The Coalition of the Swilling

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March 31, 2008

I Couldn't Read This News Item...

...and not pass it along to you, Dear Readers, especially in light of this morning's news from Ohio:

A senior council manager who claimed he was forced to quit his job after complaining about workplace sex has won his case for unfair dismissal.

Tom McNeil, 52, said he left his Aberdeen City Council job after reporting two colleagues for engaging in sex acts.

He claimed he saw a woman performing a sex act on then director of sport and leisure Brian Woodcock.

Mr McNeil was awarded £26,028. He said it was "absolutely brilliant".

It is unclear if he was referring to the award or the act...

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 02:15 PM | Comments (5)

Lautenberg Retires!

April Fools

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, (D-N.J.) plans to make it official today: He is running for re-election.

A news conference is scheduled this afternoon in Trenton where Lautenberg will be surrounded by the top brass of the state Democratic Party including Gov. Jon Corzine, party chairman Assemblyman Joseph Cryan, and members of the state's Congressional delegation.

...Lautenberg, 84, served three six-year terms, retired from the Senate in 2001, then was drafted by his party two years later to succeed Sen. Robert Torricelli, and won a fourth term. If he were re-elected and served another six-year term, he would be 90.

Actually, I guess the "November Fools" are the ones voting for him. When's the last time anyone heard anything from him?

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:39 PM | Comments (6)

Just When You've Thought You've Seen It All

You come upon something like this

(BELLEVUE, OH) -- Police say a man in Bellevue, Ohio was caught on tape having sex with a picnic table.

Bellevue Police Captain Matt Johnson says Art Price, Jr., 40, was seen on four occasions between the hours of 10:30 a.m. and noon having sex with his picnic table. What makes this a felony, Johnson says, is that it took place in close proximity to a school, which made it likely that children could have seen Price.

The neighbor -- who wishes to remain anonymous -- saw Price walk out onto his deck, stand a round metal table on its side and use the hole in the umbrella to have sex.

The most recent instance took place March 14, we're told. A neighbor videotaped Price.

My goodness.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:35 AM | Comments (114)

March 30, 2008

Some Hard Core, Super Stallion

...PORN.

CH53E

I felt a shiver run up my leg...

Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:21 PM | Comments (2)

March 28, 2008

11 Words Of Pure Wisdom

And as Allah says, the Best Book Title Evah

A self-help guide called "If You Want Closure In Your Relationship, Start With Your Legs" has been voted the oddest book title of the year.

The book beat off competition from I Was Tortured By the Pygmy Love Queen to win The Bookseller magazine's prize.

Cheese Problems Solved took third place in a poll which attracted 8,500 votes.

Joel Rickett, deputy editor of The Bookseller, said of the winner: "So effective is the title that you don't even need to read the book itself."

He added that it "makes redundant an entire genre of self-help tomes".

Hehehe. The comments on Amazon are rather amusing, as well.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:59 PM

What Does 4.3 Billion Pounds Get You These Days?

Not a whole helluva lot, evidently

British Airways admitted that the Terminal 5 chaos is set to last into the weekend as the airline put its hands up to a string of blunders.

The carrier is facing a wave of anger from holiday and business passengers who claim the shambolic launch of the £4.3billion facility is 'a national humiliation'.

It sounds like the "Keystone Bobbies"

Baggage handlers arriving at the airport for work in the morning found there was only limited parking.

Many were still driving around desperately looking for a space as the first passengers began checking in their luggage.

Arriving late for security screening, handlers then discovered a programming 'human error' meant they were unable to log on to the sophisticated computer-operated system.

One insider said bags were only able to be taken from the first incoming flight from Hong Kong because managers mucked in and helped drag them from the plane.

Inadequate training also meant handlers did not know where they were going to take suitcases off the conveyer belts and into the gates.

But at least BA took care of their customers

Leigh Wallace, 25, was flying to Johannesburg, South Africa, where she is meant to be getting married today.

She was forced to stuff her wedding dress into her hand luggage and beg a taxi driver to take the remainder of her belongings back to her flat in Kingston before boarding her flight.

She said: 'It was terrible, we had no help and no one seemed to know what was going on. Everyone was left to their own devices, things were really chaotic.

'I had to beg a driver to take my things back to Kingston. I don't know if there was anyone there to take them, perhaps they were dumped on my doorstep, who knows?'

Robert and Priscilla Greene, both 75, from New Mexico, spent the night sleeping in the arrivals lounge after their bags were lost on a flight from Edinburgh.

Mr Greene said: 'Other elderly couples slept here too. There is nobody to help us and nobody seems to know what is going on.

'We spent six hours waiting for our bags until 1.30am. We still haven't found them but it was too late to go to a hotel because we had to be back at the airport for 5am.

It's a quagmire at Heathrow!

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:38 PM | Comments (1)

Ouch

That's all I'm saying.

Yee-ouch.

Update: Alright, I can't resist; I'm weak.

“The last time that I checked a nipple was not a dangerous weapon.”

These look pretty dangerous.

Stand back and no one will get hurt!

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:20 AM | Comments (10)

Earth Power Hour!

It sounds like some kinky Enviro-pr0n movie from the 70s, doesn't it? Well, this Saturday our friends in Australia will be turning out the lights for ONE WHOLE HOUR to show how much they CARE about Gaia. Well, actually, our real friends will be trying to use as much power as possible, and we'd like all of you to join them.

"Honey, let me light that cigarette for you!"

Now, I have no idea what time it is here in NJ when it's 8 pm on Saturday in Sydney (I'm guessing they'll be well into Monday at that point), but I do know that this Saturday at 8 pm I'll be making the most Gaia-phobic meal I can think of (and cobble together in a reasonable amount of time) and I hope y'all will join me in doing your part to show how much we appreciate consuming all the varied energy sources she has so kindly provided.

Dinner is served!

Heck, we'll need to warmenize all we can as the forecast for Saturday night is in the upper 20s, which is well below normal for the end of March.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:55 AM | Comments (4)

March 27, 2008

The Poor Little Thing Who Died During Breast Augmentation Surgery?

The girl on the left was her. 18. Bless her heart.

Judging from the picture, I would have to say her parents were out of their friggin', permissive, keep-up-with-the-other-tarts minds. You can justify giving in to your daughter all you want because she's a good kid and sterling student, but DAMN. She wants to look more like the girl on the right? And you let her?

They were out of their minds. It's inexcusable.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:14 PM | Comments (11)

Voices From The Grave

I have the complete Caruso recordings on cd, and I just love the sound of them. They've got this spooky, other-world quality about them. plus, i don't know, I just find it touching to listen to recordings where every person who performed on them is dead, as are damn near anyone who heard them perform live.

Which is why this link that Insta had up today is just too damned cool for words.

Click on the mp3 file and listen to a woman sing...in 1860.

Chilling.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:11 PM | Comments (6)

I Mean, Honestly...

Italian American Pasta issues shares to pay lawyer

Why so drastic a step? They've been defending themselves from accusations of doing the...well...obvious.

...Several shareholders filed suits in 2005 against the company, alleging that its executives and directors had "cooked the books"...

What else would a pasta company do to them?

Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:44 PM

Fundamentalism is Islam and Christianity

The bible's got some really nasty verses, too: even some coming straight out of Jesus mouth[Luke 19:26-27]:

"He replied, 'I will tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them -- bring them here and kill them in front of me.' "

Christians ~ and not just American/European Christians ~ have a bad habit of thinking that Jesus was a non-Jewish hippy, with an easy going attitude and a great soul insurance plan.

In the end however, fundamentalist Christians don't actively pull the Hitler "I must kill everybody" button out like the charming Islamic sects do. Actually, fundamentalist Christians talk a lot of shit and then go back home most of the time.

Posted by Ebola at 06:04 PM | Comments (11)

How To Speak Australian

And boy did it require a lot of Fosters

SYDNEY — A New Zealand man has been sentenced to community service after telling police he was raped by a wombat and the experience had made him speak "Australian".

Arthur Ross Cradock, 48, from the South Island town of Motueka, called police on February 11 and told them he was being raped at his home by the wombat and he needed help, The Nelson Mail newspaper reported.

The orchard worker later called back and said: "Apart from speaking Australian now, I'm pretty all right, you know."

Cradock pleaded guilty in the local court to using a phone for a fictitious purpose. He was sentenced to 75 hours' community work.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Chris Stringer told the court alcohol played a large role in Cradock's life.

On a completely unrelated note, I have no idea where Ebola was during February.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 03:57 PM | Comments (7)

A Barrelful of Worthy Lessons

..in the economics of oil (courtesy of Crusader). This thoughtful tutorial was spawned by a certain messianic personage's intentions per oil, as stated in his version of the Dr. Seuss classic, "If I Ran the Zoo"

Obama eyes active role in oil markets

Democrat Barack Obama would take an active role in U.S. oil markets as president, tackling concerns about the dominance of large oil companies and eyeing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as a potential weapon to combat high prices, his top energy adviser said.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:15 PM

Regrets, I Have A Few...

As Eric Idle asks Dan Akroyd in the "Rutles" movie, "what's it like to be such an asshole?

SANTIAGO, Chile - Finland's consul in Chile said Wednesday that a tourist from her country "really, really regrets" breaking the earlobe off one of the ancient Maoi statues on Easter Island.

Marko Kulju, 26, is under house arrest on the island after he allegedly ripped off the earlobe of a Maoi on Sunday and was seen taking a piece away as a souvenir after it fell to the ground and broke into pieces.

..."It was a sudden, impulsive crazy idea," Loflund said. "He is sorry and is surprised that it has caused such a stir."

A photo released by Chilean Investigative Police shows one of the massive Moai statues whose right earlobe was stolen by a Finnish tourist in Easter Island on March 23.

So Marko's on Easter Island, and on Easter Sunday he decides to break a freakin' ear off of a priceless statue so he can bring a pebble back to Finland...and he regrets doing it and is surprised that people might be upset?

Well, in the immortal words of Sgt. Johnson in Halo

Cortana: "The message just repeats. 'Regret, Regret, Regret.'"

