- Never give yourself a haircut after three margaritas.
- You need only two tools. WD-40 and duct tape. If it doesn't move and it should, use WD-40. If it moves and shouldn't, use the tape.
- The five most essential words for a healthy, vital relationship are: "I apologize" and "You are right."
- Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
- When you make a mistake, make amends immediately. It's easier to eat crow while it's still warm.
- The best advice that your mother ever gave you was. "Go! You might meet somebody!"
- If he/she says that you are too good for him/her--believe them.
- Learn to pick your battles; ask yourself, 'Will this matter one year from now? How about one month? One week? One day?'
- Never pass up an opportunity to pee
- If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You have another chance!
- Living well really is the best revenge. Being miserable because of a bad or former relationship just might mean that the other person was right about you.
- Work is good, but it's not that important.And finally,
- Be really nice to your friends. You never know when you are going to need them to empty your bedpan.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Rules of Life
Thursday, April 26, 2007
My Name is Earl
Magazines - Which ones I read
So I am new to this meme thing so here is my list of magazines I subscribe to:
Time, Sports Illustrated, Baseball Digest, Business Week, Information Week, ESPN the Magazine, the Sporting News, and Maxim
I also read (good bathroom material) some of my wife's and kids magazines:
People, Entertainment Weekly, Highlights for Children and National Geographic for Kids.
I guess I need to tag some others so here goes: Perkonis, The Holmes, and Seev.
MLB Credits Hank Aaron with 50 Lost HR's
This is certainly one way to prevent Baroid Bonds from becoming the Major League Baseball Home Run King. It has been a long time since I read The Onion, but this just shows that they have not really lost their satirical edge, absolutely brilliant!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
FTC Asked to Block Google-DoubleClick Merger
To the best of my knowledge there is no issue here since the majority of the data collected by Double-Click is actually owned by its clients, those doing the actual advertising on the internet. I seriously doubt that these advertisers are going to willingly share this information about their customers without being amply compensated for this information. Lets face it, the one thing that keeps a company going to the ability to understand and market to its customers, and sharing customer information is not something that company's readily do on any regular basis.
The complaint is summarized here:
"The acquisition of DoubleClick will permit Google to track both a person's Internet searches and a person's web site visits," the three organizations said in a joint 11-page complaint. The privacy of 1.1 billion Internet users is at stake, they argue.
EPIC had previously called DoubleClick's practices into question seven years ago, when it asked the FTC to look into its plans to merge data into its systems on consumer's offline behavior following the purchase of Abacus, a direct marketing company.
DoubleClick later gave up on that initiative, and ended its measure to profile online consumers altogether. In many ways, this new complaint is very similar to that project, in that Google would like to merge search data with DoubleClick's information.
Google is being accused of unfair and deceptive trade practices, and failing to follow the standards set by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which list industry standards for consumer privacy.
This is not the only effort to address privacy concerns surrounding Google's data collection practices: a European privacy rights group plans to begin a similar effort against the company across the Atlantic.
To its defense, Google has said it had a "history of being an advocate for user privacy," and is "committed to transparency for end users, and to respecting the choices they make with regards to their privacy preferences."
Links of the Day - April 24, 2007
Cheney was far more aggressive that President Bush in peddling manipulated -- or, to use a more precise term, "fantastical" -- intelligence before the US invaded Iraq. And, once the war began, Cheney promoted the illusion that a connection had been found between Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden's al Qaeda network so recklessly that Bush, himself, was finally forced to correct his errant vice president. That puts Cheney at odds with the checks and balances requirements of the Constitution, and with the oath he swore to obey that document's demands.Agency Investigating Rove's Operation - Seems like a good idea to me to find out why a political officer seems to be influencing policy
Cheney personally coordinated efforts to attack former Ambassador Joe Wilson (news, bio, voting record), and Wilson's wife Valerie Plame, after the veteran diplomat revealed that the administration had cooked up a "case" for attacking Iraq that was in conflict with information that had been made available to the White House. That is an abuse of Cheney position similar to the ones that the House Judiciary Committee cited when voted overwhelmingly for the third article of impeachment against then-President Richard Nixon.
A small federal agency responsible for safeguarding federal employees from political coercion has launched an extensive investigation into the activities of the White House's political operation and its architect, Karl Rove.
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel is looking into whether Rove -- President Bush's longtime trusted political strategist -- or other White House aides violated federal law by making political presentations to government employees in the run-up to last year's midterm elections....The investigation centers on allegations that officials with the White House political operation improperly made presentations to employees in a number of federal agencies, encouraging them to find ways to support Republican candidates in the midterm elections. The practice came to light when some employees at the General Services Administration complained.
FCC Thinks Your Parenting Skills Suck
Well said Eric.FCC must think you can't control what your children watch or they think you can't be a parent. By way of the Newark Star Ledger who printed this article from The Washington Post called FCC Seeks to Rein in Violent TV Shows, the FCC now believes that they need to get more oversight into what's being broadcast 6AM and 10PM. According to the article you fine the following backwards thinking from the FCC:
- Federal regulators, concerned about the effect of television violence on children, will recommend that Congress enact legislation to give the government unprecedented powers to curb violence in entertainment programming
- Regulating TV violence is in the public interest, particularly during times when children are likely to be viewers
- Concludes that Congress has the authority to regulate "excessive violence" and to extend its reach for the first time into basic-cable TV channels that consumers pay to receive.
