Something Requisitely Witty and Urbane

New Site

2004-10-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

Ok folks... I've got my new site up and running... I'll leave this one up for a while, but starting Monday I'll set it up to redirect to the new site.

For those of you who have me linked on your site, please update your links. For those who don't, well, what are you waiting for???

The new site: http://alvintostig.typepad.com

Today's Links

2004-10-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

The Talent Show has an exclusive. They were able to get a copy of the notes that Bush took during the debate last night. Very funny.

Mt. St. Helen's is going to erupt, and you can watch it on this webcam.

During last night's debate, Paul Begala and Robert Novak did real time blogging on their reactions. Kind of interesting if you are into completly partisan publications, which I am.

Baseball is back in D.C. It is only a matter of time before they are bought and moved to another city that can then flounder in obscurity for at least 30 years.

Today has been a banner day...

2004-10-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

For my blog, I got two big mentions.

First of all, Bob Sturm of local sports talk radio fame linked to my Rangers' Postmortem on his blog, which was very nice. Then, Pauly D. picked my suggestion for his weekly "Words for Your Enjoyment" segment. Very funny stuff. Thanks to both of you!

Another reason why I'm leaving Blogger

2004-10-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

I'm about half way through transferring my archives and getting the new blog set up, and I'll let you know when it is open, I'll also make this site redirect to it when I'm done. Today, Blogger has decided to stop sending me comments. I woke up to 3 or 4 new comments on my blog, but I didn't know anything about them... anyway, new blog coming shortly.

The more I think about it, and some poll results...

2004-09-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

The more I think about it, it has got to be unsettling for the Bush people to have to deal with the fact that their President was forced on national TV to say "Of course I know Osama Bin Ladin attacked us.... I know that..." This was a horrible moment for Bush, and will get replayed over and over again. Perhaps not to Dean-Scream type proportions, but you will hear and see it a lot over the next couple of days...

Here are some early snap polls on the debate performance Link
CNN / GALLUP POLL ON WHO WON DEBATE

Kerry: 53
Bush: 37

CBS POLL ON WHO WON DEBATE:

Kerry: 44
Bush: 26
Tie: 30

ABC POLL ON WHO WON DEBATE:

Kerry: 45
Bush 36:
Tie: 17

My Dawgz...

2004-09-30T20:41:00.000-07:00

This great line from Andrew Sullivan:

JUST ONE THING: (Much, much more soon). No president who has presided over Abu Ghraib should ever say he wants to put anyone on a leash. That's all. Stay tuned.

The first debate....

2004-09-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

At this point, I'd like to make a disclaimer. I've made no apologies for my partisan views. I am a democrat, I am a liberal, probably more liberal than most people I know, politically. I'd also like to say that, if you doubt my ability to be even-handed, go back and read my discussions of the DNC and the RNC. Read my post from earlier today about Kerry's campaign. I have the ability to be critical of my party, my candidate, and I have the ability to give George Bush credit when he deserves it.

That being said, John Kerry won this debate hands down.

He looked more sure, more polished, had more concise and clear comments and was able to rebut the President's words more efficiently than the President did. George Bush looked unhappy to be there, he liked nervous, fidgity, and he stumbled over his words to a degree that is great even for George Bush.

John Kerry looked more presidential.

There were times that I thought Kerry did seem to fall off of the balance beam trying to be strong on how he'd run the war and still be against the fact we went there. There were some opportunities I thought he missed, specifically when George Bush said that his statement about "miscalculating the state of a post-invasion Iraq" was due to the swiftness of the American victory. Why John Kerry didn't latch onto those words and say "How can you call it a victory when the fighting is getting worse" I will never know, but for the most part he was able to take "control of the room" as they say. He controlled the flow of the conversation and not Bush. Bush was on the defensive from the word go, and he never really seemed to have a full grasp of his subject matter. In a debate where the subject was foreign policy, Kerry was able to take issues of international security involving multiple nations and boil down to the necessary elements without speaking down to his audience.

He was engaged, he was precise, and he was effective.

Now, I don't think you'll suddenly see a 10% point bounce in the polls, and while I hope I'm wrong, I am still pessimistic about Kerry's chances when it is all said and done, but if he is to win this campaign, he had to score in this debate.

Bush was on the defensive the whole night, and, as he himself said, you can't win by playing defense.

You don't wanna miss out!

2004-09-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

Via Summer, here is a great way to get people out to vote.

votergasm.org is a site that asks people to only sleep with voters on election day and withhold sex from non-voters. Genius.

The Kerry Campaign

2004-09-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

So, I've owed this post for quite a while, and I have a bit of a deadline now, seeing as the take on this post could change after tonight's debate.

For the longest time, I just watched the news, and daily thought to myself "It is just that Bush and Rove are better at this sort of politics than the Democrats are." They can, for whatever reason, make the majority of the public, over time, believe what they want them to believe.

Case in point. I'm talking to some friends at work yesterday. I'm saying to them that I don't think John Kerry can charge the President with the faulty reasons we went into the war. This is the issue that SHOULD be talked about, I believe, but the Republicans have done such a good job at changing the debate and making that conversation old news. They've made the rational for going into war an issue that is no longer on the table. Masterful.

But unfortunately, John Kerry has cause many of his own problems. The two months we spent talking about Swift Boat veterans, Vietnam, national guard service, these all played right into the Republicans hands. The unfortunate thing is that Kerry chose to run on his Vietnam service. He chose to make 30 years ago a central issue for his campaign, and he cannot, therefore, cry foul when he gets attacked on it.

The Democratic convention seemed fine at the time, but in retrospect you can look back and see glaring deficiencies. It was all Vietnam, all the time. We also heard about the Democrats desire to make sure the convention was a positive one: no Bush bashing, no attacking, just positivity. At the time it seemed noble, but now it seems toothless. Al Sharpton attacked the President in his speech. Those of us watching loved it, like it was a real moment, a breath of fresh air, but all that got talked about was how "Al Sharpton ran long and got off the script" by the pundits. Maybe Al Sharpton had the right idea.

Because of this, John Kerry has had to play catch up in the past couple of weeks. He finally seems to have found his voice, but it is too late, because his voice isn't defined by him, it is defined by what the Republicans say he is. You can say this about the Republicans: They have never changed from their message. I think it is the wrong message, but they haven't changed. John Kerry hasn't really changed either, but he has modified the tone so many times that an over all feel for his campaign hasn't developed, or if it has, it has been the theme of chaos in a campaign.

The debates may change something. I certainly don't think John Kerry can win the election in this first debate, but he can lose it. Conversely, I don't think Bush can lose the election in this debate, but he can win it. Kerry has to set the table for the second debate, but he can't be weak. He has to attack, he has to make Bush mad, get him flustered. He has to be tougher than his appearance has led people to believe he is. He has a real national stage for only the second time in this election, and he absolutely can not blow this one.

Today's Links

2004-09-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

10 things the candidates don't want you to know about the debates.

Top 10 Bush Flip Flops.

Al Gore on debating Bush.

The debates aren't a time for rhetorical tricks. It's a time for an honest contest of ideas. Mr. Bush's unwillingness to admit any mistakes may score him style points. But it makes hiring him for four more years too dangerous a risk. Stubbornness is not strength; and Mr. Kerry must show voters that there is a distinction between the two.

Cheney's flip-flop on Iraq.

Dick Cheney more than a decade ago defended the decision to leave Saddam Hussein in power after the first Gulf War, telling a Seattle audience that capturing Saddam wouldn't be worth additional U.S. casualties or the risk of getting "bogged down in the problems of trying to take over and govern Iraq."

Blogger...

2004-09-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

So, Blogger really kinda sucks.... so I'll be switching to Typepad soon... working on getting my archives transferred over, and then when it is up and running I'll get everything switched over... Just a forewarning...

Valiantly Fought....

2004-09-30T10:18:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid that in just a little over a month, this will be similar to a blog title in which I talk about a John Kerry loss in the election, but in this case it is about the Rangers.

The Texas Rangers' post-season hopes came to an end tonight. And they did it fighting to the end. After two losses to Anaheim, they had put themselves in a position that one loss in any of the final 5 games would mathematically eliminate them. Trailing in the 8th inning, Buck Showalter was able to maneuver them into a lead. The relentless Angles tied them, and the Rangers battled in extra innings until the 11th, where Coco Cordero gave up a 2 run shot to perennial Ranger-killer, Troy Glaus. In the bottom of the 9th they were able to make up one run, but the deficit was too great.

They fought, just like they've done all season. I've been a Ranger fan my whole life. I've lived through the Buddy Bell, Steve Buchelle, Odebie McDowell days. I cheered the Three Amigos as Juan Gonzales, Julio Franco and Ruben Sierra hit 40 homers each in a losing season. A ballpark was built to help these lefties, and eventually Rafael Palmerio joined the frey. I was at the ballpark in '96 when the Rangers clinched their first post-season appearance against the Seattle Mariners: a game which was delayed for 45 minutes by a torrent of rain and a power outage. Not a fan left that day. I bolted out of my chair when Juando hit 2 homeruns against the Yankees in the first game of that first post-season series and John Burkett became the only Ranger pitcher to record a post-season win.

I've been a fan through all of that, and I have to say: This has been the most fun I've ever had watching a Rangers' team play.

There are so many things that stand out this season. Michael Young became one of the premier defensive shortstops in the game this season, and he added offensive numbers to boot. He anchored an infield that became the first Rangers' infield where all four players hit 20 homeruns, and he became a clubhouse leader and unofficial captain in the process.

Speaking of homeruns, Mark Texieria established himself this season. The clock is running out and he may not get to 40 home runs like it looked like was inevitable, but for a player in his first full major league season, well, the sky is the limit.

On the post game show tonight as I was driving home from work, I heard a good point. The Rangers had two rookie catchers platooning for them this season: Gerald Laird and Rod Barajas, and they don't get enough credit. Laird became the AL rookie of the month in May, and Rod Barajas was one of the people that would really slingshot this team in June with huge game winning home runs. Most importantly, they caught 30 different pitchers and 13 starters, many of home had never been caught on the major league level before this season, and they did so with aplomb, making it look almost too easy.

Kevin Mench established himself as an everyday player that you just can't take out of the lineup this season. Before this season he was just the lovable clown that you liked a lot but were never really sure if he'd make it. He made it this year, and now is a huge part of this team.

Laynce Nix. Pure power, defensive gold in centerfield, and scary as hell when he takes his helmet off. I'd say he's rapidly becoming one of my favorite players if it weren't for this next guy.

Hank Blalock. The world became aware of him in the All-Star game last season. He is the hardest worker on this team, and will be right up there in power categories for many many years.

