Griffon's Lair

A Straight Flush beats a Full House...

2009-04-02T20:46:00.004-04:00

...and the force of Congress beats the Chicago Machine.

Just a piece of advice to our Sociopath-in-Chief. The Chicago Machine may run Chicago, but Chicago is only a city. Congress runs the entire country. I shouldn't have to spell that out for someone who's so 'intelligent' and 'bright' but...

Actually, I'm acting against interest here. Because if you take my advice, it means I'll be missing out on one delightful wave of schadenfruede when Congress grinds you into a little pile of pink paste because you thought you could play Chicago Ball in the Big House.

(Per Karl Rove's article about 'keeping score' Chicago style)

Hat Tip to the Master.

Srsly. WHAT WERE YOU -THINKING-!?!

2009-03-23T17:42:00.004-04:00

Wachel Lucas complains about the (lack of) broadband connection at her 'flat' in Britain.
Not that I keep tabs on her or anything, but when did she move there, anyway?

At the end she says:

Just do not give me advice on this issue or I will cut you.

No, Dearie. Wouldn't dreeeeaaaam of it.
The only advice I would give you is too late to be given:
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY! --DON'T--MOVE--TO--ENGLAND!!!!!

Tip o' me 'att to: Sifu McCain

"What's Important is that we teach our children the fundamentals now,"

2009-03-21T14:33:00.004-04:00

...So that they can be successful in whatever nightmare scenario that they may find themselves in!

Onion News Network (the last honest network news outlet) asks:

Are Violent Video Games adequately preparing children for the apocalypse?

We all knew those hours in front of the screen were a profitable way to spend our time:

playing video games all day alone and friendless is simply the best way that we have to prepare our children for a life of solitude in a barren wasteland.

Lesson at the feet of the Master

2009-03-20T22:15:00.005-04:00

As I am a recently inducted disciple into Sifu McCain's Blog-fu Academy, I take every opportunity I can to show I've learned a lesson. In this case, Shameless Obedience to Rule 2.

So when the Wise and Powerful Master hands the keys of his blog over to Dr. Freaking S. Goodblog, PhD, and said doctor says to link his post (and tell Smitty you linked it), That's what I DO!

So there's the link (right above). And soon followeth from me the email to Smitty.

UPDATE (next morning): Well, I got my link from the good Dr. Which is kind of a mixed blessing (as many things in life are).
~On the one hand, he posted my email verbatim!
~On the other hand, it was posted under this heading:
Update II: How not to do it when emailing smitty
~On the third hand (yeah, I'm weird like that) I attracted the notice of the Master himself and received this (see comments of this post):

Robert Stacy McCain said...

Righteous fu!

March 21, 2009 12:53 AM

So young padawan, what have you learned today?
I learned that Smitty is a very good platoon Sergeant (I know, he was Navy, but go with the metaphor here). One of his jobs is to be firm, even harsh, to make sure the lesson sticks. This also gives the lieutenant a chance to look good by coming along with a kind word to lift you back up.
I also learned this: Sifu McCain may be bold and brash, and may even seem 'scornful' of his padawans, but the proper response of a padawan of the Blog-fu Academy is not to grovel, but to be bold and brash in return. I can DO THAT.
Absorbing this lesson has earned me much experience. Perhaps I will level up soon!

Correction: By all that is FU, I -WILL- level up soon! Doubt me not on this.

Silver lining? Well, aluminum lining maybe?

2009-03-20T21:36:00.002-04:00

or, Pining for the 'Good New Days'

So, just scroll down a bit and read some of my recent articles. Hit up my blog grand-father. Check out some links off The Blogfather. You know things are going crazy with this administration, and things that current 'lawmakers' have been doing for decades are coming to fruition (in the sense of deadly nightshade in bloom, that is. I know, it's not quite a fruit...gimme slack).
Yeah, it's making my head spin, and yeah, I feel like I'm going to drown off the vomit that is always hovering right at the back of my throat.
But sometimes, I read the subtext of some of the articles and I feel that the hubris and overreaching is so overwhelmingly bald-faced that maybe the pendulum will swing back. Swing back fast, and swing back -hard-.
Wouldn't it be nice if in 2010 the buzzword after a sweeping Republican wave of victory is "it'll be a long time before we let those guys get their hands on the power to do that to America again." And then in 2012 the same refrain is repeated and upheld as we swear in President Palin? It would sure be nice if 'liberal' and 'Democrat' became dirty words in America for a while, rather than 'conservative' and 'Republican.'
Perhaps that's the silver lining to all this. The sooner we get this orgy of destruction over with (because it IS going to happen), the sooner we can start cleaning up the aftermath get our heads back on straight again, and rebuild.
Of course, spend a few minutes over at this site, and the silver in the cloud starts getting obscured again...

On Death

2009-03-20T21:02:00.004-04:00

Conservatives all know that Ron Silver has died.
I barely knew anything about the man. I definitely know who he is, and I know I've seen him in tons of movies (no, I haven't seen -all- of these). But every time I think of him, I remember him as the clones in that one movie...
(My recollection that it had Charlie Sheen in it too was rather vague, but looking up the link confirms it.)
I also knew that he had taken a huge risk in stepping out for George W. Bush in 2004. In fact, when I watched the convention that year and saw him, I was shocked. There are very few actors who admit to conservative leanings. I didn't know he was (well, had become) one of them.
Anyway, a couple fellows who knew him well, take a few minutes to remember him.
On another note, the Blogfather points out that this man has also died.
Now him, I didn't know at all. Never heard of him. Although oddly enough there is a connection in that I lived in Colorado Springs for a year, and even recall the intersection that they mention where his accident occurred.
I watch this remembrance, and I read this article, and a familiar melancholy overtakes me.
It's a regret that I didn't know these people. Obviously, there would have been little chance that I would have personally known either of these two, and why should they have ever known me? But just the same, I feel the poorer that I never did.
I've gone to memorials of people that I didn't know very well but for some reason I was connected second or third hand, and when the folks would stand up and talk about their departed loved one, that feeling would come over me. I'd kick myself. Why, oh why hadn't -I- taken the time to get to know them that well? But obviously, you know who you know; you don't know who you don't know.
Does anyone else get that feeling? Does everyone? It happens to me each and every time someone I 'know' dies, and even sometimes when the write-up is so well done about a person I don't know at all.
Wow. Didn't I just go all emo.

Postscript: I tried to search on the web to share a specific hometown example I was thinking of, but had no luck. In the searching, I stumbled across an obituary list from my old town's paper, and discovered another example. Never knew the man (and also never ran afoul of him), but heard his name frequently throughout the couple decades I spent there. Huh. Too bad I never knew him.

Save Amy Alkon!

2009-03-18T21:41:00.003-04:00

I'm adding her column to my blogroll, because Amy asked Dr. Helen to ask me to.
I would have done it for Amy directly, but I read it on Dr. Helen's blog first.

In fact, I'm adding Dr. Helen, too.
If you're a man, you need to be reading them. They are two of the very few women out there who actually are rooting for our half of the species to survive.

If you're a women, you need to be reading them. 'Cuz our half of the species wants to survive. And I'd hate to see you in a position to be sorry we are gone.

Cheers!

I -REALLY- wanted to fisk MoDo.

2009-03-18T21:02:00.004-04:00

That would have been a great way to start my personal quest to adhere to Rule 4.

But, oddly enough, I'm mostly okay with her current column.
1) She's actually -poking fun!- at our Sociopath-in-Chief!
2) She correctly points out that Obama can't even get outraged unless a teleprompter tells him to.
3) She's talking about capitalism like it's good thing! That's way more clear-headed than I ever expect from her...

The only thing that stands out to me is that she (like everyone else) is WAY too focused on those piddly bonuses, allowing herself to be distracted from the nearly 100 BILLION dollars that went straight out of taxpayers pockets, thru AIG and right to France and Germany. Not to mention that none of us would have had to worry about where this money was going if we never gave it to them in the first place.

This is more what caught my eye:

Geithner, who comes from the cozy Wall Street club, and Liddy believe it’s best to... keep on board the same people who invented the risky financial tactics so they can unwind their own rotten spool.

Of course Geithner believes that! It's the same kind of attitude that got him on at the Treasury. The idea that even though he's a disgusting Tax Cheat, only he could plot the course for American economics in these troubled times. Riiight.

Isn’t that like giving bonuses to the arsonists who started a fire because they alone know what kind of accelerants they used to start it?
“Their mythology starts with the false premise that these are irreplaceable geniuses,” says Cuomo.

Careful there, Cuomo, you're hitting Geithner a little too close to the jewels with that one.

Sigh. I'm sorry, Blog-grandfather. I'll try to do better on the rule 4 action next time. I promise.

Zero Hour. or: Sitemeter is evil

2009-03-18T20:31:00.003-04:00

Stacy McCain warned me. (this graf is buried in the rule 2 section of the post...)

