February 28, 2006
Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffett) - One of those songs I've always liked but have never owned. It's a great tune to play when you're just hanging out, having nip of tequila - ideally, a margarita. It also always helps me get through the winter time. Play it on a warm day in February and you can almost feel Spring coming. There's a line that goes, "blew out my flip-flops, stepped on a pop-top". Nowadays anyone under the age of thirty probably wouldn't even know what a pop-top is - that little metal thingy you pulled off to open a can of beer or soda and just tossed on the ground. Well, when the Mrs. was a youngin' she though the line was "stepped on a pop-tart". And she never thought to ask "why?"
Born To Fly (Sara Evans): This is a hit from Sara's album of the same name, not her current release which is "Real Fine Place". I just really find this song uplifting.
"But how do you wait for heaven,I also have to admit to having a bit of a crush on Sara Evans.
And who has that much time?
And how do you keep your feet on the ground,
When you know that you were born,
You were born to fly!"
Listen To Your Heart (Roxette): Strangely enough, I wasn't all that big on this song when if first came out in 1989. Recently, I heard a slower acoustic version on the radio. I really listened to it and I came away thinking, "wow, that's a really good song". So I downloaded the original.
Just The Way It Is, Baby (The Rembrandts): I never felt like shelling out for the whole album. Thanks to iTunes, I don't have to anymore. These guys are more famous for their theme song from the TV show "Friends", but that got damn annoying after a while. This one on the other hand is a real toe-tapper.
No Myth (Michael Penn): The hard strumming of the acoustic guitar bangs out this catchy tune and I can't stop listening to it but the lyrics make no sense to me:
We said goodbye before hello,I get the Heathcliff reference but the rest is like...whatever. It's still fun to sing it. And, yes, Michael Penn is Sean Penn's brother.
my secrets she will never know,
and if I dig a hole to China
I'll catch the first junk to Soho.
What if I were Romeo in black jeans,
What if I was Heathcliff, it's no myth.
Maybe she's just looking for,
someone to dance with.
Theme From "The Greatest American Hero" (Believe It Or Not) (Joey Scarbury): C'mon, who doesn't love this one? Who can't help but sing along? The funniest use of this song was in the TV show "Seinfeld" when George Costanza adapted it to make a message on his answering machine: "Believe it or not, George isn't at home..." I always think of that episode whenever I hear this one.
Let My Love Open The Door (Pete Townshend): I used to be a huge Who fan and I like a lot of Townshend's solo work. Then of course he got all weirded out. But this is a very upbeat, bouncy song that was also used for the closing credits of the movie "Look Who's Talking". Makes me think of that little kid, Mikey. Also, my youngest goes nuts when I play this one. Must be very appealing to the little ones. Pretty ironic when you consider what he got nailed for downloading.
Well, that's it. Now, I'm tagging:
GroovyVic
The Real Ugly American
and
The Wordsmith
They'll be hearing from me soon.
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Simple: Eight of the Justices are men and it makes for a nice diversion from the Court's current ho-hum docket.
About two dozen photographers scrambled to snap pictures of Smith and her attorney as they arrived at a side door of the court building. Several photographers were knocked to the ground in their zeal to get a picture of Smith, dressed in a knee-length dress, high heels and black sunglasses.Umm...yeah, right. And I'm sure there'll be plenty of snickers all around when the bailiff says "all rise"."Most people will do a double take," said Edward Morrison, a former Supreme Court clerk who specializes in bankruptcy law at Columbia University. "It raises the novelty level and makes a technical issue somewhat more entertaining."
Douglas Baird, a bankruptcy expert at the University of Chicago, said: "I'd suspect some justices haven't the slightest idea who Anna Nicole is."
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I always get a kick out of the excitement this kind of thing generates among the Democrats because it always reinforces in their minds that their goofy moonbat rantings and ravings are paying dividends for their political hopes. Forget the fact that they're focusing their efforts against a guy that is running for anything anymore. Keep it up, guys!
John Hawkins at Right-Wing News puts the poll in perspective:
Of course, you could make the argument that the CBS poll is just a poll of adults and it's not meant to give people an accurate picture of how people will vote. But, if it's just a garbage poll that doesn't have any bearing on election results, why bother doing it in the first place? For political purposes, any poll that doesn't use likely voters and doesn't have a breakdown of party affiliation that's at least roughly similar to the numbers from the last election isn't very important or useful.I guess you need something to sustain you when you're out in the political wilderness, even if it's built on a foundation of sand. This is the political equivalent of a bunch of homely girls getting together to declare that, in reality, most of the boys really don't like the prom queen. It makes them feel better about themselves but it doesn't change the fact that nobody is going to ask them to dance.
