Friday, April 29, 2005 

Morgan Stanley: "And should asset-dependent, saving-short, overly indebted American consumers feel at risk if the Fed assures them that there is no housing bubble -- that the asset-based underpinnings of their decision making are well grounded? A record consumption share in the US economy -- 71% of GDP since 2002 versus a 67% norm over the 1975 to 2000 period -- speaks for itself."

4/29/2005 04:44:00 PM | |

 

EPA in a hot spot over mercury pollution - Environment - MSNBC.com: "A separate EPA-commissioned study released in February by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis estimated there could be $5 billion a year in public health benefits from a 62.5 percent cut in the mercury released by power plants. That study too was excluded from consideration in the new rule EPA released in March."

4/29/2005 08:47:00 AM | |

Thursday, April 28, 2005 

The Official Frist Filibuster Webcam

God love them.

4/28/2005 06:19:00 PM | |

 

Salon.com | "An American heresy": "Four years and four months ago, the Supreme Court of the United States, in a bitterly divided 5 to 4 decision, issued an unsigned opinion that the majority cautioned should never be used as a precedent for any subsequent case anywhere in the federal court system.
Their ruling conferred the presidency on a candidate who had lost the popular vote, and it inflamed partisan passions that had already been aroused by the long and hard-fought election campaign. I couldn't have possibly disagreed more strongly with the opinion that I read shortly before midnight that evening, December 12, 2000. But I knew what course of action best served our republic. "

Love the man. Where were you during the elections?

4/28/2005 02:43:00 PM | |

 

Troubled Times: Shrinking Atmosphere: "But even after accounting for those fluctuations, Jarvis and his colleagues discovered that the thermosphere was in a long-term retreat. Compared with measurements from the late 1950s, the zone had 'shrunk' by about 5 miles - an indication that the thermosphere is cooling. What does this cooling and shrinking have to do with global warming? Plenty, Jarvis said. Cooling in the upper atmosphere is one of the widely predicted consequences of global warming. In computer simulations of the so-called greenhouse effect, carbon dioxide and other gases trap heat near the Earth's surface while causing the upper atmosphere to cool, and therefore contract. Jarvis called the finding 'not a shattering result, but another indicator that things are changing.' Earlier, less ambitious studies in Europe also detected a contraction in the thermosphere, while a report earlier this month by two Indian scientists was unable to confirm the trend. The British scientist stressed, though, that the five-mile drop in altitude 'is not in itself harmful to people.' 'It is however, another warning signal about what damage to the atmosphere can be caused by human impact,' he said. "

4/28/2005 02:42:00 PM | |

 

'Smoking gun' on humans and global warming claimed - Environment - MSNBC.com: "Using ocean data collected by diving floats, U.S. climate scientists released a study Thursday that they said provides the 'smoking gun' that ties manmade greenhouse gas emissions to global warming.

The researchers, some of them working for NASA and the Energy Department, went a step further, implicitly criticizing President Bush for not taking stronger action to curb emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases."

4/28/2005 12:55:00 PM | |

 

DimeMag.com: "The final game of the night was an appropriately tight battle. Captain Kirk Hinrich was perfect from deep space nine as the Bulls guard drained all five of his 3-point attempts. Hinrich was the hero for the Baby Bulls as he made like Ben Gordon and exploded for 21 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter alone. Gil Arenas tried to make a game out of it when he hit for three of his game-high 39 points with just over a minute to play. Hinrich fired right back and stopped the bleeding with a trifecta of his own and then hammered home two nail in the coffin free throws to seal it. Even though Chicago is out to a 2-0 lead, if there's any series going on now where we can envision a comeback during the next two games, it's this one. Let's hope it happens"

4/28/2005 10:11:00 AM | |

 

Bloomberg.com: U.S.: "Exxon Mobil Corp. reported the fifth- largest quarterly net income in U.S. history and Royal Dutch/Shell Group's first-quarter profit jumped 28 percent as unprecedented demand lifted energy and chemicals prices. "

4/28/2005 09:58:00 AM | |

 

CNN.com - Tenet says he regrets 'slam dunk' comment - Apr 28, 2005: "'Those were the two dumbest words I ever said,' Tenet told about 1,300 people at a Kutztown University forum Wednesday."

4/28/2005 09:35:00 AM | |

 

Another Lost Opportunity - Newsweek National News - MSNBC.com: "In the spring of 2001, one of the U.S. government's most valuable terror informants gave the FBI a far more alarming account of Al Qaeda plans to attack inside the United States than has ever been publicly disclosed, according to newly available court documents."

4/28/2005 08:34:00 AM | |

Wednesday, April 27, 2005 

Some scientists say humans can read minds - LiveScience - MSNBC.com: "Some scientists now believe they may have finally discovered its root. We're all essentially mind readers, they say. "

4/27/2005 04:04:00 PM | |

 

Had to take Gindy off the index on your right there. Not because I don't like the guy, because I do, but because he really seems stuck in a certain sort of mind of frame (stole this line from Biggie).

Environmental issues: don't believe it, hurts economy - needs more research.
Democrats who are out of 'mainstream': bad and ruining their party, they are such idiots.
Nathan posts about so many things that are close to his heart on his blog: hey, I like how you changed the layout.

It is like my situation with my uncle unfortunately: like the guy and would love to have more conversations with him, but he never alters his views or changes his viewpoint with the given situation. In the case of my uncle, I don't wonder, but with Gindy I almost wonder if he is some sort of robot out there. I can just imagine it, hahah!

