Last night I just finished reading Markos Moulitsas Zuniga and Jerome Armstrong's new book, Crashing the Gate. These are the guys who run the political blogs DailyKos and MyDD, respectively. It was a very insightful (yet remarkably easy) book to read. I'm still sort of decompressing after finishing it last night, but am planning on tackling my next political book on the plane tomorrow, How Would a Patriot Act? by another blogger, Glenn Greenwald. There's just a lot of material to chew through even when I'm not actually reading, so that's why I'm kind of keeping political posts at arm's length for now. I'm sure I'll get back in the groove by next week.
Anyway, back in the real world, I'm getting ready for my big trip to Las Vegas with my dad tomorrow. After work today I need to go get some gambling and tip money at the bank (since I'll be leaving the debit cards back in the room), then I need to go pick up a headphone splitter for my dad and I to use while we're on the plane. I'm sure the rest of the night will be spent packing, trying to figure out how I can cram all my stuff into a carry-on suitcase.
Our flight takes off from Lansing at 7:25 tomorrow morning. I don't know the flight number, but like I always tell people before I go on a trip, if you hear about a plane crashing on it's way to Vegas, it's probably me. The timeframe is pretty early, but since I'm already used to getting up so early for work anyway, it won't be too hard. What will be a challenge is coming home at midnight Vegas time on Saturday night. I'm sure I'll be dragging ass on Sunday.
Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the trip. All I hope for is to have a good time with my old man, and to not lose too much dough at the casinos. I doubt I'll be able to get online while we're gone though, so updates could be spotty until Sunday. Check back for a huge picture update by early next week. Until then...
Vegas, baby. Vegas.
The Who.
Who?
The Who.
Oh.
For those who don't remember the concert for New York City shortly after 9/11, the Who gave the best performance of the night, even though they were in the company of greats like Elton John, Billy Joel, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, John Mellencamp, Mick Jagger, Keither Richards, and Paul McCartney. This is their balls-to-the-wall rendition of Baba O'Riley from the concert, which also happens to be my favorite Who song. Enjoy.
Pepsi = Swill
Hoff = Antichrist
1. Jurrasic Park
2. Batman Begins
3. Independence Day
4. Mission: Impossible (the first one)
5. X-Men 2
My bottom five, least favorite big, dumb summer movies of all-time.
1. Jurassic Park III
2. Batman & Robin
3. Spider Man 2
4. Mission Impossible II
5. Da Vinci Code
Well, after doing some poking around, I managed to track down a great live version of BFF doing perhaps their best song, Philosophy. Have fun watching Ben wail away on the ivory keys.
My trip to Ohio was a lot of fun. We went to see The Da Vinci Code on Friday night, and I'm glad I got a chance to see it, even though it lives up (or down, rather) to its reviews. Saturday I went for a nice hike at Hocking Hills with my mom and Dan, which was a good chance to get some exercise. Sunday I drove up to Stefy's house, and then to her family's cottage to spend the rest of the weekend relaxing by the lake. Monday we laid out in sun, took a boat ride, and went tubing. Honestly, this was probably the best Memorial Day weekend we've ever had in terms of weather that I can remember. Even though it got a little hot and muggy, especially on Sunday and Monday, I really can't complain, considering how cold and nasty it was just a couple weeks ago.
That Piston's game was big bummer last night. I know it's not over until it's over, but it's pretty much over. Miami has played solid basketball in three of the four games, and Detroit has looked tired and lackadaisical. Apart from some unforeseen miracle occurring, I don't know how the Pistons can possibly get their act together and win three games in a row.
Well, it's going to be a short work week. I'm in the office today and tomorrow, but then I'm leaving for Las Vegas with my dad on Thursday. I can't wait for the trip! Hopefully after surviving the record-breaking heat we had this weekend, I won't have any trouble handling Vegas' 100+ temperatures while we're out there. Anyway, that's it for now. I hope everyone had a good Memorial Day weekend.
When both Shaq and Wade play as well as they did tonight, Detroit simply doesn't have any way to match up with those guys offensively. Sure, we're capable of offensive spurts from our players (like we got in the 4th quarter when Chancy cut it to one point), but the team just can't sustain that momentum right now.
I think game four is basically a must-win for Detroit. But hey, if it ain't rough, it ain't right.
The right-wing magazine "The National Review" recently came up with a list of the top fifty "conservative" rock songs. You can see the list here on the NYT's website [via Popwatch], of all places.
I don't know where they came up with some of this stuff. It seems a little nutty to presume that just because a song is anti-communism means it's "conservative", but hey, that's me.
What songs do you think don't belong on this list? Which ones do? Are there any self-declared conservatives who even read this site (other than Pam)?
I'm taking off from work shortly after 11 to meet up with my dad for lunch at the Pizza House, and then I'm hitting the highway for Ohio.
And boy, what a lovely day to be making this drive. Lots of louds and rain... boy, they really spice up the boring drive through miles and miles of flat farmland.
No clue what my mom and Dan have planned for the weekend. I told them to come up with something good to keep me entertained. Columbus is having a really big art festival, but it's not happening until next weekend, so unfortunately I'll miss out on that. I was kind of hoping the time would work out, especially since I missed the EL Art Fest last weekend.