And here's the best part - they can gin up any poll they want and even make the case that the President's approval ratings are in negative numbers. It doesn't change the fact that he's going to be in the White House (along with his evil henchmen) for the next THREE YEARS.
And he's going to lead however he sees fit because - unlike the last President - Bush wipes his butt with these polls and then laughs about it. Heh.
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February 27, 2006
OK, a liability to what? Bush's reelection? Obviously not.
Here's all you need to know about this story:
The sources reported a growing rift between the president and vice president as well as their staffs. They cited Mr. Cheney's failure to immediately tell the president of the accidental shooting of the vice president's hunting colleague earlier this month. The White House didn't learn of the incident until 18 hours later.The money quote there is "as well as their staffs". That's really what it's about. Cheney has been a trusted advisor to the President since the announcement that he was to be Bush's VP candidate. Nothing has changed in that respect. The President is excruciatingly loyal to his inner circle, as long as they reciprocate. Nothing Cheney has done can be charactarized as disloyalty to Bush personally.Mr. Cheney's next crisis could take place by the end of the year, the sources said. They said the White House was expecting Mr. Cheney to defend himself against charges from his former chief of staff, Lewis Libby, that the vice president ordered him to relay classified information. Such a charge could lead to a congressional investigation and even impeachment proceedings.
"Nothing will happen until after the congressional elections," a GOP source said. "After that, there will be significant changes in the administration and Cheney will probably be part of that."
What you're seeing here is a minor turf war between staffers who think they have more influence than they really do. And the people driving this are those hot shots who would hope to be on the staff of whomever would be Cheney's replacement - giving them an inside track to the Oval Office in 2008.
If anyone is not going to be around anymore after the 2006 elections, it'll probably be that "GOP source" quoted above. Because what he or she did - off-the-record rumor-mongering - is exactly the kind of thing that would get you kicked out of this White House. This little parlor-game speculation will persist for the next year or so, it's come up before. But as Cheney has said he "serves at the pleasure of the President", not some little piss-ant staffer who dislikes him.
Rest assured, Cheney will be Vice-President until Innauguration Day 2009 - much to the consternation of those who see him as the "Anti-Christ".
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More than 500 people -- some who had arrived before noon -- showed up for the 4 p.m. giveaway but walked away empty-handed. Joe Canada, an artist from Novato, spoke to the crowd for about an hour but drove away before he or any of his 20 volunteers could hand out any bills. The size of the crowd might have intimidated him, police said.He better not show his face, that is, unless he has Mr. Hunt's 10 bucks."There were too many people," Sgt. Anthony Manfreda said. "He just got spooked."
The crowd saw Canada pulling away in his truck on Polk Street and began walking quickly toward the truck. The volunteers headed the people off and convinced them to return to the area near the entrance to the Civic Center underground parking lot.
The crowd began cursing and yelling at Canada and his volunteers.
"This was just a great big joke on us," Steve Hunt said. "He better not show his face here again."
Local liquor store owners were also excited at the prospect of racking up some $5,000 in sales for the evening only to be disappointed by the artist's sudden departure.
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That's it. That's all I've got. Hallelujah!
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First up, Dan at Searchlight Crusade looks at the underlying motivation for much of the opposition to the GWOT - the threat that its cost will have on Domestic spending for Liberals' pet programs. He also debunks the idea that "All mortgage money comes from the same place."
Ever pondered the different choices in firearms for home protection? Say Uncle evaluates the alternatives: handgun, carbine or shotgun?
Orac at Respectful Insolence examines a new theory of anti-Semitic idiocy: Tom and Jerry - a propaganda invention by Hollywood Jews to brainwash European children?
Barry Campbell has discovered every Libertarian's nightmare of the future. He also directs us to a controversial essay written by William F. Buckley, a sage of modern American Conservatism, which declares Iraq a failure of U.S. Foreign Policy.
Mark Coffey at Decision '08 writes about the reaction to Buckley's article from the Angry Left.
Next, we go to Digger's Realm for a report on the record of Phillipines President Gloria Arroyo and why Filipinos deserve better.
Don Surber dives headlong into the controversial "To pull or not to pull the plug" debate. A brave man.
