« December 2007 | Main | February 2008 »
The First Annual Golden Duke awards, named in honor or iconic political crook Randy "Duke" Cunningham and awarded to the biggest political crooks, scoundrels and bamboozlers in six separate categories.
clap, clap, clap.
Also check out their List of Scandalized Administration Officials. Note: settle in for awhile. It's not a short list.
and so they face the final curtain.
Finally, upon us... the Iowa Caucuses. Thank the Lord because there are far too many lunatic candidates still taking up valuable news cycles. Huckabee digging on Romney. Romney and McCain digging on each other. Hillary and Obama: round 5,235. Poor John Edwards gets squished out of the headlines. So he stays up for 36 hours in a row to campaign? What does that prove? Guilianni takes a call from his wife during a speech. Does Joe Biden think that anyone believes that is his real hair? Ron Paul says the civil war was unnecessary. Did Huckabee really say people should hijack their church bus, if necessary, to get to the caucus (what is it about him that makes me think he never really thought he'd get this far and now he just wants the farce to end. Wasn't this a Robin Williams movie?) Can someone just put Fred Thompson out of his misery? The sad thing is, there are extremely serious issues facing the country and to me this process is farcical. This has got to stop! Somebody has to voted off the island and now, finally, some of them will go, if not tomorrow, then by Tues. ABC and Fox have decided to narrow the field already, only inviting candidates who poll above 5% or finish in the top 4 in Iowa, to Saturday night at the fights the Presidential Debates (Democratic and Republican: back to back on 1 night! Get the Tivo cranking - it's better than Melrose Place). Perhaps after all this buffoonery, after the dust settles a bit next Weds., we'll get down to serious business. But I'm not optimistic.
There is one thing that is exciting in all this: I heard on the radio that they expect approximately 2/3 of caucus goers to be new to the process. Now that warms my heart.
Obama and Huckabee Triumph in Iowa
How much do I love that Romney didn't win? SO much. I can't stand that faker. My co-worker said yesterday: I feel like if he thought people liked pirates, he'd become a pirate to be elected.
And if the Republicans actually nominate Huckabee.. oh, what a gift - because, of the front runners, he is the biggest buffoon.
Too exciting.
Obama and Huckabee Triumph in Iowa
How much do I love that Romney didn't win? SO much. I can't stand that faker. My co-worker said yesterday: I feel like if he thought people liked pirates, he'd become a pirate to be elected.
And if the Republicans actually nominate Huckabee.. oh, what a gift - because, of the front runners, he is the biggest buffoon.
Interesting that young people were strongly for Obama. The kids wants change. I say almost anyone is better than what we've got, but maybe I'm just getting older and cynical.
Too exciting.
| Romney | GWB | |
| Age | 60 | 61 |
| Father | President of the US | Presidential Candidate 1968, Governor-MI |
| Political Experience | Governor-Texas | Governor-MA |
| Business Experience | Oil Industry (greedy bastards) | Private Equity (greedy bastards) |
| Military Experience | "Texas Air National Guard" | None |
| Sports Experience | Owner - Texas Rangers | 2002 Olympics |
| Graduate Education | MBA-Harvard | MBA-Harvard |
| Undergraduate Education | Yale | BYU |
| Religion | United Methodist | Mormon |
| Drinking Experience | Doesn't drink (Reformed alcoholic) | Doesn't drink (Mormons don't drink) |
It's going to be a barnburner:
2 Boston Killers: Roga Clemens and Whitey henchman, John Martorano and Musharraf will be blaming Benazir Bhutto for her own death.
I can't wait.
And I'm also eagerly anticipating Clemens' testimony before Congress, should he decide to appear. Unless he really, really never did anything, he's fucked. If he appears, he's under oath. If he doesn't appear, he looks he's hiding something. Tee hee heee.. I'm sick, sick girl because I enjoy this so much.
a little bit with John Edwards (starts at 6:46).
He was the only candidate with any energy or fire (except for Hillary's outburst below) at the debates (of course that really isn't their fault. This schedule would wear down Superman) and what a country we could be with the special interest lobbyists.
