Like My New Doo?

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Oh Great...

Pedro Martinez gives up a three-run homer in the first inning.

Talk about getting off on the wrong foot in your first start as a Met.

AAARRRRRGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!

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I want my AL TV...

This is a good one. Al Gore has unveiled his new national network which will debute August 1 (no coincidence that this is the same date MTV was launched, I’m sure). It’s called “Current”.

Hmmm. Apparently the inventor of the Internet was so inspired by the flow of creativity in that medium that he plans to try and suck in the 18-34 year old demographic with a television network designed to be just as interactive.

The first national network created by, for and with an 18-34 year-old audience, Current will offer 24 hours of programming in a unique, short-form content format when it premieres August 1. Current will invite audiences to move beyond their roles as viewers to become active collaborators, encouraging them to help shape the network's content and fulfill its mission -- to serve as a TV platform where the voices of young adults can be heard.

"The Internet opened a floodgate for young people whose passions are finally being heard, but TV hasn't followed suit. Young adults have a powerful voice, but you can't hear that voice on television ... yet," said Gore, who serves as the network's chairman of the board. "We intend to change that with Current, giving those who crave the empowerment of the Web the same opportunity for expression on television. We want to transform the television medium itself, giving a national platform to those who are hungry to help create the TV they want to watch."

Okay, Al, very interesting. Of course they already have outlets on television for no-talent broadcasting wannabe’s. They’re called “public access channels”. Have you ever seen those? They’re all pretty much unwatchable.

Of course, I’m sure the “unwritten” talent evaluation policy will be “no Conservatives need apply”.

Hat tip: Drudge

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Democrat Woes...

Well, weÂ’ve got a lot of stuff on the Democrats today. (And see UPDATE below)

First up, Donald Lambro in the Washington Times reports on the new round of in-fighting between the folks who brought you Bill Clinton, the Democrat Leadership Council (DLC) and the Moonbat.org-controlled Leftist kooks. Once again, the DLC is warning its membership that the party needs to appeal to voters outside their base if they ever expect to win. And once again, the criticism fell on deaf ears:

"I can't tell the difference between the positions the DLC puts forward and Republican policy," said Jack Blum, counsel for the liberal Americans for Democratic Action.

Hokay, guys. Whatever. Keep burying your head in your copy of Das Kapital, weÂ’ll keep winning.

Also, once again showing their tin ear for politics, Democrats refused to make even so much as an acknowledgement of the Pope in their weekly radio address.

"We had a plan in place for a national radio address that would have highlighted the Pope's stand on social justice and equality for all," says a Democratic National Committee staffer. "They wouldn't do it. They said it would look like pandering, that it wasn't helpful to their agendaÂ…

"This is another example of where we just don't get it," says a Democratic pollster in New York. "We knew the Pope was dying. We knew we had an opportunity, and we just ignore it and go ahead and act like the Democrats all those Red Staters think we are. We attack the Republicans for trying to save the Schiavo woman, and we ignore the Pope's passing. Somehow I know this is just going to come back and bite us in the ass."

Reminds me of this little exchange from the movie Jaws:

Mayor Vaughn: “I don't think either of you are familiar with our problems.”
Hooper: “I think that I am familiar with the fact that you are going to ignore this particular problem until it swims up and bites you on the ass.”

And as if the Dems don’t have enough problems, John Fund writes this morning about a new opportunity for the GOP based on some freshly released data about Election 2004: “Bush Democrats”?:

"Only five Republican House members currently sit in districts where Mr. Bush won less than 47% of the presidential vote last year: two in Connecticut, two in Iowa and one in Delaware. But 31 House Democrats represent districts where John Kerry won less than 47%. That means Republicans have many more opportunities to pick up seats in favorable political terrain as Democratic members leave the House. No one expects Democrats to hold the seat of Ike Skelton of Missouri when he leaves office; President Bush won 64% of his district's votes. Ditto for the district of Gene Taylor of Mississippi, where Mr. Bush won 68%."

ThereÂ’s a LOT more data so check out the whole column here.

UPDATE 11:30am

Ron Brownstein frets in the LA Times over the fact that - in today's political environment - the GOP holds all the cards:

"The most immediate political danger is that Republicans can portray Democrats as obstructionists, a dangerous label in the "red" Bush states. The larger problem is that the Democrats' inability to sustain attention on their ideas encourages a public sense that they have none. In the latest poll from Democracy Corps, a project of leading Democratic consultants, Republicans held a crushing 30-percentage-point advantage when voters were asked which party knows what it stands for."

