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..."Where Did All These Baseball Players Come From?"
The 2010 Major League Baseball season will be upon us in a few hours. As one of the few sports fans in the country who opts not to follow the NFL through the cold and lonely winter, I remind myself that it’s not interminable by keeping up with the off-season moves of all 30 clubs. Since you likely don’t, here then are 30 haiku to get you ready: Arizona Diamondbacks: Still full of promise Like a gift left unopened Unlike Webb’s shoulder Atlanta Braves: 90s run is over Only Chipper can tell tales No new ones this...
Continue reading...Things I Drink And So Should You: The Charles River Highball
It is Easter weekend, which is about the busiest my calendar gets every year. I have hardly had time to breathe this week, let alone read this blog, never mind contribute. The craziness of my schedule has even prevented me from doing that which I love most: watch sports and drink. And that all ends Sunday afternoon. Every Easter, I throw a Resurrection Barbecue, where we throw some ham on the grill, dressed in our Sunday best, drinking beer and, more importantly, breaking out the greatest summer drink you’ve never had: The Charles River Highball. The Charles...
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,...
Continue reading...New York Times Columnist Line of the Day – 1 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. Gail Collins on ol’ Mittens Romney: Here I was thinking of him as a failed politician with no discernible core values, who had once driven...
Continue reading...Morning Constitutional – Thursday, 32 March 2010
Good morning, folks. Here’s your morning constitutional: In the U.K., the Labour Party has decided to use PM Gordon Brown’s reputation for anger and physical aggression to their advantage, rolling out advertisements which portray him as a hard man, willing to take the fight to David Cameron, unafraid of confrontation. Vice President Joe Biden loves him some kickball. Google changes its name. Prescient political understanding of the current crisis and how we can look forward. Days until Opening Day: 3.
Continue reading...Weapons of mass destruction
When reading about the arrests of the Hutaree militia group members who had planned an attack against law enforcement professionals, it was mentioned (in the headline and the body) that they were charged with attempting to use “weapons of mass destruction,” but the stories explained that they had planned on using Improvised Explosive Devices, which are generally conventional in nature. “Weapons of mass destruction” is a term that is generally used to describe nuclear, biological or chemical weaponry. So, how are these so-called “militiamen” being charged with such an offense? Well, Brian Palmer, writing for Slate, explains,...
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