....they are coming here!
If you aren’t familiar with Westboro Baptist Church, they are a hate group known for targeting their hatred towards gays and lesbians. They are led by Fred Phelps, from Topeka, Kansas and according to the site’s picket schedule; they plan to picket several spots in Tampa in the next few weeks.
It's a strange mix of events they are protesting. I see no connection between Bon Jovi, Plant High (a public school with a good football team) Tampa Catholic High and Without Walls Church. Apparently there is a connection between rockers from Jersey, good high school football, papists and churches that have female pastors with big hair and bad stewardship of finances.
Actually, I'm a little miffed that my church is not on their radar.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
The difference between Deepak Chopra and God..
.. is that God doesn't think He's Deepak Chopra.
The U.S. Geological Survey is blaming day-to-day seismological changes for Sunday's 7.2 earthquake along the U.S.-Mexico border.
But Deepak Chopra, the famed alternative-medicine practitioner and transcendental meditation guru, is pretty sure he knows what really happened."Had a powerful meditation just now -- caused an earthquake in Southern California," Chopra wrote to his nearly 179,000 Twitter followers shortly after the quake.
And then, to clarify: "Was meditating on Shiva mantra & earth began to shake," he tweeted. "Sorry about that."
The epitome of humility!
The U.S. Geological Survey is blaming day-to-day seismological changes for Sunday's 7.2 earthquake along the U.S.-Mexico border.
But Deepak Chopra, the famed alternative-medicine practitioner and transcendental meditation guru, is pretty sure he knows what really happened."Had a powerful meditation just now -- caused an earthquake in Southern California," Chopra wrote to his nearly 179,000 Twitter followers shortly after the quake.
And then, to clarify: "Was meditating on Shiva mantra & earth began to shake," he tweeted. "Sorry about that."
The epitome of humility!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Thank God I'm not a parent.
I'd be living in terror that my daughter would meet this guy.
Levi Johnston, Sarah Palin's grandbaby-daddy and the bane of her existence, is pitching his own docu-series in which he will introduce viewers to Alaska.
Why shouldn't this deadbeat live off Palin's fame? There's a whole cable network (MSNBC) doing it.
BTW Levi, about the Playgirl spread. The vast majority of Playgirl customers are not women. You may be developing a fan base you might not appreciate.
Levi Johnston, Sarah Palin's grandbaby-daddy and the bane of her existence, is pitching his own docu-series in which he will introduce viewers to Alaska.
Why shouldn't this deadbeat live off Palin's fame? There's a whole cable network (MSNBC) doing it.
BTW Levi, about the Playgirl spread. The vast majority of Playgirl customers are not women. You may be developing a fan base you might not appreciate.
I couldn't take it anymore
As many of you may know, a man was arrested by the FBI for threatening the life of GOP congressman Eric Cantor.
Knowing that last week my local rag went wall-to-wall with coverage of the racist tea partiers turning D.C. into Selma, today I was expecting a write-up on someone actually charged with a crime against a Jewish congresssman.
Not. One. Word.
I left a phone message with an editor of the Tampa Tribune. I am sure that there is a plausibly explanation for this oversight other than the SCREAMING OBVIOUS!!!!!!
I only subscribed to this fishwrap because I can't read baseball box scores off a computer screen. It won't take much of an excuse for me to dump it.
Knowing that last week my local rag went wall-to-wall with coverage of the racist tea partiers turning D.C. into Selma, today I was expecting a write-up on someone actually charged with a crime against a Jewish congresssman.
Not. One. Word.
I left a phone message with an editor of the Tampa Tribune. I am sure that there is a plausibly explanation for this oversight other than the SCREAMING OBVIOUS!!!!!!
I only subscribed to this fishwrap because I can't read baseball box scores off a computer screen. It won't take much of an excuse for me to dump it.
Monday, March 29, 2010
How to tell if you have a drinking problem
Is your family worried about your drinking?
Is your drinking causing problems at work?
Do you have money problems because of your drinking?
Are there times you can't account for, where you don't remember things you have done?
Have you ever thrown up on the hood of a '76 Volare?
Have you ever woken up in a stranger's backyard?
Have you ever tried to resuscitate a dead animal?
State police have charged a central Pennsylvania man with public drunkenness after he was seen giving mouth-to-mouth "resuscitation" to a long-dead opossum along a highway.
Trooper Jamie Levier says several witnesses saw 55-year-old Donald Wolfe, of Brookville, near the animal along Route 36 in Oliver Township Thursday about 3 p.m. The trooper says one person saw Wolfe kneeling before the animal and gesturing as though he were conducting a seance, while another saw the mouth-to-mouth attempt.
Levier says Wolfe was "extremely intoxicated" and "did have his mouth in the area of the animal's mouth, I guess".
Oliver Township is about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
Is your drinking causing problems at work?
Do you have money problems because of your drinking?
Are there times you can't account for, where you don't remember things you have done?
Have you ever thrown up on the hood of a '76 Volare?
Have you ever woken up in a stranger's backyard?
Have you ever tried to resuscitate a dead animal?
State police have charged a central Pennsylvania man with public drunkenness after he was seen giving mouth-to-mouth "resuscitation" to a long-dead opossum along a highway.
Trooper Jamie Levier says several witnesses saw 55-year-old Donald Wolfe, of Brookville, near the animal along Route 36 in Oliver Township Thursday about 3 p.m. The trooper says one person saw Wolfe kneeling before the animal and gesturing as though he were conducting a seance, while another saw the mouth-to-mouth attempt.
Levier says Wolfe was "extremely intoxicated" and "did have his mouth in the area of the animal's mouth, I guess".
Oliver Township is about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
We still know what you are...
....but you're not as cheap as once thought.
A day after Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., and ten other House members compromised on their pro-life position to deliver the necessary yes-votes to pass health care reform, the "Stupak 11" released their fiscal year 2011 earmark requests, which total more than $4.7 billion--an average of $429 million worth of earmark requests for each lawmaker.
Of the eight lawmakers whose 2010 requests were available for comparison, five requested more money this week than they did a year ago: Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill., Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, D-Pa., Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind., Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, and Rep. Charles Wilson, D-Ohio.
Forgive an outsider for giving my Catholic friends some advice. All these good Catholic congresspeople were publicly disobedient to the clearly stated will of their spiritual leaders. My church leadership would never tolerate something like this. I can't get specific, but I have seen them deal with public, unrepentant disobedience.
The days of sending polite letters are over. The days of polite press releases are over. The whole world saw this happen. If these bishops don't go on Fox News screaming bloody murder your church is going to turn into the Democratic National Committee with holidays.
I'm sorry. Someone had to say it. And since I'm a teabagging racist I may as well go all in.
A day after Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., and ten other House members compromised on their pro-life position to deliver the necessary yes-votes to pass health care reform, the "Stupak 11" released their fiscal year 2011 earmark requests, which total more than $4.7 billion--an average of $429 million worth of earmark requests for each lawmaker.
Of the eight lawmakers whose 2010 requests were available for comparison, five requested more money this week than they did a year ago: Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill., Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, D-Pa., Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind., Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, and Rep. Charles Wilson, D-Ohio.
Forgive an outsider for giving my Catholic friends some advice. All these good Catholic congresspeople were publicly disobedient to the clearly stated will of their spiritual leaders. My church leadership would never tolerate something like this. I can't get specific, but I have seen them deal with public, unrepentant disobedience.
The days of sending polite letters are over. The days of polite press releases are over. The whole world saw this happen. If these bishops don't go on Fox News screaming bloody murder your church is going to turn into the Democratic National Committee with holidays.
I'm sorry. Someone had to say it. And since I'm a teabagging racist I may as well go all in.
So much for the Straight Talk Express
Arizona is fixing to pass the toughest law in the land to combat illegal aliens.
A bill empowering police to arrest illegal immigrants and charge them with trespassing for simply being in the state of Arizona, is likely just weeks away from becoming the toughest law of its kind anywhere in the country.
Already passed by the state's Senate and currently being reconciled with a similar version in the House, the bill would essentially criminalize the presence of the 460,000 illegal immigrants living in the state
Of course what makes this newsworthy is that the Maverick himself, the Straight Talk Express, one the primary sponsors of lagislation to give amnesty to illegals three years ago now has no opinion on this.
McCain is in the midst of one of the toughest primary campaigns of a lengthy career in politics
McCain, who once back a bipartisan effort to grant illegal immigrants amnesty, has deflected questions about whether he supports the legislation.
It's got to be killing McCain to actually have to pretend to be a Republican just to get through this primary.
A bill empowering police to arrest illegal immigrants and charge them with trespassing for simply being in the state of Arizona, is likely just weeks away from becoming the toughest law of its kind anywhere in the country.
Already passed by the state's Senate and currently being reconciled with a similar version in the House, the bill would essentially criminalize the presence of the 460,000 illegal immigrants living in the state
Of course what makes this newsworthy is that the Maverick himself, the Straight Talk Express, one the primary sponsors of lagislation to give amnesty to illegals three years ago now has no opinion on this.
McCain is in the midst of one of the toughest primary campaigns of a lengthy career in politics
McCain, who once back a bipartisan effort to grant illegal immigrants amnesty, has deflected questions about whether he supports the legislation.
It's got to be killing McCain to actually have to pretend to be a Republican just to get through this primary.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Maybe I should move to Nevada
Sue Lowden is going all Rubio on Harry Reid's Crist:
The poll – conducted by Mason-Dixon – shows Sue Lowden beating Harry Reid by a margin of 52 to 39, and soundly defeating her leading primary opponent, Danny Tarkanian, by an 18-point margin – 47 to 29 percent. The poll shows Sharron Angle earning 8 percent of the Republican vote and John Chachas shows at 1 percent.
You younger guys might not get this, but Ms Lowden looks just like a grown-up Marcia Brady.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Takeover Takedown
As of last night, thirteen separate states are already suing the federal government regarding the Health Insurance takeover.
While reporting this last night, the local talking head said something that made me laugh aloud: he assured us that "experts" (whom he neither quoted nor identified, natch!) said it was Constitutional, because "federal law trumps state law." (He may as well have added "So there!")
Now, he's right that the Constitution is binding on the several states, but that still leaves open the question of whether THIS is Constitutionally permissible. So here I am with my pocket copy of the Constitution... Look, it's the Tenth Amendment! "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
For the sake of this post, we have to set aside the vast numbers of times the Congress has already ignored the Constitution and pretend that this time, they do care what it says and will abide by it. You may pull something making this stretch, so take your time.
Good? Good.
Right at the outset this Amendment is bad news for would-be totalitarians and Big Brotherists: it states openly and plainly that the powers of the United States Government are delegated to it by the people via the Constitution. They are not inherent to it like the rights of the people are to them. They are borrowed, and therefore can be taken back when used unwisely or recklessly. In brief, We the People are the adults of this relationship; the Congress, the President, and the Courts are the balky children, and their powers over us are an allowance we grant exclusively at our sufferance. We can ground them if they misbehave. And this is the consistent language of the rest of the Constitution: in the Preamble, it is We the People who ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States, not the other way around. Article I starts thus: "All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States..." etc. And that confirms what was written in the Declaration of Independence, that Governments are established only to protect the inherent rights of the people, "deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed."
I highlighted those two words "herein granted" because they further illustrate what the Tenth Amendment was designed to emphasize - the Constitution is meant as an upper limit, not a minimum requirement. If said powers are not "herein" the Constitution, they are "reserved to the States respectively, or to the People." And even in the faintest penumbra and emanations of the Constitution, there is nowhere the right to have one's health costs insured by the Federal Treasury. There's no right to have them insured at all by anybody.
So... going all the way back to our talking head, I would say that a federal law has to be Constitutional in order to be valid and binding on the states. This thing ain't.
Am I confident about this? Absolutely. Will it matter to our rapacious government? I'm not holding my breath, let's just say that. If governments stuck to what they were told we may all still be British subjects; no revolution would have been necessary. By their nature governments prey on their own people. They don't shrink unless someone shrinks them. and then only with great truculence. And We are not the same People as the revolutionaries and Founding Fathers. They helped carve the colonies out of the wilderness, fought to keep them safe, and did so with no promise that their far-distant King and Parliament could swoop in at a moment's notice with millions in federal aid if some flood or fire obliterated their town. Even the most urbane and loyalist of them had to be a lot more self-reliant than we are.
Not for a moment am I ungrateful to live today, with modern medicine, roads, cheap goods, the Internet, and a thousand other conveniences. Still I have to say, they're not the reason for living, and they never were. None of them would mean much if we were reduced to subservience. Chains of gold and velvet still bind. These particular chains are in fact so lavish that their forging will beggar every mother's son of us, and we will be a nation of pauper slaves instead of the land of the free and the home of the brave.
AND an update from Noel at Cold Fury: such a major and transformative act has been bipartisan, up until now. Hell, even Prohibition was a two-thirds majority idea. As that was eventually repealed, so let this be.
While reporting this last night, the local talking head said something that made me laugh aloud: he assured us that "experts" (whom he neither quoted nor identified, natch!) said it was Constitutional, because "federal law trumps state law." (He may as well have added "So there!")
Now, he's right that the Constitution is binding on the several states, but that still leaves open the question of whether THIS is Constitutionally permissible. So here I am with my pocket copy of the Constitution... Look, it's the Tenth Amendment! "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
For the sake of this post, we have to set aside the vast numbers of times the Congress has already ignored the Constitution and pretend that this time, they do care what it says and will abide by it. You may pull something making this stretch, so take your time.
Good? Good.
Right at the outset this Amendment is bad news for would-be totalitarians and Big Brotherists: it states openly and plainly that the powers of the United States Government are delegated to it by the people via the Constitution. They are not inherent to it like the rights of the people are to them. They are borrowed, and therefore can be taken back when used unwisely or recklessly. In brief, We the People are the adults of this relationship; the Congress, the President, and the Courts are the balky children, and their powers over us are an allowance we grant exclusively at our sufferance. We can ground them if they misbehave. And this is the consistent language of the rest of the Constitution: in the Preamble, it is We the People who ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States, not the other way around. Article I starts thus: "All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States..." etc. And that confirms what was written in the Declaration of Independence, that Governments are established only to protect the inherent rights of the people, "deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed."
I highlighted those two words "herein granted" because they further illustrate what the Tenth Amendment was designed to emphasize - the Constitution is meant as an upper limit, not a minimum requirement. If said powers are not "herein" the Constitution, they are "reserved to the States respectively, or to the People." And even in the faintest penumbra and emanations of the Constitution, there is nowhere the right to have one's health costs insured by the Federal Treasury. There's no right to have them insured at all by anybody.
So... going all the way back to our talking head, I would say that a federal law has to be Constitutional in order to be valid and binding on the states. This thing ain't.
Am I confident about this? Absolutely. Will it matter to our rapacious government? I'm not holding my breath, let's just say that. If governments stuck to what they were told we may all still be British subjects; no revolution would have been necessary. By their nature governments prey on their own people. They don't shrink unless someone shrinks them. and then only with great truculence. And We are not the same People as the revolutionaries and Founding Fathers. They helped carve the colonies out of the wilderness, fought to keep them safe, and did so with no promise that their far-distant King and Parliament could swoop in at a moment's notice with millions in federal aid if some flood or fire obliterated their town. Even the most urbane and loyalist of them had to be a lot more self-reliant than we are.
