Wisconsin Prediction

To my Wisconsin reader: Do you remember 2006? At the beginning of that year, there was a real question as to who would be the best Republican candidate for governor. If you were within Southeastern Wisconsin proper, you were most likely a Scott Walker supporter. If you were outside of that region of the state, you were most likely a Mark Green supporter. Scott Walker removed himself from the race, but Green never really stirred the passions of former Walker supporters, nor did he garner outsized support "outstate".

Well, I see a similar scenario on our horizon. There is early support crystallizing around former U.S. Congressman Mark Neumann. Now, if you've read this blog or the Badger Blog Alliance at all, you know that I am a Scott Walker supporter, but this isn't about who I think is the better candidate. What this is about is what I see as a continued schism in this state's Republican party. While both Neumann and Walker are SE Wisconsin Republicans, I can see a similar split developing in the party where supporters of the loser never fully get on board with the winner. And if that happens, this state will concede another election to Jim "Ponzi Scheme" Doyle.

Go DOW Go!

Go DOW Go!
Originally uploaded by Jibby7

I was in Madison on Saturday when I saw this license plate. Someone is apparently long in the market, or damn close to retirement.

And Fuel Economy Will Continue to Deteriorate

The gas mileage your car gets will probably drop in the future. Is it that dastardly American auto industry's fault for making shoddy cars? Nope, it'll be your government's fault:

The U.S. government will eventually allow higher levels of ethanol to be blended into gasoline, Renewable Fuels Association President Bob Dinneen said on Tuesday.

Ethanol is currently approved to make up 10 percent of gasoline, but producers have lobbied the government to increase the blend level.

The science is pretty clear on what ethanol does to gas mileage. I can only shake my head at the stupidity.

John Madden, NFL Broadcaster, Retires at 73

Am I the only one who saw headlines like that today and initially thought he'd died?

No More Czars. No Mas!

Ugh.

A former Justice Department official has been picked to be the Southwest border czar — a new position created by the Obama administration to handle illegal immigration and border issues, according to an administration official.

The new Homeland Security post will be responsible for issues related to drug-cartel violence along the U.S.-Mexico border and the hundreds of thousands of people there who try to enter the U.S. illegally.

If there ever was a term that needed be taken out back, have its legs broken, and dropped into the Hudson River, it was 'Czar'. It was cool for 45 minutes in the 1980's, but it is about one of the most un-American terms imaginable. And when was the last time you remember an American "czar" accomplishing jack?

Wherein I Agree With Fidel Castro (But For Different Reasons)

Fidel:

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro on Tuesday praised the Obama administration for lifting U.S. restrictions on family travel to Cuba, but said more changes were needed in U.S. policy toward the island.

"The measure of easing the restrictions on trips is positive although minimal. Many others are needed," Castro wrote in a column published on a Cuban government website.

The surest way to end the Castro & Castro regime is to throw the doors open to Cuba and flood the island with capitalism. I'd go so far as to say that we are 20-25 years overdue on this change. The Cuban American community, particularly the older generation, still has some heft in American politics, so any changes along this line will come incrementally.

Happy Tea Partying

I feel deficient for not being able to attend tomorrow's tea party in Madison, especially considering the fact that I do not work all that far away. But that's kind of the point...I have to work. Take pictures for me, everyone.

The Cult Lives On

Sigh. I saw several examples this weekend of Obamessiah syndrome. I was hoping that more people had come to their senses, but it seems that many still think that he can walk on the water he turns into wine.

Volcano on Galpagos Islands Erupts, Threatens Exotic Species

Nature at its finest.

Ecuador officials say a volcano is erupting in the Galapagos Islands and could harm unique wildlife.

The Galapagos National Park says La Cumbre volcano began spewing lava, gas and smoke on uninhabited Fernandina Island on Saturday after four years of inactivity.

Word is the the UN will convene to condemn the environment for the environmental damage it is doing to the environment.

Blogger, Commentor Engaged. So Fracking What?

I've only been casually following da blogs in recent week, but I did notice the kerfuffle over UW law prof & blogger Ann Althouse's pending nuptials with a man she met through her comment section. I'm not understanding what the big deal is here. Who gives a rat's patoot? People meet the ones they love in any number of places, and the comment section of a blog seems much more sane than one of the most common places, the tavern.

A New Career?

I was in Borders the other night and I saw a book on the Chicago Cubs. I began to think about how boys and their fathers are about sports. Most times, the boy will cheer along with his father for the same teams, but some boys will intentionally choose the rivals to their dad's favorite team, if only to spice things up. My boy's grandfather is like that, as are more than one of his great-uncles to be.

So I started to mull over ways to encourage my boy to cheer on my favorite teams, besides the obvious immersion technique of swamping him with Packers, Brewers, Badgers, and Bucks. I think I hit on something that would work. I'm going to write a series of children's books. The first book in the series is going to be called "Why the Chicago Cubs...Eat Children." I plan to follow that up with "Why the Chicago Bears...Hate Your Mommy" (Or maybe "The Monsters of the Midway Under Your Bed") and "The Lost Kids and The Purple People Eaters."

I know, the titles sound horrible, and they will give kids bad dreams. But remember, nightmares fade, but the indignity of being a Cubs, Bears, or Vikings fan lives on forever.

Geithner Plays the Fool, Again

I declare shenanigans against the Obama administration:

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner denied on Sunday the Obama administration was crafting bailout initiatives to allow companies to evade limits on executive pay and other restrictions imposed by Congress.

"No, that's not true," Geithner said when asked about a report in Saturday's Washington Post that the White House was trying to allow some exceptions.

They tread a fine line. They want power and control over over the financial and other industries, but they also know that those individuals will fund their re-election effort in three years. Look for the loopholes to abound. Geithner doesn't realize it yet, but he'll be the fall guy when the public figures out that these executives have work-arounds that allow them to still make their money. And Obama will get his donations in '11-'12. In a way, I feel sorry for the dumb bastard.

I say let's be honest and transparent about this. Don't limit their pay. If they fail and make huge money, then they will be open to the judgement of their stockholders. All this administration is doing right now is making executive compensation more difficult to track.

Earning the Digits

If she didn't give this guy her phone number after this, a crime occurred.

It doesn't look like he tried to capitalize on the opportunity, though.

Update
I showed the lovely Mrs. Jib this video. She had two thoughts. #1: Digits would have been called for if he gave her the ball. #2: In the interest of Darwinism, he should have let the ball hit her for being oblivious to a Major League game while sunbathing beyond the left-center field wall.

Dumb Headlines

Today's edition of Dumb Headlines features Time via Yahoo:

Unemployment Rise Shows Recession Far from Over

Perhaps the recession is far from over, but the unemployment rise isn't what shows it. Unemployment is a lagging economic indicator. It shows what employers were facing, not what they are facing. Yes, last month's increase in unemployment could mean less consumer spending for this month. Employers tend to cut jobs beyond the point at which an economy starts to turn around, though, so deciphering where we are right now from it is a foggy art at best.

Bonus Classic TV Intro

I'm not sure how many out there remember this one, but I used to watch Grizzly Adams re-runs on weekend mornings all the time. Fortunately, I had enough common sense to realize that bears aren't any man's best friend.

The Weekend's Classic TV Intro

I've been AWOL, but I haven't forgotten my new feature. Enjoy one that always makes me feel better, the intro to Cheers.

A Thought on this Economy

We are in a deep recession, no doubt about it. And it has been a long time since we've experienced something like this. It used to be that recessions were deep, painful, and relatively frequent. Because they were frequent, people knew what to expect, and they didn't panic. But now we've gone 25 plus years since our last deep recession, and even those amongst who were productive members of the economy at that time have been partially numbed to the pain.

So here we are, terrified that we are looking at the abyss, standing on the ledge of a new Great Depression. I won't lie-we could very well be in that position. Something is nagging at me, though. Yes, leveraged (homes, cars, luxury goods) spending is way off. Yes, business spending is down as companies batten down the hatches. Yes, consumer spending is taking a beating because of unemployment and over-indebtedness. Yet I still see a lot of people, as nervous and as stressed as they are about the economy, spending money like they always have. For instance, I know of 7 people who have (or will be) taken expensive trips outside of this country in the period between December and this coming May. None of them are filthy rich-they are in the lower to upper middle class range.

A contraction in this economy is necessary. We got ourselves into an over-leveraged, over-priced situation across the board, and that has to be corrected. And if we just get out of the way, we'd find that the pain, while bad, doesn't hurt as much as we'd feared. Yet for the last 6 months, our government has acted out of that fear, and just as we start to claw our way out of this, we may very well get slapped in the face by worse problems that we've allowed our government to create.

