Media Archives
The Blogging Blondes. Much to my complete surprise, I know them.
July 8, 2008 09:19 PM
Well, one of them anyway.
I got a text from a mutual friend yesterday, all "you have to turn on the homer right now!" So I did. Since it was the radio, it took me a minute to figure it out. Especially because the blogging blonde was not blonde the last time I saw her. She looked better brunette, but I have to say, the new color suits her personality better.
I think the most amusing thing is, they aren't even blogging.
Local WASP Curtis Sittenfeld to Publish "Thinly Veiled Novel" About Laura Bush
July 7, 2008 02:21 PM
How thinly veiled? This thinly veiled:
A kind, bookish only child born in the 1940s, Alice learned the virtues of politeness early on from her stolid parents and small Wisconsin hometown. But a tragic accident when she was seventeen shattered her identity and made her understand the fragility of life and the tenuousness of luck. So more than a decade later, when she met boisterous, charismatic Charlie Blackwell, she hardly gave him a second look: She was serious and thoughtful, and he would rather crack a joke than offer a real insight; he was the wealthy son of a bastion family of the Republican party, and she was a school librarian and registered Democrat. Comfortable in her quiet and unassuming life, she felt inured to his charms. And then, much to her surprise, Alice fell for Charlie.
Radar has more scoop, and it's even worse than you might expect:
On the heels of two best-selling books, (Prep, The Man of My Dreams), young, Iowa-trained [ed. Cincinnati-bred, her sister was in my class at Seven Hills, her dad Paul, is a principal at Baird] author Curtis Sittenfeld is about to release her most controversial book yet—a thinly veiled novel based on Laura Bush's life that is sure to send the White House into a fury.
According to Radar, the book describes "Alice's" trip to get an abortion administered by her grandmother's lesbian lover. Since it's a "novel," you see, it doesn't have to be true.
Here's another repulsive tidbit: It also describes "Alice" having sex with the brother of the boy she killed. Now Laura Bush was in a teenage car accident that took the life of a friend of hers. But of course, there's no evidence she had a relationship with the dead friend's brother, much less did this:
[H]e pushed me back against the mattress, straddled me, and leaned forward to roll his face between my breasts, pressing them against his cheeks and licking my nipples, his stubble rubbing not unpleasantly against my skin, and the more he grabbed and thrashed, the more the grabbing and thrashing seemed to stir rather than satisfy his desire. He pulled off my pants and underwear at the same time—I was wearing blue jeans, and he had to unbutton and unzip them first—and then I was naked except for my socks, which were white with lace trim. He tugged me upward and flipped me over, and when he said, 'No, you have to be on your knees,' it was the first time either of us had spoken in several minutes.
As far as thinly veiled novels go, I'd say this is clearly in the despicable camp. It least Kitty Kelly used real names when she was making shit up, Curtis.
I expect the Seven Hills alumni mag will produce a fawning review. I saw that because my expectations of my alma mater are so pathetically low. Perhaps the book will be too awful, even for their standards. But I doubt it.
UPDATE: Yes, I realize that for some inexplicable, blogospheric reason, you can't comment on this post. I don't know why. Sorry.
Will Smith appeals to original intent to get us to rally 'round Obama
June 23, 2008 04:59 PM
No seriously, he really did. Here he is being interviewed by Matt Lauer on the Today show (which after this interview they should just go ahead and rename "Dumb and Dumber"):
LAUER: Do you think people can't get behind America led by John McCain?
SMITH: You know I just, there, there are, there are certain ideas that I believe Barack stands for that are fundamental that the forefathers of this country wrote down on paper that we're all supposed to pay attention to, we're not supposed to ignore it and do what we want to do 'cause we have different ideas. And I believe just at his core the, that those ideas just they, they just come of his pores. And I'm, I'm excited to support him.
Yep, that's it. Obama will put us back on the Founder's Path! He's just oozing James Madison. Out of his pores! Was that flop sweat? No, it was the Federalist No. 10.
Meanwhile, over at Politico we learn how wonderful Obama was. As editor of the Harvard Law Review. This headline made me snort at its ridiculousness:
Obama Kept Law Review Balanced
The sub-head:
Mostly liberal publication ran progressive pieces alongside ones from a Reagan official and a right-wing judge.
Another snort. What are we supposed to think, that his administration will be a conservative happy land because he published an article written by a Reagan official and right wing judge? Is the point that Obama was sooooo brave for printing articles by conservative scholars?