Anyway, that's it for now. Keep an eye out for updates over the weekend. I'll probably make a few more posts over the next couple days. Have a great Memorial Day weekend!
I honestly don't understand what the deal is with this Detroit team when it comes to fourth quarters. They take fewer shots, and the ones they do take look stiff and strained. As good as the defense is capable of playing, they have a tendency to let up in the clutch situations; how else can you explain letting a ten point lead melt down to two in less than a minute?
Well, we still have a good series on our hands here. But if the Pistons don't get their act together and steal back one of those next two games in Miami, it could be too deep a hole to dig themselves out of.
Ugh, the suspense is killing me.
Too bad it took him three years and record low poll numbers to realize it. Here's the text [from WaPo]:
QUESTION: Mr. President, you spoke about missteps and mistakes in Iraq.
Could I ask both of you which missteps and mistakes of your own you most regret?
BUSH: Sounds like kind of a familiar refrain here.
Saying, "Bring it on"; kind of tough talk, you know, that sent the wrong signal to people. I learned some lessons about expressing myself maybe in a little more sophisticated manner, you know. "Wanted, dead or alive"; that kind of talk. I think in certain parts of the world it was misinterpreted. And so I learned from that.
BUSH: And, you know, I think the biggest mistake that's happened so far, at least from our country's involvement in Iraq, is Abu Ghraib. We've been paying for that for a long period of time.
Of course, acknowledging you have a problem is only the first step. Let's see if Bush actually does anything to change the way he handles Iraq.
Sure, Michigan has crazy weather. I get it. But what's up with these weathermen lately? Quit teasing us! If it's gonna rain, tell me it's gonna rain all week. Don't show me five days of sunshine in the forecast, and then give that sheepish half-assed apology when it starts pouring. This is ridiculous.
This clip comes from a live performance of "So What" recorded in 1958, and features Miles teaming up with his frequent collaborator, John Coltrane. Enjoy!
Ahhhhhh. The smell of justice.
Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling were both found guilty in the Enron trial today. Grab yer ankles, boys [from Yahoo]:
Enron founder Lay was convicted on all six counts against him in the corporate trial. Former Chief Executive Skilling was convicted on 19 of the 28 counts, including one count of insider trading, and acquitted on the remaining nine.
Lake set sentencing for Sept. 11. Lay's charges carry a maximum penalty in prison of 45 years for the corporate trial and 120 years in the personal banking trial. Skilling's charges carry a maximum penalty of 185 years in prison.
As Lake read the verdict from the bench, Lay tossed his head at hearing the first "guilty" on the conspiracy count. He clutched his wife's hand as he heard that word over and over again.
Lay sat with his wife, Linda; his daughter, Elizabeth Vittor, a member of his defense team; and Linda Lay's daughter, Robyn. As Lay clutched Linda Lay's hand, the three women leaned forward and began to sob quietly.
After Lake left the courtroom, Lay's family and some friends gathered around him as the ex-chairman, red-faced and fighting back tears, hugged them and thanked them for their support.
iTunes is not playing.Skilling, sitting with his brother, Mark, showed no emotion when the verdict was read.
"Obviously, I'm disappointed," Skilling told reporters outside the courthouse. "But that's the way the system works."
Yep, Ken Lay, George W. Bush's good old buddy from Texas, who was also (most likely) part of Cheney's secret energy task force, is a convicted felon. Between him and Skilling, these two sacks of shit got a grand total of 305 years in prison for all their nefarious activities.
Boy, I hope the sisters (anyone remember Shawshank Redemption?) get ahold of these guys right quick.
Clapton + McCartney + Phil Collins on drums playing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Yow!
George was smiling up in heaven when they did this one.
Federal officials say the Congressional bribery investigation now includes Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, based on information from convicted lobbyists who are now cooperating with the government.
Part of the investigation involves a letter Hastert wrote three years ago, urging the Secretary of the Interior to block a casino on an Indian reservation that would have competed with other tribes.
The other tribes were represented by convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff who reportedly has provided details of his dealings with Hastert as part of his plea agreement with the government.
The letter was written shortly after a fund-raiser for Hastert at a restaurant owned by Abramoff. Abramoff and his clients contributed more than $26,000 at the time.
The day Abramoff was indicted, Hastert denied any unlawful connection and said he would donate to charity any campaign contribution he had received from Abramoff and his clients.
A spokesman for Speaker Hastert told ABC News, "We are not aware of this. The Speaker has a long history and a well-documented record of opposing Indian Reservation shopping for casino gaming purposes."
This week, Hastert has been outspoken in his criticism of the FBI for its raid on the office of another congressman under investigation, Democrat William Jefferson of Louisiana.
"My opinion is that they took the wrong path, Hastert said of the FBI. "They need to back up, and we need to go from there."
Round and round it goes.
Would every politician in Washington who isn't being investigated by the Justice Department please raise your hand?
(crickets chirping)
Okay, Nancy. You asked Rep. Jefferson to step down from his post on the Ways and Means committee. He turned it down. Maybe he's innocent, maybe he's not. Maybe the FBI searching his Congressional office was even unconstitutional.
But if you want to be tough––if you want to be speaker––it's time to put the clamps down, and force a resignation.
If the Dems want to run on a theme of the Republican "culture of corruption" in Washington and expect to win, then there can be no double standards. Jefferson has to go.