Anyway, to give myself my own treatment I will offer what I feel are my differences in my own views since time passed:

1. I have become much more concerned about the environment. I feel this is the defining issue that faces my generation (and the selfish boomers) right now.
2. I have given up my dislike of Bush. In the beginning I really disliked the guy. Once 911 rolled around I thought he was doing a good job in his response (the scripted part with the megaphone was a good one). Now, these days, I feel a bit sorry for the likes of him and Arnold who seem be used as a puppet for this large corporate machine behind them. They have had to give up their integrity and dignity for an oftentimes thankless job - rough stuff. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
3. My views on terrorism have not changed much actually. I feel it is the tool of the downtrodden, oppressed and sometimes insane (from McVeigh to Bin Laden). I still wonder quite a bit about that Anthrax issue that went down.
4. Family. In the past year plus my view of family has changed drastically thanks to my angel. She and her family has shown me what it is truly all about.
5. Love. This has also changed a bit in my mind - that it is not so much about those awesome great nights together, but how you get through the tougher times that really matters in the love between two.
6. Our media. My view has taken on an edge to it. (here is where my recover post stopped, dammit!). More later.

4/27/2005 03:29:00 PM | |

 

CNN.com - False alarm sends Bush to underground shelter - Apr 27, 2005: "Fears that an unidentified aircraft had entered restricted space near the White House prompted security officials to move President Bush from the Oval Office to an underground shelter Wednesday."

RUN!! I just saw a big crow fly by.

4/27/2005 03:03:00 PM | |

 

ESPN.com: Page 2 : More cowbell: Quick hits: "One more note, totally unrelated to Doc's hatchet job: If you like basketball at all, if you've ever cared about it, you need to catch one of these Mavs-Rockets games and see what Tracy McGrady is doing. He just submitted the two best all-around playoff performances by a non-big man since MJ. Seriously."

4/27/2005 02:15:00 PM | |

Monday, April 25, 2005 

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: The Oblivious Right: "What's going on? Actually, it's quite simple: Mr. Bush and his party talk only to their base - corporate interests and the religious right - and are oblivious to everyone else's concerns."

4/25/2005 05:16:00 PM | |

 

The New Yorker: Fact: "Its conclusions were unequivocal."

4/25/2005 03:13:00 PM | |

 

Exploring Belize

Great pictures here, too.

4/25/2005 03:07:00 PM | |

 

The Spit Jar: Visions of Sin City East, Part V

Great picture here.

4/25/2005 02:11:00 PM | |

 

News: "Prisoners captured in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region are held at US bases, often before being shipped to Guantanamo Bay. Human Rights Watch called on Saturday for a US special prosecutor to investigate the Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, and Charles Tenet, the former-CIA director, for torture and abuse of detainees in jails around the world, including Abu Ghraib in Iraq. They should be held responsible under the doctrine of 'command responsibility,' it said."

4/25/2005 01:24:00 PM | |

 

Who's afraid of Charles Barkley? - - MSNBC.com: "So I asked him if he's aware of the impact he's already had."

4/25/2005 01:13:00 PM | |

 

Spent a lot of time on the couch this weekend hung over and watching basketball. I need to quit drinking so much, but that is another story for another time.

This story is about Ben Gordon and Tmac. This is about Iverson. This is about Shaq. This is about Nocioni. This is about heart.

It isn’t maybe something that an executive will point to on the stat sheet and say, ‘you are getting paid for this big fella’ but you will see it in the player’s bottom line nonetheless.

It matures over time too, like a fine wine or a political lie. It gets better with age. You can see it with Shaq now how he talks about picking his spots and you can also see it in the innocent petulant ness of Jordan Gordon as he doesn’t pass the ball up to a wide open, under the basket Nocioni – he will learn.

It will be fun to see how these hearts beat over the next few weeks.

4/25/2005 12:54:00 PM | |

 

One might see the post about Republicans using the church as a cover for their true policies and intentions and/or for politics in general – one might think, as Gindy wrote in about, that I write this directed solely at Republicans. I do not. I find all modern politics despicable in this right whether it is Bill Clinton using his persona and speaking skills as his own veil to Bush using his aw-shucks personality to deflect serious questions about war and poverty and the environment.

I think the media feeds into this politics of personality as much as any other entity and it is really hurting America and hurting our process of understanding. It is hard enough to be educated about our current world without our media falling for privatization vs. personalization or nuclear vs. smear tactics or whathaveyou. Arnold did not represent himself as he is now acting when he was running. Bush went with ‘compassionate conservative’ when he first ran as well. The marketing bullshit and lies and deception bug the hell out of me whether it comes from the left or the right.

What we are faced with right now is very serious – they just had to delay a spring baseball game due to feet of snow dropping in Ohio – it is high time that we demand more than buzz words and marketing BS from our leaders and from our press.

4/25/2005 10:57:00 AM | |

 

Virtuoso role reversals mark filibuster struggle - Politics - MSNBC.com

4/25/2005 08:39:00 AM | |

 

Spring snow blankets Midwest - Weather News - MSNBC.com: " An unusual spring storm dumped nearly 2 feet of wet snow on parts of the Midwest and Appalachians, covering newly sprouting plants, snapping power lines and taking a bite out of baseball."

4/25/2005 08:32:00 AM | |

 

U.S. hybrid sales rose 81 percent last year - Automotive - MSNBC.com: "The lure of the Toyota Prius and other hybrid cars helped drive healthy sales of electric and alternative-powered vehicles last year, according to new data that shows the hybrid market has grown by 960 percent since 2000."

4/25/2005 08:27:00 AM | |

Saturday, April 23, 2005 

Middle East Chronicles

4/23/2005 02:59:00 PM | |

 

VDH's Private Papers :: Letter from Saudi Arabia: "'She did something to him to make him mad. So he paid her back.'
He certainly did."

4/23/2005 02:57:00 PM | |

 

CNN.com - Army clears top brass in Abu Ghraib scandal - Apr 22, 2005: "The Army has cleared four top officers -- including the three-star general who commanded U.S. forces in Iraq -- of allegations of wrongdoing in connection with prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, officials said Friday."

Color me not surprised.

It is sad in these days of moral equivalency that we have really lost our way. One can see it even in '24' these days where torture seems to be accepted practice and those against it are weak politicians and weak people. Where is the parent/religious associations outrage on this?!