Not for a moment am I ungrateful to live today, with modern medicine, roads, cheap goods, the Internet, and a thousand other conveniences. Still I have to say, they're not the reason for living, and they never were. None of them would mean much if we were reduced to subservience. Chains of gold and velvet still bind. These particular chains are in fact so lavish that their forging will beggar every mother's son of us, and we will be a nation of pauper slaves instead of the land of the free and the home of the brave.
AND an update from Noel at Cold Fury: such a major and transformative act has been bipartisan, up until now. Hell, even Prohibition was a two-thirds majority idea. As that was eventually repealed, so let this be.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Well, we've got this much going for us, anyway
AKA another good reason to bitterly cling to that grog:
Hey, maybe the government will actually give a tax credit to anyone who opens a still?
Two major studies confirm the current medical consensus that moderate drinking appears to be good for the heart but heavy drinking is bad for health in general.So, when this new health plan drives us to drink, we're all right as long as we moderate - and with what it will cost, we won't have the money to overindulge.
...
The new study, using data from nine National Health Interview Surveys done between 1987 and 2000, is more thorough than previous reports and provides "some of the strongest evidence to date" of a link between moderate drinking and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease...
Hey, maybe the government will actually give a tax credit to anyone who opens a still?
Monday, March 22, 2010
We know what you are...
...and now we know the price.
U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) announced three airports in northern Michigan have received grants totaling $726,409 for airport maintenance and improvements. The funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration.
Gee whiz, Bart! You ARE a cheap date.
PS - update from the 'fly, for some linky love: Slublog strikes again.
U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) announced three airports in northern Michigan have received grants totaling $726,409 for airport maintenance and improvements. The funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration.
Gee whiz, Bart! You ARE a cheap date.
PS - update from the 'fly, for some linky love: Slublog strikes again.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
I don't know about me...
... but you civilians are screwed.
I am a political prop. You know how politicians get all worked up over problems at the VA hospitals? I can see my congresscritter Kathy Castor in front of the Tampa VA hospital right now, whining, "Tech Sergeant Barking Spider bravely drank beer on three continents defending his country, how can we turn our back on him now?"
Now mind you, with Obama's picture hanging in the lobby of said VA hospital I may not be used as a prop much until the next GOP administration.
So I may be screwed as well. But you civilians - definitely screwed.
I am a political prop. You know how politicians get all worked up over problems at the VA hospitals? I can see my congresscritter Kathy Castor in front of the Tampa VA hospital right now, whining, "Tech Sergeant Barking Spider bravely drank beer on three continents defending his country, how can we turn our back on him now?"
Now mind you, with Obama's picture hanging in the lobby of said VA hospital I may not be used as a prop much until the next GOP administration.
So I may be screwed as well. But you civilians - definitely screwed.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Once again, a crime?
Update to this.
The perp is a 16-year-old from Atlantic County. Mind you, if this were my son I'd beat him till my arm fell off. I still do not understand how this is a crime. Keith Olbermann has said much worse and he isn't in jail. Since when is offending with words a crime?
The Bible has some pretty offensive stuff in it. Would reading those portions over a Wal-Mart intercom be a harrassment and bias intimidation crime? This bugs me a little.
The perp is a 16-year-old from Atlantic County. Mind you, if this were my son I'd beat him till my arm fell off. I still do not understand how this is a crime. Keith Olbermann has said much worse and he isn't in jail. Since when is offending with words a crime?
The Bible has some pretty offensive stuff in it. Would reading those portions over a Wal-Mart intercom be a harrassment and bias intimidation crime? This bugs me a little.
Friday, March 19, 2010
More People Watching Cartoons...
...than CNN or MSNBC.
In total Viewers, Fox News was the #2 ranked cable network last week in primetime, averaging 233,000 viewers behind USA. MSNBC was #26, CNN was #32, and HLN was #37. In total day, FNC was #4, CNN was #29, MSNBC was #33, and HLN was #35. You can see the full rankings for the top 30 below.
The Cartoon Network is #13. More people saw the president get shredded by Bret Bair then watch CNN and MSNBC combined.
In total Viewers, Fox News was the #2 ranked cable network last week in primetime, averaging 233,000 viewers behind USA. MSNBC was #26, CNN was #32, and HLN was #37. In total day, FNC was #4, CNN was #29, MSNBC was #33, and HLN was #35. You can see the full rankings for the top 30 below.
The Cartoon Network is #13. More people saw the president get shredded by Bret Bair then watch CNN and MSNBC combined.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
I Love This!
GOP Senator Tom Coburn has a warning for House Dems:
"I want to send a couple of messages to my colleagues in the House.
If you voted no and you vote yes, and you lose your election, and you think any nomination to a federal position isn't going to be held in the Senate, I've got news for you. It's going to be held.
Number two is, if you get a deal, a parochial deal for you or your district, I've already instructed my staff and the staff of seven other senators that we will look at every appropriations bill, at every level, at every instance, and we will outline it by district, and we will associate that with the buying of your vote. So, if you think you can cut a deal now, and it not come out until after the election, I want to tell you that isn't going to happen. And be prepared to defend selling your vote in the House."
You can tell that the polls are against this by how Republicans are acting. They would never be this courageous if the polls weren't in their favor.
"I want to send a couple of messages to my colleagues in the House.
If you voted no and you vote yes, and you lose your election, and you think any nomination to a federal position isn't going to be held in the Senate, I've got news for you. It's going to be held.
Number two is, if you get a deal, a parochial deal for you or your district, I've already instructed my staff and the staff of seven other senators that we will look at every appropriations bill, at every level, at every instance, and we will outline it by district, and we will associate that with the buying of your vote. So, if you think you can cut a deal now, and it not come out until after the election, I want to tell you that isn't going to happen. And be prepared to defend selling your vote in the House."
You can tell that the polls are against this by how Republicans are acting. They would never be this courageous if the polls weren't in their favor.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
A Crime?
A soon-to-be-fired employee of a South Jersey Wal-Mart needs to bone up on his comedic skills:
Wal-Mart officials are looking at security tapes after an announcement was made for "all black people'' to leave a store in South Jersey.
A man used the public-address system at the Route 42 store in Washington Township Sunday night and calmly announced: "Attention Wal-Mart customers: All black people leave the store now.
Now, if I ran this Wal-Mart this guy would be fired seven times over and banned from ever setting foot in the store, even as a customer. That may be over reacting, but not as much as the local cops:
Washington Township police and the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office are investigating the incident as a possible bias crime.
This stunt was racist, unfunny, and any other negative term you can think of. But a crime? If broadcasting crude and nasty racial insults were a crime then the entire lineup of MSNBC would be in jail.
Wal-Mart officials are looking at security tapes after an announcement was made for "all black people'' to leave a store in South Jersey.
A man used the public-address system at the Route 42 store in Washington Township Sunday night and calmly announced: "Attention Wal-Mart customers: All black people leave the store now.
Now, if I ran this Wal-Mart this guy would be fired seven times over and banned from ever setting foot in the store, even as a customer. That may be over reacting, but not as much as the local cops:
Washington Township police and the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office are investigating the incident as a possible bias crime.
This stunt was racist, unfunny, and any other negative term you can think of. But a crime? If broadcasting crude and nasty racial insults were a crime then the entire lineup of MSNBC would be in jail.
I may have just broken federal law
I just filled out my census form. I will concede every point made in all the commercials about the need to turn the form in for my neighborhood to get its fair share of gummint largess.
Having said that, why is it necessary for the gummint to know my race to accomplish this? Are we allocating federal dollars based on skin color?
I was tempted to claim to be a Puerto Rican on #8 based on my birthplace, but I didn't. I gave the gummint all they need to know in this area. For question #9 I checked other and wrote AMERICAN.
I was at an Obamacare protest at my congresswoman's local office yesterday, so I am in a civil disobedient mood.
Having said that, why is it necessary for the gummint to know my race to accomplish this? Are we allocating federal dollars based on skin color?
I was tempted to claim to be a Puerto Rican on #8 based on my birthplace, but I didn't. I gave the gummint all they need to know in this area. For question #9 I checked other and wrote AMERICAN.
I was at an Obamacare protest at my congresswoman's local office yesterday, so I am in a civil disobedient mood.
Monday, March 15, 2010
It's good to have goals...
.....even if it's to become the fattest woman in the world.
Donna Simpson, from New Jersey, weighs 273kg but told the Daily Mail newspaper she had her heart set on reaching her goal weight of 1000lb (450kg) in two years.
The 42-year-old already holds the title of the world's fattest mother after giving birth to her daughter in 2007 when she weighed 241kg.
"I'd love to be 1000lb ... it might be hard though, running after my daughter keeps my weight down," Ms Simpson told the Daily Mail.
273kg is about 600lbs, so she has a ways to go. She's eating as much as she can and moving as little as possible. But she has managed to earn a living.
To put on enough weight, Ms Simpson will need to eat 12,000 calories a day, which is six times the recommended daily intake for women.
In order to pay for the enormous amounts of food she is eating — her weekly grocery bill is $815 — Ms Simpson makes money by running a website where men pay to watch her consume fast food.
I need to get out more. I know there is stuff on the Internet to turn guys on - some of it really sick -but this specific proclivity is news to me.
Donna Simpson, from New Jersey, weighs 273kg but told the Daily Mail newspaper she had her heart set on reaching her goal weight of 1000lb (450kg) in two years.
The 42-year-old already holds the title of the world's fattest mother after giving birth to her daughter in 2007 when she weighed 241kg.
"I'd love to be 1000lb ... it might be hard though, running after my daughter keeps my weight down," Ms Simpson told the Daily Mail.
273kg is about 600lbs, so she has a ways to go. She's eating as much as she can and moving as little as possible. But she has managed to earn a living.
To put on enough weight, Ms Simpson will need to eat 12,000 calories a day, which is six times the recommended daily intake for women.
In order to pay for the enormous amounts of food she is eating — her weekly grocery bill is $815 — Ms Simpson makes money by running a website where men pay to watch her consume fast food.
I need to get out more. I know there is stuff on the Internet to turn guys on - some of it really sick -but this specific proclivity is news to me.
I'm not calling my congresswoman this week
A friend asked me if I was calling my congresswoman this week ask her to do the clear and unambigious will of the people of American and Florida and stop whatever magic trick they are planning to do the pass this health care mess.
I can't do it. For one thing, in my case it would be a waste of time. Rep. Kathy Castor's district is heavily gerrymandered Democrat; as long as she doesn't give birth to Glenn Beck's love child her seat is safe.
As for my Dem Senator Bill Nelson, he could be reached if he were up for re-election this year. But this guy has crawled into a hole until 2012.
I'm guessing that their DC offices will not be taking calls this week. Being the angry, right-wing nut that I am, if I got through to a local office I would probably take the opportunity to get my licks in while I can. It would be wrong for me to offer to come up to Sen. Nelson's office and help him find his kugeln. Or make cracks about him hot racking with Lt Cmdr Massa.
During this Lenten season, I'm thinking that if our Lord could silently face the mistreatment and abuse he took on the way to the cross, maybe I can hold my tongue a little bit during a time when elected officials disrespect voters..
Maybe I can give up snark for Lent.
I can't do it. For one thing, in my case it would be a waste of time. Rep. Kathy Castor's district is heavily gerrymandered Democrat; as long as she doesn't give birth to Glenn Beck's love child her seat is safe.
As for my Dem Senator Bill Nelson, he could be reached if he were up for re-election this year. But this guy has crawled into a hole until 2012.
I'm guessing that their DC offices will not be taking calls this week. Being the angry, right-wing nut that I am, if I got through to a local office I would probably take the opportunity to get my licks in while I can. It would be wrong for me to offer to come up to Sen. Nelson's office and help him find his kugeln. Or make cracks about him hot racking with Lt Cmdr Massa.
During this Lenten season, I'm thinking that if our Lord could silently face the mistreatment and abuse he took on the way to the cross, maybe I can hold my tongue a little bit during a time when elected officials disrespect voters..
Maybe I can give up snark for Lent.
Friday, March 12, 2010
When you're 16, badly singing - AI announces the top 12
In a world.... where people must sing for their very lives...
Twelve people will emerge....
One will stand.... and eleven will fall...
This spring, entertainment... gets... personal!
Sorry, I just thought the late, great Don LaFontaine ought to do the intro. Instead we get ominous synth chords, a dramatic reading, and goofy red serif title cards. Geez laweeeze. It's "Bible - the Rock Opera" by A Flock of Seagulls!
No, wait. THIS is aMERican Idol!
Yeah, enough of that drama, here's Randy's head cheaply p-shopped onto Bikini Girl, pre-enhancement. Cadet Happy could top that, no sweat. The group sing is Michael Buble's "Just Haven't Met You Yet." These are always a little sad for me, for reasons having nothing to do with the goofy singing and choreography. It's tough watching and knowing that four of those happy kids are already out. Speaking of which - hey, it's Paige and Katelyn! Dead girl singin' heah.
Didi - Randy plays Ty Webb to her Danny Noonan and says to be dope every day. She's in.
Ally Sheedy Siobhan - Ellen tells her to keep doing what she's doing. So, she's in then. Ryan makes it official and sends her to one of the eggcups.
Paige/Katelyn - together on stage. So much for my prediction that both will go. Katie just threw up in her mouth. Simon says that Paige has the better potential. The King of the Judges' Table is correct, of course: Paige scrapes in, and Katelyn is gone. Ladybug boo-byes her and fast forwards her swan song with palpable glee. (Heh... back off boys, she's mine.)
It's the boys' turn. Maybe they're behind because half of the crew is up there at once: Tim, Todrick, Lee, and Casey. One is certainly outta here. Huh, Todrick grew a goatee overnight; faint, but noticable. Casey gets the first eggcup, Tim the next. Ryan asks Randy which of the other two deserve to continue. Ryan says Lee, who looks as if he swallowed a bug. Our dawg is right - Lee is in the Top 12 and leaves Todrick dancin' with himself, oh-oh-wu-oh.
Red room! Red room! Red room! Ryan says hi to those still waiting, knows that it's annoying, and immediately cuts to our musical act: Scott MacIntyre and Matt Girard on pianos, singing "Tell Her About It." Whoa, is this ever bizarre.
LB - it's what you'd see with Elton and Billy Joel.
NF - only without the talent.
Matt is howlingly bad right now. Oversinging, strange phrasing... it's a verbal seizure. The boogie-woogie piano duel in the middle made us both laugh uncomfortably.
LB - omigod, did you see Scott shake his little booty?
I like Scott's voice in this, anyway. The rest was an astounding train wreck.
Glee promo! W00t Glee! Looks like they're amping the Shu-Emma lovin'. There's also the obligatory Jane Lynch snark. She's brilliant. More please.
Back to the results. Crystal gets a completely non-suspenseful yes. Big Mike, too. I hope they saved Ruben Studdard's industrial-strength eggcup. If that thing gives way he'll domino the entire Top 12. Lacey is asked to defend her eclectic song choices, and she says she likes to evoke different emotions. She gets to invoke tears of happiness on her way to the eggcups.
Teflon Boy is in. I'm not sure I agree with this. The other two A-boys, Alex and Andrew, come up together. Each has an arm around the other's shoulder as they face their fate. Ryan asks Simon if Andrew peaked too soon. Simon - "Maybe, but talent is talent, you're still a talented singer." A good indicator for Andrew, and it pays off. Alex's nerves sunk him, poor kid.Ally Siobhan is weeping during the farewell song.