RIP, General Motors

I've cringed listening to some defend Rick Wagoner today. I think that his leadership at GM was marked by desperate attempts to pull demand forward with unsustainable incentive schemes and desperate attempts to push losses back through accounting tricks. There is plenty of blame to go around for GM's current state, and he owns his fair share.

Just the same, today's the day GM died. It is now the government's car company, President Obama's car company. Technically, it is still alive, but the day the federal government shunted aside share owners to depose the head of the company and possibly the board of directors will be remembered as the day the company went brain dead. I don't think Wagoner deserved to remain as the head of that company, but that decision wasn't rightfully mine and it wasn't the government's. But this government feels that there are no limits on its power. Unless the American people come to their senses and pull back the reigns on this government, it is only going to get much, much worse.

If I Were Black...

...it would really piss me off to hear so many white liberals complimenting Barack Obama for being articulate, as though that skill was a foreign concept.

But since I'm not, I'll just say that it would be a better compliment, regardless of race, to be called competent rather than articulate.

The Weekend's Classic TV Intro

Everything is too depressing right now. Your 401K is crashing, you're worrying about your job, there is no hope on the horizon. In times like these, it is best to gravitate to warm memories of old. As such, I'm beginning "Classic TV Intro" here at Jiblog. Hopefully everyone will be able to bask in the warmth of a memory from their younger, happier days. Today's classic intro comes from my young 'un years, when I was blissfully unaware of "stagflation". I present the intro to CHiPs:

Why Not Just a Best Buy Gift Card, Barack?

This should be a national embarrassment:

As he headed back home from Washington, Gordon Brown must have rummaged through his party bag with disappointment.

Because all he got was a set of DVDs. Barack Obama, the leader of the world's richest country, gave the Prime Minister a box set of 25 classic American films - a gift about as exciting as a pair of socks.

[...]

The Prime Minister gave Mr Obama an ornamental pen holder made from the timbers of the Victorian anti-slave ship HMS Gannet.

The unique present delighted Mr Obama because oak from the Gannet's sister ship, HMS Resolute, was carved to make a desk that has sat in the Oval Office in the White House since 1880.

Meh. It's the thought that counts, right? I hear President Sarkozy in France is jacked for his first visit from President Obama because our state gift is expected to be sixteen slices of Kraft singles. (If you notice my sarcasm, it is because I'm laying it on pretty thick.)

D-list stars in Hollywood get better bling bags than the leader of the nation with which we've had the tightest relationship for years. Maybe I'm just too dumb to undestand dear leader's method of repairing those foreign relationships destroyed by Bush et al.

But maybe I'm too hard on the President. Perhaps after all of our recent spending, 25 DVD's is all we could afford to give.

A Stunning 45 Days

Stunning may not even do the first days of the Obama administration justice. Numbing might be an even more appropriate term. Certainly not in my lifetime has there been such a naked grab by the left for both socialism and power through dollars in this country. In the thirties, people feared that Roosevelt was tempted by the idea of dictatorship. Obama, via Rahm Emmanuel's policy of never letting a good crisis go to waste, has made a balls-out grab at total control. While we get poorer as private industry becomes more and more terrified, he and his party spend more and more money that doesn't exist. These are indeed frightening times, and Obama still has 55 days until the first 100 have passed. His campaign got the change part right, but they completely struck out on hope.

An Unpopular Thought

The Libertarian party is a great place for a person to land when they want to explore the intellectual concepts of theories without ever having to confront the punch in the face reality tends to give to theory. But then again, it is nice to take the high ground that comes with never having to defend policies in practice.

I think libertarians are a necessary part of the Republican party and a complimentary, inter-meshed partner to conservatism. But the condescension that comes from some Libertarians who never have to face the full frontal assault of the political system in this country is quite tiring at times. I'd love to see pure Libertarians try to govern while eschewing pragmatism if it wouldn't ultimately end up being such a mess.

(To understand this post is to understand the difference between Big-L and little-l libertarianism.)

Breaking! NY Times: Obama Going Gray!

On the one hand, I'm sympathetic to arguments that we are all worse off without the reporting done by newspapers. Then I see what passes as a story at the Gray Lady: For Young President, Flecks of Gray. If I need to point out the absurdity of a story about a man in his 40's in a stressful job going gray, please just go back to the hard hitting journalism in the paper of record.

If the Times was writing stories about whose fingerprints were on the various stimulous/bailout/bankrupt ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren plans, then I'd mourn the death of papers more. Unfortunately, stories like this just go to show that the papers are doing it to themselves. They've long since abdicated their self-appointed role as the watchdogs of democracy.

Enjoy the Strength of the Dollar While it Lasts

Because with the Obama administration treating hundreds of billions of dollars like chump change, the dollar will be on par with the peso soon enough:

President Barack Obama's budget outline for the 2010 fiscal year includes a 10-year, $634-billion reserve fund to help pay for his proposed healthcare reforms, a White House official said on Wednesday.

When I started to see the economy deteriorate grossly in September/October in my own profession, I knew that neither presidential candidate would be the right person to handle the crisis. I actually worried a bit more about McCain because he was a self-admitted economic dunce. Little did I realize that Obama was even worse. If this guy continues to spew money by the hundreds of billions, we will eventually look at Confederate and Monopoly money with warm regard.

Andy Richter to be Conan O'Brien's Tonight Show Sidekick

This pleases me:

Mr. Richter, who served as Mr. O’Brien’s sidekick during the first eight years of “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” on NBC, is returning as the announcer for “Tonight” when Mr. O’Brien takes over in June. Mr. Richter, who will also perform in sketches on “Tonight,” left “Late Night” in 2000 to pursue acting and starred in several network comedy series, including “Andy Barker, P.I.,” which was produced by Mr. O’Brien’s company.

Richter played a big role in righting O'Brien's ship on Late Night, and it seems right that he'll be joining Conan on the Tonight Show.

Biden: Stimulus to "Drop Kick" Economy

Ol' Joe Biden says that the stimulus is going to "Drop Kick" the economy.

But the press isn't reporting all that Joe said. Luckily, you have this intrepid blogger to tell you the rest of what ol' Joe said.

As the discussion progressed, Biden also said that:

-He and Obama were going to body slam the unemployment rate.
-The Obama administration would lock Iran up in a figure-four leg lock.
-He asked Afghanistan if they smelled what Barack was cookin'.
-He also indicated that the U.S. would gladly take China on in a Lumberjack match.
-Declared that Biden 3:16 says that he (Biden) just kicked Sarah Palin's ass.

In all seriousness, I just saw video of Biden talking. Is that a bruise on his forehead, or did he go after himself with a Sharpie?

California's Marijuana Plan Won't Work

California is currently considering a bill that would legalize and tax marijuana. It is being hailed as the source of, according to some sources, up to $1 billion in new revenues for the state. It seems like a plan with little or no downside and, knowing the state of California's proclivity for shallow depths of thought, it'll probably pass. But it will fail, and here's why.

The plan can only be successful under one perfect scenario: The black market for pot instantly dies and several companies quickly move in with a ready-for-market marijuana supply and distribution network. You'd have to be stoned out of your gourd to think that will be the case.

Instead, here's what will happen. The law will pass, and the black market will continue while producers set up their supply and distribution channels. Some big companies will get into this because they will already have the distribution channels but not the product. Some well positioned black market suppliers will get involved because they will have the product, but not the distribution channels. Marijuana of unpredictable qualities will begin to hit California stores but, because of the state's desire for pot to be a cash cow, it will be damned expensive.

So consumers will be faced with a choice. They can buy over the counter pot at an extreme premium at no harm to themselves because, by state law, possession will be legal. Or, they can buy from their same old supplier at lower prices and trustworthy quality at no harm to themselves because, by state law, possession will be legal. If you think consumers will choose the former en masse, I have some highly taxed, high quality orega...er, marijuana you may be interested in.

Bill Clinton is Right

You aren't going to see that headline very often around here, but former President Clinton is right. President Obama does need to switch off his apocalyptic rhetoric on the economy:

Now, former President Clinton says he thinks President Barack Obama should talk more optimistically about the prospects that the nation will recover from its current deep economic woes.

Clinton said he wants Obama to assure the people that America will surmount this problem. But at the same time, the former president said in an interview broadcast Friday on ABC's "Good Morning America" that "I like the fact that he didn't come in and give us a bunch of happy talk."