First, for anyone living under a rock, Taylor did win American Idol last night. Stefy and me have been saying it since the get-go. Here's a few links to various Taylor stories this morning:
• [NYT] Surprise (Well, Not Exactly)!
• [People] Taylor Hicks Wins American Idol
• [CNN] America Crowns a New 'Idol'
Okay, was it just me, or was last night the most surreal American Idol ever? Maybe the most surreal two hours of television ever? Where do we start?
I think Meatloaf singing a Celine Dion song with Katherine is a good start. What the hell was up with that duet and song choice? Why was the Meat holding a big red handkerchief the whole time? I've never done drugs before, but I think watching that performance is as close as I'll ever get to experiencing an acid trip.
Celebrity after celebrity just kept coming out of the woodwork throughout the show. Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwich, Toni Braxton, Clay Aiken singing with an insane look-a-like, Mary J. Blige. It just never stopped. Of course, just when Seacrest said they were done with "surprises" for the night, Prince, the purple one himself, materialized through the smoke. As always, he was a total badass.
Question: How many men can wear high heels and still be the coolest cat in the room?
Answer: One. And his name is Prince.
I love that right after Prince was done singing and dancing, Seacrest came to the center of the stage to thank him and send the show into commercial. But as soon as the camera cut to a new angle, all you could see was Prince's back disappearing into the smoke. He didn't even bother to stand up there with Captain Highlights. Prince might be an even bigger badass than Samuel L. Jackson, and I don't say that lightly.
Did anyone else notice that when the show cut away to live footage of Katherine and Taylor's groups of supporters in Los Angeles and Alabama, that Taylor's fans filled this huge arena, but they only showed a close shot of about 20 people at Universal Studios cheering for Katherine? How lame is that? They probably had to set up the camera next to a food stand at Universal to get that many people to gather up for the cutaway. I mean, did anyone really doubt that Taylor would pull it out last night?
Anyway, I have to say that the two hours felt like they went by pretty fast to me. For all the crazy shenanigans and stunts, it was a pretty entertaining finale.
I've been watching this show since the first show of season 1, and this is the first time the winner was someone I would honestly buy an album from. It was a great season, a great finale, and America picked a fantastic winner.
BZP out.
Well, I just had a really productive meeting with my boss, Christi, talking about my job description. There are a lot of really cool/fun/exciting projects in the pipeline for me, so I should have plenty of work to keep me busy through the end of the year. I'm really looking forward to some of this stuff. So far this whole full-time thing has been pretty good to me.
I'm heading to the Granholm office for the second time this week right after work. Hopefully they don't put me on the phones again this time. Of course, the alternative is stuffing envelopes, which is pretty mind-numbing work too, but by God, I'll go anywhere and do anything to get this woman elected.
Right now my plan is to get home by about 7:30 or so, whip up a quick dinner, and plop down on the couch for the big Idol finale tonight. I've been up since 5:25 this morning, and am already looking forward to bed. Too bad the show is two freakin' hours long. Grrrrroan.
That's it for now. Have a good one!
From the Onion:
WASHINGTON, DC—Characterizing the move as a "dramatic new change in the way this administration relates to the public," President Bush ordered the immediate deployment of 6,000 National Guard troops to White House media and public-relations posts throughout the country. "My fellow Americans, we are at war. I have mobilized our brave troops to a position where they can advance my policy objectives to the press and the American people directly," Bush said during a brief press conference, supervised by the newly created Virginia 82nd Airborne Community Outreach Multimedia Battalion. Critics say Bush is putting additional strain on Guard members already stretched thin from their service as replacement legislators in the House and Senate.
Well, you know a story like this is fake since it's from the Onion. But who wants to bet that this actually happens within the next six months?
Okay, I just wanted to pass along an excerpt from this article I found on The Huffington Post today. It looks like Taylor is so big in Alabama right now that the ridiculous amount of coverage he's been getting on local news outlets has already had a big impact on how candidates buy tv ads in the primaries this year [from Hotline Blog]:
But in Alabama, the home state of Taylor Hicks, the chubby, Birmingham-born finalist, Idol has become a bit of a nuisance for some of the professionals whose business it is to focus on the old-fashioned kind of election -- and the state of Alabama has a big one on June 6.
So popular is "Idol" that the show's viewership in the state has exploded, dwarfing anything else on television.
Last week's show drew a record 42.6 rating compared to 4 ratings each for the perennially strong "Good Morning America" and "The Today Show."
The "Hicks Factor" has created an unprecedented opportunity for Alabama candidates and consultants for the upcoming primary: practically the entire state is tuning in to 'American Idol' and paying rapt attention -- and to top it all off, they're voters! (If you count voting for your favorite 'Idol' contestant, that is!) Problem is, the cost of associating one's candidacy with Alabama's new favorite son is enough to bankrupt lesser campaigns.
As "Idol's" ratings have skyrocketed, so has the cost of 30-second ads, which can range from $5,000 up to $20,000. The "Hicks Factor" has even spilled over into morning and evening newscasts, whose ratings have been boosted by countless Taylor Hicks tie-ins.
According to information provided to us by one top consultant in the state, Fox's late news has seen a 63 percent increase in ratings due to the 'Idol' lead.
Too bad for Hicks that the state's filing deadline has passed:
if he doesn't take home the crown tonight, he'd have to be the odds-on favorite for governor.
