Bill O’Reilly, the holy defender in the faux war against Christmas is featuring his own line of Christmas…whooops, HOLIDAY ornaments.
Update: 11:00 PM. Looks like the Fox Folks fixed their folly. The word ‘Christmas’ has now replaced the word ‘Holiday’. Fun while it lasted!
ht: Keith Olberman
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If you want to see an artisan at work, sit at the sushi bar at Samurai Sushi and watch Mr. Choo chop and roll. If you want the best sushi in Nashville, eat what you just watched Mr. Choo create. Don’t leave the joint until you’ve tried the Choo Choo roll, one of the house specialites. Who the hell puts a strawberry on a sushi roll? I’m here to tell you, it works.
If you don’t know already, Samurai Sushi is on Elliston Place across from Sherlock Holmes Pub. Don’t tell too many people because the place is a small treasure.
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Netflix delivered to me a wonderfully juicy opportunity for juxtaposition tonight…Volume 2 of Season 1 of the Adventures of Bertie and Jeeves based on the writings of the great comic master P.G. Wodehouse. What’s the juxta-twist? Hugh Laurie, star of ‘House‘ also stars as Bertie of whom it could be easily said:
He had just about enough intelligence to open his mouth when he wanted to eat, but certainly no more
Bertie is the cheerful witless uber-twit who, when paired with the classically trained valet Jeeves serves up some of the funniest plots since that vixen Eve derailed Adam via his apple.
Contrast Bertie with Dr. House and what you get is total admiration for Hugh Laurie who handles both roles with complete aplomb and somehow makes each character fit like skin on a snake.
I watched Bertie and House back-to-back and nearly got whiplash – twit to wit in 60 seconds. Kudos to Mr. Laurie and continued thanksgiving for the master – P.G. Wodehouse.
Every author really wants to have letters printed in the papers. Unable to make the grade, he drops down a rung of the ladder and writes novels.
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According to the Starpulse website:
50 Cent is planning to create a vibrator of his manhood – so his female fans can pretend to have sex with him. The sexy rapper is desperate to release a line of condoms and waterproof sex toys designed to excite his female fans and make them feel closer to his idols.
So, Fiddy..CD sales been a little flaccid lately? How many idols DO you have there 50? Isn’t there some commandment about graven images??
HT: Sports Guys links
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More evidence of the world-domination plan from our big brothers at Google..
Anytime you land on a Google page, you get a Google cookie if you don’t already have one. If you have one, they read and record your unique ID number. So far..nothing unique about that.
Google records everything they can:
For all searches they record the cookie ID, your Internet IP address, the time and date, your search terms, and your browser configuration. Increasingly, Google is customizing results based on your IP number. This is referred to in the industry as “IP delivery based on geolocation.”
Google retains all data indefinitely:
Google has no data retention policies. There is evidence that they are able to easily access all the user information they collect and save.
Google won’t say why they need this data:
Inquiries to Google about their privacy policies are ignored. When the New York Times (2002-11-28) asked Sergey Brin about whether Google ever gets subpoenaed for this information, he had no comment.
Google hires spooks:
Matt Cutts, a key Google engineer, used to work for the National Security Agency. Google wants to hire more people with security clearances, so that they can peddle their corporate assets to the spooks in Washington.
Google’s toolbar updates to new versions quietly, and without asking. This means that if you have the toolbar installed, Google essentially has complete access to your hard disk every time you connect to Google (which is many times a day). Most software vendors, and even Microsoft, ask if you’d like an updated version. But not Google.
Stay away from that Google toolbar!
HT: Clicked
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While local Demos are grubbing for a mere $500 bucks for gambling expenses and playing footsie with out-of-state collection agencies, Republican congressman (now ex-congressman), Randy ‘Duke’ Cunningham went way beyond footsie in his quest for the gold from defense contractors who he managed to ‘help’ along the way.
In court documents, prosecutors said Cunningham admitted receiving at least $2.4 million in bribes paid in a variety of forms, including checks totaling over $1 million, cash, antiques, rugs, furniture, yacht club fees and vacations.
