williamt blog

This blog has moved

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:10:00 +0000

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My blog is moving

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:38:00 +0000

QOTD

deprecate
1. To express disapproval of; deplore.
2. To belittle; depreciate.
3. Computer Science To mark (a component of a software standard) as obsolete to warn against its use in the future so that it may be phased out.
- http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/deprecated

Howdy neighbor,

Well, my blog is moving. Soon...

I'll no longer be at www.williamt.com/blog
I should be (cough) moved to williamt777.blogspot.com

Here's Google's explanation: Deprecating FTP
And this is supposed to be fairly transparent and auto-magic.
We shall see.

"Deprecate" is a fave word among nerds.
We use it when we're getting rid of the "old way" of doing something in favor of a new, improved way. There are typically two reasons for this: 1) the old way is getting creaky and obsolete in view of new technology, or 2) the old way always kind of sucked in the first place. For example, Intel decided to never deprecated their old X86 architecture, choosing instead to contort around, over and through the old X86 technology. Apple has generally decided to ditch old architectures in favor of new in both hardware and software.

It's always a tough nerd decision. Change is uncomfortable. Being deprecated makes users cranky. He he.

Well, Google (the owner of blogger) is deprecating the use of File Transfer Protocol (FTP) in blogs. Don't laugh, but FTP is almost as old as me! It makes Google cranky to have to support it. I originally chose to use FTP for two reasons: 1) I liked my old williamt.com URL, and 2) I wanted my blog files to exist on my ISP server rather than over at Google.

So, I'm a user being deprecated. I'm not cranky as much as wary.
I hope this works.
Google's "Migration Tool" is supposed to copy my (2 1/2 year old, 400+ post) blog over to their servers and my new URL. It's also supposed to (gulp) put forwarding tags in the HTML of these old files pointing your browser to the new location. (gulp gulp)

I'll probably try my migration later today.

My last bikini shot... pre-deprecation... google "ftp bikini" leads you to Bridget Bardot.

So, it's not all bad. He he.
And I heart blogger. So there.
peace... yow, bill

Hunger Games 2

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:00:00 +0000

With 3.6 seconds left and just a 2 point lead, Coach K told his player to intentionally miss a free throw. Pretty unorthodox strategy, and it almost cost Duke as the Butler guy narrowly missed a half court shot.

So, why not just make the free throw, go up by 3... then the worse you get is overtime.

QOTD

"I think we lose in overtime."
- Dike Coach K on his decision v. Butler to miss their last free throw on purpose

Gutsy call. I like it.

Book: "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Review: 3 bill-stars (out of 5)... barely just OK

This is "Hunger Games 2".
More light teeny-bopper reading. This one barely made the cut because of two really aggravating things:

We traipse back to the same "Hunger Games" plot of kids fighting each other
We get the bogus "to be continued" ending. That's tough to pull off well, and it does not work here.

I'm cranky, but I went with 3 stars because I liked the first half of the book, and I will probably snarf the finale when it comes out. The last of the series is "Mockingjay" and comes out in August ("Mockingjay" on Amazon).
mocking book... yow, bill

Chicago news

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 23:10:00 +0000

Who comes up with this stuff?
God bless 'em... makin' a buck, baby!

Bizarre Souvenirs

For the record, we looked, but did not buy. That D-Rose is creepy. He he.

1. Buerhle Highlight
Mark Buerhle's incredible play of the year on opening day: Yahoo video, MLB video

QOTD

"That one's going to be on highlight reels all year long."
- Steve Stone

2. Chicago Cameras
Truly sad state of affairs as our society comes under more and more surveillance.

Cameras make Chicago most closely watched US city

And nobody gives a hoot.

QOTD2

"[Chicago] could put 10,000 more cameras up and nobody would say anything."
- Paul Green, Roosevelt University

3. $2M Coach at DePaul
DePaul hires a new basketball coach:

Oliver Purnell bolts Clemson to take coaching job at DePaul

How does DePaul University justify paying a basketball coach $2M. They must run the numbers, right? I just can't get my head around it. They shouldn't even be in the Big East.
chicago rules... yow, bill

A cause to believe in

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:14:00 +0000

Finally, a cause we can all support: Topless Women March in Portland

QOTD

"I'm really upset by the men… all the men that are here, just like watching it like it's a parade."
- topless march organizer

The march was legal in Portland, ME because they only have laws against exposed genitals, not, um, torsos.