The Soul Patrol owns you!
Mrs. Bush has warned that promoting the amendment could backfire against the GOP in congressional races in November. She has suggested that a constitutional amendment would hamper any constructive debate over gay marriage.
"Well, I don't think it should be used as a campaign tool, obviously," Mrs. Bush said. "But I do think it's something that people in the United States want to debate. And it requires a lot of sensitivity to talk about the issue, a lot of sensitivity."
Should America be debating this issue? Of course it should. Should it be amending the constitution to stop gay people from getting married? Of course not.
Laura Bush gets it. Georgie, how about you?
You just can't make this stuff up [from ABC's Nightline via AV Club]
I have been to Iraq nine times since the American invasion three years ago, for a total of about 10 solid months. (My wife is counting.) During that time, I have seen bombs and blood, I have seen rebuilding and restructuring, and I have seen death and democracy. So what have I heard? That's easy: Lionel Richie.
Grown Iraqi men get misty-eyed by the mere mention of his name. "I love Lionel Richie," they say. Iraqis who do not understand a word of English can sing an entire Lionel Richie song.
This is the same Lionel Richie who wrote "Say You, Say Me." This is the same Lionel Richie who is the father of some young woman named Nicole. Yes, that Lionel Richie. Could he really be an Iraqi icon?
I decided I had to investigate, and not just investigate, I decided I had to ask Lionel Richie himself. So I called him from Baghdad. Actually it was a formal interview. It was the first interview with Lionel Richie ever on the subject of Iraq and Iraqis.
I asked Richie if he knows just how big he is here. He said, "The answer is, I'm huge, huge in the Arab world. The answer as to why is, I don't have the slightest idea."
Well, democracy is probably one of America's most important exports, but Lionel Richie? Really?
I want to know how the hell the Iraqis even got a copy of a Lionel Richie CD in the first place. Either Saddam was a bigger fan than anyone realized, or Donald Rumsfeld lost his iPod the last time he was in the country.
If this kind of music is entertaining to the people of Iraq, there really is no hope for them. Dancing on the ceiling won't solve anyone's problems.
To whom it may concern:
I've noticed that the Democratic campaign effort for 2006 is attempting to run against a Republican "culture of corruption" this year. I understand where you're coming from - between the Abramoff and MZM scandals, there is plenty of grist for that mill.
However, a certain Democratic congressman is undermining this effort. Rep. William Jefferson has apparently been up to no good - getting caught on tape (and with $90,000 in his freezer) in a bribery scandal. Despite the rock solid evidence compiled by the FBI, Rep. Jefferson still insists on running for office.
My plea is obvious. Tell Mr. Jefferson to resign immediately.
While some think the Democratic leadership has done something significant in meekly calling for a House Ethics Committee investigation of Rep. Jefferson, I don't agree. At best, we have a passive observation that came in answer to a question. I want to see a full blown press conference with Democrats united in condemnation of this corrupt man - calling for him to resign immediately. And I want more than rhetoric. Strip him of his committee assignments. Pull support and sponsors from his bills. Cut off all ties between the party apparatus and his scandalous office. Return any money he has given to the party, even if given in previous cycles. Tell all Democratic candidates and officials that they must disassociate from him, too -- you cannot both support Jefferson's continued civil service while being a Democrat in good standing. Remove all of the benefits associated with being a Democrat. Don't send him a nickel, don't throw him a fundraiser, don't sit around silently hoping he'll go away - just show him the door.
Send him (and all Democrats) a message - if you wilfully corrupt our democracy, the Democratic party wants you out of Congress. Men and women like you cannot be a representative of the Democratic party. Do what the GOP never did with DeLay and Cunningham (and won't do with Ney, Doolittle, Lewis, Ryun, Burns, Harris, Goode, etc.), take a stand.
Do this, and you send a powerful (albeit belated) message to the country: The Democratic party stands strong against corruption. Otherwise, the "culture of corruption" theme will ring hollow, especially if this man is running for re-election in 2006.
If you truly care about ethics, the choice is obvious. And each day that passes, the danger to the party and its hopes in 2006 grow.
p.s. Whatever you do, don't act like a Republican.
The Democrats need to set a higher standard. If you want to lead the House, Rep. Pelosi, you have to be a leader.
Did you know that Pat Robertson can leg-press 2000 pounds! How does he do it?
Where does Pat find the time and energy to host a daily, national TV show, head a world-wide ministry, develop visionary scholars, while traveling the globe as a statesman?
One of Pat's secrets to keeping his energy high and his vitality soaring is his age-defying protein shake. Pat developed a delicious, refreshing shake, filled with energy-producing nutrients.
Discover what kinds of natural ingredients make up Pat's protein shake by registering for your FREE booklet today!
Of course, I'm sure I probably have to pray and do other stuff to be a good Christian (like not calling for the assassination of a world leader) in order for Pat's wonder shake to work for me.
If only the Dems would see the light and join the CBN Community, we could be producing this stuff en masse! Boy, I bet Hillary could do at least 3,000 pounds if she tried this stuff. We really need to get somebody on this.
Fox News: We talk crazy, you decide [from Think Progress]:
ASMAN: Al Gore’s new documentary, An inconvenient Truth, it hits the theaters this week. If people buy into his global warming hysteria, will it put him in the White House and our economy on the skids? Steve, first off, is it gonna get him in the White House?