Among other things, prosecutors said, Cunningham was given $1.025 million to pay down the mortgage on his Rancho Santa Fe mansion, $13,500 to buy a Rolls-Royce and $2,081 for his daughter’s graduation party at a Washington hotel.
Seems the local Dems have a lot to learn in the ‘sin boldly’ category.
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Sharon Cobb got to this story before me, but I’m nothing if not redundant..nothing if not redundant.
According to a recent UPI story:
Pope Benedict XVI is developing a reputation as a clotheshorse with his taste for Prada shoes and designer sunglasses.
The Tablet, a Roman Catholic newspaper in England, points to the new pope’s expensive sunglasses, which Vatican officials say were a present. He has also been spotted in baseball caps and red shoes from Prada.
What else is this guy hiding besides those red Pradas under that robe..and a pair of Oakleys on top of his head under the mitre?
I’m guessing that the pope doesnt’ have to pop pesos for his Pradas, but I’d love to see him in a commercial touting sunglasses: “I’ll SEE you better now that I’ve got my Oakleys!”
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He’s a real half-way man, living in his half-way land…probably drinking half and half. This is an example of the kind of develpment we DON’T need in Salemtown. A skinny house crammed into a half lot. Much of the building material is low-cost and ugly, yet the asking price is over 300K.
The back of the house does resemble a minimim security jail given the odd placement of the windows (maybe they didn’t want to look at my house which is directly behind this one!).
Seriously, there is a lot of good construction going on (and about to happen) in Salemtown (see HERE and HERE for two examples. The fact that Crye-Leike is involved with this house is no surprise given their poor stewardship here in S-town.
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Sports Reporter commentator Roy Johnson, decrying a lawsuit against a football coach in New Jersey for leading his team in a group prayer before the game:
“……in a time in sports when we wonder where our role models have gone, is it really so bad to ask our young athletes to simply look up”
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Sparky, our Australian Terrier for whom I expressed thanks in an earlier post, secretly channels messages from Scooter Libby. In the top picture, despite his docility and willingness to pretend he is enjoying the normal doggie-human interaction, you can see the sly look. In the bottom picture, taken a few minutes later, Sparky is attempting to pass on a special message from Libby attempting to out another covert agent. Luckily I was shielded!
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I’ve generally been one of the middling, ‘we shouldn’t have gone, but now we can’t leave’ people regarding US presence in Iraq. Here’s a guy who knows a helluva lot more than I do about the situation who says we should go NOW – Gen. William E. Odom, the head of the National Security Agency during the Reagan administration.
“Everything that opponents of a pullout say would happen if the U.S. left Iraq is happening already”
According to Odom:
The US invasion of Iraq only serves the interest of:
1) Osama bin Laden (it made Iraq safe for al Qaeda, positioned US military personnel in places where al Qaeda operatives can kill them occasionally, helps radicalize youth throughout the Arab and Muslim world, alienates America’s most important and strongest allies – the Europeans – and squanders US military resources that otherwise might be finishing off al Qaeda in Pakistan.);
2) The Iranians (who were invaded by Saddam and who suffered massive casualties in an eight year war with Iraq.);
3) And the extremists in both Palestinian and Israeli political circles (who don’t really want a peace settlement without the utter destruction of the other side, and probably believe that bogging the United States down in a war in Iraq that will surely become a war between the United States and most of the rest of Arab world gives them the time and cover to wipe out the other side.)
Agree or disagree, definitely worth taking the time to read – HERE.
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Actually there are two Steve Gill prayers. The first is Steve’s own: ‘Dear God, PLEASE let Bredesen propose a state income tax…please, please please.’
Gill, who is considering a run for the governor, may talk about ethics, but truth is, he’s a one-trick pony. Buried in today’s Tennessean story on the next governor’s race is this gem from Gill:
‘most second-term governors at least “flirt” with the idea of an income tax, which people might be wary of in a Bredesen second term’.
You can practically see the Gill-wheels spinning..even if he (bredesen) doesn’t propose an income tax, I’ll start talking about it and then talk about it some more and maybe some of my sheep, er, listeners will buy it. Gill has ridden the income-tax bete’ noire’ for several years and he’s hoping that the ride will continue through the election.