This is a fer-pay WSJ story, but a good one: What's the Next Global Warming
The author chronicles the cracks in global warming across the globe:

French best seller "L'imposture climatique" rip global warming
Leftie German magazine "Der Spiegel" had a 15 page feature on "scientists who want to be politicians"
Leading British environmentalist James Lovelock says the planet "will save itself, as it always as done"
US poll has global warming as the 6th ranked out of the top 10 environmental worries
In a different article, CA voters will challenge the state's goofy cap-n-trade regulations in the election this Fall.

Global warming as religion... the author compares Al Gore's carbon credits scheme ("It's how Al Gore justifies his utility bills") to a Catholic penance.
Good news all.

And finally some real SCIENCE!
Give a bunch of college kids some beers, and their test scores are fine the next morning.

Test-Takers Shrug Off the Effects of Alcohol

I could-a told you that.
he he... yow, bill

Wind. Mill. Eye. Sore.

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:19:00 +0000

Windmills in Palm Springs, CA

LA Spars over Green Energy

LA's push to "green" energy has two effects:

LA power bills are up over 10% to pay for "green" energy options like the windmills
LA residents are treated to the eyesore you see above

Environmentalists, I presume, are all gung-ho on this windmill thing. But how can you look at the photo above and not call that an eyesore? I don't get it.

Baseball is back. Ahhhhhh. Red Sock beat the Yankee 9-7 in Sunday's season opener. Papelbon with the save.
QOTD

“It’s good to get a win opening night. It’s good for the city. It’s good for the fans. It’s good for the players. It’s good for everyone. … But it’s still just one game.”
- K Youkilis, Red Sock

And fantasy baseball is back. Double ahhhhhh.
Speaking of, the Naperville Watchmen will rely on the fine closer corp ever constructed: Papelbon, Mariano, and K-Rod.

Papelbon!

...

...

The finest closer corps... on paper. Now we play the games.
papelbon... yow, bill

Here I go again

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 14:59:00 +0000

Book: "Waking" by Matthew Sanford
Review: 3 bill-stars (out of 5)... OK.

He he. Here I go again. This reminds me of my "Avatar" experience.

"Waking" is an inspirational story about a guy dealing with paralysis due to a childhood car accident. It's really heart-wrenching stuff to hear the stories of what this guy went through. And then he perseveres ultimately by learning yoga. It's an amazing story. Anyone dealing with this kind of trauma and disability is amazing to me.

"Waking" on Amazon is a 5-star deal (source) with people about as gushy as I've seen for any book or anything on Amazon.

Sorry, I wasn't that moved. Why?

Much of the book (2/3?) deals with his accident and the fairly immediate trauma and treatment of his paralysis. It's just brutal reading... because it's happening to a 13 year-old kid.
Then, we get preachy. If you don't do yoga, then you don't "get it". You're not connected with this and that and the other thing. Jeez. The paraplegic who gets totally into weight-lifting and Special Olympics stuff... he doesn't get it. The doctors don't get it. The therapists don't get it. Whatever.
He also describes how, after winning a lawsuit over his accident, he becomes "enlightened" about not needing to work and that his philosophy and inner-self are more important. Yawn.

It's almost universal isn't it... everyone's religion is the religion. Even not having a religion is a religion, as the worst religion these days is people who won't tolerate the religion of others.

What works for me? Running. Working hard. The "life is a game or contest" metaphor works pretty effectively. But am I in your face if you're not running, not working hard, not competing. Heck no. There's a lot of benefits to an alternate approach (including yoga)... just don't tell me yours is better for everyone and I won't do likewise.

Look, this wasn't a terrible book; it was worth the read. Dude, I'm glad that yoga worked for you. But please please please don't tell me that your way is the way. It isn't.

Baseball tomorrow!
Ahhhhhhhhh.
play ball... yow, bill

Sooby 2011

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:19:00 +0000

QOTD

"Never buy a used Subaru WRX STI."
- WilliamT

My little Sooby (2007 Impreza WRX STI) is easily the best car I've every owned. Fast. Tight. Reliable. Just solid as a rock and fun fun fun.
2 1/2 years and no tickets yet. Knock, knock.