FORBES: No, if he believes that’s gonna get him in the White House, he needs to rub on something stronger than this sunscreen.
ASMAN: Alright, but if his global warming agenda somehow gets mixed up into our agenda, the national agenda, what’ll it do to the economy?
FORBES: It will ice the economy. And after all, some people do believe the DiVinci Code, so some will believe the DiGore Code. [Laughter] But the fact of the matter is, the policies that result from it would hurt the economy, would create unemployment. It’s a real recipe for more socialist regulation.
First off, I love that Steve Forbes is now an expert on what it takes to get elected to the White House. How many times has he run? How many delegates did he ever win at a Republican convention? Al Gore won the popular vote in 2000. Steve, open your eyes. Oh, wait...
I can still remember a scene from Michael Moore's film The Big One during the 1996 election. Mike had a doctor watch a video of Steve Forbes where he went for something like three minutes without blinking. The doctor said such an inability to blink was "not human".
Steve Forbes: billionaire... presidential loser... Republican... is not human.
Go ahead, count how many times Steve blinks the next time you see him offering some razor-sharp analysis on Faux. Anyone who watches Faux News to get their news and takes the "wisdom" of yahoos like Steve Forbes seriously needs to have their head examined.
Did you read that headline on the screen above? Let's think about this one for a sec. Which do you think has a better chance of wrecking our economic output: a documentary starring Al Gore, or having to swim down Wall Street to make exchanges on the NYSE? Nuff said.
Jimi Hendrix was on the iPod this morning, so he gets the nod today. As always, YouTube serves up a couple great live cuts of "The Wind Cries Mary" and "Foxy Lady", which are two of my favorite Hendrix songs. Enjoy!
Stefy and I have been saying that Taylor Hicks will win American Idol all along. But don't take our word for it [from Slate]:
Tuesday's final presents a stark choice. McPhee would seem to be a record executive's dream candidate: a classy, pretty girl from Los Angeles who can really sing. But there's only a few record executives out there, and many millions of Idol voters, and I suspect that they, with guidance from Simon, Randy, and Paula, will choose Hicks, the prematurely gray-haired doofus who has spent the past several weeks jerking across the Idol stage like a spaz while belting out classic R&B covers. There's something vaguely unsettling about his shtick: Although he's not black, he calls his fans "The Soul Patrol," and although he's neither black nor blind, he insists on lurching backward when he sings like his idol Ray Charles.
Still, I'll be rooting hard for Hicks. I wager he'll win in a walk, as well he should: He's just a more interesting singer. A Hicks victory would be the ultimate answer to critics who've slammed Idol for its plastic pop-music values. (Bar Band Singer Bests Pop Princess!) And it would continue the Idol voters' streak of choosing talent over beauty—think of pretty boy Justin Guarini falling to Kelly Clarkson, who despite the best efforts of a battery of stylists still looks more like a Dutch mastiff than Jessica Simpson. No matter what happens, it's destined to be a riveting few hours of television. If you're one of the last American Idol holdouts, I urge you to tune in. There will doubtless be at least a couple of great performances—and maybe even a moment.
You heard it here first.
Once I was done playing secretary, this woman (whose name escapes me) and I worked on putting together a couple different mailings. She was clearly a veteran of Democratic campaigns, since she kept catching all the mistakes that these young staffers were making with the labels we were sending out to big donors. She was a really nice lady though, and we had a good time chatting while we stuffed envelopes. More often than not, anything involved with a big mailing like that is usually mind-numbing work, but it's always pretty easy to handle, and the time goes relatively fast.
I was at the campaign HQ for about two and half hours, but it was already 7 p.m. by the time I took off. Since I got to the office at 7 in the morning, I was pretty zonked from a ridiculous twelve hour day. I'm still planning to head back on Wednesday though, so hopefully I'll get into a groove at some point, so I'm not so tired at the end of the day.
Well, today should be pretty busy. I'm starting off at work in the morning, then heading downtown to City Hall to get some footage of the TPL kids talking with the mayor. I've never actually been inside City Hall before, so it should be fun. I should be back at the office by 11 or so, but then I'm heading back downtown to the Capitol at around 3 p.m. to get some footage of the participants doing their mock legislation. Hopefully I can get in and get out with some good shots pretty fast, because I need to hit the road afterwards to head to Stefy's house for the night. People keep telling me how awful I-96 has been during the week, but hopefully I can avoid some of the rush-hour mess.
Anyway, that's it for now. Have a good one!
Today is my first day on the job at the Granholm campaign. Tomorrow I'm tagging along with the TPL crew to get footage of the participants touring City Hall and the Capitol. Then, after work, I'm hitting the road for Bloomfield again so I can watch the American Idol finale with Stefy. I know I was just there, but Stef's been driving to watch Idol at my place for the last two weeks, so it's the least I could do.
Wednesday is another day at the Granholm HQ. Thursday I'm going to my dad's house for dinner. And on Friday I'm having lunch with my dad, and driving to Ohio. I'll spend the weekend with my mom and Dan, and then drive home on Sunday to spend the night at Stef's cabin at Bald Eagle Lake. We'll spend Memorial Day relaxing at the lake, and then I'll drive home on Monday night.