And pitching. The problem year after year with this team has always been pitching. The bullpen flat out held this team together this year. Francisco Cordero may hit 50 saves. Unbelievable. Brian Shouse, Ron Mahay, Carlos Almanzar, and, yes, even Frankie Francisco became indispensable parts of this team.

Kenny Rogers and Ryan Drese were the story as far as starters go this year. Ryan Drese really got it together, and he showed that a pitcher can win at this ballpark without having overpowering stuff. Kenny Rogers proved that he is still a worthwhile part of this league.

There are many other stories that I'm sure I've missed. The great thing is this team is so young. They will only get better. Next year will be great, but this year has been more than I could have ever hoped for.

The post where I apologize for writing about Bill O'Reilly too much while bringing him up yet again...

2004-09-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

So, there is a transcript floating around of an interview that Bill O'Reilly did on his TV show with Jon Stewart. He was mostly complimentary of Stewart in his backhanded, bully journalistic way, asking him what he thought of the fact that he has some real influence on the election (a charge that Jon Stewart consistently denied).

About the only time that he really tried to get at Stewart was when the conversation turned to why people like John Kerry and countless other respected politicians would go on his show. Stewart seemed surprised the question was asked, and answered that he felt it was pretty transparent: These politicians are hoping to reach a different demographic. O'Reilly then categorized this demographic as "stoned slackers."

This was a classic O'Reillyian attempt to get up Jon Stewart's ire. What cracks me up about Jon Stewart, and is so refreshing, is that he is quite smart and well versed in the political landscape, but he also doesn't take himself to seriously. When O'Reilly kept trying to attach this "stoned slackers" nameplate to 'The Daily Show' audience, Stewart wouldn't bite.

apparently, however, this pissed off some people at Comedy Central, and they did some research of Nielsen demographic statistics. As Andrew Sullivan would say, here is the money quote:

Viewers of Jon Stewart's show are more likely to have completed four years of college than people who watch "The O'Reilly Factor," according to Nielsen Media Research.

And, just so the title is accurate: Yeah, I'm sorry.

Things to do to piss of your waiter (an ongoing list)..

2004-09-28T16:51:00.000-07:00

27. When you are done eating, and the waiter drops the check and you tell him that you don't need anything else, don't wait to pay the check for over 2 hours. 20 minutes, fine, 2 hours, well, if you need to stay in a restaurant for two hours AFTER you are done eating AND you don't work in that restaurant, then you seriously need a life.

The O'Bushy Factor

2004-09-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

So, I found out that the Bush interview will in its entirety, but broken up over 5 nights, which means I have to watch the O'Reilly Freaking Factor all week.

Installment 1, I really have nothing to say about. He says he'd do the mission accomplished thing over again, and skirts around it by saying that he didn't say mission accomplished, the banner did. The problem is, he said, verbally, "mission accomplished" 2 times subsequent to that.

Spinning in the no spin zone... More as the interview goes one.

Thoughts on tv.

2004-09-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

Speaking of which, I know, I know, I need to write my review of the finale of Six Feet Under. Yeah, yeah, I'll get to it.

I haven't watched a lot of the new shows this season so far, but I wanted to make a couple of quick comments.

First of all, if you aren't watching 'The Wire' then you are, very simply, missing one of the best shows HBO has to offer. This season, so far, has proven to be a great combination of the stories from the first season and new stories. It is as good a cop drama as there has ever been, and I'm an 'NYPD Blue' fan.

Secondly, if you haven't been watching the new HBO show 'Family Bonds', don't worry about it.

Thirdly, I'm rewatching the 5th season of 'The West Wing' on Bravo the past few weeks. Now, I was a huge critic of the John Wells incarnation of the show. It has been dumbed down and missing the fire and verve of the previous 4 seasons (including the often critically maligned but vastly underrated 4th season)... I've decided that much of the 5th season wasn't horrible. It wasn't good, mind you, but it wasn't horrible. Maybe Wells and crew will catch a groove in Season 6.

Caught the re-run HBO documentary "Hookers on the Point: Hookers and Johns" yesterday. This is a horrible look at the lowest common denominator of society, but I can't stop watching it when it is on.

I've recorded the Bill O'Reilly interview with President Bush, and will watch it tonight. I will post on it, either tonight or tomorrow depending on the immediacy of my anger.

That is all.

Today's Links

2004-09-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

It has been an unusually full week for me, so I got a bit off my normal bloggy routine this week. I'll try to get back on track.

I think it is hilarious that Alan Keyes' daughter is gay. Click here for link.

I posted to this about a month ago, but I wanna post it again. The blog One Simple Question is a blog devoted to raising a bounty for anyone who publicly asks and records themselves asking the President "How many times have you been arrested?" Well, a couple of other blogs have popped up, and the bounty is now up to 6000 dollars. Just wanted to let everyone know, in case you happen to run into the president and you have a recording device on you! Here are the links:
The World's Shortest Blog
$6000 dollar answer bounty

Via Andrew Sullivan, Yale is now providing a philosophy course studying Michael Jackson.

Time details debate strategies.

Run-up to the first debate.

2004-09-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

For political junkies like myself, this is shaping up to be a very interesting one.

First of all, we know that Thursday is the first debate. This is a real opportunity for some theatre. For the first time, these two candidates will square off and will have to answer one another's questions. But there are some interesting story lines developing over the weekend that I think could really affect the debates themselves. Let me take you through some reading I've been doing over the past hour or so.

It started, for me, with this post from Atrios. The post starts with mention of a 60 minutes story on Bill O'Reilly, who has already recorded and will be airing a 30 minute interview with the President sometime this week (~~I've been unable to figure out when yet, but when I do, I'll post it~~ The interview airs tomorrow night at 7 o'clock. I promise I'll never recommend you watch Fox News ever again). Now, normally I wouldn't be hyping an O'Reilly show, but the post goes on to mention this post from Tom Watson. Follow with me, because there are interesting links here. This is mostly a synthesis of the story but let me mainly focus on the link from Daily Kos.

To start, the basic timbre of the posts is centered around the idea that in the past week, John Kerry has been punching back, and focusing on any Bush verbal miscue. According to Kos, here are three of the things that O'Reilly got Bush to say in the interview:

1. "President Bush said he had no regrets about donning a flight suit to give his "Mission Accomplished" speech on Iraq in May 2003 and would do it all over again if he had the chance..."

2. "Bush said he also did not regret the decision to withdraw U.S. forces from the rebel stronghold of Falluja earlier this year because he believed the conflict there could have jeopardized the June handover of sovereignty to Iraqis."

3. "Also in the interview, the president was noncommittal about whether his top political aide, Karl Rove, knew in advance about ads by the group, "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" which attacked Kerry's military service in Vietnam. Bush himself did not serve in Vietnam.

On the issue of whether he knew ahead of time about the Swift Boat ads, Bush said "no," but replied "I don't think so" when questioned whether Rove had advance knowledge of them."

Now, the idea that Bush would go ahead with his "Mission Accomplished" stunt again, even though over 800 lives were lost since then, is something that, from a strategy standpoint, should be hammered. Absolutely incredible to me that he would say this. And, giving credence to the blogosphere's idea that Kerry is hitting harder, he has already responded to the release of this small clip:

"I will never be a president who just says, `Mission Accomplished,'" Kerry told supporters at an airport in Madison. "I will get the mission accomplished - that's the difference."

As for the foreknowledge of the Swift Boat Veterans for truth, Bush's non-committal answer should speak volumes and will hopefully permeate.

The most interesting part in the Daily Kos post, however, is his discussion on how Kerry can counter Bush when he calls him a flip-flopper in the debates. He suggests that Kerry should merely quote himself, specifically from his speech on the Senate floor during the debate for the resolution to provide the President with war powers:

The vote that I will give to the president is for one reason and one reason only, to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction if we cannot accomplish that objective through new, tough weapons inspections in joint conference with our allies." Kerry added of President Bush, "I expect him to fulfill the commitments he has made to the American people in recent days--to work with the United Nations Security Council ... and to 'act with our allies at our side' if we have to disarm Saddam Hussein by force.' " Four days later, Kerry said, "What's happened is every single member of the United States Senate moved to take it to the U.N. with a willingness to enforce through the United Nations if that is the will of the international community. ... There is no justification whatsoever for sending Americans for the first time in American history as the belligerent, as the initiator of it, as a matter of first instance, without a showing of an imminent threat to our country." Walter Shapiro's chronicle of the early stages of the 2004 campaign, One-Car Caravan, confirms this point. Shapiro hears Kerry say in October 2002, "My vote was cast in a way that made it very clear, Mr. President, I'm voting for you to do what you said you're going to do, which is to go through the U.N. and do this through an international process. If you go unilaterally, without having exhausted these remedies, I'm not supporting you. And if you decide that this is just a matter of straight pre-emptive doctrine for regime-change purposes without regard to the imminence of the threat, I'm not going to support you.

It is probably a moment that Kerry should have been using all along: "From the very first moment this was debated, I laid out the groundrules by which I felt the President should be empowered, and my hopes for his conduct during this process" or something to that effect.

There is other discussion about Bush's record in debates when he isn't the challenger, very poor, and his peformances in real time, off the cuff discussion, perhaps even poorer. They are all interesting aspects, but the blogosphere seems to be considerably alert to a growing story for the week to come.

God, the debates are going to be fun.

Some other interesting links on this stuff:
Chris Suellentrop on Kerry's "flip-flopping"
Washington Post on Bush's career debate performances as an incumbent.
Bill O'Reilly on his preparation for the Bush interview.

Howdy Folks!

2004-09-26T18:22:00.000-07:00

This has been quite a full week. Wine tastings at The Mansion, then a full week of work and managing... Well, today I went to "The Great State Fair of Texas." (Your voice must get very, very low when you say "Texas"). It was a lot of fun. My friend Shane and our chef, Jason, from work were entering the Chili Cookoff. Chef's chili came in 8th place. Shane didn't make the final table, and really, we feel this was a miscarriage of justice and a disenfranchisement of chili eaters everywhere...

Rode some rides, ate lots of food, drank lots of beer, and got lots of sun... In otherwords, it was a typical, great fair experience.

By the way, Big Tex (for those who aren't local, Big Tex is the giant statue of a cowboy that says "Howdy Folks, and Welcome to the Great State Fair of Texas." (His voice gets very, very low when he says "Texas")) has official been sponsored by Dickey's. He has a giant Dickey's belt buckle and a patch on his shirt. I'm a little pissed off that Big Tex has sold out.

Thoughts and Prayers

2004-09-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

Those readers of mine who read a.d.d. will know The Finn... Got word yesterday that his mother had a stroke back home, and both he and Lori are headed back there. Just wanted to leave a little virtual note in case they read it while they are gone that I'm thinking about them.

