Billsen's Bluster

Healed my computer

2010-07-08T14:03:00.003-04:00

I thought I was feeling poorly until I compared notes with my PC. It seems that I managed to corrupt my registry - that sucked. So I did some googling with my laptop (still working!) and found http://www.registryhealer.net. There I bought an app called Regtool, and in about 5 minutes my desktop was running like a champ. Phew!

Another reason to be in favor of health care reform

2009-08-11T15:07:00.000-04:00

Without getting into the details of my medical condition, last week, my doctor made a diagnosis, and wrote me a prescription for meds that she said should get me back to normal. So, I took that Rx to the local CVS, and planned to pick it up later that day.

I went to pick it up, and they said there was a problem - my insurance wouldn't cover it without getting a prior authorization from my Doctor. So I filled out a form, and they faxed that to the doctor. I then talked to the nurse on the phone, and she said, that they would contact my carrier directly.

Then I called CVS, and they said that they had not yet gotten the okay, but to call again in the AM. I had to fly up and back to Chicago the next day, so they get an extra day to get this done.

On Wednesday, I called the CVS, and they said that they had heard from the carrier, but that they were not going to authorize payment for it at the dosage and frequency level the doctor had ordered. I called the doctor, and she was steamed. She said she would call the carrier directly, and to hold tight.

Thursday comes, and per CVS, the carrier is now saying that they will cover a lower dosage/lower frequency. I'm not sure that this is a good idea, and I call the doctor again. She is very angry with the carrier by now, as they had told her that they would. She calls them again, and tells them that she is the doctor, not them - and the meds (75 mg, twice a day) is what I need for the treatment to be effective. They say that they will get back to her on Friday.

Friday comes and goes, and they still have not given the okay. So I head out of town to visit with some friends for the weekend.

Monday, I call over and the insurance company has offered a "compromise" of one 150mg pill per day, but that jacks my copay from $80 to $150! The doctor apologizes, as I may need to be on this medication for years. She does tell me that I should buy a "pill splitter" and take 1/2 a pill twice a day.

Today, I head to the CVS, where I'm about to cough up the $150, when the pharmacist reminds me of a program that Fulton County has, that gets me a 50% discount on my copay. They apply that, and I'm down to $75 - which ain't great, but beats $150 on a monthly basis.

SOOOOO, with all of that said, I have been hearing again and again in the health care debate that people are scared of "a bureaucrat being between the patient and the doctor". Well, lemme point out the obvious - there already IS a bureaucrat between you and your doctor - and they work for your insurance company.

I pay for my insurance directly - as a small business owner I feel that it is a requirement to have, you know, just in case. But even so, I do NOT feel that I nor my doctor are in control of my health care. Some faceless insurance drone looking at a spreadsheet is.

A second point to note - you know that 50% discount? The benefit of a GOVERNMENT PROGRAM, and that part took 60 seconds to resolve - not the week and a day that Blue Cross and Blue Shield put me through because they didn't want to cover the costs of the meds that my doctor said that I needed.

So, those who are against reform - perhaps you can explain why this craptastic system is worth preserving, and why a government option would signal the end-times.

This is just one example of the problem - but it certainly impacted me. I doubt that I am the only one with a story like this, though.

The new and improved Nasty Nest web site

2009-06-15T16:33:00.002-04:00

I'm happy to announce that Nasty Nest 2.0 has been unleashed. It still has message boards but it is far more of a "Facebook" experience now.

There is also an "iPhone enhanced" version available at www.nastynest.net/m.

So, if you like the Atlanta Thrashers, or hockey in general, I encourage you to give it a spin.

Thrashers re-sign Marty Reasoner

2009-06-08T15:51:00.003-04:00

I'm very glad to report that the Atlanta Thrashers have finally re-signed a key component of the team, center Marty Reasoner. He fit in well with the team last season, and won the "player's player" award at the end of the 2009 season.

With the 4th pick in the upcoming draft, Atlanta plans to continue the youth movement, but it is great to have a couple of vets on board to help the younger guys develop.

Windows 7 is coming - are you ready to be annoyed?

2009-06-04T12:42:00.002-04:00

Okay, maybe not annoyed, but after the stinking turd that is/was Vista and the many flavors that it came in, has Microsoft made it any easier to decide which (if any, Linux being a solid alternative unless you need to run specific apps) is the right one for you?

I'm not betting the house, but there is a glimmer of hope, as noted here.

Sarah Palin to Pen Autobiography...

2009-05-13T14:25:00.003-04:00

This should be interesting. Given how Sarah Palin tends to mangle the language when speaking, one can only wonder how she'll do with the written word - especially at book length!

"There's been so much written about and spoken about in the mainstream media and in the anonymous blogosphere world, that this will be a wonderful, refreshing chance for me to get to tell my story, that a lot of people have asked about, unfiltered," Palin told the Associated Press. "Being a voracious reader, I read a lot today and have read a lot growing up. And having that journalism degree, all of that, will be a great assistance for me in writing this book, talking about the challenges and the joys, balancing the work and parenting, and, in my case, work means running the state."

Oh boy! Who wouldn't want to read 300 pages of that kind of poetic prose?

The Other Shoe Dropped

2009-04-28T13:25:00.003-04:00

Hi all...

Sorry for the lack of blogging activity, but I was busy dealing with other stuff. Really...

Anyway, just saw the news that longtime GOP Sen. Arlen Specter has jumped to the Democratic party. I have mixed feelings about this, as I always admired him as one of the few voices of reason in the GOP. But, on the other hand, since I'm a proud Democrat, I love the idea of a filibuster-proof majority for my guys....

Here's what he had to say today:

"Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right," Specter said in a statement posted by his office on PoliticsPA.com.

"Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans."

I find this interesting, as I live in Georgia - where you can only find many Democrats in the Atlanta area - and over the past 10 or so years, I've seen a lot of Georgia Politicians jump to the GOP.

So, is this the beginning of a trend? As a progressive, I'd like to think so, but as a realist, I don't see it changing much in the South.

End Times for the AJC?

2009-03-23T15:22:00.002-04:00

Things are tough in the newspaper industry. More people are going online for their news, and subscriptions to the print editions are going down across the board.

As an Atlanta resident, I've subscribed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ever since I moved to the area in 1992. Over the past few years, though, the paper has gotten thinner and thinner. The business section is now merged with the A section news, arts and living have been combined, and they are relying more and more on wire services to fill content, rather than replace out-going reporters.

So, today, after hearing of more newspapers across the country shutting down or moving to online only modes, I wonder when this will happen to the AJC. My heart hopes not for a long while, but my head tells me "pretty soon".

I know some people don't like the AJC - they claim it is too liberal or whatever, but while I will agree that the editorial board is more liberal than conservative, please tell me how that impacts reporting on the Atlanta Thrashers or a piece about an upcoming festival? If we lose the AJC, who will hold our local elected leaders accountable? (Please don't say bloggers, we're not reporters for the most part.)

So, is there anything to be done? Sure, you could get a subscription to the paper - the more subscribers, the more people will want to advertise - and advertising is the life blood of a paper. The subscription fees pale in comparison, but they are needed to make advertising a viable marketing outlet.

Stay tuned - this could get ugly...

You don't really need a phone book, now do ya?

2009-03-04T17:57:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to pass this on - it seems like every couple of months, I get a pile of phonebooks dropped on my front porch. In this age of Google and such, I never use the things, and put them directly in the recycling bin. But that isn't the greenest solution. Better would be to opt out of the delivery in the first place!

So, check this out - a way to opt out!

I just hope it works!

What I'd do with the Stimulus Money

2009-02-11T11:42:00.004-05:00

I've been giving the economic stimulus idea some thought, and I think President Obama is right to devote a lot of the money towards infrastructure projects, as those will produce jobs. Still, I get kind of tired about hearing of banks and other financial institutions who have already gotten a large chunk of this cash, blowing it like drunken sailors on a trip to Las Vegas - almost literally.

The latest would be the bozos at Wells Fargo - As they had one hand out taking the $25 BILLION from the tax payers, they planned a lavish trip to Las Vegas for some employees! They had no intent to cancel this, until they finally felt the pressure from the media. Thanks, Fourth Estate!

Still, something needs to be done to free up credit and lending, and I think I have an ideal solution that will not only get the banks some capital, but also help the little guy - you know, the tax payer.

Instead of sending money directly to the banks and hopefully have it trickle down, why not reverse that? Allocate the money to the tax payers, BUT they can ONLY use it to pay down existing debts like mortgages, car loans, student loans and credit card debt.

This way, the banks still get their money, but the tax payer gets immediate relief in terms of monies owed. Having been laid off myself last month (but I started my own firm - I'm okay), I know what it is like to have your income cut off, while still needing to meet one's obligations. This would be a big help to many Americans.

Yes, I know - there are some people without debts. There are children with none, and those who have planned well. What do they get out of this? Simple - they benefit from an improved economy. They should NOT get a stack of cash to balance it out. Life isn't fair - so suck it up.

I think a system similar to what we do when we file our taxes could be employed for this. Each taxpayer with debts can list them on a form along with account numbers, and then the IRS could cut checks to each lender, just like we get with income tax refunds.

I also wouldn't suggest that this will get everyone out of debt entirely, but if an unemployed worker could pay off his car or pay the next four months of his mortgage by doing this, it would at least take the immediate pain away, and during that time, the banks could use that capital to once again start lending (responsibly this time) to businesses so that they can put people back to work.

This, I feel, is far better than Wells Fargo and company taking costly trips to Las Vegas. What do you think?

A GREAT day for America

2009-01-20T10:23:00.002-05:00

First, the obvious - I am a Liberal. I will not apologize for it. While I do believe in fiscal conservatism (in the sense that you don't spend $500 for a screwdriver), I never could place monetary gain via tax cuts over what I call social justice.

So, with Obama about to take office in a few hours, I'm naturally excited. But at the same time, last night my friend Chris LeRoy asked me a simple question - Did I really expect to see a black man (okay, 1/2 black man) take the oath of office in my lifetime?

After some thought, I came back with a "No, not really." I honestly didn't think this country would pull the lever as a whole. After all, we're barely 40 years out from when MLK was assassinated, 43 years from the signing of the voting rights act, and one could argue that there is still a lot of bigotry out there today. (California, Prop 8 ring a bell?)

That said, I am insanely proud of my country today. The outpouring of happy people all over the DC area is gratifying, and the symbolism of what Obama represents is as mind-blowing as when Nelson Mandela went from a jail cell in South Africa, to the leader of that nation.

No doubt, Obama has a difficult road ahead, but I think he is exactly what this country needs right now. Not just to cure our own problems, but just as importantly, his election proves to the world that "Land of the Free" isn't just a slogan. Here's hoping we regain the moral high ground so needlessly wrecked by Bush/Cheney.

Here's to hope!

Pretzel Crusted Chicken Recipe

2009-01-09T15:45:00.003-05:00

No... You're at the right blog, but I wanted to share this incredibly tasty yet easy at hell to make recipe from the September issue of Food and Wine magazine. Trust me - make this and you will wow and amaze your friends!

Pretzel Crusted Chicken w/ Mustard Sauce

- makes 6 servings -
Food & Wine magazine.
Ingredients

1/2 pound hard pretzels, coarsely crushed (about 4 cups)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. In a food processor, pulse the pretzels until coarsely ground; you should have fine crumbs and large chunks. Transfer to a shallow bowl.

2. Wipe out the processor and add the oil, whole-grain and Dijon mustards, water, and vinegar and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Pour half the dressing in a large, shallow bowl, add the chicken breasts, and turn to coat. Dredge the chicken (really push hard) in the pretzel crumbs and transfer to a rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in the upper third of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked through.

4. Serve the chicken, passing the remaining mustard sauce on the side.

Very yummy, and low in calories!

Being "Downsized"

2009-01-08T14:21:00.002-05:00

Euphemisms - ya gotta love them. On Monday I got the call from my CEO and my boss telling me that due to the economic downturn and the impact on our revenues, that they had to downsize 10 people. Myself included. Fudge...

But at least I wasn't fired, right?

On the plus side, I know that I have skills in marketing that would serve virtually any company well - but the problem is finding those companies that are actually eager to hire. Trust me - it ain't so easy.

So, I went to the unemployment office this morning. Filing wasn't as hard as I anticipated, but I still felt weird about it.

And talk about feeling weird - ever since I got the news, I've had difficulties sleeping, heart palpitations, shaky hands and just a whole host of freaky feelings. I have some money in savings, but I have already sent dozens of copies of my resumes and to date, no bites at all. That worries me.

But I'm keeping my chin up - for now at least!

This week's Ass-Clown Retard Award Goes To...

2008-12-18T09:40:00.003-05:00

Heath and Deborah Campbell, of Hunderton, NJ! These idiots named their son, "Adolf Hitler Campbell" and were shocked - SHOCKED!!! - that the local ShopRite store refused to decorate a birthday cake with their son's name spelled out.

Karen Meleta, a ShopRite spokeswoman, said the store denied similar requests from the Campbells the last two years, including a request for a swastika.

"We reserve the right not to print anything on the cake that we deem to be inappropriate," Meleta said. "We considered this inappropriate."

The "Parents of the Year" managed to get their cake decorated at a (wait for it) Wal-Mart.

The father said that he named his kid after Adolf Hitler because he liked the name and "no one else in the world would have that name." REALLY? Hey genius-boy, maybe there's a REASON for that???

The Campbells' two other children are named JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, who turns 2 in a few months, and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell, who will be 1 in April.

Unreal - One can only hope that having Obama in the White House starting January 20th will go a long way towards ending this kind of pointless, angry, stupefying racism in this country.

Oh, and Wal-Mart? Go fuck yourself.

When everything sucks at once....

2008-12-05T09:42:00.002-05:00

The Thrashers - worst team in the NHL.
My Carolina Gamecocks - Lost to fucking Clemson - again.
Jim Martin - Lost the Senate race to that Ass-Clown-Retard, Saxby Chambliss.

And to make all of that seem unimportant, today we hear that more jobs were lost in November than in any month since 1974.

Oh, and I have the Flu. That sucks too.

As a supporter, I have high hopes for the Obama Presidency, but as a realist, we're in a world of hurt. I expect things will get worse before they finally bottom out late next year.

This week's ass-clown retard award goes to....

2008-11-21T10:04:00.004-05:00

... Pastor Mark Holick of the Spirit One Christian Center in Wichita, Kansas! Pastor Holick gets the honor by virtue of posting this message on a sign outside of his church:

America - We have a Muslim President. This is a sin against the Lord. Ex. 20:3

Oh boy...

Aside from this be a blatant lie (I mean, did he not hear about the Rev. Jeremiah Wright? You know, Obama's Pastor who the right wanted to paint as Mr. Hate America?), where in the Constitution does it say "No Muslims"? I also find it a bit odd that he chose to reference Exodus 20:3 - Which reads "You shall have no other Gods before Me."

Is this moron suggesting that our President is a GOD??? Is he out of his mind? You be the judge - watch the video above and make your comments...

One Down, Two to Go!

2008-11-19T10:11:00.002-05:00

I woke this morning to frigid temperatures, which made sense. If a Democrat could win the Senate race over Alaska's Ted Stevens, surely there must be snowballs all over Hades...

Still, you have to wonder about the nearly 50% of Alaskan voters who voted for the CONVICTED FELON! I mean, win or lose, he's going to jail!

But I'll take the seat.

Now two races are undecided - here in Georgia, we have a runoff coming on December 2nd between Saxby Chambliss, the Republitard Incumbent, and Jim Martin, the Democrat. This one will be determined by which side gets the most people to the polls. Don't forget that you can do advance voting for this, too, but I doubt we'll see a crush at the polls on 12/2. Flipping this seat would bring the Dems to 59 seats - one short of the 60 needed to avoid Filibusters from the right.

Which brings us to the potential number 60. Al Franken of Minnesota. That race is now in a recount, as Al is down by ~200 votes to Norm Coleman. I have no idea how this will turn out, as there will be that nebulous "intent" of the voter issue like we had in 2000 in Florida. In Minnesota, there are no dangling chads, but the scrutiny will be on the optical scanner forms. Just like those tests we took with a number two pencil back in the day - the little bubbles need to be filled in "just right" to get scanned properly. In the recount, it will be done by humans, so a partially filled bubble would be counted. Does that favor the left or the right? I have no clue. But I do want this to finally be "The Al Franken Decade"... Having read his books, he knows politics and the issues. Plus he's funny - we could use some of that....

