Do not cover electrical outlets with wrapping paper.
Minnesota Public Radio has an list of challenged ballots which have turned up from this year's Senate recount. Each ballot comes with a polling applet, so you can practice your arbitration skills while laughing at the foolishness (and facepalming some of the actual rulings). And seriously, do we really want Lizard People running the Executive? |
| posted at: 16:04 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Which of the churches, displayed in the slideshow of this article, was built with lobbyist money? :D |
| posted at: 15:45 | permanent link to this entry |
| BBC News is reporting that an Indian Navy frigate actually got around to sinking one of those Somali pirate ships. |
| posted at: 03:53 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Bicycle Hero (aka Darwin's Symphony #1 in Rock Major). |
| posted at: 03:08 | permanent link to this entry |
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Do not cover electrical outlets with wrapping paper. |
| posted at: 22:25 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Pork Belly might just be the bacon's bacon. |
| posted at: 01:06 | permanent link to this entry |
| Strange Maps has further analysis of the county map I used for suburbia-mapping. As it turns out, that swath of light- to mid- blue, extending in a southern arc from eastern North Carolina to Memphis, then down through the Mississipi Delta, is the antebellum cotton belt. |
| posted at: 20:41 | permanent link to this entry |
An Electoral Map of Suburbia...
Pop quiz: locate the following cities and their suburbs on this map (click for larger version), lifted from a Washington Post flashlet: Atlanta, St. Petersburg, Gainesville (FL), Orlando, Birmingham, Memphis, Nashville, Charlotte, Columbia, Little Rock, Austin, Macon, San Antonio, Peoria, Austin, Louisville, Lexington, Dallas, Houston, Savannah, Charlotte, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Buffalo, Missoula, Las Vegas, Denver, Minneapolis, Augusta, Columbus, Kansas City, Pittsburgh. 
It's at once silly , sobering, and revealing, all at the same time. |
| posted at: 15:58 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Techno, House, Noise, or Trance? |
| posted at: 15:54 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Fried Provolone Wedges. |
| posted at: 05:10 | permanent link to this entry |
Keith Olbermann the Whole Internet
It seems that Keith Olbermann's gear-drop from "indignant screech troll" to "compassionate care troll" regarding Prop. 8 has struck a chord. By "chord", I mean "all over the internet at once". There's even a 900-post thread on Fazed, and folks over there don't know what hit them. My answer to this noise is that once upon a time, commentary was just that: |
| posted at: 05:10 | permanent link to this entry |
| Per Blissful Glutton, there's a new doughnut shop on 10th street. I'll have to sneak over and try some. I mean, "try one." Yeah, something like that. |
| posted at: 05:08 | permanent link to this entry |
Nobody Expects the Inquisition!
As far as regimes go, our taliban have followed the pattern fairly well: start with an illegitimate basis for government, disguise this basis (or not) as domestic strength, control this message through broadcast media, repeatedly assert fallacy as truth to distract/dissuade legitimate discussion, install a parallel executive, coerce or remove all non-aligned staff which would interfere with that executive, and feed resources into the propaganda machine to maintain the smokescreen. The faction itself, being based on exclusivity, makes way with lies, untruth, and illegitimacy. So, it follows that after being ousted (twice in two years), our taliban are directing their evil at the other factions that form the GOP . "Operation Leper" is RedState.com's response to the "unnamed sources", presumably McCain staffers, who leveled various charges at Gov. Palin in the wake of the election. The goal, of course, is to purge the apostates and heretics from the "God Party". And so, Erick Ericsson has revealed his taliban nature, as have his contemporaries. Laugh or cry, note that these people have been running our government for 8 years, and a return of said government to their hands is the price of failure in the months and years ahead. |
| posted at: 20:43 | permanent link to this entry |
My Oversimplified Guide to the 2008 Election: Overtime Edition
Three races are going for runoff, to be held December 2, with an advance voting period. My picks are in bold:
And now for some discovery. Wilson Smith's What is going on? is a radio show out in East Georgia, and he has interviewed all of the non-senatorial candidates at some point or another. check them out. |
| posted at: 20:37 | permanent link to this entry |
I can't find my candy thermometer. :/ Hopefully, it's just hiding in a box that's actually still with me, and wasn't goodwilled with all my good shirts, most of my pants, and whatever else was in the wrong box I dropped off last year. In either case, the temptation of gas stove beckons, and I feel a primal urge to cement a burned-sugar layer onto my pot. Once I have the thermometer in hand, I'll perform this trick with scientific precision. |
| posted at: 20:09 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| I keep forgetting the Linksys has been making NATs and routers with open-source firmware, for several years now. |
| posted at: 05:20 | permanent link to this entry |
Because Presidents only lead: the Transition page will soon contain a listing of "review teams", who will be responsible for All that 'inside baseball' is becoming a bit more outside. |
| posted at: 05:20 | permanent link to this entry |
| The Hawks posted another win last night(6-0), and here comes some much-needed rain to continue the winning streak: this evening, Thursday, Friday, and into Saturday morning. Considering we got two days of rain the past month and a half, two days in a row is a big deal. |
| posted at: 04:34 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| The Chandra X-Ray Observatory. |
| posted at: 02:39 | permanent link to this entry |
If there's any true hallmark from this year's election, it's the collision of politics with speed-of-meme, Internet humor. This one's from primary season, but proved to be highly prescient. I'll continue to post the funnies, as I recall them. |
| posted at: 20:32 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| The Sarlacc. |
| posted at: 02:33 | permanent link to this entry |
| The Thrashers, Hawks, Falcons, and United States have combined for a 10-1 record so far this month. Just sayin'. |
| posted at: 02:33 | permanent link to this entry |
| Because the 'Net represents the electronic embodiment of our freedoms of speech, assembly, and press: From 52 to 48 (h/t Going Through the Motions). |
| posted at: 21:40 | permanent link to this entry |
Election Funnies: WoW Edition!