- "Parents are always the first and last line of defense in protecting their children, but legislation could give parents more tools," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said yesterday regarding the report. "I think it would be better if the industry addressed this on its own, but we can also give parents" help through regulation
The problem with Dirty Data
More than 25 percent of critical data in Fortune 1,000 companies is poor quality because organizations have little experience in managing content. Gartner Research believes that very few organizations are making progress towards professionally managing their most important data. Research Vice-President Andreas Bitterer said that "dirty data" is often overlooked as a business imperative.
"There is not a company on the planet that does not have a data quality problem," said Bitterer.
"And where a company does recognize it has a problem, it often underestimates the size of it."Why is this? Why do most organizations do such a poor job of managing their content? The reason is that most organizations have little experience in managing content. In the past, they have only administered it.
Before the Web, content was rarely seen as critical to the future of the organization. It was important, but only in the same way that an invoice or a product manual is important. How many organizations are run by people who started their careers as librarians or journalists? Not many. Organizations tend to be run by people with an accounting or sales background.
The Web has changed the role of content. Content can now make the sale, deliver the service and build the brand. Slowly, organizations are beginning to realize that content is a business asset.
How do we professionally manage content? We don't. We shouldn't manage content in the same way that we shouldn't manage technology. Content and technology are merely a means to an end. What is the end? The end is the task the customer wishes to complete. That is what we should manage.
Know a lot of trivial facts?
- Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
- Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
- There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
- The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.
- The shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.
- There are more chickens than people in the world.
- Two-thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey.
- The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."
- On a Canadian two dollar bill, the flag flying over the Parliament building is an American flag.
- All of the clocks in the movie "Pulp Fiction" are stuck on 4:20.
- No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.
- "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".
- All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill.
- Almonds are a member of the peach family.
- Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.
- Maine is the only state (in USA) whose name is just one syllable.
- There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
- Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula"
- A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
- An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
- Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
- In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10.
- Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.
- The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life."
- A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.
- A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
- A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.
- It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
- The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world.
- In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.
- The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
- Mr. Rogers is an ordained minister.
- The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.
- There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.
- "Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Help Repeal the REAL ID Act!
The federal government has taken another step towards forcing you to carry a national ID in order to get on airplanes, open a bank account, enter federal buildings, and much more. But with state legislatures and Congressional representatives increasingly turning against the REAL ID Act, you can help stop this costly, privacy-invasive mandate. Use the form below to voice your opposition.
On March 1, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released draft regulations [PDF] for implementing REAL ID, which makes states standardize drivers licenses and create a vast national database linking all of the ID records together. Once in place, uses of the IDs and database will inevitably expand to facilitate a wide range of tracking and surveillance activities. Remember, the Social Security number started innocuously enough, but it has become a prerequisite for a host of government services and been co-opted by private companies to create massive databases of personal information.
REAL ID won't just cost you your privacy. The states and individual taxpayers bear the estimated 23 billion dollar burden of implementing the law, and that figure is probably low given that the necessary verification systems don't exist yet.
And what will you get in return? Not improved national security, because IDs do little to stop those who haven't already been identified as threats, and wrongdoers will still be able to create fake documents.
REAL ID is fundamentally flawed, and DHS' proposed regulations do nothing to change that. Thankfully, the tide is turning against REAL ID in a big way -- state legislatures around the country are passing or considering legislation rejecting its implementation, and Congress is considering repealing it.
The DHS regulations mean that states must have an implementation plan ready by October 2007. Make sure your Congressional representatives support the repeal of REAL ID before it's too late.
Friday, April 20, 2007
ARod Comes through Again
So A-Rod seems to be 2-3 in clutch situations this year after yesterday's 9th inning 3 run home-run, which gave the Yankees an 8-6 victory of the Cleveland Indians.
Clutch situation = Late innings (6-9), Runners in Scoring Position or opportunity to tie or win the game.
Lets hope he does not go ice cold over the weekend against the Red Sox, and it looks like he is 3-4 with 2 HR and 4 RBI so far tonight. Though it looks like they blew it in the 8th inning.
ARod did come up in the 9th and made the final out, but he did hit two homers early, so does that make him 2-4 in clutch, or keep him at 2-3? Afterall, he cannot be expected to hit 3 homeruns in order to keep the Bombers in a game, can he?
Thursday, April 19, 2007
A sad situation
It seems that there was very little that VT officials could have done to prevent this from happening. Perhaps they could have been more proactive after the first shooting, but they cannot reasonably expect the same shooter to go on a second killing spree two hours later, after mailing a press kit. If he had mental issues, the school was unable to alert his family without violating his privacy, they were unable to commit him for psychiatric care for a long time, and his ex-girlfriends were unwilling to press stalking charges against him.
There are times when shit happens, and as much as we the people and the media want/need to blame someone for the shit that happens sometimes we have to own up the individual responsibility. This guy was troubled, did anyone know he was this troubled? If there is no psychologist, or social worker or other mental care professional who was treating this person for a mental disease how do you predict or prevent this from happening. Sometimes it just happens, and all the finger pointing afterwards is just wasted breath. Maybe time will tell that someone knew and could have done more, but I doubt it. It is sad, but probably true.
