Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Nice leaves out there

They seem to be turning at a rapid pace. I've seen lots of bright yellow trees on the way to work this week. Some real bright reds and oranges, too. Took a picute of one of the yellow ones while sitting still in traffic this morning. Will try to post it--or a better one--tomorrow.

Also saw a group of five or six wild turkeys in someone's front yard this morning. I doubled back to try to get a picture, but by then they were gone.

GOTV, Silverman-style

I think Sarah Silverman is about as funny as they come. Here, she tries to get out the vote (GOTV) among elderly Florida Jews by enlisting their grandchildren. There's some foul language and some cultural stereotypes, but it's all in good fun. Watch and have a laugh, won't you?


The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

Stunning Development!

Members Of Twisted Sister Now Willing To Take It
September 29, 2008 | Issue 44•40

NEW YORK—In a stunning reversal of their long-stated reluctance to take it, members of heavy-metal band Twisted Sister announced Monday that, after 24 years of fervent refusal, they are now willing to take it. "I acknowledge that we promised not to take it anymore, but things change. The world is a different place today, and with that in mind, we would like to go on record as saying that, starting right now, we are going to take it," read a statement released by the band's lead singer, Dee Snyder. "To clarify, we would still prefer not to take it, but as of now, taking it is an option that we would be open to. That is all." Bassist Mark "the Animal" Mendoza also stated that, in regards to what he wants to do with his life, he no longer solely wants to rock, but would instead prefer doing other things, such as raising a family and working as a claims adjuster in Rye, NY.

Letterman's tribute to Paul Newman

At the risk of overloading the blog with David Letterman this month, I wanted to drop this clip in from his show last night. From watching the show over the years, I know that Letterman is a HUGE fan of Paul Newman. They were both heavily involved in open wheel racing.

I remember Letterman got a call at his house from Paul Newman once and he came on the show the next day like he had just won the lottery. Here's a guy with all that fame and money turning into a kid at christmas because he got a phone call.To me, it spoke of how genuine both of them are.

Newman was on the show a whole bunch of times after that and did some pretty goofy stuff. I knew Letterman would speak of Newman's death on last night's show and he did. Here it is.

Song of the Day: Raindrops keep falling on my head

Boomp3.com

This BJ Thomas classic was featured in one of Paul Newman's best known movies, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. My favorite part of them movie is in the scene where Newman and Redford are trapped at the top of a cliff, handcuffed together, with no option but to leap into the raging river below. Redford, obviously reluctant to jump, finally lets on that he can't swim. Newman gives his classic smile and laugh, dismissing Redford's fear by saying: "The fall'll prob'ly kill ya."

I asked Mrs. Noternie the other night if it was possible that there's someone out there who didn't like Paul Newman. It's tough for me to imagine.

Song of the Day: Good Vibrations

Truth be told, this is better than anything the New Kids on the Block ever put out. I'm not saying it's Mozart, but it's entertaining. Who'd've thunk both Mark and Donnie Wahlberg would become successful actors? Mark became a legend as soon as he did Boogie Nights, as far as I'm concerned. Brilliant movie.

Boomp3.com

Monday, September 29, 2008

Letterman pillories McCain again

I've always been a fan of David Letterman. Big, big fan. Here's the second show after McCain stood him up at the last minute.

Song of the Day: Hangin' Tough

New Kids on the Block (NKTOB)? Hey, why not? They're got a new single (album) out and they're playing live shows. They played two at the Boston Garden this weekend. Both Boston papers reviewed the shows. Herald review here. Boston Globe review here. Both quite kind to the group.

Here's a classic from the old days. It has to be in video form to show off the hair, clothes and dance moves there were really at the center of the New Kids on the Block phenomenon. And boy, was it a phenomenon. I dare say it was bigger than the Backstreet Boys or NSYNC.

Good stuff

Interesting piece over at Boston.com by John Hodgman. Funny look at Massachusetts' history and its people. And how someone who thought he didn't like Massachusetts ends up discovering he does.