Now the Auto Industry wantsTax Payer Money...

2008-11-13T17:03:00.002-05:00

When will this end? 700 Billion here, 20 Billion there....

But, as my coworker Orion points out in his blog, maybe bad companies should just go belly up?

There is NO GOOD REASON TO SAVE THE US CAR INDUSTRY. They can't figure out how to make a product people want at a profit. Every company I've worked for that hasn't figured that out has gone out of business. Yes, it's painful, but a big, dumb bailout of big, dumb companies leaves crappy products on the market and prevents good products from being made.

He does make a good point - I've been with a few startups that have gone belly up, and it wasn't the end of the world. That said, IF there is to be a bail out, then serious strings need to be attached.

ALL vehicles need to hit a minimum of 30MPG in the city. If you can't do that, don't build it.

By 2012, ALL manufacturers must offer Hybrid versions of ALL of their cars and trucks. (I'll make an exception for tractor trailers and such.) I would also like to see a real commitment to alternative fuels, electric cars and the like.

If they balk at this? Tuff titty - you go belly up. I'll be damned if my $$ is going to prop up business as usual. Good riddance to the gas guzzling SUV.

Fox News Message Boards

2008-11-05T16:02:00.007-05:00

Wow - If you want to jump into a big pile of poo, check out the message boards on Fox News' website. So people are not too keen on our new President Elect!

In fact, I think some of these people are advocating violence against Obama, and I trust that our law enforcement agencies are on this. Here are examples of what I mean - all found here (Scroll to the bottom and check out the comments:

http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/11/05/youdecide_1105/

Racism:

"Comment by dawson
November 5th, 2008 at 3:45 pm

go pick cotton"

"Comment by dave
November 5th, 2008 at 3:44 pm

Give everyone a watermelon and bucket o chicken and free md 20/20"

"Comment by dave
November 5th, 2008 at 3:38 pm

Tapdance and sing “mammy”"

Death Threats: (I trust the Secret Service will be contacting you soon?)

"Comment by sickofliberals
November 5th, 2008 at 3:44 pm

Comment by Boycott against Oprah
November 5th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Move to a deserted island with Oprah, Rev Jeremiah Wright, William Ayers, Kahlidi, other radicals!

GREAT IDEA!! BUT I’D RATHER PACK HIS PARACHUTE AND THEN SHOVE HIM OUT OF THE PLANE…..
"

"Comment by REALTRUTH
November 5th, 2008 at 3:44 pm

ARSENIC is the first thing that comes to mind……………

Stupidity:

"Comment by muskierd
November 5th, 2008 at 3:40 pm

Sounds like lots of folks detest marxism and sociallism, me too!
These democrats will impede great harm to our country, mark my words, as a famous man once said."

"Comment by Esteban
November 5th, 2008 at 3:38 pm

He needs to forfeit the election for not being a natural born citizen as required by the Constitution."

And you wonder why McCain lost? With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Best day ever as an American

2008-11-04T23:23:00.004-05:00

Some days are better than others and some days are better than most. But tonight I am more proud to be an American than I have ever been. Better than landing on the moon. Better than the 1980 Olympic hockey win. Tonight we elected Obama president. And we're a better country for it.

Hats off to President-Elect Obama!

Cautiously Optimistic

2008-11-03T13:27:00.006-05:00

I don't want to jinx anything so I'm not going to predict specific winners for tomorrow, but without specifically saying which Presidential Candidate and which Senate Candidate I support, I will say that I think each of my candidates have outstanding prospects tomorrow. (I will not type their names lest I jinx them...)

I'm not basing this on polling alone, but also on empirical and subjective inputs. Empirically, I spent Saturday canvassing South Atlanta neighborhoods in a get out the vote effort - yes, I'm part of the "ground game" - and was saddened yet inspired by my experience. This was a predominantly African American part of town, but relatively new (5-10 years old) subdivisions. Sadly, at least 50% of these homes had been foreclosed or were about to be foreclosed upon. Thus, there was little pride in the look of what was a bright and shiny part of the American dream not too long ago. Now, it is an area on the rapid decline with smashed mailboxes, shabby lawns, graffiti and trash.

It was an object lesson of how the subprime mess can ruin an otherwise nice neighborhood. Still, those people who were there, for the most part, were upbeat and full of enthusiasm for "BO". Most of them had voted, but I did take down the info of friendly young lady named Yvette, who gave me a bottle of water along with her commitment to vote for "BO" (Not gonna type it - not jinxing him...). She was in need of a ride to the polls, due to car problems, and needed her pay check $$ to cover the mortgage that was due on the 1st.

Of the 20 people I talked to, only one said that he was going to vote for the other main party Candidate, who I'll call "JM", and the vast majority had already voted during the early and advanced phases. As one enthusiastic supported of "BO" told me, "I voted for him the 1st day I COULD vote for him".

When asked if they had or were planning to vote for the Democratic Senate candidate, "SenJM" , most said yes, but I was a little troubled by the woman who couldn't be sure.

Less empirically, but certainly subjective, given that I work from home, but I simply haven't seen the signage for Presidential Candidate "JM" that we saw for Bush/Cheney in 2000 or 2004. Admittedly, I live in Metro Atlanta, and you don't get much more liberal that that in the South, but even so, I saw a LOT of Bush/Cheney stickers on cars and yard signs the past two cycles - I think I've literally seen two "JM/SP" stickers and one yard sign. I've seen hundreds if not thousands for "BO" and his running mate, "JB".

This makes me think that the left is energized. Hillary or not, the left seems pretty well united behind "BO". In some senses I think the GOP Nominee's VP selection actually galvanized the base on the left as much as that on the right.

Objectively, clearly there is amazing amount of talk and focus on this election that I never thought I would see. I predict that in Georgia, we'll have at least 75% participation in this election. With the new voters the "BO" campaign has worked so hard to register, coupled with his support among 18-35 year-olds, I wouldn't be surprised to see democratic voters outnumber those aligned with the GOP.

What we don't know is if there will really be a Bradley effect or not. The cynic in me thinks that a real racist would just tell a pollster "MC" and be done with it, but maybe there is some truth to it. Let's say a 1% negative impact. "BO" should still be fine! ;-)

Also, I would think if a person is a racist voter, they might also be sexist. So the racists might go 3rd party....

So, all of this is telling me not just a win for "BO" nationally, but a solid shot at flipping Georgia from red to blue, and those coattails pull in "SenJM" in the senate slot.

But I'm not naming names. I don't wanna jinx anything....

More Lies - and My Response

2008-10-30T11:12:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago I wrote about how many on the right will say and do anything to scare people about Obama. Today I got one from a friend of my father's, which went on and on about Obama being a Muslim, his connections to "terrorists" and the usual bag of tricks. I got a bit pissed, as I do with those who won't talk about real issues, and wrote the following as my response. I felt it would make for a good blog post - so here it is:

Jennifer -

Try thinking for yourself for a change - rather than cutting and pasting an email or a blog and sending it to you, here is MY reasoning for supporting Obama. I will, however, link to sources of information that backup what I'm writing.

John McCain has picked a blithering idiot for a running mate who has zero grasp of world affairs - jeez, she didn't even know what the Bush Doctrine is. McCain is 72 years old. He has a history of cancer. His father and grandfather never made it to 72.There is a very real chance that he wouldn't make it through his first term. Palin's husband, Todd, is a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, whose founder, Joe Volger stated "I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions."

http://www.akip.org/introduction.html

Vogler is recorded as saying "The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government. And I won't be buried under their damn flag. I'll be buried in Dawson. And when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Vogler

As recently as this past Spring, Palin was saying nice things about the AIP - like this intro to their recent convention:

"Keep up the good work", indeed...

If you want to talk about McCain's judgment, this was his first "executive" decision. It was a horrible one.

McCain also promised to run a respectful campaign. I guess that only counted if he was winning:

Rather than focusing on the future, McCain and company feel a need to try to link Obama to "radical" connections, no matter how tenuous, and no matter how hypocritical. For example - William Ayers who admittedly did some despicable things in the 1960. Obama served on THe Chicago Annenberg Challenge board with him - that's it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Annenberg_Challenge

Why is that attack hypocritical? Because of "Annenberg".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Annenberg

Annenberg was the Ambassador to Great Britain appointed by RONALD REAGAN. So, if Obama has a "connection" to this "terrorist" - so does Annenberg and so did Reagan.

Next up is the "connection" to Rashid Khalidi - Obama has said "He is not one of my advisers; he's not one of my foreign policy people," Obama said. "He is a respected scholar, although he vehemently disagrees with a lot of Israel's policy."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/29/is-columbia-professor-khalidi-a-
political-ally-of-barack-obama/

Why is THIS attack hypocritical?

McCain has his own connection to Khalidi.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/10/the-khalidi-gam.html

In 1993, McCain became chairman of the International Republican Institute. He still chairs that respected organization.

That same year, Khalidi helped found the Center for Palestine Research and Studies, self-described as “an independent academic research and policy analysis institution” created to meet “the need for active Palestinian scholarship on issues related to Palestine.”

http://web.archive.org/web/20001209082600/www.cprs-palestine.org/about/board.htm

Khalidi was on the board of trustees through 1999.
According to tax returns, the McCain-chaired IRI funded the organization Khalidi founded and served on to the tune of $448,873 in 1998.

http://abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/IRI%20Form%20990%20-%201998.pdf

Next, this garbage about Obama being a Muslim? How can that possibly be the case if you guys on the right continue to tie him to the Rev. Wright? You can't have it both ways. Besides - what is wrong with being a Muslim? Personally I tend to dislike all organized religions, and can't see much difference between a Muslim Terrorist vs. a Christian one like Eric Rudolph.

I mean, there are some idiots out there who also claim he wasn't born in the US. Sorry, Hawaii is just as much a state as Alaska or Arizona. Here's his birth certificate:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/06/obama-birth.html

As for why I SUPPORT Obama? Simple - his grasp of the issues. His intellect. His understanding of economic issues affecting the middle and lower classes. I like that he wants us out of Iraq, where we never should have gone in the first place (repeat it with me Jennifer, IRAQ HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH 9/11). I like how he's going to ask American's to work on conservation. I like how he wants to invest in Green technologies. I like his 10 year plan to get us off of foreign oil - that is just as much a national security issue as it is economic and environmental.

Lastly, this attempt to paint Obama as a socialist is laughable. All tax plans "redistribute wealth" - including McCain's. The key difference is that McCain wants to redistribute it to the wealthy, while Obama wants to favor the lower and middle classes - you know, people like you and me.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/11/news/economy/candidates_taxproposals_tpc/index.h
tm

………………………MCCAIN………………………………OBAMA
Income ………… Avg tax bill ……………………. Avg. tax bill
Over $2.9M …. -$269,364 (-4.4%)……… +$701,885 (+11.5%)
$603K and up…. -$45,361 (-3.4%)……. +$115,974 (+8.7%)
$227K-$603K…… -$7,871 (-3.1%)…….. +$12 (+0.0%)
$161K-$227K…… -$4,380 (-3.0%)……….. -$2,789 (-1.9%)
$112K-$161K…… -$2,614 (-2.5%)……… -$2,204 (-2.1%)
$66K-$112K …… -$1,009 (-1.4%)….. ….-$1,290 (-1.8%)
$38K-$66K …….. -$319 (-0.7%)………… -$1,042 (-2.4%)
$19K-$38K …….. -$113 (-0.5%)…………. -$892 (-3.6%)
Under $19K ……… -$19 (-0.2%)……. …..-$567 (-5.5%)

Okay, if you're making over $600K per year, you will pay a lot more in taxes, but I'm pretty sure you can afford it if that's what you're pulling in.

Anyway, if you want to debate this stuff, I'm open to that, but if all you're going to do is forward crap in your in-box I'm not interested. It is your opinion that I want to hear.

Bill Sengstacken

Thrashers pounded 7-0 by the Flyers

2008-10-29T15:57:00.004-04:00

Wow - that was a disgusting game last night. No, it wasn't dirty, and while a couple of calls could have gone the Thrashers way, this was from soup to nuts the worst game I think that I've seen in person. Everyone looked lost - lousy positioning, terrible passing and what shots on goal were attempted were pretty much dribblers that even I could have stopped (and I suck at goal...)

So, for the ELEVENTH straight time, the Flyers beat the Thrashers.

The apologist in me says, well, this was the 1st blowout of the year, and they are learning Coach Anderson's new system, but geez guys, how about playing with some passion? How about mixing it up to wake up the crowd? You were on Versus - one of two nationally televised games, and that was your response?

Yuck.

Games like this make me wonder why I support this team. Really - why did I cough up $2,000 for season tickets? I have no good answer other than I want the NHL to know that I do want a team in Atlanta. I just wish the team acted like they wanted to be here.

Oh well - at least Obama is kicking ass in the polls. So I have that to cling to...

I voted early - since I can't do the often bit....

2008-10-28T11:58:00.002-04:00

So, I decided to vote today, since we're able to do advance voting in Georgia. I headed down to the Fulton County Government Center around 9AM, and after paying $5.00 to park (shouldn't that be free if you're voting?) I waited in line for about 2 hours to put an "X" to the left of Barack Obama's name.

I also voted for Jim Martin, as I think Saxby Chambliss is a tool - mostly for the evil campaign that he ran against Max Cleland in 2002.

So, why did I vote early? Mostly just to be sure that my vote is "in the tank". I mean, a lot could happen in a week. I could get hit by a car, get the flu, or it could be pissing down rain on election day. Admittedly, those last two wouldn't stop me, and the first one would have to be pretty severe for it to keep me from the polls. Since college, I have NEVER missed an election - even those primary runoffs. So, while the chance is remote, I wanted to be sure that I got my say in.

I look forward to the Obama Presidency with great anticipation, and I also hope that we can flip Georgia from red to blue.

They will stop at nothing. NOTHING!

2008-10-24T20:11:00.004-04:00

And if you have to ask who "they" are....

Here's a prime example:

(Note the backwards letter "B" - AS IF DONE IN A MIRROR..... duh... BY AN IDIOT.... double duh...)

Looks like she was beaten up - Yesterday she would have said she was - by an Obama supporter because of the McCain sticker she had on her car.

But shock of shocks... She was faking it.

Sad....

How much does it cost to put lipstick on a pig?

2008-10-22T10:36:00.004-04:00

Apparently $150,000.00, reports Politico.com.

The Republican National Committee has spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by John McCain in late August.

This makes total sense, of course, given the that the right has been pushing Style over Substance this entire campaign. Still, $150,000.00 is a lot of coin. I sure hope that Palin spent it in the "Real America" she seems to wanna slobber all over...

According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74.

The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September.

The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August.

What? Saks Fifth Avenue? I wonder what Joe the Plumber thinks about Sarah the Clotheshorse....

How Big is Powell's Endorsment of Obama?

2008-10-21T12:28:00.003-04:00

Although there had been rumors about it for a few days, I was still as giddy as a 10 year-old with a new bike when I read the news on Sunday. Powell brings what Biden was supposed to bring - credibility on Foreign policy and a strong voice that I'm sure that Obama will rely on when it comes to military issues.

Better still, despite the fact that he helped BushCo make the case for war with his presentation at the UN, it is clear that he never really felt comfortable with the task he was asked to do. In a sense, I feel that Powell felt used by the Bush administration, and is tired of the way the Right tends to attack anyone on the left with questions about patriotism and loyalty.

I've long felt that there is a HUGE difference between Patriotism and Nationalism. In many respects that difference can be seen in how much of Carl Schurz's famous quote is used. A nationalist would say, "My country, right or wrong", and leave it at that. A patriot would use the full quote "My country; and my country is the great American Republic. My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right."

Clearly Powell is a Patriot, and he can see how the right is wrong these days. It takes a great man to speak truth to power, and that's what Powell has done with his endorsement of Obama.

This SHOULD quiet the thoughtful people on the right - those who have genuine concerns about Obama's experience. I think this will have a large impact on undecideds as well. The polls seem to back this up, with Obama opening an eight point lead. If all of the new voters and the typically indifferent actually cast their ballots, I'm predicting not just a win, but I think some red states will flip blue - and I'm thinking even Georgia could go that way.

I'm also hoping that the turnout will flip a number of house and senate seats from red to blue. If Obama can gain a filibuster-proof majority in both houses, we have a fantastic opportunity to undo a lot of the bad mojo that has happened over the past eight years. AND lets get some more liberals into the Supreme Court while we're at it.

VOTE on November 4th, or before!

