I checked in on CNBC and saw Larry Kudlow and a female anchor I did not know doing a segment about Barney Frank. Representative Frank had apparently had a meeting with reporters about the legislative agenda he planned to pursue in 2009. After some back and forth with the reporter on the scene, Kudlow snorted "if I may editorialize...how about lowering tax rates?"
Of course, for conservatives like Kudlow, lowering taxes is the solution to everything, including psoriasis and the Yankees' infield defense. But Larry? We tried it your way. It didn't work.
***
(I'm starting to think I should do something like that, to alert my 12 readers to a shift of tone, topic, or mood, so they won't think I'm schizophrenic.)(And yes, I know that schizophrenia is not split personalities, it is the split between the patient and the real world. On second thought, maybe I am schizophrenic.)
***
A woman I had a life threatening crush on in high school recently asked me(on Facebook, which is increasingly looking like a bad idea) how my life was. I didn't say this,(I said something equally full of wiseassery), but what I should have said was this:
My life is basically being an actor in a play that I have never read, in a place I have never been, in a language that I do not speak, with people I have never met before. In other words, my mental life is just basically the following phrases-
What? Who? Me? Now? I dont understand. When? You want to say that? OK. You mean now? Oh, I see. Yes. Really? Huh?-over and over again.
I've used this analogy before, and it's pretty close to the mark. I will continue to use it, I suspect, until someone pries it out of my skull with forceps. I think that Phil (philnugentexperience.blogspot.com) and Miss (butyoucancallmemiss.blogspot.com) will understand what I'm talking about with this analogy better than anyone.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Pedro Martinez
On the MLB Network's Hot Stove program, they were discussing the greatest pitching seasons of all time, and the panel was skeptical of Pedro's 1999 season being the top rated one on the list. In baseball, there is often this kind of attitude-anyone that we see or remember seeing can't possibly be the best ever.
But in 1999, Pedro Martinez posted a 2.07 ERA in a season when the league ERA was 5.02.
Suck on that.
But in 1999, Pedro Martinez posted a 2.07 ERA in a season when the league ERA was 5.02.
Suck on that.
Monday, February 02, 2009
'Ol Whatsisface Gets Busted
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/swimming/news/story?id=3878675
Apparently Olympic hero and All American Special Dude Michael Phelps was photographed smoking marijuana. Reminds me of the Eddie Izzard joke that recommends that performance debilitating drugs should obviously be allowed in Olympic sports.
Last night I watched the film "Juno" for the first time. I thought it was wonderful. The Ellen Page character was a little too precious and self assured to be a realistic teenager, but it was a really charming story, well acted and well written. I loved it.
Apparently Olympic hero and All American Special Dude Michael Phelps was photographed smoking marijuana. Reminds me of the Eddie Izzard joke that recommends that performance debilitating drugs should obviously be allowed in Olympic sports.
Last night I watched the film "Juno" for the first time. I thought it was wonderful. The Ellen Page character was a little too precious and self assured to be a realistic teenager, but it was a really charming story, well acted and well written. I loved it.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Apparently there was some sort of sporting event tonight....?
I managed to miss the first three quarters of the Most Important Game What Ever Was Played while helping my son finish his science project.
Fatherhood FTW!
Anyhow,
Stuff I Forgot To Say:
TTBOOK (To The Best Of Our Knowledge, a public radio program that is available as a podcast) was excellent this week-the topic was loneliness, an idea that one author linked to an ancient word, ascetia, (I may be misspelling that, but I don’t have Internet access right now to check.) meaning a sort of spiritual restlessness and revulsion to human contact-almost like a midlife crisis. I knew exactly what she meant, and as soon as I can look up her name I will probably buy the book.
Dan Carlin’s Common Sense was also extraordinary. Dan described letters and emails he had received that described him as “un-American” due to his opposition to America’s adventures overseas. Dan very neatly pointed out that his “radical” idea that the American armed forces should demobilize in peacetime is one that comes directly from the founders, and is thus as American as all get out.