Every beginning blogger confronts the Zero Hour. You've been blogging steadily for a week or two, sending around e-mails, trackbacking where you can, trying to develop some kind of regular traffic. And then, late one night, you think you might have finally composed your first Instalanche-worthy post and you e-mail it to Glenn Reynolds. You go to bed like a 7-year-old kid on Christmas Eve, then wake up at 4 a.m. and check your Site Meter to discover that your latest hourly traffic is . . . ZERO.

At which point, you want to swallow a handful of sedatives, wash it down with a quart of bleach, slit your wrists and stick your head in the oven. You are a complete and utter failure.

Clever S. Logan hinted at it too:

Where were we? Oh, yes, blogs as babies. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that the two are similar in every way. Just most every way. Once you begin blogging, you enter a veritable time warp (they grow up so fast!), then there are the necessary (checks clock) 5:34 a.m. ~~feedings~~ postings, and last but not least the joy you receive from watching it grow. And, by "grow," I mean habitually checking your Site Meter and announcing to no one in particular—because the room is empty—“Whoo-hoo! Two more pageviews ... Oh, wait, I think those were from me.”

(Although, for the record, setting sitemeter to ignore my own visits is the first thing I did. The only thing worse than getting no hits at all would be to realize that all the hits I'm getting were only me. )

But I thought I wouldn't succumb to it. I know I don't get read. I only added the sitemeter account to explore the technology that was being talked about.

But now I've experienced Zero Hour. Makes me a little trembly...
Fortunately, having already read about it, and how to press through it, I'm doing (mostly) okay.

And, whoever it is out there in Shawnee, Kansas that has checked back in here three days in a row; Thank You! I'll have something new up for you in just a few minutes.

AAArrrrggghhhh!!!

2009-03-16T21:07:00.000-04:00

So, I was going to start this post out as a rant about our Sociopath-in-Chief. And how sociopaths, who by definition have no conscience, will change their tune at will.

For which, I would present exhibit 2,547,329:

Administration is open to taxing health benefits

Because, as even this article mentions, it's a direct flip-flop from what Obama espoused on the campaign trail. Remember: a sociopath will say whatever it takes to make you do what they want.

All that is the easy part. So consider it ranted.

So in reading the whole article, I'm given another reason why I guess I'm not a republican...

The administration’s receptivity to the idea is owed partly to the advocacy of Mr. Baucus, whose committee has jurisdiction over tax policy and health programs, and to support from Republicans. (emphasis, disgustedly, mine)

and:

Those who want to tax benefits in whole or in part make two main arguments. They say the tax exclusion is a generous subsidy that insulates employees from the true costs of health care, leading them to demand more of it and driving up overall costs. Critics also say the policy is unfair because it favors higher-income people. “It’s too regressive,” Mr. Baucus said. “It just skews the system.”

Generous subsidy? It's PART OF MY COMPENSATION!! Every year, my employer sends a booklet out to -each- employee (all 35,000 of us) outlining just exactly how we're compensated. My healthcare insurance is listed with an exact dollar amount showing me just why I'm not getting paid more cash per hour in wages then I am. For many people (based on anecdotes from my HR people) the -benefits- are often a bigger motivator than the hourly wage. I think we're all aware that our health care plan is valuable and costly.
And again, since when is -not- being taxed, a SUBSIDY?!! -not- being taxed, is the government stealing less of MY MONEY. And on those rare occasions I do take advantage of my HARD EARNED health care benefit, I still have to pay a co-pay. And/or a deductible. And if I need a prescription, it's a generic or my copay is higher. Correct me if I'm wrong (and I'm not) but charging more if you don't choose the generic, and having to pay co-pays/deductibles -are- ways to encourage the managing of costs.

Here's another case of where people hear what they want to hear. You've been thinking the government is always pointing the finger at someone other than you. So you're just fine with the government 'sticking it to' whoever it is they're talking about.
Well I don't know if you noticed or not, but any of you out there who have an employer provided health plan? -You- just became "higher income people." Why, that's only one step away from... well, that's practically "THE RICH". All you greedy, employer provided health-plan having fiends! YOU'RE WHAT'S WRONG WITH AMERICA!!!
Yeah, government, STICK IT TO ME! Er. THEM!!

...And here's the sad part (and where schadenfreude exacts a karmic 'comes-around' cost). If you read the article, you'll find that it's going to be democrats and (spit) unions who are going to be fighting to keep employer paid healthcare tax exempt. Ghaaahhhh.

The Song is Ended (but the melody lingers on)

2009-03-16T20:04:00.002-04:00

So, have you thought about this?

I don't do MMORPG's myself. I have a tough enough time accomplishing things in meatspace, I'm not going to pay actual money on a monthly basis just to feel guilty that I'm not achieving online.

But, I do have this blog that I'm trying to kick into gear. And I'm sure over time I'll be making more online connections. So the article got me thinking.

And by the way, I googled the lyrics to make sure I quoted the title of this post correctly. I've never actually heard the song, but holy crap! When you're thinking about the subject of death, and then you read those lyrics, wow. Something gets caught in your eye there, just for a second...

Speaking of Schadenfreude...

2009-03-16T19:36:00.002-04:00

Picture me dancing like Snoopy. Nose in the air, ears flapping, paws thumping against the ground.

SEATTLE - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which has chronicled the news of the city since logs slid down its steep streets to the harbor and miners caroused in its bars before heading north to Alaska's gold fields, will print its final edition Tuesday.

Die! Die you disgusting Libtard Agitprop rag! Die!

Well, not yet. They're going 'online only'. Which means actually, that if they do it smartly, they could actually be the first major city newspaper to successfully change their model. If you're a fan of Hugh Hewitt, you know for years he's been telling the same thing to any newspaper that will listen. So perhaps I'm premature on this.

But, there is this little blurb, too:

The (Seattle) Times, which also has been losing money and cutting jobs, has long sought to end the joint operating agreement, arguing it threatened the survival of both newspapers. However, ending the deal could be problematic because now the Times will shoulder losses alone during a weak economy... (emphasis and parentheses mine).

So to the Times I say:

Die! Die you (other) disgusting Libtard Agitprop rag! Die!

:-)

And now we get to Josh Marshall...

2009-03-16T19:13:00.003-04:00

Umm..You know, he mostly has a point here, if you ask me...
Especially this line:

I don't believe the bonuses themselves are the heart of the matter...

But three things:

Number 1:

We're collectively taking our country's future in our hands, spending vast sums of money to keep these companies from suffering the consequences of their own folly...

-We- are not collectively taking our country's future in our hands.
Let me fix that for you:
The Government has taken control of our country's future, using our (stolen!) money.
There, much better.

Number 2:

...it fuels the impression that the whole enterprise is not what it seems, not what we've been told, that in addition to picking up the tab we're being played for fools.

okay, duh. Welcome to the party. Does the lump from that cluebat hurt much?
And...This is kind of a mirror in a mirror thing going on. If Josh's assertion is actually correct here and AIG is playing 'us' for fools, then what really happened is AIG played the government for fools. "We" have already been played for fools by the government. Well, more like suckers. Patsies? Whipping boys? What's the word here, really?

Number 3:

...and what makes it such a dangerous moment for the White House -- is the jarring image of the administration's impotence.

Hey, no rebuttal here. I agree. The administration is impotent. And incompetent.
Schadenfreude? Me? No.
Well...actually, really; no. Because I'm here paying for all this crap right along with the head-cases that back this administration.

Uh oh. I'm creeping into that "I want him to fail" territory, aren't I...? Eh. More like walking proudly.

O.B.A.M.A.

2009-03-16T18:43:00.003-04:00

Was emailed this today. Yeah, we tried to tell you all....

(click pic to embiggen)

Another BRILLIANT idea! Not.

2009-03-16T18:05:00.003-04:00

So Aaron Zelinsky, whoever he is, chimes in with his little take on how the 'AIG Bonuses' should be handled.

Larry Summers: Stop the AIG Bonuses. Yes you can.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner should direct the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to challenge the AIG bonuses as unreasonable compensation under the Internal Revenue Code. Finding the AIG bonuses to be unreasonable compensation would render them nondeductible for federal tax purposes, and would strengthen potential shareholder derivative suits to recapture The Great AIG Giveaway.

So, instead of the money going out in bonuses, it's going to go straight into lawyers' pockets to cover the expenses incurred when AIG defends itself?

Well, If America is going to use taxpayer money to ultimately fund attorneys (even more than they already will be), may I humbly suggest that we just cut out the middleman? If I must have my (stolen!) tax money go to an attorney, then I humbly suggest we write a check to Hugh Hewitt, and one to Glenn Reynolds. (shouldn't forget Ron Coleman).
Wouldn't -that- be the Mother of All Hits to the tip jar? Hey, you've got Griffon to thank for that one, guys! Love ya!

Again, we have some pogue missing the forest for the trees. AIG giving money out in bonuses is not the issue here. It's the fact that no taxpayer money should have ever been put in a position to be used this way! How about we rescind the rest of the bailout? Stop throwing good (stolen!) money after bad!

What do -I- think about this AIG stuff?