A Red Band Trailer....

2008-10-13T18:11:00.004-04:00

I had never seen a red-band trailer for a movie before! 99.9% of them are "green-band", meaning that the MPAA deems it safe for "General Audiences". This one for the film "Role Models" Red Banned. Enjoy reveling in the evilness implied...

Heh. Good line. Okay, so it looks to be a School of Rock-esque cool guy(s) helps the rejects with the day, but it could be fun. Either way, it had a red-band trailer. And that makes me happy for no good reason at all....

Real Hockey Comes Tonight!

2008-10-10T11:30:00.005-04:00

If you're a baseball fan who dreams of opening day in December, you might understand the series of hockey dreams I've been having since July. One dream, in which the ice is divided into thirds so that the three sections raise and lower at random times, really put the skids on the dump and chase concept... But I digress.

Tonight, the Thrashers are in first place in the SouthEast division with three other teams (Tampa brings up the rear by virtue of losing two games in Europe last weekend. Well played, Tampa, well played...)

Do I expect them to be in first at the end of the season? No. Not really. But I have hope.

I have hope in an improved Defense.

I have hope in a new coach in John Anderson.

I have hope in a recharged Slava Kozlov.

I have hope in two healthy goalies.

I have certainty in Ilya Kovalchuk. I have man-love, here...

In short, I have optimism.

They drop the puck in eight hours. I... Can't... Wait!!!

Don't go there, Sarah... or do...

2008-10-07T10:12:00.003-04:00

So now that Sarah Palin has "passed" her test of not imploding at the VP Debate last week ("I never met a question I didn't divert to my talking points"), she and McCain are now out on the campaign trail trying to attack Obama with the (not) news that he had a relationship with both one-time radical William Ayers and more recently the Reverand Jeramiah Wright.

Hitting Barack Obama on his association with Bill Ayers, the former Weather Underground terrorist, is the opening feint in this strategy. The press will howl — already a writer for The Associated Press has deemed the Ayers attack “racially tinged” — but a relationship with a terrorist is obviously legitimate campaign fodder. While he’s at it, McCain ought to go after Obama’s much closer and more disturbing relationship with the racist and anti-American Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

This tactic didn't really stick during the primary season, but I guess when you're out of bullets, you start throwing rocks and mud...

But before they go too far down the path of trying to paint Obama as someone who "pals around with terrorists", they might want to take a look at little bit closer to home. Specifically, Palin's hubby, Todd Palin.

Ya see, Todd was a member of the Alaskan Independent Party. Not a big deal, right? Well, in most cases, I'd say yeah, no big deal. But in the school yard sense of playing tit for tat, if they want to make a big deal of Obama's association with William Ayers, who admittedly was bombing buildings forty years ago to protest the Vietnam War (when Obama was EIGHT), then I think it is fair to call into question Todd Palin's association with an organization who's leader, Joe Vogler, said this in 1991.

"The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government. ... And I won't be buried under their damn flag."

Wow. The Rev. Wright's got nothing on that guy...

Speaking of Preachers, I also think it is kind of funny that no one wants to call out Sarah Palin's association with her preacher. It seems that he helped Sarah to get over that awful witchcraft situation a few years ago. Really. Check out the first part of the video below (and the funny part after if you enjoy mocking people...)

So, I'm not saying that McCain and Palin can't talk about Obama's past, but geez, when your closet is filled with skeletons, don't be shocked when the other side bitch-slaps you with your own dirt.

The end of the ugly preseason...

2008-10-06T12:09:00.002-04:00

Yeah, I do blog about hockey, too...

Anyway, the Thrashers wrapped up a rather dismal preseason, going 1-5 in the six games. I know, I know, I know. Preseason games don't matter. I get that. The Thrashers went 5-2 last year in the preseason, and then started the regular season 0-6, and forcing the ouster of Coach Bob Hartley.

But now we are in the John Anderson era, and while I wish the record was better, we need to remember that his system is drastically different from what Hartley or Don Waddell used over the past four years. Even a seasoned player will take time to adjust to a new system.

Still, how long a period of adjustment should we expect? What happens if we open this season like last year with a string of losses? It is no secret that the Season Ticket base has fallen off, and despite some nice press in the AJC, is the casual fan thinking "I gotta get my ass to Blueland?"

I don't know... I really want hockey to succeed in this market, but I also want to let Anderson mold the team to his vision.

Overall, I think this is a stronger Thrashers team than the one that took the ice last year. Adding Hainsey, Schnieder and Bogosian to the blue line should result in fewer goals allowed, but while I think Williams will offer a decent second scoring option to Kovalchuk, I'm not about to suggest he's Marian Hossa. Plus his injury history worries me.

Not sure how he'll do it, but for me, Don Waddell should still be in the market for additional front-line help. I've given up on a 1st line center, but a solid second liner could improve things dramatically.

So, with that said, here's where I think the teams in the NHL SE Division will finish this year.

1 - Washington
2 - Carolina
3 - Atlanta
4 - Tampa Bay
5 - Florida

I don't think Atlanta makes the playoffs, but they should be in the mix for most of the year - assuming none of that 0-6 start muckity muck. SO, what do you think?

Sarah Palin Debate Flowchart

2008-10-03T19:02:00.003-04:00

Like a lot of people, I thought that Palin came across looking 'okay' when she was on message in her debate last night, but getting to that message took a lot of planning. Here's the step-by-step strategy employed by team Palin when she debated Sen. Joe Biden:

Lies - the last act of the desperate GOP

2008-09-30T13:16:00.004-04:00

For some reason, a guy named Joe Creaney has seen fit to email me any and all fabrications about Barack Obama that I guess he thinks will cause me to somehow support the GOP ticket. What is laughable to me is how easy this stuff is to debunk! Here's today's "gem".

----- Original Message -----
From: jcreaney@tampabay.rr.com

Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 1:34 AM
Subject: Fw: Fw: OBama's money-----

Maureen Dowd, winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary, became a columnist on The New York Times Op-Ed page in 1995 after having served as a correspondent in the paper's Washington bureau since 1986. She has covered four presidential campaigns and served as White House correspondent. She also wrote a column, "On Washington," for The New York Times Magazine.

Ms. Dowd joined The New York Times as a metropolitan reporter in 1983. She began her career in 1974 as an editorial assistant for The Washington Star, where she later became a sports columnist, metropolitan reporter and feature writer. When the Star closed in 1981, she went to Time magazine.

Born in Washington D.C., Ms. Dowd received a B.A. degree in English literature from Catholic University (Washington, D.C.) in 1973.

WHERE DID OBAMA'S MONEY COME FROM???????
Subject: New York Times Editorial
By MAUREEN DOWD
Published: June 29, 2008
Certainly the most interesting and potentially devastating
OBAMA'S TROUBLING INTERNET FUND RAISING
Certainly the most interesting and potentially devastating phone call I have received during this election cycle came this week from one of the Obama's campaign internet geeks. These are the staffers who devised Obama's internet fund raising campaign which raised in the neighborhood of $200 million so far. That is more then twice the total funds raised by any candidate in history and this was all from the internet campaign.
What I learned from this insider was shocking but I guess we shouldn't be surprised that when it comes to fund raising there simply are no rules that can't be broken and no ethics that prevail.
Obama's internet campaign started out innocently enough with basic e-mail networking , lists saved from previous party campaigns and from supporters who visited any of the Obama campaign web sites.
Small contributions came in from these sources and the internet campaign staff were more than pleased by the results.
Then, about two months into the campaign the daily contribution intake multiplied. Where was it coming from? One of the web site security monitors began to notice the bulk of the contributions were clearly coming in from overseas internet service providers and at the rate and frequency of transmission it was clear these donations were "programmed" by a very sophisticated user.
While the security people were not able to track most of the sources due to firewalls and other blocking devices put on these contributions they were able to collate the number of contributions that were coming in seemingly from individuals but the funds were from only a few credit card accounts and bank electronic funds transfers. The internet service providers (ISP) they were able to trace were from Saudi Arabia , Iran , and other Middle Eastern countries. One of the banks used for fund transfers was also located in Saudi Arabia .
Another concentrated group of donations was traced to a Chinese ISP with a similar pattern of limited credit card charges.
It became clear that these donations were very likely coming from sources other than American voters. This was discussed at length within the campaign and the decision was made that none of these donations violated campaign financing laws.
It was also decided that it was not the responsibility of the campaign to audit these millions of contributions as to the actual source (specific credit card number or bank transfer account numbers) to insure that none of these internet contributors exceeded the legal maximum donation on a cumulative basis of many small donations. They also found the record keeping was not complete enough to do it anyway.
This is a shocking revelation.
We have been concerned about the legality of "bundling" contributions after the recent exposure of illegal bundlers but now it appears we may have an even greater problem.
I guess we should have been somewhat suspicious when the numbers started to come out. We were told (no proof offered) that the Obama internet contributions were from $10.00 to $25.00 or so.
If the $200,000,000 is right, and the average contribution was $15.00, that would mean over 13 million individuals made contributions? That would also be 13 million contributions would need to be processed. How did all that happen?
I believe the Obama campaign's internet fund raising needs a serious, in depth investigation and audit. It also appears the whole question of internet fund raising needs investigation by the legislature and perhaps new laws to insure it complies not only with the letter of these laws but the spirit as well.

IS IT RIGHT FOR FOREIGN COUNTRIES TO HAVE AN INVESTMENT IN WHO BECOMES OUR NEXT PRESIDENT??? IF YOU ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH THIS, PLEASE PASS IT ON.
The fact that the NY Times allowed this to be printed is amazing in itself.

As I said, this is easy to debunk. All you have to do is go to the NY Times website and look at what Dowd wrote for her column of June 29th:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/opinion/29dowd.html

Not even close to what was written!

If that's not enough, go to Snopes.com (a great site to verify email scams and lies), and you'll find this:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/donations.asp

As Snopes writes of this Pile of Goo:

The faux news article reproduced above is a masterful bit of political effluvium, one which proffers the "shocking revelation" that not only were the bulk of donations to Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign made via the Internet coming from a handful of wealthy financiers in China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and "other Middle Eastern countries" (rather than from American voters), but that Senator Obama was fine with accepting such tainted and compromised funding because of the technicality that "none of these donations violated campaign financing laws."

My question is why are those on the right so willing to believe stuff like this? Why can't they fact-check first, and email second? Do they really think that people won't see through the smoke and mirrors?

I'll tell you what it is - it is insulting.

My Take on the First Debate

2008-09-27T10:00:00.000-04:00

I was impressed by both candidates. (I know, a shock that I'm not just pimping Obama.)

I thought both seemed fairly sure of themselves, and both showed a fairly good grasp of the issues. Clearly either will be an upgrade over #43...

At first I had a hard time following some of McCain's arguments, but I think he improved a good bit over the 1st 20 minutes or so. I know he was trying to say that North Koreans are suffering when compared to South Koreans, but I think he might have used a better example than the respective average heights of the population. I also think, given the trainwreck that was Palin's interview with Katie Couric, maybe he shouldn't have referred to her as another "maverick". He also seemed to be trying to hard to interject some of his stump-speech "zingers" into his responses. Did he expect applause and cheers? Once they moved away from the economy and into the foreign policy bits, he seemed to do better. He did a pretty good job of asserting his bi-partisan approach, but he lost points in that sense when he exhibited a mocking tone towards Obama. Admittedly a delicate dance, but I think it is possible to disagree with someone while still having a respectful tone. Also, saw some flashes of "Angry John" boiling under his skin, which probably didn't help.

I thought Obama was strikingly good - there was little of the "uhs" and "ums" that he tends to utter while thinking of the precise thing he wants to say. His bearing was "Presidential" in a way that reminded me of Ronald Reagan in the debates of 1980 and 84. Many on the right have been pushing the notion that Obama can't talk without a teleprompter. I think he proved that he's sharp as a tack. His immediate responses to McCain's attempts to paint him as naive or not understanding stuff really impressed me. He had solid answers for every charge that came his way. I admit, I'm a fan, but I didn't expect him to be *that* good. The only weak bit was his "Well, I got a bracelet from a soldier's mother too" response to McCain's story. I also thought he hit a home run when he said that "There has never been a country that saw its economy decline but maintained its military superiority” McCain didn’t have a response to that. Brilliant move to tie the financial situation to foreign policy. Other than that, very focused, serious and polished. I now fully expect the right to call him "Slick Willie 2" or something. Damned if you do damned if you don't, but I don't see that sticking outside of right-wing radio/fox news.

If the debates are supposed to "introduce" the candidates to the country at large, I think both did well. Unlike the 2000 debates where Bush and Gore seemed to agree on a number of issues, I think these two both showed that while competent and ready to lead, they have very different approaches to how they will do that. Say what you will, but I feel we have two clear and distinct options this time. No matter which way you lean, I think you have to agree that this is a good thing.

My grades:

McCain: B-

Obama: A-

The Palin Trainwreck

2008-09-26T12:17:00.005-04:00

Wow -

I sure hope that those who still think that Sarah Palin is all that and a bag of chips watched her interview with Katie Couric.

Yeah, she's TOTALLY ready to take charge. NOT!

Cram, Sarah, Cram

2008-09-23T13:02:00.005-04:00

Geez. I just read this piece about Failin' Palin, and how she's going to meet with "Nine Major International Leaders" during the UN's General Assembly meetings.

Palin's schedule on Tuesday includes talks with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

The Alaska governor will also meet with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and U2 frontman Bono, who is known for his global humanitarian work.

I would love to be the fly on the wall as she tries to figure out what countries Bono and Kissinger lead...

Call me a cynic, but doesn't this smack of cramming for the final before the big test? (That test being her upcoming debate with Joe Biden)

Republicans say, no. Try to read this with a straight face:

Republicans point out that Palin is just following in the footsteps of other national candidates such as Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton -- former governors who needed to beef up their international policy credentials.

"The first thing you do is burnish their foreign policy credentials. You buy them a Rand-McNally, you meet with generals, you get a lot of flags on the stage and you give a big speech on foreign policy to display you have some command of the world," said Alex Castellanos, a Republican strategist and CNN contributor.

Really? That's all they need? A map and a bunch of flags?

Also, it should be noted that both Reagan and Clinton both went through the Primary Cycle. You know, it wasn't like they popped up in September expecting the job two months later. They actually had to prove themselves to get the nomination.

Palin has no plans as of yet to deliver any type of speech on foreign affairs. Her meetings will be low-risk in that she will not take any questions from the media.

Good plan that. Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool as opposed to opening it and removing all doubt.

As a 44-year-old governor who just got her passport last year, she has had to fend off accusations that she is not up to speed on foreign policy. In a recent interview with ABC, she admitted she has never met with a head of state.

Asked last week for specific skills she could cite to rebut critics who question her grasp of international affairs, she replied, "I am prepared."

"I have that confidence. I have that readiness," Palin told voters at a town-hall meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan. "And if you want specifics with specific policies or countries, you can go ahead and ask me. You can play 'stump the candidate' if you want to. But we are ready to serve."

McCain stepped in, pointing out that as governor of a state that has plenty of oil and gas, Palin was familiar with energy. She knows it to be "one of our great national security challenges," he said.

He also cited her nearly two years as commander of Alaska's National Guard.

"I believe she is absolutely, totally qualified to address every challenge as the next vice president of the United States," McCain said.

Please, someone, tell me more about those specifics - they seem totally unable to do so....

The Next President and Taxes

2008-09-16T16:30:00.004-04:00

So, I've been hearing those on the right going on and on and on about how "Obama is going to raise your taxes". However, Obama says that isn't the case - if you make less than $250K per year, your taxes will go down.

Well, someone has to by lying - so let's look at the numbers as provided by CNNMoney:

………………………MCCAIN………………………………OBAMA
Income ………… Avg tax bill ……………………. Avg. tax bill
Over $2.9M …. -$269,364 (-4.4%)……… +$701,885 (+11.5%)
$603K and up…. -$45,361 (-3.4%)……. +$115,974 (+8.7%)
$227K-$603K…… -$7,871 (-3.1%)…….. +$12 (+0.0%)
$161K-$227K…… -$4,380 (-3.0%)……….. -$2,789 (-1.9%)
$112K-$161K…… -$2,614 (-2.5%)……… -$2,204 (-2.1%)
$66K-$112K …… -$1,009 (-1.4%)….. ….-$1,290 (-1.8%)
$38K-$66K …….. -$319 (-0.7%)………… -$1,042 (-2.4%)
$19K-$38K …….. -$113 (-0.5%)…………. -$892 (-3.6%)
Under $19K ……… -$19 (-0.2%)……. …..-$567 (-5.5%)

Okay, if you're making over $600K per year, you will pay a lot more in taxes, but I'm pretty sure you can afford it.

