't get support for a presidential nod from the Dems, but at least said he was going to caucus --and thus support -- the Democrats. But the reality has been quite different. Old Joe has an ideology far closer to the R than the D, if you ask me, and apparently this was the last straw. He had ceased to be a "colleague" for quite awhile.
Of course, his people say he voluntarily left. Not true. Reid booted him. Hah!
Technically Ethical
While this is technically allowed, I wouldn't feel to terribly comfortable charging expenses to my client for a night that I spent at home, in my own bed, working from my own desk. This is something I do often, so it's not a hypothetical in my case: I'd have no problem expensing the travel from home to work site, but expenses while at home? Uh, no.
This seems backwards. Rules or no rules, it seems very odd. What's the scoop elsewhere for government servants?
This is permitted in Alaska (I assume because of the vast distances involved and sparcity of population centers), but the previous Governer had the same travel patterns and didn't claim the expenses for working from home. Do any others?
This seems backwards. Rules or no rules, it seems very odd. What's the scoop elsewhere for government servants?
This is permitted in Alaska (I assume because of the vast distances involved and sparcity of population centers), but the previous Governer had the same travel patterns and didn't claim the expenses for working from home. Do any others?
Monday, September 08, 2008
Can't have it both ways
Declaring that clergy “have a constitutional right to endorse political candidates from their pulpits, the socially conservative Alliance Defense Fund is recruiting several dozen pastors to do just that on Sept. 28, in defiance of Internal Revenue Service rules.” [TP]Yes, of course they do - they can pretty much say whatever they want to in church. Endorse a candidate, go ahead. I fully support churches exercising their right to free speech from their own pulpits.
But then, of course, they must lose the lovely federal tax exemption that they have gladly accepted, on the condition that they do not act in a political manner. As soon as they give up their tax exempt status, go for it.Say whatever you want.
Can't have it both ways. Become a political entity - pay taxes, like every other political entity. Churches should get no special treatment.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Scottish/Celtic Festival
We actually managed to catch the last day of the Scottish/Celtic Festival in Estes Park, CO today -- what fun! The weather was perfect, the drive up was lovely, and we had the chance to listen to the massed pipe band, military bands from the Navy and West Point(including the "Party Band" from the Marine Corp and over a hundred bagpipers playing Amazing Grace and Scotland the Brave.
There were a ton of people. Watching all the men in kilts was a nice afternoon's work, and we even got to see some caber tossing.
I'll post some pics as soon as I can snag them off the camera!
There were a ton of people. Watching all the men in kilts was a nice afternoon's work, and we even got to see some caber tossing.
I'll post some pics as soon as I can snag them off the camera!
Talking about who?
"You know that choices presidential nominees make for a running mate say a lot about them," Palin said. "And when our opponent made his choice, he went for a fine man, a decent man. Sen. Biden can claim many chairmanships across many many years in Washington, and certainly many friends in the Washinton establishment. But even those admirers would not be able to call him agent of change."--Sarah Palin, 9/6/08.
Hey! Doesn't that description - "many years in Washington...many friends in the washington establishment" also describe McCain?
Perfectly?
I guess McCain can't be an agent of change, either.
Gobbledegook
I wonder where the video is of Palin speaking in tongues. Wouldn't that play well with the Republican base?
Until a few years ago (when she got involved in politics and was apparently looking for something a bit more mainstream, I guess), she was a member of the pentacostal church- specifically, Assembly of God.
Speaking in tongues is one of the sixteen fundamental truths of her faith.
Until a few years ago (when she got involved in politics and was apparently looking for something a bit more mainstream, I guess), she was a member of the pentacostal church- specifically, Assembly of God.
Speaking in tongues is one of the sixteen fundamental truths of her faith.
8. The Initial Physical Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit - The baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is witnessed by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance. (Acts 2:4). The speaking in tongues in this instance is the same in essence as the gift of tongues, but is different in purpose and use. (1 Corinthians 12:4-10, 1 Corinthians 12:28)That's way too crazy. Not too much in common with the regular mainstream evangelicals. That sort of weirdness starts pinging even their weird-o-meter. No wonder the campaign is downplaying her actual religious beliefs and peddling this soft-sell "shes just like you" schtick.
Friday, September 05, 2008
We may Starve
For the past few months, the Adorable Husband and I have been going to Entree Vous and getting frozen entrees for about half of the month, so we can eat at home more. With our schedules, we usually end up going out too much, or eating crap at home, since neither one of us really has the energy or inclination to cook anything.
Enter Entres Vous (or Supper Solutions, or any of the other 'come and make it here and bring it home'-types of meal services.) Good meal options, good price, the convenience of a 30-minute dinner prep. Pick something out of the fridge, and bake or grill. Love it!
We haven't had anything yet that we didn't really like -- you can view their monthly menus here-- and it's a great solution for just the two us. We stock up on frozen veggies (or fresh in the summer) and voila! Dinner.
But the one near us CLOSED! They apparently closed three of the five franchises in Denver! There is still one in Superior, but it's not convenient.
What a ridiculously tiny first-world sort of problem, eh? The company that prepares and packages my fresh dinners for me, is not convenient anymore.
It is to weep! Pity me.
Enter Entres Vous (or Supper Solutions, or any of the other 'come and make it here and bring it home'-types of meal services.) Good meal options, good price, the convenience of a 30-minute dinner prep. Pick something out of the fridge, and bake or grill. Love it!
We haven't had anything yet that we didn't really like -- you can view their monthly menus here-- and it's a great solution for just the two us. We stock up on frozen veggies (or fresh in the summer) and voila! Dinner.
But the one near us CLOSED! They apparently closed three of the five franchises in Denver! There is still one in Superior, but it's not convenient.
What a ridiculously tiny first-world sort of problem, eh? The company that prepares and packages my fresh dinners for me, is not convenient anymore.
It is to weep! Pity me.
Fighting for the LIttle Guy
Obama asks:
Yeah, McCain gets it! He understands the little person, the common man who makes less than $5 million a year and invests in real estate!
I'm feeling the love, I really am.
The question I have for them is Why would that kind of work (community organizer) be ridiculous? Who are they fighting for? What are they advocating for?
McCain answers:
I fight for Americans. I fight for you. I fight for Bill and Sue Nebe from Farmington Hills, Michigan, who lost their real estate investments in the bad housing market.THIS is who he fights for? They lost their real estate investments? That doesn't even compute to the average American. The bad housing market has pushed people out of their homes, and the best example he can come up with is someone who lost real-estate investments? And, oh wait, appears to be in the real estate business?
Yeah, McCain gets it! He understands the little person, the common man who makes less than $5 million a year and invests in real estate!
I'm feeling the love, I really am.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Roomba Competition?
From Cuteoverload, a fun place to spend a few minutes if you're stressed out by all this political stuff.
I'm pretty sure this is a bunny. Or maybe a cat...
Used Food
This made me laugh today (another from Failblog.org) because we once had a store in town that sold slightly-expired food stuffs and damaged goods. Dented cans, week-old bread, that sort of stuff.
We used to call it the "Used Food Store".
All we Deserve to Know
The teleprompter did NOT break during Palin's speech last night, as was reported by a few right-wing bloggers, touting her extraordinary memory and grace under pressure. She's a smooth speaker, I'll give her that, but she wasn't "winging it", like the 'pubs would have you believe.
Geesh.
Of course, the McCain campaign announced today that she won't be doing any interviews or any unscripted events at all -- she'll just read speeches that are written for her by the campaign over the next few weeks; once she gets back into the campaign at all after going to "school", I guess. Wow, they must have a lot of respect and confidence in her abilities, eh?
We'll be carefully told everything we need to know about her, in a carefully choreographed manner. Apparently, being able to give a speech is qualification enough, and we don't "need" to know what her positions are or what she knows.
