Who Wants Chips?

Rich=Smart?

It doesn't cultivate taste, that's a moral certainty. And winning big money doesn't quell the compulsion to hoard or impulse shop either. And I'm not going to assume what situation or circumstance place this winner in such a position. There are at least a dozen that I can think of nearly a top ten list right off the top of my head. Over spent and ran out of cash. That would be the one I think most people would think of first. I've heard such stories before. Medical bills. Bad investments. Taxes. Debts from gambling. They died. Legal judgment. Including lawsuits, criminal restitution, divorce. And any variation of the above. I guess the take-away is that if you win big money your life changes forever.

What the...

fuck. No. Seriously. What. The. Fuck. I would not, and have not for many years, wrap dead rotten fish entrails or allow my carrion feeding black vulture to shat upon the N. Y. fucking Post.

UPDATE; Thursday night this typical half-ass apology appears. Why is it alway easier to apologize when the same amount of brain power would've avoided the entire offending situation in the first place?

Thanks but No Thanks?

So, now that the rubber has met the road to recovery. Will all the Republicans who have so vocally and steadfastly made their views against the Stimulus made exceptionally clear to anyone and everyone within hear shot take the money? One would think with the earnestness that the Republicans have put behind their opposition they would surely have to politely decline any funds based on their dearly held conservative principals. Then, of course, there would be more to go to the members of Congress who aren't adverse to taking the funds.

No Such Thing As.............................

OK, now this guy, Yiga Azrouel works, asshole deep, in the fashion industry. So he knows the value of hype and how to generate any kind of buzz (or act out as it's phrased in pre-school) he wants. Although, and I'm not casting any aspersions here, he should be one of the last to have any objections to having Ashely Dupre at his show. Hype, buzz, trend, are the air, food and water to fashion. Plus if she is seen waring any of his designs, particularly as she is "rehabilitating" her image, it would only be a good thing. As far as I'm concerned, the mere fact she is looked upon unfavorably by any one is silly, puritanical, and even hypocritical. But I won't get started on the sex negativeness of the USA- not here anyway.

Tick-Tock

Ticking, ticking, ticking like one of those clocks on a big, bad bomb (ever wonder why Hollywood mad-bombers go to all the effort to put countdown clocks on their bombs? Who are they're for? Nobody's supposed to see the bomb let alone know how long before to goes off). But this is not Hollywood. This is real life. Very real life. And this bomb is metaphorical to be sure but the American car builder General Motors will implode no more completely than if it was a literal one. Reuters is reporting on a Wall Street Journal article in the Saturday edition that, in lieu of a viable restructuring plan presented to the U.S. Government in exchange for 17.4 billion dollars in federal loans, a filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy is a real option. The deadline; 17 February 2009 Tuesday

Our president has been saying for a long time already that things, financial things, will get worse before the get better. Worse before better is an abstract notion for some if not most. What does worse look like. Well, it kind of looks like this. A brand that's ingrained in our national consciousness. It's a brand that's nearly omnipresent. The pervasiveness of the logo spans the width and breadth of our country. And it's in very real danger of going away. Whether it should be allowed to should be debated. My point is that it's this kind of thing that brings the recession nearing depression into such sharp focus it liable to cut.

Sat down this morning, like in days of yore, gathered with friends and family around the magic box and watched and listened, sometimes bemused, sometimes confused not to the inspirational and comforting voice of a world leader, not to a comic genius providing lighthearted escapism or witty insight. None of that. I watched and listened to a bit of history, a bit of theater, I watched and listened to some of the financial titans of this country of ours answer questions from the people's representatives in the federal government. The banker shucked, the bankers dove. They sat wide-eyed innocent and confidently presented their cases. At lunch the questioning panel had not had the chance to ask any probing questions. Despite the fact that the little fellow behind a studio desk, looking a little like Beaker, thought of the proceedings as a flogging. The floggings I've been a part of have produced much more gratitude from the precipitants that these hearings have so far. Except, maybe, for the people victimized by these modern day robber barons.

Be Afraid

It appears that Old Man Potter is very worried about your well being. He says that the U.S. "needs to be respected". His way of earning respect is through fear and intimidation. And we know how that kind of respect worked out for Gotti, the KGB, and the school yard bully. The second their back is turned towards those professing respect for you, they drive a knife blade in to the bully's liver. It takes real courage to live in a free and open society. Potter 2G doesn't want the kind of country that he has sent the best and the brightest to die to protect. As citizens we must demonstrate daily that we've the stones it takes to live our lives in a place that may leave itself vulnerable. The Oath of Office is a vow to protect and defend the Constitution. It reads in full; "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." A subtle and precise turn of phrase. The Constitution was composed to provide for the citizenry. The President swears to protect the Constitution. Rights, protections, laws, etc. Doing that faithfully will cover our asses against all threats. Even from our own government. That's what galled, and still does, the former administration.

There Will be Nashing

The news industries are an insatiable beast. Raving mad from bottomless hunger. Is Micheal Phelps smoking a little doobie news? There are certainly other, more weighty, issues that require and deserve our attention. The seeming fact that a freshly minted red, white and blue millionaire/elite athlete smokes pot has left many with quite a dilemma. Not the least of which is Micheal Phelps. Whose private toke gone public will undoubtedly cost him literally millions of dollars. Micheal Phelps of a single family home. Micheal Phelps of laser like determination. Micheal Phelps of the 6,000 daily calorie diet. Well, there's one question answered. There will be nashing of teeth. There will be PSA's. Rehab? How about we blame the girlfriend? A visit with Dr. Fraud could already be on the schedule. To his credit he has taken the situation head on saying in a statement, "I'm 23 years old, and despite the successes I have had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner that people have come to expect from me," Phelps said. "For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public -- it will not happen again." With the beast needing a feeding bigger than most on Mondays Mr. Phelps impossible mission should dominate through the lunch hour, find it's place in the world by the end of the day and by Wednesday will fade.

al Qaeda Goes Sandbox

al Qaeda Number 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is more than just a little stymied over what to do with a popular U.S. President. Insults and name calling are about the beast he's been able to do. Along with his boss he is finding out, slowly coming to the realization, that their ideology is deeply and seriously flawed. It has faltered. It has sputtered. Most of the most dedicated have died. There's not a lot of reenlistment, you see, among suicide bombers. As noted in the Washington Post, President Obama has called for the end of the war, he intends on closing Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and is welled like across the globe. This has left the sands of change shifting under the very feet of al Qaeda and others. Time and circumstance will tell if the war on terror will become a war of attrition and die under its own weight.