A president who blows smoke on the economy isn't very useful, either, mind you, but there is a mass psychology component to any deep economic recession. A president needs to be able to strike a cautious tone on the topic of the bad economy while conveying long term optimism. What happened to the hope, President Obama?

A Tonight Show Prediction

NBC is about to go through one of their rare transition of Tonight Show hosts. Because of the rarity, this is a story in and of itself. This transition has added intrigue, which seems to be the pattern with NBC and Jay Leno endeavors. There is much being written about Conan O'Brien taking over the Tonight Show with Jay Leno still, in effect, leading him in with a new show at 9 central. Can O'Brien book guests when his biggest competitor will be his pre-local news lead in? Will his style work with the Tonight Show?

I think the answer to both questions is yes. When it comes to booking guests, things will be difficult for O'Brien in the beginning, but that isn't anything he hasn't already dealt with in his career. Leno's prime time spot will be much more appealing to booking agents-at first. The problem Leno is going to face is that his show is going to be a radical change for prime time viewers. Currently, he is the host of a talk/comedy show that is nice to go to bed to. At his earlier position, he is going to be viewed as a variety show, and variety shows have a very poor record over the past 30 years. I expect that we'll see high initial ratings for Leno's new show that drop off very fast as the novelty wears off and viewers migrate to other channels.

I enjoy Leno's Tonight Show and I watch it over Letterman most nights. But Leno's Tonight Show isn't even a shadow of Carson's. While nobody will ever reach Carson levels with the Tonight Show again, O'Brien might actually have a shot of being mentioned in the same breath as Carson. If you ever watched Johnny's shows, you know that the skits and the spontaneity were huge components of Carson's command of the show. But in his later years, the skits became less frequent, less amusing, and the show less spontaneous. That was probably a component of Carson's aging and mellowing. Yet Leno has stripped all of that fun out of the Tonight Show. His skits generally aren't all that funny, and spontaneity is an infrequent component of his shows. He found a way to take back late night after the Hugh Grant affair, but his show is staid and somewhat boring.

O'Brien has not displayed as much spontaneity as Carson, but his shows have been decidedly less conservative than those of Leno's. While some components of that will be toned down, I expect O'Brien to bring some of the Carson fun back to the show. It will take some people a while to adjust, and his ratings will probably suffer in the first one to two years. But as some of that Carson fun comes back to the show, so will the ratings.

What will history call the current economic mess?

A: They'll call it a debt crisis, and they will bemoan the fact that it took us so long to figure out that it was the debt side of our ledger that was the real problem, not the credit. They'll also look askance at our choice to debt ourselves out of a debt crisis.

Equailty Gone Wild

Women can now have a place in honest to goodness pissing contests. Introducing the Go Girl:

There are a lot of Twin Cities businesses, but this one is kind of delicate. Minnetonka's Go-Girl.com sells a device that lets women to go to the bathroom standing up -- or, as they would say, just "Go Girl."

Sarah Dillon draws plenty of attention when she drives around town. It's hard to miss the pink car and its Go Girl logos.

"I'll have people yell out to me, 'What's a Go Girl?" she said. "And in a nutshell, it's a product that allows a woman to stand up and go to the bathroom."

There is something so wrong about that product. You just don't expect to see "Cindy" with a heart-dotted i written in the snow.

Sidebar: Actually, after writing the story as, ahem, delicately as I could, I've decided this sidebar is best told in a loud bar after many beers. Let's just say, some women have been known to "Go Girl" without the aid of a Go Girl.

Gregg Backs Out of Post He Never Should Have Accepted

Senator Judd Gregg decides Commerce Secretary won't work for him:

Sen. Judd Gregg abruptly withdrew his nomination as commerce secretary Thursday, telling Politico that he “couldn’t be Judd Gregg” and serve in Barack Obama’s Cabinet.

The White House — where some aides were caught off guard by the withdrawal — initially responded harshly to Gregg’s announcement, portraying the New Hampshire Republican as someone who sought the job and then had a “change of heart.”

Applaud him for eventually make a smart decision, but he never should have been lured to begin with. This wasn't an example of "a team of rivals"; it was an example of a naked political ploy to try to get the Democrats over the 60 senator hump by luring a senator they thought they could control into the cabinet.

The $789 Stimulus Bill?!?!

I loved this typo today at MarketWatch:

















A $789 stimulus. That's a bill I can get on board with.

President Obama has "Political Capital"

Heh. I love stuff like President Obama justifying his positions by saying "I won" and stories like this:

Nearly seven in ten Americans approve of the way President Barack Obama is doing his job, giving him enormous political capital as he pushes Congress to give him unprecedented tools to fight economic crisis, according to a new McClatchy-Ipsos poll.

Spend that political capital, Mr. President (and by all indications, you are spending it like a congressional stimulus). Be President Bush, President Obama. Spend that arrogant political capital. See where it gets you the next four years after your hubris hits the brick wall of reality.

Private Sector Best Practice v. Government Best Practice

Thomas Sowell very succinctly sums up why many people prefer the private sector and cringe at the thought of government incringing upon their private lives.

Human beings are going to make mistakes, whether in the market or in the government. The difference is that survival in the market requires recognizing mistakes and changing course before you go bankrupt. But survival in politics requires denying mistakes and sticking with the policies you advocated while blaming others for the bad results.

Wise words to keep in the back of your head as you watch Washington try to control the economy.

A Stimulus Based Prediction

I've been mulling over the economy and the current desperate attempts in Washington to save it, and I'm growing confident enough in one thing to make a prediction. If and when this massive stimulus gets passed, it will lead to a level of graft and corruption in Washington that will make every other era of governance in the District of Columbia look like golden eras of ethical governance. In other words, in about three to five years, Washington will begin to look a lot more like Chicago.

Your Morning Bad News. And Chuckle.

Here ya go:

The current global recession is "the most serious for over 100 years", cabinet minister Ed Balls has said.

Mr Balls, a former economic adviser to Gordon Brown, said it was "more extreme and more serious than that of the 1930s", the Yorkshire Post reported.

The bad news is some British dude thinks the financial sky is falling.  The good news is nobody refers to you as "Mr. Balls."

Cutting Through The Crap On the Economy

I read this earlier today and I knew I had to post it in full. I hope National Review can forgive me, but Victor Davis Hanson gets to the nut of the current economic situation:

There is a great disconnect about the stimulus bill. Understandably Obama, in pushing for it, made the argument that the last eight years got us into this mess. So why, he asks, are his critics calling for more of the same? But are they really?

The weird thing is that economy got over-stimulated with massive deficits, cheap Chinese capital, low interest rates, inflated houses, and climbing food and fuel costs. The stimulus medicine is sort of like telling an exhausted sprinter that collapses after being unable to keep up the unrealistically fast pace that his cure is to get up immediately and try excessive sprinting again.

In short, things are upside down: The conservatives are mad that Bush over-spent, and suddenly when out of power want to restore fiscal sanity, while Obama says that the Bush borrowing brought on this mess and must be addressed by more borrowing. What is what? Conservatives suddenly are once again fiscal purists when out of power? Liberals blame Bush for reckless Keynesian spending and want to cure it by more of the same?

Few tell the truth: The conservatives should say 'Mea culpa—our deficit spending and borrowing helped to get us into this mess, so we've seen the error of our ways, and want you liberals not to repeat our mistakes.' And the liberals should say, 'Bush on the budget was one of us in borrowing and spending and priming, so we can't really trash the last eight years since we're now advocating more of the same.'

We have a significant debt issue that is at the heart of this downturn. Governments-domestic and foreign-are deeply in debt. Financial institutions are over leveraged. Companies have over extended themselves. American consumers are collectively up to their eyeballs in debt. That indebtedness needs to be addressed before any kind of strong, long term recovery can take place. Yet the brilliant economic minds in Washington are trying to get us out of this mess by stimulating more debt.

Look, we did need to do something to prevent credit markets from freezing. Credit is a vital part of the global economy, and had the credit markets seized up for a prolonged period of time, it would have been disastrous. The goal now seems to be to debt ourselves out of this mess, and that is exactly the wrong impulse to be indulging. A long, slow recovery is probably in order as economic entities at all levels get their debt loads back to manageable levels. Instead, I see us hitting a recovery late in '09, early in '10 that fires up inflation while growth significantly lags. That is going to lead us right back into the economic pits.

A Brief Thought on the "Stimulus" Bill

There is so much pork in the "stimulus" bill, it is the legislative version of that bacon-wrapped pork sausage recipe that was making the rounds last month.