There was a time when "Liberal" meant open-minded. As Scott over at Environmental Republican shows us, apparently the Liberal version of an open-mind doesn't have room for opposing viewpoints.
Dean Esmay tells us about how evironmental groups are freaking out over the books that President Bush is reading.
And several of us RINOs wrote quite a bit about this week's Dubai Ports World deal and all the accompanying political fallout.
The Mind of Mog is very down on the deal noting that Osama must be pleased about the whole thing. He also comments on Bush's judgment in threatening to use the very first veto of his presidency on this matter. And oh, by the way. It's twenty-two ports we're talking about, not six.
But A.J. Strata supports the deal, emphasizing the importance of the UAE in the GWOT.
A.J. has written several posts on the subject all week. In fact, J.D. at Evolution, The Next Step cites two of them in his post about the Port deal..
And security aside, there are serious political implications for both parties in the way they've handled the whole situation. Go Inside Larry's Head to see why he thinks Bush's "trust me" approach falls woefully short.
Allan at Polytechnical Institute, on the other hand, sees this as brilliant politics on Bush's part.
And as for the Democrats? In what may be one of the best round-ups from around the 'sphere, the DANEgerous Weblog cites tons of evidence to indicate that they are really shooting themselves in the foot over this one because "It's About The Strategery...Stupid."
Well, we shall certainly find out in the coming weeks. Until the next Carnival, this is Gary the Ex-Donkey saying "Keep Raging!"
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February 26, 2006
Among the rankings, the three Congressional Representatives of the Republican CT delegation came out as follows:
- 2nd District, Rob Simmons (R):
Conservative score: 49.2
Liberal score: 50.8
- 5th District, Nancy Johnson (R):
Conservative score: 48.2
Liberal score: 51.8
- 4th District, Chris Shays (R):
Conservative score: 46
Liberal score: 54
So you see what I have to deal with. Johnson is my Congresswoman. But all three rate higher as Liberals than Conservatives. So essentially, I have no representation in Congress when it comes to advocating my point of view. Well hey, that's the deal. If I want to continue to live in CT, I have to face the fact that I'm in the minority. Many like-minded folks choose not to and move to States that are more Conservative in their overall philosophy. I can't say that it's not tempting.
But Liberals tend to overlook the fact that - nationally - they are in the minority. And rather than live with it and urge their elected officials to try and work with the majority to achieve something that they can support, most of them chose to descend into moonbattery and attack rather than propose. Rather than be part of the process, they choose to be part of the problem.
And in my own State, a serious and well-respected Democrat Senator is being chased out of his own party for not kow-towing to the extremists who are calling the shots these days. Rather than respectfully disagree with Joe Lieberman on some issues, they've decided to challenge his seat this year from within the party.
For the Left-wing loony-toons of the CT Democrat party, Lieberman isn't Liberal enough, notwithstanding his own 65.7 "Liberal" rating by National Journal. Diversity of opinion is not tolerated among Democrats. The idea of being the "Big Tent" party disappeared from their ranks over a generation ago.
I can personally attest that is sucks to be in the minority. But if Democrats are going to keep this up, they'd better get used to it.
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February 25, 2006
Birth Name: Linda Jean Cordova Carter
Birth Date: 7/24/51
Age Today: 54
Birthplace: Phoenix, AZ
80's Crush Because: This one is a stretch as an "80's Crush" because the TV show that made me fall for her, "Wonder Woman", ended in 1979. But simply put, she is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen and the fact that she also starred in a short-lived TV series with blonde hottie, Loni Anderson, called "Partners In Crime" helps make her "80's-certifiable".
Other Notable Roles: Lynda starred as Rita Hayworth in a TV bio-pic about the classic actress which was subtitled "The Love Goddess". She spent the rest of the 80's and the 1990's doing other made-for-TV movies as well as some guest spots on various TV shows.
Most Recent Media Appearance: This past year, Lynda appeared on an episode of "Law & Order" and adorned the big screen in "The Dukes Of Hazzard" and "Sky High". In this last film, she had a funny line: "There is absolutely nothing more I can do for you. I'm not Wonder Woman you know."
Distinguishing Feature: Aside from the obvious, Lynda has dreamy light blue eyes. As a spokeswoman for Lens Express, she appeared in commericals for the contact lens manufacturer from 1992-2000 with the tagline "I wouldn't trust these baby blues to just anyone."