And he really fired Hillary up. I'm not sure displaying anger at being attacked reflects well on her.
She has also perfected a piercing, I would laser you with my eyes if I could, glare. As it became increasingly clear that Edwards' strategy was to imply both he and Obama were for change while she represents the status quo.
On the Republican side, it seemed almost all the other candidates took shots at Romney and I just laughed and laughed.
ROMNEY: "Don't mischaracterize my position."
HUCKABEE: "Which one?"
you can actually hear someone laugh
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MCCAIN: "We disagree on a lot of issues, but I agree you are the candidate of change."
McCain then laughs
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MCCAIN: (on his immigration policy) “It’s not amnesty, And for you to describe it as you do in the attack ads, my friend, you can spend your whole fortune on these attack ads, but it will won’t be true.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROMNEY: No, no. I like mandates. Do the mandates work? Mandates...
THOMPSON: I beg your pardon.
ROMNEY: Let me...
THOMPSON: I didn't know you were going to admit that.
ROMNEY: Oh, absolutely
THOMPSON: You like mandates.
ROMNEY: Let me tell you the kind of mandates I like, Fred..
THOMPSON: You like the ones you come up with.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Roger Clemens on 60 Minutes last night.
Not sure why he's talking up his taking Vioxx, but...
One thing I noticed in the interview was that I never heard him say he didn't used steroids. I heard him say Brian McNamee didn't inject him with steroids. And all Mike Wallace's questions were based on the injections, not the use. Perhaps a semantic point, but it made me go: hmmm...
Interviewed on ABC's "Good Morning America," Clinton pointed out that Obama has portrayed himself as being outside the influence of special interests yet picked a New Hampshire lobbyist to co-chair his campaign in the state. She also accused him of changing positions on issues, even though he criticizes other candidates for the same thing."All of a sudden you start to ask yourself, Wait a minute. I mean, what is the substance here?" she said. "What, as famously was said years ago, where's the beef? You know, where is the reality?"
Hilary is proving she is the candidate of change by quoting the "where's the beef?" ad? When were those out, like 1983??
The Daily Show and Colbert Report Return Tonight!
Yeah I know, sans writers (media companies: pay the writers already!), but I NEED political satire. I NEED IT.
See... there are these veggie burgers that I love ( and I do mean love). So, I purchase them ALL the time, thus I KNOW how much they cost: $3.29 at the local Stop & Shop. A couple of months ago, they shot up to $3.99, which I noticed. Now, you may think: 70 cents, big whoop. Actually, that is what I thought. All food seems more expensive to me these days (milk, anyone? It's more expensive than gas).
A few weeks ago, a sign appeared at Stop & Shop that said this:
New lower prices!
Was: $3.99
Now: $3.69
It's a deal! Stop & Shop cares about me! They want me to have the food I like for less money.
I should buy more and more and more.
Except they don't think I noticed that a few weeks prior to this sign appearing, this product was $3.29. I've noticed these little signs all over Stop & Shop and I have to tell you: I think all of these products were raised, just to be "lowered".
For shame...
Republicans: McCain wins NH The Mac is back, indeed (and his speech was not that bad). Mitt is 0-2 and I couldn't be more pleased.
Democrats: Clinton and Obama, too close to call. Considering the Obamamania of the last 5 days, isn't being this close really a win for Hillary?
** Update ** Hillary wins and it looks like the ladies put her over the top.
p.s. can you tell one of my new years resolutions is to blog again rather than just think: I should blog this, and then not bother.
Recently, I listened to an interview with a person who worked in publishing on how she manages the 'slush pile' (aka unsolicited manuscripts). She said she often gets query letters which include a line like:
I've written a fictional novel.
She said she immediately discounts these people and their manuscript.
I was thinking about this today when I received an email from a co-worker asking me to run a meeting for him with this excuse:
I'm having an emergency root canal on my teeth.
Sigh.
I just googled that phrase and there are a ton of results, so this post may have no originality.