Obama's Honeymoon With Media Nearly Over

Will wonders never cease? The Messiah has turned the media in record time. The AP...yes, the Associated Press...calls him out over pork in the porkulus bill:

At least Route 31 is a road to somewhere. President Barack Obama had it both ways Monday when he promoted his stimulus plan in Indiana and later at a prime-time news conference. He bragged in Indiana about getting Congress to produce a package with no pork, yet boasted it will do good things for a Hoosier highway and a downtown overpass, just the kind of local projects lawmakers lard into big spending bills.

President Obama has no idea what he is in for. He promised hope, and every example of of politics-as-usual is going to be seen as a betrayal of that promise by his biggest supporters (and potentially biggest thorns in his side), the media.

On Congress and Bailouts

This Congress is like a fat cat at a Friskies factory. They are binging in a way that can only be detrimental to the economy, not helpful. Eventually, there will be an involuntary purge, possibly in the form of stagflation that makes the 1970's look like a walk in the park.

Word to the Wise

Now that it is official that Alex Rodriguez was as steroid-tainted as the rest of them, I have a word of wisdom to everyone who thinks there may be a clean, white knight of this era of baseball: Ken Griffey Jr. probably isn't clean, either. He exhibited bulking up similar to some others, and he also experienced muscle injuries that are common to users.

The sooner we all face it, the better. There are no "greats" from this era of baseball. All who might be considered all-time greats are tainted because their egos were just too strong. Hall of Fame voters will need to come to grips with this. They will either need to outcast an entire generation of ball players, or come to terms with the fact that a lot of special players would have been special in any era but tried to inflate their standing by illegal means, but by means that were not outlawed by the rules of Major League Baseball.

The Day the Music Died

Best Fried Cheese Curds in Wisconsin?

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is soliciting people's opinion on the best fried cheese curds in Wisconsin. So many places are serving crummy fried cheddar nuggets these days that I think their comment thread is a great resource for cheese curd aficionados. For my money, the best two places to get fried cheese curds in the state are the Old Fashioned in Madison and the Northern Wisconsin State Fair in Chippewa Falls.

Pittsburgh Wins Sixth Super Bowl

...But that fumble really should have been booth reviewed. The Steelers would have likely won no matter what, but I think a case can be made for that being a forward pass. If I were a Cardinal fan, I'd be incensed that they didn't even look at it.

Well, If Voters Are Dumb Enough To Buy It

Nancy Pelosi:

“I didn’t come here to be partisan. I didn’t come here to be bipartisan. I came here, as did my colleagues, to be nonpartisan, to work for the American people, to do what is in their interest."

Nonpartisan? Did she say that with a straight face or a smirk and a wink? Her party is anything but nonpartisan, and the stimulus bill (which she was discussing) is her party's gluttonous gorging on years of pent up spending wishes.

At at time when the media can't get enough of stories about wasteful spending in the corporate world, they give Pelosi and company a free pass on wasteful spending because by their logic, any government spending is good, sound, economic stimulus. And they also largely ignore bald faced lies like this one from Nancy Pelosi.

The Fathers of Global Warming

Via Drudge, KUSI brings us a fascinating history of the global warming movement, and by this account, it all starts with one scientist looking for a way to keep the funding flowing, and it leads to what our friends on the left might call "Big Science."

As a global warming skeptic, I find this historical arc a little too good to be true from my vantage point, the dots connecting in an almost too convenient manner. Still, it looks like a good jumping off point for further reading on the movement.

A Distrubing Search Query

This evening Jiblog had a disturbing search result. That search result was for the query "teen agers disappear in fort atkinson". I'll admit that I find this search worrisome and that I've saved a screen shot of the limited information that Sitemeter provides, just in case.

In Defense of Citigroup

Private jets are a touchy subject these days and Citigroup is the most recent company in the hot seat:

Citigroup could be in some hot water over reports that the bank, which has received tens of billions of dollars in government bailout money, is buying a brand new $50 million corporate jet for its executives.

The move could infuriate Congressional representatives who eviscerated auto executives in November for flying down to Washington in their corporate jets to ask for billions of dollars in aid under the government’s $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Awful, right? Well, think before you bitch:

A Citigroup spokesperson told DealBook that he could not confirm the reports that the bank was set to take control of a new jet, citing “security” concerns. “Executives are encouraged to fly commercial whenever possible to reduce expenses,” Citi said in a statement.

Look at that key phrase that I've bolded and engage your brain for a minute. You don't just order jets like you order books on Amazon.com. This order was likely placed long before the financial world went to hell in a hand basket last fall, and Citigroup would have probably taken a charge that would have been a significant percentage of the plane had they not taken the order. At least now it is an asset on the corporate ledger that can be sold down the line, if necessary.

Large corporate expenditures are not like buying a DVD player at Walmart-you don't have a 30 return policy. Additionally, you can't have your cake and eat it, too; you can't complain about the lack of economic activity and also bitch at a company for spending money. In the current economic environment, you've got to tolerate one or the other, and each has its unpalatable consequences.

The Revised Jiblog Economic Outlook

I'll admit it. In the third and fourth quarters of last year, I was hoping for a 1982-esque economic downturn. If it had leveled off, I was confident we'd start to rebound in the second half. After watching the economic news of the past few weeks, I've become certain that we've got a couple of rounds of downward cycling to go yet. The quantities of layoffs is such that I can't fathom any substantive rebound until the second half of 2010 at the earliest. Hold on to you seats, my friends, and if you haven't already, starting showing your superiors at work how important you are and how much more important you can be in a downsized company.

Random Thought From A Month Ago

I had this thought in an airport at the beginning of the month, and then I forgot about it until now: If you are outraged by Bernard Madoff, you should be ready to take up arms over the government Ponzi Scheme called Social Security. Unfortunately, too many of us are more like rats fighting to get the last of the cheese before it is gone.

As for me, well, I've been resigned for years to the fact that I won't see penny one of what I'm paying in. I consider it just one of many debts I'll be paying off on behalf of the last two generations. And I'm willing to do it as long as my child's generation can start to carry this country upward again.

'Green' Will Not Be a Detroit Panacea

Well, Big Three. Ya got your bailout. Enjoy your deal with the devil.

President Barack Obama wants automakers to make greener cars at a time when General Motors and Chrysler are hanging by the thread of a massive government loan and auto sales have plummeted to their lowest levels in more than two decades.

Obama's plans could bring smaller cars, more hybrids and advanced fuel-saving technologies to showrooms, but car shoppers will probably pay more upfront because the new rules are expected to cost the hamstrung industry billions of dollars. (emphasis mine)

That will work out well for Detroit. Why is the American auto industry, nay, the global auto industry suffering today? A big part of it is because people either can't afford to buy new cars or uncertainty about their jobs is leaving them too afraid to make the financial commitment. So what is Washington going to do? Force Detroit to make cars that are more expensive than the market can bear because they believe we all want to pay more in this time of economic paralysis for a car because it'll save Gaia. Bub-bye Detroit. We'll miss ya. All hail Toyota!

The Gore Global Warming Tour To Be Snowed Out

Ahh, this is my favorite part of the last few winters. Al Gore prepares to blow his hot air while the winds of winter threaten:

Al Gore is scheduled before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday morning to once again testify on the 'urgent need' to combat global warming.

But Mother Nature seems ready to freeze the proceedings.

A 'Winter Storm Watch' has been posted for the nation's capitol and there is a potential for significant snow... sleet... or ice accumulations.

It seems like this happens to Al a couple of times a year. Of course, the up tick in extreme winter weather isn't just nature being nature, but just another sign of global warming. I love how they cover their bases like that. It is like saying that there is global drying, but monsoons are a direct symptom of it.

History Re-Folded

Huh. This wasn't what I was expecting when I asked for history to be re-folded, but it works, I guess.

Yay! Wrinkle-free history!

History Unfolded Before Our Eyes Yesterday

Now somebody please fold it back up.  History is getting wrinkled.

On FDR, the New Deal, and the Great Depression

I know that a lot of people out there are encouraging the incoming Obama administration to take heed of the example of FDR and the New Deal, some even encouraging a "new" New Deal. I caution against that approach to the economy, and I do so by eschewing the traditional economic debates on the issue.

Instead, I ask you to think of it this way. If Obama were to follow FDR's historical path and time line, then we will begin to claw our way out of this economic mess sometime in or after 2016, and then at least in part to a global conflagration that completely reorganizes the economy from a production footing to a 'destruction' footing. Does a seven plus year plan really sound all that appealing?

And that assumes that, after 70 plus years of deficit spending, we can even afford to respond to a global conflagration in the same manner we did then. Perhaps there is a better way than a "new" New Deal.