Career Moment She'd Probably Like To Forget: While appearing on "Battle of the Network Stars" in 1976, she poured champagne over the head of host Howard Cosell after her team won the tug of war contest not knowing he had a hairpiece. Cosell wasn't very happy about it.
Interesting Factoids: Lynda won the Miss World USA beauty contest in 1972 and she performed most of her own stunts as Wonder Woman. She once auditioned for the role of Capt. Kathryn Janeway in "Star Trek: Voyager". Lynda is also a singer and released an album in 1978 entitled "Portrait".
Still Crushin'?: I don't think I'll ever stop.
Crush Meter: 10 out of 10
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February 24, 2006
Episode #33: "Downloaded"
When a Cylon's consciousness is downloaded into a new body following her death, the structure of Cylon society is revealed.
10pm Sci-Fi
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H/T to Steve the Llamabutcher via Lawren at Martinis, Persistance & A Smile. I think I'm going to need a martini after that one.
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Jason has autism.
The story has special meaning for me because autism is a part of my family's life. Be sure to watch the video that goes with the story. Special thanks to BullDogPundit for linking this.
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According to The Sun he tells drivers: "In 400 metres you have reached your f***ing destination."I can think of some others that would be pretty funny. How cool would it be if they used Mike Myer's voice doing Fat Bastard?If a car loses its signal he shouts: "I've lost the f***ing satellite!"
Chris Hilton, boss of manufacturers Voice Skins, said: "Ozzy's voice comes in two versions - with swearwords or bleeps. He is the top choice by far."
Sharon is the next-best seller. She gives instructions like: "Turn around, a***hole."
Other voices available include Clint Eastwood, The Queen and Tony Blair who says: "At the end of the road, congestion charge. Bloody Ken Livingstone."
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February 23, 2006
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On the first point, I defer to James Glassman at TCS Daily (formerly TechCentralStation) and his well-expressed support for the deal:
Yes, two of the 9/11 hijackers were citizens of the UAE, but, then again, as Ivan Eland of the Independent Institute notes, Richard Reid, the attempted "shoe bomber," was a British citizen, and Jose Padilla, among others, is an American citizen (as was Timothy McVeigh). The UAE has been a staunch ally in the war on terror, training security forces in Iraq and helping to cut off the flow of money to al Qaeda.To Glassman's point, DP Ports operates 29 other ports worldwide. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that if they had an interest in getting a nuclear bomb or other such device into this country, they wouldn't need to make this investment of over $6 Billion to do it. They could simply send something in a shipping container from a foreign port that they already operate.Isn't this precisely what the United States preaches? Don't we want places like Dubai to fight terror and to grow, to invest, to buy, to trade, to adopt Western commercial practices, to expose themselves to the rest of the world and thus become tolerant and moderate?
Instead, congressional leaders are trying to kill the deal, which is set to go into effect next week. Why? "Outsourcing the operations of our largest ports to a country with a dubious record on terrorism is a homeland security and commerce accident waiting to happen," says Schumer.
This is rank racist nonsense. Schumer knows very well that responsibility for port security in the United States lies not with DP World or any other operator, but instead with the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs. "Nothing changes with respect to security under the contract," said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. "The Coast Guard is in charge of security, not the corporation."
Using Schumeresque logic, the U.S. should ban flights into the U.S. by airlines from Arab countries, and we should certainly bar any cargo from being loaded in Arab ports and bound for the U.S. ("If you are worried about a bomb in a box going off in New York, you need to worry about who loads the container overseas rather than the terminal operator who unloads it in the U.S.," says someone who actually knows something about port security, Theodore Price of Optimization Alternatives, a Texas company that provides terminal-operating software.) In fact, one would suppose that Dubai, with billions at stake, would be more careful -- not less -- about assisting in anti-terror activities at U.S. ports if it is actually operating them.
Yes, the President and his staff should have anticipated the gut reaction to this deal - which has been public knowledge since last November - but this reaction derives its intensity from a lack of understanding of this complex situation.
As to my second conclusion, I don't know how this will affect Republicans in an election year but I do know that it won't effect the President one iota. Note to the punditry: Bush isn't running for anything and he cares more about doing the right things to protect this nation in a time of war while it's under his watch than some political "fallout". And most people understand that. So if Dems want to make this an issue to beat the President over the head with, let them.
They only look disingenuous when they do it and it's not going to win them over any voters that they've already lost.