I am not weak and I stand firmly against any torture. I would love for them to give me a part on that show - Kiefer, I mean Bauer, would get a fucking talking to like he has never heard. So would the weak ass new President.

4/23/2005 02:47:00 PM | |

 

Critics say Frist using religion for political ends - Politics - MSNBC.com: "It may seem like Sen. Bill Frist has found religion in recent weeks.

At least, that's what critics say about the Senate majority leader's recent alignment with social conservative groups on high-profile issues. Their charge is that Frist is playing to religious groups to gather support for political issues - and potentially for a future presidential race."

To paraphrase Daniel from Howard's show: wake up white people.

4/23/2005 02:15:00 PM | |

Friday, April 22, 2005 

Sometimes you do have to wonder about human interactions. You have to wonder about root causes of conflict. Often times I get the feeling so much of it stems from selfishness. From a limited view of the world and goddammit if you don’t like it.

Got this feeling on this massive project here today at work where a contractor (note that) who controls this database is being obstinate. (You like that word?) I have expressed for months how this, according to people who work here, ‘baby’ of hers is an ugly beast that needs a major facelift and work. It is the product of a cluttered, messy mind in my humble opinion, but beyond that it does not fit in to our company goals (please refer back to the previous ‘note’ at this point).

One might think a contractor would be excited about a little extra work over the next couple of months and simply say, hey, it could be better lets see what we can do. Man, you would be wrong in this case. Dead wrong. She fights tooth and nail on every little thing when the data analysis says most of this clutter can go. After this issue was raised months ago she in fact did the exact opposite of the requested.

It is one weird dynamic and one, if she were an enterprise, would have sunk her dead by now in these new times that we are living in. Ah well though right? Objections have been raised, discussions have gone on and the reality is out there.

4/22/2005 04:40:00 PM | |

 

www.AndrewSullivan.com - Daily Dish

4/22/2005 03:25:00 PM | |

 

-THE CUNNING REALIST-: "Does anyone still want to argue that Saddam Hussein posed as great a threat as Hitler's Germany or Hirohito's Japan? "

4/22/2005 02:51:00 PM | |

 

Whatever our environmental problems are, they will have to be dealt with by international laws. No single nation is going to restrain its industries while its neighbors are unfettered.

 The climate-change debate is hedged by uncertainties. Can we avoid what is coming at us, or is there nothing much coming at all? Are we at the beginning of an unprecedented era of international cooperation, or are we living in an Edwardian summer of reckless denial? Is this the beginning or the end? We need to talk.

4/22/2005 02:15:00 PM | |

 

Bad weather forces Bush to shift Earth Day visit - Environment - MSNBC.com: "Bad weather forced President Bush to cancel his Earth Day trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park"

The signs are all around.

4/22/2005 01:35:00 PM | |

 

It is earth day after all. What is going on here?

Discuss.

4/22/2005 11:10:00 AM | |

 

Why Am I Marching?

In my view, the evidence is very strong - and the effects of climate change are very alarming. The national academy of Sciences has state in unequivocal terms that the effects are substantial and, to quote a report, "the result of human activity."

The longer we wait, the more difficult it will be to mitigate the effects of climate change. Are we going to hand our children and grandchildren a word vastly different from the one that we now inhabit?

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)

4/22/2005 10:59:00 AM | |

 

I am alarmed.

"The widespread retreat of the glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula was largely caused by climate change," said British team member glaciologist David Vaughan.

"Are humans responsible? We can't say for sure, but we're one step closer to answering this important question."

So my question is does anyone think that humans are helping in this problem in front of us? If not why not do our best to alieviate the warming that may or may not (?????) be created by us?

4/22/2005 10:00:00 AM | |

 

Earth Day at 35: Is it still relevant? - Environment - MSNBC.com: "We've all heard of Earth Day, and some of us might have actually done volunteer work to commemorate it. But is environmentalism's unofficial holiday, this Friday, still having the same impact it had during its heyday in the 1970s?"

4/22/2005 08:15:00 AM | |

Thursday, April 21, 2005 

From socialism to sex shortages - Weblogs - MSNBC.com

'Which just proves that too much government can ruin anything, given enough rope.'

Respectfully, I think your analysis is focused on the wrong thing. Both Socialist and Capitalist governments are having a hard time right now not simply due to the government, but in spite of it. We are having difficulties world wide due to a habitat that is degrading right in front of our eyes, in my opinion. We are not unlike the proverbial bacteria in the petri dish - crowding each other out, other species out and even our off-spring out as we point fingers and try to figure out the obvious.

4/21/2005 03:32:00 PM | |

 

How Rich is Too Rich For Democracy?: "Their writings show that they truly believed they were doing sacred work, something greater than themselves, their personal interests, or even the narrow interests of their wealthy constituents back in their home states. "

4/21/2005 01:27:00 PM | |

 

SAP Posts 11 Percent Jump in 1Q Net Profit - MSNBC Wire Services - MSNBC.com: "In a direct jab to arch-rival Oracle, SAP said that growth was particularly driven by its U.S. operations. 'On a rolling four-quarter basis, the company's U.S. share against its peer group based on software revenues was 41 percent at the end of the first quarter of 2005, representing an increase of three percentage points from 38 percent at the end of the fourth quarter of 2004.'"

Awesome. Put me down in the 'Fan of SAP' catagory in this fight.