Clearly, if you're thinking the economy is a big factor in this election, how can you not look at this? Even more damning - how can McCain claim that Obama is going to raise everyone's taxes? Without being a liar, I mean...

Compare and Contrast

2008-09-13T08:25:00.003-04:00

Don't you just love watching Right Wing idiots drooling over Sarah Palin for being "new and different" but slamming Obama for the same thing?

I saw this post on Free Republic, and had to share!

* If you're a minority and you're selected for a job over more qualified candidates you're a "token hire." * If you're a conservative and you're selected for a job over more qualified candidates you're a "game changer."

* Black teen pregnancies? A moral "crisis" in black America. * White teen pregnancies? A "blessed event."

* If you grow up in Hawaii you're "exotic." * Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, you're the quintessential "American story."

* Similarly, if you name you kid Barack you're "unpatriotic." * Name your kid Track, you're "colorful."

* If you're a Democrat and you make a VP pick without fully vetting the individual you're "reckless." * A Republican who doesn't fully vet is a "maverick."

* If you spend 3 years as a community organizer growing your organization from a staff of 1 to 13 and your budget from $70,000 to $400,000, then become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new African Amerian voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, then spend nearly 8 more years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, becoming chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, then spend nearly 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of nearly 13 million people, sponsoring 152 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you are woefully inexperienced.

* If you spend 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, then spend 20 months as the governor of a state with 650,000 people, then you've got the most executive experience of anyone on either ticket, are the Commander in Chief of the Alaska military and are well qualified to lead the nation should you be called upon to do so because your state is the closest state to Russia.

* If you are a Democratic male candidate who is popular with millions of people you are an "arrogant celebrity." * If you are a popular Republican female candidate you are "energizing the base."

* If you are a younger male candidate who thinks for himself and makes his own decisions you are "presumptuous." * If you are an older male candidate who makes last minute decisions you refuse to explain, you are a "shoot from the hip" maverick.

* If you are a candidate with a Harvard law degree you are "an elitist-out of touch" with the real America . * if you are a legacy (dad and granddad were admirals) graduate of Annapolis , with multiple disciplinary infractions you are a hero.

* If you manage a multi-million dollar nationwide campaign, you are an "empty suit." * If you are a part time mayor of a town of 7000 people, you are an "experienced executive."

* If you go to a south side Chicago church, your beliefs are "extremist." * If you believe in creationism and don't believe global warming is man made, you are "strongly principled."

* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian. * If you have been married to the same woman with whom you've been wed to for 19 years and raising 2 beautiful daughters with, you're "risky."

* If you're a black single mother of 4 who waits for 22 hours after her water breaks to seek medical attention, you're an irresponsible parent, endangering the life of your unborn child. * But if you're a white married mother who waits 22 hours, you're spunky.

* If you're a 13-year-old Chelsea Clinton, the right-wing press calls you "First dog." * If you're a 17-year old pregnant unwed daughter of a Republican, the right-wing press calls you "beautiful" and "courageous."

* If you kill an endangered species, you're an excellent hunter. * If you have an abortion, you're a murderer (forget about if it happened while being raped.)

* If you teach abstinence only in sex education, you get teen parents. * If you teach responsible age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

* If you're a Republican senator who solicits gay sex in an airport bathroom, you get to return to your job in the Senate and are encouraged to run for re-election. * If you're a Democratic Senator who is out of public office and have an affair, your political career is over and your wife who has terminal cancer is to blame.

Hockey is coming!

2008-09-12T17:48:00.003-04:00

For those who are going through hockey withdrawal, you'll be pleased to hear that the Thrashers will once again take part in the Traverse City Prospect Evaluation Tournament from Sept. 13-17. Even better, this time it will be broadcast on the NHL Network! (Channel 215 on DirecTV - no clue about you cable folks.)

Sadly this will be on a tape-delayed basis, but still - the chance to see Zac Bogosian and Angelo Esposito in Thrashers unis has me so excited that I could type this with no hands....

The Plane to Nowhere

2008-09-10T13:17:00.002-04:00

Another rough week for Plain Palin - Seems that in addition to being for the "Bridge to Nowhere" before being against it, now the truth is coming about that luxury plane that Plain Palin claims that she put on eBay.

What Plain Palin neglected to mention is that Alaska has been selling surplus stuff on eBay since at least 2003. Second, she neglected to mention that the plane never hit the minimum bid, so they had to keep on paying the $20,000 per month payment due on the aircraft.

"It was the practice of the state to dispose of items such as this via eBay prior to listing the jet," Vern Jones, Alaska's Chief Procurement Officer, acknowledged on Tuesday.

Indeed.

Back in 2003, the state sold an old ferry, The Bartlett, for $389,500. As Jones noted in a Daily News article at that time, "it [was] not usual for Alaska to sell big-ticket items on eBay because the site is cheap and has a big audience."

The state jet, in contrast, was not a good fit for eBay. Palin never actually sold the aircraft online (though, unlike John McCain, she never claimed that to be the case). But more important, while the jet sat unsold, Alaska was on the hook to pay $62,492.79 every three months as part of the initial purchasing deal.

In other words, if the state wasn't going to use the aircraft, there was an imperative to get rid of it. And as her administration waited for a bidder to match its minimum offer, those payments added up.

Twenty days after putting the jet online, the Palin administration had to reissue the listing. The minimum bid had not been met. By April, the jet still had not sold despite three additional attempts. Eventually, Palin signed a contract with an Anchorage aircraft broker to help succeed where eBay couldn't. In August 2007, eight months after it was first put on sale, the jet was sold to an Alaskan businessman for $2.1 million -- $600,000 shy of the purchasing price.

"The eBay thing didn't work out very well," Dan Spencer, director of administrative services for the Department of Public Safety (the individual charged with trying to get rid of the plane) told the Anchorage Daily News in April 2007. "I am [tired of dealing with it]," he added. "I don't know about anyone else."

So, let's recap - Lied about the bridge to nowhere, misleading statements about selling the plane and oh yeah, this devout Christian who feels abstinence is the only birth control needed, will become a grandmother at the age of 44.

Brilliant pick, McCain.

Condi gets a clue

2008-09-09T08:34:00.002-04:00

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday there are too few black Americans in the State Department.

"I have lamented that I can go into a meeting at the Department of State -- and as a matter fact I can go into a whole day of meetings at the Department of State -- and actually rarely see somebody who looks like me. And that is just not acceptable," Rice said.

Really? After serving for nearly eight years in this administration, and you just noticed the lack of diversity? Wow. I wonder if she took a look at the crowd at the Republican National Convention. There was a lot of Salt there - but hardly any pepper.

Palin's daughter - does it really matter?

2008-09-02T14:39:00.003-04:00

So the daughter of the Republican VP Nominee, Sarah Palin, is apparently five months pregnant. At the age of 17. Does this, in the grand scheme of things, really matter?

Objectively, I'd say no. But realistically, when the Evangelicals on the right, and Palin is certainly an Evangelical, constantly play the high and mighty moral trump card, yet here we see that it is one thing to talk the talk, but when it comes to actually living by those standards, we see yet another abject failure. Palin is known for her feeling that sex education should not be taught in the schools and the only kind of birth control she accepts is abstinence. Yeah, that worked like a charm with her own kid, didn't it?

You might think that she advocates this position for teens and unmarried, but nope. Palin thinks that married couples shouldn't use condoms or birth control pills either. Really.

Politics as (un)Usual

2008-08-29T10:54:00.003-04:00

For political junkies, the presidential election looks to be historic. First, having Obama as the first African-American ever nominated as one of the two major parties candidate, but now there is breaking news that John McCain has picked Alaska Gov Sarah Palin as his VP pick. She's the first woman picked by the GOP, and the 2nd overall after Geraldine Ferarro in 1984. Clearly he's going after the Hillary or bust people who still haven't warmed to Obama.

So, no matter what happens in November, we'll either have an African-American President (fingers crossed!) or a female VP. From Alaska. I guess those three electoral votes are no longer in play. Brilliant!

Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii

2008-07-24T10:11:00.005-04:00

Some parents need to be licensed. I mean, what kind of idiot gives their kid a name like "Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii"? Seriously!

I mean, even if you're Frank Zappa, (who had kids named "Dweezel", "Moon Unit" and "Omit") or maybe George Foreman (Who named *All* his kids "George Foreman", which must be fun at Xmas time - imagine trying to pluck presents from under the tree!) what is about fucking your kid for life that is so appealing? Johnny Cash had it easy - "A boy named Sue" is nothing, these days.

If I were Don Waddell, here's what I'd do to fix the Thrashers

2008-06-12T09:57:00.003-04:00

A bit of a repeat from a post I made on the Nasty Nest site, but I think it is worth repeating - this is make or break time for Thrashers GM, Don Waddell, and if I were him this is what I'd do to right the Thrashers ship going into this year's NHL Draft and Free Agency:

Hire John Anderson and staff from the Chicago Wolves - the Wolves have just won their 4th title in 11 years with him at the helm. Chicago is Atlanta's top farm club, so he is familiar with our younger guys, and certainly has earned the right to coach at the NHL level. In the draft use that #3 pick on either Alex Pietrangelo, Zach Bogosian or Drew Doughty. All look to be quality D-men who can hit the ice in Atlanta today. (Or if Tampa is crazy, offer both our 3rd and 29th for their 1st and get Stamkos - hah hah).

Next we get the best center left with the 29th pick that we got in the Hossa trade - there are a lot listed here that we can reasonable expect to be available: http://www.nhlentrydraft2008.com at that time. Snag two more top-4 d-men via free agency (Willing to get just one d-man and look at a two-way scoring winger if it is a good fit - and yeah, I'd take Hossa back in a heartbeat, if doable).

We then waive Alexi Zhitnik, tell Boris that his roster spot is there for the taking. Little and Sterling get another shot since John Anderson knows their strengths and weaknesses, and they are in the system. I think long and hard about resigning Moose vs. bringing up Pavs. I'm leaning towards the call-up as that will save us $$ that we can use elsewhere.

See, simple!

The Clueless White House

2008-05-28T12:18:00.003-04:00

Big shock - I think the Bush Administration has been the worst ever. I have a GWB Out of Office Countdown calendar...

I mention this because I believe in full disclosure. Alas, the White House seems incapable of giving us the truth, so it doesn't really surprise me that they are "Puzzled" that yet another former administration flunkie has written a book that basically says that Bush and company were less than honest about the issues that lead us to the Iraq war.

The surprise, to me, at least, is that the flunkie in question isn't some low-level admin guy. Nope, this time it is former press secretary, Scott McClellan.

In his "tell all" book, Scott McClellan writes on the war in Iraq that Bush...

"and his advisers confused the propaganda campaign with the high level of candor and honesty so fundamentally needed to build and then sustain public support during a time of war."

Typically, the White House is now trying again to discredit a critic, just as they did with Richard Clarke and Paul O'Neil.

Frances Townsend, former Homeland Security adviser to Bush, said advisers to the president should speak up when they have policy concerns.

"Scott never did that on any of these issues as best I can remember or as best as I know from any of my White House colleagues," said Townsend. "For him to do this now strikes me as self-serving, disingenuous and unprofessional."

Uh, since when is a press secretary an ADVISER? A press secretary is a spokesman, and at best he can grumble to him or herself, but at the end of the day, that person is charged with conveying the President's message. Duh.

My Father's Bootie Call

2008-04-17T10:28:00.002-04:00

Since my Dad is back in the hospital (another blood clot in his leg), and he had a “friend” flying in from Prague yesterday, he asked on Sunday if I would pick her up at the Atlanta airport and take her to SC, and stay with her until he was released. Uh, sure – that sounds like a good idea… I sent her a few emails to tell her the situation, but got no response. That can’t be a good sign, I thought…

So, I went to the airport yesterday, doing the dutiful son thing, looking to pick up a “Marketa Hruzova”. I got there right when her plane landed (4:45), and waited for her with a sign with her name on it. And waited. And waited. Around 7PM, I decided to swing over by the Delta desk, to see if they’d let me know if she was even on the plane (my total description was “Long blonde hair, thin, 22 – should be in a pink top.” Thanks, for the details, Dad.). Delta wouldn’t divulge passenger info, so I asked, “Well, were there any no-shows?” “Yes, one person did not board in Prague.” (AHA! I thought.)

I pointed to my sign, and asked, would you say that the person who didn’t get on the plane has a name very similar to this one? The Delta girl smiled and said “I can’t tell you that, sir.” Crud.

At this point I call Dad’s hospital room, and explain the deal. He suggests that maybe she’s having troubles clearing customs… Asks that I wait a bit more. I give it until 8PM, and then ask the Delta people if they could tell me if someone has cleared customs or not. “We don’t have that info, sir.” Crud. I ask them to page her. After some debate about how to pronounce her name (we decide that the H is silent), they page her and ask for her to meet her party at the escalators by baggage claim. I hear the announcement, and go back to wait some more.

Now it is close to 9PM, so I call Dad again, to let him know where things stand. He agrees that this isn’t looking good, but asks that I stick it out, ask security for help, since she might be lost. I do that, they direct me to the onsite Atlanta Police Substation, as that is where they send lost people. I go there, explain the deal to the officer, who looks at me like I’m some kind of nut-job when I explain the deal, but says that no one matching my description (I make sure they know she’s from the Czech Republic in addition to Dad’s great details.). But he does say that it is “possible” that someone could be stuck in customs for 4 or 5 hours. I ask how possible, and he said “Not counting smugglers and terror suspects? Once in a blue moon.” Crud.

I call Dad back, and tell him the deal. We agree that to play it safe, I should stay until 9:30. I do. No show. Call dad back, and let him know. I then call it a night and head home.

The moral from yesterday? It ain’t easy helping your father with a bootie call… ;-)

Thank God That's Over....

2008-04-10T17:51:00.003-04:00

Okay, sure, there are still NHL players and teams playing - but the Thrashers season ended on Saturday with a 4-1 win over the equally craptastic Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa hung on to secure the worst record in the NHL, while the Mighty Thrashers were 3rd from the bottom.

So, what next? Well... I did pop for Braves Season tickets, and they have started the season with a 3-6 record... Geez, can I even think of supporting a team without the wheels falling off? Probably not...

But back to the Thrashers - this off season is make or break for this team. With the trade of Marian Hossa to Pittsburgh, we got some solid assets back in Armstrong and Christinson, but the prize could be coming up in the draft - we have a #3 pick for sucking cheese, and there are a good number of D-men who could step in and have an immediate impact - note to Don Waddell - get a good D-man with that pick.

Next we also have Pittsburgh's first round pick, as part of the Hossa deal - I'd take that Russian kid if he's still there - I don't care if he is a LWer - Would you pass on Malkin or Ovechkin if they were up for grabs? Hell no. He's small, but looks to be another Kovalchuk - so he'll need help on his D....

So, what about that Centerman we need? If the Russian isn't available, and there is a top-notch Center, take it. If not, well, we have some $$ to play with in Free Agency - use it!

Lastly, a coach! John Buccigross suggested that we get Barry Melrose. I'm actually okay with that - he'd at least be fun in interviews, and might help us with cred...

So, that's about it. Sorry I've been working so much and haven't been blogging like I was in the fall - I'll try to do better, but I make no promises...

Slacking off - Laziness is its own reward...

2008-03-14T11:41:00.003-04:00

Okay, it has been a while since I've blogged. Shoot me - I was respecting the writer's strike....

Okay, not that, but I have been working my fanny off trying to get my company's website, www.terracottatech.com, up and running. I'm glad to say that I launched that puppy yesterday, and now hope to have time for important stuff. And blogging too....

So, when last I blogged, the Thrashers were in 1st place, I was dating a Russian Hottie, and both my cats were sporting collars and nametags.

Much can change in a month. One of the cats loses his collar (since replaced). Russian Hottie dumps me (not replaced). Thrashers are now in 4th place with virtually no chance to do anything this postseason. But still, I love hockey, so I keep going back to the games. During this 11 game winless streak (not counting OT wins) I kept thinking of that sign of insanity - doing the same thing again and again, yet expecting different results. I'd go to the CNN Foodcourt - drink some beer with fellow NastyNesters, go into Philips, and watch the Thrashers get their butts handed to them. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

And so it seemed last night, as I headed to the arena for the Thrashers/Flames game. Oh sure, Calgary was 0-3-1 lifetime at Philips, but I knew better than to get my hopes up. Sure enough, down 2-0 after the 1st, then down 3-0 early in the second, and you could feeling happening again....