We come back from break to find everyone still hugging it out... then they finally surrender the stage to Katie and Lilly. Two girls enter, one girl sings. This looks awful for Katie, but as LB says, "I'm nervous for Lilly." Kara thinks Lilly really knows who she is, but Katie "sounds contemporary." Hmph. She sounds adult easy-listening.
Yup. Darn it all, Lilly is out, and Katie advances. Notice it's Kara who punted on a prediction when asked, and hedged by talking about both. Also notice that this is what happens when middle schoolers are permitted to vote. Stupid America. Katie's crying. Most of the Idols just seem shocked. Crystal, in fact, looks like she's about to wade into the audience with a cricket bat. Lilly is nice to Katie as they hug, but she looks fairly ticked, as well she should. "I thought I did really well," she says, "I put my heart into every performance, and I thought I really gave it my all... I don't know what America wants to hear." HAHAHAHAHA! Best. Concession. EVER. She's not being snotty or mean or whiny, either - she just seems really, genuinely confused that Katie could possibly advance over her. (Or Paige, for that matter, unless that's just me.) "I just know there's an audience out there for me," she says. Agreed.
See you next week, peeps.
Also see: Snark Raving Mad. I agree with you on this, SarahK.
Twelve people will emerge....
One will stand.... and eleven will fall...
This spring, entertainment... gets... personal!
Sorry, I just thought the late, great Don LaFontaine ought to do the intro. Instead we get ominous synth chords, a dramatic reading, and goofy red serif title cards. Geez laweeeze. It's "Bible - the Rock Opera" by A Flock of Seagulls!
No, wait. THIS is aMERican Idol!
Yeah, enough of that drama, here's Randy's head cheaply p-shopped onto Bikini Girl, pre-enhancement. Cadet Happy could top that, no sweat. The group sing is Michael Buble's "Just Haven't Met You Yet." These are always a little sad for me, for reasons having nothing to do with the goofy singing and choreography. It's tough watching and knowing that four of those happy kids are already out. Speaking of which - hey, it's Paige and Katelyn! Dead girl singin' heah.
Didi - Randy plays Ty Webb to her Danny Noonan and says to be dope every day. She's in.
Paige/Katelyn - together on stage. So much for my prediction that both will go. Katie just threw up in her mouth. Simon says that Paige has the better potential. The King of the Judges' Table is correct, of course: Paige scrapes in, and Katelyn is gone. Ladybug boo-byes her and fast forwards her swan song with palpable glee. (Heh... back off boys, she's mine.)
It's the boys' turn. Maybe they're behind because half of the crew is up there at once: Tim, Todrick, Lee, and Casey. One is certainly outta here. Huh, Todrick grew a goatee overnight; faint, but noticable. Casey gets the first eggcup, Tim the next. Ryan asks Randy which of the other two deserve to continue. Ryan says Lee, who looks as if he swallowed a bug. Our dawg is right - Lee is in the Top 12 and leaves Todrick dancin' with himself, oh-oh-wu-oh.
Red room! Red room! Red room! Ryan says hi to those still waiting, knows that it's annoying, and immediately cuts to our musical act: Scott MacIntyre and Matt Girard on pianos, singing "Tell Her About It." Whoa, is this ever bizarre.
LB - it's what you'd see with Elton and Billy Joel.
NF - only without the talent.
Matt is howlingly bad right now. Oversinging, strange phrasing... it's a verbal seizure. The boogie-woogie piano duel in the middle made us both laugh uncomfortably.
LB - omigod, did you see Scott shake his little booty?
I like Scott's voice in this, anyway. The rest was an astounding train wreck.
Glee promo! W00t Glee! Looks like they're amping the Shu-Emma lovin'. There's also the obligatory Jane Lynch snark. She's brilliant. More please.
Back to the results. Crystal gets a completely non-suspenseful yes. Big Mike, too. I hope they saved Ruben Studdard's industrial-strength eggcup. If that thing gives way he'll domino the entire Top 12. Lacey is asked to defend her eclectic song choices, and she says she likes to evoke different emotions. She gets to invoke tears of happiness on her way to the eggcups.
Teflon Boy is in. I'm not sure I agree with this. The other two A-boys, Alex and Andrew, come up together. Each has an arm around the other's shoulder as they face their fate. Ryan asks Simon if Andrew peaked too soon. Simon - "Maybe, but talent is talent, you're still a talented singer." A good indicator for Andrew, and it pays off. Alex's nerves sunk him, poor kid.
We come back from break to find everyone still hugging it out... then they finally surrender the stage to Katie and Lilly. Two girls enter, one girl sings. This looks awful for Katie, but as LB says, "I'm nervous for Lilly." Kara thinks Lilly really knows who she is, but Katie "sounds contemporary." Hmph. She sounds adult easy-listening.
Yup. Darn it all, Lilly is out, and Katie advances. Notice it's Kara who punted on a prediction when asked, and hedged by talking about both. Also notice that this is what happens when middle schoolers are permitted to vote. Stupid America. Katie's crying. Most of the Idols just seem shocked. Crystal, in fact, looks like she's about to wade into the audience with a cricket bat. Lilly is nice to Katie as they hug, but she looks fairly ticked, as well she should. "I thought I did really well," she says, "I put my heart into every performance, and I thought I really gave it my all... I don't know what America wants to hear." HAHAHAHAHA! Best. Concession. EVER. She's not being snotty or mean or whiny, either - she just seems really, genuinely confused that Katie could possibly advance over her. (Or Paige, for that matter, unless that's just me.) "I just know there's an audience out there for me," she says. Agreed.
See you next week, peeps.
Also see: Snark Raving Mad. I agree with you on this, SarahK.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Logo FAIL
Marc Delphine is a motivated young go-getter who wants to be the next Senator from Oregon. He's just not so sure on how to go about it.
First, he's trying to secure the Libertarian Party nomination. That by itself is probably not a good sign, not in Oregon. But on top of that, he decided that the Libertarian love of property rights didn't really apply to intellectual property. As ESPN's Paul Lukas points out, both of these things look an awful lot like the other. It also looks like that logo has been quietly removed from Mr. Delphine's web banner.
Note to file - if you want to win a Senate race, don't use the logo of a hockey franchise that has never won a playoff game.
First, he's trying to secure the Libertarian Party nomination. That by itself is probably not a good sign, not in Oregon. But on top of that, he decided that the Libertarian love of property rights didn't really apply to intellectual property. As ESPN's Paul Lukas points out, both of these things look an awful lot like the other. It also looks like that logo has been quietly removed from Mr. Delphine's web banner.
Note to file - if you want to win a Senate race, don't use the logo of a hockey franchise that has never won a playoff game.
The A's didn't have it... AI's top 8 boys perform
The producers have picked up on my observation about the ladies lovin' on Simon... but of course, to annoy the King of the Judges' Table, they accuse HIM of leaning into Kara. Very clever. And THIS... is American Idol!
First up, Lee Dewyze, who closed last week's show. He opens with "Fireflies." There's something about his voice that appeals to me, and I find myself liking the acoustic rock-esque performance. Decent start. Randy and Ellen say it was pitchydawg* but I actually think that it's intentional; he's not missing notes, he's hitting unexpected notes out of the normal melody on purpose. The closest example I can think of is Sinatra with his unusual phrasing. It sounds off in the harder-edged context. Your listenage may vary, but I find it interesting. Simon, however, says something I agree with: he's better than he showed tonight. He has to pick it up come Top 12 time.
* totally stole "pitchydawg" from SarahK. Her reviews of the girls and guys are up, too, so go read. Then please come back. Kthxbai.**
** I kind of stole that from SarahK too, but it's a re-steal, so I don't feel so bad.***
*** Stole this whole asterisk note thing from Joe Posnanski. I have to go to confession after every blog post lately.
Next it's Alex Lambert, the sheepish lion, singing "Trouble." Not as good as the last person to do it on Idol (it was recently, but I'm blanking on the name, and I'm as annoyed about that as you are about all the self-interruptions. Sawry). Also, not as good as he was last week. He just looks worried, worried, worried, worried. A step backward. Also giggled a bit about him singing "I was saved by a woman." It doesn't look like that's happened yet for young Alex. Ellen calls him a "mushy banana," which is right, but misses her own point by saying he's good all the time, like tonight. Uhm, no... he was mushy. A mushy, worried banana. If this keeps up Ellen will be calling him tasty bread next week. Simon says he needs a trick to relax, to get out of his own mind and enjoy the performance, and suggests, of all things, "Picture Randy in a bikini or something." Great, now how am I going to get THAT out my mind and enjoy the performance?
Tim Urban is third tonight. Oh, no... "Hallelujah." Done a lot on the show since Jason Castro nailed it two years ago. May be too much song. He stumbles a bit early, but really picks it up. Holy smokes, I think this is really good. His best so far, by a mile. This is the first time he actually sounds like he belongs in the Top 12. Randy loves it, Ellen runs up and hugs him (?!?). Ryan - "Do you want to give the numbers while you're here?" Hahahahahaha, love him. Kara liked Tim, Simon took credit for giving Tim the confidence boost. (Hahahahahaha, love him, again.) That leads to a chorus of "No, it was me who did that!" tag-alongs from everyone else. Now you know why Simon is King of the Judges' Table. The rest are all such wannabes.
Singing cleanup tonight is Andrew Garcia, with Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle." Still chasing his "Straight Up" vibe. Ladybug - "Huh, he's singing another girl's song: Paula, Alicia, Adele, now Christina." Like Lee before him, I like this better than the judges seem too. Randy says he "reduced the song to three notes," and it's a fair point. I really liked all three of those notes, though. The acoustic vibe suits Andrew. Ellen says he hit his stride too late, Kara says that he's still trying to recapture his high point, that he peaked too early with "Straight Up." Simon says he sounded a little desperate and was moving backwards. Again, YLMV, but I don't think it's entirely fair to judge him solely on a Hollywood Week performance from six weeks ago. Compared to the past two weeks of eliminations, he has shown improvement. Hope it's enough.
Fifth is Casey James, the blond brother of the Free Credit Report dude. He's slowing things down a little in response to last week's critique about his voice lacking power in a few of the big spots. He's on pitch, soulful, it felt like his song and not a cover. (Oh, yeah... Keith Urban's "You'll Think of Me.") Randy decides to be a tool and say that it felt too safe, that he wanted that Stevie Ray Vaughn edge. Which is why, of course, last week everyone was annoyed with him. Can they make up their mind about the poor guy before he gets sent home trying to do eleven things at once? Ellen liked it, says he looked really comfortable. Kara says he's moving forward, "just waiting for that spark from you." Simon says it was worse than week one, better than last week, sang it well but probably won't remember it in 24 hours.
Aaron Kelly the Boy Wonder has decided to annoy me by singing a Lonestar song. Not my vibe at all. If this is really unfair let me know in the comments, I won't deny it. Yow, pitchy right off. He's not doing well with the verse, the slow stuff, it's like he can't wait to power out the chorus. Yup, big notes now. I dunno... it was all very old-fashioned sounding with the synth piano and soft-rock arrangement and the soaring chorus. Kind of faux-inspirational, contrived, like a very intrusive movie score that orders the viewer to feel sad on cue. It's not that the kid has a bad voice - he has a good voice, and a really big voice, but he sings to no real purpose. Randy liked it, especially "in the power zone." Ellen brings up that he's really young (AGAIN) and says "you have the confidence of a 30-year old." You see, that's kind of the problem here: good in the power zone, old-sounding... even the compliments point out the problem. Ellen does add, though, that it was "too big a song for you." Kara says the song was about a dad calling his kids, and that Aaron really couldn't sing it convincingly. Simon immediately calls that "rubbish." "Don't be so literal," he tells Kara, adding that it was the style of song Aaron does well with. Again, the compliment IS the problem. He, like Ellen, points that the vocal wasn't that good.
Todrick Hall has to do something or he's going to the half-glove party with Jermaine and Michelle. Singing Queen's "Somebody to Love." Apparently, we're being touched by an angel with this spotlight deal. If he tries to power this like Freddie Mercury it will blow up on him. Smartly, he isn't. Quieter, controlled. Beautiful high note early. Very good, though he's flattening the melody a bit at the end, as if he doesn't trust himself to get back up that high again. Very good arrangement, well sung, maybe he could have done a bit more but he did really help himself with this. Randy - Todrick is back! Ellen - liked the gospel vibe, wish you were more committed. Kara - good singing, but she called it "too serious and dramatic." Todrick - "I'm fighting for my life up here, Kara!" Bravo, Todrick! And great point, too - he used his personal situation to fuel the song and he really connected with it, and with the audience as a result. Kara makes so much about it for everyone else, why is she suddenly forgetting things she said to the very previous singer? Simon - now we know who you are, "it's American Idol the Musical doing Queen." Very Broadway. (Agreed.) Takes a veiled shot at Casey by saying he didn't just sit on a stool with a guitar (boo). "This may have saved you." (Agreed again.)
Finally, Michael Lynche. The last sang first, and the first shall sing last. He's also gone from a Man's World to "This Woman's Work" by Maxwell. I think he's very smart not to bring an instrument with him. The first week, that guitar was pretty much just a prop for him to hide behind, and about as ineffective as my hiding behind an index card. I think I like last week better, he's starting a bit sleepy. Now it picks up. He's into the performance. It's obvious that he feels the smooth R&B, it's right in his wheelhouse. He's really revving it up now, knocking it right out of the park. Terrific job. He's a lock for the twelve. Randy has officially lost his mind. All he can do is yelp "Dope! What? Really??!?? It was hot!!" Ellen calls him the man to beat. (I have to agree, at this point.) Kara is actually, factually crying, and I'd snark her, but I think she really felt that hit home. Of course she brings up Big Mike's wife and daughter, whom he pretty much refused to go home to see born. But looking at her reaction highlights the problem I had with Aaron: this was a genuine moment coming out of the performance, not manipulative. Simon's side-hugging Kara (that's sweet) and says it was the best performance of the year so far. I may not be all the way there with that but it was easily the best of tonight.
Tops: Big Mike.... a gap.... then Tim (I know - I'm shocked too) and Todrick.
Bottoms: Alex, Aaron, and then probably Andrew, though I liked him more than the judges. Aaron is teflon right now, so I'd say the other two are in a world of trouble tonight.
First up, Lee Dewyze, who closed last week's show. He opens with "Fireflies." There's something about his voice that appeals to me, and I find myself liking the acoustic rock-esque performance. Decent start. Randy and Ellen say it was pitchydawg* but I actually think that it's intentional; he's not missing notes, he's hitting unexpected notes out of the normal melody on purpose. The closest example I can think of is Sinatra with his unusual phrasing. It sounds off in the harder-edged context. Your listenage may vary, but I find it interesting. Simon, however, says something I agree with: he's better than he showed tonight. He has to pick it up come Top 12 time.
* totally stole "pitchydawg" from SarahK. Her reviews of the girls and guys are up, too, so go read. Then please come back. Kthxbai.**
** I kind of stole that from SarahK too, but it's a re-steal, so I don't feel so bad.***
*** Stole this whole asterisk note thing from Joe Posnanski. I have to go to confession after every blog post lately.
Next it's Alex Lambert, the sheepish lion, singing "Trouble." Not as good as the last person to do it on Idol (it was recently, but I'm blanking on the name, and I'm as annoyed about that as you are about all the self-interruptions. Sawry). Also, not as good as he was last week. He just looks worried, worried, worried, worried. A step backward. Also giggled a bit about him singing "I was saved by a woman." It doesn't look like that's happened yet for young Alex. Ellen calls him a "mushy banana," which is right, but misses her own point by saying he's good all the time, like tonight. Uhm, no... he was mushy. A mushy, worried banana. If this keeps up Ellen will be calling him tasty bread next week. Simon says he needs a trick to relax, to get out of his own mind and enjoy the performance, and suggests, of all things, "Picture Randy in a bikini or something." Great, now how am I going to get THAT out my mind and enjoy the performance?