Commander Keyes: "Catchy. Any idea what it means?"

Sgt. Johnson: "Dear Humanity... we regret being alien bastards. We regret coming to Earth. And we most definitely regret the Corps just blew up our raggedy-ass fleet!"

Marine Pilots: "Ooh-Rah!"

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 02:09 PM | Comments (6)

Now, I Know Lorena Ochoa Is Good

...but she ain't this good

But Ochoa returned last spring and chased down Norway's Suzann Pettersen with four birdies in the final three holes, a victory that springboarded her to the No. 1 ranking last April.

Even Tiger couldn't do that.

Chuck Norris, of course, has done it several times.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:24 PM | Comments (4)

Maybe Her Feet Should Not Have Been On The Seat?

I dunno, from my reading of this it seems she is at fault

A dancer who had her toe amputated after a school bus accident has won a payout after suing the coach company.

Kristen Evans reached an out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed amount with Bluebird Buses.

The 18-year-old had part of her toe amputated after it became trapped between seats in September 2005.

...Miss Evans needed an emergency operation after the digit was severed on the way to Perth High School.

Her toe had become caught in the fold-up seat in front of her when someone sat down on it.

From that it seems like she had her feet up on the seat in front of her...like an ill-mannered noodge. I mean, sorry about the toe and all but keep your goldarn feet off of the seats!

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:44 AM | Comments (20)

Ken May Be A Little Short Cash This Month...

But with all his experience you'd think he'd at least wear it correctly

A 58-year-old man who fed pigeons wearing only a skimpy thong which was back to front has been fined £150.

Neighbours spotted David Batchelor in his street in Perth in the underwear which left his genitals partly exposed.

...When officers had turned up to investigate they found Batchelor still partially dressed and with his flimsy thong on the wrong way round.

...Batchelor claimed he had not seen anyone around, but then confessed he looked at everyone as they went past and the "schoolgirls were bonnie."

Sad, really, how quickly our elders lose their grip...

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:13 AM | Comments (6)

March 26, 2008

Hillary Clinton Piloted Her Jumbo Jet

...to a safe landing in Bosnia today.

Okay. Maybe she didn't. But she would probably have said she did if she'd thought of it...

...The Bosnian episode is a watershed event, because it indelibly brings to mind so many examples of this tendency– from the White House years and, worse, from Hillary Clinton’s take-no-prisoners presidential campaign. Her record as a public person is replete with “misstatements” and elisions and retracted and redacted and revoked assertions…

Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:40 PM | Comments (5)

RIP, Richard Widmark

Dead at 93.

What a career! If my memory serves me right (which it often doesn't) it was Widmark who said "you dirty rat!" not Cagney (who always denied ever saying it).

See ya' Granny!

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:51 PM | Comments (7)

March 25, 2008

What I'm Drinking And Eating Tonight

Sorry I've been so lax about this. As you can imagine, it's not like I've stopped eating and drinking; heck, in fact it's more like I've been eating and drinking too much to post!

Tonight's first wine is a nice inexpensive Malbec from Argentina

The Diseño is really quite smooth and full-bodied, and for only about $10 is a heck of a buy.

Anyhoo, back to the grub. what i've decided to make tonight is chicken breasts stuffed with prosciutto and other yummies. So the first thing to do is to toast the chopped walnuts (1/2 a cup or so) under the broiler

next you take 4 oz. of prosciutto and chop it up

put it in a mixing bowl with the walnuts, some oregano, 1 tblsp of olive oil, some fresh pepper

what's this!

finely grate the tasty yellow skin of one lemon into the mixture

und mix thoroughly

damn! what happened to the wine!

take three medium sized Pamelas*

and carefully slice a pocket into each

stuff each pocket full of the prosciutto/lemon/walnut mixture and set aside for a moment.

chop up three shallots and place them in a large sauté pan with around 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Get the shallots a sizzlin' for a few minutes and then add the stuffed Pamelas

let them cook for 4 or so minutes and then flip to brown the other side. Remember, this is chicken, so 'rare' just don't cut it.

damn, i'm thirsty. what's this...

nice and ruby red, the carmenere is a tasty, cigar-flavored grape, and at only $10 this is a keeper!

carmenere on the left, malbec on the right

now that we've got that crisis managed, once both sides of the buzzard are nicely browned add about a cup of chicken stock to the pan

and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat so that it is simmering and let it cook for a total of another 40-45 minutes.

when there's about 25 minutes left bring 2 cups of chicken stock to boil in a covered pot. add 1 cup of rice that you've seasoned with 3 teaspoons of tarragon

and 2 tablespoons of butter

and cover and let that simmer for 20 or so minutes until it's done.

When there's about 10 minutes to go on the pamelas rinse the broccoli rabe and drain

sauté a goodly amount of garlic in say 2 tbls of olive oil for a minute or two

add the broccoli rabe and a few hearty shakes of dried red pepper

at this point the pamelas should be basically done so remove them from the pan

and put them on a plate and keep them warm in the oven at 250ºF or so.

grate another whole lemon rind into the pan juicies

oh yeah

add a tbls or so of sugar

and bring to a boil, as you want to reduce it quickly down to a thickened sauce. give the rabe a quick check

and splash some red wine vinegar on it and toss and turn off the heat.

The sauce should now be ready

so remove the chicken from the warming tray, top it with some of the sauce and serve with the tarragon rice and broccoli rabe and enjoy!

*chicken breasts. It's a long story...

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:31 PM | Comments (12)

Proof Positive That Incorrigible Bunnies

...who have no positive influences in their lives, escalate from pre-pubescent petty Presidential provocations...

...and grow into Rampaging Rabbits.

Let the Bunny hit the floor! Let the Bunny hit the floor!

Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:07 PM | Comments (4)

Like Hillary, He Didn't "Lie"

He just "misspoke"

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A former military aide to President George H.W. Bush, who later became commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet, has been fired for providing "false and misleading" information to the Department of Defense inspector general, the U.S. Navy confirmed Monday.

Oops, maybe that should be changed to "Miss Poke"

Thorp confirmed the inspector general had begun a preliminary investigation into an allegation that Stufflebeem had an "inappropriate relationship" while serving as a military aide to the former president in 1990.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:41 AM | Comments (5)

Great News From Wordgirl!

Yet another reason to toast St. Patrick's Day!

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:54 AM

Round Number Reached; Media Inserts Tired Phrase

They really do seem to relish this stuff. Don't they have a clue how hamfisted this sounds?

Meanwhile, four U.S. soldiers died Sunday night in a roadside bombing in Iraq, military officials reported, bringing the American toll in the 5-year-old war to 4,000 deaths.

...The grim milestone comes less than a week after the fifth anniversary of the start of the war.

We should start playing "Media Buzzword Bingo" like they do in that brilliant IBM ad.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:38 AM | Comments (1)

March 24, 2008

So How Come That Restriction Doesn't Work

...for car bombs?

...But a turning point came in 2004. U.S. troops and insurgents fought fiercely in Fallujah. Zobaie battled U.S. forces in the nearby town of Zaidan, where he grew up. By mid-2005, he had grown wary of the foreign fighters and radicals, with their brutal tactics and rigid interpretation of Islam. They banned smoking, satellite television, even Pepsi because...

...the prophet Muhammad never drank it.

As major dad points out: Muhammed never drove a Hyundai, either.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:42 PM | Comments (6)

"Bedtime Stories for Catherine"

I can't stop crying.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:07 PM | Comments (2)

Commodities Give Me a Headache

And not just at the pump. A lesson in the Calculus of "Acceptable Investment Return".

...But how is it that crude can still trade above $100 a barrel, three times what it sold for at the start of the decade, despite a very wobbly economy?

... Ponder that for a minute. Texas-based Exxon is the largest publicly traded company in the energy business. In fact, it's the most profitable company in the history of capitalism, earning a record $40.6 billion on sales of $404 billion last year. Yet even with prices at the pump near all-time highs, Exxon isn't planning on producing any more oil four years from now than it did last year. That means the company's oil output won't even keep pace with its own projections of worldwide oil demand growth of 1.2% a year.

Imagine a chief executive of another growth company making a similar announcement to Wall Street as Exxon Chairman Rex Tillerson. What if Steve Jobs said Apple (AAPL) wasn't going to sell any more iPhones than it did in 2007? What if Howard Schultz said Starbucks' (SBUX) latte production would stagnate, at least until the next U.S. president embarked on his or her reelection campaign? Shares of both companies would plummet.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:33 AM | Comments (3)

March 21, 2008

When Fostering an Elitest Climate

...these things happen. Until the proletariat rises up in anger, that is.

San Diego Superior Court Judge ordered coffee chain Starbucks to pay $87 million plus interest to workers who say that their tips unfairly had been shared with supervisors.

...Starbucks in a statement said it would appeal the judgment, which also required that Starbucks cease letting supervisors share tips.

I don't think I've ever heard of a supervisor tip dipping. That's appalling. It's pretentious ~ like a snobbish feudal system, taking a cut of the serfs' own cabbage greens from their kitchen garden.
No wonder I find, "My mouth can't form these words..." so snickeringly apropos.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:30 AM | Comments (9)

March 20, 2008

Well, There Goes the High Ground

...and the wrong Rev. Wright off the front page.

Obama passport files violated; 2 State Department workers fired

Sometimes I think somebody pays these assh*les to be this stupid (Witness the Abu Ghraib cretins).

UPDATE: Whew!! He can't get much mileage if it happened to them all.

The State Department said Friday that all three presidential candidates' passport files were breached.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:27 PM | Comments (6)

Blame It On Whitey Nuance

...instead of your own craven stupidity.

Democrat Barack Obama suffered in the polls Thursday after a much-acclaimed speech on race that, pundits said, had failed to defuse voters' anger over rage-filled sermons by his former pastor.

And check this out, children. The Messiah is humbled?

... "In some ways this controversy has actually shaken me up a little bit and gotten me back into remembering that, you know, the odds of me getting elected have always been lower than some of the other conventional candidates," the Illinois senator told CNN in an interview that aired late Wednesday.