2009-03-16T17:57:00.001-04:00

I think it's time to stop here for a moment and tell you about my perspective on the whole AIG bonuses thing.

Frankly, I -am- outraged. But my outrage goes way back before this.

I personally don't blame AIG at all for this.
The only reason anybody at AIG still has a job, and is therefore in a position to get a bonus at all, is because our Nanny State, thieving, bloated government stepped in and stopped the process of natural selection. If the government had just stayed out of this, like should have been the case from the beginning, AIG would be gone now, and taxpayer money wouldn't be involved.
By handing over a huge chunk of (stolen!) cash to AIG, the government told AIG that instead of folding, they would still be a going concern.
Well guess what? Going concerns conduct their business!!!
Going concerns pay off their debts.
Going concerns meet their contractual obligations.
Going concerns give the bonuses to the people they owed bonuses to.

Yeah, nobody should be getting bonuses. The firm should be GONE.

Yeah, I'm outraged. But it's not at AIG. I'm outraged at our government for all of this.

See, this is why it was a baaaaad idea...

2009-03-16T17:47:00.002-04:00

But no...
Don't listen to us. Again we see the consequences of the Liberal fantasy that "bad things aren't your fault." That it's government's role to save you from yourself.
Come on. You act surprised? You act shocked? Shocked?
Did you ever stop to think that maybe when a drunk guy staggers out of a bar and asks you for some money, he's going to take that money and go inside and buy another?
And you're going to act surprised?
Ass.

PS. I have to giggle here a little bit.
Obama vows to Try to block bonuses.
hehe. The Sociopath-in-Chief. The "most powerful man in the World" is going to...try.
You go, you! Because as a Liberal, I know: it's not whether you actually accomplish anything or not. The validation of you as a person is in the 'try'ing.

Ooooh. Hey everybody! Mark this down:
I Griffon, vow to try to win the Tour de France this year.
I Griffon, vow to try to land on the moon this year.
I Griffon, vow to try to cure cancer this year.
There, I feel so much more validated already!

I guess triviality is a matter of perspective...

2009-03-16T17:32:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to direct your attention to this article:

...Too much attention on triviality distracts us from critical decisions...

so:

2% of a disgusting spending bill is 'triviality'

1/10 of a percent of a bailout is cause for outrage...

hmmm.
I know I'm poking fun here. Some may say there's an obvious difference...

I say there's no difference at all: Squandering 2% of a sum acquired by generational theft from American citizens is just as outrageous to me as 1/10 of a percent of a different sum acquired by generational theft from American citizens. Because, you see, it's all 100% disgusting, 100% criminal, 100% outrageous.

UPDATE: Guess I'm not the only one who notices the Outrage discrepancy. Deeper detail there, too.

Barney Frank. Epic Fail. Again.

2009-03-16T17:14:00.001-04:00

Let's read the words of Barney Frank, from this article today:

Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, earlier Monday charged that the move to pay bonuses amounted to "rewarding incompetence."
"These people may have a right to their bonuses. They don't have a right to their jobs forever," said Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat.

Also:

Frank said he was disgusted, asserting that "these bonuses are going to people who screwed this thing up enormously."
"Maybe it's time to fire some people," he said. "We can't keep them from getting bonuses but we can keep them from having their jobs. ... In high school, they wouldn't have gotten retention (bonuses), they would have gotten detention."

Huh. You know, we don't have to look to high school for the example here (and by the way, it's an awfully strained comparison, just to get a soundbite that rhymes...).

Here Barney, let me fix that for you:

"In a capitalist system, failed companies go out of business. They wouldn't have gotten bonuses. Their company would have crumbled out from underneath them and they'd be unemployed right now."

Too bad America doesn't operate a capitalist system anymore, huh Barney?!
Ass.

AIG Reaction

2009-03-16T16:33:00.006-04:00

Clearly you've heard by now that AIG will be paying bonuses out to executives. This is a problem for some because AIG just got handed a fat wad of cash, stolen from you and me and given to them by the government.
Some people don't know what to write about, and quit their blog. Me, there is so much to write about, I don't know where to start...which makes me want to quit my blog!
Well, I can't let my blogmother down. And Stacy McCain is always an inspiration to look to for what writing can be like, and how writers keep on writing.
I thought about making one big post about all the AIG crap that I've been seeing spew forth. But, each point is so juicy to me I don't want it to get lost. So I'll be making a series of posts.
(Barney Frank, I'm looking in your direction. You too, Huffington Post! I'm not leaving you out of the mix either you, you, Joshua Marshall you!)
Stay tuned this evening!

(updated to point the Huffington Post link to the right story...)

Huh. Maybe I'm not a Republican, then...

2009-03-14T20:34:00.005-04:00

Republican Principles:

I'm a Republican Because...
...
...
...I believe the Republican Party is the best vehicle for translating these ideals into positive and successful principles of government.

Hmmm. Well that's not really true I guess. It's more like I believe the Republican party is only slightly less overwhelmingly hostile to the principles I believe in then the 'Democrats.'

But that too is becoming less true when the likes of Meghan McCain, David Frum and David Brooks style themselves Republicans.

I'm not a Republican, I guess.

This is the way the world ends...

2009-03-13T22:23:00.004-04:00

Okay, look. Go Here. Read it all. Believe it.
Or don't. Your disbelief won't be my problem if this guy's right.
It will be yours.

Added to my blogroll.

About our new Lord and Messiah...

2009-03-12T19:48:00.005-04:00

In my daily perusal of Stacy McCain's blog, he mentions this blog, by Cynthia Yockey. In reading that blog tonight, I came across a couple articles that explain Barack Obama pretty well, and also give some insight into why so many people are drinking his Kool-aid.

Don't do what I did, and ask questions in the comments of the follow-up post, only to read the root post and have your question answered. Oops.

Here's the more recent of the two posts: "The chilling explanation of why Obama is Cool," prompting me to comment after reading it:

How do you get the duped to wake up and recognize the sociopathology they’ve been suckered by?

Here's the original post: "Understanding Obama."

In it, she answers my question...

The best thing to do is educate everyone possible about what he is and how to resist him — OMG, especially members of Congress and the press — thwart him at every turn and then get him out of office as soon as possible. Sooner is better.

She also writes in her comment section of that original post:

Please help me educate as many people as possible by e-mailing your friends to ask them to read my posts on Obama’s sociopathy. Yes, I know it’s traffic for me, but the more people who understand Obama the more everyone will know not to take the bait he puts out because it ALWAYS has a hidden hook.

So, asked and answered. And here I am, taking her very sound advice.

Click here!!

and then,

Click here!!

Small update: I'm adding a new label to my blog. Sociopath-in-Chief.

List of the day (no, not one every day...)

2009-03-10T21:09:00.005-04:00

So I'm over at Wil Wheaton's place, reading that he's going to take a bit of a break while he focuses on the current stretch of a book he's writing. He leaves us with some tidbits including this:

Hey, this'll be fun: you can have any four classic arcade games in the world. Maintenance and cost aren't a factor, and there's no ROM swapping. Which ones to you pick? It's really tough, but more fun if you don't spend a ton of time thinking about it, so it's right off the top of your head. Here are mine:
1. Robotron
2. Spyhunter (sit down version)
3. Galaga
4. Tempest
You also get one pinball machine. I pick Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Well, I wasn't much of a pinball player at all, so I'm going to pass on that. But I'll bite on the 4 arcade games:

1: Williams' Defender
(For some reason I always remember not just the title, but the company...)
2: Tempest
(I was really going to say this, even before I got to his #4)
3: Super Cobra
(I remember the game vividly, fuzzed on the title; had to look it up)
4: Tutankham

Amended: I take it back, for pinball, I say Quicksilver. Wow, pretty old school compared to Wil's pick. But, it's the one I played!
I'm labeling this post under wish list, cuz yeah I'd take any one of these in working, stand up form!

That'll teach me!

2009-03-10T18:21:00.006-04:00

So, I was following a link from Stacy McCain, to the blog of one of his blog-children. I posted a little comment there, and left my URL for this blog. It occurred to me that since I haven't posted in forever, and never did add The Other McCain to my blogroll, I might as well come over here and do that.
Well, in what seemed like only minutes, the first comment on my blog, ever (except from my brother) comes rolling in:

S.logan said...

Jeremy,
Glad to see you added Stacy! As you said, his influence can't be underestimated. In fact, he's the one who got me embroiled in this blog thing just a few days ago, and already I've managed to be called "sweetits" and a "heartless child-hating blogger." Ah, well, such is life. I look forward to checking in with you often!

You see what she did there at the end; right?
Just when I thought I was out, they PULL me back in!!!

