31 October 2008
30 October 2008
FIve Days night edition
See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die
Opie and Richie Cunningham return to ask you to vote. So vote.
_John
28 October 2008
It's the Economy Stupid Wednesday
See more Natalie Portman videos at Funny or Die
The Greenspan files:
here, here, and below
And there was a rate cut yesterday and the Dow is still like a wild roller coaster ride, I am not sure what it all really means at this point because the PHILLIES WON THE WORLD SERIES.
_John
Picture of the Day -- 26 October 2008
A great bagel place on the east side on Third between 23rd and 24th -- Pick A Bagel. The sign was just too funny not to take a picture of it.
_John
24 October 2008
Picture of the Day -- 24 October 2008
Gray fall day on the Potomac.
[I will be away for the weekend, so I will post again when I return.]
_John
23 October 2008
It's the Economy Stipid Wednesday
Brought to you on Thursday morning.
The Dow, like a roller coaster that just won't stop, over th past month has made my stomach a bit queasy, so this week I bring you a depressing chart or two.
And if that one wasn't special enough, here is one that you can play with and give yourself some vertigo.
Oh and don't pull out that credit card because I am betting the interest rates are about to go through the roof. Why? Take a gander at this chart:
Here is an article from earlier this week that spells out the madness of the US love of putting life on credit.
Don't worry things could be worse: You could be a member of the Philadelphia Flyers, who have started the season with a grotesque 0-3-3 record. At least for them, the Phils are in the World Series and the Eagles still have a chance this season.
_John
image: "NO BARFING" from richardmasoner
Picture of the Day -- 22 October 2008
Game 1. Phils lead the Rays 1-0. [Would have taken a better picture, but cellphone was dead until I got home after work to charge it.]
_John
21 October 2008
19 October 2008
Picture of the Day -- 17 October 2008
Metro Friday, or I don't think it is wise to Exit at this moment.
_John
Picture of the Day -- 14 October 2008
[Sorry for the laziness of my posting. I have been spending what little free time I have getting my technology straightened out with my fixed mac. Well that, and I have been a touch under the weather this week.]
Fall evening.
_John
16 October 2008
World Series bound
And it is off to the World Series for the Phils for the first time in 15 years. I do remember that team, but I sure as hell don't remember the Wheeze Kids of 1983, who lost to the O's, or the 1980 team that won it all. That is not to say I don't know who they are or that the image of the Tugger striking out Willie Wilson of the Royals for the first ever World Series championship for the Phils isn't also burned into my retinas. I remember them in the way that Philly sports fans remember their winning teams, like the 1983 Sixers with the Doc, Moses, and Mo Cheeks, or the Stanley Cups that came to the city of Brotherly Love in 1974 and 1975. Heck, we even remember Jaws losing in the Super Bowl in 1980 – the Birds are the only major sports franchise in the city without a city without winning it all. (Yes, they won the 1948, 1949, and 1960 NFL championships, but come on the last of these was a few years before the merger the first Super Bowl. I count them like I count the Phantoms, Wings, and Soul championships. They are what they are, but they aren't the championship of a major modern sports teams.)
So it is with this team that we faithful of Philly sports will hang our hat on this year to bring an end to our 25 year championship drought. Oh we have tried in the years intervening: The Flyers in 1984-85, 1986-87, and again in 1996-97; the Phils in 1993, the Sixers in 2001, and most recently the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005. Most of these teams were underdogs and ended up completely over matched, but in Philly we wouldn't have it any other way. A city of dynasties we are not. A town of legions of fans who know more and care more about sports than any city I have ever spent time in. We boo because we give a care, maybe too much some times. And we prefer an honest effort and emotion over elite skill set. Which brings me to this years team and last night's win. The quote speaks volumes, and probably means more in Philly than it would in any other city.