I swear to God, for a minute there I thought they were quoting Geraldine Ferraro...

“If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position,” she continued. “And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is...

...doncha think?

UPDATE: YEEEEEouch! Gerry's piisssssedd...

...“To equate what I said with what this racist bigot has said from the pulpit is unbelievable,” Ferraro told the Los Angeles newspaper, The Daily Breeze, on Wednesday. “He gave a very good speech on race relations, but he did not address the fact that this man is up there spewing hatred.”

...“What this man is doing is he is spewing that stuff out to young people, and to younger people than Obama, and putting it in their heads that it’s OK to say ‘God damn America’ and it’s OK to beat up on white people,” she said. “You don’t preach that from the pulpit.”

Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:09 PM | Comments (3)

Osama and the Pope walk into a bar

Posted by Ebola at 01:20 PM | Comments (13)

I Think They May Have Left a Couple Words Out

Gov. Paterson admitted Wednesday he may have improperly billed his campaign for at least one hotel tryst with a girlfriend.

The hotel tryst was apparently listed as "constituent services."

I think they meant to say "constituent services the Lt. Governor". That's more accurate, n'est pas? Maybe there were only so many letters on the form.

UPDATE: Crusader sends his take...

"Now THAT'S a 'swing' state!"

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:51 PM | Comments (4)

Break Forth O Beauteous Heavenly Light

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:53 AM

How Right You Are

...“It’s kind of ironic that on the one hand, the agency is saying, ‘Don’t worry, it’s a very small amount of mercury.’ Then they have a whole page of [instructions] how to handle the situation if you break one,” she said.

And your average, say, banker (not to mention trailer park dweller or apartment denizen) has no CLUE what to do with the squiggly thing goes POP!

So let's just force EVERYONE to buy them. (We'll worry about that Minamata kinda stuff if it and when it happens.)

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:04 AM | Comments (2)

I Sense a Disturbance

...in the force.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:47 AM | Comments (3)

A Joyous And Wonderful Easter To You All

I'll be off the radar for a few days, so I just want to wish all of you a wonderful and peaceful Easter.

In that spirit I'll leave you with these two wonderful recordings by Beniamino Gigli. When I want power, I want Caruso; but no one, no one, has ever caressed a song like Gigli.

Ave Maria

Posate, Dormite

Be safe, y'all.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:24 AM | Comments (3)

Bingley's Favorite Greasy Spoon

...emerges triumphant!!

The owner of a famous cheesesteak shop did not discriminate when he posted signs asking customers to speak English, a city panel ruled Wednesday.

In a 2-1 vote, a Commission on Human Relations panel found that two signs at Geno's Steaks telling customers, "This is America: WHEN ORDERING 'PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH,'" do not violate the city's Fair Practices Ordinance.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:52 AM | Comments (9)

Quote Of The Day

"There are a lot of stupid people."

"The biggest problem has been people driving into floodwater," Frank Young, emergency management director in Warren County told the Associated Press news agency.

"There are a lot of stupid people. When that sign says 'Road closed, high water', that's what it means."

I think I'm going to start a "Frank Young For President" drive.

America needs you, Sir.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:27 AM | Comments (2)

March 19, 2008

Administrative Announcement

Please join THS, Crusader and myself in welcoming occasional guest poster Ebola as a full-fledged member of the Coalition.

Of course, if he ticks me off it's back to the basement for him.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:11 PM | Comments (16)

Ya THINK?

Obama Campaign Removes New Black Panther Party Endorsement From Web Site

A day AFTER his "My Granny's Embarrassing" speech? Why not before it? Like, you know, if a juedo candidate had, say, David Duke's Think Tank listed, or some such crap. Someone probably would have picked up on that sooner than later.

Barack Obama’s campaign has removed an endorsement by the New Black Panther Party from its Web site, one day after the Illinois senator delivered a speech calling for improved race relations in America.

“The page in question has been removed from our campaign Web site,” Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor told FOXNews.com after inquiries about the endorsement.

“It’s our policy with any content generated by a group that advocates violence.”

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

And this seems to be a sentiment embraced wholeheartedly by the Obama campaign...

...Obama spokeswoman Tiffany Edwards said before the campaign removed the endorsement that that section of the Web site “has nothing to do with us.”

“People can form their own groups,” she told FOXNews.com.

“It’s not something that the campaign — it’s not something that we’ve done.”

No, Rev. Wright/Black Panthers/Samantha Powers/ad nauseum did it. I guess Senator Obama never, ever, EVER heard about anything the Black Panthers, EVER.

Obama's whole schtick disgusts me more every single day. And, honestly? I didn't think that was possible.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:58 PM | Comments (8)

A Guest Post by Ebola: It's Really Disappointing

...That could mean global warming has taken a breather. Or it could mean scientists aren't quite understanding what their robots are telling them.

...that everyone is so enthralled by global warming that they have to determine this information as it's "taking a break", like some recalcitrant teenager studying. But of course the scientific community, and definitely the socio-political community all have a big problem with "uh, I'm wrong."

Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:55 PM | Comments (5)

And Where Does the Good Senator From Illinois

...stand on the "Uncle Tom" question? With his crazy...uncle?

..."For every one Oprah, a billionaire, you've got five million blacks who are out of work," he said. "For every one Colin Powell, a millionaire, you've got 10 million blacks who cannot read. For every one Condoskeeza [sic] Rice, you've got one million in prison. For every one Tiger Woods, who needs to get beat, at the Masters, with his cap-blazing hips, playing on a course that discriminates against women. For every one Tiger Woods, we got 10,000 black kids who will never see a golf course."

If you're well-educated, successful, black and angry (like Obama's wife), I guess you're okay. If you're well-educated, successful, black and just Secretary of State, you're not.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:45 PM | Comments (4)

I Guess I'm Not the Only Cranky Pants

...scratching their head in irritated disbelief.

...Now, I can understand sleeping through the occasional sermon. I myself have often woken up just as the hymn starts, with absolutely no recollection about what was said during the past twenty minutes.

But then again, I’ve never attended the same church for 20 years and have never considered a pastor, reverend or minister as my mentor. And, to be fair, none of my past religious leadership figures have stated that AIDS was invented by the U.S. Government, that the U.S. was to blame for 9/11, that Israel is a dirty word or that America essentially deserves all the ills visited upon it because it is a racist, arrogant country.

The most inflammatory statement I’ve ever heard while sitting in church is that too many folks have signed up to bring Jell-O to the Memorial Day picnic and we could use some volunteers to bring hot covered dishes.

So, the Obama campaign now has its knickers in a knot because people, meaning the newly aggressive media or people who haven’t drunk the Change elixir, have dared to point out that the senator’s association with the fiery pastor might need some context.

Heh.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:11 AM | Comments (3)

Caroline Glick On Obama

Some very keen observations on his character.

(thanks to Crusader for alerting me to this)

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:58 AM | Comments (10)

The Sub-Prime Mess Explained

High finance forby Dummies.

Well, they're actually not dummies. They're damn smart people. That doesn't mean they're wise or correct, mind you, but they are damn smart.

And that really points to the larger problem that they create and it manifests itself even in my humble commodities business: a lot of these 'structured' deals and 'instruments' are so complex that the people creating them haven't really thought through all the permutations, and the accountants who are supposed to monitor such things don't understand them so they end up, in large part, taking the creator's word that they are ok. So when things begin to slide it can accelerate very rapidly out of control. It's scary stuff.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:06 AM

March 18, 2008

So. Let Me See If I've Got This Straight

Concerning Senator Obama, his address today and his non-repudiation of his minister.

..."I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother — a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe."

Comparing his racial demagogue of a minister to his granny? Who "once confessed her fear of black men"? "On more than ONE occasion" made him cringe? At what point did Rev. Wright make the good Senator cringe?

Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely - just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.

"Occasionally fierce"? After voluntarily spending TWENTY years sitting in Rev. Wright's church ~ subjecting even his impressionable children to the man's foaming, racially charged advocacy ~ at WHAT POINT did he CRINGE? His granny made him ashamed, for God's sake! He just told the world. But he could walk back into that man's church week after week for twenty years and not feel enough shame NOT to go back the next week?

...He also said black anger persists over injustice in America, and whites shouldn't be surprised that it bursts out in sermons.

..."In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination — and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past — are real and must be addressed,"

What I heard?

The Senator from Illinois has just advocated and endorsed minority set-asides for the language of hatred, offensiveness and vile divisiveness by virtue of some people's inherent RIGHT to be angrier than others.

Is that how he proposes to break "a racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years"? When there isn't a standard applicable to all on what's offensive, what's racist and what's hate-filled?

I think he's blown it with your average Joe American. My angry, pasty white Irish face has a real problem with someone being allowed to be angrier, more hateful, more offensive more consistently before rebuke because he's a privileged class rating special entitlement.

It doesn't matter what color mouth words come out of when determining whether speech is helpful or hateful, morally right or repugnant.

To paraphrase Justice Stewart, "I know it when I hear it."

I want my president to, too.

UPDATE: Yup.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:54 PM | Comments (8)

Silly CNN Headline/Newsflash

"Barack Obama gives speech on race, any minute"

Not sure I've ever heard a speech about "any minute," but I guess this year anything goes.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:28 AM | Comments (3)

WTF?

More crap in the courts

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court on Monday stepped into a legal fight over the use of curse words on the airwaves, the high court's first major case on broadcast indecency in 30 years.

The case concerns a Federal Communications Commission policy that allows for fines against broadcasters for so-called "fleeting expletives," one-time uses of the F-word or its close cousins.

Fox Broadcasting Co., along with ABC, CBS and NBC, challenged the new policy after the commission said broadcasts of entertainment awards shows in 2002 and 2003 were indecent because of profanity uttered by Bono, Cher and Nicole Richie.

No, they were 'indecent' and an affront to civilized values because of the shit shows and 'entertainment' they were glorifying.