Geesh.
Of course, the McCain campaign announced today that she won't be doing any interviews or any unscripted events at all -- she'll just read speeches that are written for her by the campaign over the next few weeks; once she gets back into the campaign at all after going to "school", I guess. Wow, they must have a lot of respect and confidence in her abilities, eh?
We'll be carefully told everything we need to know about her, in a carefully choreographed manner. Apparently, being able to give a speech is qualification enough, and we don't "need" to know what her positions are or what she knows.
According to Nicole Wallace of the McCain campaign, the American people don't care whether Sarah Palin can answer specific questions about foreign and domestic policy. According to Wallace -- in an appearance I did with her this morning on Joe Scarborough's show -- the American people will learn all they need to know (and all they deserve to know) from Palin's scripted speeches and choreographed appearances on the campaign trail and in campaign ads.I don't know about you, but that attitude scares me. Shouldn't we expect transparency and substance from our politicians? I know I do.
[from TIME.com - go watch the video]
Turning off CNN
Sorry for the ranting in the previous couple of posts about politics. I made the mistake of turning on CNN for the last few days to catch the highlights of the conventions.
It all just pisses me off so much that I'm instituting a self-imposed news moratorium. I get nauseated watching the RNC, frustrated watching the DNC, and end up yelling at the lies and fakery of political ads. I feel sorry for any canvassers or telephone polls that call here, it isn't pretty. I don't think I've ever been this angry about politics -- I just can't imagine another four years like the last eight. I just can't.
So, while I may watch the news and such, I'll try not to actually post much here. You all can do your own reading and watching and fact checking.
It all just pisses me off so much that I'm instituting a self-imposed news moratorium. I get nauseated watching the RNC, frustrated watching the DNC, and end up yelling at the lies and fakery of political ads. I feel sorry for any canvassers or telephone polls that call here, it isn't pretty. I don't think I've ever been this angry about politics -- I just can't imagine another four years like the last eight. I just can't.
So, while I may watch the news and such, I'll try not to actually post much here. You all can do your own reading and watching and fact checking.
It's all just Truthiness
Truthout.org goes through the lies in the speeches last night at the RNC convention.
If I hear the "I opposed the bridge-to-nowhere" one more time, I'm going to scream. No, she didn't. And when it was finally killed, Alaska kept all the money for 'other projects'. Didn't save a penny there. And as for the new talking point about "command experience" -- nope. She has never issued any orders to the Alaska National Guard - she can't. While she has limited control over their deployment for in-state emergencies, those decisions are handled by the State Department (although with her approval in some cases). Once the ANG is sent overseas, the governor has absolutely no authority. Period. So all this "she's the CiC of the Guard is spin. Just stop it.
Where was the uplifting message of their vision? Where was the outline of their plans? Where was one moment of illumination of what kind of leaders these people will be? All I heard was petty snarking. Jon Stewart was right: the GOP may love America, but they hate half the people living in it. And now, the stage is set so nicely for any criticism of Palin to be "sexist" -- because they simply cannot imagine that there might be some other reason to dislike her. Oh, no, can't make any comments about her job performance, that would be picking on a poor, defenseless woman. I can't imagine how you can argue she's fit to be VP at the same time you say she needs protecting from those big, bad democrats who are going to chew her up and spit her out over policy issues and decisionmaking.
It's funny, though, since it's remarkably easy to find them arguing that other women (Hillary, for example) need to just suck it up and handle it and not cry sexism, if they want to be in politics. Are these people unaware that there are machines nowadays that can actually (gasp!) record their comments? Do they not think that the double-standard they are applying is going to be noticed? Gah.
It frightens me that there are people out there who hear this, and believe every word without checking anything on their own. Gotta fact check, people! On both sides.
If I hear the "I opposed the bridge-to-nowhere" one more time, I'm going to scream. No, she didn't. And when it was finally killed, Alaska kept all the money for 'other projects'. Didn't save a penny there. And as for the new talking point about "command experience" -- nope. She has never issued any orders to the Alaska National Guard - she can't. While she has limited control over their deployment for in-state emergencies, those decisions are handled by the State Department (although with her approval in some cases). Once the ANG is sent overseas, the governor has absolutely no authority. Period. So all this "she's the CiC of the Guard is spin. Just stop it.
Where was the uplifting message of their vision? Where was the outline of their plans? Where was one moment of illumination of what kind of leaders these people will be? All I heard was petty snarking. Jon Stewart was right: the GOP may love America, but they hate half the people living in it. And now, the stage is set so nicely for any criticism of Palin to be "sexist" -- because they simply cannot imagine that there might be some other reason to dislike her. Oh, no, can't make any comments about her job performance, that would be picking on a poor, defenseless woman. I can't imagine how you can argue she's fit to be VP at the same time you say she needs protecting from those big, bad democrats who are going to chew her up and spit her out over policy issues and decisionmaking.
It's funny, though, since it's remarkably easy to find them arguing that other women (Hillary, for example) need to just suck it up and handle it and not cry sexism, if they want to be in politics. Are these people unaware that there are machines nowadays that can actually (gasp!) record their comments? Do they not think that the double-standard they are applying is going to be noticed? Gah.
It frightens me that there are people out there who hear this, and believe every word without checking anything on their own. Gotta fact check, people! On both sides.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Low Crawling
So, as I noted earlier in the 'new carpet' post, we have decided that the carpeted living room and dining a room are off-limits to Uulaq when we're gone. For the moment, we've just put two of the kitchen chairs across the entry to the living room and are keeping the dining room door closed.
It works beautifully for Uulaq.
However, I walked out this morning to see Berit happily chewing a bone in the living room. Oh, says I, how did you get in there?
Well, she proceeded to show me -- low crawling under the kitchen chair, while wagging maniacally. She was SO PROUD of herself. (It's a really blurry picture, she moves pretty fast!)
It works beautifully for Uulaq.
However, I walked out this morning to see Berit happily chewing a bone in the living room. Oh, says I, how did you get in there?
Well, she proceeded to show me -- low crawling under the kitchen chair, while wagging maniacally. She was SO PROUD of herself. (It's a really blurry picture, she moves pretty fast!)
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Is anyone watching?
I'm sure these "claims" by the Republican speakers last night will start the email rounds soon.
Yes, taxes will go up -- if you make more than 250K a year. While that probably does affect the delegates at the convention, it doesn't touch 95% of the people who vote republican. Neither income nor capital gains taxes would affect them. And, of course, closing corporate tax loopholes will piss off a big part of the Republican support base. So, technically true fpr about 5% of the people, but certainly not the gasping, breathless threat of "Obama will raise YOUR taxes" that is presented. Unless, well, the RNC assumes that everyone is making that much money.
Never reached across the aisle. Flat-out false. He worked with Sen. Coburn to track Federal spending, and with Sen. Lugar on a non-proliferation Law, among others. Maybe he didn't reach across the aisle to agree wholeheartedly with the Republicans, but to say he does not work with the other side is false. Then again, for the last eight years, bipartisan meant agreeing with the Republicans and Bush. I don't know how much of Obama's speech on "working together" we can take as face value, I hope it's true.
And cut funding for troops? Well, I suppose you could spin it that way -- if by not voting on an appropriations and military funding bill that didn't include some sort of plan to withdraw from Iraq (as did many other Senators) is "voting against funding for the troops" . That's skating on pretty thin ice. If that's the criteria, we should take a look at the stuff that everyone else has "voted against" in the past-- like voting against funding education when it's got to much pork attached to it that it's a farce, or voting against veterans because the law didn't include enough support for huge spending increases in other areas. But, spin is everything. Characterizing this as a vote against the troops is misleading -- especially since there is a huge double standard here.