I feel you can gain a sense of a person from their past behavior. Let's look at Roger's past behavior for some clues as to whether he is or is not A BIG FAT LIAR:
Roger on 60 Minutes: I've trained hard my entire career.
Reality: not in 1993-1996: he could have been a candidate on the Biggest Loser during those years.
Roger in 1996: I want to pitch some where closer to home (home = Houston)
In 1996 Roger signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. For those of you without maps (I hear it's a growing epidemic, such as): Toronto is pretty friggin' far from Houston
Roger in 1996: I want to pitch where I can win a championship
Roger went to the Blue Jays, a mediocre team at best at the time. The Blue Jays had offered him more money than the Yankees, a team that went on to win 4 out of the next 5 World Series (and yes, it pains me to type that sentence).
Roger in 2003: I'm retiring
In 2004: Roger pitched for Houston
Roger in 2004: I'm retiring
In 2005: Roger pitched for Houston
Roger in 2005: I'm retiring
in 2006: Roger pitched for Houston (half a season)
Roger on pitching in Houston: I want to pitch close to home
In 2007: Roger spent the spring negotiating with the Yankees, Red Sox to pony up crazy money for half a season, selling himself to the highest bidder Yankees (and then there was the ridiculous stunt in from the owners box. Spare me, please)
Roger on 60 Minutes last Sunday:
WALLACE You’re retiring? Period.
CLEMENS Probably.
WALLACE Not for sure, but—
CLEMENS I would say, yeah. If I sit here and tell you right now, I would say yes.
WALLACE You’re not going to pitch again?
CLEMENS You’ll never see me pitch again.
TRACK: BUT HE HAS RETIRED THREE TIMES BEFORE AND HE TOLD US HE COULD UN-RETIRE AGAIN.
And maybe most egregious of all:
Roger at his press conference Monday: I don’t give a rat’s a@# about the Hall of Fame
OH please. That is the entire reason you are so lawyered up and taping phone conversations.
So do I believe Roger: every time I've ever believe Roger, he's broken my heart. So, as Drew Barrymore said in Fever Pitch: I just got so hurt. Really hurt. And sometimes.. when that happens- something inside just shuts off. So no, I don't believe Roger.
I am one of those reusable bag proponents (those plastic bag are bad for many, many reasons: read up on it), but I refuse to use the hideous green bags available for purchase at Stop & Shop or worse, Shaw's, where the bags have the Simpsons on them (Recycle, d'oh! I did not make that up). I have slightly more fashionable bags bought reusablebags.com.
Yesterday, I'm checking out at Stop & Shop. I hand over my reusable bags to bagger boy who proceeds to pack half of one bag, then just walks away. Another bagger inexplicably arrives and ignores my reusable bags, fills a plastic bag up, then also walks away. I roll my eyes and start taking the items out of the plastic bag to put into my bag. The second I finish this task, the cashier grabs the plastic bag and throws it in the trash. I stare at him. You know you're defeating my whole purpose here. Hello. He replies: it's used, we can't reuse it.
Seriously, I'm going to have to stop shopping there.
I was at the Porter Sq. T station a few days ago when I spotted this message on the electronic sign:
Josephine, please report to the MBTA.
What could this possibly mean?
My office has already said we can work at home tomorrow and schools are already announcing they will be closed. .
One part of me says weee.... and another part of me says this is just not the New England where I grew up. What happened to making the kids get up early and eagerly watch for the name of their town go by on the tv scroll or for the anchors to read it off.
Since I don't have to get ready for the day tomorrow, I'm watching this absurd Golden Globes announcement show. Good grief do these people need writers. They are completely lost without prompters telling them what to say.
My office has already said we can work at home tomorrow and schools are already announcing they will be closed. .
One part of me says weee.... and another part of me says this is just not the New England where I grew up. What happened to making the kids get up early and eagerly watch for the name of their town go by on the tv scroll or for the anchors to read it off.
Since I don't have to get ready for the day tomorrow, I'm watching this absurd Golden Globes announcement show. Good grief do these people need writers. They are completely lost without prompters telling them what to say.