Well, actually, I wasn't 'out'... It's just that so many other people say things so much better than I do, and there's always something else I'm engrossed in, that I never end up blogging.
But, S. Logan is indeed clever (and subtle, huh?). So here I am, trying my hand again. I never really had a 'blog parent.' I was following some blogs, my brother had one, I wanted to do a couple posts, so I started one. So, I guess I'm going to dub Ms. Logan my adoptive Blog-Mother. Let's see if her influence and (guilt trips) motivate me any better!
You see what I did there at the end; right? :-)

Long overdue addition to the blogroll

2009-03-09T17:41:00.003-04:00

Cast your eyes over to the right column briefly, and you'll see a shiny new addition to my blogroll: The Other McCain.
I've been reading him on a daily basis for at least a good 6 months now. Considering my last post was in September of last year, it's probably no surprise to see that I'm tardy on my blogroll updating as well.
Stacy McCain is currently a freelance journalist in the DC area. (I guess those of us who don't originally hail from Washington State would say he's "in Washington." But since I'm from Washington (state) he's 'in the DC area.' Suck it up.
Speaking of where froms, Mr. McCain is from the South, specifically Georgia and I gather, Alabama. As a recently repatriated citizen of the Great State of Georgia, it's nice to read his mentions of and passionate defenses of the South.
Stacy McCain has quickly become a large influence on me and my thinking about politics, and Conservativism in general. He takes over that spot from Hugh Hewitt. I still appreciate good Brother Hugh, but Stacy's got a fire that Mr. Hewitt just can't match lately, and that resonates much more with me. Check him out, and blogroll him: WOLVERINES!!

Topping off, and other Evil rituals

2008-09-30T07:30:00.005-04:00

Well, no other rituals except topping off, actually. But you've got to have a grabber title, neh?
When I told a friend in the Northwest that we were out of gas down here, her glib (thoughtless) reply was: "Self fulfilling prophecy. Everyone thinks they're going to run out of gas, so they run the place out of gas." My reply, which shut her up, was "If that were true, how come it's only the southeast that's run out of gas? Are you saying only people in the southeast were concerned about gas after Ike?" Mind you, this was -right- after Ike. Nobody in the southeast, or anywhere else in the country, knew how the pipeline system in the southeast worked. We're out of gas in the SE not because of a panic-run on gas. We're out because there's NO GAS in our pipeline!!

So anyway, the new meme being trotted out -now- in the southeast is that "If people wouldn't keep 'TOPPING OFF' there wouldn't be a shortage." Riiiiiigghhtt.

Little math exercise for you folks: If 5 people need 10 gallons of gas a week each to do their business, that's 50 gallons. We'll assume work-week only, and drop Sat/Sun from the equation. So that's 2 gallons of use each day, per person. Okay, everyone still with me?

So, if each person fills up once a week, that's a 10 gallon load each day, 5 days a week. We'll assume that only one person per day 'fills up.' And everything's hunky-dory and big bad old Ike didn't hurt us. Nyah-Nyah.

But here comes the new scourge in the land: the "TOPPING OFF" behavior. .

Now, instead of filling up once a week like good little prols, our new shredders of the fabric of civilization TOP OFF each day, to keep their tank full. (The horror!!!)

So let's do the math on this new Dark Ritual: 5 people a day, 2 gallons each a day. 5X2= (wait for it)
TEN GALLONS LOAD EACH DAY!!!! (AAAARRRRRRGGGHHHH!!!!) NO!!!!!! The Horror. The Horr... uh. Wait. Hmmm.... Let me go back over that. Hmmm. So, ten gallon load a day under 'fill up' mentality. All good okay.
"TOPPING OFF" mentality: Ten gallon load each day... Hmmm. No, that can't be right. "TOPPING OFF" is evil. It's destroying the very fabric of our civilization. All the smart analytical people say so. How can this be?

I must have made a mistake in my equation somewhere. After all, the daily load for topping off behavior just couldn't possibly equal the daily load for fill up behavior. That would mean there's no difference. But topping off is EEEEEVIL!!!
Yep, I must have made a mistake in my analysis somewhere. Let me get back to you.

That 70's show...

2008-09-30T07:04:00.002-04:00

Wow, I was born in '73, so you can guess I don't have much first-hand memory of the historic Gas crisis and shortages of that decade. How nice of Hurricane Ike to give me an opportunity to experience a gas shortage of my very own. Thanks Ike!
As I understand it, the southeast is fed its gasoline from one large pipeline that runs through Alabama, Georgia, up the Carolinas and into Virginia. When Ike came through nearby (oh wait, no, it was way over in TEXAS!!!) it caused damage to some refineries in the Gulf. Well, a large number of the refineries that feed our pipeline (from way over in TEXAS!!!) were damaged and/or shutdown in preparation/aftermath of Ike. So the flow in our pipeline has been a bit less robust than we'd like it down here. There -was- a reserve, and it flowed in the wake of the storm. But our pipeline is still well below capacity, and not all refineries are repaired and/or online. So since Ike, we here have seen 'rolling' shortages or outages of gasoline.
First, the price spiked up to about $5/gallon. A couple places got really enterprising and cranked it to $6. Actually, I'm not -necessarily- saying that was gouging. The problem could have looked severe enough in those first hours that scarcity would dictate such a price. Wisely, that price didn't last. It dropped down (well, relatively). Mostly gas has been running in the neighborhood of $4 here post-storm. Of course, a lot of the stations have been running out over the past couple of weeks. Some of the 'lesser' chains have been dry since about day 3, not having the clout or the network to wiggle their nose into the trough lately. If you read my blog-post just previous to this, you recall it was about the high price of diesel in comparison to gas.
Over the summer, diesel did 'index' in relation to gas, and was higher than any of the 3 gas grades. Prices for all grades plus diesel started dropping as summer waned (and as President Bush started pushing for more drilling. Instant 30 cent drop that day, my friends!). Well, diesel settled out at about $4.19 and then Ike hit. All gas grades spiked as mentioned above, but diesel held at $4.19. So just for a while here, I've found myself in the odd position of paying less for my petroleum product then others were.
Now, diesel's in the neighborhood of $4.29 and regular grade gas is around $4. So the situation has returned to 'normal' as far as 'indexing' off each other goes.
Ah, but here's the wrench in the works: everyone wants gas, and keeps running it out. Nobody wants diesel! So needless to say, the wife and I have been able to have a bit different perspective on this gas crunch compared to others...(whew!)
The Augusta area took delivery of some pretty good shipments yesterday, so I'd say about 40-50% of the stations in town have gas (one grade only though: regular). Most of the stations out of gas still do have diesel though. Of course, my take is that this was our 'turn' in the rotation. So what we've got in town, is what we've got. It will run out again. "They" say that shortages in the southeast (affecting the aforementioned states plus Tennessee) will go for a good couple more weeks at least. The Mrs. and I should personally be okay. Our diesel has enough in it to get us to work and back for 30 full days right now. We aren't making any extra trips, and all errands are going to be completed on the way back home from work.
Oh what's that? Haven't heard much about this situation? Hmmmm.... Actually, the only reason you may have heard anything at all is because guess where CNN's HQ is? Yep, Atlanta, GA. Even so, I would have thought that gas outages and hour to 2hour long lines in a significant chunk of the country would have gotten more play than it has. What's the deal with that, anyway?
Blame? Oh yeah. Since we haven't built a refinery in 30 years, none of the ones we currently have are in that great a shape to handle rough storms, and there's no redundancy for situations like this. So look to the Don't-Drill-Democrats if you really must lay blame somewhere. But then again, you can't ever really blame a Democrat for anything because nothing's ever their 'fault'. Fault implies failure or wrongness. Democrats are never wrong and never fail. It's just that America lacks enough 'will' or 'strength' to ensure the proper outcome from enlightened Democrat policies. So wait, I guess it's the fault of the american people directly that southeast cars are pretty thirsty right now...

The price of tea in... I mean, the price of Diesel in Detroit

2008-09-30T07:00:00.001-04:00

Well, not just Detroit, but the whole U.S.
I am a sucker for the alliteration though.

Read this article for a perspective on gasoline and diesel price drivers in the U.S. then come back.
When I started this blog post, it was several months ago; much closer to the byline of the article I linked. Obviously post-Ike events (especially here in the Southeast) have 'changed the game' for now. But just keep this article in mind when you think about all the wheels within wheels that turn when it comes to oil policy. Growing up, it was always understood that diesel was much cheaper than gasoline. Of course, 'nobody' liked the smell, the noise of the engines, the waiting for the glow plugs to heat up before cold-starting, and the fact that consumer offerings in diesel cars were grossly underpowered and sluggish.
So lately I've become a big fan of diesel, and purchasing my first one in service to that fandom. In the intervening years, diesel technology has improved the cleanliness, reduced the noise, and the wider-spread embrace of turbocharging has solved the power/sluggishness problem.
As with all good things, a government agency has to come along and muck it up. With the advent of the ultra-low sulfer diesel, it is now more costly per gallon for diesel. Also, the new formulation does not have as much 'energy' per gallon as the older diesel formulas. So now in addition to paying more per gallon for mighty D, you get less miles-per-gallon from it. Double-whammy.
Notice in the article this passage:

Until then, refiners don't want to produce more diesel from the less costly heavier crude because that would also mean more gasoline--

So in this case, the refinery capacity is not the limiting factor; there's 'will' involved in determining whether enough diesel will be available and at what price.