The fact is that Bredesen is not coming any closer to proposing an income tax than Van Hilleary being asked to join Mensa, but the facts shouldn’t get in the way for Steve-a-rino.
The serious candidate is Beth Harwell, but if she runs this time, it’s only to get some name recognition for either the NEXT run or a Senatorial run.
The other Steve Gill prayer is mine: Please, Steve, run. I want him to run for the same reason I wanted Pat Buchanan to run for president and Pat Robertson to run for president. I want them to be totally repudiated. I want their vote totals to be an embarrassment for generations to come. I want them to see that even though the country may be skewing conservative, that their extremism has no traction.
I actually like Buchanan..don’t agree with him much, but he is a thinker and his oppostion to the Iraqi war is second to no one. His extremism played well in New Hampshire once, but like a Steve Gill thought..it runs out of gas when examined closely.
So, run, Steve, run. Your lack of originality will be completely exposed and you’ll be lucky to carry Williamson county. It still cracks me up that for a while, he called his radio show ‘a no-spin zone’. My spin is that is that we already have a Republican governor..name of Bredesen, and he wins in a walk.
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Ultimate Christian Wrestling Tour…check out the Talent. Looks like ‘Dixie Dynamite’ might be coming after his barber..and I’m guessing that Dustin found God in a state-sponsored institution of some sort. I’m looking forward to the battle between Josh’s IQ and room temperature.
Soon to be pinning the devil in a town near where you live….
ht: Sports Guys Links
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Thanks go NIT guest-host Rachel I heard the news that ex-FEMA head, Michael ‘heckuva job’ Brown is opening his own emergency management consulting agency. She left out some salient job news from other fronts, so I thought I would fill the breech..
Michael Jackson is franchising his own chain of child care centers. He’s calling his franchise ‘Billy Jean may not be my son, but I’ll treat him like one’ or ‘BJs’ for short.
In other Michael Jackson news, K-Mart is offering their annual Michael Jackson post-Thanksgiving sale…young men’s pants 1/2 off.
Former President Bill Clinton will be starting a new ‘Abstinence First’ foundation geared to teenage boys called ‘Do not have sex with that woman’. Clinton was set to make a speech celebrating the creation of the foundation, but something came up.
President Bush is prepared to name televangelist Pat Robertson as the next ambassador to Venezuela. The President is also prepared to nominate Harriet Miers to the Supremes now that Diana Ross has left to start her own driving school.
more news as it happens…
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Maybe he should take the bus….
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Despite Aunt B’s cheerful contrarian advice to list things for which we are UNgrateful, I’ve gotta go with the grateful ABCs*.
Aunt B** – straight from Jagger’s quote about putting the knife in your heart and spilling it all over the stage. B’s love for her family is the thread that runs so damn true, especially in those pieces where she is excoriating her brother.
Baseball – 90 feet between the bases=closest thing to perfection mankind has devised. We recently and rightly celebrated the life of Rosa Parks. Back in the day when baseball was THE American sport, woven tightly into the zeitgeist, Jackie Robinson running out on that field and staying out there despite an extraordinary amount of abuse, rocked the established world and made liars out of millions.
Coffee – mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Coffee. Between my own Black & Decker coffee maker and the latte’s over at Portland Brew and the French Press coffee at Bongo, I’m a happy man. What would make me even happier is if some bright entrepreneur type would build or open up a coffee house in Germantown/Salemtown. It is a cliche, but if they build it, WE WILL COME.
DVDs – all those movies I missed right here in my own cacoon.
Enclave – the best neighborhood hyper-blog around. You may not agree with his politics, but S-TownMike IS the source of not only neighborhood news, but gives us the vision of what a neighborhood should be.
Freedom – Encapsulate western civilization in one word.
God – I’m confused, pissed, angry and more confused a lot of the time, but suddenly, in the words of C.S. Lewis, I’m surprised by joy.