"You know what? It hasn't hit me yet," [Jimmy] Rollins said. "We still have a lot of work to do. We've got to find a way to win four more games. That's our goal. Our goal is to win the World Series. The goal was not just to win the National League. The goal was not just to get to the World Series. We qualified. That's all we did. So we've still got work to do. |
Read all of Jayson Stark's article here. (By the way his coverage, despite not picking the Phils to beat the Dodgers, has been excellent. I would expect nothing less from a man who cut his teeth following the Phils for many years for the Philly Inq.) Oh, and how sweet it is that all of the cheerleading for the Dodgers by Fox Sports, especially Joe Buck and Idiot Tim McCarver, went for naught. I know that it would have been ratings gold for them to have Manny and Joe Torre return to Fenway. But the fact of the matter is the Sox aren't going to win their series, so why not try to turn the story in the the bad luck Phils versus the up and comer Rays. Fox and its announcers just couldn't bring themselves to do it. Their dream died hard, but mine lives on.
_John
image: from Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
Presidential Debate #3
What did I miss? Seriously, I checked over only a few times during commercial break and pitching changes as my beloved Phils phucked the Dodgers in Chavez Ravine last night. It's off to the World (cough, US/Canada) Series for the first time in 15 years. More on that in a minute.
And yes Virginia that is an actual unphotoshopped image right after the debate ended.
_John
image: from Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty
15 October 2008
It's the Economy Stupid Wednesday
Why did the credit markets freeze? That is a good question and it goes to a major root of our current fiscal mess.
This American Life recently had another stupendous show this month on what lead to the credit freeze. "Another Frightening Show About the Economy" is broken down into three parts. The first part deals with paper. Paper? Yes the commercial paper market. The second part deals explains what the fuck Credit Default Swaps (CDS) are, how we got them, and why the broke the buck. "Break the buck" you say, and I say, yes, so go listen to it. Part three is about why CDSs aren't regulated. You will better understand what is going on right now that any other explanation I have heard or seen on teevee. They explain everything in terms that non-economists can understand, but not in the childish and occasionally insulting way that has recently appeared on my idiot box.
More on CDSs. Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi and The National Review's Byron York argued over a few things in a New York magazine online discussion. Taibbi, though I don't always agree with him (or his politics), never suffers fools lightly and on economic issues he takes York out to the woodshed. (Disclaimer: I don't know if everything Taibbi is true, but I know York is off his fucking rocker.)
B.Y.: [O]n the financial meltdown in particular, if you're suggesting that that is a Republican creation, or even more specifically a McCain creation, I think you're on pretty shaky ground. |
Interesting new focus on Brooksley E. Born, head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), who screamed in the wilderness in the late 1990s about regulating the derivatives market. Seems she was right and luminaries such as Greenspan, Rubin, and Summers were, how do say this with some tact, looking left for oncoming traffic in London.
The Beige Book was awful reading today. The WSJ, however, found the few bright spots.
Things could be worse, you could own a house in Detroit.
_John
image: "Paper rolls at the Seattle Times plant" from buddyspotz
13 October 2008
Picture of the Day -- 13 October 2008
Though it did feel like fall today, it is really starting to look that way.
_John
Picture of the Day -- 10 October 2008
Dupont Circle and my way to a concert at the 9:30 Club. (More on that later.)
_John
Picture of the Day -- 08 October 2008
Shadows inside as I wait for Apple to tell me my laptop is fixed.
_John
08 October 2008
It's the Economy Stupid Wednesday
07 October 2008
The Obama-McCain debate II Moment
Unless there is some grand moment in a presidential debate (a la Nixon sweating profusely in 1960), presidential debates have a cumulative effect in the voting populace. How we remember debates historically are moments like H. W. checking his watch in 1992 or Lloyd Besten's Kennedy smack down of Dan Quayle in 1988. This debate unfortunately for John McCain had one of those moments.
We will be watching this for years, and in fact if this election turns out to be a landslide our children will probably be watching it. McCain's anger and distain for Obama was palpable for a second straight debate, and it was once again disturbing to watch. Unless something earth shattering occurs, I think this might be our last memory of a man who used to exude honor and dignity.