When a game is on, it will be broadcast in every bar, home, and taxi cab. In the finest restaurant the waiter will be checking the scores and passing news of the game between the busboy in the kitchen and the Harvard professor at the table. The professor will tell you that, in a city largely stratified by class, race, and ethnicity, sports erases these distinctions and reminds us of our common humanity. And if you tell the academic that you don't happen to like sports, he will ask what is wrong with you, nerd? And then he will punch you in the face.


go read the whole thing. It's entertaining. Thanks to Jay at Hub Blog for posting about it, so I'd notice it.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

George Will hammers McCain

The editorial hero of conservatives seems to find McCain a little too emotional and simple-minded.

He's certainly not impressed with him. Can we recognize the elitist streak of the conservative wing of the media?

Hee hee

I know a few people who may gladly get this song stuck in their heads.

From YouTube via Boston Dirt Dogs:

Obama leads slightly in battleground states

boston.com reports that in four battleground states, Obama is leading McCain. Though within the statistical margin of error (barely), this is better news for Obama than McCain. The numbers are consistent with what existed before the conventions, meaning McCain/Palin didn't get a bump. Or if they did, it has gone away already.

The survey released this morning by The Washington Post, Quinnipiac University, and the Wall Street Journal gives Democrat Barack Obama a 49 percent to 45 percent lead over McCain in Colorado, a 48 percent-44 edge in Michigan, and a 47 percent-45 percent margin in Minnesota.

Only in Wisconsin is Obama's lead -- 49 percent to 42 percent -- outside the statistical margin of error. Late Monday, an ABC News/Washington Post poll said Obama had pulled ahead in Virginia, which has been Republican recently, 49 percent to 46 percent.


I've been saying for some time that the national polls are meaningless. If you want to know how the horserace is going, you have to look at state-by-state polls. This site always has a collection of the latest poll results of various types. Visit often, if curiosity strikes.

Song of the Day: So What

Boomp3.com

Pink is pretty cool. My oldest sister is a big fan of hers. She sure as heck was better on the Monday Night Football intro than Faith Hill, if anyone can look good in that format. I heard this one this morning and really liked it. She's apparently NOT suffering ill effects from her marriage breaking up. Got that? Doesn't bother her at all. She's fine. Really. Doesn't miss him one bit and isn't the slightest bit hurt.

Lyrics here.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Undecided? Don't tell Quriltai

Blogging commrade Quriltai--the one on the shore--thinks Colorado will be the deciding factor in this year's Prez election. But he's not impressed with you fence-sitters. Quoted extensively below, read the entire post here.

As time goes on, I find myself more firmly believing that the final disposition of a swing state is strongly wrapped up in the instincts of its last-minute voters. And the more I contact these people, the more I read about them, the more convinced I am that undecided voters are basically morons. McCain and Obama have been running for president for 18 months, and they have very different visions of the future. Yet somehow these people haven't yet made a choice. This isn't a decision between Coke and Pepsi, it's a decision between Poland Springs and Wild Turkey.

If at this point a voter finds them of equal value, that's probably because they don't know much, or care much. The ones who don't care that much, don't vote -- so we're left with the ones who don't know that much. Christopher Hayes writes one of the best profiles of the undecided voter I've ever read...here's a snippet:


Perhaps the greatest myth about undecided voters is that they are undecided because of the "issues."...The majority of undecided voters I spoke to couldn't name a single issue that was important to them...the very concept of the issue seemed to be almost completely alien to most of the undecided voters I spoke to...As far as I could tell, the problem wasn't the word "issue"; it was a fundamental lack of understanding of what constituted the broad category of the "political."

The whole thing is worth the read, and it makes anyone who believes in a rationalist approach to politics and campaign agog. I submit that without any grounding in political reality, these last minute "decision makers" go back to instincts, gut level. I believe Bush got close enough to win thanks to undecideds in Florida and Ohio feeling that they knew someone like Bush and were comfortable with him. Whether they agreed on the issues wasn't as important -- better to avoid Kerry or Gore, who were nearly identical in broadcasting waves of privilege and remove from the working people of America.

One year ago today, in Myanmar...

BANGKOK (AFP) — One year after Myanmar's brutal crackdown on protests led by Buddhist monks, the world remains divided on how to handle the regime, leaving democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi alone against the generals.