Sooby

Subaru changed the Impreza to be a hatchback a couple years ago. Blech.
They are coming back with the sedan for 2011. Oh my.

2011 Subaru WRX STI, source

Here's the official Sooby link: www.subaru.com/auto-show/index.html

Now, I paid like $32K for my Sooby, and they have jacked the prices since. The 2011 will come in easily over $40K. I can't blame them, but I might not partake. I have another couple good years with my Sooby and then we'll see.
sooby... yow, bill

PS - A paste on... Red Sock star Bernie Carbo was high as a kite during the 1975 World Series:

Little Yahoo summary of the deal: link
The original Boston Globe story is really inspirational about Carbo's overcoming addiction: link
Youtube of Carbo's 8th inning, pinch-hit, game-tying homer in the 1975 World Series: link

QOTD2

“I probably smoked two joints, drank about three or four beers, got to the ballpark, took some [amphetamines], took a pain pill, drank a cup of coffee, chewed some tobacco, had a cigarette, and got up to the plate and hit,’’
- Bernie Carbo, source

And pardon my geezer moment here... less was more back then. No ESPN. No SportsCenter. No internet. Just WGN and NBC's Saturday Game of the Week. These moment's were treasuries, in part because of their scarcity. Now, they are a commodity.
Young whippersnapper.
He he.

Couple-a gadgets

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:43:00 +0000

Nice.

Sedona Scene

1. Apple's iPad
Apple spam on their new gadget:
Man, them Apple boys are smart.
Like I'm going to run out to the Apple store and stand around to look at their crappy new toy.
I'm not going because the place will be overrun with other people going to look at Apple's crappy new widget.

2. Cisco's Valet
Cisco has a new gadget too. It's supposed to be a kinder, gentler, easier to setup/use wireless router:

Feeling at Home with a Router

It's called Valet, www.thevalet.com.
It works for iMac, so I might try that one out.
Now, all we need is a kinder, gentler home entertainment setup dealie. Man, that would scoop up the dollars.

3. Obama's Crackberry
Our ever-so-serious President has religious gadget:

QOTD

"I get a daily devotional on my BlackBerry which is a, is a wonderful thing."
- President Obama on not attending church services

Religion aside, that's a fave metaphor for President Obama, period.

4. Bill's Fantasy Baseball Team
I have Brandon Webb on my fantasy baseball team... a mid-late round flier.

QOTD2

"Webb (shoulder) threw seven pitches from the front of the mound on Sunday morning, the Arizona Republic reports."
- Brandon Webb news update

You follow that with a quote from Webb's AZ manager, AJ Hinch: "He's not game ready or anything like that."
Um. Duh.
he he... yow, bill

Dr. Manhattan

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:59:00 +0000

Dr. Manhattan action figure. He he.

QOTD

Dr. Manhattan: I'm leaving this galaxy for one a little less complicated.
Laurie: I thought you said you cared about life again.
Dr. Manhattan: I do. I think I'll create some.
- "Watchmen"

And speaking of radiation: Geneva atom smasher sets collision record

Fun stuff, and I love the people worried about them creating a black hole right there in Geneva. At least it's not Geneva, IL. Probably crap, but I'll bet they can't disprove it. Sort of like the Manhattan Project no knowing what the hell they were doing at the start. Hey, maybe that'll be the plot of "Watchmen 2". He he.
great movie... yow, bill

All the Pretty Horses

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:35:00 +0000

CA $$$
CA government spending a lot of $$$, right?
Courtesy my fave Mad Hedge guy (source), CA is spending a ton of money on prisons:

CA spending on prisons has "soared from 3% of the state’s domestic product in 1979 to 11% last year"
And "80% of that spending is going to compensation"
"It costs $6 billion a year to pay 60,000 prison guards, most of whom make over $100,000 a year with overtime"
CA prison spending is "more than it costs the state to educate 670,000 college students"

And how can this crap like this happen?
CA prison guards have "the state’s most powerful" union.
And IL's most powerful union: teachers?
And USA's most powerful union: federal employees?

