Friday, November 30, 2007
Bryan's blog stinks
I am tired of mocking people who don't blog enough (you can't do it a couple of times a month, even?), so my new threat is to remove them from my list of links. See the poll on the right.
Big day for celebrity birthdays
I could show you pictures of Elisha Cuthbert (happy 25th) or Kaley Cuoco (happy 22nd), but instead you get best 80th birthday wishes to BENSON (Robert Guillaume). Keep on kicking, man:
Gauntlet is thrown! Plus, more on Huckabee
Lauren wants to know what I'd like to see done on illiegal immigration. That will take a while (I'll make it my manifesto on the issue), so I'll try to have something up this weekend for any interested parties. I'll throw a little something about legal immigration in, too.
Meanwhile, Numbers USA came out yesterday hammering Mike Huckabee for his stance on the issue, calling his record as governor of Arkansas "an absolute disaster" (I agree). If you are too lazy to read the article, just know that he's basically got the same stance as the President, meaning he's pro-amnesty.
With that and his history of supporting big spending, he really would be another version of our current president, except he'd be a pansy on foreign policy (while I consider the president's work on that issue his strongest). That's why he's the guy I support the least out of the big five, and I am really hoping he won't get the nomination. I don't think he will, thankfully.
Meanwhile, Numbers USA came out yesterday hammering Mike Huckabee for his stance on the issue, calling his record as governor of Arkansas "an absolute disaster" (I agree). If you are too lazy to read the article, just know that he's basically got the same stance as the President, meaning he's pro-amnesty.
With that and his history of supporting big spending, he really would be another version of our current president, except he'd be a pansy on foreign policy (while I consider the president's work on that issue his strongest). That's why he's the guy I support the least out of the big five, and I am really hoping he won't get the nomination. I don't think he will, thankfully.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
John McCain: Still crappy on illegal immigration
Not a surprise, but out of the 5 main contenders for the Republican nomination, only Fred Thompson has any clue of what people want (though Romney isn't horrible). Here's an article about John McCain answering a question about it, and it shows that he still just doesn't get it regardless of what he says.
If McCain, Rudy, or Huckabee gets the nomination, I will be depressed because a chance at having a good candidate on the issue will be blown.
UPDATE: In immigration news, a report came out today that says:
But one statistic that seems to me should have garnered more attention is that among Mexican immigrant households — by far the largest immigrant group — half are on welfare. This isn't because they're plotting to rip us off, but because they're 19th century workers in a 21st century economy, and simply don't have the tools to support themselves. The result is government-subsidized immigration, with taxpayers footing the bill for all this "cheap" labor.
Ugh. Even the economic arguments for illegal immigration don't work any more.
If McCain, Rudy, or Huckabee gets the nomination, I will be depressed because a chance at having a good candidate on the issue will be blown.
UPDATE: In immigration news, a report came out today that says:
But one statistic that seems to me should have garnered more attention is that among Mexican immigrant households — by far the largest immigrant group — half are on welfare. This isn't because they're plotting to rip us off, but because they're 19th century workers in a 21st century economy, and simply don't have the tools to support themselves. The result is government-subsidized immigration, with taxpayers footing the bill for all this "cheap" labor.
Ugh. Even the economic arguments for illegal immigration don't work any more.
From Cracked: The 9 Most Badass Bible Verses
I don't want to post too much stuff from Cracked.com because it's so funny that things would get ridiculous around here. This was just too good to ignore, though. Check out a sample:
Liverpool - Champions League Update
Liverpool pounded FC Porto yesterday 4-1 in UEFA Champions League play. After starting pool play horribly, they needed a lot to go right with two games left for them to advance to the knockout (tournament stage) round of 16.
Well, step two of that happened, as group last-place team Besiktas beat Marseille also yesterday. The standings look like like so (Group A):
Marseille 8 points
FC Porto 7 points
Liverpool 7 points
Besiktas 6 points
The points system works like this: a win is worth 3 and a tie is worth 1.
The final games in pool play pit Liverpool at Marseille and Besiktas at FC Porto on Tuesday, December 11. The odd thing is that every team can still advance. For Liverpool, Marseille, and FC Porto, if they win they are in (Marseille can also get in if they tie, and I don't know how various tiebreakers will work so this is simplistic). Besiktas needs to win and they need the other game to end in a tie. The way this pool has worked out, I wouldn't count against anything happening.
Setanta does not yet know what games they will be showing on that day, but it may be worthwhile to return frequently and check.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Big Four in the EPL wil advance, also, as Man U, Arsenal, and Chelsea all have enough points to have locked up their spots.
Well, step two of that happened, as group last-place team Besiktas beat Marseille also yesterday. The standings look like like so (Group A):
Marseille 8 points
FC Porto 7 points
Liverpool 7 points
Besiktas 6 points
The points system works like this: a win is worth 3 and a tie is worth 1.
The final games in pool play pit Liverpool at Marseille and Besiktas at FC Porto on Tuesday, December 11. The odd thing is that every team can still advance. For Liverpool, Marseille, and FC Porto, if they win they are in (Marseille can also get in if they tie, and I don't know how various tiebreakers will work so this is simplistic). Besiktas needs to win and they need the other game to end in a tie. The way this pool has worked out, I wouldn't count against anything happening.
Setanta does not yet know what games they will be showing on that day, but it may be worthwhile to return frequently and check.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Big Four in the EPL wil advance, also, as Man U, Arsenal, and Chelsea all have enough points to have locked up their spots.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Glass ceiling?
There is an article in the Sun-Times about how:
Women continue to bang their heads against barriers, despite making limited gains in advancing to the top leadership positions at the Chicago area's 50 biggest companies, according to a report.
The report goes on to mention that there's not even close to 50% of directors being women.
I don't understand how anyone can be surprised by this. First, women are much more likely than men to either abandon or put on hold their careers for the sake of raising their children. Moving up into the top ranks of a company takes a huge commitment of time an energy, and the maternal instinct gets in the way for a huge number of women.
In addition, men are more aggressive and driven to succeed in their careers, overall. This comes down to basic biology. (Now, I don't really give a rip about professional advancement, but like I say this is a generalization of the overall population.)
Another lesser factor is the choice of careers between the sexes. Many more women go into careers as nurses, secretaries, teachers, and whatnot. Of course, the converse of that is that men tend to disproportionately enter blue collar manual- and skilled-labor careers, which will also limit their chance of advancement. Like I wrote, this is a small factor, but I imagine it exists.
These factors are so overwhelmingly obvious to me that drivel like this seems like nonsense:
"I don't think there's any nefarious plot going on here," she said. "I think it's that when we tend to pick people with whom we're going to serve, we tend to pick those people that we're most comfortable with, and those people we're most comfortable with most of the time look just like us. So unless there's a pointed effort to change, change does not happen."
That's crap. If it were true, there would be almost no women in high positions. As it is, the numbers are much higher than that:
The percent of women directors increased to 14.3 from 13.8 last year, the report found. But that followed a drop last year. The past decade, the number of women directors rose to 76 from 61, or an average of 1.5 women a year. Women make up 14.3 percent of all directors, up from 10.1 percent.
Any time I hear about how women or minorities are underrepresented in any area due to a glass ceiling, the way to counteract that is obvious: start a firm of all women executives (or engineers, or whatever), pay them less than market rates (since there are fewer of them), and then rake in the money. The fact that this reaction to the problem using simple market forces isn't occurring is the best evidence that there is no real problem of discrimination except in the minds of grievance-mongers.
UPDATE: These five people have it wrong. Annette Burtin sounds like someone who doesn't work hard enough to succeed and then complains later about those mean boys, while Gerene Hayes is a SECRETARY. You have reached your professional pinnacle, lady, so what would you know? Jessica Simon is a 23-year-old (read: naive) teacher who also won't ever advance beyond, well, teacher, so does she have any idea what the professional world is like? The answer is no. The first guy didn't answer the question and the second made a dumb joke.
Women continue to bang their heads against barriers, despite making limited gains in advancing to the top leadership positions at the Chicago area's 50 biggest companies, according to a report.
The report goes on to mention that there's not even close to 50% of directors being women.
I don't understand how anyone can be surprised by this. First, women are much more likely than men to either abandon or put on hold their careers for the sake of raising their children. Moving up into the top ranks of a company takes a huge commitment of time an energy, and the maternal instinct gets in the way for a huge number of women.
In addition, men are more aggressive and driven to succeed in their careers, overall. This comes down to basic biology. (Now, I don't really give a rip about professional advancement, but like I say this is a generalization of the overall population.)
Another lesser factor is the choice of careers between the sexes. Many more women go into careers as nurses, secretaries, teachers, and whatnot. Of course, the converse of that is that men tend to disproportionately enter blue collar manual- and skilled-labor careers, which will also limit their chance of advancement. Like I wrote, this is a small factor, but I imagine it exists.
These factors are so overwhelmingly obvious to me that drivel like this seems like nonsense:
"I don't think there's any nefarious plot going on here," she said. "I think it's that when we tend to pick people with whom we're going to serve, we tend to pick those people that we're most comfortable with, and those people we're most comfortable with most of the time look just like us. So unless there's a pointed effort to change, change does not happen."