On the flip side, shame on NBC or MSNBC and every other alleged news organization that played the video sent by the killer. All this does is provide him with additional uneeded publicity for his heinous crimes and actions, and give future psychopaths ideas on how best to receive credit for their actions beyond the grave. It also makes it more difficult for the families of the slain to move on, since they are constantly being bombarded by this psycho's image.
Kudo's to the family's for boycotting NBC. It is hard enough (and very explotative) for the survivors to get in front of the camera and describe their feelings, and for them to get up the guption to tell NBC to fuck off is stupendous. The fact that NBC chose to go public with this video strictly for ratings purposes, rather than to turn it over the authorities is reprehensible. Not that I single out NBC, since I am sure any major media outlet would have done the same thing. Yet another example of the story state of our new media.
Help Save Internet Radio
Click on this URL to take action now
http://www3.capwiz.com/saveinternetradio/home/
If you like alternative internet radio, check out KPIG or the Peak
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Movie Scouting Report: Ricky Vaughn (Major League)
Strengths: Plus-Plus fastball ... Four seam fastball was clocked consistently in mid-to-high 90s while pitching for Portland ... Fearless. Is not afraid to come inside with the fastball. ... Flashes an above average slider ... Two seamer has great movement -- a swing and miss pitch ... Can be an intimidating presence on the mound. ... Only 19 though he looks quite a bit older ... Rumor is that he took in brother and his son after a nasty divorce. ... Competitor.
Weaknesses: Awkward looking delivery -- looks like a breakdown candidate ... Wild. Buries his slider often and has no fastball command ... Has some character issues. Last seen pitching in the California Penal League after grand theft auto ... Doesn't take well to coaching.
Overall:Vaughn generates amazing power out of what looks like the motion of a guy who has never played above high school. You would swear he was throwing 70 mph, but the radar gun shows 96 ... Throws as hard as anyone in the big leagues. He has the fastball to dominate Major League hitters if he can learn to command ... Character questions are what led San Diego to release him after his arrest. ... Arm appears to be sound ... Could be worth a flyer if something can be worked out with law enforcement officials ... Doesn't have a third pitch. Might be better in the bullpen. ... Control problems have haunted him his entire career. Managers think he might have eye issues, but he's too vain to deal with them.
What I want to know is how did they get a young and skinny Charlie Sheen to do those DirectTV ads? I realize it is a cross promotion for the new DVD release of the original Major League movie, but that is clearly not the Two and Half Men Charlie of today.
As a complete side note, I was in Germany around this time (1990) and saw a movie poster and they changed the name of the movie to the "Indians of Cleveland"
Friday, April 13, 2007
Jackie Robinson Day in MLB
Here is the way I choose to honor the man and the last man in the league who is still allowed to wear his number on an every day basis and represents what Robinson was very well:
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Where are the Leaders?
I have already pontificated about the lack of courage in our current political structure. That is someone who is willing to stand up, take a stand for what they believe regardless of the consequences of their actions. Joe Lieberman thinks of himself as courageous, but the fact that he turned his back on the party of his own state makes me question how courageous he really is, versus his own need to fulfil his selfish ego. I also wonder where are the great leaders today?
Are they being drawn into sports as coaches? Are they going into business looking to turn a buck, rather than give back to the public sector? Are they avoiding politics because of the amount and depth of scrutiny that mass media and the internet can provide, digging deep into the skeletons of potentially good leaders, making them choose not to get involved? I remember growing up in New York State, under Governor Mario Cuomo and thinking he would make a great presidential candidate. He never threw his hat in the ring, and some suspected because of illegal crime connections earlier in his political career. I don't know, but if it was true, it would have eventually come up then and especially today.
A person needs to (literally) keep their nose clean from the moment they step onto a college campus, or maybe even their high school hallways if they hope to acheive public office in the future. They must live the near-perfect life, never making any major mistakes, never encountering any extreme duress. What this seems to make is a perfect made-for-TV candidate, but what they lack is real life experience, mistakes, and character. I don't know if that is what makes a great leader, but I have to believe this modern methodology causes politicians to lack serious leadership capabilities and experience.
I was recently reading a Stephen Ambrose book about General Dwight D. Eisenhower, which talked about how the battles of El Alamein, helped forge Ike's leadership ability. Although the allies were ultimately victorious, there were plenty of tactical mistakes made. Ike took these lessons and applied them to the D-Day plans and the overall European invasion. Many historians believe without the North African campaign, we might not have won the war so quickly. Eisenhower was able to learn, adapt and build himself into a great leader. One of the best things that Ike brought to the presidency 10 years after El ALamein, was bringing the country together, (in spite of having Richard Nixon as his VP).
It is interesting to contrast that former president's career to our current president. George W. Bush clearly has a flawed past, which has been well documented elsewhere. There is no doubt he has skeletons in his closet that his family and supporters have done a great job suppressing and keeping from the public view or at least been able to mitigate the political effects of those skeletons. It is a bit sad that Bush has not used these past experiences to become a great leader. He is not been able to lead the entire country, but rather feels he only needs to represent those that voted for him.