4/21/2005 12:35:00 PM | |

 

For You Lyrics - Staind: "I sit here locked inside my head
Remembering everything you've said
The silence get's us no where
Get's us no where way too fast "

4/21/2005 12:15:00 PM | |

 

American Prospect Online - ViewWeb: "It has become fairly obvious at this point that we are governed by an administration and a congressional majority pretty much made up of vandals. There is no procedural crockery they won't break, no constitutional monument they won't deface in order to get what they want. Tom DeLay -- who ought never in his life again say anything that doesn't begin with the phrase, 'To the best of my recollection' -- just recently decided that every Congress going back to the Madison administration had wimped out by allowing judicial review to continue to exist. This is history written with a spray can. This is Americanism as a brick through the window. "

4/21/2005 11:21:00 AM | |

 

The Blaus - South America: "As her video started, she watched it with huge eyes, like she was watching something from another planet. She proudly pulled up a chair and sat down to enjoy this luxury. It was probably the saddest moment we have experienced on the trip. Watching this little girl, who had nothing, put her only money into a video machine to transport her to a world that was completely out of her reach, really got to both of us. Her eyes were transfixed to the screen like nothing we have ever seen. She watched a female vocalist with fake nails, make-up and the latest hairstyle singing about some trivial subject set in a clean, white room with luxurious white couches and furs. This is where the poverty of South America meets the so called glory of North America, in a little shop in a small jungle town in Bolivia. We will both never forget that girl, and she epitomizes a lot of our impressions of Bolivia."

4/21/2005 10:16:00 AM | |

 

LESS THAN JAKE LYRICS - Al's War: "And sometimes I think,
I'm the only one who feels
like going nowhere's
like giving up.
Sometimes I think,
I'm the only one who feels like going."

4/21/2005 09:47:00 AM | |

 

AUDIOSLAVE - BE YOURSELF LYRICS: "And be yourself it's all that you can do
To be yourself it's all that you can do"

4/21/2005 09:35:00 AM | |

Wednesday, April 20, 2005 

Video trailer: 'Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room' - Newsweek Video - MSNBC.com

4/20/2005 04:51:00 PM | |

 

GOP agrees to DeLay investigation - Politics - MSNBC.com: "'The first principle in doing it right is that it be bipartisan,' said Mollohan. 'That's a beginning point for me.'"

4/20/2005 04:24:00 PM | |

 

The Big Picture: Understanding The Kitchen Sink Economy: "For those investors who glimpse the big picture, this is perhaps the scariest time they ever remember. Even cash looks bad because the dollar seems likely to deflate. This is truly a nightmare about to happen. "

Nice recommendation TCR.

4/20/2005 03:44:00 PM | |

 

ESPN.com: Page 2 : The Shinebox

What an interesting situation. And I can't help but agree with the one guy who wrote in about VC asking, is there one guy in the world with less heart in a more athletic body? Good question, that.

That is what always amazed me about him... he could fucking fly, but just was not a gamer by himself. Now, he gets to feed off Kidd's killer instinct which is great for him, but when he doesn't have this, man. It is ugly.

4/20/2005 03:12:00 PM | |

 

CNN.com - DeLay criticizes Supreme Court justice - Apr 20, 2005: "'Absolutely. We've got Justice Kennedy writing decisions based upon international law, not the Constitution of the United States? That's just outrageous,' DeLay told Fox News Radio on Tuesday. 'And not only that, but he said in session that he does his own research on the Internet? That is just incredibly outrageous.'"

I am outraged. Outrageous.

4/20/2005 10:05:00 AM | |

Tuesday, April 19, 2005 

Peace be to those who suffered at the hands of Timothy McVeigh and his ilk. It is amazing that ten years has passed.

4/19/2005 02:54:00 PM | |

 

The Washington Note Archives: "The Senators today -- Barbara Boxer, Harry Reid, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, John Kerry, George Voinovich, Chuck Hagel, and probably many others whom I could not hear as my phone rang off the hook -- deserve enormous credit for not letting good policy and good decisions come undone by the White House's obsession with winning."

4/19/2005 02:42:00 PM | |

 

Thank you blogger for providing me this outlet. I could just fucking scream right now.

I guess in a way I am quitting, but in another way I am just doing what is best for me. After banging my head against the fucking proverbial wall for so long it is just like, ok, you fucking win – everything is about you.

What am I talking about you might ask? I am talking about one of the most narcissistic people I have ever met in my life. So much so that she infects other people around with this too. It is like a fucking disease.

PLEASE NOTE: Not every fucking thing is about you and your money and status. Almost nothing is about that I am sorry to tell you. You fucking bitch.


Now I would never dis my own mama just to get recognition. Take a second to listen for you think this record is dissin,' / But put yourself in my position.
-- Cleaning Out My Closet Lyrics
Artist: Eminem

4/19/2005 02:23:00 PM | |

Monday, April 18, 2005 

The New York Review of Books: Iraq: The Real Election: "As I will write in a further article, these facts are vital to comprehend-ing the dramatic difference between the encouraging images we are shown and the stubborn and bloody reality on the ground. "

4/18/2005 05:20:00 PM | |

 

Iceberg takes bite out of Antarctica - LiveScience - MSNBC.com: "An iceberg that collided with Antarctica has broken a piece of the continent off, forcing maps of the bottom of the world to be redrawn, European scientists said today."

4/18/2005 04:27:00 PM | |

 

America: The land of the medicated? - Health Care - MSNBC.com: "'We are taking way too many drugs for dubious or exaggerated ailments,' says Dr. Marcia Angell, former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine and author of 'The Truth About the Drug Companies.'"

4/18/2005 04:24:00 PM | |

 

The letter writer:

Hypocrisy is what bothers me so very much about our current way of acting in the world. From this example that you cite, with Pakistan, to here on the home front where our Republican friends depict themselves as victims (of the liberal media, of a secular society, of overtaxation, etc.) it is pervasive.

It is an untruth, a lie, but even worse than that it truly is weak and sad that people no longer have the strength of integrity and conviction to truly speak and act true to their beliefs.
4/18/2005 6:14 PM

Hello Dr. Marshall,
I am very happy to see you calling out this Republican victim mentality as you have been – I hope more start recognizing this dark turn in American politics and American life for what it is: a complete sham.