It's been a long day...

2004-09-24T23:57:00.000-07:00

And normally I'd try to make the title of this entry be something witty, like, oh, I don't know, some random line from a horrible Matchbox 20 song or something like that, but I have not the energy.

13 hour days. Wow. Those are long.

The good news is I had an actual floor shift as a manger tonight. I was kinda cool. But I just have to say, no one told me that this manager stuff was gonna require harder work and longer hours. What the hell is up with that?

I'll have some interesting things to say tomorrow, I'm sure. Until then... must.... sleep....

Lying in front of bulldozers.

2004-09-24T06:59:00.000-07:00

So, when I was a kid, a text based game came out that I could not understand, but was fascinated by. I knew nothing of Douglas Adams or even the BBC for that matter, but somehow I managed to run across the excited, frustrating, text based game called "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy."

In an age where you can put the entire library of games from the original Nintendo system on a floppy disk, it should have dawned on me that someone might put a souped up version of the original game on the web.

Here it is. Enjoy your babelfish.

"Still Sounds Kinda Cool"

2004-09-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

Read this on Everything is Wrong With Me and thought it was well put:

Everyone wants passion in a relationship. Whether it manifests itself in fucking or fighting, isn't passion what it's all about? Doesn't everyone secretly desire a love so grandiose and overwhelming so as to obliterate their life and their rationality? Who hasn't read about the disastrous and insane relationship between F. Scott and Zelda and thought, "Well, that's some of the craziest shit I've ever heard, but it still sounds kinda cool."

The post where I talk about The Day Where I Lived Above My Station...

2004-09-23T21:49:00.000-07:00

So, I'll start off this post with two statements and one disclaimer. One, I have had my first (well, two) examples of perks from being in restaurant management, and two, I now know why people have those crazy spitoons at wine tastings where they spit out the wine after drinking. The disclaimer: if my grammer/spelling/use of the english language sucks, it is because of the number two.

So, I got to go to a wine tasting today. We were invited by the Glazer's beverage company, and a few of us got to go. Now, it was at The Mansion, which those in Dallas will know as the only 5 star restaurant (noted in restaurant reviews as *****) in town. First off: What an amazing place. It is beautiful, and an absolute example of what you can do when you have 20 million dollars and a dream. Secondly, middle class Dylan couldn't have been anymore out of his element.

I got to have such wines as 'Crystal '90', and... oh, I'm not sure what else, I was pretty drunk after the 'Crystal '90'.

Now, the reason that they have those crazy spitoons. Wine tastings are deceptive. They pour little bits of wine at a time. You think to yourself, "Man, I really could use a little more of that wine in my glass," but you can't. Trust me. Once you've managed to try 50 different kinds of wine you leave with what we in the industry like to call a healthy buzz. Spitoons: Good for managing to maintain a modicum of professionalism when representing your place of employment, not so good when preparing to PARTAY!

After we left The Mansion, we headed to Capital Grille. This is a wonderful place. It is swanky, it is a beautiful room, and, for the first time, I felt like I was one of those people with money to blow who hang out at my bar all the time. The Stoli-doli Martini is the way to go.

Eric and I headed to the Plano version of my restaurant after that, and were treated to a free meal, because we are in management. Awesome.

Anyway, I have nothing else to say except my 700 square foot apartment now seems a bit smaller. If you can drink expensive wines, frequent expensive restaurants, and get free food, I highly recommend it.

That is all.

(BTW, I move that "That is all" become the catch phrase for the little bloggie circle that has emerged around us (us meaning "You know who you are").

The consequences of words...

2004-09-23T09:49:00.000-07:00

President Bush, just now, in a news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Alawi:

I know that the enemy can be emboldened by the things I say, that is why I try to be clearly with my words.

Cat Stevens

2004-09-22T23:02:00.000-07:00

So, I understand that at this time, perhaps having the given yourself the last name 'Islam' may not be the greatest aid to easing your airline experience, but, come on, it is FREAKING CAT STEVENS! As Jon Stewart said "It is a real success story in the war on terror. We finally got the guy who wrote 'Peace train."

This is a guy who everyone knows gave up fame and literally fortune, giving all his money to charity. I guess it is possible that he gave money to the wrong Islamic charity, but I'd be willing to bet that Cat Stevens isn't actively trying to hijack a plane.

Thank goodness we are going after the real enemies.

The Exquisite Rapture

2004-09-22T21:33:00.000-07:00

No comment needed (except the clever way that my indicating I need no comment actually increases the awareness of the non-comment while simultaneously diminishing its effect).

Swaggert "apology"

2004-09-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

Jimmy Swaggert has given an apology of sorts for his comments about "killing them and telling God they were dead" if a gay man every looked at him wrong:

Swaggart said he has jokingly used the expression "killing someone and telling God he died" thousands of times, about all sorts of people. He said the expression is figurative and not meant to harm. "It's a humorous statement that doesn't mean anything. You can't lie to God -- it's ridiculous," Swaggart told The Associated Press. "If it's an insult, I certainly didn't think it was, but if they are offended, then I certainly offer an apology."

The Christian Right: So very Christian, and so very right.

Commercials I can do without (an ongoing list)

2004-09-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

The Gap: Lenny Kravitz and Sarah Jessica Parker. SJP dances around in strange, playful and seductive poses while Lenny Kravitz does strange, playful, rockstar poses singing "Sophisticated Lady." This commercial drives me absolutly batty in that "can't not watch it way."

Sidenote: Has Lenny Kravitz ever made a good song? Has Lenny Kravitz ever really done anything to warrant his rock star status besides simply acting the part of rock star?

Today's Links...

2004-09-22T08:40:00.000-07:00

It has been a few days since I've given you my 'best of today's web' reading material, so here are a few items.

Two links via Bob Sturm:
Reevo on the Rangers. Said it better than I could, but that is why he is a paid sports journalist.

A very funny, interesting article on how Ali G. manages to get his guests.

Here is an interesting picture. How 1954 thought the 2004 home computer would look.

Andrew Sullivan has this article about the bloggers. Read this one.

And a little something for my Republican friends. Saintclinton.com

Finally, please welcome Ty of the weblog Tongue Tyed to my blog and to my sidebar.

Why I stayed up all night....

2004-09-22T01:56:00.000-07:00

I know I'm not original in saying this, less original for saying it in a blog, but click here to see the movie that even if it comes on at 2:30 in the morning and I have to be up for work, I absolutely must stay up and watch.

I have utterly nothing to say.

2004-09-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

For the first time since I've started writing this blog, I've had a two day dry spell where I have nothing to say. I have 3 ideas for posts, but can't seem to really drum up the initial kernal-esque idea that normally begins the writing process for me. Maybe I blew my wad over the weekend, both in blog entries and comments, where I felt I was quite fetching, textually speaking.

Anyway, just an apology to my readers. Hopefully this is a temporary issue due to atmospheric conditions, and will pass soon.

Lachappelle Show...

2004-09-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

I have several things I want to write about, but not the desire to do so today. But here is a website that I spent a lot of time on today. It is the homepage for David LaChappelle, photographer, director extraordinaire. The portraits section is really pretty great.

Followup? Followthrough...

2004-09-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

Who says I don't do what I say I will do? Well, none of you probably do, but you don't really know me that well yet. Anyway, here is a link to both Kerry's speech from this morning. There is also a link to the video of the speech on the page. You should really watch it. I'm afraid that it is too late for him to be hitting his stride, but this speech is the speech I'd hoped he would give all along.

The 2 Minute Drill...

2004-09-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

John Kerry has finally found his tone.

Just now, John Kerry gave his best speech to date. He succinctly, passionately, and clearly laid out the reasons why George Bush's policies in Iraq have failed at every turn. It was scathing. And I'm no expert, but it had Paul Begala written all over it.

I'm in for one of my 12 hour days today, but when I get home, I'll try to find a transcript or a video clip of it. If you have the opportunity to find it though, you owe yourself a read.

Hopefully it isn't too late.

So, I know this is fake...

2004-09-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

but there is just something about this picture... Sorry everyone... (editor's note: I first put the actual picture up, but I realized that some of you may open my page at work, and since my site has been workplace friendly up to now, I'll let it remain so, click on the link if you dare. CONTAINS NUDITY!!!)
Click here

Charlie Rangell

2004-09-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

He had an interesting quote today on Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer:

President Bush needs to go back to actually trying to fight terrorists, and not treating the war on terror like it is this obscure noun. The President has gotten of track. If terror wanted to give up today, we wouldn't know where to go to accept their surrender.

"Let the little children come unto me."

2004-09-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

Via Atrios, it seems Jimmy Swaggert has weighed in, recently, on gay marriage. Here is what he said:

I'm trying to find the correct name for it ... this utter absolute, asinine, idiotic stupidity of men marrying men. ... I've never seen a man in my life I wanted to marry. And I'm gonna be blunt and plain; if one ever looks at me like that, I'm gonna kill him and tell God he died.

The church has come a long way since "Judge not lest you be judged."

Strange thoughts sometimes come true, and magical religious humor.

2004-09-18T21:31:00.000-07:00

There are two posts here.

First of all, sometimes I worry about coyotes. I wrote about this before, that sometimes I hear them, and I worry about what would happen if one attacked me while I was walking my dog.

Well, yesterday it happened.

Ok, almost. I was walking Mayer, and suddenly this coyote came out of nowhere as we were walking finishing up our evening walk. He was kind far away, and even Mayer, who LOVES other dogs, was scared. The coyote started coming up to us, and I tried to hurry Mayer along, but he was kinda frozen. I picked him up and walked away in a hurry. I realize, now, that it wasn't a coyote, but a chow. And in retrospect it was kind of a good natured chow, but at the time it scared the bejesus out of me. No punchline to this story, just thought it was weird that I thought about this once in the abstract, and last night I thought it was happening.

--------

Second post. Some friends at work and I were talking about magic tricks for some reason tonight. Ryan was saying that he knew of some Christians who really thought you were doing the work of the devil if you ever did magic tricks. The reason was, he said, that by doing magic you are imitating godly powers.

I have spent quite a bit of time in the church, and I've never once heard of this. This led us into a conversation about what that would have been like. "And Jesus said unto them, "Is this your card?"

I don't know if this will translate here in the written word, but we all found that hilarious. I swear if I ever become a stand up comedian, there is a whole routine here.

Just in case you are lonely...

2004-09-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

So, I was doing a Google search to see if my blog has popped up anywhere that I didn't know about. Apparently, a post that I wrote about "Hot, smart women that I love" showed up on a page that aggregates pages that deal with "hot women." This led me to a website that fascinates me.