The third wonderful podcast I listened to was Bill Moyers’ Journal, which had a long, pseudo military historical discussion about the bombing of civilians. They raised an interesting point-it hasn’t ever worked, really. At least, not on its own. The lone exception I can come up with is the atomic bombing of Japan-but that doesn’t really count because that was an utterly new weapon, and also not really the carpet bombing or precision strikes of the modern era. (I have Carlos Mencia’s voice running through my head right now, in an exaggerated, B movie Japanese accent-“they drop TWO BOMBS!”)
But think about it-even in the pre-airplane age, total war, intended to break civilian morale and thus bring their government to heel, never works, does it? The British in the Revolutionary War, the Napoleonic Wars, the American Civil War, World Wars One and Two, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, the Iraq War, and even the current CIA Predator strikes-trying to dishearten doesn’t seem to work. It may assist in a military campaign sure, but in every case, to get anything done, you need to go in there with troops and seize territory and hold it.
It is pleasurable to seize upon a new idea, to learn something for the first time.
Fatherhood FTW!
Anyhow,
Stuff I Forgot To Say:
TTBOOK (To The Best Of Our Knowledge, a public radio program that is available as a podcast) was excellent this week-the topic was loneliness, an idea that one author linked to an ancient word, ascetia, (I may be misspelling that, but I don’t have Internet access right now to check.) meaning a sort of spiritual restlessness and revulsion to human contact-almost like a midlife crisis. I knew exactly what she meant, and as soon as I can look up her name I will probably buy the book.
Dan Carlin’s Common Sense was also extraordinary. Dan described letters and emails he had received that described him as “un-American” due to his opposition to America’s adventures overseas. Dan very neatly pointed out that his “radical” idea that the American armed forces should demobilize in peacetime is one that comes directly from the founders, and is thus as American as all get out.
The third wonderful podcast I listened to was Bill Moyers’ Journal, which had a long, pseudo military historical discussion about the bombing of civilians. They raised an interesting point-it hasn’t ever worked, really. At least, not on its own. The lone exception I can come up with is the atomic bombing of Japan-but that doesn’t really count because that was an utterly new weapon, and also not really the carpet bombing or precision strikes of the modern era. (I have Carlos Mencia’s voice running through my head right now, in an exaggerated, B movie Japanese accent-“they drop TWO BOMBS!”)
But think about it-even in the pre-airplane age, total war, intended to break civilian morale and thus bring their government to heel, never works, does it? The British in the Revolutionary War, the Napoleonic Wars, the American Civil War, World Wars One and Two, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, the Iraq War, and even the current CIA Predator strikes-trying to dishearten doesn’t seem to work. It may assist in a military campaign sure, but in every case, to get anything done, you need to go in there with troops and seize territory and hold it.
It is pleasurable to seize upon a new idea, to learn something for the first time.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Been a long time...
http://tinyurl.com/dm5wry
This happened near my nominal supervisor's house. It seems that this kind of thing-taking hostages, people just going stark raving bananas-is going to just get worse and worse until we come up with a world economic system that is, you know, systemic. And economic.
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39951
I wish I had heard about this before Friday, so I could have watched. Any unreleased, non public Bill Hicks is worth watching.
http://tinyurl.com/cj4u7s
Just in case you had any doubt that you were being screwed, the IRS reports that the richest 400 Americans had their tax rates fall by one third and their average income double from 2000-2006.
www.dancarlin.com
I really can't say enough good things about Dan Carlin. Always insightful, well reasoned, though challenging to listen to. Dan always makes you think and often makes you rethink things you thought you had decided.
Oh, by the way-the Red Sox reached an agreement to bring back Jason Varitek for the 2009 season. Hopefully, the agreement included agreeing that Jason would no longer hit like Marc Sullivan.
This happened near my nominal supervisor's house. It seems that this kind of thing-taking hostages, people just going stark raving bananas-is going to just get worse and worse until we come up with a world economic system that is, you know, systemic. And economic.