It seems that American’s love of the underdog has recently been morphed into this victim mentality. To me, it is a disgusting turn in a great country. When did Republicans and others start absolving themselves of responsibility by claiming not only that they are underdogs (because of the darn liberal media, because of liberal elites all around us, etc.) but that they are in fact victims? It makes me sick. I see this in other areas of life too; especially with my born again sister who feels the whole world is out to get and undermine self described Jesus freaks such as herself.

It seems to me that when people from middle America talk about how Democrat’s and the media ‘do not speak their language’ they are correct as they have truly bought into the lie that they are victims, for it is a comfortable, lazy way to view the world. Like Al Franken writes about, these people view a type of political parental guardian (e.g. Bush) as the greatest thing as he understands that they are victims (he is one himself) and writes policy and makes public appearances that solidify this.

I hope with more communication and understanding people can start breaking out of this addictive victim mentality. Maybe a thirteenth step?

Keep up the good work

4/18/2005 03:15:00 PM | |

 

-THE CUNNING REALIST-: "As I argued in this recent piece, our relationship with Musharraf is only one example of our hypocrisy, which is what we are really fighting in Iraq, the Middle East and around the world. Is it possible that our political leadership has deluded itself into believing its own hollow bromides about democracy, while the rest of the Islamic world wonders why an ally of ours forbids public gatherings of more than three people"

4/18/2005 03:08:00 PM | |

 

Sounds of the sea has scientists concerned - Environment - MSNBC.com: "High profile whale beachings have been linked to sonar blasts and sparked fierce public debate over the military's use of sound in national defense. But a broader concern for scientists is rising levels of ocean background noise, much of it generated by commercial shipping, and whether it interferes with the way the entire sea has operated for eons."

4/18/2005 11:11:00 AM | |

 

Einstein's revolution enters second century - - MSNBC.com: "'One hundred years have passed, and we're still 95 percent ignorant about the material world. I find that amazing.'"

4/18/2005 10:27:00 AM | |

 

It's Albert's world. We just live in it. - - MSNBC.com: "Moreover, it's possible that in today's scientific world, Einstein would have trouble getting his ideas heard.
Science today is an institutionalized pursuit, regimented by a hierarchy of credentials. What are your degrees? What university or research institute are you affiliated with? How much peer-reviewed research have you published? How much grant money can you command?
While Einstein's work at the patent office in Bern, Switzerland, gave him wide opportunity to conduct sophisticated experiments on advanced submissions, he was, in his great year of 1905, still a 26-year-old government worker. "

4/18/2005 10:23:00 AM | |

 

The Artistry Of Mr. Maddux - Newsweek Columnists - MSNBC.com: "Leading 8-0 in a regular-season game against the Astros, Maddux threw what he had said he would never throw to Jeff Bagwell-a fastball in. Bagwell did what Maddux wanted him to do: he homered. So two weeks later, when Maddux was facing Bagwell in a close game, Bagwell was looking for a fastball in, and Maddux fanned him on a change-up away."

4/18/2005 08:29:00 AM | |

 

10 years after terror, radical right still a threat - Terrorism & Security - MSNBC.com: "Although it's been 10 years since the Oklahoma City bombing, and no similar attacks have occurred on U.S. soil, experts who follow the extreme radical right say they still pose a serious threat of domestic terrorism."

4/18/2005 08:22:00 AM | |

Sunday, April 17, 2005 

Mandatory limits on all U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide and other “greenhouse” gases would not significantly affect average economic growth rates across the country through 2025, the government says.

That finding by the Energy Information Administration, an independent arm of the Energy Department, runs counter to President Bush’s repeated pronouncements that limits on carbon dioxide and other gases that warm the atmosphere like a greenhouse would seriously harm the U.S. economy.

4/17/2005 06:09:00 PM | |

Friday, April 15, 2005 

Lost in Sacramento - Newsweek Politics - MSNBC.com: "Introducing merit pay and cutting back teacher tenure in the public schools has won the enmity of the powerful state teachers union, and an initiative to give the governor broad new powers to cut the budget across the board looks like a non-starter since voters thought Arnold had already fixed the problem with his last initiative. Adding to Arnold's woes, the cost of taking these measures to the public in a special election carries a price tag of $65 to $70 million dollars. "

4/15/2005 11:57:00 AM | |

 

People of the United States, why is everyone yelling at you??? | MetaFilter

Brother RPG of Spiritual Faith Reflected in Agnostic Hymns.

4/15/2005 11:38:00 AM | |

 

JON CARROLL: "Too long have you been buffeted by angry people who think that God talks to them. You have a right to your moderation! You have the power to be calm! We will use the IED of truth to explode the SUV of dogmatic expression! "

4/15/2005 11:25:00 AM | |

 

CNN.com - Gonzales: CIA leak probe moving forward - Apr 15, 2005: "U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Friday he believes the investigation into who leaked the name of a CIA operative nearly two years ago is moving forward appropriately."

'This is moving forward just like the Enron cases are moving forward. Please wait a couple of more years.'

4/15/2005 09:27:00 AM | |

 

Pope wrote of 'dark shadows' over mankind - Election of a pope - MSNBC.com: "'In our day human society appears to be shrouded in dark shadows while it is shaken by tragic events and shattered by catastrophic natural disasters,' the pope wrote in a message for the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Missions."

4/15/2005 09:15:00 AM | |

 

The Fix Is In - Newsweek Enterprise - MSNBC.com: "In these days of spin and packaging, reform means 'doing what I want to do.' A case in point: the President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform that George W. Bush created in January. You'd like to believe that this commission, which is currently holding hearings and plans to file a report by July, will propose making the tax system much less unfair than the mess we've currently got. But look out."

4/15/2005 08:51:00 AM | |

Thursday, April 14, 2005 

Hello Jason, Scoop (this email is being sent to both),

Thank you for your take on the recent O’Neal comments. Both of you make very good points. I think at the heart of both of your articles (and at the heart of most everything these days it seems) it does come down to money.