And So Begins the Great American Tradition...

...of the People falling out of love with their chosen President. Congratulations, President Obama, and enjoy today. If you are successful, by about year six of your presidency the nation will be sick of you. If not, well, they'll come to loathe you much sooner.

That's not the partisan in me speaking, it's just the way of the modern presidency in today's age of short attention spans.

Video of Flight 1549 Landing in the Hudson

This is something else.

U.S. Airways 1549 Lands on Water

Unbelievable.

Shock, relief, gratitude. Most of all, the soaked and freezing passengers of Flight 1549 just seemed amazed to be alive.

All of them.

"You've got to give it to the pilot," said Jeff Kolodjay of Norwalk, Conn., who was aboard the US Airways jet that ditched in the frigid Hudson River after an apparent collision with a flock of birds. "He made a hell of a landing."

"He was phenomenal," echoed Joe Hart, of Long Island, a salesman with investment firm ING.

"He landed it — I tell you what — the impact wasn't a whole lot more than a rear-end (collision). It threw you into the seat ahead of you. Both engines cut out, and he actually floated it into the river," he added.

I've flown a lot in my life, and I've always discounted any talk about flotation devices. I thought that I knew enough about the physics of an airplane hitting water at high speeds to know that it wasn't going to work. Maybe from now on I'll pay attention to my flotation devices, just in case I have an incredible pilot like this one.

Thoughts on Kickers

I really don't know why the subject of kickers and punters has been on my mind lately, but it has. Here are the two thoughts that cursing me:

Whatever happened to barefoot kickers and punters? If you were an NFL fan in the '80s, then you can remember a time when numerous kickers and punters used to kick barefooted. As someone who grew up in a northern climate and who has damn near shattered his foot a few times kicking a football in the cold, I always found it idiotic. As such, I never paid much attention as the practice disappeared from the game until one day I noticed that nobody did it anymore. So what did happen?

Well, there are two theories. This one, put forth by Chuck Klosterman at ESPN, proclaims barefoot kicking to be a fad in a sport prone to fads. Possible, but it didn't seem like a very strong theory. The second theory seems much more plausible. Apparently, barefoot kicking is banned at the high school level in 48 states. Because of that, most kickers are learning to kick with shoes on. Changing to a barefoot style in college after growing comfortable kicking with feet clad in cleats could affect performance and therefore be seen as a risk not worth taking. So let's put the reason for the extinction of the barefoot kicker at 10% theory #1 and 90% theory #2.

Why is there no outrage over the lack of black kickers? When it comes to the NFL, race and the QB position have been a sensitive topic for years. But there is one position on a football team that has been decidedly non-black, and that is the kicker position. Where is the outrage, people?

The Origin of Football's Penalty Flag

Ever wonder who thought of the penalty flag? Me either, but Youngstown State University has the story for you.

Before the introduction of the penalty flag, the officials used horns and whistles to signal a penalty. This made it difficult for fans and the media to know that there was an infraction on the field because they could not hear the signal.

Beede said, "I always disliked the fish horn signal, figured it was a nuisance, irritating to the ears."

Jack McPhee, who was an official during the first game the penalty flag was used said, "Through the use of the signal flag, everyone in the stadium knows that something is wrong. It’s been a big help."

Beede came up with idea of the flag and had his wife sew it together. His wife, Irma Beede, later became known as the ‘Betsy Ross of Football’ because she sewed the first flags together. He asked her to make a flag that had a bright color (red) with white stripes. The flags were put together using pieces of the Beede’s daughter’s old Halloween costume for the red part of the flag and an old sheet for the white part. She used some lead sinkers from Beede’s fishing tackle box to weigh it down. It was 16 inches square with the weight all at one end of the flag. The flag has been modified over the years and today it is yellow cloth that has sand in it to weigh it down.

Beede came to an agreement with Oklahoma City Coach Os Doenges to use the flags as an experiment. Beede proceeded to ask the game officials to use the flag.

"Do me a favor boys, instead of using the horns, try dropping these flags on violations. The fans never hear the horns. Besides its just an experiment."

When you go to a Super Bowl party or a bar for the NFC/AFC Championship games, drop that one on your buddies to show them your Cliff Claven-esque knowledge of the game.

UFO over Jersey, or Me?

I find this story funny.

Was it a UFO or is there an explanation for it?

Strange, red, blinking lights could be seen across Morris County on Monday night, and officials thought they had figured out what caused them.

Now, they're not so sure.

Between 8:30 and 9 p.m., the Hurley family in Whippany captured images of a bizarre object in the sky and contacted WCBSTV.com.

Why do I find it funny? Because I was in approximately that airspace at just about that time. I saw nothing but other planes heading to New York/New Jersey airports.

The UFOs must have been on the other side of the plane.

Thanks, National Democrats!

I was getting worried that conservatism, because of its necessary ties to the Republican party, was going to walk with the party through the desert for sometime. After all, a lot of good will and "political capital" has been squandered over the years, and not just by President Bush. But just as the Democrats float to the top, they show that it probably isn't because they are the cream. First, they will probably rescind the portion of the Contract with America that opens up the participation of the minority party in the House, even though their power play through parliamentary rules is part of what led to the Republican Revolution in 1994. Now they refuse to seat a seemingly clean, albeit self-adoring, black Senate appointee from Illinois who is political poison because he was appointed by a dirty Democrat Governor. President Obama will need to walk on water and turn carbon dioxide into beer in order to save his party from itself in 2010 and 2012.

Psst! Yeah You. Shh! Did Ya Know Bush Reads?

I meant to comment on this last week, but I was doing a lot of running. It is a story that got under my skin something awful, and I'll explain why after the snippet.

It is perhaps something they should have told us sooner: George W. Bush is a voracious reader. “In the 35 years I’ve known George W. Bush, he’s always had a book nearby,” writes Karl Rove in last weekend’s Wall Street Journal.

It was a story much commented on by various writing airheads who expressed surprise, and some of whom saw the titles Bush chose as somehow intellectually insulating. Well, I've got a surprise for them. I've known for probably six years that President Bush was a voracious reader. It really wasn't a surprise, unless of course you are the type that thought the President was a chimp and a dullard. Of course, if you are in that camp, it also marks you as intellectually incurious and insulated, because Bush's love for reading has been much written about in non-liberal, non-BDS circles for years.

Define "Burn"

This is an unpleasant story:

An Australian woman has appeared in court in Adelaide charged with murdering her husband by setting fire to his penis.

Rajini Narayan, 44, is alleged to have doused her husband, Satish, with a flammable liquid while he was sleeping.

When she set him alight, Mr Narayan jumped out of bed and knocked over the substance, causing the fire to spread.

Mrs Narayan told the court she had not intended to kill her husband but to punish him for his alleged infidelity.

Mrs. Narayn, it was probably already burning, just not in a way that was manifestly apparent to you.

Oh, the Humanity! or The Seven Modern Media Plagues

First, there was financial calamity. Next, there was threat of SUPERVOLCANO! Now, ebola and bird flu are back:

The authorities in Angola say they have closed part of the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo to prevent the spread of the deadly Ebola virus.

Angolan officials said all movement of people from northern Luande Norte province to DR Congo would be stopped.

The outbreak in DR Congo was the first in Africa in several months and the fourth in DR Congo since 1976.

It is believed to have infected at least 40 people of which more than ten have died.

And:

Just when you thought you could scratch bird flu off your list of things to worry about in 2009, the deadly H5N1 virus has resurfaced in poultry in Hong Kong for the first time in six years, reinforcing warnings that the threat of a human pandemic isn't over.

India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and mainland China also experienced new outbreaks in December. During the same period, four new human cases -- in Egypt, Cambodia and Indonesia -- were reported to the World Health Organization. A 16-year-old girl in Egypt and a 2-year-old girl in Indonesia have died.

When I first conceived this post, my plan was to poke fun at the media's alarmist nature, as I am wont to do. But then I began to think about the seven plagues, and I began to wonder what the modern media's seven plagues were. This is what I came up with:

1. Bird flu/Ebola
2. Economic calamity (famine)
3. Supervolcano/'Big One' earthquakes/Monster tsunamis
4. Asteroid impact
5. Global warming
6. Species Extinction
7. Fresh water scarcity

What say you? Am I missing any?