With the United Nations powerless to extract reforms from the military regime, the 63-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner has used sometimes desperate measures to make her own silent protests heard.

Aung San Suu Kyi, confined to house arrest for most of the last 19 years, refused to meet UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari last month and began turning away her daily food deliveries until her thin body was so weakened that her doctor had to place her on a drip.

Just one year ago on September 22, Aung San Suu Kyi stepped out of her house, tearfully greeting Buddhist monks protesting against the military, which has ruled this poor nation since 1962.

In the days that followed, more than 100,000 people took to the streets until security forces launched a crackdown on September 26. The UN estimates 31 people were killed, 74 were missing, and thousands arrested.

Under global pressure, particularly from neighbouring China, the regime made a few concessions, notably appointing a liaison officer in October to coordinate contacts with Aung San Suu Kyi.

Just one month later, she made known her desire for higher-level talks, which never materialised.

UN efforts to launch a dialogue with her National League for Democracy (NLD) as well as ethnic leaders are now at a stalemate, while Myanmar currently holds more political prisoners -- over 2,000, according to Amnesty International -- than it did before the "Saffron Revolution."

Yankee Stadium

Yeah, we get it, it's closing.

BTW: As easy as it would be to pour out disdain for the Yankee fans and blame them for the glorification of their franchise and bleachers, it's really espn that's to blame. They overdo EVERYTHING. I have no doubt that if the old Boston Garden closed this year instead of when it did, they would exagerate the meaning of that building as well. So I blame espn for the fact that we have to get overwhelmed with the monumental obnoxiousness of Yankeedom.

Song of the Day: When you were young

If you liked the 80s "New Wave" stuff, you'll like this. I wasn't a big fan of that, but I like this. Good riff and adds a little more of a rock element than the 80s stuff. I like some of the other stuff by the Killers. Decent band.

Boomp3.com

McCain campaign signs

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

GOP no good for business?

Some thought she was considered for GOP VP, but didn't she get thrown out of HP under unfavorable circumstances? Given the news of the last few days, and the fact taht McCain has said he doesn't know as much about economics as he should, this doesn't help...

Top McCain-Palin official Carly Fiorina is facing criticism from some within the campaign....after the former Hewlett-Packard CEO told two separate interviewers that neither member of the Republican ticket would be capable of running a company.

Asked by a St. Louis radio station whether she thought Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin could run a company like Hewlett-Packard, Fiorina responded: "No, I don't.

Asked about that remark on MSNBC, she made the same unprompted assessment of the GOP presidential nominee. "I don't think John McCain could run a major corporation."

Song of the Day: Love me two times

Boomp3.com

Making up for lost days. After thursday's post, I didn't post the Song of the Day--or anything--until this morning. That prompted two inquiries yesterday from concerned readers. Where was I? Where was SOTD?

Sorry. I missed a few days of posting. I'll try to do better. I am posting at a pretty good clip here the last few months, I thought. Maybe I've hit a plateau. I appreciate you all wanting more. Feel free to not only visit more often, but to recommend the site to others. Since the blog has been here over a year now, it's safe to assume a gap of a few days is not a sign the blog is being deserted forever.

I offer this make-good SOTD for those who's inquiries were sings that I was "loved" at least two times yesterday.

Political Funny

14

Any combination of Rays loses and Red Sox wins totalling 14 will mean the Red Sox win the American League East.

Last week the Red Sox won the coin flip to determine where the game will be played if they two teams end the season tied.

Song of the Day: Us and Them



RIP, Richard Wright, keyboardist for Pink Floyd.

I've gone through some big Pink Floyd phases in my life and their music marks some significant moments. This song is from Dark Side of the Moon, the very first Compact Disc I ever owned. Tremendous stuff. It's got a lot of the Pink Floyd trappings: the dreamy, echoed vocals; the lyrics combining angst, hope and war language; the saxaphone; the muttering dialogue and, of course the keyboards and piano of Richard Wright. While you may notice the sax more in this tune, it's the keyboards that set the tune and, for my money, the piano clip just before the 5 minute mark is killer.

So goodbye, Richard Wright. And thank you.