Whew. Yep, all of that is crammed into this week's agenda. Oh, and I'm leaving for the Vegas with my dad next Thursday. Man, it'll be June before I know it.
Today's video is a live performance of my favorite Stones song, Beast of Burden, circa 1981. I love seeing Keith hammer away with a cigarette hanging off his lip. This guy never changes. They'll probably bury him with a cig in his mouth.
Anyway, it's a great performance. Enjoy!
CHICAGO - Is President Bush likely to see Al Gore's documentary about global warming?
"Doubt it," Bush said coolly Monday.
I'm sure King George will be too busy chopping wood on his "ranch" this summer to go see his old opponent's new flick.
"If elected president, I will oppose and veto any increase in individual or corporate marginal income tax rates or individual or corporate income tax hikes," he wrote in June 1999 to Grover Norquist, president of the Americans for Tax Reform.
Hmmm. Six years later, he's been true to his word. But, oh... wait. What's this in yesterday's NYT?
The $69 billion tax cut bill that President Bush signed this week tripled tax rates for teenagers with college savings funds, despite Mr. Bush's 1999 pledge to veto any tax increase.
Under the new law, teenagers age 14 to 17 with investment income will now be taxed at the same rate as their parents, not at their own rates. Long-term capital gains and dividends that had been taxed at 5 percent will now be taxed at 15 percent. Interest that had been taxed at 10 percent will now be taxed at as much as 35 percent.
The increases, which are retroactive to the first day of the year, are expected to generate nearly $2.2 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, which issues the official estimates.
See, what dubya forgot to mention when he told his buddy Grover Norquist that he'd veto any tax increase was that he only meant it for adults. Kids who are saving money for college? Pffft. Screw 'em.
YouTube already had to pull the video, thanks to the friendly folks at NBC who hate free advertising. Thanks to Crooks & Liars though, you can go see the video here. Enjoy!
The guy I spoke with, Mike, sounded really nice. When he asked what sort of work I wanted to do, I told him that I would do just about anything except make phone calls. I did that when I worked on Virg Bernero's State Senate campaign four years ago, and I hated it. Notice that it's taken me four years to volunteer for another political candidate since I did the phone banking for Virg. Well, it sounds like they have plenty of other work to keep me busy, and I think what they'll have me doing is entering some data into Excel to help track Granholm supporters.
Anyway, I'm going down to the Lansing campaign office inside the old Michigan National building after work today to get the lay of the land. Right now I think I'll just be working for a few hours on Mondays and Wednesdays, but I might try to help more as the election nears.
I'm really looking forward to volunteering. If you read the site regularly, it's pretty obvious how much I enjoy writing about politics. Something finally struck me last week though when I saw another AMWAY DICK commercial on TV. It just finally clicked in my head that I need to put my money where my mouth is, and actually get out there and do something. I can't make the big money contributions that some voters are capable of, so this is my small way of helping out.
This is going to be a pivotal year in American politics. With a little luck, and a lot of hard work, Democrats across the country will win elections this November, and start putting America back on the right track towards prosperity. Hopefully, in some small way, the contributions of volunteers like myself will help give Dems the edge they need to make 2006 a watershed year in American politics.
But boy, what a finish! All those offensive rebounds. Chauncy finally stepped up in a big way in the fourth quarter. The defense clamped down when it needed to. Games like this separate the men from the boys, and in the end it was great to see all that experience finally pay off for the Pistons.
Our nerves shot, Stefy and I pretty much went straight to bed after the game. There was nothing else on TV that could measure up to the game we had just witnessed.
Saturday: The day started off with lots of shopping at Somerset. Stefy bought a really cute dress at White House Black Market, I got to drool over the new MacBooks at the Apple Store, and I also was able to blow through the big J. Crew gift card that Stef's folks gave me for graduation. With the money they gave me, I was able to buy two new shirts, a pair of dress slacks, a new belt, and a new pair of leather loafers. The gift card was enough to cover everything and still walk out of there with about two dollars in change.
Now, I must admit, I'm not exactly a huge Tiger's fan. It's not that I dislike the team, per se, just that I really don't follow baseball anymore. Still, this was a fantastic game. First, it was great to see the ballpark sold out (I can't imagine they've had too many), and it was also cool to know we were rooting for a team with a winning record. The Tig's led most of the way, that is until Ken Griffey Jr. hit a grand slam in the top of the eighth inning to take a one run lead. Still, a Tiger home run in the bottom of the ninth tied the game and sent it to extra innings. With two men on base in the tenth, and the Reds blowing what should've been a simple out at first base to close out the inning, the Tigers were able to get another run and end the game. This was honestly one of the most exciting baseball games I've ever watched in person, and it was really cool that we got to see it on the day we were celebrating June's birthday.
The game started at 3:30, and the Palace was electric. I've been to a lot of games at Breslin in my lifetime, and it certainly gets loud in there, but it was nothing like what I experienced yesterday. With 20,000 rabid Pistons fans smacking those inflatable thunder stix together the whole time, it was so loud that I could barely hear Mason's voice or the music playing throughout the game. It was that loud.
Even though there was a bit of a lull in the action starting in the middle of the second period that lasted through the middle of the third, the crowd never really quieted down. Rasheed said the Palace would be bananas, and it was. Of course, it's hard to gauge how much impact the home crowd had on the course of the game, but I will say that if the team can match even half of their fans' energy in the next series with the Heat, we should be able to pull out another Eastern Conference Championship.