The new policy was put in place after a January 2003 broadcast of the Golden Globes awards show by NBC when U2 lead singer Bono uttered the phrase "f------ brilliant." The FCC said the "F-word" in any context "inherently has a sexual connotation" and can trigger enforcement.

The FCC obviously doesn't get out much; in most uses the "f-word" has no sexual connotation per se.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:37 AM | Comments (1)

March 17, 2008

Meanwhile, That Whole 'Work From Home' Thing

...is really paying off for our roving Hungarian-American reporter, Kcruella.

She was on assignment learning about other cultures and stumbled across a strange procession in NYC today. HOW did she know to look there...?

Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:01 PM | Comments (2)

Take Heart, Sub-Prime Mortgage Types

Misery...

Joe Lewis takes $1 billion hit from Bear Stearns

Even the most successful investors can get it horribly wrong, as reclusive British tycoon Joe Lewis has just found out.

The septuagenarian British billionaire currency trader last year built a stake approaching 10 percent in Bear Stearns, a U.S. investment bank weakened by the subprime crisis and widely seen as a takeover target.

The speculation was half right. JP Morgan set a deal to buy the stricken bank over the weekend, but at a knockdown $2 a share, implying a loss for Lewis of more than $1 billion.

...loves company.

Golddigger Pay Day

Well…she got paid, Heather Mills did. But significantly less than what she’s been angling for. “Only” £25 million, roughly US$50 million which is major cash for people like us… but really not so much for people who live the luxe life. And for someone who was originally asking for over £100, it’s obviously not exactly an ideal settlement – on her terms.

Of course, now that Lady Macca's free, if she hears what old boy's still worth, she'll hot foot it over there.

Bad day on the UK all 'round, eh what? Wonder why...

Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:50 PM | Comments (1)

An Cailín Rua

A love song to the beautiful red-haired girl. And you know who they use, of course.
No one else qualifies.
Ever.

On the lighter side, but same gorgeous girl:

"Keep Yer Hands Off Red-Haired Mary!"

Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:16 PM | Comments (2)

So, There I Was, Listenin' to the Clancy Brothers

...and sniffling like a baby. Because they were singing what I used to sing to my baby at night. I found the video so you could hear it, too.
It's the perfect lullaby.
Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:13 PM | Comments (11)

Take Out, Jersey Style

As their jingle says, "More Selection. More Fun. More Fridays!

A former aide to James E. McGreevey said today that he had three-way sexual trysts with the former governor and his wife before he took office, challenging Dina Matos McGreevey's assertion that she was naive about her husband's sexual exploits.

The aide, Theodore Pedersen, said he and the couple even had a nickname for the weekly romps, from 1999 to 2001, that typically began with dinner at T.G.I. Friday's and ended with a threesome at McGreevey's condo in Woodbridge.

Well, it must be true, because right there on the menu is a Friday's Three-For-All.*

Seems a bargain at $9.99.

*hit 'cancel' and you can preview the menu; no need to print it.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:12 AM | Comments (14)

March 15, 2008

Spring Blog Fest

I'll be there.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:17 PM | Comments (7)

Happy Ides Of March!

Unless, perchance, your name is Julius.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:03 PM | Comments (6)

Obama's Pastor

I have of course read some of the things this fellow said, but until I saw this post at Ace's I hadn't had the pleasure of actually hearing him.

Obama's been going there for 20 years, but he never heard him "preach" like this?

Uh huh.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:57 AM | Comments (10)

March 14, 2008

Oh, and if I forgot the mention it before...

The 'Pintsters are back online. And beatings will continue until morale improves.

Posted by Ken S. at 11:49 PM

Why We Need To Give Millions To Colleges For Research

Cool stuff like this makes it all worth while

(h/t VarmintBites)

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:41 PM | Comments (4)

Yes, I'm shameless

Today is one of my favorite holidays.

No, not that one (mind out of the gutter, Bings!) though I heartily approve.

Today is Pi Day!

And with that in mind, what is this?

Posted by Ken S. at 05:34 PM | Comments (16)

Quote of the Day

...Well, choosing someone to offer your family spiritual guidance that isn't an anti-semite coddling, America-hating, race-baiting crazypants would appear to be a far easier decision than deciding whether to go to war.

Mark Hemingway in The Corner via Transterrestrial Musings.
(Say THAT 3 times fast..)

Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:41 PM | Comments (4)

Shocking Statistics That Will Challenge Your World View!

Would you believe that criminals don't want to get shot?

When sexual assaults started rising in Orlando, Fla., in 1986, police officers noticed women were arming themselves, so they launched a firearms safety course for them. Over the next 12 months, sexual assaults plummeted by 88 percent, burglaries fell by 25 percent and not one of the 2,500 women who took the course fired a gun in a confrontation.

...The brief cites a study that discovered, based on interviews with felony prisoners in 11 prisons in 10 states, one third of the felons had been “scared off, shot at, wounded or captured by an armed victim,” and nearly four in 10 had decided against committing a specific crime because they thought the victim might have a gun.

“Seventy-four percent agreed with the statement that ‘One reason burglars avoid houses where people are at home is that they fear being shot,’” the study said.

I adore Rachel Lucas, because she comes up with stuff like this:

Doesn’t it boggle your mind to know that there are still supposedly intelligent, thoughtful people who truly believe that having a gun in the house is pointless, silly, too dangerous, and nothing but proof that you’re a jackass with a small-penis complex?

I know people who think that. Close friends, even. They have college degrees and make sensible decisions in all other aspects of life, but man, you bring up guns with them and WATCH OUT. It’s like seeing Einstein turn into Corky the Retard right before your eyes.

hehehe

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:38 AM | Comments (2)

Who'd He Think He Was, A Politician?

Yet someone else in politics helping himself to the till

The former treasurer for the National Republican Congressional Committee diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars -- and possibly as much as $1 million -- of the organization's funds into his personal accounts, GOP officials said yesterday, describing an alleged scheme that could become one of the largest political frauds in recent history.

For at least four years, Christopher J. Ward, who is under investigation by the FBI, allegedly used wire transfers to funnel money out of NRCC coffers and into other political committee accounts he controlled as treasurer, NRCC leaders and lawyers said in their first public statement since they turned the matter over to the FBI six weeks ago.

Both parties are irrevocably corrupt.

Kelner said the NRCC had not met with its outside auditors for nearly five years, describing that as unusual. Rep. Greg Walden (Ore.), who previously served as chairman of the NRCC's audit committee, said he had asked to meet with the outside auditing firm, Deloitte & Touche, and that the fake audits were almost perfect forgeries.

And clearly incompetent.

At least the Republicans have kept their own books as well as they've kept America's.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:08 AM

Hide the wimmin and chilluns!

The FFOT will be hosted this week by Obi-Wan himself!

UPDATE: The lovely Ricki is biting the wax tadpole.

UPDATE II: The Master Speaks

Posted by Ken S. at 08:44 AM

Confluence of weirdness (updated)

UPDATE: See end of post

Saw this story when I logged onto email this morning:

LOS ANGELES - Former "Tonight Show" sidekick Ed McMahon broke his neck in a fall last year and was recovering after two surgeries, his publicist said Thursday.

It was early last year and he's recovering well, apparently.

So on the morning radio show (listening by computer at the office) they mentioned the story. Lee Rodgers remarked that McMahon was a guest on the program about three months ago, sounded great, and said nothing about having recently had a broken neck.

So here is the confluence of weirdness:

Last week, Rodgers's cohost Melanie was let go in a cost-cutting move by the parent company. It was a financial decision, nothing more, but some righties thought there might be a conspiracy afoot.

Remember, Ed McMahon was a guest on the program once. Ever. Three months or so ago.

So sometime in the last several days, Rodgers got an email from a frothing rightwing nutjob, contending that Morgan was "fired by the Jew Ed McMahon".

I guess he's one of those Irisshidic Jews. Or maybe Scotchkenazi.

UPDATE: I couldn't resist. The Fighting Irishidic

Posted by Ken S. at 08:24 AM | Comments (9)

Yes, Yes I Can...

...more than double my wife's salary

Dan Riehl notes, via Amanda Carpenter, that in the list of earmarks he requested, $1 Million was requested for the construction of a new hospital pavilion at the University Of Chicago. The request was put in in 2006.

You know who works for the University of Chicago Hospital?

Michelle Obama. She's vice president of community affairs.

As Byron noted, "In 2006, the Chicago Tribune reported that Mrs. Obama’s compensation at the University of Chicago Hospital, where she is a vice president for community affairs, jumped from $121,910 in 2004, just before her husband was elected to the Senate, to $316,962 in 2005, just after he took office."

Gosh, imagine that. Not that that had anything to do with the million clams of our money he shoveled their way.

Follow all those links, folks, and feel the change that Obama represents.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:50 AM | Comments (14)

March 13, 2008

Eureka!

I think I've found the right method to deal with my problems.

Unfortunately, both virgins and volcanoes are in short supply around here...

Posted by Ken S. at 10:49 PM | Comments (2)

Pot? Check the Color of That

...kettle.

...And lastly, I find it humorous that Boeing is using the same argument to protest the tanker award that Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin are using in their protest of Boeing's win in the CSAR-X contract: that the service asked for a medium-sized tanker and awarded a heavier one.

Are you sure it's not spelled "Boing"?

I'd like to credit comment #327 for the link.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:48 PM | Comments (1)

All You Need is TWENTYFIVEMILLION Gallons

...of PIG POOPIE flowing downstream to know that THIS:

Neb. corporate farming debate revived

The Legislature could debate whether to revive a ban on corporate farming this year.

...is a GREAT idea.

... Sen. Cap Dierks has introduced a bill that supporters say would essentially reinstate all the components of the original ban while removing legal flaws cited by the courts when it was quashed.

John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, helped push for the ban known as Initiative 300 in the 1960s and 1970s up until it was approved by voters in 1982. He said although the new proposal bans non-family corporate farming, it allows corporate family farms from outside Nebraska to operate in the state.

"We're making it clear that if you're a family farm corporation, you don't need to be from Nebraska if you're going to operate in Nebraska," he said.