Keep this article in mind to help widen the field of facts when you consider petroleum politics in the world and in the US today.

"Headed for" rough times!?!

2008-09-30T06:31:00.004-04:00

Dean Barnett:

Suffice to say that if our banking and financial system doesn't recover its
footing, the overwhelming consensus is that we're headed for very rough times.

Headed for? Headed for? We're already in rough times. When the housing bubble has burst, when the Fed had to step in over the last year and drop the prime rate multiple times, when a Chicago Machine politician is -this- close to the White House, when the current (Republican!!) president is spending like a drunken sailor on shore leave the night before a suicide mission, when the (supposedly) best and brightest financial minds in the World can come up with only one "solution" to a problem {Just throw all our money at it; maybe something will stick}... brother, we're already IN rough times. (And if you're in the southeast like me, not being able to find any gas in the pumps isn't helping.)

The point, however is not that we're in rough times. Frankly it looks to me like these are the times "we" built for ourselves. The question is whether we're heading for Depression or not. I'm not so sure of that myself, but let's at least acknowledge that any actions (or inactions) taken at this point will not be in order to -avoid- rough times, but rather to mitigate them...

New post at my place

2008-05-30T15:40:00.002-04:00

I know my bro' has asked me to post something. Well I don't have something new here but I did just put something up, after a long delay, over at my place. It addresses something that Griffon and I were talking about a couple of weeks ago, namely the purpose of the superdelegate system in the Democrat primary process, and why it's purpose probably won't be fulfilled this time around.

Take him at his word? You have got to be...kidding!

2008-05-27T07:05:00.003-04:00

So, it's funny how everyone gets so hung up on what politicians say. I (of course) see this a lot in regards to Barack Obama. Most of his supporters kind of lose speed in describing him after they get past the whole "he's so inspiring" riff. They try to describe him as this fictional character of moderation, who's a friend to all and understands everybody's problems. But then you look at his record, you look at his longtime, close associations, and it all unravels (if you're not drugged, blind or completely taken over by Bush Derangement Syndrome).
I continually see commentators stating that they'll "Take him (or her) at their word." That's funny. How can these hard-boiled political commentators even utter that sentence with a straight face?
Let's make one thing perfectly clear: You can NEVER take ANY politician at their word. You have to look at their behaviors, you have to look at their record.
Yes, that goes for Barack Obama. That goes for Hillary Clinton. and YES, it also goes for John McCain! "Fine, I'll build your wall first if that's what you want" is NOT a statement to be taken seriously based on McCain's previous record toward illegal aliens (and also based on some of his more recent statements).
McCain is deeply, deeply (deeply) flawed as a conservative (if really conservative at all). But, he's what we've got. And a vote for anybody but John McCain is a vote for the Democrat to win. And whatever you don't like about John McCain, Obama and Clinton have all those bad traits too, and worse!
Make no mistake, the vote for Presidency is not (and maybe never was) a place to 'vote your conscience'. It is a vote to keep the worst person OUT of the office. Wouldn't it be nice to have the luxury of a wonderful person that aligns with your values run for presidency. If that happens at all, they either get slaughtered in the primary, or they're from a third party. Well boo hoo. The primary system and the two party system are what we HAVE. So get over yourself and realize what I said above. You don't get to 'vote for the man/woman, not the party' in the big show. You get to vote AGAINST the most horrible candidate. Any vote outside the two parties, is a vote for the worst of the two. Congratulations, look what you just did. (disgusted look in your direction)

I've been linked!

2008-05-27T06:32:00.004-04:00

In reading Likelihood of Confusion this morning, Mr. Coleman reviews his Blogroll policy.
One thing he mentions is that if you add him to your blogroll, he (generally) will link back. He further clarifies that broad statement in his post. It got me curious, so when I checked out his blogroll today, I'm on it! Eek!
So on the one hand, I'm used to nobody looking at my blog. On the other hand, blogs are all about generating traffic for people to expose themselves to your writing (so all the cool kids say, anyway). So there we go: My first (as far as I know) listing on somebody's (other than my brother's) blogroll. Perhaps I'm taking this whole blogroll analysis too far (no, I'm neeeevvverrrr accused of taking things too far) but it's nice to be added by someone that I didn't ask to add me. And not that I know the man personally, but over the time I've read his blog, I've come to have a great deal of respect for Ron Coleman. So it's an honor.
If you haven't checked out Likelihood of Confusion, go take a look! I first encountered this blog through (I'm sure) Instapundit, back near the beginning of when Mr. Coleman started his blog. I am Not a Lawyer, but I really enjoyed (and continue to enjoy) the way he writes about law. He now has a more general interest blog as well called Likelihood of Success, that I'm adding right now to my blogroll. He's been adding more pictures lately on both blogs, mostly LoS. Some great views of New York, and other places his profession has taken him.

For all you Haters out there...

2008-05-18T15:23:00.006-04:00

If you're one of those people who just can't live their lives without hating some group of people, and blaming all the world's problems on them, don't despair.
When they tell you it's not okay to hate black people...
When they tell you it's not okay to hate jewish people...
When they tell you it's not okay to hate psychotic islamic murderers...
When they tell you it's not okay to hate women...
When they tell you it's not okay to hate gays...

You'll still have those Stinkin' FAT PIGS!!!

And here you were worried. Nope, rest easy. You can always hate the obese.
I mean, come on: The food humans eat, how it's gathered, the availability of it, the content of it, have all changed over the centuries.
Diseases we had barely heard of in the past are now as common as dirt (diabetes anyone? Arteriosclerosis? -or is it atherosclerosis..?-)
Hey, when you were crazy or loony in the past, you were just crazy. Now, it's not 'being crazy' that causes OCD or schizophrenia or Manic-Depressiveness. It's a chemical imbalance.
But...BUT!!!
There couldn't possibly be any reason in the world why as time goes on and lifestyles, habits and food changes, it might account for some people being fat. No sirree. It's just greed. Lack of self-control. Laziness. Glad we got that settled.

Read the whole thing, and then read the comments, too. We don't have to re-hash the argument in my comments section (but I won't stop you). It's all there. And when you say that black people and women can't help how they're born, I'll agree with you and assert the same thing right back to you about certain people who are born into the world of today with genes that just can't hold up against today's lifestyles and food components. And then we could debate whether jewish people, psychotic islamic murderers or gay people can help what choices they make in life (or whether their beliefs/behaviors are genetically inescapable). And when you bring up the loonies, we can talk about how in the past the research wasn't there yet to show that it was quite often a physical condition that they were helpless in the face of. They were just nuts. Well, now the research (and the medicine) is there.
But when it comes to those disgusting, selfish, sweaty, dirty porkers who can't keep their mouths sewn shut, the research is coming out about them, too. And some highly effective treatments, too. But nobody knows except the fat people that there's help for them, too. Because nobody cares. "After all, isn't it obvious? The solution is right there! They could all be skinny just like me if they weren't lazy and selfish; if they just ate less and moved more."
And most of the fat people don't know it yet, either. After all, why should we do them a good turn and try to help them out by telling them this good news? Especially since they're responsible for global warming, and are killing everyone, including the polar bears...
Heck, they deserve to be stuck in their misery. And hopefully they'll die soon of a heart attack so the rest of us can be rid of them...

oh, yeah. Hat tip to Instapundit (as always)

Buy now before the environmentalists sue you

2008-05-18T10:57:00.009-04:00

So my wife and I picked up our second vehicle yesterday:

1996 Chevrolet Suburban 2500, 6.5L Turbo Diesel

Our little contribution to global warming, and trying to "keep up with the Gores-es" as far as our carbon footprint (heh) goes.

Good God! Why?!

Well, vehicle #1 is a 2005 PT Cruiser. okay mileage, actually very roomy, and also surprisingly capable of hauling a lot of cargo. But. We own a home now, and there's already been several times we wanted to haul something large home from Lowe's, etc. that we couldn't. So we wanted:

~Cargo space, and the springs to go with it

~Covered. Very hot here, but when it rains, it FREAKIN' RAINS!

~The above two points mean we can sleep in it instead of a tent when camping. (Have I mentioned the wide variety of critters and plants in Georgia?)

~Good at pulling (boat maybe? camper? cargo trailer? small building?)

~Diesel. Mmmm. Homebrew! (also, surprisingly good mileage) *NOTE: Biodiesel is quite commonly made from used cooking oils. NOT food supplies. That's ethanol. Corn ethanol BAD. Biodiesel GOOD!

UPDATE: Corn Ethanol GOOD!!!

This vehicle will get me to work and back when we're not commuting together, and it's got all of the above "~'s" covered. And actually, it gets around 16-17mpg city, 23mpg highway. Since my commute (10 whopping miles in total) is mostly highway, it should be on the higher end of that.

Besides, fuel prices -will- go down again, despite what everyone is whining.