I am hard-pressed to think of a great political leader today from either party. Maybe it is impossible in the information age for a true leader to emerge, because they need to be more concerned with glad handing and fund raising. I am hard-pressed to think of a great leader in the past 20 years or more. Someone that stands the test of time, that someone with a different political viewpoint would say, yes they were a great leader because they did what was right for the country, not for their party.
Is this simply a function of my getting older and more cynical, or have times really changed and attributes like courage and leadership are not as important as looking good for the camera, kow-towing to the political extremes, and the continual pushing of sound bytes themes into the news cameras and radio airwaves.
This is gonna make you laugh (at least I did)
- Go to www.google.com
- Click on maps
- Click on get directions
- Go from " new york , new york " to "paris, france "
- Scroll down in the directions to number 23
- Laugh and then re-post this ASAP so other people can enjoy
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Supporting Speaker Pelosi
The history on this is clear; Republicans use any opportunity, no matter how contrived, to attack any Democrat who is in a position of leadership. Believe me, I know. It's a concerted, ongoing effort to leave the Democratic Party without leadership on the issues, without voices unsullied by "controversy." They thrive on destroying our leaders - we can't let them. Especially when we've got the moral high ground.
And on this one, as on so many other "controversies" manufactured by the GOP, the facts are clearly on our side. Arlen Specter has been to Damascus 16 times since 1984. The president and the State Department were both informed of Speaker Pelosi's trip before she left and made no objection. This was an ambush for political gain-- sad but not surprising.
All along I have said the Republicans are much better at organizing and keeping their party in step and in line. Very rarely do you hear a member of the GOP go seriously off message. They have strong and decisive leadership. The democrats as Senator Kerry points out, seem to spend more time in damage control, rather than focusing their leaders on the issues, and letting the soldiers fight the political war.
Links of the Day - April 11, 2007
With the dismissal of Federal Attorney Kevin Ryan (here and here), may wondered if the BALCO investigation will continue or slowly fade away. Those files apparently remain open because AP reports (in SFGate here) that a former Bonds trainer testified in February.Poor Pitch Leads to Cincinnati Sandwich
CINCINNATI - The mayor's errant ceremonial first pitch on baseball's opening day has inspired a sandwich with a fitting name: The Mark Mallory Screwball.
The ingredients for the sandwich at Izzy's deli will be "any two meats tossed in the general direction of a bun or two pieces of bread." The Screwball will be served with a potato pancake and pickles for $7.75.
"This is wonderful," Mallory said Monday. "Who wouldn't want a sandwich named for them?" Mallory's pitch in front of a sold-out crowd April 2 at Great American Ball Park didn't go great.
It was several feet to the first-base side of home plate, making him the butt of jokes among some late-night comedians. Video of the pitch has been played repeatedly on Web sites.
"There's so much negativity that you hear about the city of Cincinnati all the time," said John Geisen, president of Izzy's, which is a block from City Hall. "But the mayor has brought some fun to it. So we wanted to, too."
Respect for Rutgers Womans
I did find it hysterical that callers into his home stations, WFAN in NYC, were bombarding Mike and Mad Dog yesterday about this issue. Lets face it, he is 67 years old and loaded, the 2 weeks suspension is not going to effect him. The question is will advertisers abandon him, will MSNBC take him back and will he be able to keep his trap shut moving forward?
I am also not sure that C. Vivian Stringer, the Rutgers woman's basketball coach was perhaps a little over zealous when she criticized Imus for "racist and sexist remarks that are deplorable, despicable, abominable and unconsionable". Listen she has every right to be pissed, outraged at Imus for dragging her team through the mud and every right in the world to defend her players. However deplorable, despicable, abominable and unconsiounable seems to be a bit over the top. But it is good to see a well spoken woman speaking her mind (no sarcasm intended).
Finally while I was chatting on the phone with my buddy Dave from Chronic Malcontents, I get the following email from HRC wtih the same title as this post (see copy of the email below), which brings me to the my final point the righteous indignation which some public figures have proclaimed over this issue. It is amazing and appalling how every politician and sports figure needs to ride into town with their big white horse and pontificate on this issue. This email is a perfect example of this indignation. Let me know what you think
Dear Jeff,
When our children are young, we teach them to dream big and reach for the stars, and that if they work hard enough they can accomplish anything.
This year the women's basketball team defied the odds and lived up to their dreams, providing inspiration to every little boy and girl beginning to pick up a ball or open a book. These remarkable young women reached the pinnacle of success and won the hearts of basketball fans everywhere with their grace, skill, and poise. They are role models deserving our praise -- and our support.
Don Imus's comments about them were nothing more than small-minded bigotry and coarse sexism. They showed a disregard for basic decency and were disrespectful and degrading to African Americans and women everywhere. Please join me in sending the young women of Rutgers a message of respect and support. Show them that we are proud to stand with them and for them.
Sincerely,
Hillary Rodham Clinton
The Alternate Opinion

In an effort to represent both sides of the issues, and not seem too partisan, here is an alternative view of Nancy Pelosi meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad by Gary Varvel from the Indianapolis Star
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
NHL Playoff Schedule Makers are Morons

So why am I upset, and what do I think the NHL are morons? Well because all three teams open up against the playoffs on the same day, at exactly the same time, Thursday night at 8:05. So rather than having one team open on Wednesday, a second on Thursday and a third on Friday in order to showcase all three teams a true hockey fan is going to be stuck either watching one game only, or by flipping between MSG, FSNY and probably Channel 55, which I think is the default for the Islanders when the Devils have FSNY.