_John
image: found on The Daily Dish
The Popping of a Myth
John McCain has destroyed his personal image whether he wins the 2008 election for presidency or not. I have linked on occasion to Andrew Sullivan and Joe Klien, both of whom used to revere the man, but can no longer stomach him. Perhaps they didn't really know him, perhaps they were blinded by what they only wanted to see, perhaps McCain has really changed as much as we have seen these past few months in his craven desire to win an election, or maybe it is a little bit of all these and something things that I have missed.
Today for whatever reason seems to a watershed day for The Atlantic as James Fallows has had enough,* and Marc Ambinder mocks McCain's speech today.
Joe Klein now reads like a woman who is far enough away from a suddenly abusive spouse to really see and understand who her abuser for the first time. Today he goes after the McCain campaign with the precision black and white photographer. There is no longer any gray areas left for McCain (and Palin) to hide from Klein's camera. The first tackles the new tact of the campaign and Palin, and the second on McCain's speech is short and sweet.
And not to outdone, Rolling Stone dedicates a large chunk of their current issue to McCain entitled "Make-Believe Maverick." The online version includes additional web only features.
_John
*Sullivan on Fallows today: "I'm afraid that Jim is dealing with what we're all dealing with: the fact that the myth we had of McCain is, in fact, a lie. The real McCain - dishonest, dishonorable and despicable - is now in plain sight. To say I'm disillusioned would be an understatement. The last six weeks have shown us all something we'd rather never have found out. But we can't ignore it now, can we?"
image: "Pop cloud 1" from AMagill
Reaping what you so
Check out McCain's face when someone answers his question, "Who is the real Barack Obama?"
Some a-hole yells TERRORIST if you didn't quite make it out. Feed hate in, you will get it back old man. Glad he corrected that answer. When I think I couldn't get any angrier at McCain, he just keeps lowering the bar. What do you do when you completely run out of respect for a human being? Seriously, I don't know.
Ambinder has more.
_John
Some a-hole yells TERRORIST if you didn't quite make it out. Feed hate in, you will get it back old man. Glad he corrected that answer. When I think I couldn't get any angrier at McCain, he just keeps lowering the bar. What do you do when you completely run out of respect for a human being? Seriously, I don't know.
Ambinder has more.
_John
Palin debate redux
Palin's debate flow chart from Adennak, which also seems to work when she attempts to answer any questions.
The Fargo interview:
Yeah, I know I am a few days late, but I have been sick and without my mac, so cut me a break. I just wanted to get these in before the Obama-McCain (or McCain-Obama) town hall meeting tomorrow.
_John
06 October 2008
SNL nails the VP debate
If you haven't seen it, sit right back and prepare to laugh. Queen Latifa is the prefect Gwen Ifill, except QL asked a follow up question, which Gwen did not.
_John
Don't Vote
I hope everyone is registered because by the time most of my handful of US readers get around to this the registration date has probably past. Beyond posting this a bit later than I wanted, it is also a touch long, and has language safe for work. Hell it even has my identical twin, Tobey Maguire. I have never seen the resemblance, but I hear it at least once a year from someone new in my life. Strange, but true.
_John
Picture of the Day -- 06 October 2008
A strange noise outside my window yielded a squirrel eating an acorn. Luckily for he, it stayed still long enough for me to get this shot off. The squirrels in my neighborhood are unusually skittish despite the copious amounts of both acorns and people. Guess I can't blame them.
Now that I am caught up, I hope to never fall this far behind unless I am sick again, have surgery, or on vacation where I don't have access to a safe computer with internet.
_John
Picture of the Day -- 05 October 2008
After the Villagers soccer match. Did you know there was a section of dc called Bloomingdale? Neither did I. Oh, and Villagers win! Villagers win! (We are 3-1, I missed our loss last week when I was in Baltimore and Wayne.)