The pretentiousness (and the utter untruth) of this passage made me snort a third time:
In Obama's time, as it is today, the Harvard Law Review was one of the most important and distinguished legal publications in the world. Founded in 1887, it is the rare self-supporting legal publication compiled and edited completely by students, typically those attending their second or third year at the prestigious school.
The Harvard Law Review is not even a remotely important legal publication. No law review is. Lawyers rarely, if ever, read law review articles. And if you cite to one in a brief it is highly suspect. Judges frown on it. It's kind of like, "What else have you got? Any actual case law?" Why cite to some professor's personal or political agenda? That's what they all are.
Also, pretty much every law review I am aware of is "compiled and edited completely by students." That does not make them great, it just makes them possible. They're basically just vehicles academics use to advance their careers by "getting published," courtesy of indentured servants working for a future pay off (a highly profitable line for their resumes).
And yes, I have that line on my resume. What did we run articles on during my law review days? I don't know, and I don't care. You just suck it up and work on them. No one pays the slightest bit of attention to what they are actually about. In law school, you don't have time to care, and I'm sure Obama didn't.
But lets not let these facts get in the way of talking about how Obama was such a great law review editor. He let two conservatives get articles past his desk. Nobless oblige!
Meet Beach Bob
May 12, 2008 04:08 PM
Maybe the lower taxes still don't make Florida worth it? Meet Beach Bob, retired court reporter. Current occupation: Plaintiff. He's suing the Lee County Sherrif's Office. The Naples News has the background:
Beach Bob likes to sunbathe in a Speedo.
Nearly every cloudless morning for more than 10 years, he’s wheeled his tattered lounger down to the same spot, which he says is due west of where the boardwalk opens onto the sand at Bonita Beach, and sets up camp for the day.
And so his retirement was going. Sun-drenched, uneventful. Until one day a Lee County Sheriff’s deputy stopped by and wrote him a warning for trespassing.
The reason?
“Exposed scrotum,” the notice read. “Never return to Bonita Beach Main Access.”
Beach Bob wasn't going to take that lying down!
He hired a lawyer, studied maps of the Collier-Lee county line, trotted some of the other beach regulars up to Fort Myers to testify on his behalf. They reported the patch of sand he claims every day is in fact south of the Lee border, so Deputy William Dunaske had no business patrolling there anyway.
They said [he] never rolls in the sides of his Speedo like the deputy alleged.
He got the trespassing warning dismissed. And now he's brought a civil rights claim (he now suffers from insomnia because of the stress). Here's what would keep me up at night: Getting subpoened to testify about whether Beach Bob rolls in the sides of his speedo. Would that be how you'd want to spend your golden years? You sure you want to move to Florida?
Speaking of golden, here's a picture of Beach Bob:
Work it Beach Bob. Work it. If the speedo fits you must aquits!
If you're assuming this is a case of first impression you'd be wrong. A few years ago our own Miami University up in Oxford was sued by an employee after he was told he could no longer wear a speedo to swim at the university gym. People got to have their rights!
HT: Above the Law.
Breaking economic news from the New York Times: People are being forced to live within their incomes!
May 1, 2008 07:10 AM
My times are bad, aren't they? Per the NYT:
As real estate prices plunge, so does the ability of homeowners to borrow against the value of their homes, crimping a major artery of spending. As banks grow tighter with their dollars in a period of uncertainty, families are running up against credit limits, forcing many to live within their incomes.
First, what's so bad about people living within their incomes? And second, if these people are up against their credit limits, THEY STOPPING LIVING WITHIN THEIR INCOME A LONG TIME AGO.
Maybe these people aren't the victims? Maybe they're actually the ones who deserve the blame for the bad economy?
Last night's Reds game, Jesse Jackson and two guys in gorilla suits
April 10, 2008 09:00 AM
Was anyone else watching last night's game on FSN Ohio? Mrs. NBS and I had it on in the background, and we both glanced up when announcer Jeff Brantley started talking about how Jesse Jackson was in attendance at the game. And then our mouths fell open when the camera focused in on two guys in the stands--wearing gorilla suits.
We could not believe it.
I'm not one to see racism where it doesn't exist, but MY GOD they really did cross the line putting that audio with that video. I'm wondering if the camera guy thought it was a funny joke, and Jeff Brantley didn't know what was on the screen as he was talking about Jesse Jackson? Brantley didn't sound like he was saying anything deliberate.