Democrats don't seem to know what they stand for, either.

Posted by: Gary at 09:53 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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PLAY BALL!!!!!!

Posted by: Gary at 06:56 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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This Is REALLY scary...

This, my friends is a photo of Jessica Lange. Yes, THAT Jessica Lange.

Look, I can appreciate that it's been more than twenty years since this woman gave male America reason to stand up and salute in "Tootsie" but - MY GOD - what the hell happened?

She looks like Jack Nicholson in drag!

Posted by: Gary at 10:48 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Super site for ABC's "Lost"...

If you're like me and you love the show "Lost", well have I got a treat for you. Dog Snot Diaries shares this link to an "unofficial" fansite for the show.

It's kind of like an "everything you ever wanted to know about Lost but didn't know who to ask" site. Enjoy.

Posted by: Gary at 10:11 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Gay Marriage - A backlash in the works?

Polipundit posts a very good appraisal of the effect that the movement to redefine marriage may be having on the American electorate.

A while back I posted my own thoughts on the matter where I referred to the "boiling frog" analogy. I definitely agree with this post - that the frogs are going to jump.

Posted by: Gary at 09:38 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Prayers for Eleanor Clift...

She lost her husband, journalist Tom Brazaitis, this past Wednesday to kidney cancer. Read her current column, which gives a moving tribute to him. Hat Tip to Michelle Malkin.

Posted by: Gary at 09:30 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Awash in their own bile...

The tinfoil-hat wearing moonbat hatemongers over at DoucheBagUnderground are in rare form today. It would be funny it weren't so pathetic.

Hat tip: The Corner at NRO

Posted by: Gary at 09:19 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Kevin Says...

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John Paul II and his place in history...

There are a lot of excellent tributes to the Pope today, but John Podhoretz in the NY Post does a good job summarizing the effect this man had on those enslaved behind the iron curtain at the end of this past century:

"By taking a stand on behalf of the transcendent, John Paul II was offering a standing rebuke to the most evil idea of the 20th century — the idea that it is acceptable to enslave or dispose of human beings in mass numbers in order to achieve radical political aims.

A year after his elevation, he made his world-historical journey back home to Poland. He did not confront the Communist regime. He conducted Mass. He ministered to his suffering countrymen.

But by showing his fellow Poles that there was a force equal to, even superior to, the totalitarian government oppressing them, he gave them new hope. In a matter of months, shipyard workers began a strike in the city of Gdansk — a strike that began the effort at peaceful revolution called Solidarity.

We now know that Communism began to unravel when Solidarity rose. Thus did this anti-political figure make his invaluable contribution to the most hopeful, most thrilling and humane political event of the 20th century. When, over the course of the third millennium, historians seek to take the full measure of the 20th century, they will linger happily over the transcendent role of Pope John Paul II."

God Bless the hero, Karol Wojtyla. Rest in peace.

Posted by: Gary at 02:18 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Twenty, Twenty, Twenty-Four Hours to go...

To Opening Day!

Posted by: Gary at 12:09 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You Can Check Out My Latest Post...

at Blue State Conservatives. I like to beat up on Connecticut's former Governor for being a complete asshat...and a crooked one at that.

Posted by: Gary at 11:31 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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If you need a good laugh...

Allan at BMEWS pulled one out of the archives from a year ago. A Newsweek article by Howard Fineman about the awesome timing of John Kerry saying "In this election, a wave created by the chaos in Iraq might carry the Democrat straight to the White House."

I remember knowing in my gut just after Labor Day that after Nov. 2 we'd be wondering why we thought this doofus actually had a chance. From the article in question:

"John Kerry loves windsurfing, loves it so much he once made the cover of a glossy magazine devoted to the sport. As I report on his presidential campaign, it occurs to me that windsurfing symbolizes his political career—and the strategic theory that could bring him victory in November. For John Kerry doesn’t expect to be admired, let alone beloved. He doesn’t mind being labeled a “flip-flopper.” Indeed, windsurfing is just that: a constant maneuver to fill your sail. Kerry aims to catch the wind—and the drift of history. The war in Iraq is a hurricane, and Kerry hopes to ride it into office.

Kerry’s theory of this campaign is pretty straightforward: to be the guy people have no choice but to vote for on Nov. 2. Not because he has a stirring new vision (he doesn’t); not because he’s such a darned likable guy (he isn’t); but because circumstances are such that fair-minded “swing” voters have no choice but to pick him. He’s not running against the war, per se, but as the nobleman at the end of the Shakespeare play, a beacon of sanity on the battlefield.