Song of the Day: Love me when I'm gone

I didn't get a chance to post this on Friday, when I wanted to. But I'm not going to let it go. After remembering 9/11, I think it's appropriate to honor the men and women who have been put in harms way since that day.

Back in an earlier incarnation of Song of the Day, I featured this song when it was fresh out of the oven. I included a description of the video sine SOTD was only an email thing then with mp3 attachments. One of the recipients responded that she loved the song, but couldn't bring herself to watch the video. A close friend of hers was being or had just been deployed and it was difficult for her to watch.

As with the 9/11 feature here, I think it's good that we watch this. That we remember the heartache that war and deployment causes, even if watching brings us close to tears.

I have all the respect in the world for the men and women who put their lives on hold and at risk to go. And to the husbands, wives and children who have to see them leave. I think it's important to remember while watching this that the return of some of these soldiers are not happy ones. Rather than embracing their husband, wife or father, many greet a casket or a loved one so wounded that they will never live a normal life.

War is horrible. I would not make the argument here that it is unnecessary or that the sacrifice of life or well-being can be avoided. But what can and must be avoided are sacrifices that are not necessary or are recklessly considered. I think it is sad that while John Kerry learned this lesson, John McCain seem not to have.

So please watch this video out of respect for the men and women who are willing. And if you feel uncomfortable thinking about what might have happened to them after this video was made, think of how uncomfortable it must be for their families.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Hey, I'm alive and kicking

I just haven't been able to blog since Thursday. I might be able to get something on tonight.

(Yes, someone asked why I haven't posted)
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Thursday, September 11, 2008

I almost can't believe this

Media Nation, a blog by local journalism professor/expert Dan Kennedy, put me on to a really hard to believe story.

Apparently, when Sarah Palin was Mayor of Wasilla, she fired the Police Chief and hired a new one. Ok, fine. Maybe the guy was incompetent. But she then appointed a new Chief who defended the town's policy whereby rape victims had to pay for the forensic medical test when they reported the crime! The state actually had to pass a law to prohibit the practice, which was only in place in Wasilla.

A May 23, 2000, article in Wasilla's newspaper, The Frontiersman, noted that Alaska State Troopers and most municipal police agencies regularly pay for such exams, which cost between $300 and $1,200 apiece.

"(But) the Wasilla police department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests," the newspaper reported.

It also quoted Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon objecting to the law. Fannon was appointed to his position by Palin after her dismissal of the previous police chief. He said it would cost Wasilla $5,000 to $14,000 a year if the city had to foot the bill for rape exams.

"In the past we've charged the cost of exams to the victims' insurance company when possible," Fannon told the newspaper. "I just don't want to see any more burden put on the taxpayer."

my emphasis, as if it's needed. Taxpayer. They didn't want to put a burden on the TAXPAYER?!?!?!?!?! In a RAPE case?!?!?!?!?!?!

Can you imagine a woman getting raped, but not going to police because she doesn't have the $300-1200 or insurance for the medical test? Disgusting. What else, charging the families of murder victims for balistics tests?

In general, I think it's a bad thing for Democrats to focus too much on Palin. But this is a disgusting exception.

Song of the Day: Miami 2017

I found this a few weeks ago. It's Billy Joel singing Miami 2017 (Seen the lights go down on Broadway) at the Concert for New York in 2001. After the first few seconds it's all video of 9/11. There are times when watching this that it all came back to me in a rush. All the memories of hearing about it, trying to find out what was going on, watching it all for days and days. Intense.

I wish there was a little more footage from the concert. Seeing the emotion of the police and firefighters at the show is incredibly powerful.

I think it's good that we are reminded of the events of that day, not only out of respect for the people who didn't survive it and their families, but to remind us of the dangers that are possible in this world. I don't think eliminating our own freedom is the answer, but that's a political debate for another day (November 4).



This song was written and recorded in 1976 as a "science fiction" song. It narrates the city being closed, almost as if by foreclosure. Background here.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Lawyers aren't all rich

Hey, going to law school is a good investment. Law school graduates come out with a tremendous education that makes them more valuable in the workforce than many of those who don't have a law degree. But they also come out with a lot of debt. And they don't all run out and get six figure jobs, either.

