Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Jennifer, will you marry me?
Just kidding. Seen somewhere in Australia. When you see stuff like that around here, it usually ends with: Lawdy, Lawdy, Dave's turned 40.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Chicago 2016
Important Test for Obama
The facts of this Roman Polanski thing are pretty clear. He drugged and raped a 13 year old. He fled punishment. And now he's been caught.
I can understand some people who think that being a fugitive for all these years is punishment enough. Or that after all this time, it's best to just forgive and forget. I don't agree, but I can understand those arguments.
You and I can argue, but we can't extradite. Really, the only vote that counts is the Justice Department's. So let's see what happens from here.
Now a French minister has said "There is a scary America that has just shown its face." That sounds like exactly the sort of thing that would cause concern in the the Obama Justice Department. This administration, that wants sooo much to be loved by Europeans, is being tested. Will Obama, the father of a 6th grade girl, send word down through the ranks of Justice to quietly let the extradition fail?
Monday, September 28, 2009
Palin Silliness
Baby Hummingbirds
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Charlie Bit Me
Don't know how it got by me but 122 million people have seen this video.
(or, more likely, 12.2 million people have watched it ten times each)
Saturday, September 26, 2009
High Water
Fun in the Forest
Friday, September 25, 2009
Doing it Right
Help Save Poor Al Gore
WSJ:
WASHINGTON -- A tiny car company backed by former Vice President Al Gore has just gotten a $529 million U.S. government loan to help build a hybrid sports car in Finland that will sell for about $89,000.
The award this week to California startup Fisker Automotive Inc. follows a $465 million government loan to Tesla Motors Inc., purveyors of a $109,000 British-built electric Roadster. Tesla, like Fisker, is a California startup focusing on high-end hybrids, with a number of celebrity endorsements that is backed by investors that have contributed to Democratic campaigns.
OK, they got a half billion dollars of my money because why:
- Finland needs the jobs?
- We need more $89k hybrid sports cars?
- Al Gore needs the money?
OK, I know he doesn't need the money. But the Democrats won, so Al Gore gets his turn sucking the marrow from the bones of the country.
Sure, energy research, greener America, butterflies, blah-blah-blah. But the fact remains that when it's a good idea to invest in $89k sport car technology, the market will invest in it.
I have great faith in the awesome engine that is America. And I haven't really been worried that this recession will get worse. But I'm getting concerned that our focus has been on making life better for bankers, UAW workers, econuts, SEIU, ACORN, UAW again, and Democrats. Enough already.
Spare the Rod
Thank goodness for the scientists:
Children Who Get Spanked Have Lower IQs
Spanking can get kids to behave in a hurry, but new research suggests it can do more harm than good to their noggins. The study, involving hundreds of U.S. children, showed the more a child was spanked the lower his or her IQ compared with others.
OK Either that, or, could it just be that smarter kids avoid spankings?
Regardless, it gives me more sympathy for Wolf Blitzer, knowing his Pa must have wailed on him mercilessly.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Well Yes, I Suppose We Could Have Used a Toggle Switch
It may look a little precarious and uncomfortable to ride, but Honda believe their new 'personal mobility' device could one day be zipping up and down our streets.
I see hip replacement surgery booming.
All You Need is the Headline
Drudge Headline:
Iran wants enriched uranium for 'medical purposes'...
Sure, to cauterize Israel.
Doing the Math
File under: it's better to feel good than to do good.
On the Cash for Clunkers program:
The analysis on the “Cash for Clunkers” program is below and can also be found on the web at www.atr.org.
- A “clunker” that gets 15mpg and travels 12,000 miles per year, consumes 800 gallons of gasoline per year
- A new “fuel-efficient” vehicle that gets 25mpg and travels 12,000 miles per year, consumes 480 gallons of gasoline per year
- The average clunker transaction reduces US gasoline consumption by 320 gallons/year
- With 700,000 vehicles participating in this program, that’s 224 million gallons/year saved because of this program – roughly 5 million barrels of oil/year
- 5 million barrels costs about $375 million at $75/barrel
- The “Cash for Clunkers” costs $3 billion
via
Capitalism for Me, Thee... Not So Much
I'm trying to imagine being young enough to enthusiastically pay full price to go catch Michael Moore's latest movie. It's especially hard to do, considering Capitalism, a Love Story was made by a guy who lives in a $ 4.5 million NYC condo (above), and still owns a million dollar lakefront McMansion. I'd rather sit through a lecture by Oprah on the evils of snacking between meals.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Only a Pawn in Their Game
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Obama Explains the NEA Grants
to you whether to use a halo or not. Unicorns are also a nice
touch, but you don't have to use them in every painting."
(clickabiggen)
..... catch up on the controversy here.
Socialist PR by Puppy
(except for that guy on the far right, "I'm telling
you Vladimir, no good can come of this.") (clickabiggen, photoshop)
playing, I have nothing bad to say. (clickabiggen, not shopped)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Can't Make This Stuff Up
design since stocks arrived just over a month ago, the shop owner said.
I promise, I didn't alter this picture a bit. It's what they're selling in Beijing these days.
Kathleen Sibelius, Sneeze Czar
Old story, I know:
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was outraged when NBC political correspondent Chuck Todd had the temerity to sneeze during her briefing without properly covering his nose with his elbow. The press corps erupted in laughter as Sebelius made funny faces and lectured Todd on controlling the spread of his germs.