That's crap. If it were true, there would be almost no women in high positions. As it is, the numbers are much higher than that:
The percent of women directors increased to 14.3 from 13.8 last year, the report found. But that followed a drop last year. The past decade, the number of women directors rose to 76 from 61, or an average of 1.5 women a year. Women make up 14.3 percent of all directors, up from 10.1 percent.
Any time I hear about how women or minorities are underrepresented in any area due to a glass ceiling, the way to counteract that is obvious: start a firm of all women executives (or engineers, or whatever), pay them less than market rates (since there are fewer of them), and then rake in the money. The fact that this reaction to the problem using simple market forces isn't occurring is the best evidence that there is no real problem of discrimination except in the minds of grievance-mongers.
UPDATE: These five people have it wrong. Annette Burtin sounds like someone who doesn't work hard enough to succeed and then complains later about those mean boys, while Gerene Hayes is a SECRETARY. You have reached your professional pinnacle, lady, so what would you know? Jessica Simon is a 23-year-old (read: naive) teacher who also won't ever advance beyond, well, teacher, so does she have any idea what the professional world is like? The answer is no. The first guy didn't answer the question and the second made a dumb joke.
County Budget News
Holy smokes, things got interesting yesterday at the County Board meeting. Commissioner William Beavers said that, well, here are some of the key quotes:
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger can't get his budget passed "because he's black," his floor leader angrily charged Tuesday.
Commissioner William Beavers said "if Todd was a white man, he wouldn't have half these problems," further alleging "this is a remake of the Harold Washington days" at City Hall, where racially fueled votes often ended in 29-21 decisions.
"Who's gonna control the county -- white or black -- that's all this is," he said.
Beavers railed on that one of Stroger's top critics, Commissioner Tony Peraica, "hates everybody who's black ... all black elected officials," going on to say Peraica used to beat up black people growing up in the Bridgeport neighborhood.
This is the last desperate act of black liberals when they don't get what they want and white people are involved. They are used to pulling the race card to make conservatives cower, but it has become completely ridiculous and no longer has an effect on them. The saddest thing is that when they throw around accusations like this (when it's obvious race isn't a factor, ideology is), it makes it less and less likely that any white person is going to take a charge of actual racism seriously. That's something black liberals can blame on themselves.
Is Peraica against everything that the black commissioners propose? Likely he is, and I'm glad. It's not his fault the black commissioners (like Beavers and Stroger) are big tax-and-spenders, while Peraica is trying to stop them from continuing their rampage of fiscal irresponsibility. This makes the simple-minded (or extremely cynical and desperate, or maybe even paranoid and insane) Beavers think Peraica hates black people.
One last quote from Beavers (excuse the poor grammar):
Yet, prompted by a reporter's question, Beavers yelled not to forget that he's "the hog with the big nuts and I'm gonna tell you what it is."
Sure you are, William.
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger can't get his budget passed "because he's black," his floor leader angrily charged Tuesday.
Commissioner William Beavers said "if Todd was a white man, he wouldn't have half these problems," further alleging "this is a remake of the Harold Washington days" at City Hall, where racially fueled votes often ended in 29-21 decisions.
"Who's gonna control the county -- white or black -- that's all this is," he said.
Beavers railed on that one of Stroger's top critics, Commissioner Tony Peraica, "hates everybody who's black ... all black elected officials," going on to say Peraica used to beat up black people growing up in the Bridgeport neighborhood.
This is the last desperate act of black liberals when they don't get what they want and white people are involved. They are used to pulling the race card to make conservatives cower, but it has become completely ridiculous and no longer has an effect on them. The saddest thing is that when they throw around accusations like this (when it's obvious race isn't a factor, ideology is), it makes it less and less likely that any white person is going to take a charge of actual racism seriously. That's something black liberals can blame on themselves.
Is Peraica against everything that the black commissioners propose? Likely he is, and I'm glad. It's not his fault the black commissioners (like Beavers and Stroger) are big tax-and-spenders, while Peraica is trying to stop them from continuing their rampage of fiscal irresponsibility. This makes the simple-minded (or extremely cynical and desperate, or maybe even paranoid and insane) Beavers think Peraica hates black people.
One last quote from Beavers (excuse the poor grammar):
Yet, prompted by a reporter's question, Beavers yelled not to forget that he's "the hog with the big nuts and I'm gonna tell you what it is."
Sure you are, William.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Funny t-shirt site
So I stumbled upon this here Phat Rags website. They have lots of funny shirts. I also like the "Love/Hate Mail" section.
Biggest Loser thread for this week
OK, I think I can safely say that Hollie is starting to look pretty cute. I especially like her in the glasses when she is talking to the doctors.
A-How AWOL
Ask, and ye shall receive.
A-How has been hella-lame, hitting the one-month mark for blog inactivity. Last we heard, Weeds was on deck. A counter will be going up if I don't see something soon.
Bryan's on deck. In other Bryan-related news, WhereIPeed.com still has nothing. Thus, I won't even link to it.
A-How has been hella-lame, hitting the one-month mark for blog inactivity. Last we heard, Weeds was on deck. A counter will be going up if I don't see something soon.
Bryan's on deck. In other Bryan-related news, WhereIPeed.com still has nothing. Thus, I won't even link to it.
Bars to avoid
Here is a Center Stage article about bars that allow dogs. I consider it my duty to inform you hard-core drinkers out there of the list.
To anyone who actually brings a dog to bar, I am here to tell you what everyone thinks of it: we hate you. Dogs are annoying. They walk around, getting in people's way. They sniff people and slobber on them. If I wanted that, I would own a dog. There's a reason I can spend my whole night in a bar without going home, and it's because I don't own a dog and don't have to go home to ensure he doesn't urinate all over my kitchen. Yes, some lame people think it's fun to pet a dog when you bring your animal to the bar, but those people are morons who don't hang out in bars on a regular basis. A bar is a place to get away from things and relax, and anything that prevents me from doing so (like annoying music or your dog) drives me from that place. My message, in case it's not clear, is this: stop thinking it's cool, because it's not. It makes you a condescening jerk, because everyone who hates the dog looks like an a-hole for saying something about it just because you are too pompous to care about other people.
To anyone who actually brings a dog to bar, I am here to tell you what everyone thinks of it: we hate you. Dogs are annoying. They walk around, getting in people's way. They sniff people and slobber on them. If I wanted that, I would own a dog. There's a reason I can spend my whole night in a bar without going home, and it's because I don't own a dog and don't have to go home to ensure he doesn't urinate all over my kitchen. Yes, some lame people think it's fun to pet a dog when you bring your animal to the bar, but those people are morons who don't hang out in bars on a regular basis. A bar is a place to get away from things and relax, and anything that prevents me from doing so (like annoying music or your dog) drives me from that place. My message, in case it's not clear, is this: stop thinking it's cool, because it's not. It makes you a condescening jerk, because everyone who hates the dog looks like an a-hole for saying something about it just because you are too pompous to care about other people.
Our friends the Saudis
I don't know if everyone has kept up with the news about this (I don't really care too much because nothing is going to come out of it, but that's a rant for another day), but apparently there is an upcoming summit in Annapolis for a bunch of Middle East countries, including Israel.
So, can we count on our friends the Saudis to behave like adults? If you ansered yes, you don't follow Middle Eastern politics closely enough:
Saudi Arabia's participation in the U.S.-sponsored talks on Middle East peace was seen as a diplomatic coup for the Bush administration but the kingdom has made clear there will be no handshakes with Israeli officials.
Let's not forget that 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia.
Here are some additional thoughts on the conference from a guy who is much smarter than I am.
So, can we count on our friends the Saudis to behave like adults? If you ansered yes, you don't follow Middle Eastern politics closely enough:
Saudi Arabia's participation in the U.S.-sponsored talks on Middle East peace was seen as a diplomatic coup for the Bush administration but the kingdom has made clear there will be no handshakes with Israeli officials.
Let's not forget that 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia.
Here are some additional thoughts on the conference from a guy who is much smarter than I am.
Sean Taylor died
This is some huge news, in my opinion.
Which brings me to ESPN News. I was watching this morning, and throughout their half-hour show, the only part the anchor mentioned was the old news from last night that he was getting better. Can they not jump in with a new edited clip giving us the updated news?
Evern worse was that on the scrolling news at the bottom of the screen, it said the same thing! OK, even if they can't put together a video package because all anchors are at home sleeping, can't they even have some intern change that?
The only place it was on the screen was in the lower right-hand corner under "Breaking News". Fine, but this seems like a big enough story that it deserved a little more. Here you have a 24-year-old Pro Bowl safety who died (murdered, more accurately), and they can't even update the scrolling news?
Which brings me to ESPN News. I was watching this morning, and throughout their half-hour show, the only part the anchor mentioned was the old news from last night that he was getting better. Can they not jump in with a new edited clip giving us the updated news?
Evern worse was that on the scrolling news at the bottom of the screen, it said the same thing! OK, even if they can't put together a video package because all anchors are at home sleeping, can't they even have some intern change that?
The only place it was on the screen was in the lower right-hand corner under "Breaking News". Fine, but this seems like a big enough story that it deserved a little more. Here you have a 24-year-old Pro Bowl safety who died (murdered, more accurately), and they can't even update the scrolling news?