Tim Urban is third tonight. Oh, no... "Hallelujah." Done a lot on the show since Jason Castro nailed it two years ago. May be too much song. He stumbles a bit early, but really picks it up. Holy smokes, I think this is really good. His best so far, by a mile. This is the first time he actually sounds like he belongs in the Top 12. Randy loves it, Ellen runs up and hugs him (?!?). Ryan - "Do you want to give the numbers while you're here?" Hahahahahaha, love him. Kara liked Tim, Simon took credit for giving Tim the confidence boost. (Hahahahahaha, love him, again.) That leads to a chorus of "No, it was me who did that!" tag-alongs from everyone else. Now you know why Simon is King of the Judges' Table. The rest are all such wannabes.
Singing cleanup tonight is Andrew Garcia, with Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle." Still chasing his "Straight Up" vibe. Ladybug - "Huh, he's singing another girl's song: Paula, Alicia, Adele, now Christina." Like Lee before him, I like this better than the judges seem too. Randy says he "reduced the song to three notes," and it's a fair point. I really liked all three of those notes, though. The acoustic vibe suits Andrew. Ellen says he hit his stride too late, Kara says that he's still trying to recapture his high point, that he peaked too early with "Straight Up." Simon says he sounded a little desperate and was moving backwards. Again, YLMV, but I don't think it's entirely fair to judge him solely on a Hollywood Week performance from six weeks ago. Compared to the past two weeks of eliminations, he has shown improvement. Hope it's enough.
Fifth is Casey James, the blond brother of the Free Credit Report dude. He's slowing things down a little in response to last week's critique about his voice lacking power in a few of the big spots. He's on pitch, soulful, it felt like his song and not a cover. (Oh, yeah... Keith Urban's "You'll Think of Me.") Randy decides to be a tool and say that it felt too safe, that he wanted that Stevie Ray Vaughn edge. Which is why, of course, last week everyone was annoyed with him. Can they make up their mind about the poor guy before he gets sent home trying to do eleven things at once? Ellen liked it, says he looked really comfortable. Kara says he's moving forward, "just waiting for that spark from you." Simon says it was worse than week one, better than last week, sang it well but probably won't remember it in 24 hours.
Aaron Kelly the Boy Wonder has decided to annoy me by singing a Lonestar song. Not my vibe at all. If this is really unfair let me know in the comments, I won't deny it. Yow, pitchy right off. He's not doing well with the verse, the slow stuff, it's like he can't wait to power out the chorus. Yup, big notes now. I dunno... it was all very old-fashioned sounding with the synth piano and soft-rock arrangement and the soaring chorus. Kind of faux-inspirational, contrived, like a very intrusive movie score that orders the viewer to feel sad on cue. It's not that the kid has a bad voice - he has a good voice, and a really big voice, but he sings to no real purpose. Randy liked it, especially "in the power zone." Ellen brings up that he's really young (AGAIN) and says "you have the confidence of a 30-year old." You see, that's kind of the problem here: good in the power zone, old-sounding... even the compliments point out the problem. Ellen does add, though, that it was "too big a song for you." Kara says the song was about a dad calling his kids, and that Aaron really couldn't sing it convincingly. Simon immediately calls that "rubbish." "Don't be so literal," he tells Kara, adding that it was the style of song Aaron does well with. Again, the compliment IS the problem. He, like Ellen, points that the vocal wasn't that good.
Todrick Hall has to do something or he's going to the half-glove party with Jermaine and Michelle. Singing Queen's "Somebody to Love." Apparently, we're being touched by an angel with this spotlight deal. If he tries to power this like Freddie Mercury it will blow up on him. Smartly, he isn't. Quieter, controlled. Beautiful high note early. Very good, though he's flattening the melody a bit at the end, as if he doesn't trust himself to get back up that high again. Very good arrangement, well sung, maybe he could have done a bit more but he did really help himself with this. Randy - Todrick is back! Ellen - liked the gospel vibe, wish you were more committed. Kara - good singing, but she called it "too serious and dramatic." Todrick - "I'm fighting for my life up here, Kara!" Bravo, Todrick! And great point, too - he used his personal situation to fuel the song and he really connected with it, and with the audience as a result. Kara makes so much about it for everyone else, why is she suddenly forgetting things she said to the very previous singer? Simon - now we know who you are, "it's American Idol the Musical doing Queen." Very Broadway. (Agreed.) Takes a veiled shot at Casey by saying he didn't just sit on a stool with a guitar (boo). "This may have saved you." (Agreed again.)
Finally, Michael Lynche. The last sang first, and the first shall sing last. He's also gone from a Man's World to "This Woman's Work" by Maxwell. I think he's very smart not to bring an instrument with him. The first week, that guitar was pretty much just a prop for him to hide behind, and about as ineffective as my hiding behind an index card. I think I like last week better, he's starting a bit sleepy. Now it picks up. He's into the performance. It's obvious that he feels the smooth R&B, it's right in his wheelhouse. He's really revving it up now, knocking it right out of the park. Terrific job. He's a lock for the twelve. Randy has officially lost his mind. All he can do is yelp "Dope! What? Really??!?? It was hot!!" Ellen calls him the man to beat. (I have to agree, at this point.) Kara is actually, factually crying, and I'd snark her, but I think she really felt that hit home. Of course she brings up Big Mike's wife and daughter, whom he pretty much refused to go home to see born. But looking at her reaction highlights the problem I had with Aaron: this was a genuine moment coming out of the performance, not manipulative. Simon's side-hugging Kara (that's sweet) and says it was the best performance of the year so far. I may not be all the way there with that but it was easily the best of tonight.
Tops: Big Mike.... a gap.... then Tim (I know - I'm shocked too) and Todrick.
Bottoms: Alex, Aaron, and then probably Andrew, though I liked him more than the judges. Aaron is teflon right now, so I'd say the other two are in a world of trouble tonight.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
It reminds me of the menu at a Holiday Inn... AI's top 8 girls perform
Eight girls. Our most talented group ever, for the forty-sixth consecutive year... which is why we're cramming them into one hour instead of going for 90 minutes. That, and we hate ad revenue. THIS.... is American Idol!
Ellen is nuzzling Simon, continuing the earlier gag where he allegedly came on to her during Hollywood Week. And during these shows, Kara has been leaning against him as if he were Casey James. Poor Randy, not getting any Cowell-lovin'. He shouldn't boo every time Ryan introduces Simon if he wants a turn. Not fooling anyone, dawg.
With all the distinctive voices on the ladies' side this year, it's going to be tough on Katie, Paige, and Katelyn, who have much more traditional voices and are thus competing against each other. The weakest performance from those three is going to wind up putting her out on her ear; perhaps two of them if none can step up. The good news is, if one of them gets there she's almost guaranteed to get in. Of the other five, I think Didi is in the shakiest spot coming in, because she was savaged (unfiarly, IMHO) last week and was bottom three.
Katie Stevens is first, with Kelly Clarkson's "Break Away." The vocals are decent, that's not her problem, but it's all very "whatever yourself." I keep waiting for her to really take off on the "make a wish, take a chance" part, but she just putters along, 45 mph in the passing lane, blinker still on. Should have done better. Judges aren't feeling it. Simon in particular says that she's gotten so much advice that she tried to take, "10 out of 10 for eh-fourt," but that she "sucked all the energy out of it."
Siobhan "Ally Sheedy" Magnus, with "House of the Rising Sun." Nice a capella start, she's changing the melody here and there as well, to good effect. Liking this a lot. Band joins in and we get a big strong finish. Gorgeous. Vote-worthy. Judges? Three of four, but Simon thought it was nothing special or different. Maybe he couldn't dig Katie's performance out of his ears.
Lacey Brown, the flame-haired Leigh Nash soundalike, is singing a song I don't recognize, because I'm not one of the cool kids, and that's why we can't have nice things. She is very good. I'm even getting hints of Blossom Dearie in the vocal, I'm digging whatever-song-this-is. Hitting notes all up and down the register. If you just sing well, and connect to the song, you don't necessarily need to break out the fireworks. She gets uniform praise for the judges. Simon is somewhat reserved, says Lacey risks sounding forgettable. He's taking the "final cut before the final 12" thing very seriously, trying to see who will raise their game to get in.
Katelyn Epperly is standing at the keyboard, singing "I Feel the Earth Move" by Carole King. That makes one of her. This is the sleepiest earth-moving I've ever heard. It takes her half the song to finally start moving around a bit back there - not that she needs to writhe around like Ray Charles or something, but at least bob your head. Maybe all that hair is too heavy to move. Booooooorrrrrrring. And she looks like one of the Weird Sisters. I expect her to tell Ryan that he can kill Simon and be King of the Judges' Table. Aside from the classic 60's keyboard, there was almost nothing to like about this. Very Muzak. Randy liked the keyboard, Ellen thought there was no wow to the song, Kara thought she didn't compete, and Simon says she sang it "quite well" but it was like request night at a restaurant.
That's 0-2 from the traditional voices. If Paige steps up she's sailing in.
Didi Benami is singing "Rhiannon," by Fleetwood Mac. Tough song to take on. She's going singer-songwriter with it, just a guitar and vocal. Very stripped down. She sounds wonderful, very ethereal, it fits the song well. Big plus - I can finally understand the lyrics.
Stevie Nicks: Auhwl yrLIIIIIIIIIII, you nevuh seen a wumaunn, takn blytheblinnnnn
Didi Benami: All your life, you've never seen a woman taken by the wind
This is brilliant. She really helped herself tonight. Randy was lukewarm, but the other judges, having paid attention, give Didi her due, with Simon calling the whole performance a "wow moment" and Kara saying it was one of her favorite moments of the season.
Ohhhh.... "Dreams unwind, love's a state of mind." Ohhhh!
Now it's Paige Miles, with a huge chance to step up. Singing a tune called "Smile." She is, however, not smiling. Nor is she on key. Wow, she's only hitting about two-thirds of the notes. This is a turgid performance. Arrangement is horrid, too. Oh, no. Oh... oh me oh my, we are in trouble, aren't we? She gave up and shut down. Randy calls it "bossa nova." (She would have been better off singing "Bossa Nova Baby" than what she actually did.) Ellen called it sad and heavy, not uplifiting. Simon calls it "Holiday Inn, 1974." I call it a swan song. She's done. Offbeat voices 3, Traditionalists 0, and it's not as close as the score suggests.
Crystal Bowersox takes on Tracey Chapman's "Gimme One Reason." Blows it right out of the water. Tremendous. What's more impressive is that she followed up last week's star-making performance with another hgih-water mark. Fantastic. Easily your leader in the clubhouse. Judges agree. Simon even breaks out his Carl Sagan impression by saying she's "one million billion percent" in the top 12.
So now it's poor Lilly Scott's job to follow up Crystal. She will use the power of her superfluous "L" to wow America - well, no, she's just singing "I Fall to Pieces" by Patsy Cline. Nice mandolin. Same relative size to her as the regular guitar to Michael Lynche. (ba-DUM pum! Thanks, I'll be here at the '74 Holiday Inn all week! Try the veal!) I do like this. She sounds nothing like Patsy Cline, so just by singing well, she sounds original, despite the straight-up country arrangement. And she is singing quite well. Like it a lot. On the downside, it looks like she emptied her dryer vents before coming on, and she's wearing the giant lint balls as earrings.
Top Three - Crystal by a mile, Didi, Siobhan. Bottom three - Katie, Katelyn, Paige. One of the three will eke it out, but I have trouble saying which. Katie has the youth vote and the sick gammie sympathy vote, so I'm kind of thinking she stays... It's tough, because going first didn't help her, but Paige went last and left such a terrible impression that it may not matter. And Katelyn, I'm done done done with. Out, out, brief candle.
Ellen is nuzzling Simon, continuing the earlier gag where he allegedly came on to her during Hollywood Week. And during these shows, Kara has been leaning against him as if he were Casey James. Poor Randy, not getting any Cowell-lovin'. He shouldn't boo every time Ryan introduces Simon if he wants a turn. Not fooling anyone, dawg.
With all the distinctive voices on the ladies' side this year, it's going to be tough on Katie, Paige, and Katelyn, who have much more traditional voices and are thus competing against each other. The weakest performance from those three is going to wind up putting her out on her ear; perhaps two of them if none can step up. The good news is, if one of them gets there she's almost guaranteed to get in. Of the other five, I think Didi is in the shakiest spot coming in, because she was savaged (unfiarly, IMHO) last week and was bottom three.
Katie Stevens is first, with Kelly Clarkson's "Break Away." The vocals are decent, that's not her problem, but it's all very "whatever yourself." I keep waiting for her to really take off on the "make a wish, take a chance" part, but she just putters along, 45 mph in the passing lane, blinker still on. Should have done better. Judges aren't feeling it. Simon in particular says that she's gotten so much advice that she tried to take, "10 out of 10 for eh-fourt," but that she "sucked all the energy out of it."
Siobhan "Ally Sheedy" Magnus, with "House of the Rising Sun." Nice a capella start, she's changing the melody here and there as well, to good effect. Liking this a lot. Band joins in and we get a big strong finish. Gorgeous. Vote-worthy. Judges? Three of four, but Simon thought it was nothing special or different. Maybe he couldn't dig Katie's performance out of his ears.
Lacey Brown, the flame-haired Leigh Nash soundalike, is singing a song I don't recognize, because I'm not one of the cool kids, and that's why we can't have nice things. She is very good. I'm even getting hints of Blossom Dearie in the vocal, I'm digging whatever-song-this-is. Hitting notes all up and down the register. If you just sing well, and connect to the song, you don't necessarily need to break out the fireworks. She gets uniform praise for the judges. Simon is somewhat reserved, says Lacey risks sounding forgettable. He's taking the "final cut before the final 12" thing very seriously, trying to see who will raise their game to get in.
Katelyn Epperly is standing at the keyboard, singing "I Feel the Earth Move" by Carole King. That makes one of her. This is the sleepiest earth-moving I've ever heard. It takes her half the song to finally start moving around a bit back there - not that she needs to writhe around like Ray Charles or something, but at least bob your head. Maybe all that hair is too heavy to move. Booooooorrrrrrring. And she looks like one of the Weird Sisters. I expect her to tell Ryan that he can kill Simon and be King of the Judges' Table. Aside from the classic 60's keyboard, there was almost nothing to like about this. Very Muzak. Randy liked the keyboard, Ellen thought there was no wow to the song, Kara thought she didn't compete, and Simon says she sang it "quite well" but it was like request night at a restaurant.
That's 0-2 from the traditional voices. If Paige steps up she's sailing in.
Didi Benami is singing "Rhiannon," by Fleetwood Mac. Tough song to take on. She's going singer-songwriter with it, just a guitar and vocal. Very stripped down. She sounds wonderful, very ethereal, it fits the song well. Big plus - I can finally understand the lyrics.