Then again, the fact that legislation is often festooned with various and unrelated bits of law -- funding pork barrel projects in a social security bill, adding wording to ban a contraceptive in a law creating parkland, that sort of thing. Have you ever read the bills proposed? By the time they make it through committee, most of them have a few pages of special legislation added. Can't veto a bill the funds the government for another year just because you don't like a line item that provides funding for something else -- or maybe you do, then you are criticized for shutting down government. Maybe the first law that everyone should consider is that every single line in a bill has to have the same topic.
And, if we want to look at "not supporting the troops" lets not lose sight of the fact that the current administration has refused to support pay increases, GI bill expansion, and has cut funding for VA hospitals among other things. What, you say? Well, that's just spin as well, isn't it? He didn't "cut" funding, he just didn't allocate as much as was requested; but he did strongly oppose raises and increased benefits for our troops, is that "voting against our troops"? What about opposing the GI bill? Pot, meet kettle.
And as for Palin having "more experience", that is laughable. Oh, wait, they're touting her "executive experience'. Apparently being governor of a state with the population of Memphis, TN is awfully important, and being the mayor of a town with 7K people has given her so much more experience than someone who has taught constitutional law, been a sendator in Illinois for eight years, and a US senator for four - and on the Foreign Relations Committee --....but wait! They are claiming Palin has foreign affairs experience because she lived near Russia. And she has command experience as CiC of the National Guard in Alaska (which is untrue, but the way - the governer has extremely limited powers to control the ANG) Oh! And she was in the PTA. And John McCain is a POW? Who knew? (please inject as much sarcasm as you can into that particular sentence. It seems to be trotted out against every criticism.)
Gah. I need to stop listening to CNN during the day. I avoided all but the final acceptance speech of the Democratic Convention, I should certainly stay away from the Republican one, or I'm going to be a Miss Bitchypants for the next week or so.
- OBAMA WILL RAISE TAXES
- OBAMA NEVER REACHED ACROSS THE AISLE ON ANY PIECE OF LEGISLATION
- PALIN HAS MORE EXPERIENCE THAN OBAMA
- OBAMA CUT OFF FUNDING FOR OUR TROOPS ON THE BATTLEFIELD
Yes, taxes will go up -- if you make more than 250K a year. While that probably does affect the delegates at the convention, it doesn't touch 95% of the people who vote republican. Neither income nor capital gains taxes would affect them. And, of course, closing corporate tax loopholes will piss off a big part of the Republican support base. So, technically true fpr about 5% of the people, but certainly not the gasping, breathless threat of "Obama will raise YOUR taxes" that is presented. Unless, well, the RNC assumes that everyone is making that much money.
Never reached across the aisle. Flat-out false. He worked with Sen. Coburn to track Federal spending, and with Sen. Lugar on a non-proliferation Law, among others. Maybe he didn't reach across the aisle to agree wholeheartedly with the Republicans, but to say he does not work with the other side is false. Then again, for the last eight years, bipartisan meant agreeing with the Republicans and Bush. I don't know how much of Obama's speech on "working together" we can take as face value, I hope it's true.
And cut funding for troops? Well, I suppose you could spin it that way -- if by not voting on an appropriations and military funding bill that didn't include some sort of plan to withdraw from Iraq (as did many other Senators) is "voting against funding for the troops" . That's skating on pretty thin ice. If that's the criteria, we should take a look at the stuff that everyone else has "voted against" in the past-- like voting against funding education when it's got to much pork attached to it that it's a farce, or voting against veterans because the law didn't include enough support for huge spending increases in other areas. But, spin is everything. Characterizing this as a vote against the troops is misleading -- especially since there is a huge double standard here.
Then again, the fact that legislation is often festooned with various and unrelated bits of law -- funding pork barrel projects in a social security bill, adding wording to ban a contraceptive in a law creating parkland, that sort of thing. Have you ever read the bills proposed? By the time they make it through committee, most of them have a few pages of special legislation added. Can't veto a bill the funds the government for another year just because you don't like a line item that provides funding for something else -- or maybe you do, then you are criticized for shutting down government. Maybe the first law that everyone should consider is that every single line in a bill has to have the same topic.
And, if we want to look at "not supporting the troops" lets not lose sight of the fact that the current administration has refused to support pay increases, GI bill expansion, and has cut funding for VA hospitals among other things. What, you say? Well, that's just spin as well, isn't it? He didn't "cut" funding, he just didn't allocate as much as was requested; but he did strongly oppose raises and increased benefits for our troops, is that "voting against our troops"? What about opposing the GI bill? Pot, meet kettle.
And as for Palin having "more experience", that is laughable. Oh, wait, they're touting her "executive experience'. Apparently being governor of a state with the population of Memphis, TN is awfully important, and being the mayor of a town with 7K people has given her so much more experience than someone who has taught constitutional law, been a sendator in Illinois for eight years, and a US senator for four - and on the Foreign Relations Committee --....but wait! They are claiming Palin has foreign affairs experience because she lived near Russia. And she has command experience as CiC of the National Guard in Alaska (which is untrue, but the way - the governer has extremely limited powers to control the ANG) Oh! And she was in the PTA. And John McCain is a POW? Who knew? (please inject as much sarcasm as you can into that particular sentence. It seems to be trotted out against every criticism.)
Gah. I need to stop listening to CNN during the day. I avoided all but the final acceptance speech of the Democratic Convention, I should certainly stay away from the Republican one, or I'm going to be a Miss Bitchypants for the next week or so.
New Carpet
We finally succumbed. We've talked about recarpeting the the house in the next few years -- since we've moved in, Uulaq has had issues and occassionally peed in the dining room when she's left alone. Why that room, we don't know-- maybe it's the least-used part of the house and she figured it wasn't "den".
We know that she has some physical issues that make this a common occurrence - not only is she getting older but the has some long-term damage from chronic UTIs. At any rate, we had resigned ourselves to dealing with it and responded with frequent carpet cleanings and medication to make this a bit easier. We would replace the carpet after we lost her. Sounds a bit macabre, I know, sorry.
But this weekend was particularly bad (the Adorable husband cleaned the carpets again, and the wet carpet just reeks of dog pee). Nope, we can't wait any longer. This needs to be fixed. Now.
So, off to search for carpet -- you'd think that we'd be used to this sort of endeavor by now! At least we mostly agree on color and type of carpet -- we found a lovely cafe-au-lait color twist at Carpet Mill outlets and they're coming to measure the living room and dining room today. Just the two rooms -- we'll do the rest of the house later, I think. I'm planning on extending the wood floor into my office, and we are considering bamboo flooring on the first floor.
Oy. And all this started because I decided I was tired of the 18-year-old couch.
We know that she has some physical issues that make this a common occurrence - not only is she getting older but the has some long-term damage from chronic UTIs. At any rate, we had resigned ourselves to dealing with it and responded with frequent carpet cleanings and medication to make this a bit easier. We would replace the carpet after we lost her. Sounds a bit macabre, I know, sorry.
But this weekend was particularly bad (the Adorable husband cleaned the carpets again, and the wet carpet just reeks of dog pee). Nope, we can't wait any longer. This needs to be fixed. Now.
So, off to search for carpet -- you'd think that we'd be used to this sort of endeavor by now! At least we mostly agree on color and type of carpet -- we found a lovely cafe-au-lait color twist at Carpet Mill outlets and they're coming to measure the living room and dining room today. Just the two rooms -- we'll do the rest of the house later, I think. I'm planning on extending the wood floor into my office, and we are considering bamboo flooring on the first floor.
Oy. And all this started because I decided I was tired of the 18-year-old couch.
Monday, September 01, 2008
And this was the plan?