But something odd happened - they actually started to play a physical game, scored a bunch of goals, and held on to win 6-4 in regulation. Ilya Kovalchuk even got his 10th career hat trick. Pinch me....

Hockey NEST in Canada

2008-02-10T13:18:00.001-05:00

Sorry for being a slacker blogger. Wash, rinse, repeat.

So, Huckabee won Georgia - so much for my brilliant strategy. Worse, now I' KNOW I'm gonna get all sorts of mailings and such from the RNC and whatever this year's Swift Boaters will be... Actually, that might prove useful. (Insert evil laugh here.)

Anyway, the NHL All-Star Game was in town a few weeks ago, and for me, one highlight was getting on "Hockey Night in Canada". If you're not familiar with it, it is like Canada's Monday Night Football. It is HUGE north of the border.

Take a peek at this - I'm in the second bit, the dweeb with the "Eastern" Jersey from the 2003 ASG:

Makes you all kinds of giddy, don't it?

Maybe not...

Who I'm Voting For in the Georgia Primary

2008-01-22T15:14:00.000-05:00

This might actually surprise long-time readers of this blog. It is no great secret that I lean to the left. I feel that social justice trumps individual financial gain. I always have and I always will. Coupled with that, I have serious issues with those who seem to think that religion and politics make a good mix.

So... You're probably thinking Hillary, or Obama, or maybe Edwards. While I have great respect for all three, none of them are getting my primary vote.

Maybe you think I'm doing a protest vote, and will be pulling the trigger for Bill Richardson. While it is true that I thought he had the perfect resume for a presidential candidate, I can't see the point of supporting someone who isn't running an active campaign, even if I thought he was PERFECT. Sigh...

No, I'm not even going to vote in the Democratic Primary. I think any of the three leading candidates will be a fine choice on the left. It is the right that (as usual) scares the shit out of me. Specifically Mike Huckabee.

Huckabee makes no bones about it - he will absolutely let his religious views dictate how he leads. And, given that he's an evangelical minister, that scares the crap out of me. My intent is to make damn sure that he doesn't win Georgia.

That said, Rudy is nothing but a blowhard who can't go 3 minutes without saying "9/11". Fred Thompson (who just dropped out) is/was too lazy to really campaign, and I would have a hard time supporting someone who lobbied to deregulate the Savings and Loan industry - yeah, that worked out well... NOT! Which leaves us with Mitt Romney and John McCain. While I'm not keen on Huckabee because he's going everything but sucking the collective dick of the religious right, I have no issue with Romney being a Morman. He's not making that the focus point like Huckabee has been doing. Still, I do have a hard time with him constantly changing his positions on everything from abortion to the need for change in Washington.

So, that leaves me with John McCain. War hero. Worked with Russ Feingold on the campaign finance reform bill (yep, he worked with a Democrat!). Is 100% against torture - hey, he was a POW for 5 years, and has 1st-hand experience there... He stood up to the religious right in 2000 and rightly blasted GWB for speaking at Bob Jones University because they didn't allow interracial dating (among other bat-shit insane policies). But the final check mark for me came in George Will's column this past week in which he "warned" Republicans that McCain was "really a Democrat", and thus not one of them.

PERFECT. A vote for McCain means less of a chance for Huckabee to carry this state. And that could be huge in terms of momentum.

I'm not sure that I'll support McCain in the general election, but he has my ear - he can win my vote, or lose it in the general election, but he absolutely has it in the primary. We can't afford to have a Mike Huckabee leading this country deeper into the hole that Bush, another evangelical, has dug for us.

The Hollywood Writer's Strike

2008-01-17T10:53:00.001-05:00

Okay, I'm no couch potato - but I do enjoy me some high quality scripted fare, as "reality" TV gives me hives... Well, unless the reality TV happens to be a tight NHL game in HD...

Still, I'd like to see this thing resolved - I mean, how can the studios deny that they make money off of the Internet? How can you *not* pay the scribes who tell the stories that makes you all kinds of cash? Jeez...

That said, I saw this interesting survey conducted by Entertainment Weekly - I'm bolding the bits that I find funny/sad...

What is the WGA?

34% correctly identified WGA as Writers Guild of America

20% thought it was the U.S.'s only association for professional women golfers

33% didn't know/didn't care

5% thought it was a trade group that owns the wi-fi network

4% thought it was an international advocacy group for gays and lesbians

How much have you been following the strike?

65% know about it, but haven't been following it.

12% are not aware of the strike.

21% know about it and have been following it.

How have you been spending your spare time now that your favorite shows are off the air? (Choose all that apply.)

44% watching less TV

44% spending more time with family and friends

40% reading more books

39% watching reruns

38% watching DVDs

36% listening to more music

34% watching more news programming

30% watching more informational TV programming (like cooking and home-improvement shows)

27% getting more sleep or going to bed earlier

26% listening to the radio more

26% playing more online and traditional board/card games

25% watching TV shows they normally wouldn't watch

23% going online more

22% talking less about entertainment with friends and colleagues

22% cleaning the house more

21% reading more magazines

19% watching more on-demand TV shows and movies

18% watching more reality TV

16% bored more than usual

14% talking on the phone more

13% playing more videogames

12% watching more late-night TV

10% going to the movies more

9% having more sex

9% spending more money on entertainment

7% eating more

7% shopping more

4% fighting with their spouse more

3% fighting with their children more

Cayle's Body Found

2008-01-11T22:07:00.001-05:00

I'm very sad to report that Cayle Bywater's body was found this afternoon.

The AJC reports that she was found in a lake near Memorial Park.

Holy Crap! A Hybrid that gets 150 MPG!!!!

2008-01-11T12:56:00.000-05:00

Oh man oh man oh man - I want one of these!

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2008/01/11/hunter.extreme.hybrid.cnn

This blows my mind - it can go 40 miles without even cranking the engine, and even more impressive, it is based on a Saturn SUV - so those who don't want to give up a "big ride" will have no reason to say no to this.

Anything that gets us off the Tit that is Middle Eastern oil is a step in the right direction, if you ask me.

Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my face....

Missing "Friend of the Nest". Please keep an eye out

2008-01-07T10:48:00.000-05:00

I'm very sad to report that the sister of one of the Nasty Nest members, Nurmini, has been missing since just after Christmas. If you are in the Athens area, please keep an eye out for her. Details are below:

For updates, there is an active thread on the Nasty Nest message boards. Click here to read all of the updates.

And I'm Back...

2008-01-03T16:27:00.000-05:00

Again, sorry for the lack of posts, but I've been all over the country (literally) the past few weeks, and also have been dealing with house guests ("Angry" TommyRock soiled my humble abode with his presence) and now that I'm working with another startup, Terracotta, I've been working my fanny to the bone again. In the past, I was able to blog while at "work", but even with working at home, I'm putting in about 11 hours a day juggling a ton of projects. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE being busy, which is part of the reason I started blogging - it kept me busy at a tedious job.

Anyway... NHL All-Star balloting closed last night at midnight, and while he totally deserves to be voted in as a starter, especially since the game is in Atlanta this year, I'm not gonna hold my breath on Ilya Kovalchuk cracking the starting line-up. Ilya's main problem is that he's not named Crosby, and he's not Canadian nor is he playing for a Canadian team. Nothing against Sid the Kid, but Ilya is leading the league in goals, second in points, and has pretty much been a leader all season long. If he doesn't get Atlanta's "C" next year, it is a crime.

Speaking of Crosby, I was very, very impressed with the "Winter Classic" outdoor game held on New Year's day. I was hoping they'd have a bit of snow, but it was almost a blizzard. Nothing like seeing NHL players skating in snow and 40 mile per hour winds. Even better, NBC put is up against a bunch of pointless bowl games (hey, unless your school is in it, or if it is for the national championship, who cares who gets ranked number 18?), and it got the highest NHL rating since 1996. Hockey may not back "back", but it isn't coughing up blood, either.

On to politics, today is the Iowa Caucuses - which officially kicks off the race to the White House. Now, I'm sure there was a time and a place for Caususes, like, I dunno, 1850, but why oh why do we let Iowa start this process that doesn't allow absentee voting (tough luck, you Iowa Soldiers!), isn't private, and requires an insane amount of time on the part of the participants. Yeah, let's get Democracy in Iraq - right after Iowa.

As someone posted on Wikipedia:

There is a debate over the effectiveness and usefulness of caucuses in Iowa. One criticism is that the caucuses are a step backwards from the right to a secret ballot. Caucus participants must publicly state their opinion and vote, leading to natural problems such as peer pressure from fellow neighbors and embarrassment over who his/her real pick might be. Another criticism involves the sheer amount of participants' time these events consume. The Iowa caucus lasts two hours, preventing people who must work, who are sick, or must take care of their children from casting their vote. Absentee voting is also barred, so soldiers who come from Iowa, but must serve in the military lose their vote. The final criticism is the complexity of the rules in terms of how one's vote counts, as it is not a simple popular vote. Each precinct's vote may be weighed differently due to its past voting record. Ties can be solved by picking a name out of a hat or a simple coin toss, leading to anger over the true democratic nature of these caucuses. Additionally, the representation of the caucus has been questioned due to traditionally low turnout. Others question the permanent feature of having caucuses in certain states, while perpetually ignoring the rest of the country.

So, in effect, the momentum of the candidates is greatly impacted by the actions of a very finite amount of people. Then, because this country loves to support a winner, the winning candidate has a better than average chance of winning in New Hampshire and South Carolina.

The whole primary system needs to be overhauled, in my opinion. Do it all on ONE day - every state. And make each state play by the same rules. Yeah, yeah, I know, it is expensive to travel to all of the states to reach out to the voters. That used to hold some sway, but geez - this cycle there have been countless debates, there is the Internet, there are talk shows, there is YouTube. There are many more efficient ways to convey your message than getting on a train for a whistle-stop tour.

So, what do you think? Is the system broken?

A quitter never wins...

2007-12-12T09:24:00.000-05:00

...and a winner never quits. Well, that's not entirely true - Bobby Petrino did win three games as the Atlanta Falcons head coach. But he is absolutely a quitter - leaving the team with 3 games to go. So much for his "dream job" as he described it less than a year ago.

Now he's heading off to Arkansas where he'll "lead" the Razorbacks next season. What a f*cking joke of an excuse for a coach. Good riddance.

As the Nasty Nest might heckle - Petrino, Petrino, Petrino - YOU SUCK!

More lame excuses for not blogging...

2007-12-07T20:10:00.000-05:00

So, I'm wrapping up my San Francisco trip, hanging at the Terracotta office, enjoying an adult beverage, listening to the Thrashers/Rags game via the Internet, and wishing that I had more time to blog while I've been here.

I'll say this for Terracotta - great group of people, un-freaking-real technology, and as a "remote employee", I gotta say heading to San Francisco every couple o' months will beat the piss out of my time at Red Hat, which had me going to Raleigh, NC every month.

Prior to the trip, I'd never really spent much time in San Fran. I did work for Apple Computer in 96-97, but that meant traveling to Cupertino, and once we came up to SF for a night of eatin' and drinkin'. You need time to really explore this town. It is very walker friendly, and every five or so blocks you find yourself in a completely new environment. For example, my hotel is in the Financial District, which, as you might expect, is full of dull finance folk. But head three blocks west, and you'd find yourself in the middle of Chinatown (yep, they really do speak, act and dress Chinese). Go three blocks north of that, and you're in the North Beach sector, loaded with kick-ass Italian places. Four miles to the southwest and you're in the land o' hippies - Haight-Ashbury. Suffice it to say that I spent the weekend walking all over the place.

Anyway, I did take some photos, and I will upload them at some point, but I totally forgot to bring my adapter for my SD card. Oops.

Still, as cool at this place, there is no place like home. I fly home tonight, and get in at 5:45AM on Saturday. I can't wait to sleep in my own bed.

Slack Blogger

2007-11-28T23:13:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I've been pretty slack in posting new stuff, but I've been kinda busy....

First, I was in round after round of interviews to become the marketing manager for Terracotta, a way-cool open source software company in San Francisco. This culminated with a final round in SF which had me flying out from Atlanta at the crack o' dawn last Monday, then doing the interview gauntlet (6 interviews in one day) and then whipping back to Atlanta that night. (With an offer letter in hand! Woot!)

Then I had to resign my old gig, wrap up a few things there, accept the offer, and then head to my sister's for Thanksgiving. Came back to Atlanta for Friday's Nasty Nest tailgate, then watch the Thrashers lose 3-0 to the f-ing Devils. The next day was me running around trying to get things in order so that I could fly out to SF for two weeks with Terracotta. Don't worry - I'll be working from home in Atlanta when I wrap up here!

Anyway, sorry for the slackness - I'll try to post a bit more regularly, but if I miss a day or three, don't freak. Okay?

This is how the government supports the troops? Shameful!

2007-11-16T09:33:00.000-05:00

Full disclosure - yes I'm against our involvement in Iraq, but I also served in the military for six years. The bottom line is that the troops don't get to decide where to go to war. That's the job of politicians, and the politicians should hang their collective hears in shame for the way some of our wounded vets have been treated upon returning to the states.

Here's a sad case in point: Ty Zeigel was badly wounded and burned by a suicide attack in 2004. In addition to the wounds he lost part of his skull in the blast and part of his brain was damaged. Half of his left arm was amputated and some of the fingers were blown off his right hand.

Horrific to be sure, but even worse is the treatment he got from the VA when he returned home. CNN reports:

...he spent nearly two years recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas. Once he got out of the hospital, he was unable to hold a job. He anticipated receiving a monthly VA disability check sufficient to cover his small-town lifestyle in Washington, Illinois.

Instead, he got a check for far less than expected. After pressing for answers, Ziegel finally received a letter from the VA that rated his injuries: 80 percent for facial disfigurement, 60 percent for left arm amputation, a mere 10 percent for head trauma and nothing for his left lobe brain injury, right eye blindness and jaw fracture.

On the plus side, once CNN reported on this,

Within 48 hours of telling his story to CNN this summer, the Office of then-VA Secretary Jim Nicholson acted on Ziegel's case. The VA changed his head trauma injury, once rated at 10 percent, to traumatic brain injury rated at 100 percent, substantially increasing his monthly disability check.

While that's well and good, what isn't is that this is an obvious exception. What about all the vets who haven't had their story on CNN? If Bush and company want to fight this pointless war, they should at least have the decency to take care of those who have suffered the most. THAT'S supporting the troops.

Fox News - The Best Porn on TV!

2007-11-15T13:53:00.000-05:00

Wow - this is just funny/sick considering how Fox News caters to those on the "right". So much for high morals and decency, right?

For what it is worth, I have no problem with porn, but I do have a problem with hypocrisy.

Malware Preinstalled on Maxtor Drives!

2007-11-15T11:18:00.000-05:00

Wow. When I first heard about the Chinese government preinstalling spyware/malware on Maxtor hard drives manufactured in China by Seagate, I thought it had to be a urban legend. However, further reading leads to to conclude that it is for real.

Following findings by the Investigation Bureau that portable hard discs produced by US disk-drive manufacturer Seagate Technology that were sold in Taiwan (under the Maxtor brand) contained Trojan horse viruses, further investigations suggested that “contamination” took place when the products were in the hands of Chinese subcontractors during the manufacturing process.

Seagate did not disclose the stage in the manufacturing process where the Chinese subcontractor installed the Trojan horse.

Seagate recommended that all customers who had purchased the product install protective anti-virus software.

To this end, Seagate said that Kaspersky Labs would offer all Seagate customers a 60-day fully functional version of the Kaspersky Lab Anti-Virus 7.0 software for download and installation.

To be honest, I've always found Maxtor drives to be sub-par (Western Digital rulez!) but I still can't imagine they did this intentionally. Still, that doesn't mean buyers don't need to beware.

You've been warned!

Today's Ass-Clown-Retard Award Goes To....

2007-11-14T12:25:00.000-05:00

...Chris G. Carlos.

Carlos, of Cobb county, managed to use 440,000 gallons of water in October, according to the Cobb County Water System.

The AJC noted that:

Carlos' 14,000-square-foot home is on 3.8 lush acres in Atlanta Country Club and includes a pool. The 440,000 gallons he used in a month would fill the average backyard pool 58 times.