Stevie Nicks: Auhwl yrLIIIIIIIIIII, you nevuh seen a wumaunn, takn blytheblinnnnn
Didi Benami: All your life, you've never seen a woman taken by the wind
This is brilliant. She really helped herself tonight. Randy was lukewarm, but the other judges, having paid attention, give Didi her due, with Simon calling the whole performance a "wow moment" and Kara saying it was one of her favorite moments of the season.
Ohhhh.... "Dreams unwind, love's a state of mind." Ohhhh!
Now it's Paige Miles, with a huge chance to step up. Singing a tune called "Smile." She is, however, not smiling. Nor is she on key. Wow, she's only hitting about two-thirds of the notes. This is a turgid performance. Arrangement is horrid, too. Oh, no. Oh... oh me oh my, we are in trouble, aren't we? She gave up and shut down. Randy calls it "bossa nova." (She would have been better off singing "Bossa Nova Baby" than what she actually did.) Ellen called it sad and heavy, not uplifiting. Simon calls it "Holiday Inn, 1974." I call it a swan song. She's done. Offbeat voices 3, Traditionalists 0, and it's not as close as the score suggests.
Crystal Bowersox takes on Tracey Chapman's "Gimme One Reason." Blows it right out of the water. Tremendous. What's more impressive is that she followed up last week's star-making performance with another hgih-water mark. Fantastic. Easily your leader in the clubhouse. Judges agree. Simon even breaks out his Carl Sagan impression by saying she's "one million billion percent" in the top 12.
So now it's poor Lilly Scott's job to follow up Crystal. She will use the power of her superfluous "L" to wow America - well, no, she's just singing "I Fall to Pieces" by Patsy Cline. Nice mandolin. Same relative size to her as the regular guitar to Michael Lynche. (ba-DUM pum! Thanks, I'll be here at the '74 Holiday Inn all week! Try the veal!) I do like this. She sounds nothing like Patsy Cline, so just by singing well, she sounds original, despite the straight-up country arrangement. And she is singing quite well. Like it a lot. On the downside, it looks like she emptied her dryer vents before coming on, and she's wearing the giant lint balls as earrings.
Top Three - Crystal by a mile, Didi, Siobhan. Bottom three - Katie, Katelyn, Paige. One of the three will eke it out, but I have trouble saying which. Katie has the youth vote and the sick gammie sympathy vote, so I'm kind of thinking she stays... It's tough, because going first didn't help her, but Paige went last and left such a terrible impression that it may not matter. And Katelyn, I'm done done done with. Out, out, brief candle.
Monday, March 08, 2010
Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I luv ya, tomorrow!
Update: It's bad, Rubio is beating Crist 60-28.
You're only a day away.
We are going to have absolutely brutal numbers out on Charlie Crist tomorrow.
Here's a little preview: among Republican primary voters 19% would like to see him as Governor a year from now, 14% want him in the Senate, and 56% want him out of elected office.
If there is any path to his winning office in Florida again- and there may not be- it's as something other than a Republican.
So Rubio got a $100 haircut. Marco could be offering up his firstborn to Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites and he'd still get my vote. And it looks like I'm not alone.
You're only a day away.
We are going to have absolutely brutal numbers out on Charlie Crist tomorrow.
Here's a little preview: among Republican primary voters 19% would like to see him as Governor a year from now, 14% want him in the Senate, and 56% want him out of elected office.
If there is any path to his winning office in Florida again- and there may not be- it's as something other than a Republican.
So Rubio got a $100 haircut. Marco could be offering up his firstborn to Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites and he'd still get my vote. And it looks like I'm not alone.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
C'mon guys, make up your minds!
Christian Science Monitor (3/6/2010): John Patrick Bedell: Did right-wing extremism lead to shooting?
John Patrick Bedell, whom authorities identified as the gunman in the Pentagon shooting on Thursday, appears to have been a right-wing extremist with virulent antigovernment feelings.
Christian Science Monitor (3/6/2010): Political extremism: Not so easy to categorize.
Pentagon shooter John Patrick Bedell was an anti-Bush registered Democrat who believed 9/11 was planned and carried out by the US government, so he must be left-wing, right?
The truth here is way beyond such facile political analysis.
The truth is that it wasn't his politics that caused him to do this, but the fact that he was a nutjob. But what explains this first article? Wishful thinking on the part of the writer?
And these people wonder why their industry is dying.
John Patrick Bedell, whom authorities identified as the gunman in the Pentagon shooting on Thursday, appears to have been a right-wing extremist with virulent antigovernment feelings.
Christian Science Monitor (3/6/2010): Political extremism: Not so easy to categorize.
Pentagon shooter John Patrick Bedell was an anti-Bush registered Democrat who believed 9/11 was planned and carried out by the US government, so he must be left-wing, right?
The truth here is way beyond such facile political analysis.
The truth is that it wasn't his politics that caused him to do this, but the fact that he was a nutjob. But what explains this first article? Wishful thinking on the part of the writer?
And these people wonder why their industry is dying.
This will never happen in New Jersey
Getting attacked by an otter on a public street, that is.
For Morrell Denton, 96, it was a little early-morning walk.
Then the rabid otter attacked.
A witness found him on the ground on the 300 block of Venice East Boulevard, not far south of Center Road. He was covered in blood, waving for his life and trying to shake off the otter when North Port resident and truck driver Raymond Duval spotted him at about 4:10 a.m. Friday.
Of course, if it's not radid otters then it is escaped monkeys.
For Morrell Denton, 96, it was a little early-morning walk.
Then the rabid otter attacked.
A witness found him on the ground on the 300 block of Venice East Boulevard, not far south of Center Road. He was covered in blood, waving for his life and trying to shake off the otter when North Port resident and truck driver Raymond Duval spotted him at about 4:10 a.m. Friday.
Of course, if it's not radid otters then it is escaped monkeys.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Well done indeed
No... beyond well-done. Spectacular stuff from Doc Zero:
The right to protect yourself, and your family, from injury and death is an essential part of your dignity as a free man or woman. Without the First Amendment, you are a slave. Without the Second, you are a child.As the cool kids like to say: read the whole thing. Brilliant.
The Western nations which have abandoned this essential understanding of an individual’s right to self-defense have become rotting orphanages filled with dependent children.
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
I am loving this blog so hard right now
If you're a fan of a hard-luck sports franchise, you get completely crazy (see: all New York sports teams) or develop a darned good sense of humor. Lately, the Isles fans are going the wrong way... witness this spectacular nitwittery in the (400+ and counting) comments, most of them ready to toss GM Garth Snow under the Zamboni for getting a low second-round pick for Andy Sutton.
Dudes... the guy is turning 36 next year, makes $3 million, and will probably leave as a free agent after the year. Did you expect that Sid Crosby was coming back the other way? I hate that so many of my fellow fans have decided to turn into typical "Louie from the Bronx" WFAN caller types. Get down off the ledge, guys, woncha?
As an antidote I hang out over at Down Goes Brown. The draft advertisement post alone is worth your repeated clickage. ("Customers who viewed this item also viewed: Pylon, Turnstile, Wasted Money..." HAHAHAHAHAHA)
And BTW, Isles Point Blank is also on the Pantheon, and Chris Botta, who is Lord of the IPB, is very very good. No beef with him (even if he does spike my comments on occasion!). It's my fellow combox jockeys who need to get back on their meds.
update and BWAHAHAHAHA - from Greg Wyshynski (Puck Daddy), the Milbury Trade Scale. Never has mental scarring from epic failure been this amusing!
Dudes... the guy is turning 36 next year, makes $3 million, and will probably leave as a free agent after the year. Did you expect that Sid Crosby was coming back the other way? I hate that so many of my fellow fans have decided to turn into typical "Louie from the Bronx" WFAN caller types. Get down off the ledge, guys, woncha?
As an antidote I hang out over at Down Goes Brown. The draft advertisement post alone is worth your repeated clickage. ("Customers who viewed this item also viewed: Pylon, Turnstile, Wasted Money..." HAHAHAHAHAHA)
And BTW, Isles Point Blank is also on the Pantheon, and Chris Botta, who is Lord of the IPB, is very very good. No beef with him (even if he does spike my comments on occasion!). It's my fellow combox jockeys who need to get back on their meds.
update and BWAHAHAHAHA - from Greg Wyshynski (Puck Daddy), the Milbury Trade Scale. Never has mental scarring from epic failure been this amusing!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
I didn't know how right I was...
....when I said that there was more proof that Obama was born in Hawaii than I was born in Puerto Rico.
A law enacted by Puerto Rico in December mainly to combat identity theft invalidates as of July 1 all previously issued Puerto Rican birth certificates. That means more than a third of the 4.1 million people of Puerto Rican descent living in the 50 states must arrange to get new certificates.
It looks like a lot of birth certificates were stolen. This is one way in which illegals who cannot habla English can pass themselves off as citizens.
Now I've got to go through this rigamarole to get a new certificate. It's going to be a real pain.
Especially since I was actually born in Kenya.
A law enacted by Puerto Rico in December mainly to combat identity theft invalidates as of July 1 all previously issued Puerto Rican birth certificates. That means more than a third of the 4.1 million people of Puerto Rican descent living in the 50 states must arrange to get new certificates.
It looks like a lot of birth certificates were stolen. This is one way in which illegals who cannot habla English can pass themselves off as citizens.
Now I've got to go through this rigamarole to get a new certificate. It's going to be a real pain.
Especially since I was actually born in Kenya.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
This Explains Hayworth
His birtherism, that is. It seems to be rampant among Arizona Republicans.
Nearly half of the Arizona Legislature wants to force President Barack Obama to show his birth certificate to state officials if he runs for re-election.
A state House committee on Tuesday approved the measure sponsored by 40 of the state's 90 legislators. It would require presidential candidates who want to appear on the ballot in Arizona to submit documents proving they meet the requirements to be president.
All 40 co-sponsors are Republicans, comprising 75 percent of the GOP caucus. Two of them have since resigned to run for Congress.
The idea was proposed by Skull Valley Republican Rep. Judy Burges. She says if people have to prove their citizenship to apply for a job or get a passport, they should have to prove it to run for president.
With those kind of numbers his position on Obama's birth may help him vs McCain.
Nearly half of the Arizona Legislature wants to force President Barack Obama to show his birth certificate to state officials if he runs for re-election.
A state House committee on Tuesday approved the measure sponsored by 40 of the state's 90 legislators. It would require presidential candidates who want to appear on the ballot in Arizona to submit documents proving they meet the requirements to be president.
All 40 co-sponsors are Republicans, comprising 75 percent of the GOP caucus. Two of them have since resigned to run for Congress.
The idea was proposed by Skull Valley Republican Rep. Judy Burges. She says if people have to prove their citizenship to apply for a job or get a passport, they should have to prove it to run for president.
With those kind of numbers his position on Obama's birth may help him vs McCain.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Toll Collector Rage in Jersey
In browsing this list, I see that many toll collectors have racial issues.
And they don't appreciate being paid in pennies.
And they don't appreciate being paid in pennies.
Crist Staffers Jumping Ship..
...does the 18-point Rubio lead have anything to do with it?
In the latest sign of turbulence for Charlie Crist's wounded U.S. Senate bid, key staffers are starting to leave the campaign.
Political director Pablo Diaz, one of the first two staff members hired for the Senate campaign, is departing at the end of the month for "a new opportunity." Sean Doughtie, a well-regarded new media consultant who had worked with Crist for years, stopped working for the campaign at the end of January.
"The campaign was going in a different direction," said Doughtie.
Meanwhile, a poll released Monday pointed to Crist's dire position six months before the Republican primary: Rubio was leading Crist by 18 percentage points — 54 percent to 36 percent — among likely Republican primary voters, according to a Feb. 18 Rasmussen Reports poll with a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
One chance Charlie has: Ray Sansom, Former Florida House Speaker and Rubio's budget director when Marco was speaker resigned from the Florida House yesterday hours before an ethics committee was going to look into his financial shenanigans. Crist is calling for Rubio to release all communications he has had with Sansom.
I wish Charlie luck. The way I feel right now Marco could be a Satan worshipper and still get my vote.
In the latest sign of turbulence for Charlie Crist's wounded U.S. Senate bid, key staffers are starting to leave the campaign.
Political director Pablo Diaz, one of the first two staff members hired for the Senate campaign, is departing at the end of the month for "a new opportunity." Sean Doughtie, a well-regarded new media consultant who had worked with Crist for years, stopped working for the campaign at the end of January.
"The campaign was going in a different direction," said Doughtie.
Meanwhile, a poll released Monday pointed to Crist's dire position six months before the Republican primary: Rubio was leading Crist by 18 percentage points — 54 percent to 36 percent — among likely Republican primary voters, according to a Feb. 18 Rasmussen Reports poll with a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
One chance Charlie has: Ray Sansom, Former Florida House Speaker and Rubio's budget director when Marco was speaker resigned from the Florida House yesterday hours before an ethics committee was going to look into his financial shenanigans. Crist is calling for Rubio to release all communications he has had with Sansom.
I wish Charlie luck. The way I feel right now Marco could be a Satan worshipper and still get my vote.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Rays pitchers and catchers report
The bad news is that owner Stuart Sternberg says that the current $70 million payroll is unsustainable. Which means that I need to hustle to the Trop before July 31 to see Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena before they become Yankees.
The good news is that Fan Fest at Tropicana today features Cowboy Troy, the 6'8" black country rapper singing his hit, "I Play Chicken With the Train".
The good news is that Fan Fest at Tropicana today features Cowboy Troy, the 6'8" black country rapper singing his hit, "I Play Chicken With the Train".
Friday, February 19, 2010
The esteemed theologian...
....Sir Elton John.
So it comes as a surprise that in Parade magazine this week, John claims that one of the central figures of Christianity is in fact a homosexual.Of course Jesus is not gay. We all know from The Da Vinci Code that He was shacking up with Mary Magdalene.
"I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems," he tells Parade. "On the cross, he forgave the people who crucified him."
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Well, McCain's re-elected
His opponent panders to birthers.
Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, who on Monday officially entered Arizona's Republican race against Sen. John McCain, defended his recent call for President Barack Obama to produce his birth certificate, suggesting his questions stem not from conspiracy theories that Obama was really born in Kenya but from concerns about identity theft
The one chance we have of ridding the GOP of the disease of McCainism, and we get this guy. Earlier Hayworth had called for Obama to release his long form certificate. Now that he is a candidate he has to walk back on that. So he comes up with this lame identy theft cover.
.
Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, who on Monday officially entered Arizona's Republican race against Sen. John McCain, defended his recent call for President Barack Obama to produce his birth certificate, suggesting his questions stem not from conspiracy theories that Obama was really born in Kenya but from concerns about identity theft
The one chance we have of ridding the GOP of the disease of McCainism, and we get this guy. Earlier Hayworth had called for Obama to release his long form certificate. Now that he is a candidate he has to walk back on that. So he comes up with this lame identy theft cover.
Hayworth is either a birther or worse, feels he needs to pander to them.
We'll never get rid of McCain. If you're in the Senate at 70 the only way you leave is by death. Robert Byrd has been in the Senate longewr than I have been alive. Now on his deathbed he nstiull won't give it up.
McCain is saying the right things now. But as soon as there's a Republican in the White House he will be on the TODAY show badmouthing his party and getting his toes licked my Meredith Viera.
.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
You keep using that word...
...I don't think it means what you think it means.