Until it was thrown out by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld an earlier federal court decision, Initiative 300 was considered the strongest corporate farming ban in the country.

I'm sure the folks who live on the New River (We were there for the big one ~ fired up my latent activist principles.) or next to an industrial hog farm and have a house covered in sh*t when they spray poopie on the fields...
...wish North Carolina officials weren't quite so beholden to Boss Hog and his big money.

...Between 1995 and the end of 1998, livestock feedlots polluted North Carolina's rivers, lakes, or coastal waters at least 300 times. Another 325 spills or other pollution problems occurred that did not, or can't be proven to have, reached waterways. An addition, inspections found evidence of past discharges at 528 of these livestock feedlots.14
...
In June of 1995 a 25 million gallon spill from a manure lagoon at Oceanview Farms in Onslow County polluted 20 miles of the New River and killed as many as ten million fish.16

An inspection in August 1995 at a 6,600 head swine feedlot found a submerged drain inside a lagoon. The drain sent manure and wastewater into Cypress Creek in Duplin County.17

The place sucks, but mention it and the bubbas who have in excess of 100,000 hogs on EACH of their 10, 15 or 20 'farms' start screaming about "family farmers" being under attack. Here in the Sunshine State, we took a LOT of heat for our "Pregnant Pig Constitutional Amendment" ~ porcine jokes aplenty ~ BUT, having lived in N.C. through the spills and having my car spray coated with pig sh*t if the wind switched, I thought it sounded fine.

...In addition to eliminating unnecessary suffering, the amendment holds out another benefit for the state of Florida. Because factory hog farms use gestation crates to maximize their profits, they would be discouraged from moving their operations here should the amendment pass [Ed.: it did], and that is a good thing. Large hog farms pose a serious threat to the environment and human health. When Hurricane Floyd hit North Carolina (where such hog farms proliferate), millions of gallons of hog waste contaminated rivers, lakes and shoreline and threatened the drinking water supply. Florida's topography makes us even more vulnerable.

However you keep them out works for me, so I ran a big old black line through the "yes" arrow on the ballot. I double and triple ran the line to make sure it counted.

And all I can say is Go Huskers!

Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:29 PM | Comments (2)

"There's a Lot of Rats in New York..."

"But this one's the biggest rat of them all!"

I LOVE Jeannie Moos. Just love her.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:21 AM

Crap

This is bad.

Severed fingers of 5 hostages delivered to U.S. officials in Iraq

BAGHDAD _U.S. authorities in Baghdad have received five severed fingers belonging to four Americans and an Austrian who were taken hostage more than a year ago in Iraq , U.S. officials said Wednesday.

The FBI is investigating the grisly development, and the families of the five kidnapped contractors have been notified, American officials said on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the case publicly.

Authorities confirmed that the fingers belonged to hostages Jonathon Cote , of Gainesville, Fla. ; Joshua Munns , of Redding, Calif. ; Paul Johnson Reuben , of Buffalo, Minn. ; Bert Nussbaumer of Vienna, Austria ; and Ronald J. Withrow , an American who was kidnapped separately from the others.

The only upside is that it suggests they are still alive.

Posted by Ken S. at 09:15 AM | Comments (5)

"Kristen"

So now we have some pictures. Dude, she's basically the same age as your oldest daughter. Blech. I mean, while I certainly don't condone having an affair when your marriage has broken down at least Rudi took up with a woman who was basically his age. To me gallivanting about with hookers when your marriage is seemingly ok is far worse than an affair when it's not. Here there were no indications of marital strife; you just wanted to show what an Alpha Dog you were. Yeah, look at you now, as they say.

Oh, and as an added bonus your wife had better get checked for various STDs and HIV; quite the "provider", ain't you, Eliot?

I have to say what I don't understand are the people who are blaming "Kristen." She's not the one who chose to violate her marriage vows. She's not the one who chose to destroy her children's psyche. She may be a prostitute...but he's the whore.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:55 AM | Comments (29)

March 12, 2008

I'm Sure His Mentor Will Be Ted Kennedy

Some things are just too outrageous

AP - PONTIAC, MI -- Assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian is planning to run for Congress in Michigan. Kevorkian is on parole since being released from prison last year.

He tells The Oakland Press newspaper that he plans to run without party affiliation for the congressional sea now held by Republican Joe Knollenberg. Kevorkian needs a minimum of 3,000 signatures on nominating petitions to appear as an independent on the November ballot.

The retired pathologist claims to have helped at least 130 people die. He served a prison term for second-degree murder in one man's death.

No, he admits to taking part in 130 murders. Why is he out on the street?

(h/t 2FBG)

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 02:25 PM | Comments (3)

I Saw This Headline

Woman Tries to Bring Skeleton on Plane

...and thought "Who would be with him?"
Mean. I know. And wrong.

UPDATE: Coincidence? Or conspiracy...?

Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:12 PM | Comments (9)

I Guess They're Rethinking Their Stand

Checked my NYT daily email (NYTimes.com) and do you know what the subject line was today? With all that happened yesterday and could concievably happen today? In NEW YORK, where the New YORK Times is supposed to be the paper of record?

Today's Headlines: Fed Hopes to Ease Strain on Economic Activity

And it's the very first 'Top Story'.

Little wheel, spin and spin, and the big wheel turns round, round...

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:49 PM | Comments (2)

Dancin' in the Streets

Via HotAir.

UPDATE: As Lisa notes, the guy's done time... the GOOD way.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:17 PM | Comments (5)

BREAKING NEWS: Movement on the Schmuck Front

Spitzer is on his way from his 5th Ave apartment to the governor's mansion. Old girl is in the limo with him. ::sigh:: The MSNBC reporter says, "They had a difficult night..." Duh.

Jay Leno said it best:

“If this guy was a plumber ... he would have his wife’s SUV tire tracks over his head,”

Our long national nightmare may at last...oh, right.

Wrong schmuck.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:14 AM | Comments (9)

Honestly. He's Really Starting to Sound

...like the dullest tack in the box ('Not the sharpest' gives him too much credit.). So much for the Republicans bringing him down ~ he gets that label all to himself.

The feds might never have caught on to Eliot Spitzer's hooker-loving ways had the governor not second-guessed himself over payments he made to his pimp's bank account.

Last year, Spitzer wired more than $10,000 from a Manhattan bank account to a front company for the Emperors Club VIP, which hired out prostitutes to high-end clients, according to a newsday.com report.

... Despite that, Spitzer got worried that he could be tied to the transfers and asked the bank to remove his name from the transactions. The bank reportedly refused, not only because of regulations, but also because the money had already gone out.

The unidentified bank then notified the Internal Revenue Service, as required by law, that Spitzer had sent more than $10,000 in a way that appeared designed to avoid disclosure requirements, the report said.

Brilliant, prosecutor. Just brilliant.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:18 AM | Comments (13)

Compare and contrast

Our oh-so-tolerant multi-culti betters in Europe have abolished the death penalty and hate it so much that they didn't want to extradite a filthy murdering scumbag to the U.S. because he might face the death penalty.

Oh, but that was years ago. My how times change:

Dutch high court rejects gay asylum seeker
Tue Mar 11, 6:55 PM ET

SUMMARY: Britain, where Mehdi Kazemi, 19, first sought asylum, is deemed responsible for his case; sympathetic lawmakers fear he'd be executed in Iran.

The Netherlands' highest court Tuesday rejected a gay Iranian asylum seeker's last-ditch bid to avoid deportation to Britain, where he fears authorities will send him back to Tehran and possible execution.

In a ruling published on its website, the Council of State said Britain is responsible for Mehdi Kazemi's case, because it was there that the 19-year-old first applied for asylum.

Gay rights campaigner Rene van Soeren said Kazemi's Dutch lawyer was considering an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. The lawyer, Borg Palm, did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Boris van der Ham, a lawmaker who has taken up Kazemi's cause, has tabled questions in parliament asking the junior minister for immigration, Nebahat Albayrak, to lobby British authorities on Kazemi's behalf.

Albayrak should either urge Britain not to send Kazemi back to Iran or offer him asylum in the Netherlands, Van der Ham said in a telephone interview.

[...]

The Netherlands relaxes its tough asylum laws for Iranian gays -- virtually guaranteeing asylum to any who apply here -- because of persecution they face at home. Britain, on the other hand, rejected Kazemi's original asylum request.

Kazemi, 19, says he traveled to London to study English in 2005 and applied for asylum in Britain after learning that his lover in Iran had been executed for sodomy.

After British authorities rejected Kazemi's application, he fled to mainland Europe and applied for asylum in the Netherlands.

Dhimmification. It's what's for (halal) dinner.

Posted by Ken S. at 08:50 AM | Comments (2)

Grand Schmuck Spitzer

Ah, as one would have expected this is the gift that keeps on giving. Here is our dear and soon to be departed Spitzmeister during his campaign for Governor

Like all parents, I know it is increasingly difficult to protect our children from negative influences… we have learned that when self-regulation fails, government must step in… we must do more to protect our children from excessive sex and violence in the media…

Media content has gotten more graphic, more violent and more sex-based… Currently, nothing under New York State law prohibits a fourteen-year old from walking into a video store and buying… a game like ‘Grand Theft Auto,’ which rewards a player for stealing cars and beating people up. Children can even simulate having sex with a prostitute…

I just can't stop my giggling. Immature, I know, but so thoroughly enjoyable as to easily overcome whatever feeble attempts my sense of propriety makes to halt it.

In light of what we have now learned this week, perhaps a little editing is in order...

Like all parents, I know it is increasingly difficult to protect your college-aged children from negative influences like me… we have learned that when self-regulation fails, the urge to drop a couple grand on some high-class booty kicks in… we must do more to protect our children from excessive sex and violence in the media and keep it in hotel rooms where it belongs…

My busy schedule has gotten more graphic, more violent and more sex-based… Currently, nothing under New York State law prohibits a fortyeight-year old from walking into an adult video store and buying… a game like ‘Grand Prosecute Aut-Ho,’ which rewards a player for using the law to extort money from companies and beating people up in the press. Children can even simulate having sex with a prostitute…This is an outrage; they should be learning how to have real sex with a prostitute and how to hide the payments...