I've heard multiple times in the past few days that McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate will "bring over the disillusioned Hillary voters" and would bring the woman voters to the republican ticket.
I'm not a particularly vehement Hillary supporter (I don't hate her, i don't like her), but would someone please explain why I would suddenly vote for McCain because he has a woman running mate? Why would I change my vote to support an anti-abortion, anti-gay-rights, anti-woman, anti-contraception, anti-science, anti-environment, anti-conservation, pro-oil, pro-corporation, dominionist, stupendously unqualified woman?
Because she has a vagina?
That's just insulting. I don't vote for someone because they share the same genitalia, I vote for them because I agree with their positions and plans. That anyone thought women would suddenly flock to the party ticket because it has (gasp!) a woman on it, is just plan idiotic. There is absolutely nothing about this woman that appeals to me as a voter. Women (and men) were not supportive of Hillary because she's a woman, they supported her because they liked her policies and views. That's going to change? Bah.
I'm sure it will appeal to some cross-section of society that was looking for a fundamentalist, religious candidate that shared their values -- but to think that women would suddenly change their minds to support her just because she's a woman, is ludicrous.
Way to make that first "presidential decision".
I'm not a particularly vehement Hillary supporter (I don't hate her, i don't like her), but would someone please explain why I would suddenly vote for McCain because he has a woman running mate? Why would I change my vote to support an anti-abortion, anti-gay-rights, anti-woman, anti-contraception, anti-science, anti-environment, anti-conservation, pro-oil, pro-corporation, dominionist, stupendously unqualified woman?
Because she has a vagina?
That's just insulting. I don't vote for someone because they share the same genitalia, I vote for them because I agree with their positions and plans. That anyone thought women would suddenly flock to the party ticket because it has (gasp!) a woman on it, is just plan idiotic. There is absolutely nothing about this woman that appeals to me as a voter. Women (and men) were not supportive of Hillary because she's a woman, they supported her because they liked her policies and views. That's going to change? Bah.
I'm sure it will appeal to some cross-section of society that was looking for a fundamentalist, religious candidate that shared their values -- but to think that women would suddenly change their minds to support her just because she's a woman, is ludicrous.
Way to make that first "presidential decision".
Friday, August 29, 2008
Someone's not getting it
Another Failblog.org entry. Someone is just not quite getting the problem....here's s proposed solution to flooding from global warming...
Um. Yeah. That's going to work. I first thought this was an attempt to be funny, but I'm not so sure anymore.I was watching inconvenient truth the other day and theres the bit where it shows the sea level rising really high and flooding most of the world. Well i live near the sea, and don’t want to drown, so i got to thinking. Maybe if we lower the sea level a bit, when the water level rises then it won’t rise high enough to flood.
Anyway, heres the plan. Everyone who can should take a bucket of sea water and pour it down the sink. If lots of people put the effort in, we could lower the sea level substantially and create a better world for our children to live
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Olympic Gold!
Something I really didn't know -- the winner of the Women's Marathon is an Erie, CO resident! She ran for her home country of Romania, but she lives in Erie!How cool!
We're alive!
We're back! Ok, I'm a bit late in starting back to the blog, but missing three days of work means it takes most of the week to catch up.
The drive wasn't actually too bad, since we avoided Iowa (with their low speed limit) and instead ran right up the side of S. Dakota and N. Dakota before driving through corn country in northern Minnesota. Pretty uneventful.
It was great to see everyone -- the nieces are great, it's fun to be able to talk to everyone, the food at the resort was terrific, and we pretty much did nothing but eat, nap, and talk. My kind of vacation!
The drive wasn't actually too bad, since we avoided Iowa (with their low speed limit) and instead ran right up the side of S. Dakota and N. Dakota before driving through corn country in northern Minnesota. Pretty uneventful.
It was great to see everyone -- the nieces are great, it's fun to be able to talk to everyone, the food at the resort was terrific, and we pretty much did nothing but eat, nap, and talk. My kind of vacation!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Off we go!
We're packing up the rest of the car and heading off for vacation -- leaving our poor housesitter alone with the Weasels.
I hope that they are good. I wrote out two pages of notes for them (like any good helicopter parent would!) with things like "WARNING: don't leave anything you want to keep on the floor" and "Don't use the front door if the dogs are loose in the house - they'll bolt out over your prone body and take off"
Cross your fingers that you don't see any horrible notes about the puppies on his blog!
We'll be back this weekend. I expect a couple of days of reading, eating good food, and hanging out with the in-laws. I can't wait to see the munchkins. Assuming we survive the drive, of course. I have about 52 hours of stuff on the ipod and enough books to keep me busy for at least a day or so. We might make it.
I hope that they are good. I wrote out two pages of notes for them (like any good helicopter parent would!) with things like "WARNING: don't leave anything you want to keep on the floor" and "Don't use the front door if the dogs are loose in the house - they'll bolt out over your prone body and take off"
Cross your fingers that you don't see any horrible notes about the puppies on his blog!
We'll be back this weekend. I expect a couple of days of reading, eating good food, and hanging out with the in-laws. I can't wait to see the munchkins. Assuming we survive the drive, of course. I have about 52 hours of stuff on the ipod and enough books to keep me busy for at least a day or so. We might make it.
Pop! Soda!
Do you drink soda, pop, coke, fizzy drink, cool drink, soft drink? As anyone knows, there is a definitely regional bias -- and someone at popvssoda has actually collated all that data.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Sony Ebook vs Kindle
Instant Gratification Girl here - I was unable to resist the lure of the shiny new Sony eBooks at Borders (with a vacation coming up, having books is critical!). My new eBook i silver, though, not the shiny spiffy red that is being offered for pre-order and not available until September. If the puppies are psychic, they were a wee bit off.
The new eBook is thinner and lighter, and they've moved the buttons a bit (and made the page-turning buttons larger). Insteadof having the numbered buttons along the buttom of the screen, they are along the side, and a small page-forward and page-back button also were moved to the side. The "peg" is gone and there is a menu button now that is much easier to deal with. They obviously put a bit more thought into the ergnomis this time.
There is also a "go to page" function (woah, was that a huge miss in the first edition), and bookmarking is much easier. Can't actually search in books, but the listing features for titles and authors is much cleaner. And - PDFs now resize and reflow in a much more readable way. All in all, a very nice upgrade.
Even if it's not red.
My MIL asked why not a Kindle, from Amazon. My FIL has one, and is very pleased with it - and it's definitely a good option. The Kindle is a wireless device, so you can download content from Amazon whereever you are, and offers searching and annotation via the little teensy keyboard on the bottom, and the ability to suck down websites and such for later use. Live access to Wikipedia, too. (hm, I might miss that).
So why not a Kindle, with all that content available? A couple of reasons (first and foremost, having downloadable books available all the time is probably not a good idea for me, the book-hoarder) -- I like the more solid feel of the Sony. The Kindle is light, but most of the case is plastic. The eBook just feels better to me, especially the way that I ted to hold it while reading.
The Kindle also has large previous-page, next-page buttons along the sides; in fact, the next page button is most of the right side of the Kindle, and every time I picked up my FIL's, I turned the page. There was no way to hold id comfortably (for me) that didn't start flipping pages at random as I shifted my hands.
I also gravitated towards the Sony because of the variety of formats that I can read - pdf, rdf, doc, bbeb, epub -- and the easy of transferring things to the reader. Having the wireless download is a great idea, but being able to easily transfer my own documents to the Reader from my computer (no emailing - and no cost) was definitely a clincher. The amount of free content out there (Gutenberg, anyone?) is amazing. New books are cheaper on the Kindle vs the Sony eBook store or other electronic books stores, but the pricing structures seem to be evening out. A big plus here is that the Reader supports the open-source ePub format, which opens up enormous vistas of other ebook formats. Well, it's always possible to use a conversion program to make .lit, mobi, epub, docs, text, and html files into the "standard" format, of course, but having so mnay options is a plus.