This misperception is something that often irks my wife, a lawyer. Getting out of law school, she was looking down the barrell of ten years of loan payments! And since she didn't want to work the 60-70 hours a week required when you take one of those six figure jobs, the modest home we bought isn't on Easy St.

So when you think about Obama and his wife--Harvard Law grads, both--remember that he worked as a community organizer before he ran for state office (no big bucks there, either). And remember that John McCain followed the John Kerry plan. McCain's second and current wife is heiress to a fortune earned by her father, the largest beer distributor in the west.

Even Fox news reported on the trouble people have paying off those law school loans:

HARRISBURG, N.C. — It wasn’t until Barack Obama wrote a pair of best-selling books that he and his wife escaped their student loan debt, an experience Michelle Obama said Tuesday helps the couple understand everyday challenges better than policymakers in Washington.

“We are not so far away from life that we don’t understand and get it,” said Michelle Obama, wife of the Democratic presidential candidate.

Obama told the crowd that when she and her husband left law school, the monthly payments on their school loan debt was more than their monthly mortgage payment. She said they only got out of that debt when Barack Obama wrote his two books, “The Audacity of Hope” and “Dreams from My Father.”


I'm not asking you to feel sorry for the poor lawyers by any means. Just don't assume a million dollars comes with the diploma from law school.

Who's the elitist?

Watch through until the Obama family talk. Then think about which candidate is more like the average American. The one who's family complains he didn't buy new clothes or the one who's heiress wife put shim in $500 shoes?

Song of the Day: Big Bang

Boomp3.com

Stone Temple Pilots, in honor of today's chase for the "Higg's Boson." (see previous post)

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Wow!

This should be fun.

Great big powerful machines smashing little tiny powerful things with lots and lots and lots of speed and decimal places being used, no doubt. And complex formulas. And terms I don't understand.

Still. I can't wait to see what happens.

I guess the sale is complete

Stop and Shop is now wholly owned by the Partridge Family?

Song of the Day: Say Hey

What a great tune. Heard it for the first time last week. Just found it on YouTube. Get ready to bop your head and tap your feet. Then hit play and enjoy. What a happy tune!

After just one listen, this one went on my memo button on Sirius. (Anytime it gets played on any Sirius channel, I get a popup message on my radio. I just hit a button and I go to the station playing it.)

Monday, September 8, 2008

Ready to make a move?

By the end of tomorrow night's game against the Rays, the Red Sox could be back in first place. This could be just the right time for the Sox to make a move, with the Brady injury and all. I'll certainly be tuned in tonight.

Song of the Day: Rock you like a hurricane

Boomp3.com

In honor of the Buffett experience. The music wasn't this hard, but the rain was.

8

Due to Tom Brady's injury, I don't expect the Patriots to win any more than 8 games.

The New England Patriots season is about to resemble the annual experience of the Boston Bruins.

Trying to reason with hurricane season

Got to the Buffett show in time to tailgate for an hour and a half, which was better than nothing, but not as good as it can be.

About 2-3 songs in the rain started. Didn't even bother putting the poncho on. It came down so fast and hard I was soaked too fast for it to make any difference. The rain was bad I had trouble seeing through the water running down into my eyes. Brutal.

The rain stopped and then restarted later. By the time we walked out we could've wrung out our undies. We set up for tailgaiting with the grill and all after the show and it rained some more. Actually a lot more. Luckily, we had one of those instant shelter, ez up things.

After a little tailgaiting a truck came by and the Great Woods version of that mean, gun toting woman from Police Academy told use we had to pack up and leave. NOW!!! Even offers of pie wouldn't slow her.

The tent busted into multiple piece when we tried to take it down. Too much water on it that we couldn't get off the canopy. The think came down like a house of cards and snapped and bent in multiple places. Luckily, nobody was hurt.

All in all it was a good time, but because of the multiple headaches associated with the adventure, I told Mrs. noternie that we would have to do it again next year, so she can get the full, positive experience.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Song of the Day: Sloop John B

Somedays the Beach Boys are like nails on a chalkboard to me. I just can't take the high pitched harmonies. Not for long, anyway. But some days, the sun shines, the windows in the car go down and they're the perfect sound for bopping down the road.

This morning's drive to work was the later.