But still--someone needs to look into it. Surely someone else noticed it besides just us?
A few minutes later Jeff Brantley was talking about some player who got hit in the groin with a baseball--and talking about it in great detail. Weird, weird, weird. Mrs. NBS said "Is he drunk?" It sure seemed like it. But he kind of always sounds that way.
Big lib implicated in prostitution sting...
April 2, 2008 04:14 PM
Stabenow's husband caught in Troy prostitution sting, police report says
Jennifer Chambers / The Detroit News
TROY -- The co-founder and former CEO of the liberal-progressive Democracy Radio and husband of U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow was caught in February by a Troy police sting aimed at catching prostitutes, according to a police report.
Thomas L. Athans was stopped Feb. 26 by undercover officers investigating a possible prostitution ring in a room at the Residence Inn near Big Beaver and Interstate 75. Athans paid a 20-year-old prostitute $150 for sex in a Troy hotel but was not arrested, according to police reports obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by The Detroit News. The police report said officers observed Athans enter a room under surveillance and leave 15 minutes later. Detectives followed and stopped Athans' silver 2002 Cadillac DeVille on Interstate 75 near Square Lake Road.
I do so love that he was arrested in a town called Big Beaver. That's almost as embarrassing as the report that he left "15 minutes later." You know they put that part in on purpose.
And he drives a 2002 Cadillac DeVille. How typical. Wonder what he looks like?
Yep, he's pretty much as you would have guessed.
Mike Allen has a PR guy touting his expertise on politicians who get in sex scandals
March 11, 2008 03:41 PM
What a thing to be an expert in. You'd think he'd try to get people to forget. So to throw yourself out there as an expert? Weird. And so from the Enquirer, we get this: "Allen Feels Sad for Spitzer,"
“I felt a sense of sadness for Gov. Spitzer and his family,” Allen said today. “My heart went out to him and his family.”
Allen volunteered to speak to The Enquirer after a local public relations firm called the newspaper to pitch Allen as an expert on the Spitzer story.
That part was not supposed to make it into print, Enquirer. Which I'm sure they knew, and did anyway. It's too funny not to note as aside.
The lede is amusing too:
When New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer went before cameras Monday to apologize for his alleged involvement in a prostitution scandal that could end his political career, Mike Allen knew how he felt.
“To be honest, when I saw (Spitzer’s apology) yesterday, I was the first one I thought of," Allen said.
Still singing in one note: Me me me me me. Isn't the deep-rooted self-absorption what got him in trouble in the first place?
[For the non-locals: Four years ago, Mike Allen was our County Prosecutor and local GOP chairman, who was sued for sexual harassment by an Assistant Prosecutor (who seemed a little nutty herself) who Allen was having an affair with. It was a big local disaster, because Allen was up for re-election himself and running the local Bush-Cheney re-election effort. Oh to have had a blog then!]
John McCain's New Ad...
March 7, 2008 03:58 PM
...is excellent.
Of course, I would never vote for someone because of a campaign ad. But that's just me, and a lot of people don't think that way.
How funny is it that the Democrats are calling each other names, and the McCain campaign is producing video like this?
Ann Althouse has excellent commentary up on the visuals, from the subtle references to "The Color Purple" to the LBJ daisy ad. I suspect there's more there, if you look. This was very, very well thought out.
The more Victoria Wulsin talks, the less people are going to like her
Here she is, chirping away like a Chatty Cathy doll, on the radical left-wing cesspool that is Firedoglake. Here's her take on crossover voters:
The 2nd District has some very interesting dynamics. Congressman Bob McEwen [OH-R] called this morning to congratulate me. He said that at his dinner table last night, the other six guests - all Republicans - had chosen Democratic ballots and voted for, yep, Vic Wulsin! He says the Repubs want her OUT (he barely lost to her in the ‘06 primary, so remember where he’s coming from) and want a reasonable alternative. So, I’d like to think some of the crossing-over comes from a desire to get Schmidt out. As an epidemiologist, I look forward to crunching some numbers to see where the biggest “crossing-over” occurred, and how that affected the Clinton:Obama ratio and the Wulsin:Black ratio.
Okay, first, why the hell is Bob McEwen calling Victoria Wulsin to congratulate her? Can that man possibly do more to destroy his reputation? And two: How whacked is Victoria Wulsin if she thinks the reason crossover voters went for her is because they like her better? Uh no. The reason they voted for her is for the same reason they voted for Hillary. Because she's easier to beat in the fall. Third: What does an epidemiologist know about cross-over voters? What does she think they are, disease-addled bird flu victims?