I think if I read more 'subscription content' -- magazines or newspapers -- that the Kindle would be a better option. As it is, that's only a tiny portion of what I read - and since I spend 70% of my day in front of the computer, it's less of an issue.
But the Wikipedia access is pretty cool. I wonder does that work outside of the US?
The new eBook is thinner and lighter, and they've moved the buttons a bit (and made the page-turning buttons larger). Insteadof having the numbered buttons along the buttom of the screen, they are along the side, and a small page-forward and page-back button also were moved to the side. The "peg" is gone and there is a menu button now that is much easier to deal with. They obviously put a bit more thought into the ergnomis this time.
There is also a "go to page" function (woah, was that a huge miss in the first edition), and bookmarking is much easier. Can't actually search in books, but the listing features for titles and authors is much cleaner. And - PDFs now resize and reflow in a much more readable way. All in all, a very nice upgrade.
Even if it's not red.
My MIL asked why not a Kindle, from Amazon. My FIL has one, and is very pleased with it - and it's definitely a good option. The Kindle is a wireless device, so you can download content from Amazon whereever you are, and offers searching and annotation via the little teensy keyboard on the bottom, and the ability to suck down websites and such for later use. Live access to Wikipedia, too. (hm, I might miss that).
So why not a Kindle, with all that content available? A couple of reasons (first and foremost, having downloadable books available all the time is probably not a good idea for me, the book-hoarder) -- I like the more solid feel of the Sony. The Kindle is light, but most of the case is plastic. The eBook just feels better to me, especially the way that I ted to hold it while reading.
The Kindle also has large previous-page, next-page buttons along the sides; in fact, the next page button is most of the right side of the Kindle, and every time I picked up my FIL's, I turned the page. There was no way to hold id comfortably (for me) that didn't start flipping pages at random as I shifted my hands.
I also gravitated towards the Sony because of the variety of formats that I can read - pdf, rdf, doc, bbeb, epub -- and the easy of transferring things to the reader. Having the wireless download is a great idea, but being able to easily transfer my own documents to the Reader from my computer (no emailing - and no cost) was definitely a clincher. The amount of free content out there (Gutenberg, anyone?) is amazing. New books are cheaper on the Kindle vs the Sony eBook store or other electronic books stores, but the pricing structures seem to be evening out. A big plus here is that the Reader supports the open-source ePub format, which opens up enormous vistas of other ebook formats. Well, it's always possible to use a conversion program to make .lit, mobi, epub, docs, text, and html files into the "standard" format, of course, but having so mnay options is a plus.
I think if I read more 'subscription content' -- magazines or newspapers -- that the Kindle would be a better option. As it is, that's only a tiny portion of what I read - and since I spend 70% of my day in front of the computer, it's less of an issue.
But the Wikipedia access is pretty cool. I wonder does that work outside of the US?
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Coincidence?
The bookreader is dead. Fully charged, and it won't turn on. I think they chewed down hard enough on the power button that it's just not functional. Dead. Bricked. I am pissed.
However, a slightly frightening thought occurred to me as I sat at my desk today, fending off the attempts of the puppies to get back into my good graces.
The puppies may be psychic.
They just KNEW that I had earlier today seen this lovely vision in red, and decided that if they destroyed my existing book reader, I would have to upgrade to the Sangria Red new version. It does pdfs better and handles larger documents better than my bleeding-edge-adopter version.
How did they know?
However, a slightly frightening thought occurred to me as I sat at my desk today, fending off the attempts of the puppies to get back into my good graces.
The puppies may be psychic.
They just KNEW that I had earlier today seen this lovely vision in red, and decided that if they destroyed my existing book reader, I would have to upgrade to the Sangria Red new version. It does pdfs better and handles larger documents better than my bleeding-edge-adopter version.
How did they know?
Want a free puppy?
I'll ship them in a small box. Very small. Perhaps without air holes.
They CHEWED UP MY BOOKREADER this morning while we went out. Ate the leather cover and CHEWED THE READER. I am fit to be tied.
It was on my desk, and while within reach, they had to work to get it off of my desk to chew it. BAD BAD BAD PUPPIES! BAD!
I'm still charging it up to see if it works at all.
The puppies, after being yelled at and chased from the house with the chewed up bookreader, are now skulking around and hiding in the living room.
They had been so good lately. No destruction.
BAD PUPPIES!
They CHEWED UP MY BOOKREADER this morning while we went out. Ate the leather cover and CHEWED THE READER. I am fit to be tied.
It was on my desk, and while within reach, they had to work to get it off of my desk to chew it. BAD BAD BAD PUPPIES! BAD!
I'm still charging it up to see if it works at all.
The puppies, after being yelled at and chased from the house with the chewed up bookreader, are now skulking around and hiding in the living room.
They had been so good lately. No destruction.
BAD PUPPIES!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
More redecorating news
The living room/dining room redo continues apace: we agreed on drapes (crimsom taffeta), drapery rods (doorknob finials), and are expecting the new furniture in the next week or so! While we will apparently negotiate for months on what do to, once we decide, we can run with it!
The only hiccup in the plan is that I bought a clock that I absolutely love, to hang above the fireplace, and the Adorable husband loathes it. Right now, with my fabulous love of the clock and his hatred of the clock, we are at about even. While I've told him that if he really hates it that much, that I'd return it, but so far, it's still on the mantel, awaiting hanging.
You can vote - click for a larger image. It's a huge clock (28").
Anyways, we found the drapes we love at BedBath and Beyond, so they aren't hundreds of dollars apiece, and they look fabulous. I can't wait for the furniture to show up.
Of course, not all is perfect: I can't get the drapery rods for the big windows until the middle of October some time (backordered), and we haven't found an ottoman yet that we both like, but it is all coming together.
The only hiccup in the plan is that I bought a clock that I absolutely love, to hang above the fireplace, and the Adorable husband loathes it. Right now, with my fabulous love of the clock and his hatred of the clock, we are at about even. While I've told him that if he really hates it that much, that I'd return it, but so far, it's still on the mantel, awaiting hanging.You can vote - click for a larger image. It's a huge clock (28").
Anyways, we found the drapes we love at BedBath and Beyond, so they aren't hundreds of dollars apiece, and they look fabulous. I can't wait for the furniture to show up.
Of course, not all is perfect: I can't get the drapery rods for the big windows until the middle of October some time (backordered), and we haven't found an ottoman yet that we both like, but it is all coming together.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Don't Think About It
Hopefully, everyone will find this as funny as I did. I just barked out with laughter, scaring the puppies.More weirdness at xkcd, too.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Squeeeee!
My website on the Egyptian pharaohs has at least one page listed in the Encylopaedia Britannica website as an "outside link" -- my page on Pepi I! How cool is that! The website wants you to join/try a free trial, but you can see the link on the page if you squint a little bit.
At least I know that someone else has looked at the pages, not just me!
A couple of years ago, the UK site for History Channel listed the general website as a resource for their Lesson plans for a show on Egypt. Who'd have thought all that "scope creep" was useful?
At least I know that someone else has looked at the pages, not just me!
A couple of years ago, the UK site for History Channel listed the general website as a resource for their Lesson plans for a show on Egypt. Who'd have thought all that "scope creep" was useful?
McCain and Paris
Perhaps, if you are going to criticize your Democratic opponent as being a know-nothing, self-important,. useless rock-star celebrity like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, you ought to make sure that the celebrities in question aren't, you know....Republicans. The kind that support...um, you.