Plus, it's been a long time since I've been able to satisfy my gearhead tendencies. Diesels, including the 6.5L Detroit, are very tweakable. The neat thing about a diesel is that unlike gas engines, modifications that increase horsepower and torque have a peculiar tendency to also increase their fuel economy!

Oh but wait! It gets worse!!

2008-05-18T10:32:00.003-04:00

The author of this piece thinks they're makin' a funny. But it's really not funny at all. They are however, very close to what's really going to happen.

It's not the 'libertarians' who are going to sue to try to stop government projects. It's the environmentalist whackos who are going to sue businesses every time they try to do something that involves a federal permit. See Hugh Hewitt's blog and search around a bit for polar bear articles to catch up.

Hattip: Instapundit

Georgia Governer does the right thing

2008-05-15T07:12:00.003-04:00

Here are two articles in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (h/t: our friend Insty)

The big item for me (and all freedom loving Georgians) is the signing of HB89 into law by GA Gov. Sonny Perdue. The law takes effect July 1.

My blog is not as full as it could be because there is always so much to say, I don't have the 'time' to say it well, and/or I get 'overload paralysis.' I'm forcing my way past that on this one.
Read both articles, then come back and check out these bullet points:

~Law abiding citizens will not commit crimes now that they can bring their guns more places without getting in trouble. They didn't commit crimes walking down the street with their gun concealed. They won't (and I WON'T) commit crimes sitting on a bus with a concealed gun, or sitting near alcohol with a concealed gun.

~It's disgusting to have so little faith in your fellow man that you think you need a bulletproof shield in order to drive law-abiding, armed citizens around on your bus. Let me say it again, Disgusting. That belief is disgusting. You holding that belief disgusts me.

~It's not a restaurant worker's business to worry about whether you're carrying or not if you order alcohol. The law-breaker is the one breaking the law in that case, not the restaurant worker. In fact, you'd better not ask the table if anyone at it is armed, because it's none of your business. A law-abiding gun-carrier won't shoot you at any time, and a criminal who is carrying would only lie anyway. Remember, it's the criminals who commit crimes, not the gun.

~Why is it that as a bartender you'll happily give one drink to a patron, and then wave to them as they cheerfully get into their car, and drive past hundreds if not thousands of citizens in an impaired condition, but put a gun-carrier -near- alcohol and "We're all gonna die!!!"?

~Everyone is always worried about the poor. Well the poor have just as much right to protect themselves as anyone else. But wait. The poor use public transportation. Ah! Can't take that gun on a bus to go shopping. Well now you can. Congratulations, GA Republicans and Gov. Sonny Perdue. You have done more good for the poor today than most 'programs' the nanny state comes up with ever will. And. It didn't cost the state ONE. DIME. Plus, it works by doing what Americans should (but don't) already be doing naturally: Empowering people to TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES!

Gotta go. Radarrider: Add an update! We both could go on forever on this, and we probably should!!

MUST...HAVE...

2008-04-17T09:13:00.003-04:00

via Instapundit:

The new EeePC (9")

Pretty much every point the reviewer made is one I was wondering about. Good to hear every change made.
~Bigger Screen
~More Memory
~More storage (and still solid state-excellent)
~Same Size/weight (generally)
~Not much more expensive
Battery life (as they mention) is the only downer for me.

I'd go for the 20gig version (screw Windows).

Perhaps by the time I can free up the funds, the Atom version will be out and I can see what that has. But I'd get this tomorrow if I could. Heck, Today!!

Recycling

2008-04-17T08:10:00.004-04:00

I come from a town that has won national awards for it's recycling program, and the residents' participation in that program. As this link points out, things are a bit different here in Richmond County, GA...
When we got here, my neighbor told me that the solid waste division would be issuing recycling bins soon, so I kept that tucked in the back of my head. In the meantime, we ran out and bought a rubbermaid tub, wrote "RECYCLING" in big letters on the lid, and we fill that up each week and drop it at the curb on pick-up day.
Stumbling across that article linked above, in the paper version of the Metro Spirit, reminded me that bins were on the way, and confirmed that they'd arrived. So a couple days ago I gave a call, and last night my shiny new recycling bin was dropped off. I'm very pleased; it's a full size bin, just slightly smaller than our trash bin, with a big label on the top explaining exactly what you can and can't recycle here. The label is more specific than the link, and informs us that styrofoam of any sort, and plastic bags are a no-go, but that empty aerosol cans are golden (I never knew)! As noted, no glass currently. As the Metro Spirit rant points out, us lazy Augustans don't even have to sort!! (so how much easier can this get?!) Actually, I'll be happy to sort if it comes to that.
My trip on the road of recycling has been a slow one. I started out with the 'recycle? Screw that' attitude. Over time it became 'well, if a bin is the same place as the garbage, I'll use it.' I then moved to the 'I'll hold on to these recyclables at my desk, and drop them off in the recycling on my way down the hallway.' Recycling at home (a series of apartments) has varied depending on the facilities provided.
I didn't realize how 'hooked' I was on recycling when available, until we got here and found that there are no recycling bins anywhere. It's amazing the psychological pressure I had to fight against as I dropped an aluminum can into a plain old garbage can.
So now, we have our snazzy new bin which will sit out with the garbage bin. If you explore the solid waste site I linked to above, you know that in Richmond Co, trash is picked up twice a week. Recycling is once a week. Our current pattern is (pleasingly) low waste: We take the trash out probably every fourth or fifth time, so maybe a bit less than once every two weeks? We take our recycling bin out every friday (it's about 15 gallon, maybe?). So now we'll keep that tub in the pantry, and every so often take it out to the bin. So now I imagine we'll haul the bin down to the curb on a similar schedule as the garbage. Maybe a bit more frequently. Like all the literature and websites say, most of what we get rid of is recyclable, so we'll be using that more than the garbage bin. Yea! Again overall, I'm very pleased at how (relatively) little waste OR recycling my wife and I generate from our house.

And another thing about Obama's 'misspeaking' (ie: TRUE BELIEFS)

2008-04-14T08:55:00.007-04:00

From Obama: People feel like Washington’s not listening to them, and as a consequence, they find that they can only rely on the traditions and the things that have been important to them for generation after generation. Faith. Family. Traditions like hunting. And they get frustrated.”

That's his 'clarification.' Let's review his remarks (same link):

“It’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations,” Obama said at the fundraiser.

He never meant that people look to their foundation to sustain them. He meant exactly what he said. He thinks that if people felt Mommy government was treating them "right" they would stop 'cling'-ing to their guns, religion, 'racism', etc...
It's right in that final sentence: '...as a way to explain their frustrations.' The causal connection in his mind is clear (and delusional) no matter how he tries to untangle himself from himself later on:
People are frustrated.
They want to expain that they're frustrated.
They cling to guns, religion, etc.. to explain their frustration.

(Never mind the fact that people who believe in religion, and people who believe in their right to be ARMED, etc... would believe that and hold it dear whether they are frustrated or not).

It could be argued that the 'anti-immigrant' and 'anti-trade' sentiment truly would not be so strong if people weren't bitter, but that only reveals more about what Obama truly believes. He believes that guns and religion are no different than xenophobia or racism.

And what about that 'bitter' anti-trade belief anyway? Obama is building his platform squarely on the back of an anti-trade policy. So does that mean that Mr. Sunshine and lollipops is just as bitter as he thinks Americans are? (Clinton's doing the same thing, mind you).

"Guns" = GUNS!!!

2008-04-14T08:36:00.006-04:00

From Obama: ...So it's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion, or antipathy to people who aren't like them, or anti-immigrant sentiment, or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Note he said "GUNS." He did NOT say (at that time) "...Traditions like hunting. "
He said GUNS.

*Let's get one thing straight*:
The assault on the 2nd amendment that is taking place in America today is not about "...Traditions like hunting." The 2nd amendment -nowhere- speaks of 'traditions' or 'hunting.' It refers to ARMS and it refers to SECURITY.

The defense of the 2nd amendment that is taking place in America today is not about "...Traditions like hunting." It is about ARMS and it is about SECURITY.

So when someone talks about how they believe in "America's foundation on hunting" or the right of Americans to "hunt like their forefathers did" they are telling you that they DON'T believe in the 2nd amendment, they don't believe in the posession of GUNS (either as hunting tools or as ARMS) and that they are a LYING GUN GRABBER biding their time with a head-fake until the political winds change enough that their true colors can show again.