And check out this comment, where she talks about bringing jobs to Southern Ohio by building windmill factories:
Preznit - Great. I think we could also bring jobs to southern Ohio by actually manufacturing the windmills and solar-mills that we’re going to need to become energy independent. We are at the beginning of a paradigm-shift in how we create, use, and conserve energy.
Forget the Ford Plant or anything in Portsmouth. Let's build windmill factories! Everyone tilt at windmills! Come on, let's go. Tilt, tilt, tilt. Hey you--you're not tilting far enough. You need to tilt a little more... to the left.
It's so ridiculous. And she's got the completely wrong strategy. Read through all of her comments, and it's pretty clear that she thinks the district has lurched wildly to the left. She hasn't gotten the memo that Iraq is nowhere near the election issue that it was in 2006. Iraq is going quite well right now, even The New York Times knows that. Another memo she hasn't gotten? The one that says candidates should NEVER leave comments on blogs. That's what campaign lackeys are for. Hilarious.
HT: Nixguy.
UPDATE: WMD has commentary on this as well. Funny comments ensure, mostly from the prominent local conservative blogger crowd. I'm guessing this is the last time Bob McEwen calls Victoria Wulsin up for a tête-à-tête.
Jean Schmidt is more popular among Republicans in Ohio 02...
March 5, 2008 09:00 AM
...than John McCain is among Republicans in Texas. Jean won her district with 57%. McCain won Texas by 51%. Texas!
Don't tell me John McCain doesn't still have a lot of work to do convincing Republicans to go out and vote for him.
Idiot of the Day: The Enquirer's Ray Cooklis
February 29, 2008 09:26 AM
Here he chimes in on William F. Buckley. Take it away, Ray:
You certainly can argue that Buckley was an ideologue - he almost single-handedly created the modern American conservative movement - but not in the pejorative sense we've infected that word with.
"Not in the pejorative sense we've infected that word with." Hun? What does that mean? I didn't know conservative had a pejorative sense. And who's the "we" who has infected the word conservative with a perjorative sense? Since it's coming from a member of the media, I think we can guess who the "we" is.
And how asinine is the phrase "you can certainly argue that Buckley was an ideologue"? Hell yes, he was an ideologue. That was his entire point.
So, who did John McCain appear on stage with, the day after LocalRadioGate '08?
February 28, 2008 10:29 PM
John Hagee, an influential pastor in the "Christian Zionist movement." Whatever the hell that is. Senator McCain was on stage with Pastor Hagee to receive his endorsement. Has Pastor John Hagee ever said anything controversial? Anything John McCain might want to repudiate? I dunno... let's see...
Bill Donohue of the Catholic League is objecting Hagee's extremist writings, particularly his denunciations of the Catholic Church. For example, Donohue pointed to instances in which Hagee has referred to the Catholic Church as, "The Great Whore," an "apostate church," the "anti-Christ," and a "false cult system."
Okay. So we know what he thinks about the Catholics. What about the Jews? Well, Pastor Hagee says that the Jews have been persecuted throughout history because of... what? ... their failure to accept God.
Wanna see Pastor Hagee in action? I bet you do.
But Bill Cunningham? He's the bigot.
McCain Refused to Condem Supporter for Calling Hillary Clinton a B****
Let's go back in history, shall we? Waaaaaay back to November of last year. The scene? Hilton Head, South Carolina, and a woman at a Q&A who asked John McCain:
"How do we defeat the bitch?"
And what did Senator McCain say in response? Here was the take of his frenemies at The New York Times:
Mr. McCain was obviously uncomfortable, trying to deflect the vitriol with humor and offering to give a translation. But he did not condemn the questioner, instead calling it an “excellent question.”
Here's what I think is an excellent question: Why the hell should I help John McCain get elected President this November?
From the "still not getting it" department: Mike DeWine on LocalRadioGate '08
DeWine says to the Enquirer:
"I can't believe in the end that voters are going to make a decision in November based on what John McCain said about Bill Cunningham in February," DeWine said.
How quaint. He thinks the latest uproar with the base is about McCain repudiating Willie. It's not. It's not that at all. It's that this is YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE of McCain throwing a conservative under the bus. And when you throw enough people under the bus, you will wake up one day and find that there is no one left to speak for you. Will that be in November? We'll see.