The simple fact is that colleges need to start compensating or doing something more for their players. Scholarships and gear and and and is nice, but it just is not money- like the schools are making a ton of on the backs of these young athletes.

David Stern is in the unfortunate position of having to be pushing what is, right now, a type of slave labor situation for those students who never plan on going to class, let alone graduating (it makes their scholarship as useful and as worthwhile as the toilet paper I used this morning).

The simple reality is the economics and the marketing angles and the shitload of cash involved could have never been foreseen in Wilt’s day or even in Bird’s day for that matter. They need to acknowledge this fact publicly and re-examine the whole fucking thing because, like Jason hints at, the system is cracking (the product is suffering generally- though that shit from TMac this year where he put in 14 in 40seconds was one of the craziest things I have ever seen and, oh yea, DWade’s block of Amare and subsequent 60 foot shot wasn’t too shabby either) but forced labor is not the solution by any means. That is the lazy way out of this very complex, very expensive problem.

Thanks again for your great contributions on this topic- fascinating.

Regards,
George

4/14/2005 01:59:00 PM | |

 

Wal-Mart leaves bitter chill in Quebec - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com: "The retailing behemoth, whose $10 billion annual profits are based on low prices, low expenses and its relentless pace of store openings, announced it will shut the doors here May 6 after workers voted to make this the first unionized Wal-Mart in North America."

God forbid that workers try to stand up for themselves- how dare they.

Gindy: It just goes to show you a retailing behmouth won't allow itself to be pushed around.

Me: It just goes to show you that workers and individuals still care about their principles and care about how they want to be treated. God bless em.

Walmart has rallied their organization around profits and money, these individual workers have rallied themselves around fair pay, fair treatment and the common good... quite good to see. Quite a noble aim especially under the circumstances (bitch ass Walmart shutting doors).

4/14/2005 01:21:00 PM | |

 

Homeowner holdout in the Everglades - Environment - MSNBC.com: "Hardy did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment Wednesday. 'He doesn't care about the money, but you can't explain it to anyone else because this is such a materialistic world,' longtime friend Pat Humphries said Wednesday."

4/14/2005 10:22:00 AM | |

 

Homeowner holdout in the Everglades - Environment - MSNBC.com: "A man who fought for years to keep his home and businesses in the swampy Everglades has accepted a $4.95 million buyout offer from the state, which plans to restore the wetlands ecosystem."

Good news today. Thank you Mr. Hardy- I know it must have been difficult to give up your land, but hopefully the millions will ease you.

4/14/2005 10:21:00 AM | |

 

TIME - Tony Karon: Rumsfeld's Baghdad Worries: "Moreover, the idea of a U.S. war leader arriving in Baghdad to lecture the new government on what's good for Iraq is, to say the least, somewhat ill-considered. The overriding priority of the new government is to prove that it is independent of the U.S. It's going to face increasing pressure to ask the Americans to leave - even though it still needs them for its own security. The last thing the new Iraqi leadership can afford to be seen doing is snapping to attention when Don Rumsfeld barks commands."

4/14/2005 09:42:00 AM | |

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 

Over at a buddy's house last night to play some basketball with him and his kid. Great kid- probably will be a baller or a middle linebacker with a mean streak, whatever.

Anyway, got to talking with his wife while we were hanging out. I used to see her good friend while she still lived here in the states (she lives in Irieland now but she is from Poland) and it was nice to hear how she still really regrets leaving America and, the best part, she really regrets leaving me.

This girl was quite a tortured person and down on a lot of stuff, but beautiful and heartwarming at the same time. Never seemed that she had a good relationship with a guy in her life (only had been with one other person intimately before me) and I think that we were working towards a good relationship together- I wonder if she just got scared.

It was a tough situation though. Without boring you with too many details, her living situation while she was here was odd and we lived a good way away from each other.

So it is nice to know in the end that she still does miss me and hasn't been with anyone since me though I am sorry to hear that she is still wanting for satisfaction in her life. Sy, I wish you the very best and know that you will find that which you are looking for. Keep smiling- it lights up the room.

4/13/2005 03:03:00 PM | |

 

-THE CUNNING REALIST-: "Does he know that Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, part of the insurgency in Iraq, is a Jordanian who was radicalized by seven years of prison and torture in Jordan? Yes, Jordan--- our steadfast ally ruled for decades by a single family supported by a security apparatus notorious for its brutality."

4/13/2005 02:11:00 PM | |

 

New suit alleges more Guantanamo abuse - Terrorism & Security - MSNBC.com: "'The guards picked him up and slammed his body and his head into the steel bunk in his cell,' the lawsuit says. 'They then threw him on the floor and continued to pound his body and bang his head into the floor.'"

4/13/2005 12:40:00 PM | |

 

Baseball America - Columnists: Alan Schwarz: "Some have thought my career was a waste, and in some ways maybe they're right. But I think my career, right now, could be more important than ever."

4/13/2005 09:59:00 AM | |

 

More mau-mauing the judiciary? - Weblogs - MSNBC.com: "These self-righteous, pompous wind bags should be forced to take a course on Constitutional Law. Apparently the Constitution only applies when it can be twisted to fit their personal agenda. I have seen little outrage in the media (Jon Stewart and Bill Maher excluded) and even less from gutless Democrats who can't seem to muster enough courage to defend our system of government. I am disgusted with the lot of them."

4/13/2005 08:48:00 AM | |

Tuesday, April 12, 2005 

The Monk in the Lab: "The implications of all this are clear: the world today needs citizens and leaders who can work toward ensuring stability and engage in dialogue with the 'enemy' - no matter what kind of aggression or assault they may have endured. "

4/12/2005 11:33:00 AM | |

 

From the D. Lama:

Recently I met a group of scientists in America who said that the rate of mental illness in their country was quite high around twelve percent of the population. it became clear during our discussion that the main cause of depression was not a lack of material necessities but a deprivation of the affection of others.