My Masters Rant

2008-04-10T08:09:00.002-04:00

So, I have a big problem with the Masters Tournament. I'm not a big sports fan in the first place but I've played a bit of golf, and enjoyed it (as long as the greens fees weren't too much, sheesh!).
My problem is not so much with the MT, but with my new town's strong identification with it.
Okay, economically, the MT is HUGE for Augusta, but psychologically is what I'm talking about. Augusta is working hard to advance as a city. Beautification, reclamation, positive attitudes, growth, expansion. They're all only just now taking root.
But every time someone from this town talks about what makes this town great, the first thing that gets trotted out is the MT. One of the big drags on this town's progress is that a lot of people feel the advances don't include them (whoa there, Griffon, easy on that po-mo 'progressive' talk fella!). But seriously, we *are* a community, and we do need to know that our lives in the town are getting better. Otherwise, all we get is more negativity and bad-mouthing from our residents.
So our showcase, our crown jewel, is a sporting event held at a *private* club (I should say, exclusive club). So for the rest of the year, nobody in the town but members can get in. The event is a golf event, which is not a very accessible sport for most americans in the first place. It's primarily (primarily, alright? NOT exclusively) a 'rich guy' sport in a lot of eyes. Secondly, to get into the MT itself is not general admission. For the first few days of the week, 'tickets' are available. But only a limited amount. You have to put your name into a lottery up to a year in advance, and not everyone who wants to get in, can get in. The second half of the week (thu-sun) is the actual tournament itself, and here is where it really gets good: Only people on the 'list' get 'invited' to come to see the MT. So if you're not on the (very exclusive) list, you don't even get the opportunity to purchase an entry 'badge.' The only way you can get in without winning the ticket lottery or being on the badge list, is through scalpers (wait, this is the Mahh-sters Tourhhh-nament. They're not scalpers, they're 'brokers'). And when you're dealing with a 'broker', the sky's the limit on pricing. Big bucks.
So how does this make the residents of Augusta feel like they're part of something in their town? (uh, it doesn't). Now, I'm not saying we should drop the MT, heavens no! But it sure would be nice if the people of Augusta (and the officials of Augusta) could refer to something other than the MT when talking about reasons to be proud of the town. How about the -Beautiful- Savannah river running right by downtown? The Riverwalk is a great installation on the banks of the river, and is/can be, a wonderful attraction. What about Fort Gordon, a center for advanced Army Signals technology? A bastion of freedom/defense, right here in our town? How about the delights of bordering on another -beautiful- state; the Palmetto State: South Carolina? Two states for the price of one! The Augusta Canal? You can take a tour boat up and down the canal and learn about the history of the surrounding area. There are a bunch of mills in this town, some have been restored/re-purposed, and some more are slated for the same. (any other ideas, readers (uh, reader)? Come on!!)
Oh, and another thing, sure James Brown lived (near) here. But James Brown is not Augusta, any more than the exclusionary golf tournament is. Mention them, yeah. But can we highlight other things that can make *ALL* (well, most) Augustans feel like they can be a part of it?

Masters Week

2008-04-10T08:02:00.003-04:00

So yes, it's "Masters Week" here in AugustaGA. Actually, it's not been a madhouse at all. To recap, I live on the southside, work on the NW side, and the course is on the east side. So my straight shot up 520 (Bobby Jones Expressway) has been uneventful. In fact, the roads have been *less* full in the evenings when I go home. I saw a statistic that said about 25% of all Augusta residents LEAVE the town during Masters Week. So apparently, that reduces traffic in all areas *except* around the Augusta National Course. Hey, works for me. The only real evidence it's Masters Week is I have seen a few signs along the road asking to buy and sell tickets, and a few people holding signs with the same sentiments. Today, the -actual- Tournament starts, so we'll see what that does. Morning commute was no different today however.
The one bummer for me is that the 2nd run movie theater my wife and I have started going to is 2 blocks from the course. So no movie for us this week. The only one we want to see right now that's showing there is Jumper. It should hold for another week though. We never had a cheap theater in our previous town. So we didn't go to the movies much. It's very cool to see a movie together for 4 bucks total. 10 if we get a tub-o-popcorn. $1 matinees on weekends makes it even better!

Pool update

2008-04-10T07:58:00.003-04:00

So follow my reasoning here: There's an outlet at the bottom of the skimmer box that goes through underground piping to the pool pump/filter. I had the pump shut off, removed the skimmer basket, and studied the still water. Not even the tiniest particle sucked down the outlet drain. Secondly, with the pump on, the primary load on that piping system, from the pool to the pump, is a strong vacuum. So in addition to pulling water from the pool, it would tend to pull inward on any leak in the pipes, right? So while the pump is running, water should *not* leak out of those pipes between the skimmer and the pump, right? Hmmm...
Also, I cleaned up around all the filter apparatus over the last two days, so I could have a clear view of all the 'appliances' as well as all the above ground piping by the filter. I ran the pump overnight, and there was no evidence of leaking in the above ground portion. The concrete pad, and the dirt the pipes travelled over, were dry. Hmm...

Yep, it's leaking

2008-04-07T08:15:00.002-04:00

In a previous post, I worried about the possibility that my swimming pool is leaking. Well, the bucket experiment turned out weird, and a huge rainstorm didn't help. This weekend, I fired up the filter and worked on cleaning out leaves, etc...
I left the filter on for about 24 hours, and in that time, my water level dropped several inches. So I'm pretty sure there's a leak, and I'm pretty sure it's somewhere in the pipe system. Before or after the filter, I'm not as sure of, but I have a feeling it's before. So now I call the pool people and find out what I'm in for...

About my blogroll

2008-04-01T08:24:00.005-04:00

Hello Boys and Girls! I've started out (like any good blogger) with some links to other bloggers in my 'blogroll'. Let me explain the links that are there right now. I also will add a new article with the label 'blogroll' whenever I add a new blog. So you can always know a bit about why I've added such-and-such a person to my blogroll. Yea! Let's begin:

Instapundit: Duh. If you blog, you -must- know about The Blogfather, right?! right?! As with a ton of other bloggers, a lot of what I blog about will come from following links off his site. Heh. Indeed!

MountaineerMusings: The home of 'Sarah K.' I used to read IMAO but don't lately. No slight intended, I just don't go there right now. Anyway, a while back, the proprieter of IMAO, Frank J, held a contest for who would be the "IMAO T-Shirt Babe." Frank sells a bunch of different t-shirt designs and wanted a model. So a bunch of his readers sent in pictures and (I think) essays. Frank lived in Florida, Sarah (the winner, and continuing Official IMAO T-Shirt Babe) lived in Texas. So I linked through to Sarah, and started following their friendship, courtship, and eventual engagement. It was sweet. I like seeing couples in cutesy love. It reminds me of my relationship (wherein we continue to get asked "are you newlyweds?". I say "Yep, we've only been married 9 years so far, that's pretty new!"). Anyway, I lost touch with the blogosphere for about 1.5-2 years, and now that I'm recently back, I still keep track of Frank and Sarah, but primarily through Sarah's blog. Hey, I keep meaning to ask them, but why did they end up leaving Florida in the first place? They're in Idaho now, BTW. Funny, I thought it would be nifty to meet them someday, and GA being so close to FL, it seemed like 'it could happen'. Well now I'M in the south, and THEY are in the NW. Oh well. don't know 'em anyway, so it's not really a tragedy...

Hugh Hewitt: For some reason, this link doesn't often work from my workplace computers. Don't know why. My home computers plus PDA's reach it just fine though. During the early 'oughts (2001-2004 or so) this was (it still is) a great site for conservative thought. It kept my spirits up when the crazies in the country (democrats/liberals) were trying to surrender the WOT before it even started. I credit Hugh Hewitt for solidifying a piece of my political ideology: in a race between a D and an R, you -have- to vote for the R. Because whoever has the majority, gets to set and lead the committees; All of them. So 'I vote the man, not the party' is a cop-out, and a politically damaging practice. So since the L's (libertarians) don't get much play in the 'office holding' game, it's R for me. The beautiful thing is, nearly all D's hold some deal-breaking (non-)values that I find completely repugnant. So it's usually pretty safe for me to vote for the most disgusting R over the most virtuous (appearing) D. Thanks Hugh!

Likelihood of Confusion: Ron Coleman self-styled "IP Maven" (Intellectual Property). I refer to him as the 'Rockstar of Patent Attorneys.' When he started his blog, I think I found it via a link from Insty (duh. Isn't that how we find it all?!). I really liked/like his writing style and his topics, and the way he can make legalese entertaining. If I ever (God Forbid) get caught up in an IP case, I hope hope hope I could have him represent me. Probably very high-priced though. Not that I can blame him. I think he's brilliant; certainly worth the price. He has a 'personal' blog as well; Likelihood of Success. I read that too.

Whew. There's my first installment!

More than you want to know about pools

2008-04-01T07:59:00.006-04:00

Here's the first in a series of articles I'm going to put under the 'homeownership' label.