McCain Local Radiogate '08
February 27, 2008 03:55 PM
Just how many people did the McCain campaign manage to offend when they were in town? Here we have the producer of 55KRC's morning radio show, chiming in about the treatment he received from the McCain camp. Take it away, Joe Strecker:
As you know, it's Ohio's turn to be in the spotlight, for the last 2 weeks, I have been pitched and pitched AND PITCHED every person under the sun to stump for Sen. McCain. As agreed to by his PR, if I put guests on to stump for Sen. McCain, he would be made available to 55KRC when he came to town (2/26)...
Well here is the email reply I received from the McCain camp
"I don't think for tomorrow, things are pretty set by now. " Rebecca - McCain 2008
As you can tell by my response, I was a little upset.
"I am getting a little frustrated. 55KRC is / has a very Conservative base...Much more than a lot of people think. These are the voters Sen. McCain needs to win over. Since the election started, most of our callers initially were Thompson fans, then when he dropped out, Paul and Romney fans. If there are any listeners/voters to win over, it would be 55KRC's. I hope you reconsider. We could do just 5 minutes on his drive up from downtown to West Chester?"
Here was my reply.
"I'm sorry but the decision is not mine. I recomended you to the higher ups for the exact reason you mentioned. I will try to ask again when I can but right now I am stuck." - Rebecca McCain 2008
I find out at 10:30 yesterday that McCain was on with Mike McConnell, who McCain called "Bob". I called Rebecca, and when she said on the phone he wasn't available, I told her he is on right now with WLW. >>>Silence<<< then she told me "Can't you just use their audio??" You have to be kidding me..I let her know that we will let our listener's know what happened.
Now, I do understand this is a business and we constantly try to scoop the other guys, but for McCain's people to actually go back on their promise and to act the way they acted and treated the station with the listener's he needs to convince, is just reprehensible. This proves to me what kind of person he is. Why? You surround yourself with like minded people. If his 'people' don't care about you '55KRC listener' vicariously he doesn't care about you '55KRC' listener....
What's even funnier is that last night at 9PM, I received a pitch for another guest to stump for McCain. I don't think I'm going to book them..
I honestly don't know why he'd even consider it. And it's more than a little concerning that they're willling to put a candidate's supporters on the radio in exchange for the big "get"--i.e. an interview with the candidate himself. I suppose that's the way the media game is played, but it doesn't speak well of its participants. When you whore yourself out, Joe, don't be surpised when you get stabbed by jack the ripper.
And again, how stupid is the McCain camp for missing the interview? Joe is totally right that the Morning Show's audience is exactly the people McCain needs to be reaching out to. But there's just little or no effort.
It's almost a parody of a well-run campaign. "Can't you just use their audio?" Um no. Have they ever worked with the news media before?
A reader contributes: Politically Incorrect Ads of Yesteryear
February 22, 2008 09:25 AM
I can envision my ancestors eating sanitized tapeworms to help shed some pounds. That's just the kind of people we are. Practical.
Lots of cigarette ads in the bunch:
I like how the Doctor invites you to test Camels in your "T-zone" for thirty days. T for Throat, T for taste.
And this one? Well, it reminds me of John McCain:
Yes, Thorazine "can control the agitated, beligerent senile and help the patient to live a composed and useful life."
More Politically Incorrect Ads of Yesteryear are available here. Thanks to the reader for sending them in.
And today's total lack of class outrage from the Enquirer is...
February 15, 2008 09:43 AM
Crotch shots of teenage boys, now up on the Enquirer's main page:
I honestly don't see how that's not intentional.
UPDATE: This story has been rolled to the sports section, and the photo placed in the "photo gallery." The "Triplets' Mom" has been found not guilty, so that's now on the main page.
UPDATE NO. 2: A reader, quite rightfully, pointed out to me tonight that part of the problem is people don't know how to sit properly. The kid in this photo is old enough to know better. And should certainly have been warned about creepy "photographers."
Is there anything about this Enquirer article that's not in poor taste?
February 14, 2008 05:30 PM
Even the headline's bad: "Dead Woman Had Unique Laugh."
It's like something from The Onion, but it's for real. And it gets worse. Here's the lede:
Kristina “Tina” Griffen loved cats and her life was filled with music.
Griffen, 31, was walking to her University Heights home from a Tuesday night Bogart’s concert when the very drunk woman, fell 20 feet and landed on her head in a University of Cincinnati parking lot.