Cormac 2
Book: "All the Pretty Horses" by Cormac McCarthy
Review: 4 bill-stars (out of 5)... excellent!

I was 250 pages into an easy 5-star book. Then, dop. The last 50 pages.

Cormac also wrote "The Road", and his writing style is so emotive of the material he is covering. "The Road" was bleak, so his style was bleak and barren. "Pretty Horses" is set in the rugged west with a couple of teenage cowboys escaping to Mexico for, I don't know, for some air, some freedom. Anyway, his style is rugged and wonderful to read. Some examples:

Sparse punctuation with no quotation marks. Conversations just flow with the story and you figure out who's talking.
Few apostrophes... sort of like how people talk.
Some Spanish is thrown in here and there as the cowboys head into Mexico. It wasn't tough to follow what was going on.

Alas, the ending died. The plot got squirrely. The descriptions got a bit winded. The last 50 pages were a struggle.

Oh well. This is still an outstanding book and a great vacation read. This is great guy reading with cowboys and the outdoors and riding free and hot Mexican chicks and... There are two more Cormac books in his "Border Trilogy". I'll hit em and let you know.

QOTD

You still aint told me what answer you give her, said Rawlins.
I told her I'd do whatever she asked.
What did she ask?
I aint sure.
They sat watching the fire.
Did you give your word? said Rawlins.
I dont know. I dont know if I did or not.
Well either you did or you didnt.
That what I'd of thought. But I dont know.
- "All the Pretty Horses", page 138-9

En homage... an wild, wild west (cough) picture from AZ:

Sedona, AZ

Cub Lose
Who's got the better team in 2010: Cub or Cardinal?
Well, let's go position by position:

C - Molina, Stl
1B - Pujols, Stl
2B - Lopez, Stl
3B - Aramis, Cub
SS - Lugo, Stl
OF - Holliday, Ludwick, Rasmus, Stl, Stl, Stl

And F pitching. That's an even worse rout than the hitting comparison.
The dang Cub stink.
Next year.
he he... yow, bill

Back from 85 and Sunny

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Back from vacation.
Ah, Phoenix. 85 and sunny...

One vacation story. I went to my first Cub spring training game. We were sitting right by the Cub dugout. The inning ended; D-Lee threw a ball to a kid a few seats down. The kid gacked and dropped the easy toss. We were watching the kids eyes well up when Fukudome yelled to the kid and tossed him a replacement. Class move.

1. Vacation book review
Book: "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
Review: 3 bill-stars (out of 5)... good.

This book is teeny-bopper level reading, and it had a draining happy ending. But it was fun, light vacation-reading for me. I'll probably read the second book in the series.

2. Two questions
Well, ObamaCare is now law. Nothing helps a media blackout more than a vacation by the pool (85 and sunny, thank you). Seems like two fundamental questions remain:

Is this important? The bill is such a cluster, I would guess that this is more important as a socialized health care "foot in the door" more than anything else.
Will Americans respond? We'll see in November. And we'll see in 2012. This is our chance to say "nyet" to these shenanigans, but I am still waiting for the jobs numbers to pop. If the jobs numbers recover, even a little, in the next 6 months, then the ObamaCare outrage will diminish.

Bottom line on both questions... I don't know and we'll see.
He he. How's that for interesting analysis?
Well, at least you got a good bikini shot out of the deal.

3. Naperville real estate
News flash. Naperville real estate is still screwed. Here's a good summary in the Naperville Sun.

Home market report skewed by short sales

Of course, Naperville has lots of company in its crappy real estate market.

QOTD

"Nationally, over 30 percent of home sales are short sales"
- Realtor nabob, source

Naperville's distinction, if any, appears to be its glut of high-priced homes that aren't selling.
Dop.

Only place better than vacation is home sweet home. Castle sweet Castle.
85 and sunny... yow, bill

5 Bill-stars and 1 bill-star

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:04:00 +0000

"Just One"

Let's start off with the bad and end with a positive flurry!