An odd mixture of arrogance and self-abnegation, Kerry is under no illusions that voters will embrace him in a personal way. At a meeting with fund-raisers in New York the other month, he declared that his goal was to weather a wave of attacks and “preserve my acceptability.” There you have his strategy in its clinical glory: They don’t have to love me, they don’t even have to like me. If I am in the right place at the right time (and am “acceptable”) they will choose me.

And he probably really believed that. Isn't that just rich? Bwaa-haa-haa-haa-haa......

Posted by: Gary at 06:39 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Autism Awareness...

I've added this picture link to my right sidebar. It will bring you to a good resource - the Autism Society of America. I have a personal connection to this issue. All three of my sons have been diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum disorders. My oldest son, Ryan, has Asperger's Syndrome, or High-Functioning Autism. My middle son, Justin, has been diagnosed with PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified) and my youngest, Kevin, has what is considered "classic" Autism. I highly recommend that any parent of young children learn all they can about Autism and Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).

Medical and psychiatry experts are learning more and more with research every day. And many children who have been misdiagnosed with other conditions (ADHD, OCD, etc.) are now getting the help they need as we come to better understand Autism and its signs and symptoms.

Early detection is the key because intervention at a young age can make a tremendous difference in an affected child's life. If you have a child between 18 and 36 months who is not yet speaking, has difficulty with interaction, rarely makes eye contact or even just seems to often be "in another world", I URGE you to educate yourself because it's better to rule it out than overlook it. You know your children best and if something just doesn't seem right you need to go with your instincts and talk to your pediatrician.

Another great resource is Autism Speaks.org, an organization dedicated to unlocking the mysteries of Autism and developing new treatments.

Having a child on the Autistic spectrum can make a parent feel very isolated and frustrated. If you would like to send me an email, I'd be more than happy to share any insights or experiences that I may have on the subject or even lend a sympathetic ear for anyone that may be struggling with this increasingly common situation.

UPDATE (12/8/06):
"Combating Autism Act of 2006" becomes law. Read more here.

Posted by: Gary at 11:38 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Diane Lane Photo of the Week...

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The Weird Cats Are Watching You

Have fun trying to sleep NOW!

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Good News! America's in fine shape...but the rest of the world? Well...

A new report from the United Nations says the world is going to hell in a handbasket as far as its natural resources are concerned. But don't be so glum. According Johah Goldberg, the United States is doing just fine.

Goldberg highlights why in his piece today, "It's the end of the world, and I feel fine". For example:

• the nation is more heavily forested than it was a hundred years ago
• the bald eagle is thriving - as are black bear and buffalo (the most in history)
• the U.S. uses less land for agricultural purposes than in the past
• air pollution is lower
• drinking water is cleaner

How does a nation of wasteful capitalist pigs accomplish this?

America's environmental revival is a rich and complicated story with many specific exceptions, caveats and, of course, setbacks. But the overarching theme is pretty simple: The richer you get, the healthier your environment gets. This is because rich societies can afford to indulge their environmental interests and movements. Poor countries cannot.

Unsurprisingly, rich countries tend to have a better grasp of economics and the role of markets, private stewardship and property rights, reasonable regulations, and so forth. With the exception of some oil-rich states, they're also almost always democratic and hence have systems that can successfully assign blame to, and demand restitution from, polluters. In socialized economies, a "tragedy of the commons" almost always arises. As Harvard president Lawrence Summers says, nobody's ever washed a rented car.

Cool. So why is the U.S. always the #1 target of environmentalist nutjobs? Simple: Capitalism = triving, Socialism = sucking wind. Since most of these pukes also think Fidel Castro is a hero, it's not hard to see why they'll try to do anything they can to hamper the economic growth of the U.S. Nice try losers. Who was it that once said, "the best revenge is living well"?

Posted by: Gary at 04:47 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Monument Envy...Strange

A Dutch war memorial due to be unveiled to the public may soon be scrapped because some townsfolk are concerned with its similarity to...well a large penis.

"The Liberation Monument is a giant copper obelisk that rises and falls depending on the level of sunlight, and spurts flames out of the top during important festivals...

In full sunlight, the erection reaches a height of ten metres, shrinking back to just six metres when the light dims.

Sounds impressive to me. What's the big deal anyway? I mean after all, America has the Washington Monument. Now how can you not look at that and say it's not a fitting tribute to the "father of our country"?

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