Can you say self-centered asshole? I thought you could.

So, what is Carlos' response to this? I swear to God, he hired a PR agency.

Through a statement he's released through the Ledlie PR Group he says:

"I honestly didn't realize the extent of my water use and regret I didn't act sooner. I want to be a part of the solution to the water crisis," Carlos said in the statement.

"I am going to take whatever steps are necessary to substantially reduce my water consumption. This includes seeking the advice and guidance of conservation professionals in exploring all possible water saving measures," the statement said.

Here's a thought, Genius - TURN OFF YOUR FUCKING WATER.

Here's more info for those who might want to know where the idiot lives.

I'll take the lucky - a win is a win!

2007-11-14T12:18:00.000-05:00

The Thrashers won a game that they had no business winning last night, a 3-2 OT victory over the Florida Panthers. Down 2-1 with time about to expire, Marian Hossa was the hero, scoring a goal that he deflected off of Bowmeester's skate with less than 3 seconds to go.

That pulled the boys into OT, where Todd White connected with Ilya Kovalchuk (Or KovalCLUTCH, as he's been money this year.)

Still, it seemed like the team was going through the motions most of the game, even if they did outshoot Florida. In the past, this was the kind of game where we'd lose in the final moments, so thanks to Florida for taking part in role-reversal day!

What's Next? An Indian Rain Dance?

2007-11-13T10:57:00.000-05:00

So today, Georgia's "man of action", Governor Sonny Perdue, is going to solve the region's drought problem by praying for rain. Really. I'm not kidding. Yes, I wish that I were, but here's the link.

Now, I'm not trying to make fun of anyone's religious beliefs, but the last time I checked, we elect Governors and not preachers. And, while it is true that I'm not religious in the slightest, those who are have to decide if God is true omniscient, and thus knows all (including the drought), or that he isn't and therefore doesn't have much sway in day to day affairs. I'm pretty sure you can't have it both ways.

Instead of leading a prayer, why not continue negotiating with the Governors of Florida and Alabama over the amount of water we send downstream? Why not send a team to the Caribbean and learn how they manage without reservoirs? Here's a hint - every building has at least on 1000 water tank behind it - water goes in from the gutters, gets filtered, and out comes clean, potable drinking water.

Again, I'm not saying "don't pray for rain", what I'm saying is that the Governor should focus on things that he might actually be able to do. He needs to focus on the secular situation, and leave the appeals to a higher power to the men and women of the cloth. Still, if he can ask for a specific amount of rain at a specific day and time, say, 5 inches on Thursday morning, I'll be the 1st one to join the next day of prayer. Otherwise... A waste of time, in my opinion.

For more on this, including reactions of Atlantan's click here to go to a blog posting on the AJC site.

Cleaning My Computer

2007-11-12T11:09:00.000-05:00

I haven't been posting that much over the past few days - for two big reasons. Both me and my computer have been ill. I had a touch of the Flu towards the end of last week, so all I wanted to do was sleep. Hard to be creative when sleeping, but I did have a fine dream about a taxi-driving squirrel in New York City. He looked sharp with this driver's cap and plaid shirt....

The other problem was that my computer started making odd noises which sounded a bit like morse code. Hmmmnnn... I wondered, would my hard drive be fixing to go belly up?

I decided to not wait to find out, and decided to clean out any crud/dust that might have taken root. So on Sunday I disconnected everything from the machine, and took it out to my porch to open it up. I swear, there was so much dust inside that ZZ Top could have made new beard! I got a can of compressed air and blew out the stuff until it looked like a snowstorm on the porch. Then I wiped down the exterior and reconnected the bajillion or so wires and cranked it back up. Wow - it does run a lot more quietly when all of the airholes are open.

Anyway, a pretty boring blog, but I just wanted to say that maybe you might wanna clean your machine every once in a while. Funny noises are not good, unless you're playing The Simpsons Game, or something....

On to sports, not a bad weekend for the Thrashers. A win on Friday at Florida followed by a tough home loss to the Hurricanes on Saturday. Tailgating with the Caniacs was fun, though, so while I can't pretend to like the team, I can say that they're fun to party with. My Gamecocks continue to sky dive to .500 with a loss to Florida, but at least the Falcons beat the Carolina Panthers yesterday for a bit of revenge against NC.

Thrashers continue to make strides

2007-11-07T09:58:00.000-05:00

Okay, I just about crapped my pants when Ilya Kovalchuk went down last night, about three minutes after potting his 7th goal in three games. It looked pretty bad, as he more or less just collapsed to the ice in the 2nd period. It turned out that it was a back spasm, which hopefully the trainers will be able to correct in time for the Panthers game on Friday night.

Still, despite sleepwalking through the first period, the Thrashers are playing like the team I thought they'd be at the beginning of the season. Since Bob Hartley's dismissal, the team has gone 6-3, including last night's 2-1 OT win over the Crapitals. They've won two in a row twice, 4 of the past 5, and are now in 3rd place in the Southeast, and are only 3 points out of the final playoff spot. I'm not saying rush out and buy playoff tickets today, but I will say that this season is still young, and the Thrashers are playing competitive hockey. Good times! Just imagine what they'll be like if Marian Hossa can regain his scoring touch!

Just a reminder, for those who enjoy a good tailgate party, it looks like we'll have a good one on Saturday when the boys take on Carolina. The Nasty Nest was welcomed nicely by the Caniacs last year when 63 of us headed to the RBC center for a game, and we want to return the hospitality. Should make for an interesting mix on Saturday. Be there or be square, as they say...

The Deadliest Year Yet In Iraq

2007-11-06T10:54:00.000-05:00

While it is only the beginning of November, according to a CNN count of Pentagon figures, 854 U.S. service members have died so far this year, which makes this the deadliest year yet for our troops in Iraq. I think it is high time that we pulled all of our troops out, and let the hornet's nest settle. After all, consider this:

We've removed Saddam.

We've formed a provisional government.

There is no specific military goal that can be accomplished.

There is no specific army that we're fighting. Who do we expect to surrender, anyway?

This isn't "cutting and running", but the military is, essentially, a tool. Once the tool has done its job, it is time to put it away, and move on. That time has come. Bring the troops home ASAP.

A Bit of Forshadowing - Atlanta's Water Crisis

2007-11-05T13:35:00.000-05:00

Still don't think we have a water problem in Atlanta? Then you might want to read about a town in Tennessee, Orme, which has literally run out of water.

So every other day, a couple of old trucks haul water all morning and afternoon from a country fire hydrant two miles away in Alabama to the town's rusting 17,500-gallon tank, up a dirt lane near the spring on Orme Mountain.

Then each night at 6, Mayor Tony Reames twists a valve wrench one way to unloose water on the town below. Three hours later, he twists it the other way, cutting water off until the next evening.

In between, folks scramble. Dinner is delayed around some tables until families first assemble for a series of in-and-out showers. "We line 'em up like ducks," Jimmy Cash says of his three kids.

Others fill a battery of jugs and pots and buckets, used later for doing laundry or brushing teeth or flushing toilets.

"It just ain't normal," says Ron Wilson, 43, a truck driver with a 16-year-old daughter and a 10-month-old son. "It's like rush, rush, rush to get everything done."

So, if you're still flushing after peeing, and if you're not trying to conserve every f*cking drop, remember this if we also run out of water. You'll have no one to blame but yourself.

A Moral Victory?

2007-11-02T12:41:00.000-04:00

Okay, the Thrashers lost to Ottawa 6-4 last night, and while a loss is a loss is a loss, I was very much heartened by the way the team came back when they were down 5-0 in the 3rd period. Being that far in the hole on the road to what is arguably the cream of the Eastern Conference, no one would have blamed them if they phoned it in for the rest of the game and packed up for Tampa.

But no - Not with the (in my opinion) the best player in the league continuing his balls-out play. Ilya Kovalchuk gets a hat trick in one period! WOW! Eric Perrin potted the other, to make it 5-4 with two minutes to go. Pull the goalie, get the man advantage, and then Ottawa gets a penalty, and you could almost taste another goal...

Alas, it was not to be, as the Sens got an empty netter to seal it, but, while a loss is a loss, the team could walk out of Scotiabank Center with their heads held high. Hopefully they'll build on that and pay Tampa back for a couple of losses on Saturday night.

No, the team isn't totally on track yet, but you have to like the way they are playing - with heart and effort. Keep it up, guys!

Fundamental Idiots

2007-11-01T10:24:00.001-04:00

No matter one's feelings about the merits of America's involvement in Iraq, I like to think that as a whole, the nation supports the troops. After all, the soldiers don't really get to pick and choose their battles. So, a few years back, when I heard that the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas was organizing demonstrations at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq, I at first assumed they were demonstrating support for the troops.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

Instead of honoring our fallen, this congregation of ass-clown-retards was showing up at funerals chanting derogatory slogans and holding picket signs with messages including "God Hates Fags", "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "Thank God for IEDs." Yep, these morons had convinced themselves that God was "punishing" America because we "tolerate homosexuality".

So, it was with great joy that I read that one of the fathers of the fallen, Al Snyder, sued the church for picketing at his son's funeral, and won a $10.9 Million judgment against the church and its poor excuse for a leader, Fred Phelps.

Snyder's attorney told jurors to pick an amount "that says don't do this in Maryland again. Do not bring your circus of hate to Maryland again," according to The Associated Press.

One has to wonder how a human brain can make such a leap - God hates? Isn't God supposed to be about love? Perhaps Phelps should contact Iran to see about moving his flock over there. They seem to share a similar view on homosexuals, don't they?

While I'm a big fan of freedom of speech, I feel that one has to be responsible for what one says. Hate speech and free speech are not the same thing. Threats, libel, slander and the like are not protected under free speech, and Phelps and his gaggle pinheads got what they deserved. Well, almost - they deserve far worse, in my opinion.

12 games into the Thrashers' season...

2007-10-31T12:06:00.000-04:00

So, there were some (myself included) who were not sure that canning Bob Hartley was the right move after the 0-6 start, but looking now at the team's play, I can't argue that they aren't playing dramatically better - they are. 4-2 in the 6 games that Don Waddell has been behind the bench with the same players, obviously DW is on to something with his puck possession gameplan.

Still, I wonder if 680 The Fan's John Kincade will change his tune. Some of you may be familiar with his wager on the NastyNest.com site:

I have heard some of the most ridiculous assertions in the past 24 hours from callers and emailers alike. I know that for some bashing the coach in any sport is a daily activity. I just wonder how much these people actually understand the game when nI hear them making their points!
The one that makes me laugh the most is the belief that the 2007-08 Thrashers are more talented than last years bunch. I have heard this from Don Waddell, who I debated this with yesterday on the air, and many of the people I call the Bob Bashers.
I don't think people truly understand that after 8 years this roster should be younger, stronger and significantly better.
So to the BOB BASHERS, let's see if you are willing to put your money where your "hockey expertise" is!
When Bob took over the pitiful Thrashers in the 2002-03 season, his coaching improved the team. They went from a laughing stock to finshing the season at 19-15-5 in his 39 games for a .551 winning percentage. If this years team is more talented than last year, should we not expect the next coach to be able to devliver better results after HE takes over the "most talented" roster in team history?
Last year Bob posted 97 points and a .591 winning percentage. I will throw out the first 6 games of this year.
THE WAGER:
From this point on, will the new "approach" and the departure of Bob get this team to a better winning percentage than .591 in their remaining 76 games? I am sure that the BOB BASHERS will be ready to step up and say ABSOLUTELY!
Email me with your name and address and we will set up the wagers.
I will gladly tell you that I will bet against you.
You see, the roster is why the Thrashers are 0-6. It is not the coach.
I look forward to seeing which of the BOB BASHERS are ready to accept the challenge! Don't waste my time with $5 wagers. We can make them for a charity of the winners choosing.
Let me tell you, we will watch the season unfold. Without Bob to blame for all of the issues, we will see how this team produces.
I think I know how this movie ends. Do you?
No excuses! the most talented roster EVER shoulds be able to do better than Bob did in this final 76 games. If not, the scapegoat just got shown the door!

I'm not a betting man (I actually hate Las Vegas) so I didn't take him up on it, but Jennifer at the Southeast Shootout blog seems to have taken him up on it, and she also has a funny blog all about Kincade's "Man-Love" of Bob Hartley.

Worth a read for a laugh.

I still like Hartley, but I like winning a lot more...

A Three pack of Beer

2007-10-30T16:29:00.000-04:00

Not much time to blog today, as I'm way behind at work thanks to the seemingly bi-weekly database issues we're having on the Nasty Nest site... I'm really wondering if my host is trying to shove me out the door, sometimes...

Anyway, while I was able to blog in St. Lucia, I made mention of the three-packs of Piton Beer that they sell in the grocery stores. For those with curious souls, here's a shot of a three-pack. Pretty cool! Even better, they only cost about $7.25 Eastern Caribbean, which works out to about $2.70 US, or less than a buck a bottle for a decent lager beer.

St. Lucia's cool - but they don't have hockey...

2007-10-29T15:54:00.000-04:00

Got back late from St. Lucia last night, and had to head to work early, so no real time to blog, but lemme just say this about St. Lucia. It is very beautiful, the beer is cheap ($5.00 Eastern Caribbean, on average, which is about $1.80), the people are friendly, but they don't have hockey, so it is missing something crucial!

Still, just before I realized that the seal on my underwater camera wasn't working, I did take this shot:

Now you gotta admit, if your camera is about to die a salty-seawater-death, this was a fine last gasp...

More on the trip and stuff when I have some time...

Posting From St. Lucia...

2007-10-20T21:56:00.001-04:00

...Or trying to.

So far, I've made it to this lush country - how lush? Be jealous Atlanta folk, with your 79 days of water left, but we had to wait to cross a street seeing as how it was flooded. Not just flooded, but Charlie and the Chocolate Factory river of Chocolate Flooded. No way in my car (safely tucked away at the Parking Spot on Camp Creek in Atlanta), and no way in the big-ass bus thingy I was riding in....

Yeah, a photo or two would have been useful, you drought ridden pecker wreckers, but I'm not keen to tell a driver who claims that Patois is his native tongue (??? I thought that was a combo thing) to slow down so I could grab my camera from the back of his right-hand-steering-wheel bus-thingy just to please you cheap fuckers...

So, got to the hotel just in time for it to be dark - no daylight savings time here - we're on the current east coast time, but being a lot further to the east, the sun doth set earlier... Still, lemme say this - KFC OWNS the Carib. Every Island that I've been to, and I've been to a bunch, has had shit loads of KFCs. Not a McD's to be seen. Oddly enough (from my pov) the smell of a KFC is more enticing when you're drinking in the Caribbean. But one being right next to my hotel might be adding to the tempting scent.

I've obviously connected to the Net, so I know my beloved Gamecocks decided to suck ass, and I heard enough of Dan K. to know that my Thrashers are down 5-1 in the 3rd. Since I'm on vacation, I'm looking on the upside. Well, as much as I can. Did you know that St. Lucia has beer sold in THREE PACKS? Awesome if you're low on cash, I 'spose, but really, a three pack? "Hey baby - that's two for me and one for you..." I sense problems for all but divorce attorneys....

Oh, and one last post as I go for that last Piton Beer, I'm wearing a Thrashers shirt as I do my walking around, not really expecting any hockey love, but I got a thumbs up from a fella in a Falcons #7 jersey. So now you know where the NFL sent them shirts/Vick Fans to...

I'll post pictures as soon as I get around to taking some.... There's a good poster from Canada that instructs the locals on how to avoid STD, but nothing that shows how to make Poutain...

Billsen

Posting From St. Lucia...

2007-10-20T21:56:00.000-04:00

Solid play = solid win

2007-10-19T09:49:00.000-04:00

Okay, I'm not about to jump on the Don Waddell is a Genius bandwagon after one win, a solid 5-3 victory over the Rangers, but it did look like a different team was on the ice last night than we'd seen in the first six games.

Instead of Bob Hartley's "dump and chase" system, the boys played a strong puck possession game. It was very refreshing, and given that this was the last home game until 11/6, it was crucial to get that win. Being winless and staring at a 7 game road trip couldn't be healthy for the team.

Still I have to wonder where the refs bought their drugs - clearly they were seeing things that I didn't see and missed some obvious penalties, especially in the third!

Also it looks like Kari's groin is still an issue - he came out about 1/2 way through the 1st. Thankfully The Moose came in and was solid. Really, ignore the 5-3 score - it wasn't really that close, but maybe the refs had some $$ on the game, or something...