No Win Situation

Today I had the chance to talk with, or rather listen to, Joe Everyman. It was a most entertaining conversation, but a few things struck me:

1. Joe Everyman was solidly convinced that things have not been this bad since the Great Depression. Joe also took a holiday vacation in the Caribbean on a lark.
2. Joe doesn't think the government is doing enough to protect us from terrorism. Joe is also pissed that we are spending vast sums on the war in Iraq during tough economic times.
3. Joe blamed the U.S. automakers problems on their truck & SUV reliance. Joe drives an American made SUV. A big one.

I liked Joe. I'd enjoy having more conversations with him because there were kernels of wisdom in some of the topics he discussed. But I found these three contradictions very interesting, because they are contradictions that I think are in the belief system of a lot of people, and I find it fascinating. I don't hold him and others in low regard because of this, but I do wonder how these contradictions get rationalized.

And He Shall Call It 'Jiblet'

I'm not really sure what 2009 will bring for this blog, for conservatism, for the nation, or even for the Brewers, Packers, Badgers, and Bucks. But I do know one thing, and that is that, come mid-year, I'm going to have a tiny ally that will keep me up late at night to make many incomprehensible posts. Just something for you all to look forward to...Jibabble with the Jib and the Jiblet.

If you made sense of that post without access to my Facebook or Flickr pages, congratulations. You'll enjoy the Jibabble with the Jiblet.

First Post of the New Year!

Such are the benefits of not having a co-blogger(s).

73,000 Store Closings Possible in First Half

This is disturbing, but at the same time, it is partly an overdue correction:

U.S. retailers face a wave of store closings, bankruptcies and takeovers starting next month as holiday sales are shaping up to be the worst in 40 years.

Retailers may close 73,000 stores in the first half of 2009, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

I was in the retail world from the late 1990's to 2001. I try to be a student of whatever business I am in, and it was no different in retail. The one thing that I always had trouble wrapping my brain around was how so many retailers felt it wise to rapidly expand all at the same time. I mean, I understood that expansion was critical to market share and new revenue while same store sales suffered, but they were moving into smaller and smaller markets that could be challenged to support their stores (while eroding business at existing stores in larger markets), and there was sooo much competitive overlap in so many areas. I've felt for a long time that we were due for a large wave of store closings as competition and poor decisions came home to roost for many retailers. I just didn't think it would be such a tsunami.

Doing It Wrong

I don't mean to make light of this with that headline, but I don't think this kid was serious, and I'll elaborate after the snippet:

One of the central figures in the 2007 Jena Six civil rights case never gave up pursuing his football career, even after his well-publicized run-ins with the law.

Mychal Bell, an 18-year-old high school running back, clung to the hope that he could earn a college football scholarship. Then came another legal scrape this Christmas Eve.

After news broke of his arrest on a shoplifting charge, Bell shot himself in the chest Monday with a .22-caliber handgun. He remained hospitalized Tuesday but police said his chest wound was not life-threatening.

"When it was broadcast that he was charged with shoplifting he just felt that the whole year had been wasted and that he had worked all of that time for nothing," said Louis Scott, who represented Bell in the case where Bell and five other black teenagers were charged in the 2006 beating of a white classmate.

Bell's grandmother, Rosie Simmons, and mother, Melissa Bell, told police that "Mychal had made comments over the past two days that, because of the current media attention he had because of the shoplifting arrest, he didn't feel like he could live anymore," Monroe Police Lt. Jeff Harris said, reading from a police report.

A lot of people threaten to commit suicide. A lot of people try and fail. Some try and succeed, but they are outnumbered by the two former. Usually, when you look at threatened and failed attempts, the thought that pops into your mind is, "they really thought that would work?" That's the vibe I get from this story.

That doesn't mean he doesn't have problems that need to be addressed. He clearly does. But deep down, I'll bet that he didn't really want to die. Those that really want to die are remarkably successful at it, and they tend not to give others the chance to save them. I hope his family gets him the help he needs, because despite his words, deep down I think this kid does want to live.

Yellowstone Gets very Quakey

Yellowstone has had 250 small earthquakes in a very short period of time.

Yellowstone National Park was jostled by a host of small earthquakes for a third straight day Monday, and scientists watched closely to see whether the more than 250 tremors were a sign of something bigger to come. Swarms of small earthquakes happen frequently in Yellowstone, but it's very unusual for so many earthquakes to happen over several days, said Robert Smith, a professor of geophysics at the University of Utah.

"They're certainly not normal," Smith said. "We haven't had earthquakes in this energy or extent in many years."

Cue supervolcano stories in three...two...one. The media is having a field day pumping out stories of economic calamity and personal suffering, but there is one thing they can never resist: A good ol' annihilation of man by nature story.

Christmas Regrets

A lot of people regret things during the Christmas season. For those of you that do have some holiday regrets, I'd like to cheer you up by letting you know that even our biggest Christmas icons have regrets about Christmas 2008.

Five Things Santa Regrets about Christmas 2008
5. He let the reindeer eat Taco Bell the night before the trip.
4. Violating the air space over Dick Cheney's residence the same night he gave him a new shotgun.
3. Stopping to use the bathroom at the Minneapolis airport.
2. Letting Mrs. Claus talk him into wearing the thong she gave him for their anniversary.
1. Not getting a piece of the bail out action.

Five Things Rudolph regrets about Christmas 2008
5. Hitting on Vixen at the company Christmas party.
4. Hitting on Prancer at the company Christmas party.
3. Leading the sleigh into the wind farm that cost Comet his tail.
2. Posing for the holiday spread in Playdoe.
1. That shotgun Santa gave Cheney.

Ten Ways to Welcome 2009

Since economic pessimism is overwhelming, I've decided to offer up ten ways to welcome in the new year amongst this depressing climate. Enjoy.

10. Count down your 401K.

9. As the clock strikes midnight, kiss the spouse you can't afford to divorce.

8. Instead of popping the bubbly, pop an economic bubble.

7. Go to Times Square. Avoid giving money to homeless hedge fund managers.

6. Take your beloved out to a nice, cozy dinner. New Year's Eve is a night to throw caution to the wind, so supersize it.

5. New Year's Eve is a very romantic night to get engaged. As a rule, the ring should cost two months' wages, so take your fifty cents to the quarter machine in the Kmart lobby...

4. Avoid the amateurs and stay in. Most shelters will tune in Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve on the community television if you ask nicely.

3. Ring in the new year with a romantic fire. The steel 55 gallon drum will also radiate heat to keep you warm.

2. Dance the night away. It is said that stripping is recession-proof, and you'll need the money.

1. Fire a gun in the air at midnight. At least in prison, you'll get three squares a day.

Borders Books is Toast

My wife and I are huge fans of Borders Books. It is well known in our "circle" that our favorite date ends with a trip to Borders wherein we pick out books, drink coffee, and largely ignore each other in the Cafe for an hour or two. A favorite Christmas gift of ours is a Borders gift card, but this year, we asked that family and friends not buy them for us out of nervousness inspired by the company's dire financial straights. Still, we held out hope for it. Until today.

At approximately 2 am, I received an email via my Borders Rewards membership. The subject line announced 40% off on everything because of Borders' closing. Stunning news immediately following Christmas, right? Well, there was no news of a Chapter 11 filing by the company. About ten hours later, a correction email was sent out. The deal wasn't for the closing of all Borders' stores, just one in Sacramento.

If you are a company going through very difficult times, that kind of error is inexcusable. We will still patronize Borders because we prefer its atmosphere to that of its competitor. Just the same, I think I may have to prepare the lovely Mrs. Jib for a new locale for our favorite dates because I'm not sure the company is up for the challenge that it faces.

Tom Cruise is now Cinematic Poison

I am currently curled up and watching a History Channel documentary on the the Valkyrie plot to assassinate Hitler. The movie Valkyrie, which opened this holiday weekend, should be right up my alley. But I have no desire to see it, specifically because of Tom Cruise. It looks like it could have been a good movie, but I have lost all tolerance for Tom Cruise the actor. I don't like how he acts, how he portrays characters. As such, I'm unwilling to sink my money into this movie, and will be unlikely to sink it into future Cruise films.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

I did not get around to wishing everyone a Merry Christmas before the 25th, so I'd like to take a moment now to say that I hope that you all had a very joyous Christmas, and that you all have a safe and prosperous new year.

Stalin 3rd Most Popular in Russia

Unbelievable.

Soviet dictator Josef Stalin was voted Russia's third most popular historical figure in a nationwide poll that ended on Sunday, despite the famine and purges that marked his rule.

The "Name of Russia" contest run by Rossiya state television channel over more than six months closed on Sunday night with a final vote via the Internet and mobile phones. It drew more than 50 million votes in a nation of 143 million.