Boomp3.com

Home, let me go home...
Home, why don't they let me go home...

For the record

I'm not sure what a "Washington insider" is, but I think John McCain qualifies so he should stop railing against them. For the record Joe Biden is a "Washington insider". So is Ted Kennedy, Orrin Hatch, Tom Daschle and Trent Lott.

Anybody who spends a long time in the House and/or Senate probably qualifies. But that doesn't make them bad people. I have a certain level of respect for people who are commited to that service and level of scrutiny. And to think of where our government would be if we didn't have some experienced hands at the wheel is troublesome. There needs to be a group of people who know how the machine of government works.

I don't have a problem with "special interests" either. Both parties should stop lambasting them. These are people and groups who are taking advantage of their democratic and Constitutional rights to speak and participate. They advocate fiercly for the issues they think are important. I respect them a lot more than the peanut gallery who never express their opinions, feel like their involved Americans just by voting every 2 or 4 years and throw insults the rest of the time.

One of the things I like about Deval is his call for involvement. He obviously didn't invent it. But I agree with him when he says we get what we deserve in politics and government. Many Americans don't think we get all that much. Maybe it's beause they don't give that much of themselves toward making it better.

So while I agree that the crowds in the conventions look a little dorky, (dancing should be prohibited) and strange for being so crazed about politics and government, I respect them for having as their ultimate hobby the governence of our country. There are plenty of people who are crazed about things like running or Star Trek or fantasy football where their interest doesn't really help us as a society at all.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Song of the Day: Stupid Girl

Boomp3.com
This isn't exactly directed at Sarah Palin. But it's not exactly not directed at Sarah Palin, either.

And I don't want anyone saying this is a sexist thing. I've been calling W stupid for 8 or 9 years.

I wonder if they've prepped Palin yet for that Andy Hiller interview Bush did when he first ran. Remember that one, in which Hiller asked W basic questions like who are the leaders of the five or six countries where there were most likely to be problems in the four years of the presidency he was running for. Couldn't find video of it, but the transcript does well.

As our interview began, Bush dismissed the notion he may be weak on foreign policy:

Bush
"No, I've got a clear vision of where I want to lead America."

So I asked him to name the leaders of four world hot spots: Chechnya, Taiwan, India and Pakistan. The president of Chechnya is a former colonel in the Soviet army (Aslan Maskhadov).

Andy
"Can you name the president of Chechnya."
Bush
"No, can you?"

The leader of Taiwan's government is President Lee Teng-Hui.

Andy
"Can you name the president of Taiwan?"
Bush
"Yeah, Lee...Wait a minute...Is this 50 questions?"
Bush
"No, it's four questions of four leaders of four hot spots."

The top man in Pakistan is General Pervaiz Musharraf, who overthrew an elected government.

Bush
"The new Pakistani general -- just been elected -- he's not been elected... the guy took over office...it appears he's going to bring stability to the country and I think that's good news for the sub continent. "
Andy
"And you can name him? "
Bush
"General, I can name the general... "
Andy
"And it's..."
Bush
"General."

Finally, I asked Bush to identify the leader of India's government.

Andy
"And the Prime Minister of India?"
Bush
"The new prime minister of India is...uh....No."

Which led to this:

Bush
"Can you name the foreign minister of Mexico?"
Andy
"No sir, but I would say to that I'm not running for president."
Bush
I understand. But the point is, if what you're suggesting is...What I'm suggesting to you is that if you can't name the foreign minister of Mexico, therefore you're not capable of what you do, but the truth is you are...whether you can or not."

No comment

I would love to comment on the speakers at the GOP convention last night, but I will not. I can not. I didn't see it. Not one single bit.

Sure, I saw a few highlights on the news this morning. And I read a quote or two from the speeches. But I didn't see them, so I won't comment.

I wish I had seen them. I wanted to see them. But from 8:30 until 12:30, I was sequestered in the basement with no television and no music, doing work. I did have my internet browser open, but I only used it to find information I needed for the work. No blogs, no news sites, no nothing.

I've been having some back and forth with a coworker about Palin, but I'm not sure it's anything good enough to share here. Maybe another time.