People are stupid and afraid
You may think the title of this post is referring to some large societal issue. Well, it's not.
I was on a late, crowded Blue Line train today, and when we got to Clark and Lake (in other words, the first big stop where 1/3 of the train gets off) some joker says, in complete earnest, "Getting off."
My first reaction to such idiocy is usually to reply, "We all are." That's only when I am near them, however, and in this case my back was turned so I couldn't see who it was. Well, gee, Einstein, is this your first time on the train? The whole freaking train gets off! You won't have any problems doing so. That's the STUPID.
As for the afraid, it's mind-melding what a bunch of pansies everyone has become. After I heard that moron say he needed to get off, I joking said to everyone around me, "Yeah, aren't we all?" Some guy next to me looked like I just challenged a suicide bomber to blow up his vest on the train. There is a certain amount of stupidity that I just can't let pass (such as in instances like this), but everyone else was probably going to clear out to let this goof get off first because they are afraid of everything. Can't we all laugh at this dolt rather than condescendingly pretend he's normal? Maybe it will shame him into pulling his head out of his ass and noticing things around him. That's the AFRAID.
I was on a late, crowded Blue Line train today, and when we got to Clark and Lake (in other words, the first big stop where 1/3 of the train gets off) some joker says, in complete earnest, "Getting off."
My first reaction to such idiocy is usually to reply, "We all are." That's only when I am near them, however, and in this case my back was turned so I couldn't see who it was. Well, gee, Einstein, is this your first time on the train? The whole freaking train gets off! You won't have any problems doing so. That's the STUPID.
As for the afraid, it's mind-melding what a bunch of pansies everyone has become. After I heard that moron say he needed to get off, I joking said to everyone around me, "Yeah, aren't we all?" Some guy next to me looked like I just challenged a suicide bomber to blow up his vest on the train. There is a certain amount of stupidity that I just can't let pass (such as in instances like this), but everyone else was probably going to clear out to let this goof get off first because they are afraid of everything. Can't we all laugh at this dolt rather than condescendingly pretend he's normal? Maybe it will shame him into pulling his head out of his ass and noticing things around him. That's the AFRAID.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Summary of the Republican presidential field
Erick over at Red State has a summary of his opinions of the top five Republicans in the presidential race. I agree with pretty much all of it (though I'm a little bit more negative about Huckabee than he is), especially his conclusion. It's a good primer for anyone who wants to catch up with the race.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
More movie rviews
Casino Royale - This was a really good movie. They transformed the Bond character from a dude who was sort of like Superman to a John McClane-type. He got his ass kicked all over the place and didn't have that air of invincibility that has marked previous Bond films. As good as it was, it didn't compare to...
Live Free or Die Hard - A truly glorious movie. I absolutely love the Die Hard series, and this may have been the best one yet. Some scenes were just a tad too ridiculous (and I know that says a lot when talking about these films) for me to be too effusive with my praise, though. Anyway, it was a great comeback for the series. I wants me some more John McClane!
Live Free or Die Hard - A truly glorious movie. I absolutely love the Die Hard series, and this may have been the best one yet. Some scenes were just a tad too ridiculous (and I know that says a lot when talking about these films) for me to be too effusive with my praise, though. Anyway, it was a great comeback for the series. I wants me some more John McClane!
European Beer Tour review
Thanksgiving is a pretty good holiday. Most people tell you it's because they get to visit their family, eat, blah blah blah. They are full of poop. Since I am from near Chicago and I don't enjoy spending multiple days with my family being tortured, I always head to Quenchers on the Friday after Thanksgiving for the first night of the European Beer Tour. That's the real best part of Thanksgiving weekend.
Of course, many of my friends (who will go nameless because they know exactly who they are; yes, it's just about all of you) are always "out of town" being with their "families" during this joyous time, and they never experience the wondrous miracle that is the Tour.
Anyway, it was AWESOME per usual. I got to spend some QT with both Gavin and Ropp. The shirts are kind of lame this year, though.
I went for a follow-up last night, and I was aided by that enterprising youngster Fubar. While I didn't do another Tour, I did drink 4 beers that were 14% alcohol. They were fantabulous. I also got to hang out with a girl who had piercings in her arm. No joke. She was a tad weird that way. One last note is that there was a crap-load of talent there last night. At Quenchers! The times, they are a-changing.
Of course, many of my friends (who will go nameless because they know exactly who they are; yes, it's just about all of you) are always "out of town" being with their "families" during this joyous time, and they never experience the wondrous miracle that is the Tour.
Anyway, it was AWESOME per usual. I got to spend some QT with both Gavin and Ropp. The shirts are kind of lame this year, though.
I went for a follow-up last night, and I was aided by that enterprising youngster Fubar. While I didn't do another Tour, I did drink 4 beers that were 14% alcohol. They were fantabulous. I also got to hang out with a girl who had piercings in her arm. No joke. She was a tad weird that way. One last note is that there was a crap-load of talent there last night. At Quenchers! The times, they are a-changing.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Movie Reviews
I am spending my day watching movies. Last night on NBC was The Incredibles, which I'd seen before. I recorded it because I really liked it the first time. Since it's PG, I recorded it and watched it today with no commercials (and no worries about good parts being edited). I thought it was great again, and I may have to put it in my list of all-time favorites. Seriously.
I am finishing The Good Shepherd. It's pretty good, I guess, but I'm not a huge fan of movies in which the story bounces around so much over long time frames.
There were no such issues with Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj. The original was good, and so was this one (but not as good as the first). One thing I liked about it was that it was set in England and all of the actors who played Europeans actually lived their roles. What I mean by that is that a real Irishman played the Irish guy, and English folks played the roles of the Englishmen. It's one of my pet peeves when Hollywood takes a foreigner to play an American (like that idiot Colin Farrell) or a hot chick to play an ugly one (like the enchanting Charlize Theron). Aren't there enough Americans and ugly women looking for acting work? Of course, as I write that Taj, who has an Indian accent, is played by Kal Penn, who has no accent and is from New Jersey. He's funny, so I can accept that.
Starting right now is Casino Royale, so I'll try to post about it later. After that is the European Beer Tour at Quenchers! I am so excited I almost shat myself.
I am finishing The Good Shepherd. It's pretty good, I guess, but I'm not a huge fan of movies in which the story bounces around so much over long time frames.
There were no such issues with Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj. The original was good, and so was this one (but not as good as the first). One thing I liked about it was that it was set in England and all of the actors who played Europeans actually lived their roles. What I mean by that is that a real Irishman played the Irish guy, and English folks played the roles of the Englishmen. It's one of my pet peeves when Hollywood takes a foreigner to play an American (like that idiot Colin Farrell) or a hot chick to play an ugly one (like the enchanting Charlize Theron). Aren't there enough Americans and ugly women looking for acting work? Of course, as I write that Taj, who has an Indian accent, is played by Kal Penn, who has no accent and is from New Jersey. He's funny, so I can accept that.
Starting right now is Casino Royale, so I'll try to post about it later. After that is the European Beer Tour at Quenchers! I am so excited I almost shat myself.
Module Thursday
So I went to work yesterday to grind out the Mod 5 exercise. It's due on Monday to be eligible for the FAP 1 exam. I found this exercise to be the easiest one yet, so I only need to proof it and write the executive summary introduction.
After Monday I'll then have 16 days to study for the exam. Lauren advises me to not study very much, but I'll probably at least read everything again. I'll accept any detailed advice , along with what I can expect on the exam, in the comments section.
After Monday I'll then have 16 days to study for the exam. Lauren advises me to not study very much, but I'll probably at least read everything again. I'll accept any detailed advice , along with what I can expect on the exam, in the comments section.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Biggest Loser makeover show
Yikes, its always the lamest show of the season. I'm starting to think this is a girlie show after all.
UPDATE: The live weigh-in is pretty weird with no studio audience.
UPDATE: The live weigh-in is pretty weird with no studio audience.
Monday, November 19, 2007
What the f*ck is going on in Japan?
Apparently a growing number of men over there want to be skinny wimps who let their girlfriends run their lives:
Both Shirakawa and his girlfriend like the fact that she weighs more than he does, and is the leader of the couple. "She's a lot stronger than I am, can lift heavy things and go drinking until dawn. I admire that about her, and feel protected when I'm around her," he said. Older than he by five years, it was Shirakawa's girlfriend who made the approach, started the dating process and decided what course their relationship would take.
"Frankly, I think women should be in the driver's seat. Society and relationships work better that way," he said. Shirakawa likes to wear his girlfriend's clothes and often shows up for work wearing her blouse and jeans, to the general approval of his co-workers.
Hirayama said: "For young men, wearing women's clothes has almost become a status symbol - a confirmation of being slim and pretty and, therefore, desirable. Young women, on the other hand, are less interested now in looking beautiful for the benefit of young men. They dress up for themselves, for their own satisfaction."
...
Indeed, young men claim to want to be pursued and then nurtured - they often hate to make the first move and often shy away from conflict. "I never fight with my girlfriend because I know I'll lose," is how Shirakawa put it. "It's just a lot more comfortable for me if I go along with everything she says."