The Hilton family are McCain campaign donors, and have been staunch Republican supporters -- rumor has it they are furious with the ad. Spears is also a Republican supporter. Although her planned performance at the Republican convention was nixed, she's a strong supporter of those Southern, conservative values.
And the response? Well, most people are shaking their heads in disbelief that the ad was so cack-handed. But, Paris has apparently taken matters into her own hands.
You can see the video here, as well. I'm not a fan of either Paris or Britney, but I have to admit that her response is sharp and pretty damn funny.
The Hilton family are McCain campaign donors, and have been staunch Republican supporters -- rumor has it they are furious with the ad. Spears is also a Republican supporter. Although her planned performance at the Republican convention was nixed, she's a strong supporter of those Southern, conservative values.
And the response? Well, most people are shaking their heads in disbelief that the ad was so cack-handed. But, Paris has apparently taken matters into her own hands.
You can see the video here, as well. I'm not a fan of either Paris or Britney, but I have to admit that her response is sharp and pretty damn funny.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Odd Convenience
A friend send me an email with the following photo:Yup. SQUARE watermelons. The explanation is that these melons, grown in Japan, are a response to the tight spaces in Japanese refrigerators. A square melon -- grown in a hinged glass box while on the vine -- is easier to store, ship, and stack. Neat idea.
Well, neat until you realize they retail for about eighty bucks. (Back in 2001, according to this article at CNN).
Gift watermelons? Well, probably not."But cubic fruit comes with a caveat: Each square watermelon costs 10,000 yen, the equivalent of about $82. Regular watermelons in Japan cost from $15 to $25 each.
At $82 apiece, Winters said she didn't know if there would be a market for square-grown watermelons in the United States.
"I think that's a pretty expensive watermelon," she said. "Maybe they give them as gifts. Maybe it says something for the gift-fruit market, perhaps."
I found a website that explains how do to it yourself! How cool!
Monday, August 04, 2008
Painting!
The painting has begun! The two-person crew showed up today, moved all the furniture, taped and caulked and the first coat is up in the living room, dining room, and entryway.
It's a huge change -- from plum in the living room and beige on the stairwell to a lovely, rich bronze color. Since Sherwin Williams actually gives me the RBG color codes for the paint, I can try to replicate it here:
It's a huge change -- from plum in the living room and beige on the stairwell to a lovely, rich bronze color. Since Sherwin Williams actually gives me the RBG color codes for the paint, I can try to replicate it here:
It's "Relic Bronze". It's a great color, and will look fabulous with merlot-colored curtains. Assuming I can convince the Adorable Husband about the red....hm.
Can't wait for the new furniture!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Astonishing
I love old typewriters, so at least a tiny part of me is sad at cannibalizing venerable machines to make other stuff...but these sculptures are amazing.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Google ROCKS
I know that this has been around for awhile -- HOW could I have MISSED THIS?!
Google has scanned/digitized thousands of books and made them available online via Google Book Search. I went looking for a book on Irish grammar and came up with two dozen old books on the subject, which led me to browse the books that have "full versions" available -- usually books that are far, far out of print and have moved into the public domain. I love these old books -- I tend to collect them (on cooking and household life, and travel) off eBay. I have no idea that they were likely available from Google as electronic files!
I knew that they had limited access to current books (a few pages, etc, to allow for cites), but I had no idea that they had the full text of out-of-copyright materials. This is what the internet should be! Books, books, and more books.
I am so excited to continue browsing I can barely focus on work.
Google has scanned/digitized thousands of books and made them available online via Google Book Search. I went looking for a book on Irish grammar and came up with two dozen old books on the subject, which led me to browse the books that have "full versions" available -- usually books that are far, far out of print and have moved into the public domain. I love these old books -- I tend to collect them (on cooking and household life, and travel) off eBay. I have no idea that they were likely available from Google as electronic files!
I knew that they had limited access to current books (a few pages, etc, to allow for cites), but I had no idea that they had the full text of out-of-copyright materials. This is what the internet should be! Books, books, and more books.
I am so excited to continue browsing I can barely focus on work.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Lacking Math Skills
The Adorable Husband ran into this toy vending machine last night when we went out for a burger. Obviously, their counting skills leave much to be desired. Either that, or they're redefining a baker's dozen.
Seeing a Trend
I know, I know, no one ever pays attention to polls. At least that's what we're supposed to believe.Which is a entirely untrue, of course. Everyone pays attention to them (whether they act on them is an entirely different matter). Everyone really pays attention to them when every single poll shows the same trend.
Someone sent me a link to pollster.com, which summarizes the primary political polls nationwide and has presented page of Bush's approval ratings for the last three years. The results aren't surprising, of course, but the symmetry among the twenty or so polls is rather striking.
Polls are a difficult thing to judge, though. Change the wording of a question even slightly, and the results change dramatically sometimes. I get called for a lot of polls (since I'm listed as an independent, I think), and some of them are so poorly put together that there is no "good" answer. The binary options are not equivalent - "do you think George Bush has done the best job possible based on the economic and political issues left to him by a Democratic congress" is not the same question as "do you think Bush has done a good job" -- writing poll questions is an arcane and powerful art, and sometimes it's very interesting to try to tease out what the pollster really wants you to say.
So, like everyone, I don't put too much faith on polls as accurately representing the "will of the people", but when all twenty show the same general trend, it's likely that they are measuring a real-world dissatisfaction fairly closely.
Of course, the last poll I took asked me some pretty odd questons: are you a nascar fan? how often do you shop at walmart? do you think child safety seat laws are too lax? I think they tossed in the first two just to throw me off....
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Cake Wreck Blog
I've been laughing until I cried over some of these cakes. The idea that someone actually paid for them is kind of sad, but some of them are so incredibly awful you have to laugh.Especially, Baby-Butt Cake. Or Naked Mohawk Baby Carrot Jockeys.
[image from Cake Wreck Blog]
What were these people thinking!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Geek Hierarchy
Ah-hah! Finally, a charg to determine just how geeky you are, based on the subjective decision of "consider [yourself] less geeky than...." Should I be embarassed that I can make it down to at least level 3 on a number of different paths? Hmm...I don't speak Klingon. That should count for something!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Male Un-Bifurcated Garments
A letter-carrier in Washington state is on a mission to change the US Postal Service's dress code to allow him to wear a kilt.
Or, as NPR so amusingly characterized it: a MUG - Male Un-bifurcated Garments. That is, a kilt.
Dean Peterson wants to be able to wear a kilt on his rounds as a USPS Letter Carrier. He says they are more comfortable and allow for more choices in uniforms for male letter carriers. Female letter carriers can wear skirts, of course, but men are limited to trousers and shorts. He owns and wears kilts exclusively when not at work, and wants the option to wear his chosen garment -- in Postal Service Blue -- to work as well.
He's waging a one-man campaign to change the dress code. He spent his own stimulus package check on letters and materials to convince other mail carriers to join him:
Good luck to Mr. Peterson! I hope that the Letter Carriers support you!
Or, as NPR so amusingly characterized it: a MUG - Male Un-bifurcated Garments. That is, a kilt.
Dean Peterson wants to be able to wear a kilt on his rounds as a USPS Letter Carrier. He says they are more comfortable and allow for more choices in uniforms for male letter carriers. Female letter carriers can wear skirts, of course, but men are limited to trousers and shorts. He owns and wears kilts exclusively when not at work, and wants the option to wear his chosen garment -- in Postal Service Blue -- to work as well.