1 Bill-star Review
Movie: "Inglorious Basterds"
Review: 1 bill-star (out of 5)... blech.

"Pulp Fiction" was clever enough, but I am beyond bored with the Quentin Tarantino knock-offs that he himself produces. Everything is a cartoon: characters, plot, violence, music, etc.
The funniest part of "Inglorious Basterds" for me was near the end Brad Pitt is captured and sits down handcuffed in front of the main Nazi guy. I said to myself, "There's a long, tired 10 minutes of overworked dialogue coming here". I hit the fast forward and sure enough, I was right. The scene actually works at 8x with no sound.

Mozy told me this was nominated for an Oscar this year. Sure nuff: oscar.go.com/nominations/nominees and that the lead German guy won best supporting actor. Whatever.

5 Bill-star Review
Book: "The Reagan I Knew" by William F Buckley
Review: 5 bill-stars

This is a wonderful, intimate book. Half the book is Buckley's contemporary look-back at his relationship with Reagan, and half the book are personal letters written between Buckley, Reagan and Nancy Reagan. They are a delight. The book was warm. There are so many stories in there and such good stuff, I don't even have a QOTD for you. Shame on me.

Buckley chronicles the leftie media bias against Reagan in his book. These stories date back to Reagan's presidency and even the 70's. It serves as a reminder that, hey, the volume may be turned up a little higher these days, but the song remains the same. A left-tilting media and academia has been an American mainstay for longer than you or I've been around.

Prejudiced Reviews
Hey, I'll admit I my prejudice. I've seen enough bad Tarantino movies. I have enjoyed Buckley's works and agree with some of his conservative stances. So be it.

I sit down and watch "Basterds" and it's a flat, joyless, experience. And with the repetition between Tarantino's films, it's unwelcome deja vu.

I read Buckley's book late into the night smiling and straining to stay awake and read more.
Prejudice or not... that's the bottom line: 1-star film and 5-star book.
peace out... yow, bill

PS - Dang it, this is funny... 4 minute video: Everything is amazing, and nobody is happy

This great country

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:08:00 +0000

This great country isn't about socialized health care or DC shenanigans.
America is about people hustling to make a buck for themselves and their family.
I humbly submit two most worthy exhibits.

Self-Centered Yoga
www.selfcenteredyoga.com

The good folks at SCY also cater to would-be self-centered young people with Toddler Yoga: "(2-4 years) A fun exploration of movement and play for you and your toddler."

I once got asked by a hot 40-something to go to "hot yoga" with her. Yoga with the temperature turned way up. Sadly, in retrospect, I declined.

BTW, cudos to my favorite resident of Roscoe Village for this catch.

Color Paw Nail Polish
www.ohmydogsupplies.com/color-paw-nail-polish.html

"Groom your pet with a trendy and colorful pet-i-cure with the Color Paw Nail Polish."

And Color Paw comes in a variety of colors. As a Pisces, naturally my choice would be Amethyst Shimmer.

Dang. Best of luck to SCY and Color Paw. I salute you!
great... yow, bill

Dirty and Smelly

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:06:00 +0000

Why in the world would the Cub want a crappy Toyota sign in the left-field bleachers at Wrigley?!?
Oh yeah... the estimated $2.5M a year. Dop.

www.chicagoist.com/2010/03/18/cubs_want_lighted_billboard_at_wrig.php

Businesses large and small are responding to the recession by getting lean and mean, and offering their customers more for less.
Individuals are tightening their belts and working hard to find a gig or get from under their mortgage, etc.
Government responds with dirty and smelly bus and train rides.

CTA: Ridin' dirty and smelly

QOTD

"The more complicated and powerful the job, the more rudimentary the preparation for it."
- William F. Buckley, source

yow, bill

Whopper

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:22:00 +0000

QOTD - the truth

"I don't spend a lot of time worrying about what the procedural rules are in the House or Senate"
- President Obama on the rule-bending being considered to get ObamaCare passed

And you gotta love a bald-faced lie.
Right there on the national TV.

QOTD - the whopper

"That provision, which I think should remain in, said that if a state has been affected by a natural catastrophe, that has created a special health care emergency in that state, they should get help"
- President Obama on "The Louisiana Purchase", ObamaCare pay-off to get the vote of LA senator Blah-blah

Whew. What a whopper. Big fat greasy Obama-whopper!
sucks... yow, bill

Owl Pellets

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:34:00 +0000

Ah, gmail. Sigh.
Here's a fun ad that popped up this morning:

Owl Brand Discovery Kits

What does Owl Brand Discovery Kits (OBDK) sell? Owl pellets.