I hope this guy is not representative of a broader trend, or Japan won't last much longer as a society. I mean, who is going fight their wars?
UPDATE: It occurred to me that even though this story is in the International Herald Tribune, it may some kind of hoax. It's just a little too silly, but then the Japanese are a weird people, what with their anime porn and such.
Both Shirakawa and his girlfriend like the fact that she weighs more than he does, and is the leader of the couple. "She's a lot stronger than I am, can lift heavy things and go drinking until dawn. I admire that about her, and feel protected when I'm around her," he said. Older than he by five years, it was Shirakawa's girlfriend who made the approach, started the dating process and decided what course their relationship would take.
"Frankly, I think women should be in the driver's seat. Society and relationships work better that way," he said. Shirakawa likes to wear his girlfriend's clothes and often shows up for work wearing her blouse and jeans, to the general approval of his co-workers.
Hirayama said: "For young men, wearing women's clothes has almost become a status symbol - a confirmation of being slim and pretty and, therefore, desirable. Young women, on the other hand, are less interested now in looking beautiful for the benefit of young men. They dress up for themselves, for their own satisfaction."
...
Indeed, young men claim to want to be pursued and then nurtured - they often hate to make the first move and often shy away from conflict. "I never fight with my girlfriend because I know I'll lose," is how Shirakawa put it. "It's just a lot more comfortable for me if I go along with everything she says."
I hope this guy is not representative of a broader trend, or Japan won't last much longer as a society. I mean, who is going fight their wars?
UPDATE: It occurred to me that even though this story is in the International Herald Tribune, it may some kind of hoax. It's just a little too silly, but then the Japanese are a weird people, what with their anime porn and such.
Shawne Merriman looks skinny
Thanks to With Leather, I have been directed to a pair of photos. One is of Shawne Merriman two years ago, before his positive steroid test. The second was taken this year after he stopped taking them. Draw your own conclusions.
By the way, the guy in the second picture is the same one who got blown up on a block yesterday by Maurice Jones-Drew, who is 5'7" or something. In fairness, though, he weighs almost as much as I do so he's pretty strong.
By the way, the guy in the second picture is the same one who got blown up on a block yesterday by Maurice Jones-Drew, who is 5'7" or something. In fairness, though, he weighs almost as much as I do so he's pretty strong.
Presidential contenders as rappers
Pretty good comparisons, although I'd disagree on the Duncan Hunter comment. This would work better if I knew who some of these guys are, though.
Fabio vs. Clooney
Since I'm not big into the celebrity news, I missed this story when it first happened. I admit that I find it fascinating and humorous:
Actor Fabio has branded George Clooney "a low-class scumbag" after allegedly insulting female diners at a Hollywood restaurant. The romance icon stunned diners at the swanky Madeo eaterie when he exchanged fighting words with Clooney on November 2. But Fabio insists he was defending guests at his charity function and was forced to take action when a female dining companion complained Clooney called her "a fat cow." He says, "(George) was drunk and thought people were taking pictures of him. So I went to the table and explained to him that we were having a charity dinner and I said, 'You're more than welcome to come to my table and see if there was a picture of you.' I apologized and he started being rude so I put him in his place. After I put him in his place - you know I'm three times his size - he got a little scared. I went back to my table and as soon as I sit down he paid his bill, got up and he started insulting the girls. He called the women names. At that point I lost my temper. I went after him and he ran out of the restaurant. You have to be a low-class, scumbag to start calling a woman a name. If you're a man, you should never. You should be a gentleman. These women were with me and as a man I defend them. He was lucky he ran out of the restaurant. He's not even half a man."
Actor Fabio has branded George Clooney "a low-class scumbag" after allegedly insulting female diners at a Hollywood restaurant. The romance icon stunned diners at the swanky Madeo eaterie when he exchanged fighting words with Clooney on November 2. But Fabio insists he was defending guests at his charity function and was forced to take action when a female dining companion complained Clooney called her "a fat cow." He says, "(George) was drunk and thought people were taking pictures of him. So I went to the table and explained to him that we were having a charity dinner and I said, 'You're more than welcome to come to my table and see if there was a picture of you.' I apologized and he started being rude so I put him in his place. After I put him in his place - you know I'm three times his size - he got a little scared. I went back to my table and as soon as I sit down he paid his bill, got up and he started insulting the girls. He called the women names. At that point I lost my temper. I went after him and he ran out of the restaurant. You have to be a low-class, scumbag to start calling a woman a name. If you're a man, you should never. You should be a gentleman. These women were with me and as a man I defend them. He was lucky he ran out of the restaurant. He's not even half a man."
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Goonies cast - where are they now?
Yeah, I think the movie sucks, but it's worth reading this to see the 1980's era Steven Spielberg.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Reuter HATES Western Michigan
First, last night they come into the Joe and beat the Ramblers. Now they are 2 minutes (and a field goal) attempt from going into Iowa at Kinnick Stadium or whatnot and winning in football.
While I'm watching this spectacle, by the way, I'm listening to Metallica's ...And Justice For All. That's some musical range I've got, from N.W.A to Styx to Metallica.
As an aside, what happens to Ferentz? Does he have enough goodwill built up to survive two crappy years in a row? I'm not suggesting they fire him; I'm just curious. My guess is that Iowa's expectations aren't so high that they'd dump him.
Game over, and good night, Hawkeyes.
While I'm watching this spectacle, by the way, I'm listening to Metallica's ...And Justice For All. That's some musical range I've got, from N.W.A to Styx to Metallica.
As an aside, what happens to Ferentz? Does he have enough goodwill built up to survive two crappy years in a row? I'm not suggesting they fire him; I'm just curious. My guess is that Iowa's expectations aren't so high that they'd dump him.
Game over, and good night, Hawkeyes.
Module Saturday
Yep, I'm at work pounding out the SOA FAP Module 4 exercise before 8 AM on a Saturday. I am happy to be here. By happy, I mean kill me now.
But don't cry for me, Argentina, because in fairness, I've spent the last 20 months doing NOTHING on these things only to realize that I have until January 31 to finish them all up without coughing up another $700 to keep access to the website. Like most things people complain about, I brought it all upon myself.
But don't cry for me, Argentina, because in fairness, I've spent the last 20 months doing NOTHING on these things only to realize that I have until January 31 to finish them all up without coughing up another $700 to keep access to the website. Like most things people complain about, I brought it all upon myself.
Friday, November 16, 2007
A-Rod is about to re-sign with the Yankees
I won't post a link, because anyone who is interested can find the story easily enough. I also won't post my thoughts here, since I left a lengthly comment on Fubar's blog that sums everything up. I encourage interested readers to check out his thoughts.
Sam Adams Octoberfest now out of season?
I have noticed a disappearance of Sam Adams Octoberfest (my favorite beer of all time) from the shelves of my local Strack and Van Til. I know it has a limited season, but it's been completely replace by Sam Adams Winter Lager.
My hope this year, much like last, was to load up on a few cases before it left the shelves. The purpose would be to have it throughout the year for special drinking occasions. In waiting until the end of the season to get the freshest batch, I may have missed out.
Anyway, I need to spend some time over the next few days going to big liquor and grocery stores in search it. If anyone has seen 12-packs of it anywhere in Chicago within the last week or so, please let me know.
My hope this year, much like last, was to load up on a few cases before it left the shelves. The purpose would be to have it throughout the year for special drinking occasions. In waiting until the end of the season to get the freshest batch, I may have missed out.
Anyway, I need to spend some time over the next few days going to big liquor and grocery stores in search it. If anyone has seen 12-packs of it anywhere in Chicago within the last week or so, please let me know.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Just don't question their patriotism Part 2
Michelle Malkin has more today on the insanity in Olympia, Washington. The lowlight is a mom dropping her infant human shield on the pavement as she celebrated some disgusting little victory over our military:
After the military convoy was forced to retreat, a victory celebration ensued, with chanting dancing, etc. I was horrified to watch as the woman in the attached photograph, distracted by events, allowed her infant to fall from her lap and land, face first on the pavement. The second photo shows her retrieving the crying baby as her other two children, dressed as terrorists look on.
Pictures can be seen on the link above.
A reader who works at the port wrote to Michelle, and here is an excerpt I agree with wholeheartedly:
This situation, and another two days later, when dozens of college aged girls were arrayed in rows with arms linked to block the road, showed a deliberate effort to use the same tactics as the terrorist savages who manipulate us, knowing that decent people cannot abide putting innocents in harm’s way. And, while the police were dragging the females away, under the glare of the media’s cameras, the males were establishing rolling blockades; throwing rocks at police and military vehicles; breaking windows, etc.
But hey, I'm sure they support the troops.
I find it hard to believe that anyone but the most hardcore, anti-American leftists could not be troubled by what's happening up there. It's the military that ensures that these idiots have the freedom to act like jerks, and this is how they treat it.
After the military convoy was forced to retreat, a victory celebration ensued, with chanting dancing, etc. I was horrified to watch as the woman in the attached photograph, distracted by events, allowed her infant to fall from her lap and land, face first on the pavement. The second photo shows her retrieving the crying baby as her other two children, dressed as terrorists look on.
Pictures can be seen on the link above.