4/12/2005 11:12:00 AM | |

 

How We Drive Our Jobs Away - Newsweek World News - MSNBC.com: "President Bush is said to be a man who favors bold, visionary policies over small, symbolic ones. But to spend all his political capital in the pursuit of private (or personal) accounts in Social Security at this moment is to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic while the iceberg looms ever larger."

4/12/2005 08:57:00 AM | |

Monday, April 11, 2005 

Compassion and the Individual: "One great question underlies our experience, whether we think about it consciously or not: What is the purpose of life? I have considered this question and would like to share my thoughts in the hope that they may be of direct, practical benefit to those who read them. "

4/11/2005 10:32:00 AM | |

Sunday, April 10, 2005 

Not Quite A Wrap - Newsweek Politics - MSNBC.com: "'I guess I wasn't as informed as I should have been when I voted for him,' she now says."

Don't feel bad Wendy, he snowed a lot of people (especially due to him having a very abbreviated election and exposure as a politician in general). Sound like anyone else?

Don't worry about the Governator though, it is the machine behind him that we need to worry about.

4/10/2005 11:00:00 AM | |

Saturday, April 09, 2005 

ESPN.com: Page 2 : The race for the MVP: "11. Ben Gordon
Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.
(Wow.)"

4/09/2005 07:10:00 PM | |

Friday, April 08, 2005 

Court records give voices, names to detainees - Terrorism & Security - MSNBC.com: "A terror suspect held at Guantanamo Bay asked his U.S. military judge a pointed question: 'Is it possible to see the evidence in order to refute it?' In another case, a judge blurted out: 'I don't care about international law.'"

4/08/2005 03:57:00 PM | |

 

Waiter Rant: "Turtleneck's so paranoid that he zealously guards what little he has. Assuming the worst about everyone and everything he immediately arrived at the worst conclusion about my character. Everyone is a threat. Everyone wants what he has. We're all wolves in sheep's clothing. He probably treats everyone like that.

Turtleneck must live a lonely existence. Maybe he suffered a trauma that made him that way. Maybe he's stewing in a hell of his own making.

I recall his date last night couldn't wait to leave. She fidgeted uncomfortably throughout the meal. Turtleneck went home alone.

Big surprise."

4/08/2005 03:06:00 PM | |

 

The Slow Crash: "I suggest we're already in the fall of civilization. In 2004 the price of oil doubled, bankruptcies and foreclosures accelerated, global food stockpiles fell to record lows despite high harvests, an apocalyptic religious cult hacked an election to tighten their control of the world's most powerful country, and we had record numbers of hurricanes and tornadoes -- and a big tsunami to top it off. If every year from here to 2020 is half as eventful, we'll be living in railroad cars, eating grass, and still waiting for the big crash we've been led to expect from watching movies designed to push our emotional buttons and be over in two hours."

4/08/2005 02:10:00 PM | |

 

The Long Emergency | MetaFilter: "People want to be told bed-time stories, not the truth. We are a nation of children."

4/08/2005 12:22:00 PM | |

 


Stole this picture from here. Great pic. Interesting site.

4/08/2005 12:01:00 PM | |

 

The Long Emergency | MetaFilter: "Now prepare for the Rogue Wave (started by T note sell off) financial events in Asia in the next few years (months?) and then you will start to see us tipping over the precipice."

4/08/2005 11:48:00 AM | |

Thursday, April 07, 2005 

Tiger off to slow start at wet Masters - Golf - MSNBC.com: "It was the fourth consecutive week players were kept off the course because of rain. The Masters became the ninth of 15 events on the PGA Tour schedule to be halted at some point because of weather - rain, wind, fog, even a brief snow flurry last week in Atlanta."

4/07/2005 03:35:00 PM | |

 

Luthor's Story of a World Gone Retarded: "When it rains, it pours. I'm mentally and physically exhausted. These past few weeks have really worn on me."

Couldn't agree more Luthor.

Unfunny how it is actually raining outside now too. My demons are acting up. How about yours? The two faces and two people within, man are they struggling. Who am I kidding? Two faces? Ha.

Sometimes I know that I have OCD. It was like that last night. Pacing around the house with so many cares running around in my head- so many worries. Being stalked by a family member doesn't help.

But then other days I know it is depression. The clouds come in, the rain starts pouring and damn if I can't find me an umbrella.

Then other days I have my narcissistic binges, thinking I am so great. What a crock, we are all just bullshit artists aren't we? I get so full of myself and feel like I don't need anyone or anything to love me and help me get by. The biggest joke of all.

I need you angel.

4/07/2005 11:26:00 AM | |

 

Experts list 'most endangered' primates - Environment - MSNBC.com: "Human activities such as hunting and logging have driven nearly one quarter of the world's primate species - man's closest living relatives - to the brink of extinction, according to a new report."

4/07/2005 08:23:00 AM | |

Wednesday, April 06, 2005 

Bush plan may end Social Security checks - Politics - MSNBC.com: "Both trends would have the effect of eliminating the Social Security check for a hypothetical group: someone born next year who goes on to a career as what Social Security considers a 'scaled high earner,' which this year is a person with annual average earnings of $56,091."

I am almost a high earner. Funny.

4/06/2005 05:05:00 PM | |

 

They're In - but Not Home Free: "Confronted with soaring home prices, Californians are adopting a 'buy now, pay later' strategy on a massive scale. The boom in interest-only loans - nearly half the state's home buyers used them last year, up from virtually none in 2001- is the engine behind California's surging home prices."