Women Behind Bars is a website devoted to bringing the women who've been incarcerated to the men who just might love them. If anyone out there is feeling a bit down on their luck in the ladies' department, then this just might be the site for you.

Breaking out all over the place....

2004-09-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

Thought this was very funny. From andrewsullivan.com:

Marriage for everyone slowly expands in Canada. Outbreaks of incest, bestiality and widespread increases in divorce do not seem to be occurring.

'Cellular'

2004-09-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

I saw 'Cellular' last night, and I really wish I hadn't. For some reason, this summer action flick has become a critic's darling, but, for the life of me, I cannot figure out why. This is a badly acted, totally contrived, full of convenient happenings crap fest.

Ok, let us suppose that we've decided to make a movie who's plot requires a cellphone connection to never be disconnected. The fate of the movie's main characters depends on it. Now, I'm sure, just given that fact that the majority of you can figure out at least 5 of the complications that might ensue. Low Battery? Check. Loss of signal? Check. High Speed Chase, Construction site shootout and Caller ID saves the day? Check, Check, Check. Ok, those last three aren't really so apparent, but this movie is bad enough that by the time they happen, they've been so foreshadowed that it seems apparent.

The very first scene is, very possibly, the worst acting that Kim Bassinger has ever done, and is written so poorly that you can automatically sense that it is merely an expositional tool from the screenwriting 101 toolbox. "Wait, she just said she's a science teacher. I wonder if that will come into play in the plot?"

The old Hitchcock saying that the gun that randomly appears in the first act will come into play in the third. This is true in 'Cellular' except instead of a gun, it is an entire arsenal of weapons of mass destruction, and the film makers used them to ruin my night.

Today's Links

2004-09-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, so you know where I am coming from, I will listen to the Art Bell show from time to time, but only for entertainment value. I do, however, have some amount of belief in the supernatural in some form or another. When I start to doubt, however, something like this comes along and makes me think about it again. You have to listen... there is something just in the background.

Read this article first about a poor distraught child, then read this article second about a jackass father.

Read this article first about Bush's campaign bounce, then read this article second about the disappearance of said bounce. What am I supposed to believe? I NEED SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN!!!!!

"El Nino esta yorando el lobo."

2004-09-16T23:58:00.000-07:00

I wanna talk, for a minute, about my friend, Lana. Lana is one of my favorite people I've met in the past couple of years. I don't know exactly what it is that is just so agreeable with me, but I have a little story from yesterday that shed some light on it for me.

At work, sometimes, the cooks run through with hot things in their hands. When they are behind you with something hot, they say "Caliente guys!" and no one ever gets burnt. Yesterday, one of our cooks came behind me and said "Caliente guys!" only he wasn't holding anything hot. I know! How disappointing! I told him, "You know, if you say caliente and nothing is caliente, then next time, I won't believe you." Lana said, "The boy who cried wolf!" We then spent the next couple of minutes learning how to say "The boy who cried wolf" in spanish. "El nino esta yorando el lobo."

What I like about Lana is, she, along with me, was genuinely excited to learn it, even writing it down, and we said it over and over again so we wouldn't forget. It was just one of those happy moments, and there is no one in the world who would have had as much fun with that little thing as she and I did. That's Lana, she is one of those people that likes to play and makes the little things fun between the two of you.

By the way, when you say it, you have to say it as though you are repeating after your grammer school teacher. "Eeell niiin-OOOO eeeeesss-TAAA yoooor-AAAAANDOOOO eeel LOO-bo." Try it, it's fun!

(Apologies for any grammatical errors in my spanish).

Yesterday's Links...

2004-09-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

So, over the past couple of weeks, I had bookmarked several links to articles that, at the time, I didn't have a chance to read. They ended up being very interesting, and I watned to share them with you.

The Morning News has a discussion about the best free MP3 blogs on the web.

A couple of articles on the CBS forged documents controversy:
The first article I read
ABC News article about the documents.

Atlantic Monthly article about The Bush Administration's poor record in Afghanistan.

And two of the left's favorites and the right's nightmares:
An excerpt from Al Franken.

An excerpt from Rolling Stone article on Michael Moore.

Ideas for postings...

2004-09-14T22:01:00.000-07:00

So, I have two things that I want to write large posts about. Three, I just thought of a third. (Holly Hunter was AWESOME in 'Broadcast News' by the way, and if you get why I brought that up, then, if you are a female, would you like to go out sometime? If you are a male, then, um, way to go.)... One is the freedom of expression vs. loss of civility conversation as exemplified in the Frankie Francisco situation yesterday. This was briefly touched on in the comments under the post from yesterday about it all. The second item is about John Kerry's campaign, and how I've been beginning to see how badly mismanaged it has been. I hope it isn't true, but I just don't see how he wins now. The third is, of course, a review of the season finale of Six Feet Under, which I have a lot to say about.

But, alas, my job now requires me to actually attend it in the AM hours, so I'm off to bed, if I can pry myself from the marathon paced Ranger's game. So you will have to wait until, well, later. But I wanted to write this so you would all know just how much you have to look forward to.

Frankie Francisco fallout...

2004-09-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

Here is an article from ESPN's Ray Ratto.

Every once in a while you just have one of those Jerry Springer moments, when someone you don't know has called you a fat pig, a fat whore, a fat whatever, and you must respond by throwing upholstery.
Frank Francisco learned he can't throw a chair like he can a fastball.
Hey, it's 21st Century America. We televise people bathing in weevils. We have people fired by rich celebrities wearing a haircut made entirely of sleeping badgers. We wife-swap on TV. What's a chair-toss here and there?
Which brings us to Frank Francisco, the heretofore utterly anonymous Texas Rangers reliever who had had his fill of the heckler(s) in the Oakland Coliseum crowd and did what any fifth-grade educated, gap-toothed trailer-park whack-job on the Springer show would do -- he flung a chair.
And badly, as it turned out. He hit two people, one a woman who got her nose broken for her $12 admission.
Somehow, I sense she will come away from her ballpark experience with more than an autographed ball. She could end up owning the autographers themselves if her lawyer is particularly clever and rapacious.
Oh, we could wait for Francisco's side of the story, once the Oakland cops get done adding to their lunatic miscreant file, but you know what?

He doesn't have one.

The man threw a chair at other people. He is not an employee of Vince McMahon's. This isn't cultural, this isn't hormonal, this isn't anything but platinum-alloyed stupidity. He deserves what he gets, starting with the charge of aggravated battery, and more. Period.

Today's Links

2004-09-14T09:33:00.000-07:00

CBS Fact Checker say's they didn't authenticate Bush documents.

This is great. 100 photographs that changed the world, from LIFE magazine.

George Washington, American Hero or draft dodger?

Batman scales Buckingham Palace. He must have thought it was Wayne Manor.

The spirit of the game...

2004-09-13T23:56:00.000-07:00

If Frankie Francisco pitches another game as a Ranger, I'll be surprised... And he shouldn't be worried about getting suspended, he should be worried about getting arrested.

That was a sickening display. Hopefully it won't leave a black mark on an otherwise great season for the Rangers.

The game....

2004-09-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

For those of you who following local politics, and have not decided to vote for Frost or Sessions, look at this video clip.

First Day...

2004-09-13T07:13:00.000-07:00

So, it is 9:00, I've been up for an hour, and NO ONE has written in their blogs yet.

That is weird.

I'm so used to being able to sleep in and not be awoken by an alarm, which normally means that I awake after the rest of the world has been functioning for hours. Normally there is a whole slate of blogs that have already been written in. Not today, I've been awake for an hour, and I'm getting things done earlier than normal for a good reason.

Today is my first day of management training. Its gonna be longer hours for a little while, but that is ok. I'm happy to be doing it. I'm a little nervous too, but in that good way that you feel when you are starting something new. It is gonna be a long day, but I can tell it is going to be a good day.

So, tonight, around 10 o'clock, I'll be getting home, and then I'll be able to catch up on the rest of the world. I'm sure I'll have comments on my day, and hopefully they'll be something that Bush has done today that I can be righteously indignant about.

To the girl who drove past on my way to work today smiling and waving, then giving me a thumbs up, because of our shared Anti-Bush bumper stickers...

2004-09-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

I love you.

In a state of ennui...

2004-09-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

ennui-(n.): Listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; boredom: “The servants relieved their ennui with gambling and gossip about their masters” (John Barth). (From dictionary.com)

Shocking!

2004-09-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

Click here for full article.

Bush also took issue with Kerry's argument, in an interview at the end of May with The New York Times, that the Bush administration's focus on Iraq had given North Korea the opportunity to expand its nuclear capability significantly. Showing none of the alarm about the North's growing arsenal that he once voiced regularly about Iraq, he opened his palms and shrugged when an interviewer noted that new intelligence reports indicate that the North may now have the fuel to produce six or eight nuclear weapons.
.
He said that, in North Korea's case and in Iran's, he would not be rushed to set deadlines for the countries to disarm, despite his past declaration that he would not "tolerate" nuclear capability in either nation. He declined to define what he meant by "tolerate."
.
"I don't think you give timelines to dictators," Bush said

The World's Shortest Blog...

2004-09-11T21:44:00.000-07:00

This is interesting. It is a blog with one post, and a paypal account attached. The blog is devoted to giving the balance of the account to the one person who asks in a public setting of the President "How many times have you been arrested?"

The bounty is over 1800 dollars at the moment.

Click Here

Six Feet Under 4x12 - "Bomb Shelter"

2004-09-11T21:25:00.000-07:00

(To those, if anyone, who've waited patiently for my review of the most recent SFU, I apologize for the nearly 2 week delay. I thought I had published this one, and I hadn't, only tonight did I realize this).

A family in an SUV drives down the street. Mom's on a cell phone. Dad is using his in dash GPS. Daughter is watching a DVD. Son is playing a portable video game. No one is paying attention, to each other or to the road, and they are hit by a truck, and everyone dies. Behind, they left one son, about 20, to deal with it all on their own.

This week's deaths, to me, quite obviously refer to George. As Ruth tries to find a way to explore their marriage, in this case a "Loving Couple Seminar" on Tantric sex, George, though initially agreeing, immediately finds something to distract him. He is obsessed with a catastrophic event somewhere in the distant future. I get the feeling that, though not obsessed with disaster, Nathaniel was much the same way. He distracted himself with outside flirtations, distancing himself from Ruth. Now, George is very literally taking over the bomb shelter that Nathaniel built.

