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December 31, 2008
Hey, 2008 is Almost Over
I'm celebrating in high style. My wife's at work, so I'm eating tomato soup and watching "Planet Earth" with my daughters. My older daughter just laughed watching a wolf chase and take down a baby caribou.
I'm not sure whether to be concerned or proud.
Anyway, happy new year, all.
Posted by slublog at 05:23 PM | Comments (52) | TrackBack
December 30, 2008
And I Thought Maine was Bad
Now this is what a tax-hungry state looks like.
Posted by slublog at 06:25 PM | Comments (61) | TrackBack
December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Luke 2:1-21 (English Standard Version)
Merry Christmas, all. Thanks for reading.
Posted by slublog at 08:00 PM | Comments (99) | TrackBack
December 22, 2008
The Atrocity, Explained
Vanity Fair explains how the Star Wars Holiday Special came to exist. If you're a Star Wars fan, it's not a pretty story. (h/t: Ace)
Posted by slublog at 09:58 PM | Comments (45) | TrackBack
December 21, 2008
Not Just a Dairy Queen Treat
Looks like I've got my work cut out for me tomorrow morning.
Posted by slublog at 09:18 PM | Comments (58) | TrackBack
December 17, 2008
Obama's Stimulus Plan
So would this be glasnost or perestroika?
Posted by slublog at 10:15 PM | Comments (75) | TrackBack
December 16, 2008
Big Three Woes? It's Fred's Fault
Man, does that post bring back some bad memories. Specifically, of being made to read this.
Posted by slublog at 09:24 PM | Comments (68) | TrackBack
December 14, 2008
Thanks, John!
Post-election, McCain feels free to throw his party under the bus.
Looks as though The Maverick™ is trying to get back in the good graces of his base.
Posted by slublog at 09:37 PM | Comments (57) | TrackBack
December 10, 2008
Censorship You Can Believe In
Obama's supporters continue to protect The One.
President-elect Barack Obama's Transition today launched "Open for Questions," a Digg-style feature allowing citizens to submit questions, and to vote on one another's questions, bringing favored inquiries to the top of the list.Transparency? It does not mean what you think it means.It was suggested when it launched that the tool would bring uncomfortable questions to the fore, but the results so far are the opposite: Obama's supporters appear to be using -- and abusing -- a tool allowing them to "flag" questions as "inappropriate" to remove all questions mentioning Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich from the main pages of Obama's website.
It's going to be a fun four years.
Posted by slublog at 09:48 PM | Comments (60) | TrackBack
December 09, 2008
BSG: Catch the Frak Up
The narration makes it.
For what it's worth, I think the final Cylon is Tom Zarek (Highlight to see my guess).
Posted by slublog at 09:54 PM | Comments (94) | TrackBack
December 08, 2008
Coldplay vs. Satriani
Sounds pretty darned close to me.
Still, it doesn't compare to the comedy gold of this act of plagiarism.
Posted by slublog at 09:27 PM | Comments (76) | TrackBack
Media Totally Okay with Big Obama Party
Remember all of those stories in 2004 in which the media and the Democrats encouraged President George W. Bush to tone down his party because we were at war, and tsk-tsking about the fact that donations bought access?
WASHINGTON (AP) - Unemployment is on the rise. The stock market is in the tank. Is this any time for a party?Get that? When Republicans are being inaugurated in tough times, they have to be sensitive so their parties don't offend the sensibilities of the American people. Barack Obama's inauguration, though, is a needed balm for our shattered national psyche. It's a chance to heal and come together.For the sake of the masses of people expected for President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, let's hope so. While Obama must be sensitive to the nation's time of war and recession, there's still reason to expect a rollicking time.
"We're mindful of the fact that people in this country are hurting, that they're going through hard times," said Linda Douglass, spokeswoman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee. "On the other hand, we see this not just as a celebration of an election, but as a time for people to come together and celebrate their common values and shared aspirations and goals."
As for the cost, I wonder why Obama doesn't save a few bucks and do some recycling.
Posted by slublog at 09:11 AM | Comments (73) | TrackBack
December 03, 2008
Obama's Dubious Coattails?
Normally, I'd be suspicious of pundit attempts to seek trends out of a single race. But when Michael Barone is the one making the point, it's worth a read, and some consideration.
As the analysts at NBC News suggest, Obama coattails that were helpful to many newly elected Democrats in the South in November 2008 may not be so helpful to them in 2010 and any special elections that occur between now and then.In 2010 and 2012, turnout for Obama and the Democrats will depend less on who Obama is and what he represents, and more on what he and Congressional Democrats have accomplished while in office and whether the economy rebounds or falls further into stagnation.That suggests another hypothesis: that the Obama turnout effort among blacks may not be replicable. You can only vote to elect the first black president once.
I expect the Democrats will lose a few Congressional seats in 2010. President Bush and the Republicans were able to break historical norms and gain seats in 2002, but that was largely a fluke based on an increased focus on national security following the 9/11 attacks and GOP anger over the defection of Senator Jim Jeffords. The behavior of the Obama administration will certainly affect those elections, but history does not favor the Democrats in two years. Making things worse for the Dems is the leaders of the two legislative bodies - Pelosi and Reid were able to drive Congressional approval ratings into the single digits. That does not bode well for their future success.
Still, Obama is a smart guy so it should be interesting to see how the 2010 elections affect his style of governance.
Posted by slublog at 11:24 PM | Comments (59) | TrackBack
Priorities
Senator Jim DeMint, August 28, 2008:
Americans are sick and tired of wasteful government spending. While they struggle to meet rising energy costs and still putting food on the table, their government appears to give little thought to what runaway spending today means for outlook of tomorrow. They, as well as their posterity, deserve better.Senator Jim DeMint, November 10, 2008:
Changes were still taking place even as the opening approached. Sen. Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican, balked at the budget because he said the center's exhibits ignored the nation's religious heritage.Only in Washington. I guess some wasteful spending is better than others.To avoid further delays, Senate Rules Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and top Republican Robert Bennett of Utah agreed in principle to several changes, including engraving "In God We Trust" in stone in a prominent place. The cost: an additional $150,000.
Which party used to be known for its fiscal conservatism again?
Update - I am aware that Jim DeMint is a fine senator and a good conservative and that he did not specifically request the money. However, he did threaten to delay the opening unless changes were made to the exhibits, presumably knowing that such changes would add to the already-ridiculous cost of the project.
I'm glad he doesn't ask for earmarks, but it's still disappointing to see fiscal conservatives take action that causes my money to be spent, regardless of how noble the cause. I like how adamthemad puts it in the comments at ace's site:
$150k isn't even a line item in the budget for sure, but that's no excuse for being wasteful. A smaller government doesn't spontaneously happen and making excuses for stupid spending will only ensure it doesn't. Everybody's got their pet project, everybody can find something they find worthy of largess.Part of the reason voters have turned against the GOP is that we haven't practiced what we've preached. Sure, no earmark was requested, but that does not change the fact that DeMint's demands have and will result in the government spending our money.
Posted by slublog at 08:47 AM | Comments (68) | TrackBack
December 02, 2008
Ah, the Christmas Season...
Is it just me, or did Christmas sneak up on us this year like an angry ninja?
Posted by slublog at 09:00 AM | Comments (56) | TrackBack