If they were to say that the stated rationale of the modern Games is to meet on the field of play, rather than the field of battle, then perhaps they'd have a point - but to reduce this to politics is rather like objecting to a ransom note because of the grammar. If this is the best they could do, then it's obvious that the ruling is itself a petty dig.
Well and duly noted. They should be told to note our mocking laughter in reply. Patriotism is not political, and it's kind of most of the point of having Olympics in the first place. Most of the countries participating in these Games have fought alongside our forces, or are free today only because of them. That is a fraternity that goes far deeper than politics. He that to-day sheds his blood with me shall be my brother...
Tim Thomas, btw, has already gone Vichy and has covered his own "Support the Troops" backplate. I hope he gets traded to Edmonton.
(stick-tap to Gabriel Malor at the Ace of Spades)
Trouble is brewing over United States ice hockey goalie Jonathan Quick and the “Support Our Troops” slogan on his helmet. Slogans of this sort are banned under Olympic rules and Quick will be told to remove it, the International Ice Hockey Federation has told Reuters.Political propaganda? Wha...? I don't recall GOP or DNC patches on the uniforms. Besides, this is the Olympics - the non-partisan gathering of the fraternity of athletic endeavor in which, every four years, you gather with your countrymen to totally pwn stupid furrinurs and rub it IN! THEIR! FACE! Afterward, they give out medals to the athletes who defeat their foreign opponents, and the winners are stood on a podium in front of millions while their national anthem is played.
...
IOC rules forbid political propoganda or advertisements being placed on equipment. “If the players don’t agree with the interpretation they can ask the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) to petition the IOC.”
If they were to say that the stated rationale of the modern Games is to meet on the field of play, rather than the field of battle, then perhaps they'd have a point - but to reduce this to politics is rather like objecting to a ransom note because of the grammar. If this is the best they could do, then it's obvious that the ruling is itself a petty dig.
Well and duly noted. They should be told to note our mocking laughter in reply. Patriotism is not political, and it's kind of most of the point of having Olympics in the first place. Most of the countries participating in these Games have fought alongside our forces, or are free today only because of them. That is a fraternity that goes far deeper than politics. He that to-day sheds his blood with me shall be my brother...
Tim Thomas, btw, has already gone Vichy and has covered his own "Support the Troops" backplate. I hope he gets traded to Edmonton.
(stick-tap to Gabriel Malor at the Ace of Spades)
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Now this sounds familiar
A Republican pretending to be a conservative to try and win a primary.
Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain has undergone a transformation on significant issues since the failure of his presidential campaign, particularly since he has faced a challenge from a conservative rival in his Senate re-election campaign.
The AP lists some of McCain's flip flops as he tries to do his best Charlie Crist impersonation.
One thing for which I can thank McCain is that his presidential campaign smoked out those radio talkers who are not independently conservative but shills for the GOP. Liberals would accuse conservative talkers of being hacks for the party and in some cases they would be right. During the presidential campaign McCain would only go on radio shows that gave his campaign full-throated support. That list includes Hugh Hewitt, Bill Bennett and the biggest GOP shill/McCainkisser of them all Michael Medved. McCain may have had the courage to stand up to the North Vietnamese but lacked the guts to go on Rush Limbaugh during the presidential campaign.
For the good of the party McCain has to go. If McCain gets re-elected, it will embolden McCain acolytes like Crist, Lindsay Gramnesty, Mike Huckabee and by his own admission, Scott Brown. And if a Republican becomes president in 2012, McCain will go back to his old tricks of being the "maverick" of his party, advocating cap-and-trade, amnesty, and ripping conservatives while getting his fanny kissed by Matt Lauer on the TODAY Show.
Yes, the Sisko is angry.
Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain has undergone a transformation on significant issues since the failure of his presidential campaign, particularly since he has faced a challenge from a conservative rival in his Senate re-election campaign.
The AP lists some of McCain's flip flops as he tries to do his best Charlie Crist impersonation.
One thing for which I can thank McCain is that his presidential campaign smoked out those radio talkers who are not independently conservative but shills for the GOP. Liberals would accuse conservative talkers of being hacks for the party and in some cases they would be right. During the presidential campaign McCain would only go on radio shows that gave his campaign full-throated support. That list includes Hugh Hewitt, Bill Bennett and the biggest GOP shill/McCainkisser of them all Michael Medved. McCain may have had the courage to stand up to the North Vietnamese but lacked the guts to go on Rush Limbaugh during the presidential campaign.
For the good of the party McCain has to go. If McCain gets re-elected, it will embolden McCain acolytes like Crist, Lindsay Gramnesty, Mike Huckabee and by his own admission, Scott Brown. And if a Republican becomes president in 2012, McCain will go back to his old tricks of being the "maverick" of his party, advocating cap-and-trade, amnesty, and ripping conservatives while getting his fanny kissed by Matt Lauer on the TODAY Show.
Yes, the Sisko is angry.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
If you wanted to be scared out of your mind
A horror flick is not the answer. The real ticket to a night with the lights on and the covers high is the always-excellent Mark Steyn. Excellent - but disturbing.
(update - before I hit publish, a tour of the blogs uncovered this bit from the Corner, also by Steyn. Courtesy of the fine folks at the Swilling.)
Every time I retail the latest indignity imposed upon the “citizen” by some or other Continental apparatchik, I receive e-mails from the heartland pointing out, with much reference to the Second Amendment, that it couldn’t happen here because Americans aren’t Euro-weenies. But nor were Euro-weenies once upon a time. ...Please, read the whole thing - preferably in a warm, well-lit room, with a comforting beverage close at hand.
Two-thirds of a century on, almost every item on the list has been abandoned, from “independence and self-reliance” (40 per cent of people receive state handouts) to “a healthy suspicion of power and authority” – the reflex response now to almost any passing inconvenience is to demand the government “do something”, the cost to individual liberty be damned. American exceptionalism would have to be awfully exceptional to suffer a similar expansion of government and not witness, in enough of the populace, the same descent into dependency and fatalism. ...
What’s easier to do if you’re a democratic government that’s made promises it can’t afford? Cut back on nanny-state lollipops? Or shrug off thankless military commitments for which the electorate has minimal appetite? ... On its present course, as Dennis Prager put it, America “will be a large Sweden, and just as influential as the smaller one.”
And that’s the optimistic scenario – because the only reason Sweden can be Sweden and Germany Germany and France France is because America is America. Who will cushion America’s decline as America cushioned Europe’s? ...
Much of the timing of American decline depends on Beijing, which will make the final determination on such matters as when the dollar ceases to be the world’s reserve currency. Given that they hold at least the schedule of our fate in their hands, it would be rather reassuring if they had the capability to assume America’s role as the global order-maker. But they don’t and they never will. The most likely future is not a world under a new order but a world with no order – in which pipsqueak states go nuclear while the planet’s wealthiest nations, from New Zealand to Norway, are unable to defend their own borders and are forced to adjust to the post-American era as they can. Yet, in such a geopolitical scene, the United States will still remain the most inviting target – first, because it’s big, and secondly, because, as Britain knows, the durbar moves on but imperial resentments linger long after imperial grandeur. ...
The first victims of American retreat will be the many corners of the world that have benefitted from a unusually benign hegemon. But the consequences of retreat will come home, too. In a more dangerous world, American decline will be steeper, faster and more devastating than Britain’s – and something far closer to Rome’s.
(update - before I hit publish, a tour of the blogs uncovered this bit from the Corner, also by Steyn. Courtesy of the fine folks at the Swilling.)
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The coveted 25-54 year-old demographic...
...has insomnia.
MSNBC’s David Shuster became a fan of Fox News’ late-night comedy/news hybrid Red Eye just in time for its three-year anniversary.Incredible as it seems, more people in this demo are watching Fox Cable News at 3am than CNN in prime time. MSNBC isn't even mentioned.
And it’s coming at a time when the 3amET show is seeing big ratings in the A25-54 demographic – even topping CNN prime time last week.
Just like when we highlighted the show’s ratings in September 2009 (which the FNC advertising department enjoyed as well, taking out full-page ads in the New York Post and others), the ratings for last week show Red Eye beating CNN again. This time, the show had better ratings in the A25-54 demographic than Campbell Brown at 8pmET and Larry King at 9pmET, and tied Anderson Cooper at 10pmET (Monday-Thursday).
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Much better now
For those who asked or just had a prayer and a good thought, thanks. I'm over the congestion. There's a little backstory, which I hinted at but didn't elaborate, until now.
As for the other doctory things:
The tech who gave the echocardiogram was a pleasant guy, born in Spain. He attached me to what seemed like forty leads and had me lay on my side in the classic first-aid recover pose. (Worst. Swimsuit photo. EVER.) Somewhere behind me, he got the terminal up and running, and then reached across with his one arm to move the sonogram wand across my torso. So, yeah, real awkward. And he kept saying stuff like, "Beautiful! Wonderful!" in his classical accent. I tried to be fierce, peeps, but it was difficult. New spot - whooosh whooosh behind me, and then "Booteefool!" followed by a click and a beep. He was either happy about the cardio or got a top score on Minesweeper, I can't tell.
Next, the stress test. Since I didn't want to fool with my BP before the visit I had been taking exactly nothing for my sinus complaints, so I wasn't feeling my best. Luckily the actual jogging wasn't so bad. Hockey pays off. They took my BP every three minutes, and the machine went up a level (really, it said so right on the screen). The hardest part was not pulling too much with my arms and just using them to steady myself. I got up to level five and still hadn't hit the target heart rate yet.
"How many levels are there?" I asked.
"As many as it takes," said the doctor.
"So, Level 6.... the machine starts throwing things at me?"
"Knives," he replied. The laughter finally got me to the target.
Why was I taking a stress-echo test? Basically, a couple of days before Christmas, I was woken by a great deal of discomfort in my chest. I also felt dizzy and had tingling in my hands, much worse on the left. Freaking out about said conditions didn't help all that much, either.
Don't ask why, because I have no good answer, but I didn't call anyone, nor tell anyone. I rode it out. That tingling certainly wasn't my brain working. I suppose I had a mental line of demarcation, where I would have just woke up the Ladybug and gone to the hospital, and my symptoms never crossed. Had they done, though, I may not have been in a place to ask for help. It was, in all respects, incredibly dumb.
A couple of weeks later, a milder form of this happened again, and then again a few days later, and again, and by the last week of January it was almost a daily occurance. Mind you, I'm still playing my weekly hockey games at this point,* and the funny thing is that my symptoms NEVER occured during or after games. I'd feel like crap driving there but be fine once I started.
* (I'm intensely stupid, he explained.)
Finally I got fed up with it and checked myself in for fun tests. They took very good care of me. Better still, my wife declined to kill me once I told her the whole story.
The upshot of it is that all my EKGs and my stress-echocardiogram were fine. Cholesterol and components were excellent. The only thing to watch, oddly, was my B-12 level, which is (marginally) low. I wonder if that's a contributing factor? Maybe the illness had something to do with it.
In any case, I'm keeping a close eye on things. It looks like you're stuck with me for a while longer.
update: beat this, techie!
As for the other doctory things:
The tech who gave the echocardiogram was a pleasant guy, born in Spain. He attached me to what seemed like forty leads and had me lay on my side in the classic first-aid recover pose. (Worst. Swimsuit photo. EVER.) Somewhere behind me, he got the terminal up and running, and then reached across with his one arm to move the sonogram wand across my torso. So, yeah, real awkward. And he kept saying stuff like, "Beautiful! Wonderful!" in his classical accent. I tried to be fierce, peeps, but it was difficult. New spot - whooosh whooosh behind me, and then "Booteefool!" followed by a click and a beep. He was either happy about the cardio or got a top score on Minesweeper, I can't tell.
Next, the stress test. Since I didn't want to fool with my BP before the visit I had been taking exactly nothing for my sinus complaints, so I wasn't feeling my best. Luckily the actual jogging wasn't so bad. Hockey pays off. They took my BP every three minutes, and the machine went up a level (really, it said so right on the screen). The hardest part was not pulling too much with my arms and just using them to steady myself. I got up to level five and still hadn't hit the target heart rate yet.
"How many levels are there?" I asked.
"As many as it takes," said the doctor.
"So, Level 6.... the machine starts throwing things at me?"
"Knives," he replied. The laughter finally got me to the target.
Why was I taking a stress-echo test? Basically, a couple of days before Christmas, I was woken by a great deal of discomfort in my chest. I also felt dizzy and had tingling in my hands, much worse on the left. Freaking out about said conditions didn't help all that much, either.
Don't ask why, because I have no good answer, but I didn't call anyone, nor tell anyone. I rode it out. That tingling certainly wasn't my brain working. I suppose I had a mental line of demarcation, where I would have just woke up the Ladybug and gone to the hospital, and my symptoms never crossed. Had they done, though, I may not have been in a place to ask for help. It was, in all respects, incredibly dumb.
A couple of weeks later, a milder form of this happened again, and then again a few days later, and again, and by the last week of January it was almost a daily occurance. Mind you, I'm still playing my weekly hockey games at this point,* and the funny thing is that my symptoms NEVER occured during or after games. I'd feel like crap driving there but be fine once I started.
* (I'm intensely stupid, he explained.)
Finally I got fed up with it and checked myself in for fun tests. They took very good care of me. Better still, my wife declined to kill me once I told her the whole story.
The upshot of it is that all my EKGs and my stress-echocardiogram were fine. Cholesterol and components were excellent. The only thing to watch, oddly, was my B-12 level, which is (marginally) low. I wonder if that's a contributing factor? Maybe the illness had something to do with it.
In any case, I'm keeping a close eye on things. It looks like you're stuck with me for a while longer.
update: beat this, techie!
Monday, February 08, 2010
Cry-landers
Our very young ice hockey team has had everything go sideways on them. Not a surprise, as they are still not quite ready for contention - not even in this year's Eastern Conference, which features seven or eight mediocre teams, any two of which will make the playoffs by default this season.
In their honor, I've decided to put up a post about the worst of times. It's easy to pick out the best times when you win four straight championships and nothing else; when you have seven Hall of Famers over a concentrated period and little else. But when the suffering starts to pile up - it's just about 30 seasons since "OT - NYI, Nystrom (Tonelli, Henning) 7:11" - it's time to have a laugh about crying. This is not an original idea (and Leafs fans have been waiting longer than we have), but it's cathartic. If you like, you can hum the Simpsons' "Mediocre Presidents" song in your head as you read, for these are the adequate, forgettable, and occasionally regrettable Islanders...
Starting goalie: Tommy Soderstrom - Folks are more familiar with the longer tenure of Tommy Salo, a middling enough keeper who shrank from big moments and was reduced to tears in an arbitration hearing by his own general manager. That deserves special mention. Soderstrom, however, beats him out. He wasn't really good at anything. His 3.61 GAA is lowest in the annals of the franchise for any goalie with 50 career games, save Gerry Desjardins, who is excused because he played for the team in their first three seasons. Save percentage? .886, in the dead puck era. He played ten seconds in the 1996-97 season, and that was it for his career. And then there's this demoralizing fight. Perhaps the odd helmet/mask combo fooled the Isles into thinking they were getting Arturs Irbe, or something.
Backup: Eric Fichaud - Not really all his fault. He was drafted too high by the Leafs, and then dealt off in a trade that hurt everyone involved: the popular Benoit Hogue went from Long Island cult hero to Toronto pariah, the extra picks were squandered, and poor Fichaud was tossed onto the ice to face NHL teams behind one of the most porous teams of the day. His first two teams finished in the bottom five of the league and his final team finished 19th out of 26. The only consolation for him must have been that the Leafs finished below the Isles twice in those three seasons. Just a horrible trade.