What a weekend! This is going to be hard to top anytime soon. Whew.
Thanks again to my wonderful girlfriend and her family for letting me tag along to all these events. I had a blast!
If you're a good Michigan Democrat like me, and fear for our state, should it fall into the hands of an AMWAY DICK, then I encourage you to sign up too, and do whatever you can to help.
I think the album sounds like the Boss and his "wall of folk" musicians had a ball making this record. It's wild and raucous in places, and the songs lack a certain polish, but I think that's just perfect for an album like this. I never thought folk music could be this much fun to listen to.
Anyway, today's video comes from an appearance recorded at Asbury Park that appeared on Good Morning America recently. Hurry up and have a look before the Internet hounds at ABC make YouTube take it down:
I'll let CNN's resident curmudgeon, and one of my personal network favorites, Jack Cafferty take it from here [from C&L]:
Jack Cafferty: Wolf, Today's lesson in hypocrisy comes to us courtesy of the Senate Judiciary Committee. They met in a different private room behind closed doors today and approved a Constitutional Amendment banning gay marriage. at one point the thing got pretty ugly. A shouting match, between the Republican Chairman Senator Arlen Spector and Democratic Senator Russ Feingold, who said he was against the Amendment as well as Spector's decision to hold the vote in a private room out of the public's view.
These guys are shameless. Feingold eventually stormed out telling Spector "I've enjoyed your lecture Mr Chairman. See ya."
Senator Spector in a real show of courage, says that he is "totally opposed to the Amendment", but he voted for it anyway saying that it deserves a debate in the Senate. Majority Leader Bill Frist says the full Senate will now debate a Constitutional Amendment which has absolutely no chance of passing. Frist hopes to have a vote by June 5th.
This is all being done by the republican majority in an effort to appeal to Right-wing nuts in the Republican Party ahead of the upcoming mid-term elections. Ignore all of the pressing issues facing the country, and instead go grovel at the feet of the lunatic fringe. Senator Frist should be very proud of himself. That's leadership. Here's the question: Is now the time for the Senate to consider a constitutional Amendment on gay marriage?"
Here's the answer: NO!
Boy, first the Senate votes to make English the national language, and now they're back to riding the pony of gay marriage. I'm glad these guys have their priorities straight.
America: land of the free.*
*Unless you're gay, or can't speak English.
Depending on what time it is when we're done eating, I might run home real quick to pick up my Pistons jersey. If the team can pull out a W against the Cavs tonight it sounds like we'll be going to game 7 at the Palace on Sunday, and I want to be ready for it. We'll see though. I have a long, painful drive to Stef's house this afternoon since 96 is totally torn up right now, and heading home is completely out of the way.
Tomorrow I'm heading to Comerica Park with the whole Spiro clan to celebrate Stef's grandma's birthday. Amazingly, the Tigers are in first place right now and are on a seven-game winning streak, so we might actually see some good baseball. It also looks like tomorrow will also be the nicest weather day we've had in about two weeks, so no matter what happens with the game I'm sure we'll have fun just being outside.
That's it for now. I hope everyone has a great weekend!
I just checked online, and they tried to deliver it earlier today when I was at the office, but hopefully I can get the slip to go pick it up from their store on the South side of town. I have to head over that way to get a partial refund for the other table I bought at Target a week ago, since it's on sale now.
Once I'm done with all the errands this afternoon, I'm heading over to my pa's house for some dinner. Then later tonight, assuming everything goes well with me getting the new table, I'll get a chance to put it together and complete my living room makeover. Well... almost complete it. I'm still hoping to get a new couch in the not-too-distant future, but I'm still mulling that one over. I have my eyes on a new set of wheels too.
Anyway, that's it for now. So much for seeing the sun today. I guess that Harrison/Simon song didn't help.
As always, Mitch says it best:
Look. This is no longer about quotes. This is no longer about Rasheed Wallace's silly claims or the Pistons' verbal confidence. This is only about what's happening on the floor. The Pistons are playing badly. They are shooting badly. On Wednesday, they made dumb passes, lazy passes, technical fouls -- two, the point difference in the game -- and their shots were blocked 10 times.
And the bugaboo that nobody wanted to face but you knew they were going to face sometime -- Ben Wallace at the free-throw line -- came to pass at the worst moment, 40 seconds left with the game tied.
He missed the first. He really missed the second.
The Pistons didn't score again.
It can't happen, right? But it's happening.
The only player on the floor who really stepped up for the Pistons last night was Antonio McDyess. If it wasn't for his hot streak in the fourth quarter, it would've been a ten or fifteen point loss instead of a two-pointer.
And that says a lot to me. Guys like McDyess––the workhorses of the team––are stepping up in clutch situations, while the all-stars play sloppy, lackadaisical basketball. Meanwhile, almost every player on the Cavs has elevated their play in the last three games.
Where was Chauncy last night? Where was Rip? These are supposed to be our go-to guys!
Another excerpt from Albom's article frames a potentially frightening picture:
"I'm still not concerned," guard Chauncey Billups said, almost incredibly, after the Pistons -- the team that wins nail-biters -- lost another nail-biter, 86-84, Wednesday night at the Palace. "I know what we're capable of."