Claire and Russell are conflicted over who should be included in her new, vibrant artistic creations. Because Russell was in at the beginning stages, he feels that they have done something together, that they are both a part of this work. This is not sitting well with Claire, who has been trying to shut everyone out for a while, through drugs and other distractions. Because of this, the little interlude with Ruth that the two of them share about pot and Tantric sex is quite moving and funny. These little gems are what make this show so great: The moments of connection that the various Fisher family members share in an otherwise disconnected atmosphere.

Brenda and Nate have a conversation about having a kid of their own. It seems like an actual attempt to keep themselves from distancing. Quickly, however, Nate finds a reason to back away. It will be interesting to see how this concludes, if at all.

The Fishers, as always, seem to be at a crossroads, and with one episode left in the season, what is on the other side is limitless.

Things to drive your waiter crazy (an ongoing list)...

2004-09-11T21:12:00.000-07:00

11. (Inspired by my friend, Carly) Don't tell your server "Wow, it sure is cold in here" and then just stare at them. If you have a problem, say so, don't just say something snide and imply your server is purposefully trying to make you miserable.

12. If you wait for 20 minutes without taking a bite, your sever will assume you are done. It is fine if you aren't done, but don't get mad at your server when he assumes you are.

Typesetting, Kerning, Forgeries, and the Blogsphere...

2004-09-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

In an election year full of dubious claims, obfuscated facts, distracting rhetoric and ruthless arguments, one thing has become clear:

Bloggers have become a force to be reckoned with.

(Whoa, I think that is what journalism teachers would call "a lead").

Before I started blogging, and early in the primaries, the success that Howard Dean was having raising money on the internet lead the discussion from major news outlets everywhere. It wasn't until after I'd plunged into the world of blogging myself that I realized how he'd done it. Grass Roots campaigns had taken on a different form. He had been able to directly deliver his message to a group of people who could, then, help spread the word directly to others. Bloggers had become a community of millions, and once the word began to take hold, it spread like wildfire, virtually, and the money began flowing in.

The success of this innovative approach was noticed by all the other candidates, and quickly joelieberman.com and georgewbush.com popped up.

Fast forward to the middle of July. The Democratic Convention invaded Boston, and news sources began reporting that a handful of bloggers were going to be issued press credentials to the convention. By the time the Republican Convention began in NYC, many reporters on major news outlets were referring to the perceptions the bloggers had on the speeches as part of their analysis of the effectiveness of the speeches themselves.

This week, the increasing credibility of the major bloggers may have actually managed to bring very distinct questions to our notions of mainstream journalistic integrity.

The story that CBS's '60 Minutes' was planning on airing containing new information about the legitimacy of claims that President Bush had gone AWOL from his national guard service was hyped for weeks. When it finally aired on Wednesday, it was largely reported as a devastating blow to the Bush Administration claims that President Bush had completed his service and fulfilled all its requirements. The evidence was centered largely on two memos that his commanding officer had written regarding the deficiency in meeting these requirements.

So convincing and damning was this information that even the White House, having said for months that they had released all the President's National Guard service documents, released copies of these very documents with a sheepish mea culpa.

Enter the bloggers, stage left, quietly.

Within 24 hours, the swarming and collective knowledge of the blogsphere has uncovered that there is a distinct possibility that these documents are actually forgeries, made on a computer and then copied them multiple times to give them an aged look. What is remarkable about this discovery is the veracity of these documents were not being questioned by anyone in the mainstream media, or even the White House.

There is an excellent and much more detailed synthesis of how this all went down here, at Tech Central Station. It covers the forensic typographical evidence. Most specifically is a term called "kerning." Here is a description from the Tech Central Station article, as quoted from Powerline:

To explain: the letter 'O' is curved on the outside. A letter such as 'T' has indented space under its cross bar. On a typewriter if one types an 'O' next to a 'T' then both letters remain separated by their physical space. When you type the same letters on a computer next to each other the are automatically 'kerned' or 'grouped' so that their individual spaces actually overlap. e. g., TO. As one can readily see the curvature of the 'O' nestles neatly under the cross bar of the 'T'. Two good kerning examples in the alleged memo are the word 'my' in the second line where 'm' and 'y' are neatly kerned and also the word 'not' in the fourth line where the 'o' and 't' overlap empty space. A typewriter doesn't 'know' what particular letter is next to another and can't make those types of aesthetic adjustments.

This, coupled with a superscripted "th" after the term 147th, something that is automatically done in Microsoft Word and impossible on the available word processing or typewriting devices available at the time, are the most damning pieces of evidence. After these revelations, it has been discovered that the documents released by the White House were, in fact, just copies of the ones that CBS News had given them. So fully had they been duped that they never challenged the documents, and tried to cover their tracks by releasing them to the press as their own copies.

This is a story that never would have found the light of day but did so quite expeditiously because of bloggers. Four years ago, the mechanism by which the documents were debunked was in its infancy, and would certainly not have been given the legitimacy by the general public or the major news media outlets. With this story, the credibility of the blogging community has increased exponentially, and with it, they may have taken down the credibility of CBS News for the foreseeable future.

Jesus vs. Bush: A campaign ad.

2004-09-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

Today's Links

2004-09-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

Mighty Girl had this funny thought today:

When the sidewalk guitar busker gets a sound system, your neighborhood no longer qualifies as gritty.

Via Atrios, Bush uses his secret service to stifle first amendment rights.

Andrew Sullivan believes Osama Bin Laden is dead. Click Here

This isn't a link, but has anyone seen this commercial about the Patriot Act? "Opposing parts of the Patriot Act isn't liberal or conservative, it is just right." Regardless of your stance on TPA, it is good to see a campaign ad being about an issue and not about Vietnam service. The debate over forged documents and medals and Senate testimony from 35 years ago is getting ridiculous, but no one is trying to stop. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: As much of a debacle as the 2000 election was, there were substantive issues being discussed. Social Security, Health Care, these were all subjects that got major play in that election. There has been NO substantial substantive conversation in this election, and we ALL lose because of that.

I heard this story from Ruby yesterday and he framed it as "the feel good story of the day." Dog shoots man.

Things I learnt last night...

2004-09-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

1. Just because a table consists of a pregnant woman and her husband, and he only drinks iced tea and their total tab is half of what your average is doesn't mean that they won't tip you better than any of the rest of your tables.

2. Just because a table consists of four businessmen and they have expensive wine and their tab is double your average doesn't mean that they will be a good table or that they will leave in a reasonable time (by reasonable I mean within an hour and a half AFTER we close).

3. Finns are very competitive, even if the game doesn't count.

4. Gloves with poofy fur around the wrists would be PERFECT for a murderer to wear in a scary movie, because no one would expect the murderer to wear that.

5. A four hour acupuncture session is just excessive.

6. It is impossible to find a Finnish flag ANYWHERE in the metroplex.

7. I, apparently, have a sexy accent that is a mix between Hugh Grant and Heath Ledger.

These are just some of the items I learnt last night. Work was boring and stupid, but afterwards, I got to hang out with Lori and Lana at Lori's boyfriend's hockey game. It was great fun. Next time, hopefully, I won't have to work and I can enjoy dinner at The Melting Pot, which, apparently, is quite a long ordeal.

The post where I talk about my deodorant...

2004-09-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

So, here's the deal. For years I've used Old Spice High Endurance deodorant. Literally, since high school I've used this. Now, part of the appeal was that it advertised itself as a "deodorant that goes on clear." Now, this is only partially true. It goes on clear THE FIRST TIME, but subsequently it goes on as a regular cake deodorant. Not exactly what I wanted, but having used it exclusively for at least 8 years now, I just assumed that "goes on clear" was something deodorants said, but couldn't fully deliver on.

On a whim, I switched to Gillette Series "Power Stripe" Anti-perspirant. It has a nifty blue stripe in the middle (the afore mentioned power stripe, I'm assuming) and it too advertised itself as a deodorant of the "goes on clear" variety. I thought nothing of this, assuming it would lose its clarity after a couple of uses. Now imagine my surprise, pleasant at that, that I find myself half way through the bar and it still goes on clear. I now have no reason not to think that it will maintain said clarity for the remainder of the bar.

And so, I hereby endorse Gillette Series Power Stripe Anti-perspirant. Just look for the silver container and the blue "Power Stripe." Available at fine drug and grocery stores in your neighborhood.

Today's Links

2004-09-09T11:39:00.000-07:00

So, I've been following this story for a while, but apparantly Ken Jennings' fate is sealed. There are spoilers, so read at your own risk.

This is great. How to build a paper airplane that flaps its wings. I have a feeling I'm gonna be doing this all afternoon.

Ok, so this link made my morning. Dubya sings 'Sunday, Bloody Sunday'

Those Cheeseheads love their pot. Marijuana found growing in a planter outside of Green Bay courthouse.

And here is a website for Zach Braff's Garden State.

In other news, the Sundance Channel is running Al Franken's Air America radio show daily... It is just AWFUL... I wish that I liked it, but it is terrible.

I don't do accents...

2004-09-08T20:29:00.000-07:00

I've never been able to. I can sort of start out and do a British accent, but it always slips into Australian. For whatever reason, I've never been about to do them. Well, I've discovered one sentence that I can do. It is in an Irish/British accent.

If you've ever seen the movie 'Bend it Like Beckham' there is one scene where the main character is standing with her soccer coach, talking about their budding relationship and her disapproving parents. He finally says that he doesn't want to keep her, and then he says the magic line:

"And I don't fancy getting busted by your Dad again."

Now, I realize that this story loses something in writing, but I can say this line in a perfect accent. And so I do. Over and over again. People actually request me to say it now. I sound sort of like Ringo Starr.

Anyway, it is the only thing that I can say in any sort of accent, so I felt it important. Meet me. I swear, I'll do it for you.

I know you're excited.

Today's Links

2004-09-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

Cheney says "Vote for Bush or terrorists will kill us all" This is an stunning statement from a long time public official. The Bush campaign's insistence of running a campaign based on fear and scare tactics is reaching a fevered pitch, and it denigrates the level of legitimate debate.

OB-GYN's unable to "practice their love" on female patients... or so says the President. Don't believe me? Here's the video clip.

It's a good thing that we have Alan Keyes to speak for God to us. Lucky for him, God is on his side.

Finally, I love this post by Stefi spice. It is like a description of every high school test I ever took.

9/11 Commission...

2004-09-08T09:40:00.000-07:00

For those who are still insistent on defending the President's actions on 9/11, here are some more for you to swallow and defend blindly, from the 9/11 Commission Report.

"Bush told the commission that he attributed the first crash, which he learned of before he entered the school classroom, to "pilot error," but this seems strange, since it is unlikely that a pilot would accidentally stray into a very tall, prominent building in a highly controlled air space on a clear autumn day."

..."after Bush left the classroom, "the focus was on the President's statement to the nation"his "message"...