So to add insult to injury, NBC is not even carrying those games, they are working with the NHL to promote Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, who play the only Canadian team in the playoffs; the Ottawa Senators. So you have 7 teams in the eastern conference from the US, and 3 of which are from the media capital of the world, so there will be national telecast of the teams that might have the strongest following nationally.
How dumb is that?
US Attorney Firings and Barry Bonds

Since U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan was fired in December, speculation has mounted that the Department of Justice would quietly extinguish the long-running investigation into Bonds.
"There is absolutely no doubt that the U.S. attorney is still running a grand jury and still taking evidence that involves Bonds," said Michael Rains, the lawyer for Bonds. "There is still an active effort to indict Barry."
Letendre's testimony came the day before Ryan's final day on the job, but a temporary successor had already been named in court documents
What do you think was the firing of Patrick Ryan Kevin Ryan related to the Barry Bonds investigation? Conspiracy? Did anyone else realize this same guy was involved, or have I just had my head in the sand for the past few months?
Monday, April 09, 2007
ARod Redemption...at least for one day

To be able to come up to bat, late in the game when the Bombers are behind or tied and have him come through (be clutch) to get on base or drive in the winning runs. He only needs to do this say 4 out of ten times, or 8 times over the course of 20 chances over the entire season. If he does that, then the fans will cheer and give him the respect he so often craves. My perception is he only succeeds in these situations about 1 in 10 times. I will attempt to keep track as the season progresses. Right now, he is 1 for 2.
Finally, I hope he stays in NY, because quite frankly there is no alternate solution for the hot corner.
Andy Barker P.I. is...CANCELLED
I am in general agreement with TVSquad, when they say NBC was not going to give it a chance. It is almost as if they were simply doing Conan O'Brien and Andy Richter a favor, and were planning on dumping it immediately. Oh well, that just leaves more trash and less quality on the tube.
Maybe it will live forever on line.
Friday, April 06, 2007
An Administration's Epic Collapse
The first three months of the new Democratic Congress have been neither terrible nor transcendent. A Pew poll had it about right: a substantial majority of the public remains happy the Democrats won in 2006, but neither Nancy Pelosi nor Harry Reid has dominated the public consciousness as Newt Gingrich did when the Republicans came to power in 1995. There is a reason for that. A much bigger story is unfolding: the epic collapse of the Bush Administration.Well said
The three big Bush stories of 2007--the decision to "surge" in Iraq, the scandalous treatment of wounded veterans at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys for tawdry political reasons--precisely illuminate the three qualities that make this Administration one of the worst in American history: arrogance (the surge), incompetence (Walter Reed) and cynicism (the U.S. Attorneys).
Iraq comes first, as always. From the start, it has been obvious that personal motives have skewed the President's judgment about the war. Saddam tried to kill his dad; his dad didn't try hard enough to kill Saddam. There was payback to be had. But never was Bush's adolescent petulance more obvious than in his decision to ignore the Baker-Hamilton report and move in the exact opposite direction: adding troops and employing counterinsurgency tactics inappropriate to the situation on the ground. "There was no way he was going to accept [its findings] once the press began to portray the report as Daddy's friends coming to the rescue," a member of the Baker-Hamilton commission told me. As with Bush's invasion of Iraq, the decision to surge was made unilaterally, without adequate respect for history or military doctrine. Iraq was invaded with insufficient troops and planning; the surge was attempted with too few troops (especially non-Kurdish, Arabic-speaking Iraqis), a purposely misleading time line ("progress" by September) and, most important, the absence of a reliable Iraqi government.
General David Petraeus has repeatedly said, "A military solution to Iraq is not possible." Translation: This thing fails unless there is a political deal among the Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds. There is no such deal on the horizon, largely because of the President's aversion to talking to people he doesn't like. And while some Baghdad neighborhoods may be more peaceful--temporarily--as a result of the increased U.S. military presence, the story two years from now is likely to resemble the recent headlines from Tall 'Afar: dueling Sunni and Shi'ite massacres have destroyed order in a city famously pacified by counterinsurgency tactics in 2005. Bush's indifference to reality in Iraq is not an isolated case. It is the modus operandi of his Administration. The indifference of his Environmental Protection Agency to the dangers of carbon dioxide emissions was rejected by the Supreme Court on April 2.
On April 3, the President again accused Democrats of being "more interested in fighting political battles in Washington than providing our troops what they need." Such demagoguery is particularly outrageous given the Administration's inability to provide our troops "what they need" at the nation's premier hospital for veterans. The mold and decrepitude at Walter Reed are likely to be only the beginning of the tragedy, the latest example of incompetence in this Administration. "This is yet another aspect of war planning that wasn't done properly," says Paul Rieckhoff of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "The entire VA hospital system is unprepared for the casualties of Iraq, especially the psychiatric casualties. A lot of vets are saying, 'This is our Katrina moment.' And they're right: this Administration
governs badly because it doesn't care very much about governing."
