RIP Zima

If I could find you, I'd pour a little of your clear, whatever-the-hell-it-was-you-were, liquidy, alcoholic somethingness on the ground in your honor. Actually, I'd pour all of you in your honor. I didn't drink you before, so no sense in starting now.

Now I Get It

Somebody had to spell it out for me, but now I understand why the Teamsters were burning up my phone line:

kf hears from a trustworthy non-Republican source (with access to actual insider information) that the Dems are getting set to pass "card check" legislation fast next year, right out of the box, assuming Obama wins and the Democrats get their expected big Senate majority. The legislation--which would eliminate the secret ballot in union organizing elections, allowing union organizers to gather signed cards person-to-person--is cheap, in budgetary terms. And it's very, very important to organized labor.

Nice to see the unions are using their members' money to buy a piece of the Presidency.

Anecdotal Observation

In 2000 and 2004, I found that when I ended up in political conversations (to put it politely) about the presidential election, I would either end up with people chiming in on my side or quietly telling me afterwards that they agreed with me. This year? Not at all. I've largely been arguing solo. I don't necessarily think that this has national consequences for McCain, but I definitely think it has consequences for him here in Wisconsin.

On the one hand, I want to be part of the optimistic McCain camp. Every vote he gets will be important, even if he loses. On the other hand, I'm becoming more and more sure that he's toast. In my everyday life, I see no evidence that McCain isn't trailing Obama by a significant amount here in Wisconsin, and I suspect that this is playing out to differing degrees in states across the country.

Wars Aren't Fought on a Clock...

...but political campaigns are. You can survive in war when fighting on your own turf if you can buy enough time. In a political campaign, if you are fighting on your own turf with the clock ticking down, you are in big, big trouble. And this Presidential campaign has moved fully onto Republican turf. It ain't looking good if you, like me, are dreading a Carter administration for a new generation.

Hell is a Jilted Comedian

I can't believe the McCain campaign is going through with this.

David Letterman and Sen. John McCain will get a chance to make up.

The Republican presidential candidate is scheduled to appear on Letterman's Late Show on Thursday.

It will be McCain's 13th visit to the CBS program but his first since he angered Letterman by canceling last month.

Letterman was unhappy when McCain sat for an interview with Katie Couric instead of him on Sept. 24.

Letterman may very well let bygones be bygones. Unfortunately for the McCain camp, angry comedians are more cunning and vicious than a cornered, wounded animal. Letterman could very well make John McCain look like an ass and a fool with just weeks to go until the election. Frankly, I can't believe they are willing to take that risk.

Rectum? Damn Near...

Some see hope in this logo. Some see propaganda. I see a bloodied bung. (I'm so going to regret the traffic this post brings.) I think the symbolism I see is more apt.

Cat Colds

I woke up at an unholy early hour today-3:30 am. Between then and when I left for work at 6:45, our cat sneezed no less than 10 times. When I got home from work, I was informed that she slept nearly all day. She clearly has a kitty cold. But what makes this post-worthy is that over the last 24 hours, we estimate that she has slept for approximately 21 hours. I want that ability the next time I get sick.

The Answer is No

The question is, "Wind turbine blades are heavy and huge. Could manufacturing them closer to the nation’s wind belt save transport costs and create much-needed jobs?"

I can see why an eco-unrealist could get excited, but let's be realistic here. Even if wind energy takes off, it will be no match for higher ticket, mass market products like cars. Secondly, wind energy is second only to nuclear energy when it comes to NIMBY-ism. The cap on this is going to be much lower than some people wish.

Fall Colors

Minnesota Foliage 003
Originally uploaded by Jibby7

When life gives you a crappy portfolio, take a little time off and enjoy nature's beauty.

McCain's Wandering

I just watched some late night television, and the shows are making John McCain look terrible for his on stage wandering at last night's debate. I am reminded of 1996 when Bob Dole leaned on the railing-that-wasn't-really-a-railing and fell off the stage. Fair or not, it made Dole look very, very old. In my mind, that moment was the beginning of the end for the Dole campaign. Hopefully McCain's wandering isn't a similar moment.

Best Blog Headline of the Year

No contest. Give the man his award.

Damn it Feels Good to be a Banksta

Brett Favre Just May Be a Serial Killer

That's what they say, isn't? That this kind of behavior is a sign? It would explain that streak-he obviously harvests ankles and thumbs and knees for his own personal use.

(Relax, Favre phanatics. I'm just kidding).

Human Psychology Enters the Economic Realm

Unfortunately, markets do not always act rationally. Human psychology occasionally kicks in and overwhelms logic. Greed can do that, and it creates bubbles. Fear can do it, too, and it can wipe out wealth in a heart beat. The fear has kicked in. If you have some extra cash, start considering when to buy in at the low ebb. If your cash is already tied up, all you can do is ride it out at this point. The herd has begun running toward the cliff, and if you join them in the sell off, enjoy your free fall, because the bottom is going to hurt.

Sigh

I really loathe this presidential election. I loathe the nominees. I loathe the campaigns being run. I loathe the brand muddling ads. I loathe the pandering. Make it end. Please. I'm going to be unhappy no matter who wins, so it really is a matter of whether I'm most unhappy or just unhappy.

How long until 2012?