On the plus side, it looked like Tobias Enstrom was seriously injured when he was cross-checked, but after some time with the trainers, he was back on the ice. Good thing, that. While he's small, he's a very effective D-man, and we need to keep him healthy!

So, good news all around (except for Kari's groin), and I'm glad we got the win before I head to St. Lucia tomorrow for a week of goofing off. Now let's win 5 more in a row and get back in the race!

81 days left....

2007-10-18T12:02:00.000-04:00

81 days. That's about 2.5 months.

So, what happens in 81 days? Welp, if you live in the Atlanta area, that looks to be the last day we'll have drinking water in the area unless something changes dramatically.

Currently, the Corps projects Lanier's level will drop nearly a foot and a half each week, falling well below its historic low by the end of the year.

The EPD's Couch said at that rate, Lanier's readily available supply of drinking water would be exhausted in 81 days, though emergency measures could allow water to be pumped at lower levels.

I actually got an email from a reader wondering why I'm "being an alarmist" about this. WHY? Have you even considered how screwed we'll be if this happens? Hell, "screwed" barely touches the surface of this.

We can bitch and moan and point fingers of blame, but the bottom line is that we need to drastically curtail our water usage. EVERYONE in the area needs to understand that this has to be a shared sacrifice. If you haven't done so, save every drop that you can. Recycle gray water from showers and your laundry. Only flush when you have some poop in the toilet. Take "Navy Showers". Don't pour any waste water down the drain - dump it on your lawn or use it to flush.

We're at the critical stage now. I know I've been harping on this for a few months, but Jebus - 81 days! That's what we have left. Sacrifice now to avoid a catastrophe later.

We also need to push the State government for further restrictions. I'm sorry for those in the car washing and landscaping business, but you need to shut off the water too. When you get your haircut, skip the hair washing. Yes, this will have a negative economic impact, but if anyone thinks profit is more important than a viable habitat, quite frankly, I feel that you're bat-shit insane. We also should follow Douglas County's lead on those who violate the ban.

Comments are welcomed - so please, share your thoughts on the situation, even if you think I'm being an "alarmist", as I enjoy shooting fish in a barrel...

Goodbye, Bob Hartley

2007-10-17T12:55:00.000-04:00

Well, I guess it was bound to happen, given the 4 game sweep in the playoffs and the horrific 0-6 start to the season, but from a personal POV, I'll miss Bob Hartley, who was fired today as head coach of the Atlanta Thrashers.

He may not have been the perfect coach for this team, but I'll always remember the good times - he did, after all, get us to our 1st playoff appearance - but more impressive to me was how he kept the team together after the accident that killed Dan Snyder and sidelined Dany Heatley for much of the season.

A lesser coach would have coasted through that, saying that the losses were not his fault. Instead, the team rallied, and had a decent, if not glorious season.

Still, the past is that. It is the future that concerns me as a fan, and obviously Don Waddell as the GM. DW will be the bench-boss in the short term, and I have no idea who they are going to reach out to as the next head coach. Possibly they'll look at the staff of the Chicago Wolves, as they do know a good number of the players, or maybe they'll go after a "name" like Pat Quinn. (I'd give up beer for a week if we can get Scotty Bowman - but just for a week...)

So, interesting times, and you get two blog posts today. Remember that if I can't blog on vacation next week!

I need a little vacation...

2007-10-17T10:59:00.001-04:00

So, the Thrashers really seem keen on setting a record for futility. On the plus side, there is only one more home game before they go away for seven, so at least we don't have to see the carnage in person. Hell, I'm so eager to get away from the mess that I'm going to St. Lucia for a week starting on Saturday.

I'm sure that I'll check in to see how things are progressing, but right now, I'm really craving a week of cheap drinks, rasta music, shellfish, snorkeling and hitting the "worlds only drive-in volcano" which is described as:

...more than 20 belching pools of muddy water, multicolor sulfur deposits, and other assorted minerals baking and steaming on the surface.

In many ways, that sounds like the Thrashers... Sigh... If there was a drive-in volcano in Atlanta, I'm sure the team's bus would head right for it, where it would then crash and burn...

Anyway, I have vacation-itis, so I'm gonna share some lyrics from the brilliant Vic Chesnutt...

Little Vacation

I like a little vacation
like a little old song that I want to hear
like a big libation
like a flattering sentence whispered in my ear

that’s what I want
every time I try what I'm trying for
why don’t we have a little symposium
where everybody takes the floor yeah

I like a scenic vista
like a long awaited chemical buzz
like a far off twister
like an unexpected pleasant run-in with the fuzz

that's how I feel
every time I feel like I want to feel so
why don't we have a little council meeting
and hash out something real

Robert's rules of order will be, be observed
I’ll be the parliamentarian
with an unswerving dedication

I like a little vacation
like a little old song that I want to hear
like a big libation
like a flattering sentence whispered in my ear

that’s what I want
every time I try what I'm trying for
why don’t we have a little council meeting
where everybody takes the floor

Robert's rules of order will be, be observed
I’ll be the parliamentarian
with an unswerving dedication

Buck up, Thrashers Fans!

2007-10-16T10:23:00.000-04:00

Okay, the Thrashers are 0-5, and they have one more home game prior to going on a 7 game road trip. This could get ugly, but I'm here to tell you not to give up hope! Ugliness can turn around and become all kinds of pretty...

Let's look at the Colorado Rockies - a baseball team that aspired to be mediocre in a good year, with one playoff appearance (1995) to thier credit. It looked to be the same ol' same ol' on September 15th when they were 4 games over .500 and had a snowball's chance in hell of getting the NL Wild Card spot in the playoffs. Well, 21 wins out of 22 games later, they won one-game playoff to take the Wild Card from San Diego, then they blasted through the Phillies in 3 straight to get to the NLCS, and last night they swept the Diamondbacks to win the NLCS and are headed to the first World Series in franchise history.

Still not convinced? Okay - I'm a University of South Carolina Alum, and also a big fan of the football team. In 1998, my Gamecocks started the season with a big win over Ball State. We followed that with 10 straight losses. Not satisfied with that, we went 0-11 in 1999 - That's a 21 Game Losing Streak in Division One Football!

While that was painful, I never strayed in my loyalty. This was my team, and losers or not, I was going to stick with them. And things got better in 2000 and 2001 as we had winning records and even won two bowl games. Now, in 2007, my Gamecocks are ranked at 6 in the BCS Standings, and have a 6-1 record.

So, don't give up hope, Thrashers fans! We'll get this thing back on track!

Hypocracy in action

2007-10-15T09:54:00.000-04:00

Remember a few weeks ago when Moveon.org placed an ad in the NY Times critical of General Patreaus? The Right about blew a gasket - how dare that Liberal group criticize a man in uniform they railed!

So, it is with a pinch of irony that I question why it is okay to now dump on General Sanchez's assessment that Iraq is "a nightmare with no end in sight".

So, just to clear things up for those of us scoring at home. If you've served your country and wish to speak out about Iraq, you will be vilified you dare question the strategy, direction and actions taking place in Iraq. To avoid this, you must agree to only espouse those talking points that have been approved by the White House. Simple, isn't it? (That was sarcasm, btw...)

Congrats to Al Gore - Nobel Peace Prize Winner

2007-10-12T17:05:00.000-04:00

Readers of this blog probably know by know that protecting the environment is one of my biggest passions, so it shouldn't shock you that I'm very happy that Vice President Al Gore has won this year's Nobel Peace Prize for his work to bring attention to Global Warming.

Even better? He's not keeping the prize money - instead he's giving it to the Alliance for Climate Protection:

Dear Bill,

I am deeply honored to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. This award is even more meaningful because I have the honor of sharing it with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change--the world's pre-eminent scientific body devoted to improving our understanding of the climate crisis--a group whose members have worked tirelessly and selflessly for many years. We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level.

My wife, Tipper, and I will donate 100 percent of the proceeds of the award to the Alliance for Climate Protection, a bipartisan non-profit organization that is devoted to changing public opinion in the U.S. and around the world about the urgency of solving the climate crisis.

Thank you,

Al Gore

So, a tip of my cap to one of my heroes, Al Gore!

A Completely Crappy Week...

2007-10-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

Have you ever had one of those weeks where it seems everything is against you? My beloved Thrashers are off to the worst start in franchise history; a vendor I'm using to build the transactional software that will run my company's website have missed another deadline, so I gotta fire them and find someone else; the Nasty Nest website keeps going up and down thanks to the ass-clown-retards over at web.com (our current host); and Google sent me a Nasty-gram telling me that my Google Adsense account has been suspended for "suspicious activity" - I've applied for reinstatement, as I have no clue what the "activity" they refer to can be... But misery loves company when it comes to Adsense... Oh yeah, and we learned this week that Lake Lanier, which supplies Atlanta's drinking water, has about 3 months of water left. LOVELY!!!!!

Sigh... I head off on vacation on the 20th, and St. Lucia is just what the Doctor ordered! I just wish I could leave now...

Oh well - big tailgate party tomorrow - the Thrashers may have discovered a whole new way to suck, but I need to remind myself that sucky hockey is better than no hockey, and tailgate parties make any game fun!

Problems with the Nasty Nest Website

2007-10-10T10:08:00.001-04:00

So today I turned 42, which, if you've read the Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy, I thought meant that I'd now have the answer to everything. Apparently not.

One of the first things I do before heading to work is to make sure the Nastynest.net site is up and running. Today, as a happy f*cking birthday gift from our host, the site was hosed...

All I could get to was a version of the home page without all of that fancy-dancy .css styles applied to it. (Imagine a webpage with no images, no formatting, and an apparent love of the Times New Roman font on a gray background, and you can understand my nausea.) Worse, the ever-so popular message boards went belly up as well.

So, I do what I always do when it is too early for drinking heavily - I contacted support. Started to see progress - the non-message board pages came back, as did the style sheets, but so far no images nor message boards.

Then a few minutes ago I got this email from support:

We are currently experiencing an issue on your hosting platform. Our engineers
are investigating the situation in order to determine the fastest path to resolution. During this time, you might experience issues when trying to access your Web site or administrative control panel. We appreciate your patience as we work to resolve this issue.

Gee, I might experience issues when trying to access your Web site or administrative control panel. Really? Ya think?

Sigh... And to think my blogging plan was to beg for a Thrashers win on my birthday. Feh... Stoopid host...

Seriously - save some damn water in NE Georgia!

2007-10-09T11:38:00.000-04:00

Unreal. We're faced with the worst drought that we've ever seen in Georgia, and yet there are still people who don't seem to think that they need to modify their behavior! One of my best friends, David, is married with a cute kid. He was saying the other day that his daughter loves the shower - "She'll stay in there for 30 minutes sometimes!".

I asked if he was aware of the drought, and he said "Yeah, but I don't worry about it. No matter what I do, we're screwed, right?"

WRONG. Absolutely wrong.

We're at the point where I only flush if there is a turd in the toilet. I place a bucket in the shower to capture the water normally wasted when it warms up - I then dump that water on my lawn. I also turn the water off as I soap up, and then back on to rinse. This is what we called a "Navy Shower" when I was in the military, and it saves a lot of H2O. Also, turn the faucets off when you brush your teeth or wash your face. Every drop helps.

I know I tend to harp on this, but think about this - if we run out of water because of people being self-centered, who will we blame? No one but ourselves.

Sports Highs and Lows

2007-10-08T11:58:00.001-04:00

A good/bad weekend for this Gamecock/Thrashers fan. The good, of course, being that pasting my beloved Gamecocks handed to previously unbeaten Kentucky on Thursday night, which, after the rest of the college football action, has vaulted my boys to sole possession of first place in the SEC East, and a number seven ranking in the AP polls! Woot!

But, there needs to be balance in the Force, as they say - so my equally beloved Atlanta Thrashers started the season with back to back losses. To the Craps and Tampa Bay... Ick. Not good. Un-woot!

So, can the Thrashers turn it around on October 10th? Please, boys - it will be my birthday, and all I want is a Thrashers "W" over the Senaturds... C'mon Hossa and Kovy - Score some goals and win some games!

Dammit!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2007-10-05T09:34:00.000-04:00

First, a moment of respect to honor the 4th anniversary of #37, Dan Snyder's passing. One of the hardest working hockey players to ever make it to the NHL passed away on 10/5/03 the result of injuries sustained in a car accident. Much like his amazing parents, we will not try to place blame - but instead remember a great soul. RIP buddy.

Now, on with the show...

The first week of October - the best time of the year, for this sports fan... Baseball playoffs - how about them Rockies! NHL opening up - Thrashers first game of the season is tonight, and we get to see a real championship banner being raised, which is way cooler than that stooopid Widespread Panic banner... And Chicken Curse be damned - my beloved Gamecocks are now 5-1 thanks to the smacking they gave Kentucky last night on ESPN. WOOT!!!

So, the bad side is that I'm feeling the Elephant this morning - for those who don't like creative metaphors - I'm hung over... Bleah - watch a great college football game with a few other Alumni, and the next thing you know, you've polished off a couple of 12 packs, and hit some shots of some brown stuff. If there was an emoticon for feeling queasy, I'd insert it here :-(

Still, I'm still giddy about the bit USC Gamecock win, and the Thrashers opener is less than 12 hours away. So I shall soldier on.

Oh, and while I'm thinking of it? There's only ONE USC - and it is in South Carolina. USC = University of South Carolina. Those pin heads in Southern California? Sorry, my "SC" represents a full state, not just the southern part of one. To wit: No Trojan can hold my Cocks!

30 years ago, I dreamed about getting one of these...

2007-10-03T17:18:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to the Atari 2600 - 30 years ago, I was 11 years old, looking forward to my 12th birthday (October 10th - gifts are always welcomed!) and the extreme hope that my parents would cave-in to my constant begging for what I was convinced would be the greatest toy ever - the Atari 2600.

I was right and wrong. I was correct that at the time, it WAS the greatest toy ever. However, I should have known that my parents would instead opt for a cheap-o substitute - one of those crappy pong knock-offs. Gee - I could play pong, tennis, or handball - all of which we're pong variations - in black and white. Oh... Joy...

So I began my quest - mowing lawns, saving my paper route money instead of "investing" in comics and candy - even subbing for my sister as a babysitter (Still one of the all-time great cushy jobs, in my opinion, watch TV and raid the fridge...). Whatever it took, I was going to get one. Finally, after having my gift dreams crushed again at Xmas, I begged my sister for a ride to Dave's Electronics (Just outside the Nanuet Mall), where I dropped the massive sum of about $170 on the 2600 and a couple of games.

I can't remember which I bought first, but I can still tell you some of my favorites - Adventure, Superman, Breakout, Circus Atari, and when Activision won the legal battle to create games for the system, I drooled over Skiing, Boxing, Pitfall and of course Ice Hockey.

Sure the games are kind of (okay, *very*) primitive compared to my XBox 360, but for a 12 year old geek still sprouting wood at the mere mention of "Star Wars", I was in heaven... And I recently picked up the Atari Flashback 2.0 - still fun, but my XBox 360 has nothing to worry about.

So what about you guys? Did anyone else have one of these? If so, what games still bring back good memories?

My Captain, My Captain!

2007-10-03T10:16:00.000-04:00

I went to Face Off 2007, the annual meet and greet session that the Atlanta Thrashers hold for their full-season ticket holders. It is a great change to score some great autographs, maybe have a photo opp with a favorite player, pick up some game used equipment on the cheap, and generally get pumped (as if that's needed) for the new season.

Part of the event was the introduction of the team, and more compelling, the team announced who this year's captain and assistants would be. (Former captain, Scott Mellanby retired at the end of the playoff sweep last season.)

Many bloggers predicted that the "C" would go to either Slava Kozlov, Nic Havelid, or Bobby Holik. All have virtues that you'd want in a leader, but at the end of the day, Bobby Holik got the honor.

Holik is a 16 year NHL vet, and his name is on the Stanley Cup twice. He's always been pretty blunt and vocal about what needs to be done to win, and I have no doubt that he'll be happy to stick up for his players if some ultra-violence is needed. A solid choice, and, as I discussed with BobbleTed last night, it is possible that this will also make Holik want to re-sign with the team next summer (at a lower rate - love the guy, but you don't pay a 3rd-line center $4 Million Plus per year any more...). So, an honor and possible negotiating ploy.