How poorly written is that? The first time I read it, I was like "oh that poor woman was just walking home, and then some drunk woman came flying through the sky, 20 feet, and landed on her head." I was thinking it was like the pig from Graham Greene's "A Shocking Accident."
Anyway, I suppose you can read it both ways, and the bottom line is:
She died instantly.
“She was wearing moccasin-like boots that had no tread. She just slipped on the ice and took a real nasty fall,” said her brother Forrest Griffen, 36, of Fort Mitchell, Ky.
The Hamilton County Coroner’s office, which officially declared Griffen’s death an accident, noted her blood alcohol content was .295 percent, almost four times Ohio’s legal limit of .08 percent.
Her brother noted the irony because his sister knew she was too drunk to drive home, so she tried to walk, cutting through the UC campus.
“That’s why it was a tragedy. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. It was just an accident,” her brother said.
I feel sorry for her family. Too much information! I'm all for saucier obits, but "very drunk woman" is a little much to me. Though with a BAC of .295, it certainly is apt.
Why not let this poor family be, believing it was the moccasin-like boots that did her in?
Fox News accurately, but accidentally, identifies John McCain's party and home state
February 8, 2008 10:10 AM
New baby fears
January 5, 2008 11:49 PM
So in addition to the "Please God, Don't Let Her Be a Democrat" thing, have I also mentioned that I live in fear that I'm going to be the next Brenda Nessleroad-Slaby? It's true. I think it's one of the reasons I was so easy on Brenda Nessleroad-Slaby this summer, after she left her baby to roast in a hot car while she went in to work. I knew we'd be bringing home a baby, and I knew I could see myself being so absent minded.
In fact, I had a law professor once who began class once in a very rattled manner, and then explained it was because he had been outside his normal routine that morning, and was supposed to drop the kids of at school. But instead, he went in completely the wrong direction, and didn't realize it until he was parking at the law school, and from the back seat he heard "Dad!!! You were supposed to take us to school!!!!" It's a good thing they spoke up, or he probably would have left them in there.
I could totally see that happening to me.
So anyway, as we've been looking for a baby friendly new car, I've paid particular attention to the mirrors you get (on some SUVs, they are built-in) that show the back seat. I've been very focused on things you can get to help you remember not to roast your child. Turkey timers, I gather, would be considered child abuse. And there's a big debate about mirrors, because if you're in an accident, they could fall off and konk (or even slice) they baby. So it's all very complicated, and also a big conspiracy to get you to spend money on some supposedly fool-proof thing.
But, the good news is, I've come up with what I think it just about the best PSA spot ever, for local radio when it get hot this summer:
Don't Slaby Your Baby.
Classy, isn't it! 700WLW would totally run it, anyway. Can't you imagine it on billboards all over the tri-state?
Commenting problem. Solved?
Well they appear to be working again, for no reason other than I've been on an anti-spam commenting crusade. I think cleaning them out was like a blogospheric angioplasty or something. Now every thing is flowing much more properly.
If you've ever scrolled through the archives, you've probably noticed a lot of spam in the comments. I've gotten lazy about deleting these, because I know most people only read the main page. Apparently, I've gotten too lazy. And I think I figured out the source of the problem. It was this post, which was about a minor kerfuffle I had with the Cincinnati Beacon in August. They had taken me to task for (supposedly) not knowing the difference between cuckolding and swinging. In my post, I apologized for my gross ignorance (well, kind of apologized. As much as I would ever apologize anyway), and clarified that I do, in fact, know what a "hot wife" is.
Well, you can imagine the kind of comment spam this post attracted. Apparently there are a lot of people trying to peddle their spam wares, and those wares have much to do with cuckolding, swinging, and hot wives. In fact, since that post went up in August, it has attracted 13,670 comments, from people attempting to sell loyal NBSers all sorts of services, products, website entertainments, etc. None of which were endorsed by me. Nor did I get a cut of any proceeds from those of you who got pervy entertainment via links from my comments.
I discovered this by simply going through old posts, and turning off the comments on old posts that seemed to attract a lot of spam. Most of them would maybe have 30-100 spam comments, and I'd wipe those out, thinking that all of them, collectively, must have been slowing the system. And then I got to the post with the 13,670 comments. The system crashed twice, just while I was deleting them. And it took forever to get rid of them all. My commenting problems must have been caused by this minor Cincinnati Beacon kerfuffle. Who would of thought? A kerfuffle with Beacon... hardly something worthy of my time.