Thoughts on a Wisconsin Sports Weekend

The one silver lining to this sports weekend was Saturday's Brewer victory, their first playoff win since 1982. Other than that, it was a big, steaming pile. Some thoughts:

Packers

This is turning into an ugly season, and it has nothing to do with Brett Favre not being in town anymore. A big part of the Packers' success last season was the defense. The play of the corners and Cullen Jenkins in the interior made the entire defense a better unit. We saw glimpses of how big a part of this team Jenkins in particular was. When he went down last season, the entire defense began a slide. The injuries on the defensive side of the ball this year have deteriorated the quality of that unit. They aren't terrible, but they aren't good enough.

As for the offense, we are seeing an undisciplined offensive line. They are not executing well, and they are committing a lot of foolish penalties. Their performance is a big part of the reason this running game is not getting on track, and that's holding back the entire offense. As for the receivers, they are still a formidable group that fights for the catch better than any group in the league. Their dropped passes is a concern, but not a major concern. It all comes back to the line play.

Brewers

It was a hell of a year with a lot of ups and a lot of downs. Their flaws were exposed in September and October, though. This is a team with poor plate discipline. And it isn't just about being more picky at the plate. If you watched enough games, you could see what the book was on some of these hitters. With Prince Fielder, the book was to get him to chase up and out of the strike zone. With Corey Hart, it was to get him to flail at low, outside breaking stuff. The point is, the Brewer hitters were well scouted and they did not make adjustments to what pitchers were doing. They just kept flailing. They gave defenses a lot of free outs over the last month.

Dale Sveum did a good job of managing the bullpen, but it is really impossible to say whether that would carry forward into next year. He had the luxury of a bullpen enlarged with September call ups and a post season pen augmented by starters. Still, the pen that Yost had for most of the year just wasn't good enough. This will never be a team that can afford to stack the pen with talent, but Melvin is going to have to find a way to reconstitute it for next year. The team is facing other holes, but that's another post for another day.

Badgers

What's there to say? This team just isn't as talented as we thought. Clay stands to be a star in the future, and that future may get kick started yet this season.

Prediction: An Obama Presidency Will Be Scandal Ridden

Why? Well, typically the presidential election process does a pretty good job of getting scandalous news out into the open before a person is elected. A candidate who seems scandal prone is a bit less likely to win than one who is not. And if the electorate is confidant that a candidate's scandals are confined to the past, they are generally pretty forgiving.

In Obama's case, the media does not seem to be digging all that hard. Most of the Obama scandals have been forced on the media, frankly. Don't be surprised if, in an Obama presidency, you hear casual voters saying, "why didn't I hear about that during the election?"

Bailout Passes

Blah. A necessary evil if there ever was one. Here's to hoping that entire thing results in us breaking even on the deal. No losses because we're all on the hook for those. No profits because government can't be trusted to do the right things with them.

The Juice No Longer Loose

13 is an unlucky number for OJ Simpson.

Thirteen years to the day after being acquitted of killing his wife and her friend in Los Angeles, O.J. Simpson was found guilty of robbing two sports-memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel room.

The 61-year-old former football star was convicted of all 12 counts late Friday after jurors deliberated for more than 13 hours. He released a heavy sigh as the charges were read and was immediately taken into custody.

Simpson, who went from American sports idol to celebrity-in-exile after his murder acquittal, could spend the rest of his life in prison.

There will be no tears shed here.

A Waste of Pixels

Sharon Theimer is way too literal, and because of this she writes and article on the non-existant Joe Six-Pack that is a complete waste of pixels.

And just for the record, Ms. Theimer, I consider myself and a lot of my friends to be Joe Six-Packs, whatever the color of our collars or persuasion of our politics. I will give you this-Joe SP's are in no way a cohesive voting block. But that doesn't mean they don't exist.

Misc. Thoughts

*I think Paul Ryan has been dead on throughout this financial mess. I was nervous of his opposition at first, but he has had a keen sense of the situation.

*I am soooo sick of both Presidential candidates. I don't think either of them are the best candidates for the job they face right now. Are they the right people for the job as it appeared to be 6 months ago? Probably. That world is no longer, though.

*Face it, the House has acted exactly as it was designed to act. The two year terms were designed to make the House more receptive to popular opinion. Unfortunately for our current mess, I don't think popular opinion understands how significant this problem is to Joe Sixpack, and it won't until somebody misses a paycheck.

*If somebody misses a paycheck, I'm sure the blame will be shifted from those greedy bastards on Wall Street to those worthless bums in Washington. Some fingers will need to be pointed inward, too, though.

*I am terribly excited about playoff baseball in Milwaukee, but I also approach it with trepidation. The Brewers are in a weak state, although some components seemed to be reviving near the very end of the season. I am playing all of my superstitions for an NLDS victory.

*I've seen and heard a lot of people marvel over Brett Favre's 6 TD's on Sunday, and with that some finger pointing at Ted Thompson. Sorry, folks, but you might have been able to throw 6 TD's against that Cardinal team on Sunday. And you're no Brett Favre.

*Can you believe those ugly assed wild card hats the Brewers wore on the field Sunday sold out so quickly? I guess I'm not the only one who saw some beauty amongst all that ugly.

*I stayed at a resort on Monday night, and I was more than a little stunned that there was no wi-fi (or even hard wired) internet access in the room.