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For example, Conservatives tend to be more pessimistic which in and of itself is a paradox (and I think the word "realistic" is much more apt). But looked at another way:
Conservatives think the book of Job got it right (``Man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward''), as did Adam Smith (``There is a great deal of ruin in a nation''). Conservatives understand that society in its complexity resembles a giant Calder mobile -- touch it here and things jiggle there, and there, and way over there. Hence conservatives acknowledge the Law of Unintended Consequences, which is: The unintended consequences of bold government undertakings are apt to be larger than, and contrary to, the intended ones.But for Liberals, the idea of the happiness is framed as an entitlement that harkens back to the "New Deal" of the Roosevelt era. And of course, for Liberals, the entity responsible for ensuring this "right" is the Federal Government, regardless of any unintended consequences that result. This idea has driven every failed Liberal program that Democrats have pushed since the 1940's.Conservatives' pessimism is conducive to their happiness in three ways. First, they are rarely surprised -- they are right more often than not about the course of events. Second, when they are wrong they are happy to be so. Third, because pessimistic conservatives put not their faith in princes -- government -- they accept that happiness is a function of fending for oneself. They believe that happiness is an activity -- it is inseparable from the pursuit of happiness.
But these days, a major factor in the unhappiness of Liberals is an underlying rage that overrides any possibility of happiness. Will explains:
Normal conservatives -- never mind the gladiators of talk radio; they are professionally angry -- are less angry than liberals. Liberals have made this the era of surly automobile bumpers, millions of them, still defiantly adorned with Kerry-Edwards and even Gore-Lieberman bumper stickers, faded and frayed like flags preserved as relics of failed crusades. To preserve these mementos of dashed dreams, many liberals may be forgoing the pleasures of buying new cars -- another delight sacrificed on the altar of liberalism.Conservatives are often criticized for having a "don't worry, be happy" mentality. But a more accurate one, borrowed from the classic Bill Murray comedy, "Stripes" (and Liberals should pay attention to this one), would be "Lighten up, Francis".But, then, conscientious liberals cannot enjoy automobiles because there is global warming to worry about, and the perils of corporate-driven consumerism which is the handmaiden of bourgeoisie materialism. And high-powered cars (how many liberals drive Corvettes?) are metaphors (for America's reckless foreign policy, for machismo rampant, etc.). And then there is -- was -- all that rustic beauty paved over for highways. (And for those giant parking lots at exurban mega-churches. The less said about them, the better). And automobiles discourage the egalitarian enjoyment of mass transit. And automobiles, by facilitating suburban sprawl, deny sprawl's victims -- that word must make an appearance in liberal laments; and lament is what liberals do -- the uplifting communitarian experience of high-density living. And automobiles ...
You see? Liberalism is a complicated and exacting, not to say grim and scolding, creed. And not one conducive to happiness.
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February 22, 2006
Frankly, I've never heard of the guy. But what do I know? Lieberman is popular with voters of both parties State-wide. But only Democrats get to choose their Senate candidate. And a lot of them are pissed off at Joe because of his support of the Global War on Terror and our current operations in Iraq.
Are there enough moonbats to throw him over the side? It's a long-shot but anything's possible. Left-wing Democrats have been salivating at the thought of making an example out of Lieberman to show other Democrat Senators around the country that the MoveOn.org crowd really calls the shots in their party.
I'm skeptical about Lamont's prospects but it will be interesting to watch.
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It had been hoped that, as man explored deeper into the abyss, new shark species would be discovered. Scientists do not know why sharks are absent from the deep, but suggest one possible reason might be a lack of food.So as time goes by there are fewer and fewer sharks that could potentially bite off one of my extremeties. I consider that a good thing.They warn their finding has environmental implications. Professor Monty Priede, director of Oceanlab at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland said: "Sharks are already threatened worldwide by the intensity of fishing activity, but our finding suggests they may be more vulnerable to over-exploitation than was previously thought."
Environmental implications? Sharks eat people. What am I missing here?
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h/t: Mary Katherine Hamm
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Today is George Washington's actual birthday, at least according to the modern Gregorian calendar (under the Julian calendar that was observed in 1732, his birthday was February 11th).
Washington ensured that we won independence, presided over the writing of our Constitution and mid-wifed the birth of a new nation as its first President. And, depite his overwhelming popularity, he volunteered to relinquish his office at the end of his second term establishing the long tradition of a peaceful transfer of power that was unheard of at that time.
He was our anchor and our rock and we owe him a great debt.
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