Harmony – In the musical sense (sometimes in the let’s try to get along sense, but not too often – this ain’t switzerland). Get to that point in the song ‘Silver Springs’ by Fleetwood Mac when everybody chimes in behind Stevie Nicks..the chorus in Southern Cross by CSNY or the chorus in Bleeding Heart Show by the New Pornographers…still get the chillbumps and i’ve heard em’ 1000s of times
Ian Rankin – Scottish ‘plaid noir’ mystery writer. Dark (hell, he’s Scottish) and grainy, Rankin never fails.
Just Another Pretty Farce – Katherine Coble is often curmudgeonly, curt, cranky and clear-headed. She’s celebrates the nerd, the geek and the sci-fi freak, and she is hands-down the best writer in the Nashville blogworld (and from what I can tell – many points beyond Nashville). I’ll accept debate on many points, but on this one I will brook no opposition.
Keb Mo – a musical smile – the non-sappy kind. His version of Love Train has the deep-down soul.
La Luna – Berry Hill cafe celebrating Turkish cuisine. Not expensive but really really tasty.
Morrison (as in Van the Man) – my words are superfluous. Rave on, John Donne, rave on..
Neighbors – Stephanie and Ben rule. I’m twice their age, but it just doesn’t matter.
Otis Redding – That’s How Strong My Love Is…still gets to me.
Patti Griffin – red-headed angel who writes like one and sings even better
Quandries – because life would be so boring and easy without them
Rolling Stones – You can’t always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need.
Sparky – our Australian Terrier. He thinks he’s king of the world and has peed on pretty much every telephone pole, light pole and fire hydrant in this part of the world…marking his kingdom
Thanksgiving – my favorite American holiday. Other than the stress about ‘dressing’, much less pressure than the more famous holiday right down the pike.
U2 – i ignore the political poses of most entertainers. Bono actually knows and cares, plus they still rock.
Veronica Mars – I’m in crush with VM. One of the best TV shows around. These guys know how to arc.
Wodehouse – his world is THE escape, plus he’s just such a damn good writer. Bertie is the funniest twit in literature.
X – tie between X-files and reX L. Camino. Before they jumped the kinkajou, X-Files inverted everything you thought you knew. Rex lives in his own world too, and it’s funnier.
Yams – not just for Thanksgiving. Go to Sweatts, go to Carolyns..mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..yams.
Zevon – send lawyers, guns and money, dad, get me out of THIS.
*Let’s just stipulate that we’re grateful for our family..blah, blah, blah..(c;
** There are plenty of other blogs and bloggers that I didn’t put on this list that I am most thankful for: Brittney, Sharon Cobb, Sarcastro,Kleinheider, Krumm, Harry Monroe, Glen Dean and the TUIB crowd, and Big Orange Michael are a few more I particularly enjoy and for whom gratitude is hereby expressed.
Update: I knew I’d forget some people…I love TVontheFritz and the ‘fierce’ liberalism of Chris Wages’ Quiet Life, along with Huck’s world.
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I’m proud to say that I can type the alphabet in 4.81 seconds which puts me at a spiffy 10,551st ranking worldwide. Test your ‘qwerty’ mettle HERE
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FCC says all broadcasting must be in ADHDTV by 2007.
ht: another layer from the Onion
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People around my age have one thing in common – no matter our political or religious beliefs, no matter our social standing – we all know exactly where we were when we heard the news that the President had been shot.
I was a 6th grader at David Lipscomb. My teacher was Mrs. Deese. We were quietly working in the class (probably one of the few days of the year when I was actually quiet), when the intercom crackled on. Our principal asked everyone to listen…a radio reporter somberly intoned that our President had been shot. A few idiots in my class actually cheered. Students at David Lipscomb in the early 1960s were no fans of a Catholic president. Most of us kept quiet.
After the announcement we were dismissed for P.E. Everyone was milling in the halls. Any trace of jubilation disappeared – possibly based on threats from the P.E. teacher.
No one in my house was a Kennedy fan, but that night we ate completely without conversation (also a first). I got to go over to a friend’s house to spend the night, but the visit was joyless.
I’d like to say that I had a great epiphany that day or night. My fear of a Catholic president didnt’ recede until later years, but I do know that it felt really strange to be in a country that suddenly had a lot more in common with the ‘banana’ republic method of political opposition than I had read about in those books we were supposed to be studying when that intercom crackled…
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