He's waging a one-man campaign to change the dress code. He spent his own stimulus package check on letters and materials to convince other mail carriers to join him:
"MUGs are worn all over the world, and have been for thousands of years because they are comfortable," he wrote to fellow mailmen. "Unbifurcated Garments are far more comfortable and suitable to male anatomy than trousers or shorts, because they don't confine the legs or cramp the male genitals the way that trousers or shorts do."He is presenting his proposal to the 66th biennial convention of the National Association of Letter Carriers in Boston. Quite a few of his compatriots aren't terribly supportive. Most don't think it's "manly", or would be embarrassed to wear a "skirt" -- some have suggested that it would be unsafe, or at the very least, immodest (due to climing stairs, etc), although those arguments could just as easily be leveled at women wearing skirts, which is an allowed uniform option.
Good luck to Mr. Peterson! I hope that the Letter Carriers support you!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Geek Womb
I've got to get one of these! A self-contained techno-gek "pod". Obviously aimed at the gaming crowed, but wowsa! How cool would this be? Three 19" monitors, filtered air, surround sound, ergonomic seat and keyboards. I am such a geek.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The Onion Gets it
I occasionally have to re-read Onion stories a few times to make sure they really are satire. Some of them veer a little to close to reality.
WASHINGTON-A panel of top business leaders testified before Congress about the worsening recession Monday, demanding the government provide Americans with a new irresponsible and largely illusory economic bubble in which to invest.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Not Very Neighborly
An amusing, albeit rather shortsighted, response to a shop permit in Allenspark, CO has left the residents without an ATV rental and supply shop...and given them a close-up-and-personal porn shop.
Jeff Mead was recently denied the permit to open an ATV rental location in a shopfront he owns in Allenspark -- residents complained that ATVs are noisy, and have damaged private land. The story isn't terribly clear on whose private land - the renters of the ATVs? Someone else? -- but the residents successfully lobbied against the shop.
Well, Jeff Mead and his wife have responded by putting up a sign advertising "Patterson XXX Porn" on the site.
Childish, and immature, yes, but pretty damn funny.
It's a matter of economics, of course. There is no law preventing the use of the building as an adult store.
Jeff Mead was recently denied the permit to open an ATV rental location in a shopfront he owns in Allenspark -- residents complained that ATVs are noisy, and have damaged private land. The story isn't terribly clear on whose private land - the renters of the ATVs? Someone else? -- but the residents successfully lobbied against the shop.
Well, Jeff Mead and his wife have responded by putting up a sign advertising "Patterson XXX Porn" on the site.
Mead said he's serious about opening the adult store to make money since he was denied a permit to open his rental shop.Patterson is the name of one of the more vocal opponents to his ATV Rental shop proposal.
Childish, and immature, yes, but pretty damn funny.
It's a matter of economics, of course. There is no law preventing the use of the building as an adult store.
She and her husband, Jeff, say they are not smut peddlers but frustrated property owners. They say pornography is the only way they can survive in Allenspark after Boulder County turned down their request to run an all-terrain-vehicle rental business in a building they purchased for $428,000 in 2007.
The two-story log building housed the Eastin Gallery and Studio for 16 years just off the Peak to Peak Highway. Since the gallery has been an approved use, Boulder County cannot object to a use dedicated to adult artwork, Mead said.
"We just were shot down and shot down by Boulder County until we decided this is the only thing that's allowed where we might make some money," she said. "We just got to the point where we will do something legal with the building even though it appears unreasonable."
Patterson has made some rather snide comments about the Meads, apparently. Sniffing that what they really intend to do is sue Boulder Country, "that's how he would make his money" and argues that the sign is retribution for her fencing off a meadow that could have been damaged by the poposed ATV renters.
Yes, I laughed. I do hope they change the name - it't not nice to antagonize the neighbors. But I also with them well in their venture.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Tool of The Man
I got sucked into a rather contentious argument earlier this week on the common practice of name-changes at marriage -- more specifically, when women change their surname to be the same as their husband's when they marry. Not everyone does, of course, but the social convention for a long time in the US has been for the woman to adopt her new husband's last name. For a long time, it wasn't really an option to not do this, which is probably what set a few people off.
I had a ramble about this very topic back in January - about how it really is rather unfair that a woman changing their name at marriage is a no-brainer, while any other combination of things requires far more effort. Apparently, the discussion is still going on!
A question came up about "what name do your kids have, if you and your husband kept your last names?" and suddenly the initially polite conversation became one of "if you even consider changing your name, as a wife, then you are perpetuating a horribly and damaging sexist policy of the "Establishment" and patriarchal ownership and you should be ashamed!" from a couple of posters.
Wha? Apparently, the only reason (according to one of the arguers) that married couples might share a last name is to perpetuate and support a historical context of female subservience. We wouldn't even be thinking about it nowadays, if the tradition hadn't been instituted to enforce a husband's "ownership" of his wife. She had to take his name, so everyone would know to whom she belonged.
If you change your name, then you obviously fully accept and buy into this concept. There is no other option. By sharing a last name with your spouse, you accept that women are subservient and that is ok.
Uh., sorry. No.
And - even better, this logic is just painful -- if you don't change your name, you are also just recognizing the de-facto social oppression of women, by not going along with it. Same for suggesting that the husband change his name.
Well, which is it? Changing your name is supporting oppression, or not changing your name is supporting oppression? Add in a soupcon of patronizing and insulting commentary about "how it's really hard for some people to buck conventions, tsk tsk", and it erupted into a kerfuffle.
I didn't realize that by wanting to have a common surname, and making the explicit decision to change my name, that I was suddenly assumed to have condoned, nay, supported, the historic denigration of women throughout history. Wow. Because what I call myself, what name I have, is obviously of such world-rocking importance that I need to carefully weight my impact on society.
As I noted before, it important to me that a married couple (me, again) have the same last name. Kind of a "unit" thing, presenting a unified front to the world. I don't expect anyone else to do this, but I must admit that I prefer it to the bothersome proliferating hyphens. People aren't any more or less "married" based on name, but I like the symmetry. This is apparently righteously offensive to the self-identified feminists on the discussion board.
Sure, it's frustrating that women who don't change their names are still faced with criticism from some people. Maybe you need a bit more documentation of your relationship in certain circumstances (for example, travelling with a child who does not share your name in this new TSA regime), but no one really pays that much attention anymore.
Unless everyone makes up a new name, there would be no way to make this person happy about naming choices, though. My surname was passed to me by my father, so it's no more "my name" and out from under the thumb of the patriarchy than my husband's name. Keeping my maiden name would not be any different than choosing to adopt the surname of my married family.
I'm actually all for making up new names. It could be fun. It would freak out the geneaologists to no end, but it could be fun trying to figure out who everyone was and who they were related to. "Hi, my name is John Snufflebooger and this is my wife Jane Gugglewhump, my son Jack Moof and my two daughters, Jill Zappa-Tweet and Jillian Smythe"
Can you imagine the name-tags?
I had a ramble about this very topic back in January - about how it really is rather unfair that a woman changing their name at marriage is a no-brainer, while any other combination of things requires far more effort. Apparently, the discussion is still going on!
A question came up about "what name do your kids have, if you and your husband kept your last names?" and suddenly the initially polite conversation became one of "if you even consider changing your name, as a wife, then you are perpetuating a horribly and damaging sexist policy of the "Establishment" and patriarchal ownership and you should be ashamed!" from a couple of posters.
Wha? Apparently, the only reason (according to one of the arguers) that married couples might share a last name is to perpetuate and support a historical context of female subservience. We wouldn't even be thinking about it nowadays, if the tradition hadn't been instituted to enforce a husband's "ownership" of his wife. She had to take his name, so everyone would know to whom she belonged.
If you change your name, then you obviously fully accept and buy into this concept. There is no other option. By sharing a last name with your spouse, you accept that women are subservient and that is ok.
Uh., sorry. No.
And - even better, this logic is just painful -- if you don't change your name, you are also just recognizing the de-facto social oppression of women, by not going along with it. Same for suggesting that the husband change his name.