I hope this drags out for weeks.

(h/t to HotAir)

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:56 AM | Comments (1)

Lord Rove Entices Another

A good essay by longtime liberal playwright David Mamet on Why I Am No Longer a 'Brain-Dead Liberal'.

He'll never work in this town again...

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:51 AM | Comments (1)

March 11, 2008

Well...

...all the cool kids are doing it. So is Cullen.

Find out how totally 80's are you at LiquidGeneration!

Seriously, this must be the default category for everyone who wishes the 80s never happened. Never heard of most of the answers, and of the ones I heard of most were from watching TV or reading the newspaper and shaking my head at "kids today".

Posted by Ken S. at 09:18 PM | Comments (6)

Man, the Hatchets Are Out

Check the subtle phraseology in this MSNBC article after the blockbuster headline.

McCain advisers lobbied for Airbus

...'Aesthetics are not good,'
McCain, the Republican presidential nominee in waiting, has been a key figure in the Pentagon's yearslong attempt to complete a deal on the tanker. McCain helped block an earlier tanker contract with Boeing and prodded the Pentagon in 2006 to develop bidding procedures that did not exclude Airbus.

Wow. It's hard to be more slanted and still truthful at the same time. In this paragraph alone, they've left off the "after Boeing executives went to prison" etc., as well as mentioning Airbus, vice the fact that McCain wanted to insure a fair COMPETITION. That would mean, uh, yeah, that Airbus wouldn't be excluded because who else could compete with Boeing? They sort of get around to that point a little further down...

...EADS retained Ogilvy Government Relations and The Loeffler Group to lobby for the tanker deal last year, months after McCain sent two letters urging the Defense Department to make sure the bidding proposals guaranteed competition.

..."All I asked for in this situation was a fair competition," he told reporters Monday at Lambert Field in St. Louis, home of a Boeing fighter jet plant.

On Friday, he defended his aggressive oversight: "I never weighed in for or against anybody that competed for the contract. All I asked for was a fair process. And the facts are that I never showed any bias in any way against anybody — except for the taxpayer."

Then there's THIS gem:

...It is unclear what EADS hired the lobbyists to do. Loeffler and Airbus officials did not immediately respond to phone and e-mail messages left late Monday.

Perhaps...lobby? Does Boeing have lobbyists? Well, damned if they don't! I'm shocked!! And is MSNBC calling to ask what they do? Maybe they're not because we already knew the answer years ago.

Documents Show Extent of Lobbying by Boeing

In a last-ditch effort to block a controversial $20 billion proposal by the Air Force to lease a fleet of Boeing 767 aerial tankers...documents showing a high-level lobbying campaign by the Air Force and Boeing to fend off critics as well as potential competitors.

The documents, made public over the holiday weekend and first reported in The Washington Post and elsewhere, come as two Senate committees are planning to hold hearings this week on the $20 billion leasing plan, which Senator McCain, an Arizona Republican, has long criticized as corporate welfare.

In releasing the documents, which include Boeing and Air Force e-mail messages and internal memos culled from some 8,000 documents, he is trying to show that the Air Force and Boeing assisted each other in structuring the program, promoting it in Washington and setting requirements so that no other competitors could qualify.

The Air Force and Boeing have been winkwink, nudgenudge, cheek-by-jowl cozy for so long, they've forgotten what the concept of competition even IS.

...One of the more revealing memos among the newly released documents showed that Darleen Druyun, then the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition and management, told Boeing to ''keep in mind'' that an Airbus bid was $5 million to $17 million cheaper per airplane than a basic Boeing 767. The information was disclosed in an April 1 meeting of Air Force and Boeing officials after Boeing had been selected over Airbus.

Ms. Druyun is now deputy general manager of Boeing's missile defense systems.

(One hand washes the other.) And really, who needs a paid lobbyist, when you've got an good friend on the inside?

..."The Pentagon has been saying Ms. Druyun was a tough negotiator," Miller continued. "Ironically, while she was working for the Air Force, as we initially suspected, she was actually negotiating on behalf of Boeing."

Well, she's not so much any more. So who caused this big rumpus back in 2003 that crashed the pajama party?

John McCain.

I guess they're hoping the memories fade and no one thinks to Google "boeing lobbyist".

Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:10 PM

Much Like Spitzer, I Am So Busted

...by this quiz at Caltechgirl's

Find out how totally 80's are you at LiquidGeneration!

Can I wait 48 hours to decide my fate?

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 05:46 PM | Comments (6)

WAIT a Minute

I know things are bad, but creating a special purchasers' category strikes me as...well...bad.

...Charlotte is working with the Department of Housing and Urban Development on a program that allows firefighters, police officers and teachers to purchase foreclosed homes at 50% of their listed price.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:09 PM | Comments (4)

Friend of the little people

With his track record, I kind of expected to see Mr. Spitzer's name show up too:

Bill Clinton Link in Ethanol Probe

(SAO PAULO, Brazil) — A team from Brazil's Labor Ministry found "degrading" living conditions for 133 sugarcane workers employed by an ethanol company whose investors include former President Clinton and other high-profile financial players.

At five sites inspected, workers "complained they were suffering from hunger and cold, and all of the locations were overcrowded and with terrible sanitary conditions," according to a statement issued Friday by Jaqueline Carrijo, who led the inspections last month.

Okay, Clinton is a minor investor in a company that is a minor investor in Brenco. That's not much of a connection and not much of an indictment of him. But certainly, as in the case of uberprogressives Mark Dayton, Al Franken, and Paul Wellstone, one who makes a big deal about the little folk and "feels your pain" might want to look a little more closely at his business connections.

Posted by Ken S. at 09:49 AM | Comments (2)

Send Some Prayers

Or good wishes or whatever the hell your outlook allows to one of our bestest buds.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:47 AM

Honor Their Service?

I just got an email from CafePress, whom I won't link to, dressed all up in faux patriotic bunting, inviting me to buy some of their wares and "honor their service in Iraq." The two most prominent ways they feel I can do this is to buy a shirt that says "Peace Love Return" and a bumper sticker that says "Support The Troops. Bring Them Home."

Funny.

I thought the best way to "honor" and "support" the troops is to kill all of their goddamned enemies.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:18 AM | Comments (4)

Hubris

There's really nothing else that describes it. As I've been sitting here this morning thinking about this Spitzer debacle the image that keeps coming back to me is that of Pentheus in The Bacchae: a man who is so sure of his moral rectitude and correctness on all issues that he manages to degrade and destroy himself and those around him utterly. Look at his biography, and especially at the scandals he's been bogged down with since taking office and his manner of treating with people. A horrid, brash, egotistical, well, pig really. HotAir has a nice segment on what a great guy he really is.

Look at his statement yesterday

"For the past nine years, eight years as attorney general, and one as governor, I have tried to uphold a vision of progressive politics that would rebuild New York and create opportunity for all. We sought to bring real change to New York and that will continue.

"Today I want to briefly address a private matter. I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family and violates my, or any, sense of right and wrong. I apologize first and most importantly to my family. I apologize to the public, whom I promised better.

"I do not believe that politics in the long run is about individuals. It is about ideas, the public good, and doing what is best for the state of New York. But I have disappointed and failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself. I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family.

"I will not be taking questions. Thank you very much. I will report back to you in short order. Thank you very much."

What strikes me most about his opening paragraph is his inclusion of the phrase "I have tried to uphold a vision of progressive politics..." This may be the only honest thing he says. His political view, shared by most in his party and sadly by too many on the other side of the aisle as well, is the elitist progressive agenda, where all power and wisdom is the sole domain of the bureaucrats and experts, where it is our Harvard/Yale educated ruling class that knows what is best for us and it is Government's duty to wisely dispense blessings on us, as we are too foolish to decide for ourselves what we need. And woe be unto he who questions the wise government sages!

These people disgust me, these Spitzers, Clintons, Craigs, Cuomos, Corzines, Kennedys, McGreeveys; mostly Democrats it's true but the Republicans all too often fall prey to the same sirens as well of late. Much like any human institution inevitably does, both parties have become corrupt institutions more concerned with maintaining their own existence as opposed to actually implementing a distinct philosophy of government, and that's why there's frankly very little difference between them. Bigger government is better, and they use our money to bribe us. And we let them.

And so here we have another politician coming out with one of these non-apologies, hoping to ride out the storm. This is not some "private matter;" "...doing what is best for the State of New York" requires you to resign. Now.

And it requires us to closely think about who we elect, and how well we are served by these party machines we have allowed to evolve.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:14 AM | Comments (3)

Well, I might as well join the pile-on too

So I was listening to the radio on the way to work and the host posed a survey question to the female members of the show's crew. As best I can recall, the survey question went something like this:

"Suppose your husband came home and told you he had spent $4000 for four hours with a hooker. Then suppose that the reason he tells you this is that he is being investigated and that the story is on nationwide news. Then suppose that he asks you to go onstage with him at a press conference to show your support while he faces the reporters.

"The survey question is:

"What method would you use to kill him on the spot?"

Posted by Ken S. at 08:45 AM | Comments (5)

March 10, 2008

Let's Just Say

..."He has to step down. No one will stand with him," said Rep. Peter King, a Republican congressman from Long Island. "I never try to take advantage or gloat over a personal tragedy. However, this is different.

This is a guy who is so self-righteous, and so unforgiving."

...Richard Cranium, shall we?

Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:26 PM | Comments (11)

So How Will Spitzer's Next Press Conference Start?

My guess is something like "I am an American John."

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 05:16 PM | Comments (4)

Breaking News: Spitzer The 'Ho Man!

Well well well, now we know how jealous you New Yorkers were of us with McGreavey

ALBANY - Gov. Eliot Spitzer has informed his most senior administration officials that he had been involved in a prostitution ring, an administration official said this morning.

Mr. Spitzer, who was huddled with his top aides early this afternoon, had hours earlier abruptly canceled his scheduled public events for the day. He is set to make an announcement about 2:15 this afternoon at his Manhattan office.