"The President didn't convene a meeting of his National Security Council until after all of the planes had crashed. And though the chain of command for military actions runs from the president to the secretary of defense, Bush didn't call Rumsfeld for nearly an hour after the second tower was hit, though more than a half-hour lapsed between the crash into the second tower in New York and the attack on the Pentagon."

Just some stuff for you to chew on...

Tribal Soverignty

2004-09-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

This is an awesome video of Bush trying to answer a question that is clearly beyond his grasp.

Click Here

Conspiracy Theory

2004-09-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

As conspiracy theories go, this is quite a good one

What really happened at the Pentagon on 9/11?

For those who were curious...

2004-09-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

My Labor Day meal turned out quite nicely, actually... I wish I was a better cook, because the Baked chicken with Peaches, though outstanding, was a bit too sweet at times, and if it hadn't been for my cheesy green bean casserole, I'd have gone into insulin shock. I don't know what to add to it though to make it a little more "spiced" and a little less sweet.

But all in all, it was a success, and I have leftovers!

Deaths in Iraq...

2004-09-07T11:05:00.000-07:00

Sometime today, it is probable that the American deaths in Iraq will reach the 1000 mark. Regardless of your stance on the war, it is important to remember them. To often we think of war in regards to the political rhetoric, or we think of it in the abstract. I think it is important to focus on the lives. There were 1000 American lives that existed a little over a year ago, and now they are gone. This is the price of war.

A Special Edition of Today's Links

2004-09-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

Normally, the "Today's Links" feature of my blog is just a way for me to add things daily that are notable news stories... But today, while surfing the blogsphere, I found some very interesting things, so, all of today's links are actually interesting!

Thanks to Pauly D's very funny interview with Patton Oswald, I have a new subtitle to my blog.

Via Jason Mulgrew, here is an interesting article about a couple who are getting married posthumously after the husband murdered the wife and then killed himself. As Jason said, "This is an interesting article. And by interesting I mean 'Holy fucking shit!"

Via The Chutry Experiment, Michael Moore has apparently withdrawn F9/11 from the best documentary category. It has something to do with a rule that a documentary has to be 9 months removed from its theatre release date before it ends up on television, or it is disqualified from the documentary category, but not the best picture category.

I'm becoming quite a fan of Andrew Sullivan. He is definitely a Republican, but he is one of those Republicans that understands that issues of running the nation have complexities. Here is a link to today's blog entry. The whole article is worth reading, but here are some highlights.

Perhaps the most impressive achievement of the Republican convention and the Bush campaign is to present the president as a war-leader in the abstract. The most celebrated images were from the wreckage of 9/11 when Bush spoke the only truly inspired off-the-cuff remarks of his presidency. The actual concrete details of his war-leadership - the fall of Kabul, the blitzkrieg to Baghdad, the aborted siege of Fallujah - were absent. So too the protracted negotiations at the U.N. or any images of Bush with foreign leaders, or the decision to advance the war by days to get Saddam (more bad intelligence) or even the speech that launched the Iraq war. What I think the Republicans have realized is that the war on terror is far more popular and winning an issue for Bush if it is stripped of its actual events, and setbacks and triumphs and difficulties. That's why the convention rhetoric approached propaganda - focusing not on what has happened, but on the virtues of a strong war-leader. The dynamics of both wars - of instant military success, followed by damaging and difficult follow-through - were deliberately obscured. This is good politics; but it strikes me as risky war-management.

and

One other thing has troubled me, after mulling the NYC convention for a few days. It struck me that John Kerry at his convention did something politically shrewd but also historically significant. He took a reluctant Democratic base and emphatically backed the war on terror. Yes, he did not relinquish criticism of the war in Iraq, nor of the way in which the Bush administration had made the case for war. But it was not a left-wing convention, and it signaled a welcome shift among Democrats to a more war-oriented approach. The Republicans essentially responded by throwing back this concession in John Kerry's face. They refused to take "yes, but" for an answer, and dredged up the divisions of the Vietnam War as a means to further polarize the electorate. Again, this might be good politics, but it is surely bad for the country.

And I leave you with a quote from Dave Chappelle's stand up routine on this past Saturday night.

I've stopped smoking weed... (applause)... you didn't let me finish.... with black people. I can't smoke weed with black people anymore, because all black people do when they are high is talk about their trials and tribulations. White people. All white people talk about when they are high is other times they got high.

Online Conversation with Chance...

2004-09-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

My friend of 10 years, Chance, sent me an instant message today. Here is the transcript:
Chance: Well hi there friend.
Dylan: And lo to you, my companion and loyal friend for hence these many years...
Chance signed off at 4:47:15 PM

A Recipe for Success?

2004-09-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

Wow, that just may get the award for cheesiest title on a blog.

So, it's Labor day, and I've got the day off. A very outdoorsy holiday, often associated with Beer, Hot Dogs, and swimming pools. Very masculine, in my opinion. So, I decided to do what all manly men do on Labor Day.

I decided to cook.

Now, I'm a typical bachelor. I eat out about 90% of the time. 8% is when I order food delivered, and the other 2% is at work or when I cook. This is the rarest of occasions where I actually got a recipe and decided to make an actual meal, and not just some mac and cheese or something.

I went to allrecipies.com to find something interesting to make. I decided on the Baked Chicken with Peaches and Cheesy Green Bean Casserole. Now, I'm not a great cook. In fact, it is possible I may even be bad, although I'm sure I'd be better if I did it more. Anyway, this is going to make or break my Labor Day. Cross your fingers.

I also bought some string cheese, because I love string cheese. While she was scanning it, the checkout lady said "I really believe that this is good cheese." This made me smile and feel good about my string cheese choice.

The final thing I will say is this: When I was looking for something to drink, I decided to get some grape juice. I know! When was the last time you had a good glass of grape juice that wasn't fermented? I'm just saying, grape juice deserves more play than it gets.

The Mechanics of Special Requests...

2004-09-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

This is from Susan's Stripper Diary, and it made me laugh.

There was a guy in who had read my diary; apparently I'd mentioned him before because he wanted to worship my feet. I told him I remembered him, that I'd turned him down. I said, "You probably didn't offer me enough," joking with him. His response was, "Oh, I don't pay for that, that's a favor." Yeah, to you! It's a favor to me if I want make your dick hard because I'm going to have sex with you; but here, making your dick hard is my job. That means I get paid for doing it. Anyway, he's a funny, pretty nice guy, but I don't think he understands the mechanics of special requests at strip clubs.

Labor Day Plans

2004-09-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

Having taken several extra days off this week because of illness, and being low on funds, I'm planning on a low key day today. How great is it that there is a West Wing marathon on Bravo all day. Nevermind that it is the last half of season four and then season 5, which is the worst season of the show, it is still better than no West Wing at all.

Rangers at 1:00, West Wing all day. What a great day off.

Labor Day Links

2004-09-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

Have a good day off everyone!

Apparantly, at the Republican Convention, a young Republican kicked a female protester in the head while she was being held down by three FBI agents. The protester was arrested, the young Republican was not.

In the wake of the Russian School tragedy, A Muslim Cleric has declared children as legitimate targets.

Via, a.d.d., I found this interesting.

I really don't know how to get this across effectively to ordinary voters, but it strikes me as the critical point in the debate on terror. Bush has surrounded himself with people who fundamentally believe in the use of military power and flatly don't understand that conventional assaults aren't always the answer in a nonconventional war. To them, anything aside from a smashing military victory is simply a sign of weakness.

Unfortunately, although they're downplaying the idea of future military action during the campaign, there's no real indication that Bush's team has learned Arkin's fifth lesson. They've fought two wars so far, they still believe that both have gone swimmingly, and based on everything they've said and done over the past decade there's every reason to believe they still think military action is our primary tool for defeating Islamist zealotry.

Bill Clinton has some thoughts on the Kerry Campaign.

Will Colin Powell be around for a second term?

Saudi Ties...

2004-09-05T21:36:00.000-07:00

Graham book: Inquiry into 9/11, Saudi ties blocked

Here is an article about the book that Florida Democrat Bob Graham wrote, called 'Intelligence Matters.'

Two of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers had a support network in the United States that included agents of the Saudi government, and the Bush administration and FBI blocked a congressional investigation into that relationship, Sen. Bob Graham wrote in a book to be released Tuesday.

The discovery of the financial backing of the two hijackers ''would draw a direct line between the terrorists and the government of Saudi Arabia, and trigger an attempted coverup by the Bush administration,'' the Florida Democrat wrote.

And in Graham's book, Intelligence Matters, obtained by The Herald Saturday, he makes clear that some details of that financial support from Saudi Arabia were in the 27 pages of the congressional inquiry's final report that were blocked from release by the administration, despite the pleas of leaders of both parties on the House and Senate intelligence committees.

Seven Seals...

2004-09-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

So, I don't really believe in God anymore, although I used to be very religious, but when we have days like the last few days, I can't help but think that the world is coming apart at it's seams and that the end days must be, in fact, upon us.

Of course, I remember thinking the same thing on Dec. 13, 2000.

Hurricanes, Russian schools getting blown up. LAX was shut down yesterday. And then I find out that there were two earthquakes today (but I'm not sure where because I was half asleep and the TV just happened to be on CNN).

Oh and lets not forget that the Red Sox are playing like they can't be beaten and Bill Clinton is in the hospital.

This Russian school story is so sad, and I don't have anything intelligent to add that no one else has said. The images coming out of the aftermath have made my heart hurt. The very idea of having to walk through a schoolyard filled with body bags and lifting every sheet just to see if your child is under one of them is just about the saddest thing I've ever seen. I've heard some Russians say that this is their 9/11, and I don't doubt it at all. Here is a quote from yesterday's Dallas Morning News:

A Day earlier, hostage-takers had forced the 27-year-old mother of two to leave the sobbing 6-year-old behind at Middle School No. 1. Only if she abandoned Alana, they told her, could Ms. Dzandarova carry her 2-year-old son with her to freedom.

Ok, I take it back, THAT is the saddest thing I've ever heard.

Like I said, I'm not religious anymore, but I've thought a lot about The Gospel of Mark in the past few days:

5 And Jesus began to say to them, "Take heed that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places, there will be famines; this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs.
Mark 13:5-8

I did just watch "The Passion of the Christ" again though, so take all this for what it is worth. I promise, I'll be less inclined to think about doomsday revelations in scripture and I'll be funny again tomorrow.

The Daily Show GWB Movie...

2004-09-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

I saw this on the daily show the other day, and was hoping to find a link. Well here it is. It is very funny.

Click Here

"I said good day sir!"

2004-09-03T23:12:00.000-07:00

Earlier, I had the transcript of the Chris Matthews/Zell Miller fight. Here is a clip of the fight.