Compared with Iraq and Walter Reed, the firing of the U.S. Attorneys is a relatively minor matter. It is true that U.S. Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President, but they are political appointees of a special sort. They are partisans, obviously, but must appear to be above politics--not working to influence elections, for example--if public faith in the impartiality of the justice system is to be maintained. Once again Karl Rove's operation has corrupted a policy area--like national security--that
should be off-limits to political operators.
When Bush came to office--installed by the Supreme Court after receiving fewer votes than Al Gore--I speculated that the new President would have to govern in a bipartisan manner to be successful. He chose the opposite path, and his hyper-partisanship has proved to be a travesty of governance and a comprehensive failure. I've tried to be respectful of the man and the office, but the three defining sins of the Bush Administration--arrogance, incompetence, cynicism--are congenital: they're part of his personality. They're not likely to change. And it is increasingly difficult to imagine yet another two years of slow bleed with a leader so clearly unfit to lead.
Random Baseball Thoughts - April 6, 2007

Arod coming through in the clutch (or

The problem is more with the second game, rather than the first. A caller on WFAN pointed out, that ARod needs to get a hit in that situation, late in the game, runners in scoring position, and the chance to take the lead in order for him to win over the fans and I agree. That scenario only comes up a few dozen times over the course of the season and the perception is that is when he fails, and that is what bothers the fans. I know the statistics show no correlation, but it is all about perception, and if ARod wants to succeed in NY (and lets face it, who doesn't), that is all he needs to do.
Mathematician: Yankees Will Dominate Baseball This Year - Thanks Len. Good to know
The New York Yankees will win a whopping 110 games this season, more than any other major league team, according to a mathematician who applies math to real-life situations.
The projection comes from a model that Bruce Bukiet of the New Jersey Institute of Technology developed and has used and updated for the past six years to predict how many games each team will win during the 162-game season.
Links of the Day - April 6, 2007
Populist Party Newsletter April 5, 2007 - Make sure you peace mongers check out this piece, since it seems where the hawks are going next: Washington's Covert War inside Iran
EPIC Newsletter 14.07 - Wow, 2 newsletters within a few weeks, they must be really busy. Here is the table of contents
[1] New Privacy Safeguards for Telephone Customers
[2] EPIC Speaks Before European Parliament on Transatlantic Privacy
[3] EPIC Recommends Against Use of Universal Identifiers
[4] FBI Director Testifies on National Security Letter Misuse
[5] UK Report: You Can Have Security and Privacy
[6] News in Brief
[7] EPIC Bookstore: "Cybercrime"
[8] Upcoming Conferences and Events
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Andy Barker P.I. is awesome

Stay at Home! Don't go to Work
Absolutely hysterical (Thank Dave)
Tort Litigation Frenzy
The media and internet have provided you with all the wacky tort lawsuits you need to scare those attorney fees out of you. They’ve got you so worked up, that you don’t even know which ones are fact or fiction (see below for answers):
1. A 19 year old won $74,000 and medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand while backing out of a driveway. The teenager apparently didn’t notice that there was someone at the wheel of the car, when he was trying to steal the neighbor’s hubcaps.
Stay home! Don’t go to work!! Don’t get in your car!!
2. You’ve heard about the famous hot coffee case filed against McDonald’s. How about this one… While driving, a man placed a milkshake between his legs, leaned over to reach into his bag of food, and squeezed the milkshake container in the process. This action distracted the driver, causing him to hit another car. The man sued the restaurant for failing to warn him against eating while driving.
Stay home! Don’t go to work!! Don’t get in your car!! Place warnings on all products!!
3. A restaurant was ordered to pay $113,500 to a woman who slipped on a soft drink and broke her coccyx bone. The drink was on the floor because the woman flung it at her boyfriend during an argument, 30 seconds earlier.
Stay home! Don’t go to work!! Don’t get in your car!! Place warnings on all products!! Offer anger management training for customers!!
Thinking of doubling your liability insurance? Read on.
Dice-K wins first game against AAA team


I honestly don't know if Mr. Matsuzaka is going to succeed in this league or not. Is he Hideki Irabu or Hideo Nomo or better or worse? It is going to take a few more times around the league, facing the Yankees and the Blue Jays 5 times each this season to see if he really has what it takes to succeed or maybe truly become a superstar. My hope as a Yankee fan, is that he excels the first time around the league, then gets shelled once folks figure out this mythical "Gyro-ball"
Links of the Day - April 5, 2007

The Biggest Threat to Email Marketing - Interesting that the big chiefs don't get the value of email marketing as a valuable marketing channel. This probably explains why most companies still are not utilizing this new medium to its fullest event. The value of email, as opposed to other Direct Marketing is that there is direct and measurable ROI, which can be directly traced back to an individual customer. Instant CRM.
How to Waste $20 Million - Sad to see that some folks are still stuck in an era over a hundred years old. Whoever is ultimately responsible for this website should be ashamed about continually perpetuating these stereotypes.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Links of the Day - April 4, 2007
FCC Shifts Onus of Customer Phone Privacy to Service Providers -
In an apparent victory for privacy advocates but a potential nightmare for telco providers, the Federal Communications Commission has adopted new safeguards to prevent personal telephone records of consumers from unauthorized disclosure.
The regulations are intended to further protect against the likelihood of pretexting, whereby individuals or organizations obtain personal information without prior authorization. Such pretexting was used by Hewlett-Packard last year to investigate the source of board room media leaks.