So, the house we bought has a 18X36 foot, rectangular in-ground pool. When we first started looking for houses, I didn't want a pool. In fact, like many, any time I saw a listing that mentioned 'pool' I just moved on to the next one. Don't get me wrong, I like swimming, I like pools. But! I like backyards more. And in nearly every case I've seen, a pool tends to take the place of a backyard. Well, this property has the pool tucked in the far back corner of the lot. So there's plenty of room for driveway, yard, and workshop in the back as well.
Anyway, we 'opened' the pool a few weeks ago. That means unplugging the sealed up drain lines, bringing the water level up to full, taking off the winter cover, and generally cleaning up all the 'nature' that collects on and near the pool in the winter. It's early to open compared to normal around here. This pool has no heater, so it's (still) only about 56 degrees. I wanted to open early though, to get used to caring for the pool and give it a 'shakedown' cruise before it gets hot around here. This way everything will be in tip-top shape before we -really- -need- it. Plus I'll be doing any tweaking of it while it's still cool and I'll be calm instead of panicked. Well, for some reason based on how fast the water level was going down, I've gotten it into my head that the pool has a leak. There are "3" places your pool can leak: the basin itself, the drain lines between the basin and the pump, and the return lines from the pump to the pool. There are some tests which you can do to help isolate where the leak is. (google would be your friend here; try 'finding swimming pool leak'). The first test is to determine whether your pool is leaking at all. You can't just see the water level go down and say 'yep' leak. Little bit of physics here: Air is not comprised of 100% water where as water in a pool -is- comprised of 100% water (I are smart). So obviously, evaporation will take place to some extent, thus your pool level will -always- be going down. So what 'they' recommend is to put a bucket in your pool on one of the steps, and fill it to the same level as the pool. As the pool water evaporates, the bucket water will evaporate proportionally and stay at the same 'level' as the pool. If the pool level goes down faster, you've got a leak! Well, that's happening to me, but not as fast as I thought it would. I'm not completely confident I set the experiment up correctly... So I'm still a little unsure if I've got a leak. But, working on the assumption that I do, the next step would be to isolate it. The first thing to do for isolation is block all routes of the water out of the pool. That means re-install the winter plugs for the drain (which is in the bottom of the 'skimmer'; that nifty gated thing at surface level on the side of any pool). Also re-install the plugs for the return lines. If you're still 'leaking' then it's coming from the basin. Which would suck. If it stops, then the leak is in your lines, which would suck even more. And in my case, the lines happen to go under the foundation of my poolhouse. By the way, 'digging' is the term for how you get to leaking lines. So what if it's under the poolhouse? Oy vey!
I'll keep y'all posted. Hopefully, I'm wrong in my methodology and there is no leak...Pray.

Would that be 3 degrees of separation?

2008-03-31T18:05:00.000-04:00

1-I'm in Augusta; he was in Augusta
2-He's at Trinity United; Wright was at TU
3-Wright knows Obama.

Forget Kevin Bacon, I'm only 3 degrees away from the New Massiah!! Me, your typical white person...

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/033108/met_192943.shtml

I'm sure you'll find it no surprise the direction the comments section goes at the Augusta Chronicle page for this story. But check out the newspaper's site a bit. You'd be amazed. My fellow Augustans can read a story about installing street signs and show how the project is just another racist undertaking.

Ooh! Ooh!

2008-03-21T11:45:00.001-04:00

New meme!

California weighs in. As usual, their input not needed.

2008-03-21T08:43:00.008-04:00

via Wall Street Journal's Best of the Web Today:

"Body Piercing: Don't Get Stuck With a Toxic Stud"
If you, or your beloved offspring, are determined to pierce, California offers a comprehensive list (.pdf) of what's safe. Think surgical-grade stainless steel or titanium, niobium, gold that's 14 karat or higher, solid platinum, or dense synthetics such as Teflon (PTFE). Sterling silver, nickel, and other metals often used in inexpensive jewelry won't do because they can spark allergic reactions.

If you're the typical instant gratification type we seem to be breeding in this country, it's already too late to take CA's advice because you won't read this article anyway, and didn't think about the kind of shop you chose in which to have your work done.
If you're a *responsible* person who understands that ALL actions and choices could have consequences, then you don't need CA's advice because you already did (or will do) your research, and know to select a shop that takes their profession very seriously. You will already know that things like surgical-grade stainless steel, titanium and niobium are what to look for, and your shop won't carry gear made of sterling, or nickel, or anything that's not in the 'recommended' list above. (and you'll know about their autoclave sterility certificate, their health dept. inspection report, and their general "clean room" practices also; things this article didn't even mention).
Thanks California; as with all Nanny state actors, you are irrelevant, self-aggrandizing, and wasting your taxpayers time and money.

"Go forth children, and decorate (intelligently). "

The body is a temple. Have you ever seen an unadorned temple? ;-) (source of quote unremembered, sorry)

Uber-link for Body Modification: BME-zine
~Body Modification E-zine covers ALL aspects of body modification. Step lightly if there are things you do not want to see or know about. Because it's ALL there. You should be able to only expose yourself to the things you want to research, however.

What media bias? Part the umpteenth

2008-03-20T21:05:00.004-04:00

Yet more proof that the media is biased against Republicans:

The list of examples goes on, but the bottom line is that in the early days of their scandals, Vitter and Craig were labeled as Republicans on every broadcast news program — 100% — that mentioned their wrongdoing. For Democrat Spitzer, four out of five news programs (80%) have skipped his label. On NBC’s Today and Nightly News through Wednesday night, reporters never once acknowledged that Spitzer was a Democrat.

Of course, it should come as no surprise given the results of a survey of journalists and news executives:

Only six percent said they considered themselves conservatives and only two percent said they were very conservative. This compares with 36 percent of the overall population that describes itself as conservative. Most journalists, 53 percent, said they're moderate. 24 percent said they were liberal and eight percent very liberal.

And yet there are people out there who are shocked, shocked! that conservatives don't trust the media.

H/T Mike Hendrix

You'll get your trial by fire in two weeks

2008-03-20T20:50:00.004-04:00

That's what my colleague said to me today. You see, my wife and I moved here to Augusta, GA last October (from WA state).

What happens in Augusta in the beginning of April?
Some highlights:
~Locals describe the town at that time as a Zoo.
~Many residents plan their vacation for that week in order to be out of town.
~"Don't go out to eat that week; all the restaurants raise their prices" they said.
~"In the next few days, when you see a sign that says 'Golf Traffic' that's a road to avoid during that week." they told me.
~"My landlord is paying us all $1000 each to be out of our apartments that week" a friend says. (Leaving behind 2 beds, dressers and some sheets is required).

Luckily, we live on the southside, and our workplaces are on the northwest side. The course is on the east side, near the Savannah river. Hopefully it will be 'less bad' in the areas we'll mostly be.
He's right though I guess; We'll get our trial by fire in two weeks!

Hillary Clinton: 'Democrat Party un-American'

2008-03-20T09:05:00.004-04:00

Well, not in so many words, but...
So tell me, why are you even in a party whose rules you don't believe in?
Oh wait, I forgot the code-wording:
When a Democrat says un-American, they mean 'against the beliefs of the Democratic party'. When a Democrat says un-American about Democrats, they mean 'against the beliefs of ME'. There, now I've set myself straight on that one.

Really, what else could Obama have done?

2008-03-20T08:13:00.000-04:00

So Obama's pastor of 20 years finds out what it's like to live in the age of video. There's a lot of commentary out there on Obama's speech this week, 'answering' for why he's been a member of this church and exposed his family to this Anti-American and racist belief for so many years, and why he looks up to Wright as his spiritual mentor.
Of course, what he *should* have done (and what would have been expected-nay, demanded- of anyone else) was to firmly repudiate the repugnant ideas that Wright is now on record as spewing forth, and indicated he would be severing all ties with a man who would believe as Wright does.
But, Obama can't. To do that is to admit that Obama has absolutely no judgment as a politician who purports to appeal to all Americans. Heck, it's to admit that he himself is not a mainstream American (oh wait, we knew that already). To do that is to end his candidacy, right here. To do that is to quickly commit political suicide as far as being any kind of mainstream candidate goes. It is to admit that he really had no problem at all with Wright's views for twenty years, still doesn't, but will pay lip-service to americans by sacrificing his 'spiritual mentor' on the altar of his candidacy (no pun really intended, but incidentally 'sacrificing on the altar' imparts a strong religious tone to whatever endeavor we're talking about, and many others besides me have asserted that Obamania is as much a religion as a candidacy).
His only choice, really, was to play the shell game he played in his speech. Trot out a bunch of feel good, 'post-racial' racial discussion, act all concerned and 'adult' about the composition of America, and offer analysis about the current state of mind of Americans (or at least offer his best guess). (Oh, and throw his grandmother under the bus; Hi Grams! Comfy under there?) All the while hoping that nobody notices that he didn't do the only thing that would, that could, put this controversy to rest.
Unfortunately, despite what Michelle Obama might say about the intelligence of people who are involved in the political process, including the voters, Americans are not stupid, not ignorant, and not going to fall for the shell game. Well, maybe a bunch of democrats will, but then again, I'm talking about the folks who are as in thrall to Obama as the Rajneeshi were to their Baghwan.
Obama's candidacy for POTUS is dead. But dead as in the Hunt for Red October sense: "You arrogant ass, you've killed us!" Dead as in the torpedo he launched at himself (20 years ago) hasn't hit his submarine yet, but it's incoming and can't be dodged.

Hey, on a related note, this article makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Schadenfreude; Me? Nah... Hehe.