I'm going to make an a poor analogy in order to offer up some scale here. Let's say we held this poll here in the United States and Jeffrey Dahmer was voted the third most popular historical figure. Appalling, right? Now, consider this-by some estimates, Stalin was responsible for 588,235 TIMES more deaths than Dahmer. Now that's beyond appalling.

A Word of Wisdom to the Pro-Pot Legalization Crowd

I know that the 'legalize marijuana' crowd is passionate about their position. I know this because I've been told so by a number of them in between fists full of Cheetos. I urge them to reconsider that position, however. Why? Well, because if they love their bud so much, they should appreciate how cheap their illegal smoke is. Do you really think the government will legalize it without excising their pound of flesh via taxes? After legalization, if you want affordable pot, you'll still need to buy it illegally as the government will levy high taxes on the legal variety. Yeah, you may be able to buy pot legally, but you won't be able to afford your munchies or the cable TV that you'll want to mindlessly stare at for hours.

Get Your BAC While Jammin'

Do you love music? Do you have trouble hitting road signs and peeing on the shoulder of I-94? Maybe you need the iPod Breathalyzer:

Just when you thought the iPod accessory market had seen it all, a company called David Steele Enterprises announced the iBreath- a fully functioning FM Transmitter add-on that doubles as a digital alcohol breathalyzer. That’s right, folks- this little gizmo not only transmits your music wirelessly to your car stereo, it also tells you whether or not you’re “cool to drive.”

The word on the street is that if you blow over .08, your iPod plays I Had a Bad Day until the battery dies to punish you. If sober, it plays Why Don't We Get Drunk (and Screw).

A Twitter Confession

I once visited Twitter. I gave it an honest shot, but I hated it. To this day, I'm still not sure if my loathing resulted from the format or my crotchety, anti-technology age of 32. While this post could very well have been Twittish, I still resent the limits on my loquaciousness.

Yglesias Censure Illuminates Limits of Blogger Muscle

Matthew Yglesias wrote something that his overlords disapproved of, and they made note of it in a post at his blog:

This is Jennifer Palmieri, acting CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

Most readers know that the views expressed on Matt’s blog are his own and don’t always reflect the views of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Such is the case with regard to Matt’s comments about Third Way. Our institution has partnered with Third Way on a number of important projects - including a homeland security transition project - and have a great deal of respect for their critical thinking and excellent work product. They are key leaders in the progressive movement and we look forward to working with them in the future.

This is the conundrum a lot of bloggers face. If they stay unaffiliated in an effort to exert their own editorial position, their influence will often times hit a plateau. Criticism of their allies, however justly deserved, earns them outsider status. If they join up with the establishment, their voices can reach new heights. Unfortunately, their ability to criticize 'allies' becomes muted, and thus their true influence is bottled up. It is the rare blogger that can walk the line and still be effective.

Packers Lose to Bears in OT

I am irrationally angry right now. Irrational because the pattern of this entire season dictated that the Packers would lose this game. Still, I think now would be a good time for me to back away from the blog before I write something I'll regret. (If you want to visualize me right now, think Linus with those squiggly lines over his head).

Observations

I have two observations from life today.

1. The worst winter driver I've encountered in a long time almost rear ended me on the way to work today. I'd been watching him flirting with my bumper for miles and I was very nervous as road conditions were horrible and speeds were varying. Then it happened. The line of traffic slowed to about 15 MPH, and I saw him hauling up on me at about 45. He didn't slow. I'm not even sure he saw me until the last second, when jerked right onto the unplowed shoulder and went around me. He ended up forcing himself back onto the road right in front of me. So what did the sticker on his bumper say? "Society for an Idiot Free America." Here here! I say we start with him.

2. My Christmas spirit has been non-existent until very, very recently. Suffice it to say, I have much Christmas shopping to do and very little time to do it in. So after work, I hit the stores. I made a dent, but by the time I threw in the towel, I wanted to start a fight. The economy may be in the dumps, and people may be spending less, but on a Wednesday night a week before Christmas, there was an obscene number of Christmas shopping zombies in the stores.

State of the Packers

It is probably time we faced some hard truths here in Packerland:

1. The defensive line just is not good. It does not do a good job of stopping the run, it does not do a good job of getting pressure on the QB. It is weakened by injuries, yes, but this unit was supposed to have excellent depth. It does not.

2. The secondary is an exemplary unit...when the defense can get pressure, and when they are in press coverage. When there is no pressure, they can get picked apart as much as any other unit in the league. And when they are in zone, they are average at best.

3. The linebackers seemed at one point to be a particular strength. Unfortunately, that was probably an overestimate. Hawk is a solid player, but not one deserving of his high draft position. Chillar has his strengths in pass coverage...when he can get on the field. Poppinga obviously has photos of Ted Thompson in a compromising position with a 1980's era Packers "cheerleader."

4. The offensive line is a mess. It consists of veterans reaching their downward years and projects. They cannot put together a complete game. The fact that Ryan Grant has had a 1000 yard season is more of an indicator of the meaningless nature of that milestone than the play of the line.

5. The Ryan Grant contract was a big mistake. He should thank Brett Favre for the leverage.

6. Aaron Rodgers is not ready to carry a team on his back. It was unrealistic to think that he would in his first season, and it seems that only Favre Fvans have foisted that expectation upon him. He has had a very good first season, just not good enough to put this team over the top. But here's the good news-if the Packers solve their line problems, he very well may become that QB.

7. This coaching staff is not as good as we thought they were at this point last season.

8. This team was never as good as their 13-3 record last year. I knew it then. They are not as bad as their current 5-9 record, though. They have the talent to be somewhere in between. Unfortunately, somewhere in between isn't going to be good enough for a Super Bowl unless the talent in key areas is upgraded.

Iraqi Reporter Throws Shoes at President Bush

Thankfully, that's all it was.

On an Iraq trip shrouded in secrecy and marred by dissent, President George W. Bush on Sunday hailed progress in the war that defines his presidency and got a size-10 reminder of his unpopularity when a man hurled two shoes at him during a news conference.

"This is a farewell kiss, you dog!" shouted the protester in Arabic, later identified as Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia television, an Iraqi-owned station based in Cairo, Egypt.

Bush ducked both shoes as they whizzed past his head and landed with a thud against the wall behind him.

If you get the chance, watch the video. President Bush is still pretty spry. He might have a future in dodgeball.

A Dark Day for UW Whitewater Students

In Walworth County, Wisconsin, in the city of Whitewater, 18 individuals have been arrested for dealing drugs:

A 10-month undercover investigation by multiple area law enforcement agencies resulted in at least 18 arrests in the City of Whitewater last week.

"It was a good day for law enforcement," Whitewater Police Chief James Coan said last Wednesday.

"Eighteen people were rounded up and arrested on drug-related charges here in Whitewater," Coan confirmed. "Two other subjects are being sought on arrest warrants. This is the culmination of a 10-month undercover investigation conducted by our department, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Police Department and the Walworth County Drug Enforcement Unit.

Whitewater students will now have to struggle to find a pot dealer amongst the dozens and dozens who still remain. (In all seriousness, good for the city, but pot was the most significant violation here, and others will fill that void.)

The Big 3 Bailout

I was talking with someone today whom I consider to be in that political middle ground that is so important to both parties. We got onto the topic of the bail out which failed in the Senate last night. This person was of the opinion that the UAW does bear a significant amount of blame, putting their own interests before anyone else's, including all of the suppliers (and their employees) who could be conceivably hurt by a Detroit bankruptcy(ies). I hope that this person represents the mainstream of thought on this issue. I happen to agree with him. This is not the time for making sure you get the most for everyone. This is a time for saving as many jobs as possible, even if that means not getting everything you want and making tough choices. I made a similar personal choice recently. It is a shame that the UAW still doesn't fully get it. Unfortunately, from what I'm gathering in my neck of the woods, some of their members do get it, but all too many don't.

A Thought on the Brewers and Yankees

I doubt all four will end up in pinstripes, but if the New York Yankees open the 2008 season with CC Sabathia (already signed), Ben Sheets, Mike Cameron, and Bill Hall, I hope they enjoy wearing Sabathia out to make the playoffs, only to get their asses kicked in the first round.

Of course, this doesn't bode particularly well for the Crew's playoff chances in '09, but maybe the Yanks will be willing to give them something for Corey Hart after the all star break so they can enjoy his second half performance, too. Hell, maybe the Brewers can get them to take Rickie Weeks, too.

If They Did It

Is it just me, or does Rod Blagojevich look like the love child of Mike Myers and George Stephanopoulos?