Achievement Unlocked: President of the United States (h/t Pointed View) I suppose this would cast Air Force One, Marine One, et al. as (epic) mounts. |
| posted at: 17:05 | permanent link to this entry |
| Crawl, a Rogue/Nethack contemporary, currently in renewed development. |
| posted at: 16:50 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Obama/Biden ticket wins the election, the Thrashers win two games, the Hawks are 3-0, and now Stick (third item in the release)is entering the National Toy Hall of Fame. It's been one great week. |
| posted at: 14:37 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Dear Arab World: Our Hussein is better than your Hussein. |
| posted at: 04:39 | permanent link to this entry |
Party Crasher: Electoral Edition
Back in February, I crashed Senator McCain's pre-Super Tuesday rally. So, it was only fair to trot out the "suburban camo" one more time, and crash Jim Martin's Election Night party Tuesday night. :) Three pictures came out OK:  When I arrived, around 9ish.  The press table.  Martin makes an 11pm appearance. There was a moment of hilarity during President-elect Obama's speech, when he called out Atlanta. The entire gathering erupted in a collective holler, only to be hushed in dissonance between Obama's mention of 106-year-old Ann Nixon Cooper, and recollection of the morning's AJC's story of another centurion, who was also voting for the first time. And with that, it was back home to check up on some software installs for work, limiting my exposure to street parties to the occasional drunks seen tripping over the sidewalk or curb. |
| posted at: 04:38 | permanent link to this entry |
| Yesterday, I voted for the ticket I wanted to see in office. One of the two people on that ticket was African-American, a fact I long ago disregarded as irrelevant. But this time, I didn't have to cast that vote as a write-in. |
| posted at: 06:22 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
 |
| posted at: 05:26 | permanent link to this entry |
Y'all just don't get it, do you. Even on this historic of historic nights, when a nation proved its worth, the context seems completely lost on everyone I talk to. This election cycle was founded upon, and driven by, the overriding need to transition the United States from a puppet state--caught up in the global struggle which have infested politics--back to a functioning democracy. Such a need put Mike Bloomberg in Oklahoma, with Gail Norton, Sam Nunn, and a host of others, to plan a contingency candidacy. Such a foundation put Barack Obama, John McCain, John Edwards, and Fred Thompson into the race. By running again, Senator McCain held open the door for his party, giving them one last chance to own up to being American. Nobody else showed up, the RNC's demographic factions continued to base themselves on demography, and the Democrat party flipped into the Democratic Party, by the force of numbers harnessed by Senator Obama. Let me say that again: Nobody else showed up, and the controlling factions of the RNC didn't bother to act like real Americans. With no real purpose left, McCain opted in July to allow the Bush Administration to take over his campaign, and took a bystander's role atop the ticket. From that point, it was simply a matter of playing out the clock, and allowing the remnants of Republicans to take flight. Hence, the adviser replacements; hence, the Palin selection; hence the slippery slope downward to isolation, which has culminated in the stark outline presented by the map. Now, Barack Obama and Joe Biden have been selected, by the resulting majority, to run the Executive, and by extension, to lead the nation and the free world. The Jack Kingstons, the Mark Feins, the Michelle Bachmanns, the Bill and Hillary Clintons, the Sean Hannitys, the Keith Olbermanns, the Joe Scarboroughs, the Al Sharptons, and every single taliban in the U.S., all had a big, fat FAIL hung on their necks tonight, courtesy the people who are tired of their bullshit. Mission Accomplished people. Tomorrow, the real work begins. |
| posted at: 05:25 | permanent link to this entry |
With phonepic goodness:
645-ish, waiting in line:
730-ish, after voting:
Bonus: After staying up all night (for work, more on that later), I totally spooked the morning crowd. :) |
| posted at: 08:37 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Butter is not Cream Cheese. There are people who will actually spread one as thickly as the other. |
| posted at: 05:30 | permanent link to this entry |
The Election, in Review (part 2)
This cycle, the "issues" and demographics which captured the headlines for a year and a half, were of secondary importance to the upheavals that occurred within the two major American political parties. Going into this cycle, I got the sense that both parties would be in play. Note, I said 'parties', not 'elections'. This sense was reinforced by the all-star cast that assembled in Oklahoma, for the Bipartisan Forum. That meeting was a clear indication that the current party structures would be challenged, with a fallback candidacy if needed. With this dynamic in play, the 2007-08 campaign became a three-way fight in a two-party system. At one point, it looked like both parties would flip in the same cycle: Senators Obama and McCain, through different paths, claimed their nominations from their respective parties. In actuality, the success of both candidates meant that only one would require the support of an American administration, and with the McCain camp isolated via sheer force of votes, the choice was, and is, both obvious and correct. Senator Obama will receive 65%+ of the popular vote, nationwide. One of those votes will be mine. Senator McCain will accept defeat, and, with his role fulfilled, will likely exit the GOP like several colleagues (and many voters) before him. |