Are You A Liberaltarian? - Pretty good analysis of where a true libertarian should look in 2008
In Bush’s two terms, in office spending has grown on nearly all fronts. As Lindsey points out, the size of the federal government has increased by the greatest percentage since Lyndon Johnson and his plethora of Great Society programs. And this isn’t just limited to military spending. Bush has vastly augmented federal control over education, passed a bloated new entitlements bill on prescription drugs, increased farm subsidies, run up massive budgetary deficits, and stood idly by as Congress stuffed record amounts of pork through the legislature. Not exactly a libertarian’s dream, is it?
As to whether the Democrats can steal the libertarians away from the Republicans in 2008, that remains to be seen. Of the top three Democrats running for president, only the populism of John Edwards is anathema to libertarians. Unless Edwards pulls a Kerry and unexpectedly wins in the primaries, I doubt that will present a problem.
Congressman Chris Shays E-Newsletters
In this newsletter, we share information about:
· Efforts to improve the patient care process in the Department of Defense medical system;
· Recent debate in the House of Representatives on emergency funding for the Iraq war;
· Need for telecommuter tax fairness;
· Meeting about the Federal Aviation Administration's preferred route for air traffic in our region;
· Climbing energy prices in Fairfield County;
· Delays in passport processing;
· Increased punishment for animal fighting and recognition from the Humane Society; and
· Upcoming Community Meetings.
I hope you find this information useful and will not hesitate to contact our office if there is anything we can do to be helpful to you and your neighbors.
Sincerely,
Christopher Shays
Member of Congress
Efforts to Improve the Patient Care Process in the Department of Defense Medical System
In response to the disgraceful conditions at Building 18 of the Walter Reed Hospital , I am working with Representatives Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) on four bills which will make practical fixes to help wounded service members and their families more easily navigate the Department of Defense (DoD) medical system.
The bills will:
· provide independent caseworkers to help wounded service members;
· establish, publish and monitor medical holdover (MHO) process performance standards;
· create a standard Soldier Patient Tracking System; and
· create a DoD ombudsman.
I also supported the Wounded Warrior Assistance Act (H.R. 1538), which passed by a vote of 426 to 0. The bill improves care for soldiers in military hospitals by streamlining the process, providing case managers to help soldiers navigate the system and toughening oversight of the system.
Recent debate in the House of Representatives on Emergency Funding for Iraq War
Last week, I voted against H.R. 1591, a $124 billion supplemental spending bill, intended to provide funding for our troops in Iraq . The bill, which was $21 billion more than the President's request, was loaded with unrelated, non-emergency funding, including money for peanut farmers, spinach farmers, shrimp fisherman and other domestic funding.
More importantly, H.R. 1591 also attempts to micromanage the war by setting arbitrary timelines for troop withdrawal. While I support timelines to help motivate the Iraqis to make the tough decisions to stabilize their new democracy, I believe it is the job of the President as Commander in Chief to determine when and how our troops will be redeployed.
I offered an amendment to H.R. 1591, which I have also introduced as a stand-alone bill. My bill gives the President 90 days to provide dates certain for the beginning and completion of a phased redeployment of troops from Iraq . Once the President reports these dates, it requires the Iraqi government to hold a vote within its parliament or a plebiscite, or both, within 180 days. If 60 percent vote against the President's plan, the President must begin redeploying troops within 60 days.
I offered a second amendment to H.R. 1591, supporting the Iraq Study Group's bipartisan recommendations. I also offered an amendment providing $25 million to fund non-governmental organizations, such as Mercy Corps and International Relief and Development, which hire Iraqis to manage their own reconstruction programs. Unfortunately, the Democratic leadership chose to offer a partisan bill, allowing no amendments.
We expect Iraqis to work out their differences and are critical when Sunnis and Shiites are unable to find common ground. Yet in this Congress, Republicans and Democrats are unable to work out our differences -- and we don't even have the threats of assassinations and bombings the Iraqis deal with every day.
We went into Iraq on a bipartisan basis and the only way we are going to get out in the next two years with any chance of success is for Democrats and Republicans to work together.
Need for Telecommuter Tax Fairness
I have teamed up with Connecticut Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman in an effort to protect telecommuters from unfair double taxation, by offering H.R. 1360, the Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act. Our legislation would prevent the State of New York from taxing out-of-state residents who telecommute to New York-based companies when working in other states, such as Connecticut .
It is simply unfair to tax Connecticut residents twice. The Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act will help bring taxation in line with current realities of technology and promote telecommuting, which improves traffic gridlock and reduces environmental harm.
Meeting About the FAA Announcement on Preferred Route for New Air Traffic in Our Region
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) identified its Preferred Alternative for the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia Airspace Redesign. The alternative will route more air traffic over our region, potentially increasing noise 5 to 10 decibels if there are no noise mitigation strategies employed.
A public meeting on the preferred route and the mitigation strategies will be held April 24 at 6:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Select, Stamford .
The meeting was moved to Stamford after I objected to the FAA's original proposal to hold the meeting in Danbury , which would experience a far smaller impact from the proposed redesign.