From mass.gov:
The Massachusetts Presidential Primary will be held on Tuesday, February 5, 2008.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008 is the last date to register to vote and change party enrollment for this primary.
As the excitement builds, if you wish to participate, you'll need to be registered to vote in the city or town where you live. (If you've moved to a different community recently, you'll need to re-register).
You can register in person, by mail, or even at the Registry of Motor Vehicles when you renew your driver's license:
Working at home is a dull. I'm really wishing I had some Bailey's to put in my coffee.
merge onto the highway at high speed without regard to the traffic, you know, already on the highway. I've noticed that over the last year or so, this seems to be the norm. Um.. NO. When I learned to drive, you drove up, you looked before you leaped, the merged into the lane when there was a break in the traffic action. You did NOT just zoom on to the highway without even looking at the existing traffic, acting as if people should get out of your way with an attitude of "I'm here on the highway now. Look at me go". Hello.. I am in this lane and I'm not invisible. I may drive a Mini Cooper, but I can still fuck you up. I am from Massachusetts and I will not take shit on the road!
From the NYT
First hard-pressed Wall Street banks turned to rich foreign governments for help. Now, they are seeking aid from the likes of New Jersey and big mutual funds to bolster their weakened finances.Citigroup and Merrill Lynch said on Tuesday that they were raising a combined $19.1 billion from parties that range from government-backed funds in Korea and Kuwait to New Jersey’s public pension fund and T. Rowe Price, the big mutual fund company. Other investors include a large bank in Japan, a hedge fund in New York and private investors in the Middle East.
While so-called sovereign wealth funds are investing the most, the emergence of new investors like New Jersey underscores the rising aversion on the part of United States banks to being seen as beholden to foreign governments. In recent months Citigroup, Merrill and several other banks have sold multibillion-dollar stakes to foreign government funds.
I don't know about you, but I don't think having our financial institutions being owned by foreign governments is a good thing. Won't that give them an immense amount of influence on our policy?
For a few days now, I've know that UPS was seeking me out. I've had the yellow and brown sticker left for me, saying; hey! we have a package for you, but since we only seem to deliver when no one with an office job is home, we'll just tease you with this sticker and come back tomorrow (up to three times, then we'll store the package at the least convenient location and you must come retrieve it)
Today, I confounded the system by being home when they stopped by. I was intriqued by this package. Nothing had been ordered, no packages were expected. Could this be a surprise gift? How exciting! When, at last, the package is placed in my hands, I sigh. It's from Banana Republic. Banana Republic? Wha? I look at the addressee.. it's addressed to the former owner of the homestead - a person who has not lived here for over 4 years. Does this surprise me? No. It took that dufus over 2 years to change the registration with the RMV (I know because I received his registration renewal and drivers license renewal forms in the mail). I'm sure he just ordered something and they had his address stored from long ago. I stare at the package.. what do do? I consider for a moment the leaky window, obviously concealed just enough to not draw the inspectors note. The leaky window that caused me a new paint job and a water stain on my couch (currently covered up with a throw). Do I keep the package? Shouldn't it really be mine? It's addressed to my address. I can't help it that he is an idiot, right? For a second, I ponder it... then I decide, no, I'm better than this and give it back to the UPS guy with a 'Sorry, he doesn't live here'.
Chris Matthews makes an apology somehow seem like he's doing a good deed.
The more new stories I encounter about the economy, the more terrified I become.
I just watched my Tivo-ed copy of the McLaughlin Group where Mort Zuckerman said:
I think we are facing the worst financial crunch or crisis since the Great Depression. You have the entire banking system virtually frozen and not just the sub-prime mortgage thing, there are other things called credit default swaps where they are going to lose as much money - $250 billion - banks are frozen, they're not making loans because they have such huge debts that they have to take onto their balance sheets and nobody knows how to deal with that because you have a dramatic - you have 2 bubbles that have burst at the same time, the housing bubble, which has collapsed in this country, the first time since the great depression that housing values have gone down for a year and it's going to go down even more next year. The credit crunch - you've just exploded the whole credit syste