And as for the spamers, I'm pretty ignorant of how they target what they do. I assume they have programs that pick out posts that suit whatever they've been hired to peddle, and then they target those posts with lots of spam comments (all of which contain hyperlinks to their products).
But what I don't understand is, why they think someone is going to be reading NBS and getting some anti-Hillary Clinton diatribe and then suddenly decide to link on some pervy hyperlink in the comments. I get the point of the spam comments, but why the hell leave them here? Are you all a bunch of pervs? Is Senator Larry Craig an NBSer? Are you all secretly interested in cuckolding, swinging and hot wives? What is with you freaks?
FYI: Comments on this post will be turned of in three days. If you have anything to say, say it now.
Christmas like it used to be...
December 31, 2007 09:31 AM
How'd that enormous flat screen get in my slum?
December 26, 2007 02:48 PM
Meet Sharon Jasper. She lives in Section 8 housing in New Orleans. She is not happy with her lot in life:
A HANO voucher covers her rent on a unit in an old Faubourg St. John home, but she said she faced several hundred dollars in deposit charges and now faces a steep utility bill.
"I'm tired of the slum landlords, and I'm tired of the slum houses," she said.
Pointing across the street to an encampment of homeless people at Duncan Plaza, Jasper said, "I might do better out here with one of these tents."
Get that? She might do better in a homeless encampment.
Now meet Sharon Jasper's tv:
Sharon says: "I might be poor but I don't like to live poor. I thank God for a place to live but it's pitiful what people give you."
Sharon, I give you 28% of my income every April 15. The only thing that's pitiful is that I don't have a 60 inch flat screen tv, and you're a welfare queen and you do. Where are my housing vouchers? Where's my flat screen tv? I don't like to live poor, either. It's pitiful what people give you. I'm still waiting for some stranger to come along and give me my flat screen tv. Where the hell is my new flat screen tv?
HT: Nixguy.
UPDATE: Oh my God, she's even worse than I thought.
The Enquirer says I can make money off this dang blog
Actually, they're just running an AP wire story, but it's interesting nonetheless:
NEW YORK – Zach Brooks pocketed $1,000 this month blogging about the cheap lunches he discovers around midtown Manhattan ($10 or less, preferably greasy, and if he’s lucky, served from a truck).
The site, Midtownlunch.com, is just a year and a half old and gets only about 2,000 readers daily, but it’s already earning him enough each month for a weekend trip to the Caribbean – or in his case, more fat-filled culinary escapades in the city.
In the vast and varied world of blogging, Brooks is far from alone.
It’s no longer unusual for blogs with just a couple thousand daily readers to earn nearly as many dollars a month.
Well, that may be a little bit of an exaggeration, if you ask me. You'll notice I haven't quit my day job. Or maybe you all just aren't clicking enough on those google ads. Click click click! A reader told me this weekend that she bought one of those Hillary Clinton nutcrackers off my site. Made me so proud. It's a good thing to not only support NBS, but the entreprenurial genius behind the Hillary Clinton nutcracker!
I also like this point from the article:
Getting paid might even help validate what may otherwise seem like a silly or obscure obsession.
Amen to that!
Wait till Barbara Walters gets the Christmas Card from the Huckabee White House
December 18, 2007 09:33 AM
She's going to hate it. It's almost worth voting for him just for that reason alone.
Apparently Barbara Walters is keeping the Christ in Christmas by making normal people sit back and yell "Oh, CHRIST!"
December 14, 2007 12:20 AM
Can you believe? Does she even know the Old Testament isn't just a Christian thing? And doesn't she remember the card she got last year? The White House Christmas cards since the Bushes have been in have always quoted the OT, at least in the ones we've gotten (do not be impressed by this, they send out a blue billion).
HT: Today's Laura Ingraham Show, and Stand Firm.
And from the "why didn't another loved one step in and stop this" file...