"How can you say that?" someone asked.
"Say what?"
"That you're not concerned?"
"Because I'm not concerned."
By the way, Billups fouled out -- another thing that doesn't happen. But it happened.
HE SHOULD BE CONCERNED! We haven't lost three games all year, let alone to the same opponent!
I've been telling everyone "don't worry" for about a week, but guess what? I'M WORRIED! Yeah, we all know how great this team is, but they've basically been AWOL since game two.
Hasn't the City of Detroit been through enough heartbreak? When the Wings made an early, disappointing exit, all Michigan sports fans turned their eyes to the Pistons for inspiration. As fans, of course, we can't just sit around and expect that another NBA championship will fall in our laps. We have been spoiled by this team. But don't let it end now. Not like this. Not to the Cavs. Don't make us be witness to this.
Speculation about his future heightened last weekend when Gore opened NBC's "Saturday Night Live" with a skit in which he pretended to be the president of the United States looking back on six years of accomplishments.
No global warming. No war in Iraq. No budget deficits. And gasoline at 19 cents a gallon. The nation's big crisis under a President Gore: "Glaciers that once were melting are now on the attack," he joked.
"The global warming issue has been good for him because he approaches it with a great deal of passion, something he was lacking in 2000," said Mark Byrnes, political science professor at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Gore served as Tennessee senator from 1985-93 after eight years in the House.
"An Inconvenient Truth" is keeping Gore on the road. He attended the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, earlier this year and was in Los Angeles on Tuesday for a movie preview.
He will attend a Washington preview Wednesday before heading to France for the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday. The movie opens May 24 in New York and Los Angeles, the day a book of the same name goes on sale.
I can't wait for the movie. And boy, it would be cool if he ran again. Come on, Al. Give it won more go-round! You already won once!
CORRECTION: Thanks to Stefy for pointing out what a bonehead I am for confusing the word "won" with "one".
I'm taking a couple hours this morning to run over to campus and get footage from the mock-speeches that the participants are giving in front of local media personalities. The idea is that the young politicos will get some experience speaking in front of a crowd, the cameras, and journalists. It's always fun to watch the media-types grill these poor kids over their good-natured speeches.
Next week I'm tagging along with the group to get some shots of them touring City Hall and the Capitol. Those are always the most fun days for me, because I get to watch them debate fake legislation in much the same way our real representatives would. As I recall, the bill that stirred the most heated arguments last year was one about the use of medicinal marijuana. I love how that's the hot-button issue that people my age always want to debate.
Anyway, I'm about to take off. It'll be interesting to see how this year's lot does with their speeches.
Well, I am finally getting my act together, and posting two of those videos. One is the Sweetest Day video I made for Stefy about a year and a half ago. It's basically photos and video from our first trip to Chicago back in 2004. The other video is from Morgan's sixth birthday party, which is also almost two years ago.
Head over to the video page to check out these new (old) videos.
Katherine bumbled through her first song, was fantastic on Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and did okay on her last number. Elliott started off well, and then stumbled through his last two performances. I just know that opening the show with a freakin' Journey song was a bad move. JOURNEY?! Puh-lease!
I did try to call in my vote for Taylor last night, so I wasn't just being a fair-weather fan. The only problem was, I couldn't get through. I kept hitting re-dial on my cellphone for about an hour, and never got through. I'll take that as a good sign though.
We'll see what happens tonight.
So I walked out into the living room this morning, and noticed that the carpet felt unusually wet. I wasn't sure if I was just imagining it since I was still so sleepy, but I didn't have time to worry about it, so I just hopped in the shower.
Well, on my way out the door, I felt a drip of water on the back of my neck. I looked up and noticed that the water was falling from the light fixture right by the front door. I turned on the light to take a quick look, but made sure to switch it off as soon as the though crossed my mind that it could short out the electricity. Since there wasn't any time to do a thorough investigation, I just put a pan under the leak, and took off for work.
Hopefully the apartment complex management get my email first thing this morning, and go have a look at it. There wasn't really any water damage inside my apartment... yet. But the fact that I'm on the bottom floor and not the roof makes me worried that this could be a more serious problem, since it's not an easy fix like a leaky roof.
I guess we'll see what happens.
"I'm going to say he's the favorite, but what do I know?" Cowell told Jay Leno on NBC's "Tonight Show" Monday.
Cowell had earlier predicted that rocker Chris Daughtry, who was booted off "Idol" in an upset last week, would be among the show's three remaining finalists.
Instead, along with the 29-year-old Hicks, an Alabama native, the remaining contestants on the Fox program are sultry crooner Katharine McPhee and Elliot Yamin.
Cowell expects Yamin to be the next to go, resulting in a Hicks-McPhee finale on May 23-24. Though Cowell thought McPhee, 21, should have been voted off last week, he thinks she'll last one more round.
"Based on last week, absolutely she should have gone," said Cowell. "But, you know, she's got a fighting chance. I think she'll make the final, and I'll tell you why: because I'm choosing one of her songs this week."
Hey, Taylor has never been in the bottom group of contestants on results night, but who knows what will happen. Like I said before, this is the first season where I honestly wouldn't mind if any of the final three contestants won the whole thing.
All I know is that, for the first time ever, I will be voting for an American Idol contestant tonight. Go Taylo