The voice drives me crazy. Good thing is that if she is elected with McCain we won't hear it anyway.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Song of the Day: Tiny Dancer

I've been hit with a bunch of questions about the Song of the Day being absent the last two days.

Well, Monday was a holiday and I didn't get a chance to post one on that day or to schedule one. Yesterday my brain and my resources couldn't get together on one. And I only had one session to think about it. Too busy.

So here's a Song of the Day. Classic Elton John that you may not hear often enough. I know I don't. No time to research what it may be about, if anything. But if anyone knows or cares to find out, feel free to post whatever you find in the comments.

Boomp3.com

In a world where people die...

The movie trailer voice guy died.

He coined the phrase "in a world where..."

Beantown to Greentown, Part II

More good news from the giant office buildings in Boston. They're going to shut off the lights from 11pm to 5 am. You know, when there's nobody in there?

Can you imagine the impact this will have? It'll be like adding several thousand mothers and fathers to the world, walking around the house yelling to everyone, but nobody in particular: "shut off the lights when you're not in the room! we don't own the power company, you know!"

If you work in one of these buildings--or even if you don't--you can help by shutting off your computer when you leave the office at night. Also, if the bathrooms in your office don't have timer lights, hit the switch if you leave the bathroom empty. Little things that become habits make a difference.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Republicans

they can have the evangelicals. they creep me out.

didn't Teddy Roosevelt take on monopolies and trusts? it'd be great if they were more like him Teddy might also be the last Republican evironmentalist of any note.

Barbara Bush reminds me of the Joker. what's with the eyes? mccain's wife has sort of a robotic, alien look in the eyes, too.

someone should've given Fred Thompson a lozenge before he went on stage. briliant pick to do the melodramatic story of mccain as captive, though. i'm surprised they didn't call on him to cry. maybe he's not much better an actor than he is a presidential candidate.

the republicans can have joe lieberman, too. no use for him.

seriously, though. those evangelicals are creeeeeeeeeeepy.

Palin: trickle becoming deluge

When Palin was announced, I heard about an ongoing investigation into her in Alaska. The basics are: she fired the guy in charge of the State Police because he wouldn't fire a trooper. Said trooper was the ex-husband of her sister and involved in an ugly custody dispute.

I told Mrs. noternie I didn't think it could be a big deal. Certainly the McCain campaign looked into this and everything else about her before making her the VP choice, right? How could they not?

Um, well, maybe they didn't. NYTimes story says the vetting was thin and very late. When I finished I was reminded of a kid waiting until the last minute to do a research project. They have a lot of time and decent idea for the project. Then they wait until the last week to do it, find they can't do it and have to change subjects at the last minute.

Aides to Mr. McCain said they had a team on the ground in Alaska now to look more thoroughly into Ms. Palin’s background. A Republican with ties to the campaign said the team assigned to vet Ms. Palin in Alaska had not arrived there until Thursday, a day before Mr. McCain stunned the political world with his vice-presidential choice. The campaign was still calling Republican operatives as late as Sunday night asking them to go to Alaska to deal with the unexpected candidacy of Ms. Palin.


So, as bad as Palin looks--and there are lots of other things* trickling out on her-- this starts to pile up on McCain, too. If he has this much time with a decision that's this big and appears to have done such a slipshod job, what's going to happen when he gets in the White House?

Also, some Maverick. Couldn't get his campaign to go along with his first two choices for VP.

*HT to Quriltai

Move on

I don't think it's a big idea that Sara Palin's daughter is pregnant. Not to me, anyway.

I question whether it's wise for any parent to seek a position that will require so much time away when they have five kids--one of which is 5 months old and one of which is 17 and pregnant--but that's her call. If she thinks she can do it all and her family won't suffer from her absence, that's between her and her husband to decide. I'd say the same thing if it were him running, by the way.

As for the political impact, I think it'll have little to none. Vice Presidential candidates largely don't make that big of an impact (see Quayle, Dan one of least liked selections ever.)

Bad week for Republicans, though. The Palin story requires Republicans to play defense in what should be the VP honeymoon period. That while Gustav caused a lot of the convention to be cancelled and pushed it right out of the limelight.

Just heard Mr. Palin has a DUI on his record?