If you’re one of the four-or-so frequent readers of this here blog, chances are you also occasionally check out the New York Times op-ed page. You may even know the names: Thomas Friedman, Gail Collins, Nicholas Kristoff, &c. Well, I’ve decided to devote a daily feature to these folks, by daily pointing out one line that is either awesome, funny, insightful, intelligent, ridiculous, or utterly divorced from reality. I hope you enjoy. Today’s Line of the Day comes from Thomas “Fried at last” Friedman, who writes in his column “Who’s Up for Building Bridges?” that: I’m no...
Continue reading...Poplicola
Morning Constitutional – Wednesday, 7 April 2010
Good morning, folks. George Lucas and Seth Green are going to make an animated comedy based on Star Wars. Now, your morning constitutional. Correction: Yesterday, we reported that the rules for Scrabble might be changing. Turns out that isn’t the case at all. A major 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra this morning, triggering two tsunamis and injuring several people. No casualties have been reported. Seventeen have been killed in anti-government protests in Kyrgyzstan as police clash with protesters in the nation’s capital. President Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev has declared a...
Continue reading...Forget sacrifice
I don’t tend to have a hard time getting outraged or upset about things. While walking around at the tea party protest a few weeks ago, one women proudly held a large poster of what I can only describe as a mangled fetus. I glanced at it, assuming it was another ridiculous “Obama=Socialist/Communist/Nazi/philatelist” sign, but it wasn’t, and I immediately had to turn away, as one more nanosecond of seeing it would cause some “projectile distress” from my stomach. I screamed “You should be ashamed of yourself!” and probably would have screamed more if Estes hadn’t had...
Continue reading...Morning Constitutional – Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Good morning, everybody. Butler only started one senior. Now, your morning constitutional: Prime Minister Gordon Brown has declared the UK general election will be on May 6, an election that may well lead to his ouster. The British National party sure is keeping it classy, that’s for sure. One hundred and fifteen Chinese coal miners were rescued Monday from a mineshaft that flooded eight days before. The Chinese announced Tuesday that five of the remaining 38 were discovered dead Tuesday morning. In a West Virginia coal mine Monday, a massive explosion left 25 coal miners dead, while...
Continue reading...Opening Day
Ah, yes, it’s Opening Day. The weather outside: delightful. The weather inside: oppressive. Regardless, baseball is started, there shan’t be more snow blizzards, and everything is back to being right with the world. In keeping with custom, President Obama took the mound today to throw out the first pitch at Nationals Park. The park, in keeping with recent custom, was already filled with more Phillies fans than those for the Nationals. Now, I can’t begrudge somebody for supporting their favorite team, even while taking part in a game between two different teams. And, I know that the...
Continue reading...New York Times Columnist Line of the Day – 5 April 2010
If you’re one of the four-or-so frequent readers of this here blog, chances are you also occasionally check out the New York Times op-ed page. You may even know the names: Thomas Friedman, Gail Collins, Nicholas Kristoff, &c. Well, I’ve decided to devote a daily feature to these folks, by daily pointing out one line that is either awesome, funny, insightful, intelligent, ridiculous, or utterly divorced from reality. I hope you enjoy. Today’s, if you will pardon us for using one from yesterday, is from Maureen Dowd: As they say in Latin, “Ne eas ibi.” Don’t go...
Continue reading...Morning Constitutional – Monday, 5 April 2010
Good morning, everybody. Tiger’s back, Erin’s going to dance, and Erykah’s getting fined for getting naked. Now, your morning constitutional: Two are dead in Mexico after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Baja California yesterday. The space shuttle Discovery successfully took off this morning, en route to the space station Destiny carrying a crew of seven and ten tons of supplies and equipment. On Opening Night, the Boston Red Sox rallied past the Yankees to win 9-7. Former Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez threw the ceremonial first pitch. Throwing the ceremonial first pitch for Opening Day today for...
Continue reading...Just some quick numbers
So many folks have been saying all year that health insurance was not a high priority, and that the White House should have put off health care and worked on employment instead. Now, of course it’s more important to have a job than health insurance, but there is just one quick comparison I want to make: Over 46 Million people in the United States do not have health insurance. Over 16 Million people in the United States do not have a job. Just a little perspective.
Continue reading...New York Times Columnist Line of the Day – 2 April 2010
If you’re one of the four-or-so frequent readers of this here blog, chances are you also occasionally check out the New York Times op-ed page. You may even know the names: Thomas Friedman, Gail Collins, Nicholas Kristoff, &c. Well, I’ve decided to devote a daily feature to these folks, by daily pointing out one line that is either awesome, funny, insightful, intelligent, ridiculous, or utterly divorced from reality. I hope you enjoy. Today’s is from David Brooks: You’re sitting there in your West Hollywood bondage-themed strip club with party donors picking up the tab, and, of course,...
Continue reading...Drill, Barry, drill?
Well, it’s happened again. Started writing something, then came across something better written arguing the same thing I was going to argue. I was going to write about how Obama’s decision to drill is a pragmatic one that takes both sides of the argument into account but satisfies neither (much like many of his decisions and policies). But, heck with it. Today’s New York Times editorial, “Drill, but Not Everywhere,” says it pretty darned well: For years, the debate over offshore drilling for gas and oil has been a war of sound bites between the “drill now,...
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