What's an owl pellet? OBDK says it's "the mass of undigested parts of a bird's food that some bird species occasionally regurgitate."

And why would I buy these? I don't know. You give em to kids to look at or something. www.obdk.com/owlpellets.html

At least they're cheap... just a couple bucks. www.obdk.com/store/produ cts.asp

That's an owl pellet over there to the right.
Yuk.
who... yow, bill

PS - Happy St. Patty's!

Kissing, then court

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:22:00 +0000

From the something-something kid's museum in Indy...

"Mantis fun"

It's funny where surfing leads you sometimes.
I got this spam from the Joliet Jackhammers...

Joliet Jackhammers Kiss Cam 2010

First off, I heart minor league baseball. Man, those guys want your business. Opposite of the Cub. The Joliet Jackhammer. The Kane County Cougar. Excellent. It's especially great for kids.

Anywho, as their site notes, the Jackhammer Kiss Cam is sponsored by "prominent local Family Law attorney Erin Webster O’Sullivan". Um, "family law attorney"? That's code for "divorce lawyer"... which is pretty funny for a Kiss Cam. Then I googled said attorney, and holy alimony Batman, she's a hot hot hot divorce attorney.

Kiss Cam Sponsor

Eric Webster O’Sullivan

And she has her own website: www.ewolaw.com

And hey, if I have offended you by noticing that this female lawyer is hot, then sue me.
On second thought, please don't sue me.
kiss cam... yow, bill

I still heart Ozzie

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:20:00 +0000

1. Ozzie
I remember this old post: I Heart Ozzie
Ah, so great.
Well, I still heart Ozzie.

QOTD

"That (bleep)! (Bleep) the (bleep) (bleep)! Don't go to Venezuela for two days, surrounded with bodyguards, look around, and say, 'It's good!' It's not good!' ''
- Ozzie Guillen, on Sean Penn's girlish crush on Venezuela dictator Hugo Chavez, source

Ozzie is Venezuelan, BTW.

2. Intolerance
As your average 40-something can tell you, everything is better in America than 40 years ago... cars, houses, health care, food, racial harmony, less drugs, technology, etc.

The only downside: we live in a time of great intolerance, prohibition, and political correctness:

Detroit Settles Perfume Allergy Case for $100,000

In this case, prohibition of "scented products, including but not limited to colognes, after-shave lotions, perfumes, deodorants, body/face lotions, hair sprays or similar products." And all this accomplished by gaming the American with Disabilities Act.

Reality is stranger than fiction. Jeez.

3. The Worst
And I still heart Investor's Business Daily... here's there editorial on "the worst bill ever":

Why Health Bill Makes No Sense

I don't know if this is the worst bill ever.
But I don't recall such a corrosive piece of legislation and president.

4. And the Oscar goes to...
Movie: "The Hurt Locker"
Review: 3 bill-stars (out of 5)... OK.

My expectations were too high for this film. I accredit this to a) other people's comments, b) won "Best Picture" at the Oscars, and c) I just saw some "Private Ryan" on the tube.

Hey, it was OK. There were some long stretches that were slow. You could easily have shaved time from the 2 hour, 15 minute movie.

I was glad it wasn't a political/anti-war movie. I'm even gladder to see that yet another anti-war movie, "Green Zone", is failing at the box office. Hate to wish people ill, but huzzah to that!

En homage to Ozzie... Venezuela bikini
huzzah once more... yow, bill

Steve Forbes. Anti-Obama

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:15:00 +0000

1. Steve Forbes, the anti-Obama
Book: "How Capitalism Will Save Us" by Steve Forbes
Review: 3 bill-stars (out of 5)... good.

I agree with most of what Forbes writes about... economic freedom and limited government. That's the good part. But the bar part is that his book is very dry. It's pretty much a straight line recitation of stats and facts supporting his case... one after the other.

I was cranky about this. A few chapters in, I finally connected the dots, that Steve Forbes is the anti-Obama.

Forbes ain't much to look at,
He's not much of a sweet talker (cough),
He's cares about individual freedom, and
He's right.