Dishonorables:
Salo. Not Ron Hextall - everyone remembers "A River Runs Through Him" but there were mitigating factors: 1. if not for Hextall the Isles would never even have made the playoffs that year; 2. the Rangers were so stacked that year that beating them would have been even more astounding than beating the Pens the year before; and 3. Jamie McLennan got similarly smoked in his game two appearance. It wasn't Ron's fault.
Defenders:
Dick Tarnstrom - drafted in 1994, finally came to North America as a 27-year old rookie and human giveaway machine for the 2001-2002 Isles. He was a frustrating player to watch; offensively gifted but lost anywhere within fifty feet of his own goalkeeper. (Penguins fans are nodding right now. Sixteen goals and 52 points while going minus 37?!? Ugh.)
Thomas Pock - three points in fifty-nine games, minus 17, hasn't played an NHL minute since. Completely overmatched by the NHL. At least he was only a waiver claim.
Bruno Gervais - the current whipping boy for suffering Isles fans. He's a polite, well-spoken, decent young fellow who likes cooking, has a cute girlfriend, and gets undressed regularly by opposing forwards. Probably not as bad as advertised, but that's a function of having a poor team: you have guys playing too many minutes, against too-tough opposition. Bruno may be a sixth or seventh guy, and he's been on the TOP pair at times. Sadly, there can be only one outcome.
Janne Niinimaa - if you look at his numbers, they're actually not bad. Janne was never very comfortable on the Island but he didn't disgrace himself, either. On this I think some of my fellow fans were overreacting. Then again, you can go to any Isles blog and see that for yourself: if they win a few games everyone is mentally organizing parades and banner-raisings; lose a few and it's "trade everybody, those guys stink!" In other words, we probably owe Janne a fruit basket or something. I hope he's happier wherever he is now.
Dean Chynoweth - this was hardly Dean's fault: he was very frequently injured. The trouble was that he was drafted in the first round ahead of some talented players, such as Joe Sakic and John LeClair. (I'm leaving out others like Mathieu Schneider who actually later became Islanders... including the 114th overall pick, who is now their general manager.)
Scott Lachance - much like Chynoweth, he wasn't openly dreadful the way some of the others were, but it's all about opportunity cost. The Isles took him FOURTH overall in 1991, leaving on the table players like Peter Forsberg, Brian Rolston, Alexei Kovalev, Ray Whitney, and Markus Naslund. Heck, they could have taken Richard Matvichuk if they wanted a defender. Then again, it also comes down to player development; had they taken Matvichuk maybe he's on this list and Lachance has a long career as a respected blueliner for Minnesota/Dallas.
Dishonorables:
Most of the folks I could list here just weren't around very long, so instead, some follow-up trivia about 1991: the Isles took Ziggy Palffy in the second round of this draft, after all the above-listed players were off the board. Nice pick. And the all-time scoring leader for that draft class, surprisingly, is NOT Forsberg or even Eric Lindros. Injuries limited their playing time too much. With 408 goals and 980 points (and counting), it's Kovalev.
Forwards:
Kirk Muller - public enemy number one for a large number of Isles fans of my age. He'd won a Cup with the Canadiens - beating the '93 Isles in the conference finals along the way - and midway through the shortened '94-'95 year, the Isles traded for him and Matheiu Schneider. However, it cost them Pierre Turgeon and Vladimir Malakhov, depriving the Isles of their most talented forward and defender in one shot. And Muller flat-out did NOT want to play for the Isles, bitched about it publicly, and dogged it while on the ice. The Isles were forced to accept pennies on the dollar for him midway through the very next season. Oh, we'll be talking about the GM of THIS trade in a few minutes, thankyouverymuch. Sonofab...
Brett Lindros - Don Maloney bragged upon his selection in 1994 that he had "the better Lindros." It was not to be. He was even more concussion-prone than big brother Eric. Eventually he was forced to retire after just 51 games. He scored twice in that time. Nobody was ever angry at Brett they way they were at anyone else on this list, really; he may well have made good on his potential. (Of course, with Milbury on the horizon, he would have done so in another jersey.) This is just a very sad story.
Alexei Yashin - I remain convinced that the real problem with Yashin was not his talent, nor his production. He played well, if not as well as he had in Ottawa. He overcame a severe injury that affected the tendons in one of his hands, which could have ended his career. I don't buy the "aloof Russian" reputation crap, either. Nobody would have thought he was aloof if he was only paid $3 million per year. No, the real issue here was that the Isles paid a king's ransom for him (soon-to-be franchise defender Zdeno Chara, checking forward Bill Muckalt, AND the second-overall pick, which became Jason Spezza), paid him a kings' fortune, and then were stuck with the bill after the lockout and the new salary cap. Eventually they were forced to buy him out; now he plays back home in Russia and sleeps with Carol Alt, so who's laughing now?
Oleg Kvasha - no discussion of Yashin is complete without Kvasha. When it comes to enigmatic Russian talents, this was the poster child: a large, physical player with gifted hands who could never top 15 goals in a season. Eventually went back to play in Russia as well, though his tastes in supermodels are unknown. Talk about enigmas: either there's another dude named Oleg Kvasha out there, or he has hidden musical talents.
Mike Comrie - anytime a guy plays for five different teams before his 30th birthday, something's up, but when he's done two separate stints for two of them, then it's on a whole new level. The guy's obviously got great talent, but something makes him very easy to part with despite it all. Incidentally, one of the prospects he was once traded for, Rob Schremp, is currently an Islanders rookie, and off to a promising start.
Chris Simon - long one of the league's better enforcers, but had good enough hands to score 29 goals one season. Also good enough hands to clobber Ryan Hollweg in the face with his stick. In fairness to Simon, it was later revealed that he had been concussed by an illegal hit from behind that received no penalty at all. He claimed later that he didn't really recall what he'd done to Hollweg because of it; I only note that he certainly recalled which player was responsible for it. He was later suspended again for stomping on a guy with his skate. Now out of hockey.
Joe Sacco - remember those players I didn't mention above, who eventually became Islanders after being drafted after Dean Chynoweth in 1987? Joe was one of them, but he gets mentioned anyway, because while on the Island, he put up one of the most confounding statlines in league history: in 73 games in 1998-99, he scored three lonely goals with zero assists - zero as in nil, zip, none, bubkes. Nobody deflected one of his shots in, or scored on one of his rebounds, or even had a fluke shot off his rump and into the net, much less converted an actual pass. It's astonishing. He wasn't a brawler, either. One would think that even in just ten minutes played per game, you could get an assist just by accident, at least once. I mean, even Mick Vukota never went an entire year without an assist, and he took 250 penalty minutes a year.
Scott Scissons - it seems odd to hate on a guy who played all of two NHL games, and scored no points. Wonder no more. He was taken sixth overall in 1990's entry draft. Eighty-seven different players taken in that draft had points in the NHL, including eight goaltenders. If that's not enough, one of those goalies is still playing in the area: you may have heard of him, fellow by the name of Brodeur, the NHL's all-time wins and shutouts leader in the regular season. Scott *($$!?%^* Scissons, people!
Dishonorables: I'll take nominations from the audience here. I just can't go on. Scott Scissons....
GM: Mike Milbury - the easy choice. He was the engineer of so many disastrous moments during his inexplicably long stay in the organization. Tops was trading Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokinen to Florida for Oleg Kvasha and Mark Parrish: that's one of the five best goalies in the league and a perennial 30-goal scorer (if a touch of a headcase) for one of the other guys on this list and hard-working yet clearly secondary scorer. Then there's Spezza/Chara for Yashin, the constant coaching changes, exiling young talent before it could develop, whiffing on top draft choices... to say nothing of the already-mentioned arbitration hearing where he savaged his own starting goalkeeper. It was a comedy of terrors with Mad Mike at the helm. O to put it another way - searching his name returns his wikipage as the top result, and a blog called "Mike Milbury Sucks" as the second. The third is his current job as an analyst on NBC and CBC. The fourth is "Mike Milbury's Bad Deals."
Dishonorable: Don Maloney - the former Ranger played a bit for the Isles before moving up to the front office in 1992. He came into a team with a lot of offensive talent (four 30-goal scorers) and a reasonable defense (Norton, Kurvers, Krupp, Malakhov, Pilon, Kasparaitis), and they shocked the two-time champion Penguins in the conference semifinals in 1993. He didn't feel like they could get any farther without better goalkeeping, though. He brought in Hextall. That, as we have seen, didn't work out so hot, so he panicked and sent Hextall right back to Philadelphia... for Soderstrom. Later that very season, he bundled Pierre Turgeon and Vladimir Malakhov to Montreal in the infamous Kirk Muller deal. That was pretty much all she wrote.
Muller was eventually dealt for Ken Freakin' Belanger, straight up. Schnieder is STILL playing, but was long dealt away: the Isles got Kenny Jonsson for him, which was nice, and the first-round pick that was part of that deal became... well whodathunk it? Roberto Luongo, who was part of Mad Mike's finest moment as GM of the Florida Panthers. Oh, wait... he was our GM, wasn't he?
:::facepalm:::
So just three degrees of separation for the two worst trades in the history of the franchise (Turgeon/Malakhov for Muller/Schneider and Luongo/Jokinen for Kvasha/Parrish). Shocka. We'd better not be out of beer...
Trivia - Maloney and I were born on the same date, but not the same year. We also share a birthday with Jesse James. I am the only one of us not to kill a person or a franchise.
In their honor, I've decided to put up a post about the worst of times. It's easy to pick out the best times when you win four straight championships and nothing else; when you have seven Hall of Famers over a concentrated period and little else. But when the suffering starts to pile up - it's just about 30 seasons since "OT - NYI, Nystrom (Tonelli, Henning) 7:11" - it's time to have a laugh about crying. This is not an original idea (and Leafs fans have been waiting longer than we have), but it's cathartic. If you like, you can hum the Simpsons' "Mediocre Presidents" song in your head as you read, for these are the adequate, forgettable, and occasionally regrettable Islanders...
Starting goalie: Tommy Soderstrom - Folks are more familiar with the longer tenure of Tommy Salo, a middling enough keeper who shrank from big moments and was reduced to tears in an arbitration hearing by his own general manager. That deserves special mention. Soderstrom, however, beats him out. He wasn't really good at anything. His 3.61 GAA is lowest in the annals of the franchise for any goalie with 50 career games, save Gerry Desjardins, who is excused because he played for the team in their first three seasons. Save percentage? .886, in the dead puck era. He played ten seconds in the 1996-97 season, and that was it for his career. And then there's this demoralizing fight. Perhaps the odd helmet/mask combo fooled the Isles into thinking they were getting Arturs Irbe, or something.
Backup: Eric Fichaud - Not really all his fault. He was drafted too high by the Leafs, and then dealt off in a trade that hurt everyone involved: the popular Benoit Hogue went from Long Island cult hero to Toronto pariah, the extra picks were squandered, and poor Fichaud was tossed onto the ice to face NHL teams behind one of the most porous teams of the day. His first two teams finished in the bottom five of the league and his final team finished 19th out of 26. The only consolation for him must have been that the Leafs finished below the Isles twice in those three seasons. Just a horrible trade.
Dishonorables:
Salo. Not Ron Hextall - everyone remembers "A River Runs Through Him" but there were mitigating factors: 1. if not for Hextall the Isles would never even have made the playoffs that year; 2. the Rangers were so stacked that year that beating them would have been even more astounding than beating the Pens the year before; and 3. Jamie McLennan got similarly smoked in his game two appearance. It wasn't Ron's fault.
Defenders:
Dick Tarnstrom - drafted in 1994, finally came to North America as a 27-year old rookie and human giveaway machine for the 2001-2002 Isles. He was a frustrating player to watch; offensively gifted but lost anywhere within fifty feet of his own goalkeeper. (Penguins fans are nodding right now. Sixteen goals and 52 points while going minus 37?!? Ugh.)
Thomas Pock - three points in fifty-nine games, minus 17, hasn't played an NHL minute since. Completely overmatched by the NHL. At least he was only a waiver claim.
Bruno Gervais - the current whipping boy for suffering Isles fans. He's a polite, well-spoken, decent young fellow who likes cooking, has a cute girlfriend, and gets undressed regularly by opposing forwards. Probably not as bad as advertised, but that's a function of having a poor team: you have guys playing too many minutes, against too-tough opposition. Bruno may be a sixth or seventh guy, and he's been on the TOP pair at times. Sadly, there can be only one outcome.
Janne Niinimaa - if you look at his numbers, they're actually not bad. Janne was never very comfortable on the Island but he didn't disgrace himself, either. On this I think some of my fellow fans were overreacting. Then again, you can go to any Isles blog and see that for yourself: if they win a few games everyone is mentally organizing parades and banner-raisings; lose a few and it's "trade everybody, those guys stink!" In other words, we probably owe Janne a fruit basket or something. I hope he's happier wherever he is now.
Dean Chynoweth - this was hardly Dean's fault: he was very frequently injured. The trouble was that he was drafted in the first round ahead of some talented players, such as Joe Sakic and John LeClair. (I'm leaving out others like Mathieu Schneider who actually later became Islanders... including the 114th overall pick, who is now their general manager.)
Scott Lachance - much like Chynoweth, he wasn't openly dreadful the way some of the others were, but it's all about opportunity cost. The Isles took him FOURTH overall in 1991, leaving on the table players like Peter Forsberg, Brian Rolston, Alexei Kovalev, Ray Whitney, and Markus Naslund. Heck, they could have taken Richard Matvichuk if they wanted a defender. Then again, it also comes down to player development; had they taken Matvichuk maybe he's on this list and Lachance has a long career as a respected blueliner for Minnesota/Dallas.
Dishonorables:
Most of the folks I could list here just weren't around very long, so instead, some follow-up trivia about 1991: the Isles took Ziggy Palffy in the second round of this draft, after all the above-listed players were off the board. Nice pick. And the all-time scoring leader for that draft class, surprisingly, is NOT Forsberg or even Eric Lindros. Injuries limited their playing time too much. With 408 goals and 980 points (and counting), it's Kovalev.
Forwards:
Kirk Muller - public enemy number one for a large number of Isles fans of my age. He'd won a Cup with the Canadiens - beating the '93 Isles in the conference finals along the way - and midway through the shortened '94-'95 year, the Isles traded for him and Matheiu Schneider. However, it cost them Pierre Turgeon and Vladimir Malakhov, depriving the Isles of their most talented forward and defender in one shot. And Muller flat-out did NOT want to play for the Isles, bitched about it publicly, and dogged it while on the ice. The Isles were forced to accept pennies on the dollar for him midway through the very next season. Oh, we'll be talking about the GM of THIS trade in a few minutes, thankyouverymuch. Sonofab...
Brett Lindros - Don Maloney bragged upon his selection in 1994 that he had "the better Lindros." It was not to be. He was even more concussion-prone than big brother Eric. Eventually he was forced to retire after just 51 games. He scored twice in that time. Nobody was ever angry at Brett they way they were at anyone else on this list, really; he may well have made good on his potential. (Of course, with Milbury on the horizon, he would have done so in another jersey.) This is just a very sad story.