A reader who works at the port wrote to Michelle, and here is an excerpt I agree with wholeheartedly:
This situation, and another two days later, when dozens of college aged girls were arrayed in rows with arms linked to block the road, showed a deliberate effort to use the same tactics as the terrorist savages who manipulate us, knowing that decent people cannot abide putting innocents in harm’s way. And, while the police were dragging the females away, under the glare of the media’s cameras, the males were establishing rolling blockades; throwing rocks at police and military vehicles; breaking windows, etc.
But hey, I'm sure they support the troops.
I find it hard to believe that anyone but the most hardcore, anti-American leftists could not be troubled by what's happening up there. It's the military that ensures that these idiots have the freedom to act like jerks, and this is how they treat it.
Canada to deserters: drop dead
That's a paraphrase of a very famous headline in the 1970's by the New York Daily News. It works very well here, as a couple of US soldiers (the article doesn't mention what branch of the service they are in) were denied refugee status in Canada. Why did they try this in the first place?
Before Thursday's ruling, the Federal Court of Appeal last rejected the claims by Hinzman and Hughey, who crossed the border rather than face possible court martial and imprisonment for refusing to serve in a war they say they morally oppose and is illegal because it was not sanctioned by the United Nations.
The two men have also argued they face persecution in their home country because of their political opinion.
The Court correctly ruled that since they come from a Democratic country with a good human rights record (to summarize), they don't deserve refugee status.
My guess is that these guys don't have serious objections to the war; they have serious objections to serving in the war. They probably signed up for the military thinking it would be a nice way to kill some time and see the world, like the Peace Corps. I bet they never imagined they would have to actually serve, and when they were called upon to they went AWOL. I hope they get tossed in military prison for a few years.
Before Thursday's ruling, the Federal Court of Appeal last rejected the claims by Hinzman and Hughey, who crossed the border rather than face possible court martial and imprisonment for refusing to serve in a war they say they morally oppose and is illegal because it was not sanctioned by the United Nations.
The two men have also argued they face persecution in their home country because of their political opinion.
The Court correctly ruled that since they come from a Democratic country with a good human rights record (to summarize), they don't deserve refugee status.
My guess is that these guys don't have serious objections to the war; they have serious objections to serving in the war. They probably signed up for the military thinking it would be a nice way to kill some time and see the world, like the Peace Corps. I bet they never imagined they would have to actually serve, and when they were called upon to they went AWOL. I hope they get tossed in military prison for a few years.
I am not one the 10 sexiest men alive
Quite an upset, I know:
The top 10 Sexiest Men are as follows: 1. Matt Damon; 2. Patrick Dempsey; 3. Ryan Reynolds; 4. Brad Pitt; 5. James McAvoy; 6. Johnny Depp; 7. Dave Annable; 8. Will Smith; 9. Javier Bardem; 10. Shemar Moore.
I must be around 14th. I've shown this before, but here's an artist's rendition of me:
Explaining math to people who don't get it
Argh! I just spent 20 minutes trying to explain something mathematical-based to a guy at work who is not an actuary, but who has a pretty good understanding of the concepts. He just didn't WANT to understand me, as I was explaining it as simply as possible.
At the end he said to me, "Well, you still haven't convinced me."
AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're not even trying to be convinced!
At the end he said to me, "Well, you still haven't convinced me."
AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're not even trying to be convinced!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
The city budget passed
No curbside recycling or 50 extra cops, but everything else is there on the tax side (except for 1/3 of the original property tax increase and half the bottled water tax). The mayor is a bit cranky:
He called the aldermen who had the courage to support him "weight lifters" for their willingness to do the political "heavy lifting." And he ridiculed those who had the hypocrisy to vote "yes" on a budget that included a $104,101-a-year aldermanic salary and a $40,000 hike in the annual aldermanic expense allowance and "no" on the property tax increase needed to finance it.
...
"It's heavy lifting. They don't want to get blamed for it. They want their salary increases. They want this. They want that. But, [they also want to] go home and tell their people, 'I voted against this,'....Everybody's running for something....They're all positioning themselves," Daley said.
"You have to make a decision. It's a tough decision. Do you think I want to raise taxes?...[But], no one wanted a layoff. When you talked about layoffs, I don't think you got five votes...What about shutting hours down in the libraries? Oh, we can't do that. Why not? You want to privatize all Streets and San? Oh, we can't. No one wanted to make the tough decisions. But, it was the easy decision to vote 'no.' "
They get an additional $40,000 a year in expenses? Jeepers, that's not cool. Still, that's only $2 million extra compared to the tax increases of $276.5 million.
Alderman Joe Moore is my new hero on the city council:
Ald. Joe Moore (49th) was a consistent "no" across the board, citing the "constant drumbeat of criminal indictments and convictions" at Daley's City Hall.
"How many bottles of water must be sold to pay for the $12 million fund created to compensate victims of the city's rigged hiring system?....How many sewer and water fees must be paid to cover the cost of fraudulent minority contracts awarded to politically connected, white-owned businesses? How many red-light runners must be caught on camera to make up for the $40 million-a-year that was spent for do-nothing Hired Trucks," Moore said, during a debate that dragged on for nearly two hours.
I'll close with my usual refrain that people are no doubt tired of reading:
The property tax increase to build and maintain libraries has become the flashpoint for a taxpayer rebellion made worse by County Board President Todd Stroger's $880 million tax hike request.
Taxpayer rebellion? Not quite. When we see some turnover in the city council after an election focused on taxes, I'll believe it. Until then, we're not exactly in the middle of the Boston Tea Party.
He called the aldermen who had the courage to support him "weight lifters" for their willingness to do the political "heavy lifting." And he ridiculed those who had the hypocrisy to vote "yes" on a budget that included a $104,101-a-year aldermanic salary and a $40,000 hike in the annual aldermanic expense allowance and "no" on the property tax increase needed to finance it.
...
"It's heavy lifting. They don't want to get blamed for it. They want their salary increases. They want this. They want that. But, [they also want to] go home and tell their people, 'I voted against this,'....Everybody's running for something....They're all positioning themselves," Daley said.
"You have to make a decision. It's a tough decision. Do you think I want to raise taxes?...[But], no one wanted a layoff. When you talked about layoffs, I don't think you got five votes...What about shutting hours down in the libraries? Oh, we can't do that. Why not? You want to privatize all Streets and San? Oh, we can't. No one wanted to make the tough decisions. But, it was the easy decision to vote 'no.' "
They get an additional $40,000 a year in expenses? Jeepers, that's not cool. Still, that's only $2 million extra compared to the tax increases of $276.5 million.
Alderman Joe Moore is my new hero on the city council:
Ald. Joe Moore (49th) was a consistent "no" across the board, citing the "constant drumbeat of criminal indictments and convictions" at Daley's City Hall.
"How many bottles of water must be sold to pay for the $12 million fund created to compensate victims of the city's rigged hiring system?....How many sewer and water fees must be paid to cover the cost of fraudulent minority contracts awarded to politically connected, white-owned businesses? How many red-light runners must be caught on camera to make up for the $40 million-a-year that was spent for do-nothing Hired Trucks," Moore said, during a debate that dragged on for nearly two hours.
I'll close with my usual refrain that people are no doubt tired of reading:
The property tax increase to build and maintain libraries has become the flashpoint for a taxpayer rebellion made worse by County Board President Todd Stroger's $880 million tax hike request.
Taxpayer rebellion? Not quite. When we see some turnover in the city council after an election focused on taxes, I'll believe it. Until then, we're not exactly in the middle of the Boston Tea Party.
Just don't question their patriotism
Apparently, anti-war nutjobs in Olympia, Washington are blocking shipments of military supplies overseas. Unfortunately, the local authorities are doing virtually nothing to stop it. Michelle Malkin sums it up.
But I'm sure they say that they support the troops.
I think it's time for the cops to go 1968 Democratic convention all over their asses. We could probably send some of Chicago's finest to help out.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Biggest Loser snarkiness
Yeah, I know this is really mean, but I can't help but laugh at Hollie's friend Antoinette (or whatever). 20 easy minutes on the elliptical machine makes her want to throw up? That's the greatest thing EVER. I shouldn't be too mean, though, since Hollie is going to be the best-looking gal at the season finale.
On a different note, I am pretty tired of this talk about "BEING ABOVE THE YELLOW LINE". Jeepers, there is no significance to the line being yellow, or there even being a line. It's really about being in the bottom two. Why can't they say that? Is the audience too stupid to understand the concept? My bet is yes, because one thing I've learned in my 33 years on this planet is that you won't go broke assuming the general public doesn't get math.
On a different note, I am pretty tired of this talk about "BEING ABOVE THE YELLOW LINE". Jeepers, there is no significance to the line being yellow, or there even being a line. It's really about being in the bottom two. Why can't they say that? Is the audience too stupid to understand the concept? My bet is yes, because one thing I've learned in my 33 years on this planet is that you won't go broke assuming the general public doesn't get math.
Nerds buy English soccer team
Ebbsfleet United has been bought by a website of soccer fans (as best I can figure out from this article). Pretty cool stuff, I think. 20,000 members ponied up 35 pounds each to do so:
As a result they will all own an equal share in the club and have a vote on transfers, player selection and all major decisions. They will also have an option to buy all the club for a fixed price in future.