The Sacrifices Our Boys Make for the Fair Gender

Ouch.

One of the longest-running spousal debates may now be settled in favor of men and for the sake of little boys.

Leave the toilet seat up, some British doctors now say. The reason: a rising trend for heavy wooden and ornamental toilet seats to fall down onto the penises of unsuspecting (and just potty-trained) toddlers.

Ladies, your little men just aren't at a good height for that most tragic of all male bathroom accidents. Leave the seat up...for the children.

Another Accurate Prediction: Cow Fart Edition

From Sykes:

For farmers, this stinks: Belching and gaseous cows and hogs could start costing them money if a federal proposal to charge fees for air-polluting animals becomes law.

This is what I wrote almost 2 years ago, exactly:

I want the EPA to crack down on bovine emissions. I want to see them force farmers to grow reformulated grass for the cows to graze on. I want a requirement that forces cows to be fitted with cowtalytic converters. I want to see them require breeders to re-engineer cows so they include EGR devices.

It was 2 years ago that the Brits brought up bovine emissions. It was only a matter of time before our own EPA got stupid over the topic. I'm surprised it took them this long.

In re Andrew Sullivan's Obsession with the Palin Pregnancy

Andrew Sullivan is still obsessed with Sarah Palin's pregnancy with Trig. In a recent post, he presents a straight-on photo of Palin as evidence that she was not showing nearly as much as she should have been. This is the photo:















Sullivan is obviously a man who believes all photos are truth. Unfortunately, a good photographer will tell you that a photo shows you what the photographer wants you to see, and often times, a photographer wants you to see their subjects in the best light possible. I have not seen the EXIF data on this photo, but if I had to guess, I'd say the photographer took the picture with a longer lens or focal length, at some distance. The benefit of photographing people at a longer focal length is it tends to flatten features, unlike a wide angle lens which exacerbates features.

Now, I again say that I haven't seen the EXIF data on this photo, but I'm making an educated guess that this is what this photographer did. Their (Palin and the child) features seem to be flattened to me. Also, if you look at Palin in her abdominal and groin area, the fabric of her clothes do not lay in the way that they do in photos of her from the presidential campaign. There appears to be a 'paunch' in her abdominal area that isn't there in any of her images from the second half of this year. Also, the fabric in her lower abdominal/groin area is not laying in the way you would expect from the relatively lean Palin we came to know in the presidential campaign.

Amateur analysis of photographs is at high risk of error. There is a reason that your photos rarely look the way that a pro's do, and it isn't just Photoshop. The fact is that you can manipulate the way light focuses on your film or digital sensor. A pro would likely use a longer focal length in a portrait style shot in order to eliminate unattractive exaggerations of features. I'm guessing this shot wasn't done by a pro as the flash seems to be head on and is unattractive, but an amateur would also be able to accomplish this by standing a little further away with a point and shoot and then trying to accomplish in-camera cropping by zooming in. In either scenario, depth would be flattened, and in a head on shot of a pregnancy, depth is critical.

Update
Upon looking at the photo in greater detail, I think there are two additional aspects that reduce the depth of Palin's figure in this photograph. The first is her coat. Because it is 3/4 closed, it obscures any lines that would give us an indication of figure. Second, she seems to be slouching a bit. When you add in the flattening of a long focal length and the coat obscuring her lines, that slouch puts her face and upper body further forward, enhancing any flattening that may be occurring.

Parallels

In 1995, I was a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. On October 3rd of that year, I was eating lunch at the Burger King in the University Center. The dynamic in the dining room was very odd. The white students had congregated on one side, the black students on the other side. On the televisions hanging from the ceiling was the OJ Simpson verdict.

The room is silent, odd for a dining area, and the volume on the televisions is cranked up. The verdict was announced. Once side of the room erupted in cheers. The other side stayed silent, with heads dropping and little more than whispers being uttered. I ate alone that day, and I turned my attention to my newspaper, quickly wolfing down my sandwich so as to get the hell out of a very uncomfortable environment. I get back to the dorms, and the verdict is all anyone can talk about.

Fast forward to December 5, 2008. I'm sitting at a Red Robin with a couple of co-workers, ordering lunch. One co-worker looks up at the televisions suspended from the ceiling and makes a passing comment that the OJ sentencing is coming in. Conversation quickly turns to other topics. I continue to read the closed captioning on the TV in a very noisy dining area. Nobody is paying attention but me. I try to stay on top of the conversation while reading the sentences of 'no less thans' and 'maximum ofs'. I know OJ has received his sentence, but I can't make sense of what the actual sentence is. Then I read it: 15 years.

I join back into the conversation at my table. I finish my sandwich, use the restroom, sit back down and, in a room that never changed in emotion, said to my lunchmates, "15 years." They looked at me with confused faces. I repeated myself. "OJ got 15 years in prison." Shoulders were shrugged, and conversation quickly moved on to other topics.

What a difference between two scenes. I went back to work, clicked on a couple of news websites, and nobody had the headline up yet, even though the verdict was almost a half hour old by then. Finally, a co-worker said, "OJ got 15." Another said, "Good. It was over due." Not another word was said.

In away, when OJ Simpson was acquitted in 1995, it made him a joke in American culture. Had he been convicted, his celebrity status would have clung to him despite the notoriety. Many would have elevated him to martyr status. But in 2008, the acquitted OJ Simpson was a national laughing stock and an after thought. In a way, a greater justice may have been done. Simpson will spend a number of his remaining years in a prison cell. If this had happened 13 years ago, his star and his legacy still would have been bright to the naked eye. Today, it is barely noticed. Athletes are a vane bunch who desire to have their legacies fondly remembered. Today, OJ Simpson's legacy is only visible when it pulses in its death throes. That punishment, for a man like Simpson, may be greater than any verdict or sentence.

$25 for a Barrel of Oil?

That's what Merrill Lynch is projecting:

U.S. stocks fell for the first time in three days, pushed down by concern General Motors Corp. may file for bankruptcy and a plunge in energy shares following Merrill Lynch & Co.’s prediction that oil will hit $25 a barrel.

That is an appealing story, but remember, it was just months ago the experts were telling you to anticipate $200 a barrel oil. I don't necessarily think that $25 is out of the question because I think we've got at least six months of moderate decline before things hit a bottom across the economy, but I don't put too much weight in it, either. Sooner rather than later, OPEC will cut production (or at least claim they will), a crisis will occur in an oil producing nation, and oil prices will bottom out before the economy does.

How Long Until Conan? And Other Thoughts

Misc. thoughts:

*Is it just me, or has Leno gotten more obnoxiously liberal since the election? I don't harbor any illusions that Conan O'Brien is any less liberal, but at least his comedy transcends it a little better.

*Why is it the first part of a windshield wiper blade to go is the part that cleans the glass right in the middle of your sight?

*I pay property taxes that probably exceed the current value of my property. Still, the city I live in can't be bothered to plow well or toss down some sand and salt when the roads get miserable.

*Did the Christmas light manufacturers really need to shorten the length of LED strands compared to incandescent strands? If I need 150 of lights, does it really matter if I buy 10 strands of 15 footers or 6 strands of 25 footers? I still need 150 feet, right?

*This week, the National Weather Service has predicted 9 to 15 inches of snow for my locality. We've gotten 4. I see this as a good omen for this winter.

*The darkest hour is just before dawn, and if we're lucky, dawn for this economy will come next July. In the mean time, hold on tight for the next six plus months.

*One nice thing about an artificial Christmas tree is I don't have to re-create my father's annual screed about the cost of a natural tree.

*If you are a small business owner, I recommend that you become heavily involved in your local community. In these tough times, people will choose the bargain price unless they consider you a friend, in which case they'll still spend a little more to help you.

*I don't think any intelligent Republican or conservative can actively root for Barack Obama's failure right now because his failure will guarantee worse lives for all of us 4 years from now. That doesn't mean we can't oppose what we see as ill fated policy initiatives in an effort to make them better. It does mean that we don't have the luxury of rooting for his failure for ideological sake like our opponents have with Bush for the last 8 years.

*Libertarians feel they are in a position to gloat right now, and to a certain extent, they are. Their dogmatism for theory will be their shortcoming, however, as pragmatism and realism overwhelms theory. My only hope is that the left doesn't hijack pragmatism to enact a rash of ill-considered policies.

*Did you know that CFL light bulbs are best used in lamps and other light fixtures where their glass swirl is above their base? It seems that the heat produced by the base leads to early failure of the bulb when the base is above the bulb in things like ceiling light fixtures.

*Is it just me, or is the three piece suit making a come back?