_John
Picture of the Day -- 04 October 2008
At Art on the Avenue in del ray. Luckily for me the farmers market was off due to the all day event because I didn't crawl out of bed until around noon. It is a very cool event every year that bring the neighborhood and beyond together for art, music, food, and community. This is only my second year going, but as long as I am down here I intend to go every year. I bought a few pieces of art from a local artist, and maybe even next year I will spend more time there if I am not ill or attending solo. If I remember in time, perhaps I might volunteer.
_John
Under the weather
Again apologies for my hiatus. The problems are two fold. One is that my mac laptop is sick and currently undergoing repairs and will hopefully be back in my wanting hands by late this week or early next week. (I told you it was sick!) Thus I have to use my creaky old PC. Number two is that I am slowly recovering from a draining cold, which found me asleep more than awake this weekend. It didn't keep me from going out for a few hours each day, but I am really getting tired of my couch.
_John
image: "Sick" from jaredchapman
02 October 2008
Maverickiness – Angry Senator edition
Well by now I could have spent most of my time on the recent Maverickiness of John McCain, however, they have been all to painfully obvious to anyone paying attention to his say one thing let the campaign do the opposite spiel for the last two weeks. What he did yesterday on the floor of the Senate takes the cake for sheer Maverickiness, and it wasn't his vote. The whole article is fascinating, but check out this nugget:
As the two shared the Senate floor tonight for the first time since they won their party nominations, Obama stood chatting with Democrats on his side of the aisle, and McCain stood on the Republican side of the aisle. So Obama crossed over into enemy territory. He walked over to where McCain was chatting with Republican Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida and Independent Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut. And he stretched out his arm and offered his hand to McCain. |
JMM and Sully react.
And did I miss something with yesterday's vote because I don't remember McCain letting me know the name of the Senators who attached pork to the bill. Heck, if he can't do it as a Senator, how can I trust it that he will do it as president?
Oh, and with the vote yesterday McCain did cast his first votes since....(wait for it)...April. (He voted FOUR times yesterday.) So perhaps today is a triple dip of Maverickiness. Maybe he should have announced that he "suspended" his Senate duties in the spring. Granted Obama's voting record is not sterling, but at least he doesn't keep trotting out the notion that he "Puts America first." Personally, I think doing your job if you are an elected United States Senator is putting America first, especially since his wife does own a private jet that can fly him to Washington to vote.* The voting record for McCain since April 8 is 4 votes cast out of a possible 93 &ndash that is he voted a mavericky 4.3% of the time. Obama's voting record over the same period is 22/93 (or 23.7%). And just for the sake of completeness of my last post of their respective propensity to not vote, since March 14 McCain has voted 5 out of a possible 104 (or 4.8%). That my friends is Maverickiness we can believe in.
_John
*Yes, I know some of the votes were merely procedural, but we are paying him to do his job.
image: from Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
What do we want? Deference! When do we want it? Now!
Heh-heh. Guess the CJR decided they don't want a seat on the road or air versions of the Strait Talk Express. Glad someone in the media cares about the ridiculousness that the McCain campaign is spewing about the press. If McCain wins, let's hope the press remember the treatment they were given.
_John
image: from Stephen Crowley/New York Times File Photo
01 October 2008
It's the Economy Stupid Wednesday
Today I bring you news on the hedge funds, and it ain't pretty. Seems as though more than a bit of phlebotomy is in the offing.
Go read about it here and here and prepare for a bumpy ride.
The Colbert Report perhaps puts this all in a different perspective. Wait for the last part of Tip of the Hat/Wag of the Finger &ndash Wall Street Jagoff edition.
What no mention of what is happening in Congress with the $700 billion dollar bill? After whatever measure is approved I will chime in, but rest assured I have been paying close attention to what is going on up on the Hill.
_John
image: "George Tiemann & Co.'s Surgical Instruments" from UCLA Biomedical Library Online Exhibits: Bloodletting
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