It took a little digging, but Ebbsfleet United is in the English Conference, which I think is the 5th highest league in England. Over time, with good play they could move up to the Premier League, which would be loads of fun for these guys who bought the team. For now, they get to play such teams as Droylsdon, Forest Green, Kidderminster, and Rushden & D'monds, whatever they are.
As a result they will all own an equal share in the club and have a vote on transfers, player selection and all major decisions. They will also have an option to buy all the club for a fixed price in future.
It took a little digging, but Ebbsfleet United is in the English Conference, which I think is the 5th highest league in England. Over time, with good play they could move up to the Premier League, which would be loads of fun for these guys who bought the team. For now, they get to play such teams as Droylsdon, Forest Green, Kidderminster, and Rushden & D'monds, whatever they are.
What's up in Chicago and Cook County?
Intrepid readers of this site may wonder why I haven't been posting any updates on the ridiculous budget battles (such as they are) for the governments of the city of Chicago and Cook County. The reason is that nothing is happening, as far as I can tell.
I use the Sun-Times almost exclusively for news updates, and they haven't had anything lately. Either they are too involved covering the guy who obviously killed his last two wives or budget work hasn't been going on.
LO AND BEHOLD, as I went to the Sun-Times site for a general link above, there is some news for the city today. It's really nothing special or interesting, except that we seem to be getting closer to a resolution of the budget negotiations. I'll just repeat that when a bunch of big-spending nany-staters control the local government, this is what you get. There is never any mention of cutting taxes that are too high on everything, and cutting spending is absurd to them. I hope everyone enjoys their new libraries.
The Leviathan grows unabated...
I use the Sun-Times almost exclusively for news updates, and they haven't had anything lately. Either they are too involved covering the guy who obviously killed his last two wives or budget work hasn't been going on.
LO AND BEHOLD, as I went to the Sun-Times site for a general link above, there is some news for the city today. It's really nothing special or interesting, except that we seem to be getting closer to a resolution of the budget negotiations. I'll just repeat that when a bunch of big-spending nany-staters control the local government, this is what you get. There is never any mention of cutting taxes that are too high on everything, and cutting spending is absurd to them. I hope everyone enjoys their new libraries.
The Leviathan grows unabated...
Big Ten Preview by Basketball Prospectus
In honor of the Hoosiers kicking off the season with a second-half thrashing of Chattanooga (led by super-freshman Eric Gordon), here is the three-part Big Ten preview by the fellas at Basketball Prospectus:
Overview
Part 1 of the team-by-team breakdowns
Part 2 of the team-by-team breakdowns
Suffice to say that if you're a Gopher fan, it's going to continue to be a long year after football ends.
Overview
Part 1 of the team-by-team breakdowns
Part 2 of the team-by-team breakdowns
Suffice to say that if you're a Gopher fan, it's going to continue to be a long year after football ends.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Veteran's Day
I was wondering why the roads and train today was so empty, and it's apparently for Veteran's Day. It's a bit of as neglected holiday, but everyone can use it as a moment for any type of reflection they please, of course. I will just mention that my dad was in Vietnam, and though he won't ever read this, I've always found it admirable.
Anyway, National Review Online has a batch of articles for the holiday posted. I really liked this one about R. Lee Ermey. Here's an excerpt:
Not for nothing did legendary movie director Stanley Kubrick drop his originally cast actor and hire Ermey to play the toughest, meanest, and most memorable military drill instructor ever to grace the silver screen, Full Metal Jacket’s Gunnery Sgt. Hartman. The result was the film’s now-classic opening scene, in which Ermey strides round a Vietnam-era Marine barracks and delivers a brutal, obscenity-laced monologue to a pack of fresh recruits. Ermey wrote most of the lines — most of which plumb unexplored depths of creative vulgarity — himself, and now, after George Carlin, he may be the most famous foul-mouth in recent history.
Anyway, National Review Online has a batch of articles for the holiday posted. I really liked this one about R. Lee Ermey. Here's an excerpt:
Not for nothing did legendary movie director Stanley Kubrick drop his originally cast actor and hire Ermey to play the toughest, meanest, and most memorable military drill instructor ever to grace the silver screen, Full Metal Jacket’s Gunnery Sgt. Hartman. The result was the film’s now-classic opening scene, in which Ermey strides round a Vietnam-era Marine barracks and delivers a brutal, obscenity-laced monologue to a pack of fresh recruits. Ermey wrote most of the lines — most of which plumb unexplored depths of creative vulgarity — himself, and now, after George Carlin, he may be the most famous foul-mouth in recent history.
Curb Your Enthusiam season finale
It was last night, and it was excellent. I won't spoil it for anyone who may still have it recorded, but if so you'll like it.
In other TV news, I've officially given up on the final holdout of the new shows I started watching this year (non-Heroes division), which was Bionic Woman. It became a chore to watch, and at that point I'd rather just check out a basketball game. Things seem a bit light right now, but Lost, The Shield, and 24 are coming up in early 2008. However, that's balanced by It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Curb Your Enthusiam ending this week. Soon I'll be stuck getting my comedy fix from 30 Rock, Fox's Sunday night cartoons, and the fat bastards on The Biggest Loser.
In interweb-related news, not only has Bryan updated his blog a second time in the last 45 days, but Fubar and Reuter now have them too. Soon all human interactivity will end, and we'll only be forwarding our own blog posts to each other. (By the way, that is something I'm not proud to say I've done.)
In other TV news, I've officially given up on the final holdout of the new shows I started watching this year (non-Heroes division), which was Bionic Woman. It became a chore to watch, and at that point I'd rather just check out a basketball game. Things seem a bit light right now, but Lost, The Shield, and 24 are coming up in early 2008. However, that's balanced by It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Curb Your Enthusiam ending this week. Soon I'll be stuck getting my comedy fix from 30 Rock, Fox's Sunday night cartoons, and the fat bastards on The Biggest Loser.
In interweb-related news, not only has Bryan updated his blog a second time in the last 45 days, but Fubar and Reuter now have them too. Soon all human interactivity will end, and we'll only be forwarding our own blog posts to each other. (By the way, that is something I'm not proud to say I've done.)
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Sunday morning notes
I am barely hungover, and thus doing better than most Sundays. I should go in to my office to work on the Mod 3 exercise and just finish it up, but laziness will probably kick in.
Meanwhile, I am watching Man U and Blackburn. Man U just scored 2 quick goals within 2 minutes at 35:00 and are now in control. I can't believe this is the same Blackburn team that played Liverpool so tough last week.
Finally, last night Eric Friedman had a house party. It was a small but festive gathering. Highlights include some people (let's call them "Rony" and "Meema") separately having a little too much fun with the booze. It was a nice time for all. "Meema", Plothow, and I went to Sedgwick's at around 1:30 AM, but I had an overwhelming urge to relieve myself and had to immediately go home.
Meanwhile, I am watching Man U and Blackburn. Man U just scored 2 quick goals within 2 minutes at 35:00 and are now in control. I can't believe this is the same Blackburn team that played Liverpool so tough last week.
Finally, last night Eric Friedman had a house party. It was a small but festive gathering. Highlights include some people (let's call them "Rony" and "Meema") separately having a little too much fun with the booze. It was a nice time for all. "Meema", Plothow, and I went to Sedgwick's at around 1:30 AM, but I had an overwhelming urge to relieve myself and had to immediately go home.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Patrick Dempsey THS
I'm watching it, and I strangely think it's going to be good. One plus is that the goofy-looking red-haired kid who played Ronald in Can't Buy Me Love is talking a lot.
UPDATE: He married a 48-year-old woman when he was 21. Also, the Grey's Anatomy stuff is hugely boring and lame.
UPDATE: He married a 48-year-old woman when he was 21. Also, the Grey's Anatomy stuff is hugely boring and lame.
Friday, November 9, 2007
More on Hippie Biggest Loser
From Jonah Goldberg (mainly about NBC, but including this snippet):
NBC’s “Green Week” continued apace (well after this writing). Morbidly obese contestants on The Biggest Loser lugged piles of recyclable cans up ramps and into enormous collection bins. Of course, the cans were delivered to the stunt by diesel truck. So a lot of energy — and sweat! — that could have been used toward fermenting homebrew tofu, or whatever energy is supposed to be used for, was wasted on viewer schadenfreude. The winners of the challenge each received a hybrid SUV. Alas, one of the winners didn’t own a car to begin with, so the net result was one more car on the road and a little more CO2 in the air.
Ha!
NBC’s “Green Week” continued apace (well after this writing). Morbidly obese contestants on The Biggest Loser lugged piles of recyclable cans up ramps and into enormous collection bins. Of course, the cans were delivered to the stunt by diesel truck. So a lot of energy — and sweat! — that could have been used toward fermenting homebrew tofu, or whatever energy is supposed to be used for, was wasted on viewer schadenfreude. The winners of the challenge each received a hybrid SUV. Alas, one of the winners didn’t own a car to begin with, so the net result was one more car on the road and a little more CO2 in the air.
Ha!