Mr. Spitzer, a first-term Democrat who pledged to bring ethics reform and end the often seamy ways of Albany, is married with three children.

I can't wait for this press conference.

Update: Get ready for "Hillary For Governor"

UpdateUpdate: Well, he admitted it in his statement. Hot Air has constant updates.

Update Updated Updatedly: The Smoking Gun has the relevant transcripts.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 02:19 PM | Comments (25)

More Heretics Coming Out Of The Closet

Tim has all the scandalous details of this obviously deranged individual

"Runaway greenhouse theories contradict energy balance equations," Miskolczi states. Just as the theory of relativity sets an upper limit on velocity, his theory sets an upper limit on the greenhouse effect, a limit which prevents it from warming the Earth more than a certain amount.

How did modern researchers make such a mistake? They relied upon equations derived over 80 years ago, equations which left off one term from the final solution.

In the gloried spirit of impartial scientific research, NASA refused to publish his theory.

Miskolczi believes their motivation is simple. "Money", he tells DailyTech. Research that contradicts the view of an impending crisis jeopardizes funding, not only for his own atmosphere-monitoring project, but all climate-change research. Currently, funding for climate research tops $5 billion per year.

I'm shocked.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:12 AM | Comments (3)

March 09, 2008

Rock 'n' Roll Trivia

Not mine this time. KG has a quiz going and it's a good one.

Being a fan from way back (like, from before he died nearly 35 years ago) I nailed all of them except the last one. That, I assume, is one of the ones released well after his death, like "Gunga Din". I'm refraining from answering them for the moment, but please do drop by and answer them if you dare.

Posted by Ken S. at 07:02 PM | Comments (1)

March 08, 2008

Rock 'n' Roll Trivia (Lovin' Spoonful edition)

Well, I spent another bike ride with the Mamas and the Papas. Until I heard the song "Creeque Alley" lo these many years ago, I didn't know that the M&tPs were so closely connected with the Lovin' Spoonful, whose songs I have loved for many years. Well, there's actually one that I'm not overly fond of even though it happens to be their only #1 song. Funny that.

Anyway, I do like these guys and since people (especially Joel) know the connection, it seems apropos to go with them. So here we go:

1) Isn't it a pity that there doesn't seem to be what? [Jim: Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city]

2) I was just 13, a musical, proverbial knee-high. What did I hear? [Greg: Nashville Cats]

3) I couldn't bear to wait an extra minute if you dawdle. So darlin', do what? [Jim (Greg is almost on target):: Darlin' be home soon]

4) I would have loved you anyway, so you didn't have to do what? [Julie amd Greg: You didn't have to be so nice]

5) I'm blowing a day to take a walk in the sun and do what? [Greg has the right song but not the right lyric]

6) Caught up in a summer shower, drying while it soaks the flowers. Who all is there? [Greg: You and me and rain on the roof]

7) Sometimes you really dig a girl the moment you kiss her, before getting distracted. What does her father tell you? [Jim and Greg: Better go home, son, and make up your mind]

8) If it's jug band music or rhythm and blues, just go and listen. What will it do? [Jim: It'll start with a smile which, of course, you won't wipe off your face no matter how hard you try]

Posted by Ken S. at 08:23 PM | Comments (8)

March 07, 2008

Quote of the day

"Go away, Huck. When we want a born-again criminal-loving Bloomberg, we’ll call you."

Posted by Ken S. at 09:23 PM | Comments (3)

Does Nancy and Co. REALLY Want to Take This Tack?

Pelosi points finger at McCain on Boeing

..."My understanding is that it was on course for Boeing before. I mean, the thought was that it would be a domestic supplier for it," Ms Pelosi told reporters.

"Senator McCain intervened, and now we have a situation where the contract may be - this work may be outsourced."

The air force originally chose Boeing to supply it with 100 tankers. But Congress cancelled the deal after it emerged that Darleen Druyun, a former top air force acquisitions official, had held illegal job discussions with Boeing while still negotiating the deal. Ms Druyun admitted boosting the value of the deal to help Boeing.

Mr McCain has pointed to his aggressive investigation into the Boeing deal as evidence that he is willing to stand up to powerful corporate interests.

The tanker scandal claimed the career of former Boeing chief executive Phil Condit. Ms Druyun and Mike Sears, Boeing's former chief financial officer, were sent to jail.

Boeing's arrogance (coupled with complacency and insider coziness) cost them that contract, not John McCain. Corruption in government was supposed to be a rallying cry for old girl, Filthy Harry and Howard, right? They're 'different', 'cleaning out the swamp' kind of politicians, n'est pas? Honestly, they told me so.

But if Pelosi and ~ by extension ~ the Democrats are foolishly willing to feed Maverick red meat to feast on? By all means, wheel in the bloody parts carts and buckle up for safety!

UPDATE: The Democrats in Congress might want to scale back the outrage, period. Or at least refine their argument.

...The uproar over the Air Force tanker award has taken on a protectionist tone on Capitol Hill, with many members of Congress accusing the Pentagon of choosing a French plane over an American one. EADS’ Airbus subsidiary is based in France.

Leading the charge are lawmakers from Washington, Kansas and other states that stood to gain jobs from a Boeing win.

Boeing said the tanker contract would have supported 44,000 new and existing jobs at Boeing and more than 300 suppliers in more than 40 states.

It would have performed much of the tanker work in Everett and in Wichita, Kan., and used Pratt & Whitney engines built in Connecticut.

“By awarding this contract to Airbus, the U.S. government is leading those jobs to the guillotine,” Washington Democrat Patty Murray said on the Senate floor Thursday.

Boeing estimates that about 85 percent of its tanker would have been made in the U.S.

Still, had Boeing won the competition, its tanker would have

used a fuselage made in Japan and a tail made in Italy,

noted Scott Hamilton, an aviation industry consultant based outside Seattle.

...The real reason for the intense anger over the Air Force decision, Hamilton believes, is that it cuts to the heart of a long-running rivalry between Boeing and Airbus.

And anti-French sentiment is compounding the furor to least some degree, with some analysts speculating that the backlash might not have been nearly so fierce had the deal gone to, say, a British company.

After all, Hamilton noted, the U.K’s BAE Systems is a major supplier to the Pentagon and “no one complains about that.”

And nobody has a cow when Boeing sells planes to FOREIGN governments. THAT'S called "competition'.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:23 AM | Comments (8)

The Friday Fuck Off Thread

In a new venue this week through the kindness of Mr. Bingley and THS!

And this week, there are so many fuck offs and so little time. But here's a small list off the top of my head:

Fuck off to corporate dweebs.

Fuck off to my sinuses.

Fuck off to spammers.

Fuck off to the master cylinder on my car, to the tune of $Outrageous.00

Okay, that's enough for right now. Take it away!

UPDATE:Just thought of another one: Fuck off to jackass writers who throw in utterly irrelevant and useless "facts" just because they happen to be technically true and would sound really, really good if they were actually relevant (but aren't). Specifically, I'm thinking of this sentence:

Hydrogen—the most abundant element in the universe—is an attractive carrier of renewable energy.

(My emphasis)

Jeebus.

Posted by Ken S. at 08:32 AM | Comments (33)

March 06, 2008

To paraphrase a current presidential candidate...

"YES, WE CANS!"

By way of my good buddy Julie, who sent along this heartwarming story. [wipes a tear] There is hope in the world.

Posted by Ken S. at 10:36 AM | Comments (7)

The legal system works

And justice has been served:

Big breasts win verdict for Japanese pin-up

TOKYO (AFP) - A Japanese pin-up model says that her big breasts have not only boosted her career -- they also helped her overturn a court verdict.

The bikini model, who goes by her professional name Serena Kozakura, was cleared after a court decided she was too well-endowed to squeeze into a room through a hole, as she had been found guilty of earlier.

"I used to hate my body so much," Kozakura ... "But it was my breasts" that won in court, she said.

Cool.

Kozakura, 38, was convicted last year of property destruction after a man said she kicked in the wooden door of his room and crawled inside, apparently because he was with another woman.

Kozakura had said the man made the hole himself.

In her appeal, the defence counsel held up a plate showing the size of the hole and said that she could not squeeze through with her 110-centimetre (44-inch) bust.

"The judges were very good-mannered as they showed no expressions on their faces. I guess they're well-trained," Kozakura said.

I guess.

Anyway, aside from the titillation (heh) factor, the reason I bring this up is that a listener emailed the following comment to the radio show: "Somewhere, Johnny Cochran is looking up from his location down below and saying...

"If the tits don't fit, you must acquit"

Posted by Ken S. at 09:00 AM | Comments (6)

March 05, 2008

Bummer

Don't you just hate it when things don't go as planned?

AN electronic device designed to ward sharks away from surfers failed so spectacularly during a trial off South Africa that it was eaten by a great white.

I guess it's back to the old depth charges.

Posted by Ken S. at 09:36 AM | Comments (3)

A Test For Obama

A quick perusal of websites doesn't really give any indication where Obama stands on the current mess in South America? You would think the clear potential for a shooting war between Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, with the added potential to engulf much of the continent, might be worthy of mention from someone who is offering "Hope" and "Change" for American Foreign Policy. As Sis linked to below, you've got Chavez sending hundreds of millions to a terrorist group, FARC, that has killed thousands in Colombia and was trying, it seems, to assemble materials for a dirty bomb. Chavez and Ecuador have mobilized their armies and have sent troops to the border with Colombia. Where are the words of support for Uribe from Obama (and Hillary)? It wouldn't surprise me if Obama, instead of calling Chavez the insane dictator that he is, says "Well, if George Bush didn't have us using so much oil Chavez wouldn't have all that money." The sole content of Obama's foreign policy plan appears to be "if Bush did it it's wrong." He wants to sit down at a table and talk to everyone. Now that would make a nice tableaux: Obama, Uribe, Chavez and Correa; hell, why not invite a FARC leader as well, all sitting around a fireplace inspired to sing "Kumbaya" by scout leader Obama.

Perhaps he'll change our motto to "Peace through superior speeches."