Forbes' summary in the epilogue contains 14 points that summarize the book. It's the wrong level of detail for a summary. Give me your top 3 or top 5 principles, not 14 long-winded "do-this, do-that" points. This QOTD is a better summary of Forbes' book than that.

QOTD

"Bottom Line: Trust we the people. We are the economy!"
- Steve Forbes, the last line from "How Capitalism Will Save Us"

2. Census nonsense
How much are they (we!) spending on the census this year?
Just a cool $14B. (source)

Well Bill, you might say, maybe that's not so much.
OK.
The census cost $2.5B in 1990 and $4.5B just 10 years ago.
Let's see... 14/4.5... that's more than a triple of the amount spent on the previous census.

Included in this is a $340M marketing budget that includes the following nonsense:

A mailer sent to everyone announcing that your census mailer was coming. The tab for mailing a letter to everyone in the United States... $57M (source)
From the above link: "To coordinate this campaign, the Census Bureau awarded a $212 million contract to a New York City-based advertising firm."
A Super Bowl ad that cost $2.5M (source)
A ridiculous rap commercial with the tag line, "We can't move forward until you mail it back" (source)
Sponsoring a car in Nascar at $1.2M (source)
Sponsoring by Dora the Explora (source), but I couldn't find Dora's take of this mega-kitty

The census guys (the ones snarfing the dinners and strip club visits from doling out all this PR/consultant work) claim that this marketing budget is making us money. The census saves money with an increased response rate.

Dude. C'mon.

3. Insulting
The Obama administration is going after, of all people, Israel.
David Axelrod says of Israel's announcements of new settlements: "This was an affront, it was an insult... and for this announcement to come at that time was very destructive." (source)

Let's see. Choose between Israel (democracy and staunch ally) or David Axelrod... easy call.
trust we the people... yow, bill

I want to party with these guys

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Party #1 - The Dude
Pretty funny... Jeff Dowd has a website: www.jeffdowd.com
Jeff Dowd is "The Dude" in real life.
It looks like he's making some dinero on the whole deal. Why not?

Movie: "The Big Lebowski"
Review: 5 bill-stars (out of 5)... the best!

Could be a top 10 Bill-movie.
I can't come up with a funnier movie off the top of my head.

Party #2 - Trekkie
Excellent.
http://video.yahoo.com/network/100063489?v=7086116&l=100063517

The "Tholian Web" episode was on last night... 40+ years and still the BEST!

QOTD

"Bones, Spock. Since you are playing this tape, we will assume that I am dead and the tactical situation is critical and both of you are locked in mortal combat.

It means, Spock, that you have control of the ship and are probably making the most difficult decisions of your career. I can offer only one small piece of advice for whatever it's worth: use every scrap of logic and knowledge you have to save the ship, but temper your judgment with intuitive insight. I believe you have those qualities, but if you can't find them in yourself, seek out McCoy. Ask his advice, and, if you find it sound, take it.

Bones, you've heard what I just told Spock. Help him if you can, but remember he is the captain, his decisions must be followed, without question. You might find that he is capable of human insight and human error. They are most difficult to defend, but you will find that he is deserving of the same loyalty and confidence each of you have given me.

Take care."
- Capt Kirk's, taped message for Spock & McCoy in the event of his death, imdb source

Party #3 - Ripping Al a new one
Great article... props to Steven F Hayward for the writing and to the Morning News for the link:

In Denial

"In Denial" is pretty long. But worthy.
The interesting part is not just the rebuttal of the science, but also the outright (and justified) attack on the selling of science and its politicization by Al Gore and his ilk.
warm this... yow, bill

Speaking of Star Trek... this is the girl who played Uhura in the new Star Trek movie. Jeez. And Yow!

Burish, My Grandma is Pregnant

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:19:00 +0000

I heart hockey and the Chicago Blackhawk and Adam Burish.

QOTD1

"Burish, my grandma is pregnant."
- sign at the Stadium celebrating Adam Burish's return to the Hawk after a knee injury

Excellent.