Yet MORE commercials
I thought it was a bit odd (but undoubtedly effective) for a new video game called Assassin's Creed bought up the entire block of advertising for the new episode of South Park on Wednesday. I wire that it was effective because it consisted of 3-minute-long features on the game. If I am willing to sit through it, it's pretty well done.
The real kicker was when the SAME GAME did the SAME THING for IASIP last night!
Now, maybe as a 33-year-old dude I am the target market for the game. Either that or South Park and IASIP appeal to gamers, and they think I should be a video game nerd (like Tony or Plothow).
I am mildly conflicted either way.
The real kicker was when the SAME GAME did the SAME THING for IASIP last night!
Now, maybe as a 33-year-old dude I am the target market for the game. Either that or South Park and IASIP appeal to gamers, and they think I should be a video game nerd (like Tony or Plothow).
I am mildly conflicted either way.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Speaking of commercials...
...I just saw again the XBox 360 commericial with the kids singing Poison's Nothing But a Good Time. It's one of the weirdest things I've ever seen. No joke.
IU poll
I can't believe that anyone besides me voted in my stupid poll. The question (and answers) is the kind of thing I would have found funny in high school, but now it's just dumb. Oh well, I am fired up for some hoops.
Random crap
A few random thoughts to replace actual cogent posts:
- So there were about 3 things I thought of last night to post about, but then I forgot about them. That's mainly a function of my level of busyness (wait, that's not a word) at work right now.
- I am through with pretty much every new TV show I was going to watch this year (only Heroes remains). The Bionic Woman was the last to go. I just don't have the time or energy to get involved.
- Jay Cutler was on South Park last night. I mean, not his actual voice, but Stan and Kyle made sport of him at a party. Stan told him (paraphrasing) that he kind of sucked but his dad said he might be good someday. That pretty much sums it up.
- College basketball has been pretty silly lately. Kentucky losing to Gardner-Webb last night was the latest (and best!) example so far. FU UK!
- Speaking of, LU's first game is Saturday. I am eagerly awaiting it.
- The Biggest Loser is losing me. It's starting to turn into the typical reality show that I hate. I may not make it past this season, with all of the backstabbing and whatnot. I have no interest in seeing unpleasant people be jerks to each other.
- If the writers strike in Hollywood continues for much longer, there will be no 24 this year.
Final thought: Tomorrow (Friday) we are having a work happy hour at Villian's, which is at 649 S. Clark. I recommend anyone in the area to come. We should have a big crowd, and drink specials are pretty good. And from what I hear, they could use the business.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Hippie Week on The Biggest Loser
This environmentalist wacko episode is just HURTING for a takedown from me, but I'll take it easy so I don't waste three hours writing about it. It's all just so ridiculously stupid and just plain wrong. I digress, though, and I'll focus on Jillian's rant about organic food.
She claims that organic food is better for one's body than commercially-raised products due to the lack of hormones, pesticides, and whatnot. The question that this raises is why would pesticides be used in the first place? The reason is that pesticides kill germs that organic foods carry. I'd much rather avoid organics for that reason.
Also, she said it's better for the environment since all kinds of gas is not used to ship it long distances. Again, not so. It's quite economically- and fuel- efficient to ship any product in semi-truck trailers that I doubt it's better to have a farmer lug it from his farm in a pickup truck. Second, if pure efficiency is important to her, organic farming is overall much more wasteful. More land is needed for farming, and there is more spoilage and other loss due to the elimination of pesticides.
As I wrote earlier, the entire episode is ridiculous but the organic food topic was what prompted me to post. Being a good trainer does not mean you know anything about agriculture, Jillian.
She claims that organic food is better for one's body than commercially-raised products due to the lack of hormones, pesticides, and whatnot. The question that this raises is why would pesticides be used in the first place? The reason is that pesticides kill germs that organic foods carry. I'd much rather avoid organics for that reason.
Also, she said it's better for the environment since all kinds of gas is not used to ship it long distances. Again, not so. It's quite economically- and fuel- efficient to ship any product in semi-truck trailers that I doubt it's better to have a farmer lug it from his farm in a pickup truck. Second, if pure efficiency is important to her, organic farming is overall much more wasteful. More land is needed for farming, and there is more spoilage and other loss due to the elimination of pesticides.
As I wrote earlier, the entire episode is ridiculous but the organic food topic was what prompted me to post. Being a good trainer does not mean you know anything about agriculture, Jillian.
Short guys can buy clothes!
This whole article is so funny I won't even bother to excerpt much from it. It's about a store that sells clothes for, well, here's the good section:
But for short men -- Anders prefers the terms "men slightly below average," "normal sized" and "not overly tall" -- the unappealing options range from shopping in the children's department to spending hundreds of dollars on alterations to wearing oversized, baggy clothing.
The children's department? Really? I'm not even trying to be funny here.
A 5' 4" man is NOT normal sized, no matter how much these munchkins want to believe it. Not overly tall? How about not at all tall?
It's hard for me to feel much sympathy for these Lilliputians. Being a tall fella has its advantages (chicks dig it, for example), but try fitting on an airplane or buying a car. Oh, wait, that's pretty minor stuff compared to not being able to see anything and being laughed at. Ha!
But for short men -- Anders prefers the terms "men slightly below average," "normal sized" and "not overly tall" -- the unappealing options range from shopping in the children's department to spending hundreds of dollars on alterations to wearing oversized, baggy clothing.
The children's department? Really? I'm not even trying to be funny here.
A 5' 4" man is NOT normal sized, no matter how much these munchkins want to believe it. Not overly tall? How about not at all tall?
It's hard for me to feel much sympathy for these Lilliputians. Being a tall fella has its advantages (chicks dig it, for example), but try fitting on an airplane or buying a car. Oh, wait, that's pretty minor stuff compared to not being able to see anything and being laughed at. Ha!
Monday, November 5, 2007
Bryan updates his blog
In other news, I saw a pig flying past my office window today. At least his post is just about how fat he is. See my weigh-in results to the left to see how Nashville treated me. (Hint: it was almost as bad.)
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Friday, November 2, 2007
Loyola's newspaper is pretty liberal
A liberal college newspaper staff? I know, it's a shock. Here's what's going on:
Within the $100 million stock portfolio of Loyola University are hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in controversial companies like Halliburton, Clear Channel, Wal-Mart, Chevron and Dow Chemical.
Some students on campus are raising the question: Should a school founded on the Jesuit values of social justice hold stock in companies that at times could be seen to conflict with those values?
No, wrote the editors of the Phoenix, the student newspaper, in an editorial that ran this week.
It's always ridiculous when the left declares that some companies are evil. Wal-Mart has been possibly the greatest thing to ever happen to poor people in this country, given how they've brought a huge selection of items at low prices to every corner of the US. The others have done good things, too. So why does the left decide what companies are good? Every corporation has done some good things and some bad things.
It's not that every company is equal. If you don't like casino stocks, for example, I can respect that. But why pick on Wal-Mart as opposed to all retailers? I guess it's because they fight unionization, but NO company really wants a unionized workforce.
Within the $100 million stock portfolio of Loyola University are hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in controversial companies like Halliburton, Clear Channel, Wal-Mart, Chevron and Dow Chemical.
Some students on campus are raising the question: Should a school founded on the Jesuit values of social justice hold stock in companies that at times could be seen to conflict with those values?
No, wrote the editors of the Phoenix, the student newspaper, in an editorial that ran this week.
It's always ridiculous when the left declares that some companies are evil. Wal-Mart has been possibly the greatest thing to ever happen to poor people in this country, given how they've brought a huge selection of items at low prices to every corner of the US. The others have done good things, too. So why does the left decide what companies are good? Every corporation has done some good things and some bad things.
It's not that every company is equal. If you don't like casino stocks, for example, I can respect that. But why pick on Wal-Mart as opposed to all retailers? I guess it's because they fight unionization, but NO company really wants a unionized workforce.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Amtrak and the CTA
While perusing National Review Online today, I found an interesting article about Amtrak. The basic point is that it's hugely inefficient and wasteful, even selling BEER:
Amtrak may be the only commercial enterprise on earth that actually loses money selling beer. Its food and beverage service requires an $80 million subsidy from Congress each year, and this despite the fact that the food and drink are not cheap. Airlines, facing hard times, have already cut back on free food and beverages. By contrast, starting today, Amtrak is offering some frequent riders a $100 booze credit on certain long trips.
An attempt by Sen. Tom Coburn to require that food service on each route break even or else be cancelled was crushed in a 67-24 vote on Tuesday. Part of the problem is that Amtrak’s workers are ridiculously overpaid. Amtrak’s food-service workers make $54,000 per year plus tips, according to congressional testimony from June 2005 — comparably skilled food-service workers make less than half that amount.
This isn't a surprise to anyone who has ever read about Amtrak. The interesting thing is how the article ended:
Unfortunately, this proposal [to privatize it] makes too much sense, Utt explains. Some congressman, tears in eyes, will tell a story about the man who absolutely depends on Amtrak to get him from Helena to St. Louis for his monthly kidney dialysis.
Well, we could give every such man in America a free automobile — with chauffeur — and still save billions of dollars if we were to stop subsidizing Amtrak. For $54,000 a year plus tips, I might even consider making myself available to drive.