Well, which is it? Changing your name is supporting oppression, or not changing your name is supporting oppression? Add in a soupcon of patronizing and insulting commentary about "how it's really hard for some people to buck conventions, tsk tsk", and it erupted into a kerfuffle.
I didn't realize that by wanting to have a common surname, and making the explicit decision to change my name, that I was suddenly assumed to have condoned, nay, supported, the historic denigration of women throughout history. Wow. Because what I call myself, what name I have, is obviously of such world-rocking importance that I need to carefully weight my impact on society.
As I noted before, it important to me that a married couple (me, again) have the same last name. Kind of a "unit" thing, presenting a unified front to the world. I don't expect anyone else to do this, but I must admit that I prefer it to the bothersome proliferating hyphens. People aren't any more or less "married" based on name, but I like the symmetry. This is apparently righteously offensive to the self-identified feminists on the discussion board.
Sure, it's frustrating that women who don't change their names are still faced with criticism from some people. Maybe you need a bit more documentation of your relationship in certain circumstances (for example, travelling with a child who does not share your name in this new TSA regime), but no one really pays that much attention anymore.
Unless everyone makes up a new name, there would be no way to make this person happy about naming choices, though. My surname was passed to me by my father, so it's no more "my name" and out from under the thumb of the patriarchy than my husband's name. Keeping my maiden name would not be any different than choosing to adopt the surname of my married family.
I'm actually all for making up new names. It could be fun. It would freak out the geneaologists to no end, but it could be fun trying to figure out who everyone was and who they were related to. "Hi, my name is John Snufflebooger and this is my wife Jane Gugglewhump, my son Jack Moof and my two daughters, Jill Zappa-Tweet and Jillian Smythe"
Can you imagine the name-tags?
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Manufactured Controversy
Apparently, some college student in Florida went to Catholic mass (apparently on campus), and instead of eating the eucharist wafer, he carried it back to his seat -- and took the wafer from the church. (He has since returned it, btw). This, apparently, is something that he churchgoers are equating to killing and torturing someone. He was physically accosted and threatened when he didn't immediately eat the wafer. The student has been vocal about his opposition to public school funding for religious activitives on the campus, so it is quite likely that he was acting to prove a point.
Now the Catholic league is screeching about "vile acts" and comparing this to kidnapping and terrorism and hate crimes. Deranged, that's what it is. The hyperbole is soaring high.
The comments on the blog are rather interesting. The hatred and death threats really only seem to be coming from the good "christians" among the commenters. Does the irony not register on them that they are demanding tolerance and respect while specifically denying it to anyone who disagrees with them? This makes me very angry, so I'm sorry if I start to sound strident.
I don't suggest specifically and pointedly offending someone by goring their sacred cow, but the reaction by the church is over the top. Yes, the student was disrespectful; yes, the student was out of line -- but the assertion that this is the worst thing ever is a bit dramatic, especially to the point of demanding respect. Sorry, we might have to accept that you have a specific belief, but other than the social rules that we all abide by to live comfortably together -- there is no onus on a non-catholic to endorse those beliefs. We just have to tolerate them. I can think of hundreds of things more vile than not accepting the idea that a wafer is anything more than a wafer, and treating it as such. Making this a huge issue is an odd misplacement of priorities. The point of PZ's blog entry is that this student has been assaulted and threatened because he doesn't believe in transubstantiation. The assertion by the Catholic league is that because some hold it sacred they are entitled to insist that everyone should. They aren't. And that's the point.
I do think the student should apologize for taking it, because there are a lot of people who take this stuff seriously. The student wanted to make a point, and in doing so purposely jabbed a stick at someone's belief. Rude, yes. Insensitive, yes. But criminal? Horrible? Vile? Please., ratchet the rhetoric down a bit, eh?
This is a breach of etiquette, not an oppression of religion. No actual harm to anyone was perpetrated. Get a grip.
Now the Catholic league is screeching about "vile acts" and comparing this to kidnapping and terrorism and hate crimes. Deranged, that's what it is. The hyperbole is soaring high.
“We don’t know 100% what Mr. Cooks motivation was,” said Susan Fani a spokesperson with the local Catholic diocese. “However, if anything were to qualify as a hate crime, to us this seems like this might be it.”PZ Myers, at Pharyngula blog, has more info on this -- and since he posted his angry response to this ridiculous message, he has received threats , sly accusations of pedophilia, personal attacks, and the Catholic league has -- get this - contacted the legislature in MN, apparently in an effort to force people to respect their superstitions (and to threaten to get people fired for not properly respecting their beliefs.)
We just expect the University to take this seriously,” she added “To send a message to not just Mr. Cook but the whole community that this kind of really complete sacrilege will not be tolerated.”
The comments on the blog are rather interesting. The hatred and death threats really only seem to be coming from the good "christians" among the commenters. Does the irony not register on them that they are demanding tolerance and respect while specifically denying it to anyone who disagrees with them? This makes me very angry, so I'm sorry if I start to sound strident.
I don't suggest specifically and pointedly offending someone by goring their sacred cow, but the reaction by the church is over the top. Yes, the student was disrespectful; yes, the student was out of line -- but the assertion that this is the worst thing ever is a bit dramatic, especially to the point of demanding respect. Sorry, we might have to accept that you have a specific belief, but other than the social rules that we all abide by to live comfortably together -- there is no onus on a non-catholic to endorse those beliefs. We just have to tolerate them. I can think of hundreds of things more vile than not accepting the idea that a wafer is anything more than a wafer, and treating it as such. Making this a huge issue is an odd misplacement of priorities. The point of PZ's blog entry is that this student has been assaulted and threatened because he doesn't believe in transubstantiation. The assertion by the Catholic league is that because some hold it sacred they are entitled to insist that everyone should. They aren't. And that's the point.
I do think the student should apologize for taking it, because there are a lot of people who take this stuff seriously. The student wanted to make a point, and in doing so purposely jabbed a stick at someone's belief. Rude, yes. Insensitive, yes. But criminal? Horrible? Vile? Please., ratchet the rhetoric down a bit, eh?
This is a breach of etiquette, not an oppression of religion. No actual harm to anyone was perpetrated. Get a grip.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
To-MAY-to, To-MAH-to
Sometimes, people should not use big words. A poster on TT posted this earlier in the week, after the announcement of the death of Jesse Helms. I didn't hear this -- I'm not sure where 'local" is for this person, but I still got a chuckle out of this.
I just heard a local newsperson talking about the career of Jesse Helms, saying that while he was often controversial, he spent many meretricious years serving his country.The word does not mean "full of merit" or "worthy of respect", as was probably intended here.
Freudian slip? Big word confusion?
Sometimes the typos and misspeaking are far more amusing than they should be.1: of or relating to a prostitute : having the nature of prostitution <meretricious relationships>
- Main Entry: mer·e·tri·cious
- Pronunciation: \ˌmer-ə-ˈtri-shəs\
- Function: adjective
- Etymology: Latin meretricius, from meretric-, meretrix prostitute, from merēre to earn — more at merit
- Date: 1626
2 a: tawdrily and falsely attractivemeretricious trash — Carolyn See> b: superficially significant : pretentiousmeretricious but stylish books
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Now That's Fancy!
I am a bad person. This made me laugh like a hyena.
" Debra Jackson said she likes shopping at the Dollar Palace because it is convenient and casual.It's an actual news clipping from the Daily Town Talk -- you can see the actual clip here.
"I don't have to get all dressed up like I'm going to Wal-Mart or something," she said, adding she shops at Williams' store "to pick up my cleaning supplies."
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Ironic
While it's entirely possible that Windows is running on this laptop, the picture is awfully amusing!
From failblog.org
From failblog.org
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