wow. the callers on npr are pretty sophisicated

HAHAHAHAHA

omg

i am listening to NPR

and they are talking about Bush's legacy

2:32 PM and some one just called in and said that we should remember 8 years ago when we were besot by telemarketing calls

and then the "deluge of calls stopped"

2:33 PM Michael: wow.

me: i sort of think he is joking because he said he remembers one day when he was in high school when he saw george bush saunter up to a podium like a cowboy and say "you know, we gotta stop all these calls"

yes, that was very clever of that caller

Michael: yes.

hilarious.

2:34 PM our country is healing the only way it knows how, through mockery.

it's also the most satisfying.

this is the kind of thing you find at my parents house

insanely frightening

I repeat this to myself every morning

“There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know.”- Donald Rumsfeld

bill richardson can negotiate with the auto companies at least

I had gotten three Red Cross leaders freed ten years earlier. So I had a plus in my good relations with Bashir, the Sudanese leader, when I went back to ask for the release of Paul Salopek, the Chicago Tribune correspondent. Bashir remembered that I had treated him with respect. He released Salopek. Then I said, “But you’ve gotta give me the two Africans you’ve got.” He said, “No, the Africans are from Chad. That’s an enemy country.” I said, “I can’t go back with one white guy and not any black guys.” Bashir laughed, really laughed, and that’s how we got them out.

THIS is why I supported Richardson for Secretary of State over Hillary Clinton (and, well, for President over Obama, actually).

Esquire

this is why i always always bring snacks

200 passengers were held captive for 9 hours on the tarmac outside LA this week. TACA Airlines blamed fuel delays, lack of staff, and fog. As they waited, they were fed water and crackers.

Consumerist

preparation

At the extreme edge - which I have experienced one or twice - you are actually cursing your way through savage winds from doorway to doorway. In this situation, you actually will feel that you will be injured soon and die before long if left out in the cold and wind.

from a sibilant intake of breath

moderation

It's amusing to see the left get upset about Obama's centristity (myself included). He never gave any indication that he wouldn't be strictly center. I think a lot of liberals thought when he said "i will reach across the aisle, etc" he was doing so with a wink and that once he got elected would throw off his centrist mantle and reveal himself as the true liberal he is. Except he's never given any indication that he would. In some sense, I guess you could say he goes beyond idealogy (we'll see) by focusing simply on what needs to be done. If all he manages to do is get the federal bureaucracy functioning normally, I will call that a success.

currently reading

When it's cold and rainy and I've just walked home in the rain with a cold that has lingered for over a week, I tend to read books about cooking. Today it was Julie & Julia by the woman who cooked ALL of the recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol. 1 in one year.

tell-tale facial hair

Bill Richardson shaved his beard off! I hope he gets a cabinet position.

another reason to favor MSNBC

The CNN anchors were not really speaking to three-dimensional projected images, but rather empty space, Kreuzer said.

says it all

WALLACE: But Senator, back — if I may, back in 2000 when you were the target of robo calls, you called these hate calls and you said...

MCCAIN: They worked.

new wealth v. old wealth

Note from a reader, posted on the Corner:

I remember reading many, many years ago that the central conflict in the Western economic system wasn’t between Capitalism and Socialism, it was between New Wealth and Old Wealth. Joe the Plumber is New Wealth – Joe Biden, Barack Obama (thanks to book sales) and Ted Kennedy are Old Wealth. Mark knows perfectly well what a testament to Old Wealth that Canada is, because that’s what a Welfare State preserves.

so old wealth is classified as in the past five years?

From CSPAN

Overhead Projector is not a Planetarium Projector

Overhead Projector is not a Planetarium Projector, originally uploaded by hcovitz.

yes, thank you.

from BoingBoing

A new word is added to the English language every 98 minutes, says the Global Language Monitor, a descendant of yourDictionary.com. (Ironically, the group's "about" page has "dictionary" misspelled as "dictioanry" in one place.)

I think there is a difference between a typo and a misspelling, probably because I make lots of typos but would still like to count myself as an adequate speller.

This American Life on the Financial Crisis

I'm only a minute in but it starts with an awards ceremony at the Ritz Carlton.

Nice Work if You Can Get It

Wachovia Corp. Chief Executive Bob Steel doesn’t stand to receive a big payout due to Wachovia’s sale of its banking operations to Citigroup Inc. But a few of Wachovia’s other top executives do.

Three of Wachovia’s top executives have change-in-control agreements with the company that could pay them millions if they are terminated or choose to resign following Citi’s (NYSE:C) acquisition of the company’s banking operations.

Ben Jenkins, head of Wachovia’s general bank, would receive $13.3 million in severance payments and a pro-rated bonus of $3.7 million, according to a securities filing in March.

Steve Cummings, head of the company’s corporate and investment bank, could nab a $14.3 million severance payment and a bonus of $4.25 million.

And David Carroll, head of Wachovia’s capital-management group, would get a $14 million severance payment and a bonus of $4 million.

All three have employment agreements with the bank that provide handsome packages in the event of a change-in-control at the company, which includes a sale of "substantially all of Wachovia's assets." Citi is acquiring more than $700 billion of Wachovia's assets.

In addition to their severance payments, the three executives would also be entitled to medical, dental and life insurance benefits for themselves and their family members for life if they are terminated or resign after the deal closes.

you asked for it

omg, i saw "Johnah McPalin" and was like, wait, i don't remember one of her kids being named Johnah

Ottawa Bashing

The elite of Ottawa and the rest of the country are 'mediocre' and wouldn't know a good idea if served one at Tim Hortons.

These and many other insults, ruminations and quick-fix solutions to long-standing problems are contained in Mr. Saul's newest book, A Fair Country: Telling Truths About Canada. Mr. Saul is often described as one of the leading intellectuals of Canada, in large part because of his internationally celebrated books commenting on contemporary society.

Outside Canada, Mr. Saul is held in high esteem in many European countries, especially France.

The main thesis of A Fair Country, published by Viking Canada, is that Canada is really a "Métis civilization." Our natural inclinations, whether in family life, art or military adventures, are to do things the "aboriginal" way, the homegrown way, but our elites always feel they have to import ideas from Britain, France, the United States or elsewhere. Consequently, we have become a colonial-minded country of anti-intellectual mediocrity.

best band ever?

I go back and forth: Beatles or R.E.M.? I'm watching A Hard Day's Night so the edge goes to the Beatles for their wit and sheer exuberance but I'm also reading Matthew Perpetua's site where he discusses, and I mean discusses, every single R.E.M. track. It's great because he really fleshes all the meanings out. I'm not a student of the "they don't mean anything" school. I think the songs mostly have a general theme or direction but the ambiguity of the lyrics allows you to connect your own experiences. So...R.E.M. if I'm evaluating their body or work, but Beatles for their influence on the world? I will probably never resolve this.

Of course, I'm also ignoring about 20 other bands that could vie for the title.

Among solo artists I have no doubt: Bob Dylan.