4/06/2005 02:45:00 PM | |

 

ABC News: Are Honors for Physicians the New Political Diploma Mill?: "To see what the award process was all about, Mueller sent in his $1,250 contribution and ABC News paid for his travel to Washington for the scheduled events March 14-15, which included a tax-reform workshop as well as appearances by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and President Bush. "

4/06/2005 02:07:00 PM | |

 

Cirque du DeLay? | MetaFilter: "All because at some point, somewhere, you fell for one of the economic or social con games that they run every day on the gullible American public, and faced with the prospect of admitting to yourself that you were conned, you prefer to insist that no, it's the 'liberals' who are somehow wrong. How are we wrong? I suppose it depends on what 'wrong' means. To me it means 'contrary to the facts', but I guess if you're willing to vary that definition, you can protect yourself for a long time from having to honestly make an assessment of your beliefs and actions. To me wrongness implies an obligation to change one's mind if present with contrary facts, but you chimpchumps call that 'flipflopping', and you sneer, jeer, and fling your poo at us for it. Wake up, grow up, and apply the critical thinking you used to be taught in school, by the liberal teachers your fellow-travellers have enthusiastically tried to drive out of your educational system, to the actions of the Bush administration."

4/06/2005 01:40:00 PM | |

 

Saul Bellow, 1915-2005 - - MSNBC.com: "I will stop, but how much of a record of defrauding investors, exploiting employees, and abusing consumers does modern corporate capitalism have to have before the benighted Right acknowledges that MORE rather than less regulation is needed."

4/06/2005 12:34:00 PM | |

 

CNN.com - DeLay blasts media over report of payments to family - Apr 6, 2005: "'But it's just another seedy attempt by the liberal media to embarrass me.'"

4/06/2005 12:11:00 PM | |

 

Texas oilman seeks gusher from God in Israel - Oil & Energy News - MSNBC.com: "Standing next to a 177-foot derrick at Kibbutz Maanit in northern Israel, Brown said the passage indicated there is oil lying beneath the biblical territory of the Tribe of Asher, where the agricultural community is located."

Dear lord.

4/06/2005 09:22:00 AM | |

Tuesday, April 05, 2005 

MSNBC - Greenspan: Market may cool energy prices: "High crude oil and natural gas prices have put energy markets under a degree of strain that hasn't been seen in a generation, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Tuesday, but he warned policy-makers against interfering with market forces he hoped would eventually stabilize prices."

He makes some interesting comments later on in the article, but let us explore this part for a moment. Greenspan has a good idea of what is going to happen though this 'peak oil' or 'peak energy' situation has never happened before in this history of industrialized man? Dubious, I have to say. Very dubious.

I wish I had his confidence in the market. To me, he reminds me of a Baptist who believes in the bible and what their church and famliy has been telling her/him. Blind faith in something that has not been altered and explored and questioned in 2000 years. Of course Greenspan's dogma does not go back that far, but it is there nonetheless. Here is hoping his faith is the right one, because unlike the Baptist, we are all along for the ride.

4/05/2005 02:15:00 PM | |

 

I write today from a crab bucket.

Congratulations to UNC and Sean May. I knew nothing of them a month ago and know even less now, but they seem like a great group of people and a great, talented team. Good work boys.

I had a chance to watch the Contender last night- great show. This one dude was such an animal and such a bitch at the same time- quite an amazing feat to pull off. He pounded the shit out of the bible thumper though. Wow. I like that he is working to come back, good for him, but I wonder about the dude. Like a lot of us, I think he probably needs to spend some time working on himself and with his own demons. Saying Jesus and God all the time doesn’t make up for lost work within.

You folks been watching LOST at all? Holy crap I love that show. I have no idea what is happening with it. I am usually like that with movies and TV shows and shit- I just totally go along with the mystery and the story without having any clue what is going to happen. I think it is because of a mix of ignorance and not wanting to destroy the anticipation. More of the former. Maybe 99% of the former.

Crab bucket? What the fuck do I mean? Well, sometimes in the corporate world or in fact in any group of people from 3 to 30,000 one has to learn to cool their jets right? I sometimes get caught up in the things I want to do and the competition of it all that I forget this. I had to remind myself last night what with all the things going on around here. Calm the fuck down man.

Finally, to the parents: there are things wrong and we have gone over them over and over. You know what is going on. I try to get past it within myself, but sometimes it is too hard to do and not fair to me. Learn to treat people better, especially those that want so much to be close to you and loved by you. Don’t be defensive about it. Move on from the way of acting and treating people that you have relied upon for so long and you might see the changes in me, too. Until then, I am partially stuck in the little cycle myself.

Peace out bitches and ho’s. Keep it real.

4/05/2005 11:25:00 AM | |

Monday, April 04, 2005 

Murder, Incorporated? (washingtonpost.com): "The coming revolution against the United States government was announced on the Internet via a manifesto by a self-described 'proud and insolent youth,' a college sophomore who sought to be our leader. This was to be the spark: "

4/04/2005 02:12:00 PM | |

Sunday, April 03, 2005 

Yahoo! News - Oil Hits New Record: "At 10:33 p.m. EDT Sunday, U.S. crude was up 31 cents at $57.58, while London's Brent crude struck an all-time peak at $56.80 a barrel, marking a gain of 29 cents.
'I would have thought prices would struggle to go much higher. The market fundamentals suggest lower prices,' said Mark Pervan, an analyst with Daiwa Securities in Melbourne. "

4/03/2005 11:19:00 PM | |

Friday, April 01, 2005 

Alan Dundes 2002 UC Berkeley Convocation Faculty Address: "My advice, for what it's worth, take time to enjoy the present, savor the moment, take pleasure in 'now' not worrying yourself to death about tomorrow. In one sense, tomorrow never comes; it's always today."

4/01/2005 11:37:00 AM | |

 

MSNBC - Do dandruff and climate change go together?: "German researchers discovered unexpectedly large amounts of dandruff and other flaking skin, fur, pollen and similar materials known as biological aerosols. This cellular material had been thought to be only a small proportion of all aerosols, which include mineral dusts, clay and sea salt."

4/01/2005 10:11:00 AM | |

 

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: We Can't Remain Silent: "'I felt like somebody in my family had died,' he said."

4/01/2005 09:03:00 AM | |

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