I oppose the FAA's integrated airspace alternative that would route more air traffic over residential neighborhoods and have repeatedly shared my concerns, and the concerns of area residents, with the FAA and key members of Congress. This plan brings more planes into the region at the expense of our area's quality of life. After safety, quality of life should be a primary factor in any airspace redesign, but it was not even considered in this case.
Climbing Energy Prices in Fairfield County
In 2006, Connecticut 's residential power prices were the third highest in the nation. At the beginning of 2007, with the end of rate caps, residential rates charged by CL&P increased by 7.7 percent, and the residential rates charged by United Illuminating increased by 24.7 percent.
Since electric utilities were deregulated by the Connecticut legislature in 2000, electricity costs for Connecticut residents continue to rise at a rate much faster than anticipated. This can be traced to:
· high use of natural gas, which now accounts for about 30 percent of the electricity generated in Connecticut ;
· limited ability to move cheaper power into the state due to constrained transmission capacity;
· limited ability for utilities to use multi-year contracts and hedges to reduce price volatility; and
· uncertainty whether existing and planned generating capacity in the state is sufficient to meet load.
People in the Fourth Congressional District tell me that rising energy costs are a huge concern for them. Working with the environmental community, one step I am taking to control long-term energy costs and consumption is authoring the Energy for Our Future Act. The bill, which will be reintroduced in the near future, encourages conservation and increases energy efficiency tax incentives to both businesses and individuals.
Delays in Passport Processing
The State Department is experiencing a significant backlog in the processing of passports due to greatly increased demand from the new requirements that all travelers to and from Canada , Mexico , Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda present a passport.
Regular service for applications is currently taking up to 10 weeks and expedited service is taking 3 to 4 weeks.
I wrote to the State Department to request it address the situation and suggested to the Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, of which I am a senior member, that our Committee hold a hearing to shine the spotlight on the problem. I also recently visited the Connecticut Passport Agency in Norwalk - one of 13 regional passport agencies nationwide - to try to understand its challenges and to thank the employees for their hard work to alleviate the delays.
If you live in the Fourth Congressional District and are traveling within the next 2 weeks and need assistance getting your passport processed, please fill out our online casework request form. One of my constituent services representatives will contact you as soon as possible.
Increased Punishment for Animal Fighting and Recognition from the Humane Society
Increased Punishment for Animal Fighting
The House of Representatives passed the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act (H.R. 137), which will make animal fighting a felony and increase the imprisonment penalty from one year to three years. The legislation also makes it unlawful to ship a knife, gaff, or other sharp instrument used in cockfighting, and makes it a felony to use the Postal Service to promote an animal fight.
Animal fighting is a cruel pastime where, in a typical fight, animals are drugged to heighten their aggression and forced to keep fighting, even after injuries, for the amusement and illegal wagering of handlers and spectators. It's time to put an end to this form of "entertainment," which results in the brutal treatment of animals.
Humane Society Recognition
This year, I received The Humane Legislator of the Year Award from the Humane Society for my advocacy on animal welfare issues, including:
· requiring state and local agencies to include pet owners and their pets in evacuation planning;
· writing legislation to set animal welfare standards for meat, dairy and egg products purchased by the federal government; and
· supporting a crack down on "canned hunts" of exotic animals in fenced enclosures.
Community Meetings
I will be holding Community Meetings in every town in the Fourth District April 27- 29 and May 4-6.
We will keep you informed of the final schedule. I encourage you to attend, so we can continue our dialogue about issues that are important to you and your neighbors.
Cinicinnati Mayor Terrible Pitch
This was perhaps the absolutely positively the most pathetic attempt to throw a pitch ever. I have seen woman throw the ball better. Very sad, this man should be ashamed, and I am amused that the umpire seems to have ejected him for that awful throw.
Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath.
This made him... A super callused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Batman vs. Superman - Viewpoint
Let me know what you think, which side do you take? What other super hero's stand for a specific ideology?Batman is a libertarian because he is a brilliant entrepreneur who trained himself to master the martial arts, and uses skills obtained through merit to defend Gotham against criminals and its hopelessly corrupt government. On the other hand, Superman is a socialist because he wears a red cape and has a big "S" on his chest, embodies the belief that only those born well can prosper and spends his time fighting his archenemy, a rich businessman. In addition, while Batman is never truly able to eradicate the evil underworld of Gotham City, under Superman's benign control, Metropolis becomes open, modernist and democratic.
Though one could easily argue the opposite is true, this theory provides an interesting perspective not only for dining hall comic book debates but also for government as a whole. Though crime fighting is clearly a core responsibility of local government, organizations like Habitat for Humanity, America's Second Harvest and Goodwill are able to grant a great deal of support to our neighbors in need when cities and counties fail to provide for those in need. We all have the opportunity to take matters into our own hands when we participate in service organizations like these and become a little more like the Dark Knight.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Opening Day
I check out ESPN, no luck... Woman's College Basketball
I check out SNY, no luck... Boxing
I check out WPIX 11, no luck...America's Next Top Model
I check out FSNY, no luck...Pride Fighting Championship
This must be some April Fools Day Joke
What the F*(K???
I finally turn on the guide and the opening game for the 2007 has been shunted to ESPN2. Why the hell is the premiere game, on the duece?
Why is this game not on the lead network, playing second fiddle to woman's college basketball (not that there is anything wrong with woman's college basketball)?