Blackhawks' Burish has a blast in first game back

QOTD2

"I don't know what that means. I skated by it and said, 'it's not mine.' "
- Adam Burish, on pregnant grandmas

shoot the puck... yow, bill

Education Dollars

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:30:00 +0000

"Blue moon"

1. Education Dollars in Illinois
Nice. The top 100 paid teachers in Illinois:

Top 100 Teacher Salaries for 2009 Average $160,000

Top 100 Teacher Salaries - the list

That list is an image, so I can't spreadsheet it up, but by visual inspection:

17 of the top 100 paid teachers teach Physical Education
4 teacher Driver's Ed

And please, humble reader, don't forget the most obvious of facts.

QOTD

"And all of that is for a 36-week work-year."
- Top 100 teacher salaries in IL, source

2. Education Dollars in Kansas City
Kansas City is shuttering tons of schools.

Massive School Closures in KC

That link is to the neutered AP story. (Lordy, the AP sucks)
Here's a blog post with more of the gory details on egregious spending:

Apparently, through some judicial ruling on desegregation, KC received $2B back in 1985.
Since then, the public education spending spree has resulted in... "higher teachers' salaries, 15 new schools, and such amenities as an Olympic-sized swimming pool with an underwater viewing room, television and animation studios, a robotics lab, a 25-acre wildlife sanctuary, a zoo, a model United Nations with simultaneous translation capability, and field trips to Mexico and Senegal. The student-teacher ratio was 12 or 13 to 1, the lowest of any major school district in the country." Source

And the payoff after 25 years... less than 1/3 of the kids perform at their grade level.

3. Education Dollars Everywhere
This KC pol is a great anti-example.

QOTD

"The urban core has suffered white flight post-the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. the Board of Education, blockbusting by the real estate industry, redlining by banks and other financial institutions, retail and grocery store abandonment."
- KC pol, source

Hey, little creepy KC pol... Your problem isn't white people of banks or money or anything, except... self-determination and choice.
KC spent (mis-spent) thousands of dollars per student every year.
If KC pols had given parents the choice of using those dollars to find the school of their choice, this wouldn't have happened.

It don't take no genius to connect the dots from the government monopoly in education to a new Obama-led government monopoly in health care. President Obama is trying to lead us into losing our choice in health care. The results of this change, like public education in KC, will be disastrous.
choice... yow, bill

Great Charts

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:23:00 +0000

Chart #1 - Funding obesity
Hey, this is a great chart.

Ya get it? The feds don't tax obesity; they fund it.
Oh, don't worry they'll tax obesity, and then funnel the money back into more subsidies.

I don't know the real source for this graph, but I found it using this weird Google Reader Play.
I don't think this link will help you, but if you use Reader, try Reader Play. Just for fun though.

Chart #2. Tracking the cult of personality
Looks like Evita, I mean, President Obama is taking a bit of a popularity hit.

Well, huzzah to that.
Hopefully, that Obama approval rating will continue heading due south. ***

QOTD

"Over the last year, we’ve gone through the budget line by line looking for places to trim the fat out of government."
- President Obama fibbing yesterday, source

chart this... yow, bill

*** footnote - I'll bet it doesn't go down much more... the stock market is telling us that jobs are coming around the corner. If that happens, that popularity will pop back up somewhat.

PS - BTW, "hope I die before I get old"... this article is FUCKING BRUTAL!

Men Outlive Women Sexually

Cheli! Choice!

noreply@blogger.com (williamt) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:16:00 +0000

It's almost 60 flipping degrees out. Yow!

1. Cheli!
Cheli (aka Chris Chelios) is back in the NHL!

Chelios Headed to Thrashers

Well so, Bill... who cares?
I care.
Cheli is 48.
So, I reset the clock on a player my age being in a major professional sport.
It's sort of like remembering the last time you were carded (last year at Buffalo Wild Wings... Ty is my witness) or the last time you touched the rim of a basketball hoop (gulp... I haven't tried that in a while).

Too bad he's not a Blackhawk though.
Anyway, did you read that one... Cheli "has played in more games than any other American-born NHL player."
Huzzah!

2. Choice!
QOTD

"I've never met an apathetic mom of any race or ethnicity.
They all want good schools for their kids."
- Why school choice works, source

One of my all-time fave WSJ articles about charter schools in NYNY...

Charter Schools Flourish in Harlem

Choice!
peace out... yow, bill