Pathetic.

And scary as hell.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:08 AM | Comments (3)

March 04, 2008

Emily's currently hitting him with his other femur

Gotta hand it to him. He's a hard-headed son of a gun.

Ya gotta respect that.

Posted by Ken S. at 11:29 PM | Comments (26)

This Is Just a Test

Harvard gym tests Muslim women-only hours

Harvard University has banned men from one of its gyms for a few hours a week, a move to accommodate Muslim women who, for religious and cultural reasons, cannot exercise comfortably in their presence.

The policy is already unpopular with many on campus, however, including some women who consider it sexist.

"I think that it's incorrect in a college setting to institute a policy in which half of the campus gets wronged or denied a resource that's supposed to be for everyone"...

Of course, it's a private school and they can dang test out any old thing they want. In keeping with the apparent Islamic custom of graciousness and inclusion, an unaffected Muslim student feels free to dhimmi dictate to her fellow Harvardians.

...Student Ola Aljawhary, who is Muslim and works out elsewhere on campus but is not one of the women who requested the change, rejected that argument.

"The majority should be willing to compromise," she said. "I think that's just basic courtesy.

We must show tolerance and respect for all others."

Strange how the argument always works 'round to a bended knee before Islam.

Update: To the commenter from Saugus, Mass, who keeps posting anti-Muslim drivel under different names: Spare us. Go over to Cambridge and say it on the street corner, tough guy.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:00 PM | Comments (17)

Tonight's Bedtime Story

From our good friends at Bloody Scott

A junior schoolteacher, in Wiltshire gave her class a year 2007 assignment... get their parents to tell them a story with a moral at the end of it. So, the next day the kids came back and one by one began to tell their stories.

Katy said, "My father's a farmer and we have a lot of egg-laying hens. One time we were taking our eggs to market in a basket on the front seat of the pickup when we hit a bump in the road and all the eggs went flying and broke and made a mess"

"And what's the moral of the story?" asked the teacher.

"Don't put all your eggs in one basket!"

"Very good," said the teacher."

Lucy, now you.""Our family are farmers too, Miss. But we raise chickens for the butcher's shop. We had a dozen eggs at one time, but when they hatched we only got five chicks.
And the moral of this story is, don't count your chickens before they're hatched."

"That was a fine story, Lucy. Holly, do you have a story to share?"

"Yes, miss, my daddy told me this story about my Uncle Rod.
Uncle Rod is a Harrier pilot in Afghanistan and he got shot down. He had to bail out into Al Quaida territory, and all he had was a bottle of whisky, a machine gun and machete. ...Well, he drank the whisky on the way down, so it wouldn't break, and then he landed right in the middle of 100 Al Quaida rag-heads armed with AK47’s. He killed seventy of them with the machine gun until he ran out of bullets, then he killed twenty more with the machete till the blade broke and then he killed the last ten with his bare hands."

"Good heavens," said the horrified teacher. "What kind of moral did your daddy tell you from that horrible story?"

"Don't fuck with Uncle Rod when he's been drinking."

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:35 PM | Comments (3)

A Couple Pointers for Our Illinois Brethren

1. Ammunition manufacturers would be required to imprint a secret code on cartridge casings so that the purchaser of the ammunition could be identified.
2. When you purchase ammunition, that secret code would be registered to your name.
3. All your ammunition purchases would be registered with the Illinois State Police.
4. You would be responsible for all eternity for ammunition registered to you.
5. It would be in your best interest to destroy all expended ammunition casings because an unaccounted for empty casing could be used to frame you for a crime you did not commit.
6. You would have to surrender all unregistered ammunition you now own to the Illinois State Police.
7. Reloading would be banned.
8. The Illinois Department of Revenue would be authorized to place a tax on ammunition and raise that tax any time for any reason.
9. Taxes and increased manufacturing costs would raise the price of a box of .45 ammo to $200 or more.
10. Gun ownership would become too costly for most people.

It's new ammunition ban bills on their way to an Executive Hearing tomorrow morning. Might oughta wanna call someone about them, if you feel so inclined. Chief Running Tab That 1 Guy has all the pertinent numbers should you fingers need to do some walking.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:00 PM | Comments (5)

Coincidentally...

Nude man in gas-mask at large

Police in Massachusetts are hunting a mysterious naked man, who was seen by several witnesses wandering around town wearing nothing but a gas mask.

...Bingley seems to have gone missing.

...The naked man and his gas mask were next reported when a woman heard her doorbell ring. Looking out through her door's peephole, she noticed that the person who'd rung her doorbell was naked, and wearing a gas mask.

Well, what else would one look through at something like that?

Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:30 PM | Comments (4)

"Uh...Uh...Uh...Um." Redux

Or was it "Run AWAY!!!!" ?
(Mercy beercups to Ann Althouse for the video.)
My reference to PBS calling him out? Here.

GWEN IFILL: Obama's aides denied any meeting had taken place until the Associated Press published a memo written by an employee of the Canadian consulate. Obama adviser Austan Goolsbee, the memo said, did meet with officials at the Canadian consulate in Chicago.

Liar, liar, pantalones en fuego.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:59 PM | Comments (2)

It's Bad News For the Rest of US When Your Sugar Daddy

...is named Hugo.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:56 AM | Comments (1)

The Obligatory "Everybody But Me..."

"...killed my dream!"

Bernanke: More must be done on foreclosures

...One of the suggestions Bernanke made was for mortgage and other financial companies to reduce the amount of the loan to provide relief to a struggling owner. “Principal reductions that restore some equity for the homeowner may be a relatively more effective means of avoiding delinquency and foreclosure,” Bernanke said.

One of the best things I heard all week in a similar vein:

"I can't afford my Ferrari and now my congressman won't take my calls!"

And he won't. But if your homebuying vision version of The New Math went something like this:



...then I guess he's music to your ears. Reality check says "if you couldn't afford it beFORE the mortgage lender penciled in some magic earnings number, you still can't." Which doesn't make it his fault you're greedy and stupid. And it doesn't make it my civic responsibility to bail you out.

I wanted a Ferrari, too, dammit.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:24 AM | Comments (10)

Hi, Still Alive

"It Comes in Pints?" is currently experiencing technical difficulties, as many of you have noticed. The Lovely and Talented BlogGoddess Emily is on the issue and, if I'm reading the situation accurately, is at this very moment beating a corporate dweeb over the head with his own femur. I'll keep you all apprised of the situation.

In the meantime, the Lovely and Talented Mr. Bingley has graciously offered some space here should a synapse actually fire properly in what passes for my brain. And I think one may just have done so:

Oop, no. Just gas.

Posted by Ken S. at 09:01 AM | Comments (10)

March 03, 2008

A Crisis of Faith

...I could really get behind.

After almost five years of war, many young Iraqis, exhausted by constant firsthand exposure to the violence of religious extremism, say they have grown disillusioned with religious leaders and skeptical of the faith that they preach.

In two months of interviews with 40 young people in five Iraqi cities, a pattern of disenchantment emerged, in which young Iraqis, both poor and middle class, blamed clerics for the violence and the restrictions that have narrowed their lives.

"I hate Islam and all the clerics because they limit our freedom every day and their instruction became heavy over us," said Sara Sami, a high school student in Basra. "Most of the girls in my high school hate that Islamic people control the authority because they don't deserve to be rulers."

Atheer, a 19-year-old from a poor, heavily Shiite neighborhood in southern Baghdad, said:

"The religion men are liars...."

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:30 PM | Comments (1)

"Uh...Uh...Uh...Um."

That would be me doing my Barrack Obama imitation at his impromptu news conference today. Silver tongued devil he weren't sans tele-prompter. Then the word "skitter" comes to mind, because that's what he does to exit the stage. To a collective catcall from the assembled press. (Link from ABC World News as soon as available.)

And you could really be in trouble if the first thing that happens on a PBS Newshour broadcast is that they basically call you a liar, then reprise your halting, less than messianic press conference. (Link as soon as transcripts available.)

Yoy.

Get me some popcorn.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:24 PM | Comments (9)

I Can't Imagine Being On This Plane

Well, actually, having been in the car when THS was driving in the 70s I think I can...

The second attempt went a bit better.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:54 AM | Comments (13)

March 02, 2008

Lab And Brussel Sprout: A Tragedy In Two Acts

Did you ever get really frenetically excited by something...especially when you first got it, thinking this was going to be the

BEST

THING

EVUH

Only to be crushingly disappointed once you got your teeth into it?

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:53 PM | Comments (10)

What I'm Drinking Tonight

Well, last night daughter was out of town on a ski trip with the youth group at church, so I decided to make mussels again, since Daughter doesn't care for them.

And whoa Nelly did they turn out yummy

But what to drink with them?

Well, I have to admit that I have a soft spot in me for rosé wine, and I thought I'd give this one a try

I know it looks like some sickly sweet pink grenache/white zinfandel type thingy, but trust me, it ain't. It is the Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2006. I think it was about $10, and it really went quite nicely with the mussels. It has, as you can see, a very bright strawberry color and some nice strawberry/pomegranate berry flavors with some light tannins that give it more structure than you might think, but again rosés in general have that, which is why I like them with dishes like this.

Definitely worth buying a few more of.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:05 PM | Comments (3)

March 01, 2008

When I Said I Lived With Wolves And Trekked Across Europe...

...as the orphaned child of Jews killed by the Nazis what I meant was I stayed in Brussels the whole time

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- A Belgian writer has admitted that she made up her best-selling "memoir" depicting how, as a Jewish child, she lived with a pack of wolves in the woods during the Holocaust, her lawyers said Friday.

Misha Defonseca's book, "Misha: A Memoire of the Holocaust Years," was translated into 18 languages and made into a feature film in France.

Her two Brussels-based lawyers, siblings Nathalie and Marc Uyttendaele, said the author acknowledged her story was not autobiographical and that she did not trek 1,900 miles as a child across Europe with a pack of wolves in search of her deported parents during World War II.

The author apologizes for any confusion that this may have caused.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:17 PM | Comments (18)