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39951
I wish I had heard about this before Friday, so I could have watched. Any unreleased, non public Bill Hicks is worth watching.
http://tinyurl.com/cj4u7s
Just in case you had any doubt that you were being screwed, the IRS reports that the richest 400 Americans had their tax rates fall by one third and their average income double from 2000-2006.
www.dancarlin.com
I really can't say enough good things about Dan Carlin. Always insightful, well reasoned, though challenging to listen to. Dan always makes you think and often makes you rethink things you thought you had decided.
Oh, by the way-the Red Sox reached an agreement to bring back Jason Varitek for the 2009 season. Hopefully, the agreement included agreeing that Jason would no longer hit like Marc Sullivan.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Panic Urgently
http://www.feld.com/wp/archives/2009/01/the-difference-between-panic-and-urgency.html
Posts like this depress me. I wish I worked for smart people like this.
Posts like this depress me. I wish I worked for smart people like this.
To borrow a phrase....
...first against the wall when the revolution comes...
http://tinyurl.com/bx75ev
Seriously? 18 billion dollars of our money for Wall Street bonuses in 2008? Are you nucking futs?
Their argument is usually that they need bonuses to retain "top talent". Really? If these are the top people, I think we need to go back to letting the monkeys pick the stocks. (I am referring to the example of random stock selection at times being equal to or superior to experts.)
http://tinyurl.com/6unxgt
This is kind of neat. The St. Petersburg paper has an online meter tracking President Obama's campaign promises.
www.historicaltweets.com
An amusing little site consisting of imagined Twitter messages from throughout history.
I don't know how Republicans are opposing the bailout. I really don't. These are your fellow Americans suffering here. You don't think it's a good idea? Well, we tried your ideas-they didn't work. We tried shoveling money into Wall Street and banks-it didn't work. At a certain point, you have to act like statesmen.
http://tinyurl.com/bx75ev
Seriously? 18 billion dollars of our money for Wall Street bonuses in 2008? Are you nucking futs?
Their argument is usually that they need bonuses to retain "top talent". Really? If these are the top people, I think we need to go back to letting the monkeys pick the stocks. (I am referring to the example of random stock selection at times being equal to or superior to experts.)
http://tinyurl.com/6unxgt
This is kind of neat. The St. Petersburg paper has an online meter tracking President Obama's campaign promises.
www.historicaltweets.com
An amusing little site consisting of imagined Twitter messages from throughout history.
I don't know how Republicans are opposing the bailout. I really don't. These are your fellow Americans suffering here. You don't think it's a good idea? Well, we tried your ideas-they didn't work. We tried shoveling money into Wall Street and banks-it didn't work. At a certain point, you have to act like statesmen.
Someone has too much time on their hands
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/01/obama_portrait_drawn_on_an_etchaske.html
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Bringing Out The Dead
http://www.slate.com/id/2208522/
Daniel Gross on the battle over the stimulus.
http://www.slate.com/id/2209893/
Daniel Gross on the walking dead of Wall Street
Something that continually amazes me is the resistance to the stimulus package- as if we have any other options at this point. How someone can argue that we need to increase consumption to get the economy moving, and yet argue that employing people will not do this? Every argument I have seen against this stimulus seems breathtakingly self serving.
On tonight's installment of PBS' Make Me Laugh, a documentary about comedy, Chris Rock made an excellent point. Since ignorance is bliss, the opposite of ignorance-the knowledge and ability to understand and appreciate what's going on-everything that's happening-that's hell.
I know what he means.
Daniel Gross on the battle over the stimulus.
http://www.slate.com/id/2209893/
Daniel Gross on the walking dead of Wall Street
Something that continually amazes me is the resistance to the stimulus package- as if we have any other options at this point. How someone can argue that we need to increase consumption to get the economy moving, and yet argue that employing people will not do this? Every argument I have seen against this stimulus seems breathtakingly self serving.
On tonight's installment of PBS' Make Me Laugh, a documentary about comedy, Chris Rock made an excellent point. Since ignorance is bliss, the opposite of ignorance-the knowledge and ability to understand and appreciate what's going on-everything that's happening-that's hell.
I know what he means.