Alexei Yashin - I remain convinced that the real problem with Yashin was not his talent, nor his production. He played well, if not as well as he had in Ottawa. He overcame a severe injury that affected the tendons in one of his hands, which could have ended his career. I don't buy the "aloof Russian" reputation crap, either. Nobody would have thought he was aloof if he was only paid $3 million per year. No, the real issue here was that the Isles paid a king's ransom for him (soon-to-be franchise defender Zdeno Chara, checking forward Bill Muckalt, AND the second-overall pick, which became Jason Spezza), paid him a kings' fortune, and then were stuck with the bill after the lockout and the new salary cap. Eventually they were forced to buy him out; now he plays back home in Russia and sleeps with Carol Alt, so who's laughing now?
Oleg Kvasha - no discussion of Yashin is complete without Kvasha. When it comes to enigmatic Russian talents, this was the poster child: a large, physical player with gifted hands who could never top 15 goals in a season. Eventually went back to play in Russia as well, though his tastes in supermodels are unknown. Talk about enigmas: either there's another dude named Oleg Kvasha out there, or he has hidden musical talents.
Mike Comrie - anytime a guy plays for five different teams before his 30th birthday, something's up, but when he's done two separate stints for two of them, then it's on a whole new level. The guy's obviously got great talent, but something makes him very easy to part with despite it all. Incidentally, one of the prospects he was once traded for, Rob Schremp, is currently an Islanders rookie, and off to a promising start.
Chris Simon - long one of the league's better enforcers, but had good enough hands to score 29 goals one season. Also good enough hands to clobber Ryan Hollweg in the face with his stick. In fairness to Simon, it was later revealed that he had been concussed by an illegal hit from behind that received no penalty at all. He claimed later that he didn't really recall what he'd done to Hollweg because of it; I only note that he certainly recalled which player was responsible for it. He was later suspended again for stomping on a guy with his skate. Now out of hockey.
Joe Sacco - remember those players I didn't mention above, who eventually became Islanders after being drafted after Dean Chynoweth in 1987? Joe was one of them, but he gets mentioned anyway, because while on the Island, he put up one of the most confounding statlines in league history: in 73 games in 1998-99, he scored three lonely goals with zero assists - zero as in nil, zip, none, bubkes. Nobody deflected one of his shots in, or scored on one of his rebounds, or even had a fluke shot off his rump and into the net, much less converted an actual pass. It's astonishing. He wasn't a brawler, either. One would think that even in just ten minutes played per game, you could get an assist just by accident, at least once. I mean, even Mick Vukota never went an entire year without an assist, and he took 250 penalty minutes a year.
Scott Scissons - it seems odd to hate on a guy who played all of two NHL games, and scored no points. Wonder no more. He was taken sixth overall in 1990's entry draft. Eighty-seven different players taken in that draft had points in the NHL, including eight goaltenders. If that's not enough, one of those goalies is still playing in the area: you may have heard of him, fellow by the name of Brodeur, the NHL's all-time wins and shutouts leader in the regular season. Scott *($$!?%^* Scissons, people!
Dishonorables: I'll take nominations from the audience here. I just can't go on. Scott Scissons....
GM: Mike Milbury - the easy choice. He was the engineer of so many disastrous moments during his inexplicably long stay in the organization. Tops was trading Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokinen to Florida for Oleg Kvasha and Mark Parrish: that's one of the five best goalies in the league and a perennial 30-goal scorer (if a touch of a headcase) for one of the other guys on this list and hard-working yet clearly secondary scorer. Then there's Spezza/Chara for Yashin, the constant coaching changes, exiling young talent before it could develop, whiffing on top draft choices... to say nothing of the already-mentioned arbitration hearing where he savaged his own starting goalkeeper. It was a comedy of terrors with Mad Mike at the helm. O to put it another way - searching his name returns his wikipage as the top result, and a blog called "Mike Milbury Sucks" as the second. The third is his current job as an analyst on NBC and CBC. The fourth is "Mike Milbury's Bad Deals."
Dishonorable: Don Maloney - the former Ranger played a bit for the Isles before moving up to the front office in 1992. He came into a team with a lot of offensive talent (four 30-goal scorers) and a reasonable defense (Norton, Kurvers, Krupp, Malakhov, Pilon, Kasparaitis), and they shocked the two-time champion Penguins in the conference semifinals in 1993. He didn't feel like they could get any farther without better goalkeeping, though. He brought in Hextall. That, as we have seen, didn't work out so hot, so he panicked and sent Hextall right back to Philadelphia... for Soderstrom. Later that very season, he bundled Pierre Turgeon and Vladimir Malakhov to Montreal in the infamous Kirk Muller deal. That was pretty much all she wrote.
Muller was eventually dealt for Ken Freakin' Belanger, straight up. Schnieder is STILL playing, but was long dealt away: the Isles got Kenny Jonsson for him, which was nice, and the first-round pick that was part of that deal became... well whodathunk it? Roberto Luongo, who was part of Mad Mike's finest moment as GM of the Florida Panthers. Oh, wait... he was our GM, wasn't he?
:::facepalm:::
So just three degrees of separation for the two worst trades in the history of the franchise (Turgeon/Malakhov for Muller/Schneider and Luongo/Jokinen for Kvasha/Parrish). Shocka. We'd better not be out of beer...
Trivia - Maloney and I were born on the same date, but not the same year. We also share a birthday with Jesse James. I am the only one of us not to kill a person or a franchise.
Super Bowl quick hits
So this is what the feminazis were wetting themselves over?
I knew the Saints had this when they went onside to start the second half and got the ball. That took kugeln.
The Saints became the first team to lose to the Buccaneers and win the Super Bowl in the same season.
Does Sean Payton look like country singer Kenny Chesney?
Confession: Thirty years ago I owned a Tshirt that said, "I'd Walk Over You To See The Who".
additions from the 'fly - True story: at the end of the first quarter I asked everyone at our Super Bowl bash, "What are the odds that they blow this lead the way the Broncos coughed it up against the Redskins?"
I thought the goal-line stand would be the key sequence in the game. Instead the key sequence came when the Saints held the Colts to three-and-out, forced the punt, and kicked the field goal at the end of the half. Had they kicked the short field goal instead, they would have been giving the Colts the ball back at the 25 or so with two timeouts and 1:35 or so on the clock - in other words, they may have been looking at 17-6 instead of 10-6 at the half. And then with the onside kick they were saying pretty clearly that they weren't rolling over in awe of Indy.
Halftime - Is it really that hard to get a current act to do this? Was Jimi Hendrix too dead to return their calls? The Who were doing farewell tours back when the NFL had TWO franchises in Los Angeles. Sure, the music sounded all right, but when you've got a full backing band of young folks you don't need Townsend to do all that much - except hit the notes during his measly three lines in Baba O'Reilly. Couldn't even do that. And of course Daltry didn't even try to go above middle C, if that. It was pretty rough. At this point I'd rather see Doctor Who do the halftime show, at least they get a new one of him every five years.
Pick Six! And the best part of it was the return of the Classic Manning Face. It's amazing. None of us doubted for a second that the Colts were tying the game: that's how clutch Peyton's been since finally defeating the Patriots in the playoffs in 2005. That INT may have been the worst pass he's thrown in five years. Are we sure that Brett Favre didn't sneak onto the field in a Manning jersey for that play? Manning was bright red - it was like he'd gone to Miami Beach at halftime and gotten sunburned. Incredible turn of events.
Huge party on Bourbon Street after the final gun. I wonder if they even knew the score, or if they'd just been partying since Thursday.
Overall, one of the better games, especially after the early deficit where it looked as if New Orleans had started Mardi Gras early. Things really picked up after that.
I knew the Saints had this when they went onside to start the second half and got the ball. That took kugeln.
The Saints became the first team to lose to the Buccaneers and win the Super Bowl in the same season.
Does Sean Payton look like country singer Kenny Chesney?
Confession: Thirty years ago I owned a Tshirt that said, "I'd Walk Over You To See The Who".
additions from the 'fly - True story: at the end of the first quarter I asked everyone at our Super Bowl bash, "What are the odds that they blow this lead the way the Broncos coughed it up against the Redskins?"
I thought the goal-line stand would be the key sequence in the game. Instead the key sequence came when the Saints held the Colts to three-and-out, forced the punt, and kicked the field goal at the end of the half. Had they kicked the short field goal instead, they would have been giving the Colts the ball back at the 25 or so with two timeouts and 1:35 or so on the clock - in other words, they may have been looking at 17-6 instead of 10-6 at the half. And then with the onside kick they were saying pretty clearly that they weren't rolling over in awe of Indy.
Halftime - Is it really that hard to get a current act to do this? Was Jimi Hendrix too dead to return their calls? The Who were doing farewell tours back when the NFL had TWO franchises in Los Angeles. Sure, the music sounded all right, but when you've got a full backing band of young folks you don't need Townsend to do all that much - except hit the notes during his measly three lines in Baba O'Reilly. Couldn't even do that. And of course Daltry didn't even try to go above middle C, if that. It was pretty rough. At this point I'd rather see Doctor Who do the halftime show, at least they get a new one of him every five years.
Pick Six! And the best part of it was the return of the Classic Manning Face. It's amazing. None of us doubted for a second that the Colts were tying the game: that's how clutch Peyton's been since finally defeating the Patriots in the playoffs in 2005. That INT may have been the worst pass he's thrown in five years. Are we sure that Brett Favre didn't sneak onto the field in a Manning jersey for that play? Manning was bright red - it was like he'd gone to Miami Beach at halftime and gotten sunburned. Incredible turn of events.
Huge party on Bourbon Street after the final gun. I wonder if they even knew the score, or if they'd just been partying since Thursday.
Overall, one of the better games, especially after the early deficit where it looked as if New Orleans had started Mardi Gras early. Things really picked up after that.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Is this why you're a Giants fan, Fly?
Before Tim Tebow, there were these guys.
This is really over the top. Gloria Steinem would burst a blood vessel if she saw this.
This is really over the top. Gloria Steinem would burst a blood vessel if she saw this.
An observation
Reading is fundamental, until your sinuses back up like like a freeway at rush hour. Turns out that breathing is fundamental.
update and bump: this just keeps getting worse. Crapola. I just had a huge doctory thing last week, what with the bloodwork and the general checking-up and flaaaaaayvin. I feel smooshed. This is going to be quite fun: I'm going back later today for a follow-up to discuss some of the results. I'm sure they'll wonder what I did in the past week to turn myself into a phlegm-filled zombie. When they checked me out they told me I was perfectly fit; now this? Did they replace my blood with used motor oil or something?
update and bump: this just keeps getting worse. Crapola. I just had a huge doctory thing last week, what with the bloodwork and the general checking-up and flaaaaaayvin. I feel smooshed. This is going to be quite fun: I'm going back later today for a follow-up to discuss some of the results. I'm sure they'll wonder what I did in the past week to turn myself into a phlegm-filled zombie. When they checked me out they told me I was perfectly fit; now this? Did they replace my blood with used motor oil or something?
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Does this guy realize...
...that he's in the Republican primary?
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that illegal immigrants should not count in the census, a position that would cost the state federal money and one that puts him at odds with Gov. Charlie Crist — his primary opponent — as well as the Republican-controlled legislature.
Rubio’s spokesman told the paper that his position was based on “rightful representation in Congress and ensuring that every voter has an equal voice.”
Today, Crist, trailing Rubio in recent polls, called the former state House speaker’s position “absurd.”
“Florida deserves to have her fair share. And I think making sure that we count every single Floridian is vitally important. That’s why I went to the school yesterday in North Miami,” Crist said.
Pork and illegals, that's a winning issue in a GOP primary. Well, Charlie's got $7.5 million in the bank so maybe he cn spend his way to victory.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that illegal immigrants should not count in the census, a position that would cost the state federal money and one that puts him at odds with Gov. Charlie Crist — his primary opponent — as well as the Republican-controlled legislature.
Rubio’s spokesman told the paper that his position was based on “rightful representation in Congress and ensuring that every voter has an equal voice.”
Today, Crist, trailing Rubio in recent polls, called the former state House speaker’s position “absurd.”
“Florida deserves to have her fair share. And I think making sure that we count every single Floridian is vitally important. That’s why I went to the school yesterday in North Miami,” Crist said.
Pork and illegals, that's a winning issue in a GOP primary. Well, Charlie's got $7.5 million in the bank so maybe he cn spend his way to victory.
I need to hustle
I'm only halfway through Season 8 of Stargate SG-1, with 9 and 10 to go.
Hulu has always been free, but there’s long been speculation that would change. Now the L.A. Times is reporting that in six months Hulu may introduce a $4.99 per month subscription option that would give viewers access to TV show episodes beyond the five most recent already offered.
With broadband I do more TV watching on the PC than on a TV.
Hulu has always been free, but there’s long been speculation that would change. Now the L.A. Times is reporting that in six months Hulu may introduce a $4.99 per month subscription option that would give viewers access to TV show episodes beyond the five most recent already offered.
With broadband I do more TV watching on the PC than on a TV.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
I'm loving it
Rubio has double digits over Good-Time Charlie.
According to a new Rasmussen telephone poll among likely Florida GOP primary voters, former state Speaker Marco Rubio now has a double-digit lead over Gov. Charlie Crist in the race to be the Republican nominee for the open Florida Senate seat. Rubio now leads 49% to Crist's 37%, with 11 % undecided. Both have a double-digit lead over likely general election opponent, Democratic Congressman Kendrick Meek.
It's not Crist's moderation that honks people off, it's the fact that he has no core principles at all. He is all things to all people so that he might get votes. Name the issue and Charlie has two, maybe three recorded positions on it.
It was his devotion to the polls that started his downfall. Rubio is having a "moneybomb" internet fundraising drive on Feb 10, the anniversary of Charlie and Barack's manhug last year in Ft. Myers.
On Thursday Crist met Obama at MacDill and then disappeared. If the president's approval rating was still 80% Charlie would have been on the stage in Tampa next to him licking Obama's ear.
I am registered independent in Florida. I may register as a Republican just to vote for Rubio.
According to a new Rasmussen telephone poll among likely Florida GOP primary voters, former state Speaker Marco Rubio now has a double-digit lead over Gov. Charlie Crist in the race to be the Republican nominee for the open Florida Senate seat. Rubio now leads 49% to Crist's 37%, with 11 % undecided. Both have a double-digit lead over likely general election opponent, Democratic Congressman Kendrick Meek.
It's not Crist's moderation that honks people off, it's the fact that he has no core principles at all. He is all things to all people so that he might get votes. Name the issue and Charlie has two, maybe three recorded positions on it.
It was his devotion to the polls that started his downfall. Rubio is having a "moneybomb" internet fundraising drive on Feb 10, the anniversary of Charlie and Barack's manhug last year in Ft. Myers.
On Thursday Crist met Obama at MacDill and then disappeared. If the president's approval rating was still 80% Charlie would have been on the stage in Tampa next to him licking Obama's ear.
I am registered independent in Florida. I may register as a Republican just to vote for Rubio.
Now this is progress...
The fortunate lady is Pam Iorio, the mayor of Tampa and the scene is MacDill AFB on Thursday.
Am I over the top with these comments? I may be watching too many clips from the racebaiters at MSNBC, but if there is another pic of the president bowing to a Caucasian I haven't seen it.
(nf - you are perhaps a touch intemperate. Don't let them drag you down to their level, my friend.)
(nf - you are perhaps a touch intemperate. Don't let them drag you down to their level, my friend.)
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