| posted at: 05:29 | permanent link to this entry |
My Overly-Simplistic Guide to the 2008 Ballot (Part 3 of several)
U.S. House
Public Service Commission - District 4Here's the debate; check it out, it's worth watching. The first question to Jim Powell in this debate regarded his fight over residency. The rest of the debate demonstrates why Watergirl (aka Secretary of State Karen Handel) went to the Supreme Court to exclude Powell from the ballot. There are three people in this debate, and only one of them is not a clown. That legitimate candidate is Jim Powell. As for the residency fight, the Georgia Supreme Court secured Powell's name on the ballot, with unanimously affirmation of the Court of Appeals' rejection of Handel's overrule of an Administrative Judge's ruling. So, that's Up, Down, Up, Up, for those keeping score. This ruling should get infinite lives on at least one video game, and definitely gives us the chance to elect a legitimate candidate for the PSC. |
| posted at: 20:07 | permanent link to this entry |
Here is an object lesson in why Amendment 2 gets my 'no' vote: Circuit City is closing all stores in Atlanta. What do these two have to do with each other? These stores were built to corporate specs (matching local building codes, of course), with a particular business model in mind. That business model has failed, as a result of some mix of internal faults and competition. Now, we have nice, empty, decaying buildings and (portions of) parking lots to deal with. Various municipalities already bend over to "attract" developments like this; it's how Atlanta's been built up over the past 20+ years. The question for Amendment 2 is: do we want to redirect funds marked for education, to propagate business failures like these? |
| posted at: 19:51 | permanent link to this entry |
My Overly-Simplistic Guide to the 2008 Ballot (Part 4 of several)
GA Court of AppealsThis is one of the more under-the-radar elections of this cycle. Creative Loafing agrees. There are seven(!) candidates running for one open seat on the Court of Appeals. One of these candidates will be on the appellate bench...Cross out the agenda attorneys, cross out the legislator, cross out the fundie, and that leaves: Sarah Doyle , Bruce Edenfield, and Christopher McFadden. The geek aura is strong with McFadden, so I'm sending a vote in his direction, with intent of blocking the goosesteppers in a runoff. U.S. SenateI still don't like any of the candidates for Senate this year. However, GriftDrift has it right. It's an interesting bout of gamesmanship, as folks are so pissed off about Sen. Chambliss that they'll vote Allen Buckley to force a runoff between Chambliss and Jim Martin, then vote Martin in that runoff. (this assumes that Martin doesn't win the thing outright, an outcome which may require direct intervention to prevent.) A middle finger to both parties: one hopelessly unamerican; and the other, well, just plain hopeless, enough to not bother running a candidate in Georgia, until after Sen. Obama won the Georgia primary with a 70. |
| posted at: 17:06 | permanent link to this entry |
The Election, in Review (part 1)
Overall, it's been a very demographic-driven presidential election, with various candidates winning primaries based on matching demographics, instead of actual merit. It wasn't that surprising to see the two least demographically-oriented candidates clear their party nominations. That being said, I think that McCain (and allies) held open the the doors of the Republican Party for a 'last call', and not enough people showed up, for the gambit to continue. As such, McCain threw in the towel on the party in July. I do disagree with the notion of "the party" acting as an external entity, however. Parties are containers, comprised of factions (in the US, anyway). To say "the party abandoned its principles" is to imply that the controlling factions valued those principles in the first place, and is a similarly weak claim as the "Washington changed us" blather I've heard from Republican stumps this election. |
| posted at: 05:13 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| For your listening edification: listening to words, a lecture and literature audio site. |
| posted at: 04:15 | permanent link to this entry |
| Keep an eye on this news from Columbus: someone over the line in Alabama found a voting machine in their driveway Thursday. The fun part will be finding out which county had (or will have) their votes replaced with the contents of this machine. |
| posted at: 04:15 | permanent link to this entry |
There's so much to write about, it's a logjam.
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| posted at: 04:10 | permanent link to this entry |
 (link goes to full comic; I think I might make a bumper sticker from this). |
| posted at: 02:18 | permanent link to this entry |