The age of hope, the age of despair
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/remembering-upd/
More Updike reminisences.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/01/26/090126fa_fact_gawande
One of the most heartening accounts of health care reform I've ever read. He almost makes you think it is possible.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/01/26/090126fa_fact_mcgrath
Another "stockpile food and guns" article.
The more I read, the more I sometimes wish I never learned how.
More Updike reminisences.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/01/26/090126fa_fact_gawande
One of the most heartening accounts of health care reform I've ever read. He almost makes you think it is possible.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/01/26/090126fa_fact_mcgrath
Another "stockpile food and guns" article.
The more I read, the more I sometimes wish I never learned how.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Let Them Eat...Something Worse Than Cake
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i1zUcc6gFPEkKQHUYZzLYdIrv4fQD95VLEHG0
With the news that Merrill Lynch paid out billions in bonuses shortly before reporting billions in losses and being bought by the bailout seeking Bank of America, I am compelled to quote "Left, Right, and Center" panelist Tony Blankley.
Clearly these bank executives studied at the Marie Antoinette School of Public Relations.
With the news that Merrill Lynch paid out billions in bonuses shortly before reporting billions in losses and being bought by the bailout seeking Bank of America, I am compelled to quote "Left, Right, and Center" panelist Tony Blankley.
Clearly these bank executives studied at the Marie Antoinette School of Public Relations.
Updike At Rest
A true giant has passed. John Updike, a truly titanic author who has written dozens of novels along with essays, reviews, and short stories, is dead at the age of 76.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/books/28updike.html?_r=1
I have read several of his novels, and wrote essays in college about his work. I found him brilliant, very readable and absolutely compelling. He will be missed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/books/28updike.html?_r=1
I have read several of his novels, and wrote essays in college about his work. I found him brilliant, very readable and absolutely compelling. He will be missed.
Monday, January 26, 2009
I'm happy! I'm miserable!
http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/the_avatar/
The bottom is here! Recovery is right around the corner!
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/obama-a-breathtaking-beginning-1515177.html
Obama will save us! Everything's going to be okay!
http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/25/markets/sunday_weekahead/index.htm
We're all going to die! Hoard canned goods and ammunition!
I don't know what to think. I guess nobody does. Sometimes I think it's all no big deal, and sometimes I don't think we're going to last the month.
And yes, I know that means through Saturday.
I want to believe Obama will make a difference, I really do. And goodness knows, he's better than the band of war criminals and tycoon apologists that he replaced. But these problems we're facing seem so impossible, so weighty and complex and multifactorial, that it doesn't seem like anyone or anything can solve them.
I don't like that President Obama has already bombed Pakistan through the CIA Predators. I don't like that he has so many advisers that are so close to the mistakes of the past.
It seems like an awfully thin reed to tie my hopes to the imagined decency of one lonely man.
The bottom is here! Recovery is right around the corner!
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/obama-a-breathtaking-beginning-1515177.html
Obama will save us! Everything's going to be okay!
http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/25/markets/sunday_weekahead/index.htm
We're all going to die! Hoard canned goods and ammunition!
I don't know what to think. I guess nobody does. Sometimes I think it's all no big deal, and sometimes I don't think we're going to last the month.
And yes, I know that means through Saturday.
I want to believe Obama will make a difference, I really do. And goodness knows, he's better than the band of war criminals and tycoon apologists that he replaced. But these problems we're facing seem so impossible, so weighty and complex and multifactorial, that it doesn't seem like anyone or anything can solve them.
I don't like that President Obama has already bombed Pakistan through the CIA Predators. I don't like that he has so many advisers that are so close to the mistakes of the past.
It seems like an awfully thin reed to tie my hopes to the imagined decency of one lonely man.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Potbellies and Dreamgirls
Intending to attend a Open House at a local private school, my wife and I wound up at a new Potbelly sandwich shop and a Barnes and Noble. Shockingly, I emerged from the Barnes and Noble empty handed, and after lunch, my wife did her Jennifer Hudson impersonation, ("and I am telling you I am not going"), so we agreed to just go home, turning a potentially useful day into another wasted day in the world of commerce.
Ah well.
Ah well.
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