Prescription Drug Benefits...

2004-09-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

Bill Maher had a funny line tonight about Zell Miller:

Now, of course, the firebrand of this convention was Zell Miller. Did he see him? The Democratic Senator who laid out the arguments against John Kerry and for medicating seniors at any cost.

Today's Links

2004-09-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

Jamie Newberg over at The Newberg Report had this to say about a Rangers season that seems to have finally slipped away:

The fact that our September discussion focused
strictly on major league baseball, and not the level of promise on the
Ranger farm, answers the question. There's four weeks left in the season
and still a nervousness watching every at-bat, and it's been too long since
that's been the case in Texas. The players won't admit it now and I
wouldn't expect them to, but the fans can: 2004 has been an undeniable
success.

A preview of Microsoft's new online music store. A little late to the party, but welcome aboard, Bill.

SETI has an interesting find. Jodi Foster isn't trying to fight off Tom Skerritt yet for who gets to go, but it is interesting.

Transcript of Zell Miller/Chris Matthews. Zell Miller did, in fact, challange Chris Matthews to a duel. Unbelievable.

"You wanna be in the show?"

2004-09-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

We here at SRWU want to send out a congratulations to Lori over at a.d.d. for the fruition of a long and ultimately successful job search.

Did anyone see this Wednesday night?

2004-09-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

Because I missed it... apparantly, Zell Miller was on Hardball with Chris Matthews after his speech, and Chris Matthews asked him something to the effect of "Do you really honestly believe that Kerry wants to defend the country with spitballs?" To which Miller replied in an indignant tirade about how he was insulted. I wish I had a transcript, but, it eventually it ended with Miller, a fire in his eyes, actually challenged Chris Matthews to a duel.

Now there is the very model of credibility of message.

John McCain just said on the Daily Show about Miller, "I think John Kerry must have shot his dog or something."

I love John McCain more and more every day.

"Your Love Gives Me Such a Thrill..."

2004-09-02T22:21:00.000-07:00

Dave Chapelle on Conan O'Brian tonight:

You know, its funny. I was really into Kerry. Then when I got all this money, Bush is looking a little better now that I got this money bitch! I'm torn. I mean, I'm black and I'm rich now... and I'm like "Which one of these white people is gonna take care of me?"

RNC-Day 4, A Policy Speech

2004-09-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

I have many issues with this speech, from a point by point issue, and I will go through some of them later on in this post, but from a performance standpoint, this speech was a home run. What really surprised me was how much of a policy driven speech this was. No one can give him any grief that he didn't say anything substantive, because he certainly did. Judy Woodruff just said that this was less of a convention speech, and more of a State of the Union type speech, and I couldn't agree more. One could make the argument that the time for that speech would have been at the ACTUAL State of the Union, but, for whatever reason, it was effective.

It is pretty impressive that he was able to maintain his composure when two protesters tried to interrupt, and the crowd got distracted. He muddled through and managed to get the crowd back. For a guy who's strengths do not include public speaking, this was an excellent performance.

Before I begin to dissect the speech just a bit, it was a finale to a convention that was very united in message and, save for Zell Miller's atrocity, a convention that could make the Republicans proud. This was a much better convention than the Democratic one, which featured some great moments and some iconic speeches from iconic figures, but, in retrospect, no singularity of purpose.

The President outlined no less than 15 domestic programs. 10 of them will cost money, however, and I would be curious to find out how he plans to pay for them when he wants to make the tax cuts that have, when coupled with the war, created the biggest deficits in the history of the country.

I'm very surprised he went to the "compassionate conservative" line. There are very many people, both here and abroad, that find his actions over the past 4 years as less than compassionate, and his spending policies have been less than conservative. He said that he wants a government that helps people in their lives, and doesn't try to run their lives. The Patriot Act, just to name one item, is a good example of how the Bush government is happier when they CAN keep track of the American people and invade their privacy.

I would like to stop down at this point to speak to an issue that I, personally, have an increasing concern about. Many Presidents have spoken about spreading freedom around the world. I fear that, under this President, we have abandoned the concept of spreading freedom around the world, and we've now attempted to spread "Freedom" around the world. A crusade doesn't require a religion with a deity at its head to be a crusade. Democracy and Freedom have become this President's issue worth crusading for, and I fear that it is setting us on a damaging path, internationally, that will take a long time to repair. We can help oppressed countries, but we can't force our beliefs on them.

Which leads to my next point. The President said that the issue of Iraq was a difficult one in which he had to exercise "careful diplomacy." I had to try to stifle a laugh on this point, because his diplomacy was anything but. We talk about the buildup to the war in Iraq, and often people mention the 17 words, or Weapons of Mass Destruction, but we, as a nation, seem to have forgotten one crucial moment. The President told Sadaam Hussein that he had until a certain date to let weapons inspectors back into his country. He began to build up troops to add weight to his threat. And what did Sadaam do? He let the inspectors in! The diplomacy worked. For the first time in 10 years, the country of Iraq had an international presence within its borders.

Now, facing the prospect of his successful diplomatic maneuver, did the President then trumpet his victory, and use the new found access into Iraq to begin the process of dismantling the supposed capability of weapon's programs? No. The President and his administration began a 4 month long process of discrediting the U.N. Inspectors, namely Hans Blix, as people with ulterior agendas and a history of inadequate performance.

All that this proves to me is that the President was dead set on going into Iraq, and his plans were temporarily thwarted by an unexpected diplomatic success. This is not careful diplomacy, but, to me, a blatant disregard of the recognition diplomacy when it is successful.

If I were the Democrats, tonight, I would be hammering the fact that the President, after four years, suddenly has ideas, and point out all the promises he made in 2000 that were never kept. However, I fear that this will all come down to the debates, and John Kerry can't get a tie, he HAS to have a win, because, from a performance in major settings perspective, he is behind.

I have so many more issues that I want to speak about, and probably will, but, as my dad is fond of quoting, Jeff Goldblum in 'The Big Chill' said "Never write anything longer than the average person can take a crap." With WiFi technology, this becomes a very realistic problem to the blogger. So I'll leave you with this:

For the love of God, Mr. President, it has been 4 years, Please, Please, PLEASE learn to say nuclear.

More Thoughts on Garden State

2004-09-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

Mezzanine Mark had a very well written essay on 'Garden State' that I wanted to leave with you. Click here.

RNC-Day 3, The Mistake

2004-09-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

The Democrats made a concerted effort in their convention to make sure that Bush-bashing stayed under control. They wanted to make sure that the message from their convention was what they wanted to do and what they were qualified to do, and not how bad a guy Bush was.

Up until last night, I thought that was a mistake. The first two days of the RNC have been red meat. They have been attacking Kerry in every speech. Through anger, through humor, and through criticism, they have been attacking him, and I was worried, because, watching it, I thought it was terribly effective.

Until last night.

Zell Miller may have fired up the conservative base last night, but he fired up the Democrats more. His speech was angry, it was spirited, and it was false. He said things implying that we should not criticize a sitting President because it hampers the war effort, never mind if it is the war effort that most are criticizing. He said that no one should call the American troops in Iraq an occupation lest you be called unpatriotic, even though the President has called it an occupation that we need to end.

Zell Miller was to the Republican Convention what Al Sharpton was to the Democratic Convention, except that Zell Miller is going to be viewed as a traitor, and for him to make the flip-flop argument is the peak of absurdity.

But he did the Republicans some damage too, because he is the story today, and not Dick Cheney. This was Cheney's night, and he was undermined (undermound?). In fairness to Dick Cheney, his speech was not that good. He picked up some steam in the middle section when he was criticizing Kerry, but other than that it was a purposeless, meaningless speech. Dick Cheney is much better in the intimate settings of Sunday shows and town halls, where his quiet and somber tone comes off as forthright and honest, and not boring and dull.

This was not a good day for the Republicans, because they got the Democrats fired up again, just when many were starting to care abandon hope that their candidate could get elected. They now have some new red meat of their own to chew on.

... and my shizzle's gone fuhzizzle...

2004-09-01T23:43:00.000-07:00

I give you asksnoop.com in which you give him the URL to your website, and he "izzle's that shit." Here is what my most recent post ended up as

This wuz from tonight's episode covering Day 2 of da RNC:

Arnold Schwarzenegger: And those critics who are so pessimistic 'bout izzle economy, I be like "Don't be Economic Girly Fools!"

Jon Stewart: Yes, fo' da 1.3 million Americans who has sunk into poverty this year, Arnold's message yo' ass is simply "Sahk that shiznit uhp fahgat!"

Genius.

Daily Show Moment

2004-09-01T22:35:00.000-07:00

This was from tonight's episode covering Day 2 of the RNC:

Arnold Schwarzenegger: And to those critics who are so pessimistic about our economy, I say "Don't be Economic Girly Men!"

Jon Stewart: Yes, for the 1.3 million Americans who have sunk into poverty this year, Arnold's message to you is simply "Sahk it uhp fahgat!"

Ok, I give up...

2004-09-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

I'm just going to have to reconcile myself with the fact that I am both a hard-nose, sarcastic and edgy writer and a guy who puts pictures of my adorable nieces and nephews (and other assorted family member's kids) on my blog. This problem stems from the fact that my nieces and nephews (and other assorted family member's kids) are the cutest kids ever. Period. Lori, I saw your pictures, and they are cute, but my pictures are the cutest. Sorry. The first is a picture of my nephew, Ian, wearing his Buzz Lightyear outfit and playing his drumset (that I got for him for Christmas, mostly to annoy his mom, though). The second is my cousin, Stacy's, son Jake.

I will say this, though...

2004-09-01T19:16:00.000-07:00

When you are making the argument that John Kerry is a flip-flopper, it is probably best that the mouthpiece for that argument not be the guy who has just SWITCHED PARTIES!!!!!

To those at either Philly Express in Grapevine Mills Mall or China Pavilion in Irving...

2004-09-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks for whatever you put in my food that made my stomach systematically reject the food, and then, just for the hell of it, repeat the act of rejection about once every 2 hours for the next day.

Due to that, I find the probability I will write about tonight's RNC convention tonight to be highly unlikely. Here's hoping tomorrow will be a better day, gastrointestinally speaking.

Today's Links

2004-09-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

Michael Moore is credentialed and covering the RNC for USA Today. Here is his first article.

Someone spent way to much time on this pointless subject, and I must therefore show my support for anyone who spends so much time on things that don't matter in the grand scheme of things. Here is an article describing the economic value of Mr. Howell's paper money on 'Gilligan's Island'.

A Catholic school is protesting these candy wrappers, as they seem to display some objectionable material. You decide.