The basic point here correlates with these silly sob stories about some people who will be affected by CTA bus route cuts. These schools (or the city, or whatever) could just run their own buses back and forth rather than beg the state for money. Of course, that wouldn't both increase the CTA's size (and therefore power) and allow Chicago residents to leech off of taxpayers everywhere else in the state, which is what this is really about.
Amtrak may be the only commercial enterprise on earth that actually loses money selling beer. Its food and beverage service requires an $80 million subsidy from Congress each year, and this despite the fact that the food and drink are not cheap. Airlines, facing hard times, have already cut back on free food and beverages. By contrast, starting today, Amtrak is offering some frequent riders a $100 booze credit on certain long trips.
An attempt by Sen. Tom Coburn to require that food service on each route break even or else be cancelled was crushed in a 67-24 vote on Tuesday. Part of the problem is that Amtrak’s workers are ridiculously overpaid. Amtrak’s food-service workers make $54,000 per year plus tips, according to congressional testimony from June 2005 — comparably skilled food-service workers make less than half that amount.
This isn't a surprise to anyone who has ever read about Amtrak. The interesting thing is how the article ended:
Unfortunately, this proposal [to privatize it] makes too much sense, Utt explains. Some congressman, tears in eyes, will tell a story about the man who absolutely depends on Amtrak to get him from Helena to St. Louis for his monthly kidney dialysis.
Well, we could give every such man in America a free automobile — with chauffeur — and still save billions of dollars if we were to stop subsidizing Amtrak. For $54,000 a year plus tips, I might even consider making myself available to drive.
The basic point here correlates with these silly sob stories about some people who will be affected by CTA bus route cuts. These schools (or the city, or whatever) could just run their own buses back and forth rather than beg the state for money. Of course, that wouldn't both increase the CTA's size (and therefore power) and allow Chicago residents to leech off of taxpayers everywhere else in the state, which is what this is really about.
11/1/07 CTA and city budget updates
Some of the high school kids who have been glomming off those silly bus routes are angry. Good thing they can't vote! (Ha!) They are probably illegal immigrants and they'll never be able to, anyway.
In city budget news, the Mayor is apparently cranky about not getting his property tax increase. Why would I say that? Because he decided to pull out of his budget the only new spending items that people actually want:
Mayor Daley today postponed what few sweeteners there were in his 2008 budget — hiring 50 police officers and expanding curbside recycling to 131,000 more households — to pave the way for rolling back his proposed, $108 million property tax hike.
Thanks Mayor Daley! Good thing we'll still have new libraries to look at as they get vandalized due to not enough cops.
As a postscript, I don't want curbside recycling since that's hippie stuff. My point was that lots of people do, and since it's one of the less egregious new programs the city has devised recently I don't get very cranky about it.
In city budget news, the Mayor is apparently cranky about not getting his property tax increase. Why would I say that? Because he decided to pull out of his budget the only new spending items that people actually want:
Mayor Daley today postponed what few sweeteners there were in his 2008 budget — hiring 50 police officers and expanding curbside recycling to 131,000 more households — to pave the way for rolling back his proposed, $108 million property tax hike.
Thanks Mayor Daley! Good thing we'll still have new libraries to look at as they get vandalized due to not enough cops.
As a postscript, I don't want curbside recycling since that's hippie stuff. My point was that lots of people do, and since it's one of the less egregious new programs the city has devised recently I don't get very cranky about it.
Oh, Hillary! - UPDATED with links
I haven't really waded into the race fot he Democratic presidential nominee because it's not really my fight. However, the fallout of Monday night's debate is quite humorous.
While most conservative commentators think Hillary Clinton performed the best, liberals and moderates have been hammering on her. If you don't want to read the article above, here's the basic recap: the other six candidates were going after Hillary (sort of; I'll get back to this in a moment). You think that's a good strategy, considering she has had a huge lead in the polls? Welcome to the party, guys. The other unsaid reasons to attack her during the debate are that (1) she always tries to have it both ways on any controversial issue and (2) she has lots of, um, baggage from her past.
Ever since she first ran for the Senate in New York in 2000, she has conspicuously avoided any tough interviews that would bring up these two themes. She hasn't even appeared on any Fox News Channel shows in who knows how long (if ever). That's fine; if the voters of NY don't care about that, that's their choice. Now that she's running for president, that's a much tougher proposition. She still won't do any tough interviews, though.
Which brings us to Monday's debate. The moderators (and especially Tim Russert) asked the candidates about their weak spots to see how they would respond. Because of (1) and (2) above, Russert had lots of material to work with. Faced with actual questions that are hard to answer, she didn't perform well. Her programmed answers made her look weak and indecisive, after which John Edwards and Chris Dodd attacked. For the first time in the campaign she was tested, and she didn't pass.
I mentioned Edwards and Dodd to point out that the rest of the candidates left Hillary alone, regardless of what her press releases said. Barack Obama very weakly criticized her. Bill Richardson was in full VP-audition mode and actually defended her a few times. Joe Biden was too long-winded to pounce, and Dennis Kucinich is so crazy that anything he'd say is considered a joke.
Here's some good stuff from the article. What's one way to spin it and fight back? To hide behind her skirt:
The criticisms followed Penn’s assertion that Clinton was “unflappable.” He also said criticisms from Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) would backfire and that he was already “detecting some backlash,” particularly among female voters.
Those female voters are saying, “Sen. Clinton needs our support now more than ever if we’re going to see this six-on-one to try to bring her down,” Penn told those on the campaign call.
...
“Some of you may have seen last night’s debate,” McEntee said. “Six guys against Hillary, and I’d call that a fair fight. This is a strong woman.”
..
The Clinton campaign released a video Wednesday, entitled “The Politics of Pile On,” showing clips of the senator’s rivals going after her by name during the debate.
If she can't stand up to the biggest phony in the race (Edwards), a mild-mannered guy (Obama), and a hack Senator (Dodd) without complaining, how is she going to face down Iran, Russia, and China?
As a final thought, here's a good line from Obama's spokeman:
In a memo from the Obama campaign, spokesman Bill Burton said Clinton “offered more of the same Washington political calculation and evasion that won’t bring the change America needs.”
“The ‘politics of hope’ doesn’t mean hoping you don’t have to answer tough questions,” Burton wrote.
UPDATE: Here's an excellent column by Jed Babbin that sums up my thoughts on Hillary's reaction to the debate.
UPDATE 2: Fred Barnes has an interesting take.
While most conservative commentators think Hillary Clinton performed the best, liberals and moderates have been hammering on her. If you don't want to read the article above, here's the basic recap: the other six candidates were going after Hillary (sort of; I'll get back to this in a moment). You think that's a good strategy, considering she has had a huge lead in the polls? Welcome to the party, guys. The other unsaid reasons to attack her during the debate are that (1) she always tries to have it both ways on any controversial issue and (2) she has lots of, um, baggage from her past.
Ever since she first ran for the Senate in New York in 2000, she has conspicuously avoided any tough interviews that would bring up these two themes. She hasn't even appeared on any Fox News Channel shows in who knows how long (if ever). That's fine; if the voters of NY don't care about that, that's their choice. Now that she's running for president, that's a much tougher proposition. She still won't do any tough interviews, though.
Which brings us to Monday's debate. The moderators (and especially Tim Russert) asked the candidates about their weak spots to see how they would respond. Because of (1) and (2) above, Russert had lots of material to work with. Faced with actual questions that are hard to answer, she didn't perform well. Her programmed answers made her look weak and indecisive, after which John Edwards and Chris Dodd attacked. For the first time in the campaign she was tested, and she didn't pass.
I mentioned Edwards and Dodd to point out that the rest of the candidates left Hillary alone, regardless of what her press releases said. Barack Obama very weakly criticized her. Bill Richardson was in full VP-audition mode and actually defended her a few times. Joe Biden was too long-winded to pounce, and Dennis Kucinich is so crazy that anything he'd say is considered a joke.
Here's some good stuff from the article. What's one way to spin it and fight back? To hide behind her skirt:
The criticisms followed Penn’s assertion that Clinton was “unflappable.” He also said criticisms from Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) would backfire and that he was already “detecting some backlash,” particularly among female voters.
Those female voters are saying, “Sen. Clinton needs our support now more than ever if we’re going to see this six-on-one to try to bring her down,” Penn told those on the campaign call.
...
“Some of you may have seen last night’s debate,” McEntee said. “Six guys against Hillary, and I’d call that a fair fight. This is a strong woman.”
..
The Clinton campaign released a video Wednesday, entitled “The Politics of Pile On,” showing clips of the senator’s rivals going after her by name during the debate.
If she can't stand up to the biggest phony in the race (Edwards), a mild-mannered guy (Obama), and a hack Senator (Dodd) without complaining, how is she going to face down Iran, Russia, and China?
As a final thought, here's a good line from Obama's spokeman:
In a memo from the Obama campaign, spokesman Bill Burton said Clinton “offered more of the same Washington political calculation and evasion that won’t bring the change America needs.”
“The ‘politics of hope’ doesn’t mean hoping you don’t have to answer tough questions,” Burton wrote.
UPDATE: Here's an excellent column by Jed Babbin that sums up my thoughts on Hillary's reaction to the debate.
UPDATE 2: Fred Barnes has an interesting take.
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