The four A's went to three of the usual suspects - Havelid, Kozlov and Marian Hossa, but the surprise of the evening was the 4th - ladies and gents, Ilya Kovalchuk is an assistant captain! This is a great reward for a player who's maturity had been questioned in the past, but keep in mind, with the adios to JP Vigier, he's now the longest tenured member of the team. Also, as I feel compelled to point out to the nay-sayers, in the 2003-04 season, when we lost Dan Snyder forever, and Dany Heatley for the bulk of the season, he pretty much put the team on his back and excelled when a lot of players might have said "fuck it, I'll phone it in." THAT'S maturity, people!

So, I'm pretty pleased by these choices. I did think that Garnet Exelby would have been one of the A's, but I think he's a lock next year is there is an open slot.

Now, let's get this season started!!!! (insert banging on the glass noise here)

Congrats to the Rockies, Phillies, Cubs and Indians

2007-10-02T11:08:00.000-04:00

Baseball playoffs start today.... The rest of the MLB playoff teams have had their time in the sun, so I'd be happy to see the Rockies, the Phillies, the Cubs or the Indians win this year's world series.

Quite the game last night, as Colorado and San Diego played a one-game playoff to decide who would be the NL Wild Card leader. It went 13 innings, and when San Diego scored two in the top of the 13th, it looked liked they'd win the game - especially with closer Trevor Hoffman on the hill. But give the Rockies credit - they didn't give up and ended up scoring 3 in the bottom of the 13th to win the game, and make it to the second post-season in Rockies history.

Hell of a game!

Speaking of baseball and hell, here's a bit of help for Mets fans. Tough luck, being 7 games up with 17 to go, and still blowing it. Too bad that didn't happen to the Yankees, instead - but I'll take it!

Extreme Drought Conditions in NE Georgia

2007-10-01T09:08:00.001-04:00

For those who don't know, Carol Couch, the director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, ordered an immediate ban on most outdoor watering in the northern third of the state on Friday. That means no car washing, no lawn watering - NOTHING. Seriously - we're faced with a massive deficit in terms of where we are normally, and the long-term forecasts predict that this winter will be a dry one too.

Those who've been reading this blog over the past few months know that I've been waving the environmental flag for some time, but now we're at the point that if you haven't made any changes to the way you do your business, now is the time to modify your behavior.

First, no matter how much you value a lush lawn and a squeaky clean car, STOP watering and washing those. Really - is your vanity such that you'd pick that over having water to drink down the line? Apparently so, as this ass-clown-retard seems to suggest in this AJC Article:

another woman who also did not want to be identified said she was not aware of the water restrictions.

"That's unfortunate because we just laid sod," she said.

The 35-year-old woman, who lives on McKinley Road, said it cost about $3,000 to sod her front lawn. She said she doesn't think the ban is fair and that residents should be able to do some watering.

"I would say once a week or once every other week," she said.

If the sod job goes to waste, she said, "I'm going to be a little irritated."

Hey lady? Go fuck yourself and your lawn - we were already at a once a week watering opportunity, but that wasn't enough. NO water for your lawn. NONE.

On the plus side, these new restrictions seem to have some teeth. Even Cobb county, not know for a progressive mind-set, is holding people accountable. Just ask the managers of Magnolia Chase Condominiums:

...condo managers (were sent) a written warning and then (the county) socked them with $100 fine, followed by a $250 fine and then two $500 fines. That put Magnolia Chase among a handful of properties that have received multiple $500 tickets this year — the steepest fine in Cobb's arsenal before water service gets turned off.

This is serious, folks, and we all need to make sacrifices for the greater good. If I might suggest a couple:

Limit showers to 5 minutes or less. Turn the water off when you suds up, and then back on to rinse. If your shower takes some time to warm up, put a bucket under the head so that water doesn't go down the drain. Instead use THAT water to water some plants or something.

Fill a 16-20 ounce plastic or glass bottle with water and cap it. Then put that bottle in your toilet's tank. This will displace 16-20 ounces of water so that you'll save that amount on each flush. If you want to biggie-size this, try to flush only when you've done number two. If it is yellow, let it be mellow. Yeah, kind of gross, but so is death by dehydration...

In short, here's what the restrictions are, and who you can call if you see a violation:

As of Friday, officials have banned most outdoor water use for all of North Georgia. This means that DeKalb, north Fulton and Forsyth counties have the same restrictions that Cobb County imposed last week. The ban means:

> No watering lawns.

> No washing cars except at a commercial car wash.

> For more details on the ban and the latest updates, go to www.ajc.com/metro.

WHO SHOULD YOU CALL?

If you spot a violation of the water restrictions, you can report it by contacting one of the following authorities:

> East Cobb: From 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., call 770-423-1000; after hours, 770-419-6278.

> Forsyth County: Call 678-513-5893 or 678-513-5854; or fill out an online report on the county Web site at www.forsythco.com.

> DeKalb County: Call 770-270-6243. After hours, 770-621-7200.

> Alpharetta: City Public Safety Department, 678-297-6300, 24 hours a day.

> Johns Creek: Fulton County Public Works Department, 404-612-8097.

> Milton: Fulton County Public Works Department, 404-612-8097.

> Mountain Park: Fulton County Public Works Department, 404-612-8097.

> Roswell: During normal business hours, contact Fulton County Public Works. After hours, call police at 770-640-4100.

> Sandy Springs: Atlanta Department of Watershed Management at 404-658-6500. Normal business hours.

On to some positive news - Thursday-Sunday in Georgia you can buy any "Energy Star" certified item and you won't have to pay any sales tax. If you're looking to replace an aging refrigerator - typically the biggest power user in your house - this is a great time to do it. If nothing else, plan to buy some compact florescent bulbs and replace your older incandescent bulbs. Yes, CF bulbs have a higher initial cost, but since they use roughly 1/5th of the power to produce the same amount of light, over time, you'll save money as well as energy.

Mission of Burma

2007-09-28T10:42:00.000-04:00

I have been following the situation in Myanmar (Also known as Burma - you know it is like Holland/The Netherlands), with dismay over the past month. For those who don't know, in the middle of August, the people started demonstrating against the government controlled energy prices. Then, over time, the Buddhist Monks started to lead the demonstrations that became less and less about gas prices and more and more about freedom. You know, the old fashioned kind - freedom of speech, freedom of assembly - the good stuff.

So far, so good - until the government cracked down on the demonstrations by firing in the crowd. It should be noted that these were PEACEFUL demonstrations.

To their credit, both the US and the UN have denounced this move by the Myanmar government, but the pissed-off Liberal/former soldier in me is furious that our troops are stuck in Iraq, when this is the sort of situation that begs for US intervention. From the situation in New Orleans post-Katrina to this - it just shows what happens when you put the bulk of your military assets in an untenable situation. Going to Afghanistan after 9/11 was correct, and I supported (and still support) that move. Iraq, well, it just wasn't needed.

If we were not in Iraq, we would have had the National Guard here when needed to deal with Katrina, and we also could have sent troops into Myanmar.

Of course, no one could have predicted this specific situation in Myanmar, but that's the point of being prepared for the unexpected, isn't it. Prior to the "Shock and Awe" of the invasion, I demonstrated against moving into Iraq. My thinking at the time was that this would make it very easy for North Korea to take advantage of the situation, and march into the south. Thankfully that hasn't happened, but just the same, wouldn't it be nice to have rested troops available to help the Burmese people to really become free? They are BEGGING for it - something I've yet to see from the rank and file in Iraq.

Since we're pretty much overextended, here's a link to a petition asking the UN security council, specifically the Chinese, to intervene.

Smooth segue to hockey... Yesterday I was a bit pissed because the "genius" that calls himself Eklund predicted that the Thrashers would finish 15th ou of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference. (Hello - defending division champs, right over here...) Given that none of the other teams in the southeast division have made any earth-shaking moves, I just don't see what puts us at the bottom. Thankfully, a *real* hockey genius says we'll win the division again! Viva Barry Melrose!

Little Goes a Long Way

2007-09-27T10:35:00.001-04:00

Preseason hockey - it lacks the mythical properties that Baseball's Spring Training has in spades, but for rookies, it is 6 or 7 games of pressure - trying to show the brass that they have what it takes to play in the NHL.

The Atlanta Thrashers plan is to stay a good bit under the salary cap of ~$51 Million. Some would say this is so that the team can add a piece or two down the line, but really it is due to the fact that the Atlanta Spirit Group is still battling in court to see who really owns the teams, and that they really don't sell out every game. (Buy some tickets, ya bastards!)

So, that said, in an effort to keep payrolls in check, the team is giving some hard looks at the rookies in camp. Let me state right now, that with his two goals last night in Flori-duh, Bryan Little is a lock to make the opening night roster, barring a major brain fart in the last preseason game tomorrow night. My other "lock"? Tobias Enstrom on D.

Brett Sterling has an outside chance, but I think he'll start in Chicago.

Overall, I'm pretty excited about this team - it could be a great mix of Veteran Leadership coupled with Youthful Energy. Let's hope that the energy is focused, and doesn't result in a lot of penalties.

Directv launched new HD Channels - is the NHL Network Coming?

2007-09-26T11:05:00.000-04:00

The NHL Network has been broadcasting 24/7 hockey goodness since 2001. Alas, those broadcasts can currently only be seen in Canada. Sigh...

So, it is with great hope (no facts, just hope) that with Directv's new commitment to HD programming (21 new channels launched today at 6AM), is it possible that finally those who pony-up the $140 for the Center Ice package (which gets you pretty much all NHL games) will also get the NHL Channel when there is no live hockey? It SEEMS like a no-brainer, but only time will tell.

Just in case you're wondering why this is a big deal to hockey addicts, here's some of what we've been missing:

NHL 'All Access': NHL Network takes viewers behind the scenes of the NHL with an all-access pass to exclusive game coverage, player interviews and footage.

Relive the Magic: NHL Network invites viewers to relive some of the greatest games in Stanley Cup history. Each 60-minute episode includes commentary from both an NHL legend that played in the featured game and an NHL fan that was in attendance.

Frozen In Time: Frozen In Time looks back at some of hockey's most memorable on- and off-ice moments.

Classic NHL Playoff Series: These NHL Network exclusive presentations summarize an entire NHL Stanley Cup Playoff series, up to seven games, in one 60-minute show.

Top 10: A staple of NHL Network's broadcast schedule, Top 10 counts down a list of 10 NHL milestones or accomplishments. The 30-minute show airs nightly at 6pm et/3pm pt.

Pardon me whilst I wipe the drool from my face.

The Enemy of My Enemy is Donald Trump?!?!

2007-09-25T09:57:00.000-04:00

Long-time readers of this blog will recall that I generally don't follow the cult of personality. I think that Oprah Winfrey is an ego-driven windbag, and I really dislike how this country is fixated on what some idiot celebrity is doing at 4AM instead of, I dunno, paying attention to what is really important. To me that means following what is coming out of Washington, and listening to the candidates who would be our next President.

So, it kinda-sorta pains me to agree with Donald Trump, typically one of the worst of the me, me, me sort. Still, he's now repeating what he said in March - that George W. Bush is the worst President in US history.

"We've gone from this tremendous power that was respected all over the world to somewhat of a laughingstock. And, all of the sudden, people are talking about China and India and other places. ... Even from an economic standpoint, America's come down a long way," (Trump) added. "It's very, very sad."

Okay, even a stopped clock is right twice a day, but he's spot-on in this case. Right after 9/11 we had the world's sympathy, but in short order, we steam-rolled that, and also managed to mortgage out economic future by cutting taxes while increasing spending, which resulted in massive budget deficits. Couple that with allowing our own infrastructure to hit the fan (Levees in New Orleans, Big Dig in Boston and the Bridge collapse in Minnesota), and you have to wonder who's side is he really on?

Anyway, I still think that Trump is an egomanic, and I also think Bush is the worst President ever. Strange friends to find in times like these. I mean, the next thing you know, they'll start the NHL season in England!

Tune Jack Can Save Your iTunes Playlists

2007-09-24T11:15:00.000-04:00

I try to remember. I really do. I keep telling myself that I should backup my iTunes library and playlists, but you know - things happen, and I forgot...

So I was a bit peeved when I was told that my iTunes library file was damaged. That totally sucks - not that the songs are lost or anything (Billsen don't buy diddly from the iTunes store - it is either a CD rip, or I buy from emusic...), but recreating all of my playlists was going to be a right-royal pain...

So, I tried to fix the file by opening it with a text editor, but that wasn't happening. Then I decided to look for some helper apps that could possibly copy the playlists from my iPod back over to iTunes. This is a simple task in theory, but not so easy in practice, as Apple has bent over backwards to make this a one way trip from iTunes to the iPod, but not the other way.

So I found some possibilities, but each of them also wanted to copy all of the songs off of the iPod. Thanks, but I didn't need that, as I would then have two copes of everything, which would both waste space as well as cause other syncing problems down the line.

Finally, I came across Tune Jack. For $10, this little app does exactly what I wanted - found all of my playlists, and then recreated them in iTunes - even better, it checks to see if you have a copy of the song already in iTunes. If not, it copies the song, but if it finds it, it just updates the playlist! PERFECT!!!!!

I can't say enough good things about Tune Jack (At least if you use a PC) - so if you ever get hosed, you might want to give it a try.

First preseason game and a tailgate!

2007-09-22T11:23:00.000-04:00

If I ever had any doubts about people's passion for hockey in Atlanta, I just have to read people on the NastyNest buzzing in anticipation for today's game.

Sure, for the bulk of us who didn't haul-ass over to Nashville the other night, this is the first ice we'll have seen in a long, long time. Like a Heroin addict dealing with methadone, we'll take out hockey fix any way we can.

So hockey is part of it, but it is also a perfect Saturday for tailgating. I have the Cornhole game in the trunk, ribs smoking outside, and I'm debating which jersey I'll wear to the game - might go with the Dropkick Murphy's one, since it is just an exhibition....

So a meaningless game in September - a million miles from a meaningful game in April - but I'm fucking giddy as an 11 year-old-boy counting down the insanely slow-moving minutes until he can open his presents on Christmas morning...

Hockey is BACK!

Thrashers Fall; Iceland Rises

2007-09-21T09:32:00.000-04:00

Thrashers fall 5-3 vs. Nashville in preseason action last night...

Iceland, though, gets my three stars - given that gas costs roughly $8.00 a gallon there, I suppose it isn't too shocking to hear that they are working hard to ween the country off of fossil fuels.

Given that we're at ~$3.00 per gallon in the states, and I think we'll never see it in the sub-$2.00 range, I hope that we can follow their lead - at least for shortish commutes and day to day driving. Check this out:

Retired University of Iceland Professor Bragi Arnason has come up with a solution: Use hydrogen to power transportation. Hydrogen is produced with water and electricity, and Iceland has lots of both.

"Iceland is the ideal country to create the world's first hydrogen economy," Arnason explains. His big idea has earned him the nickname "Professor Hydrogen."

Arnason has caught the attention of General Motors, Toyota and DaimlerChrysler, who are using the island-nation as a test market for their hydrogen fuel cell prototypes.

One car getting put through its paces is the Mercedes Benz A-class F-cell -- an electric car powered by a DaimlerChrysler fuel cell. Fuel cells generate electricity by converting hydrogen and oxygen into water. And fuel cell technology is clean -- the only by-product is water. Video Watch the F-cell navigate through Reykjavik »

"It's just like a normal car," says Asdis Kritinsdottir, project manager for Reykjavik Energy. Except the only pollution coming out of the exhaust pipe is water vapor. It can go about 100 miles on a full tank. When it runs out of fuel the electric battery kicks in, giving the driver another 18 miles -- hopefully enough time to get to a refueling station. Filling the tank is similar to today's cars -- attach a hose to the car's fueling port, hit "start" on the pump and stand back. The process takes about five to six minutes.

The only by product is water - not a bad one considering the drought we're in here in Atlanta.... What do you think?

If Barry Bonds Thinks You're an Idiot, Are You?

2007-09-19T22:34:00.001-04:00

So, I read about the guy who paid nearly 3/4 of a Million for Barry Bonds' record breaking home run ball. The winner, Fashion Designer Marc Ecko, has put the ball's fate up to a vote.

Go to http://www.vote756.com, and decide if he should donate it to Cooperstown, brand it with an asterisk, or launch it into orbit (Not sure how he plans to do that - typically Fashion Designers don't have cannons for arms...)

In the wake of this, Bonds is calling Ecko "an idiot". This coming from a guy who claims that he "never knowingly" used steroids. Right...

I'm not going to tell you who to vote for, but let me close by saying "***** ***** ** * *******".