And finally, I thought this was a hilarious comment today by Jason Mulgrew, and while I won't repeat it on here (my parents may be reading!!!) I will link to it... Just scroll down to the part where he talks about Jenna Bush. I wasn't drinking anything when I read this, but if I had been, I'd have spit it out on my computer screen from laughing so hard.

The one that ended it all...

2004-08-31T20:48:00.000-07:00

Hopefully I'll be proven wrong, but I'll bet that Torii Hunter's homerun in the bottom of the 11th to beat the Rangers is the one that ended the post season chance for the Rangers.

RNC-Day 2, Puff Piece

2004-08-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

I remember when the O.J. trial was going on. I was about 13 or 14 years old during the process. I was hooked on the stuff. This was the gift that kept on giving, in my mind. I watched this stuff, and read about it. When it was all said and done, I read all the books on it. I totally bought in.

The prosecution gave it's case first. It took, I wanna say, about 3 months for them to call all their witnesses and to introduce all their evidence. When it was all said and done, and Marcia Clark said that the prosecution rested, I was absolutely convinced that O.J. Simpson was the guiltiest son of a bitch who ever walked the face of the earth.

The defense had their turn, and they took at least as long as prosecution did. They through out possibility after possibility. They jumped around, made faces, and distracted everyone. When they were done I was convinced that O.J. had been framed by a racist LAPD who saw a black man who'd prospered and set out to get him.

For months on both sides, I was inundated with one perspective, and they convinced me that they were right simply because they were the only ones talking.

Maybe because the news is all Republican all the time this week is why I'm feeling this way, but I don't like the way the wind is blowing. The Republicans today put up largely a puff piece. There was very little said by any prime time speaker today that couldn't have been said by a Democrat with equal results. Well, except for one Arnold line, but that is all. Already, however, they seem to be more on point, more on message, and more effective at what they are saying. The Democratic convention had a tough time riding the Vietnam service and then making it appear that Kerry is an effective leader today. They had a hard time reconciling the fact that we are a United America, as in barrack Obama's speech, and Two Americas, as in the John Edwards speech.

The Republicans have no such trouble as of yet. They've been cheerleaders and preachers for their message, but they've been on point too. They've had some red meat in their speeches and they've attacked John Kerry quite a bit, but not so much as to appear that is all they had. Whereas the Democrats made a point of not Bush-bashing, the Republicans are staying on the message that they've had the whole campaign, and that message includes bashing Kerry.

They are amazingly effective.

I don't know if I'll feel differently in two weeks, when the news is about both candidates again, and not just one, but for now I sense things are tipping in Bush's favor.

Here's hoping the Democrats have a bloody glove or a racist policeman up their sleeve.

--------

The Bush twins were just awful. The person that wrote their material, heard them deliver it, and then said "yeah, they are good to go for a national audience" has to be out of a job right now. Advantage Kerry sisters.

I said it during the DNC, and I'll say it now: Both Larry King and Bob Dole have stayed the spotlight way past their prime. Bob Dole is the crotchety-est of all crotchety old men, and Larry King, I swear the next time he asks an actual, substantive question will be the first time in a long time.

Deification

2004-08-31T17:03:00.000-07:00

I think this is an insight into the mindset of the conservative right. Elizabeth Dole, in her speech, said this:

The presidency tests all who have been there. It has tested you, sir. Your road has not been easy, your burden has not been light. Yet you have displayed the peace that surpasses all understanding. We salute you.

Now, in ancient Hebrew, "Peace that Surpasses all Understanding" was the translation for one of the names of Yahweh. George Bush is to thought of as some sort of divinely appointed supreme.

Anyone got a check or balance for that?

Heroic Myths...

2004-08-31T10:03:00.000-07:00

I saw the movie 'Hero' last night. It is a stunning film, as beautiful as any you will see. There is a highly controlled visual style to the movie, and it makes the movie watchable. If I had one complaint about the cinematographic aspect of this movie, it is that sometimes it seems a bit too controlled. Like someone is saying "Look what I can do, ma!"

The story seemed a bit wooden to me, although that may be because I'm not as fluent in some Chinese archetypes, and therefore the story was a bit too stoic for me: As if Spock was telling the story of the founding of his civilization. It tells the story of Nameless, played by Jet Li, who is brought before the emperor, heralded for his exploits in dispatching of the three most dangerous assassins who daily threaten the emperor's life. The King is eager to hear how this unknown warrior could possibly have done what all his palace guards have never been able to do.

This is where the story begins, as Nameless recounts for the King his exploits. As the conversation goes on, different points of view of the same story are told, with ever altering details. It becomes apparent that, in the telling, this is how legends are born. The stories change slightly, and the characters take on inhuman proportions. This story becomes the tale of the beginning of the China, but it is a mythological, legendary version of the story.

I loved the use of color in the different stories, each color themed to give the viewer subtle insight into the veracity of each particular story. When the enemy is dressed in red, for instance, it is easy to view them as bloodthirsty and brutal, but when they are in blue, their demeanor changes.

These stunning visuals make for a work of art that drifts in front of your eyes. It doesn't have the effortlessness of 'Crouching Tiger,' or the well-drawn characters of 'Rashomon,' but it is a good companion to the two.

Today's Links

2004-08-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

Wasn't even sure if I was going to do links today, but then I saw this story. A man's buddy gets decapitated in car accident. The man then proceeds to drive home, never noticing that his friend has no head.

We're not in Lake Wobegon anymore. Garrison Keilor weighs in on today's GOP.

Here in 2004, George W. Bush is running for reelection on a platform of tragedythe single greatest failure of national defense in our history, the attacks of 9/11 in which 19 men with box cutters put this nation into a tailspin, a failure the details of which the White House fought to keep secret even as it ran the country into hock up to the hubcaps, thanks to generous tax cuts for the well-fixed, hoping to lead us into a box canyon of debt that will render government impotent, even as we engage in a war against a small country that was undertaken for the presidents personal satisfaction but sold to the American public on the basis of brazen misinformation, a war whose purpose is to distract us from an enormous transfer of wealth taking place in this country, flowing upward, and the deception is working beautifully.

When Nerds protest the RNC This is something I wouldn't have gotten before I started blogging.

The greatest tool in screening calls since the answering machine may be a bit less effective soon.

And finally, of all the bloggers covering the conventions, this is the best idea ever. Stripper covers the GOP convention after-parties.

RNC-Day 1, Antiwar vs. Antiterror

2004-08-30T22:26:00.000-07:00

The first day of the convention is kicking off, and watching it today, something seemed to be clarified for me a bit. This campaign over the past few months has been largely about Vietnam: Where you were during it, What you did in it, and what you were afterwards. As John McCain gave a solid, quiet speech about the War on Terror, it became a bit clearer for me why Republicans have been so much better at appearing strong on terror, rightly or wrongly.

The Vietnam connection is the largest part of it. Because I personally look back at Vietnam as a failed war, and an example of the worst kind of American military might being used to promote our own self-interest, it has been hard for me to understand why people don't view it the same way. But many, many do, I suppose, and for them, the people that came back and protested were the worst sort of people for forsaking their brothers in arms still dying in the war.

John Kerry was one of these people. Let us leave aside the issues of what happened in the war and what George W. Bush was doing at the same time. The part of this that keeps Vietnam in the forefront of this election is that John Kerry came back an Antiwar protester and George W. never did.

What the Republicans have been so skillfully accomplishing is equating John Kerry's antiwar rhetoric in the 60's and 70's and turning it into the issue of "John Kerry wants to stand idly by and let terrorists run rampant."

And the Democrats have been unable to combat it. They've been unable to really get the message out that they want to go after terrorists as much as the Republicans, we just wanted it done a different way than the route this president has taken.

This is the central issue in the minds of the American voters. Not supposed flip-flopping, not failed and misleading intelligence. It isn't war medals and it isn't 7 minutes in a Florida classroom. It is about who the people perceiving that one candidate is strong on terror, and one is not.

I thought it was an interesting argument that Rudy Giuliani made that there are times when it is more important to stress Republican ideals than Democratic ideals. It is a simple statement, but with interesting implications. It is almost as if he is saying that if you want to be cared for, trust a Democrat, but if you want someone to kick ass, that is a Republican, and now is a time for kicking ass. I have huge problems with that, but it is an interesting argument.

Giuliani's speech was rousing, and he is a good model to stand up in front of a national audience, because we all saw him act with such great calmness and decisive action. That is something that can never be taken away with him, and he was able to feed off of that and channel it into his speech. This was as inspiring a speech to his audience as Barack Obama's was to mine.

And I will say this, there was some red meat in Giuliani's speech, and that can't really be said for the Democratic convention.

It is clear that the war drum will be the central message of this convention, if Day 1 is any indication. John McCain is the perfect person to be leading this effort off, and he was effective to that end, and Dems are going to have to find a way to show, in the remaining 60 days, that they are just as fevered in their desire to stop terror as Republicans.

And they need to do it quickly.

----------
A few side notes. I'm not sure that giving Michael Moore any inch of the spotlight in your own convention is sound political strategy. The movie is starting to fade away a bit, and all McCain did is to give him another day of his name in the news and his face on talk shows. That one line (or the same line twice, as McCain joked that it got such a good response from the Conservative crowd that he wanted to use it again) shows me just how worried the Republicans really are about Fahrenheit 9/11.

It is strange to me the method that the convention is taking of bringing in popular Republicans (i.e. George H.W., Dick Cheney), announcing them to the audience, and then just having them sit in their box seats. I suppose it is an attempt to show the pedigree of the President. I actually read today that a British historian has been able to trace the amount of royalty in the lineage of each candidate, and that John Kerry has more. This is uninteresting except that every single one of the previous presidents this country has had, have more royalty in their bloodline than the person they were running against. I'm don't think that is the reason they seem to have H.W. sitting by watching the proceedings like an elder statesman, but it is interesting.

Next time you want to have someone sing Amazing Grace on a national stage, you might wanna have the guy be able to hold his key during the song. That third stanza was a freak show. The former music major in me cringed while simultaneously imagining I was in recital lab and I could feel vastly superior to the person on stage.

Hey, listen. I was wondering... do you think that you could mention just once about the time when George Bush stood up at Ground Zero and said "I can hear you, and soon the people who did this will hear us"? Because I really like that story, and I just wish that someone would mention it once. Seriously. Think that is the image that they want voters to have when standing at the polls at all and not 7 minutes in Florida?

I do not for ONE SECOND believe that in the middle of the 9/11 attacks, as Rudy Giuliani is trying to find safety, he turned to his police commissioner and said "Thank God, George Bush is our President," and if you do, then I absolutely want you to vote for Bush, if only so I can make sure that I am distanced that much further from you.