I just ran across this picture. Take a look at that angry-teacher face, and tremble. I don't envy wrong-sneezers around this woman. She could pop corn with those eyes.
Socialist Paradise
Cuban Shops seem to be somewhat small. I imagine Michael Moore would contend that makes them more efficient. None of that "what should I get?" nonsense. You'll get the small box of oil and be happy about it.
Who Was President When?
Who was president when McDonald's first introduced the Eggamuffin? Answer that one and eleven others here. Beat 58% and you're probably older than me.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
It's Working
OK, I'm big enough to admit when I'm wrong. It's true, I was skeptical of Obama's attitude toward Iran. But if this recent photo is any indication, their hatred of America has lessened. Can you spot the giveaway detail? Yes, the fire looks much less angry these days. It's an almost timid flame. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they don't deescalate further to the point where they're only boiling our flag in hot water, or warming it severely in the oven.
Idiom Shortage Leaves Nation All Sewed Up In Horse Pies
It's unabliveable. And no, it's not from the Onion:
WASHINGTON—A crippling idiom shortage that has left millions of Americans struggling to express themselves spread like tugboat hens throughout the U.S. mainland Tuesday in an unparalleled lingual crisis that now has the entire country six winks short of an icicle.
Since beginning two weeks ago, the deficit in these vernacular phrases has affected nearly every English speaker on the continent, making it virtually impossible to communicate symbolic ideas through a series of words that do not individually share the same meaning as the group of words as a whole. In what many are calling a cast-iron piano tune unlike any on record, idiomatic expression has been devastated nationwide.
"This is an absolute oyster carnival," said Harvard University linguistics professor Dr. Howard Albright, who noted that the 2008 idiom shortage has been the country's worst. "I don't know any other way to describe it."
Albright said that citizens in the South and West have been hit by the dearth of idioms like babies bite the bedpost, with people in those colorful expression–heavy regions unable to speak about anything related to rain storms, misers, sensations associated with nervousness, difficult or ironic predicaments, surprise at a younger relative's rapid increase in height, or love. In some areas, what few idioms remain are being bartered or sold at exorbitant prices. And, Albright claims, unless something is done before long to dry out the cinnamon jars, residents of Texas may soon cease speaking altogether.
"These people are desperate," said Albright, gesturing with his hands to indicate the severity of the problem there. "We've never seen anything like it. Some are being forced to choose between feeding their family and praising especially talented professional athletes. It's as if—it's really—it is bad."
With an emergency measure to release a pepper-stack of backup idioms into everyday speech still being debated in committee, Congress has been criticized for its inability to respond to the crisis. Moreover, a number of Beltway insiders have accused members of both houses of abusing their positions to gain access to hundreds of 1920s-era idioms that have been kept in reserve for decades.
"Well, bully," said Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), who claimed that the Capitol was not expecting a shipment of fresh idioms for weeks. "Americans have to collar all their jive, and take us cats at our word: Everything's copacetic, daddy-o, so don't flip your lids."
And by "not from the Onion" I mean, "it absolutely is from the Onion."
Friday, September 18, 2009
Putin's Praise
I wonder why Bush passed on this opportunity for praise:
Putin, speaking to investors in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, said he now expected the United States to back a bid by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan to join the World Trade Organisation.
"I expect that after this correct and brave decision, others will follow, including the complete removal of all restrictions on the transfer of high technology to Russia and activity to widen the membership of the World Trade Organisation to (include) Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus," Putin said.
Doing this on the 70th anniversary of the Russian invasion of Poland is just gravy, of course. I'm sure it wasn't planned that way. It's just like giving Gordon Brown a gift of 25 American-play-only DVDs; it underscores the fact that it's amateur hour in the White House.
So what are the chances that this is part of a secret deal? Could it be that Obama got Russian promises to help in containing Iran's nuclear ambitions? I doubt it. I think Obama did this because he's hell bent on demonstrating how the US isn't a threat to anyone these days. (and to put a spotlight on his own status as Enlightened) Because why? Because bullies won't bother you once they've established you're not a threat?
Jonah Goldberg
Jonah Goldberg agrees with me again:
.....And, in fairness, when it became clear that Carter had turned this “debate” from mere fraud to farce, it suddenly dawned on some Democrats, including those in the White House, that smearing millions of constituents and swing voters (many of whom voted for Obama) as racists isn’t the best politics. So one cheer for those who objected to this idiocy too little and far too late.
But others just won’t let go. Maureen Dowd of the New York Times hears Rep. Joe Wilson shout, “You lie!” And her instinctive response is: “Fair or not, what I heard was an unspoken word in the air: You lie, boy!”
It’s the “fair or not” that gives Dowd away. She admits to hearing racism whether or not it’s warranted. That’s called prejudice. And unlike Wilson’s foolish outburst, Dowd’s was carefully considered. Dowd, Carter and Sharpton can’t grasp that conservatives are less hung up on race than they are and that we can get past Obama’s skin color. “Some people just can’t believe a black man is president and will never accept it,” writes Dowd. She’s right. She’s one of them.
Let me say it again for the first time - this latest Democrat racism ploy is a big big mistake on their part. Did they really think they could convince us that we have a racial motive that we don't know about. "Trust me, you're racist." Um, nope. I was against Hillarycare too, does that make me a misogynist?
The corker though is Pelosi putting the back of her hand to her up-tilted forehead and fearing for the safety of the president. Poor poor president. Poor poor Nancy. Why must they live in a country so unworthy of them?