December 12, 2007 11:13 AM
...we have this obituary from Sunday's New Orleans Times-Picayune, which was "composed, written, and submitted by [the decedent's grieving widow]. All thoughts, opinions and declarations in it are ENTIRELY hers and do not reflect input from any other persons, LIVING OR DEAD:"
EVANICK Robert Bruce Evanick (always known as Bruce to those who loved him - and those who employed him and exploited his work ethic) -- died Tuesday afternoon, December 4th, 2007. A massive heart attack killed him - despite the heroic efforts of many physicians, surgeons and nurses - in a waiting area at Ochsner Hospital. He was not an inpatient there. He was there to provide company and comfort to Brenda, his wife, whom he loved and supported, in all ways, for 32 years. Her heart is broken. He died a horrendous death, on the floor of the waiting room, at Brenda's feet. To her, he was the most kind, most gentle, and most generous person she has ever known. His death should be a warning to all those who believe that they are being used by insensitive employers. He deserved better, both in life and death. Bruce had been seduced into a sedentary and high stress life style after he moved to New Orleans by the promise of "big money" from a corporate defense law firm. Essentially, his succumbing to that seduction and his devotion to duty caused his death. Of the many shareholders in the firm for which he labored, only one took the personal initiative to call Brenda to offer her personal condolences.
Oh my. But enough about his job, tell us about his personal life!
Several colleagues believe that Brenda and Bruce were divorced. This is not true. They lived apart for several years but were in friendly communication, especially enjoying Sunday breakfasts together....
And his passions! What were his passions?!?
Bruce was brilliantly intelligent, with an impressive knowledge of the law and many other disciplines. Bruce's encyclopedic knowledge of sterling silver -- including the most rare and sought after makers and patterns - put him far above the average collectors. He also knew textiles intimately, including old and new quilts, embroideries from ancient to modern, laces, silks, and all forms of the highest quality handwork in fabric and thread. His appreciation of textiles included loving the custom made shirts that Brenda designed and constructed for him....
Talking about how much the decedent appreciated your own talents. Not good for an obituary. And why bring up the endanged Rothschilds Mynah birds? Or the bromeliads? The goldfish pond? The what you say? Well, here:
While residing in York, PA, Bruce was very much involved in the care of a large collection of exotic birds that he and Brenda collected and kept and propagated. They received permission from the federal government to keep and attempt to propagate the crucially endangered Rothschilds Mynahs. Bruce and Brenda succeeded in raising four Rothschilds (Bali) Mynahs, hand-feeding them from the day they hatched in an incubator. They also raised hundreds of rare and delicate finches and softbilled birds and exhibited them all across the USA. They won many awards, including "Exhibitor of the Year" and "Outstanding Grassroots Activist" awards for supporting the captive breeding programs for rare and endangered species. They expanded that loving care into founding and operating a wild bird rescue agency that treated and released native wild birds that had been orphaned or injured. They released many hundreds of them back to the wild. That organization still flourishes and serves today in the care of dear friends of Bruce and Brenda. While still in Pennsylvania, Bruce became a successful gardener. He expanded that knowledge and skill in Louisiana. With Brenda he amassed a collection of rare orchids, ferns, ivies and bromeliads that comprise a lush garden at their Algiers Point home. Bruce had a fabulous goldfish pond built for Brenda as a birthday gift and it still sparkles and gurgles in their garden. Bruce's death leaves a huge void in the world. It is truly a sin and a shame that only one of his fellow shareholders were moved to personally console his widow.
I think, what she's trying to say is, is that only one of his fellow shareholders called her after he died, and that she would have appreciated it if more had done so. So what's she going to do about it?
He loved her to his last breath and would have been deeply saddened by their cold attitude. Bruce is survived by two siblings from whom he was estranged. [ed. an estrangement which, I am sure, the author of the obit played no role in, whatsoever]. The firm will be holding a Memorial Service in their office sometime on Monday, December 10, 2007. It is not known if they would welcome people from outside the firm and the firms prestigious client list. Brenda will not attend.
But it would have been quite interesting, if she had.
She wraps it all up with a little too much information:
Bruce has been cremated and his remains will be placed in an exquisite wooden box which he loved and will remain with his grieving widow.
Emphasis added (not that it was needed). HT: Above the Law
Reason why I love the British press, no. 345
December 4, 2007 08:30 PM
They run things like this little gem from the BBC:
"...the tiny bitch was whisked away under an assumed name after receiving about 20 threats."
It's from an article about Leona Helmsley's dog.
HT: Althouse
So flattered to have been asked, so bewildered about what to say
November 29, 2007 03:19 PM
Oh Crap. I've been asked to participate in a literary roundtable and recommend a bunch of books for the Christmas season at a popular website read by a bunch of smart people. I feel kind of like the airhead celebrities they profile in Vanity Fair and ask, "What's on your nightstand?" And they come up with something like Elfriede Jelinek's Einar that their publicist googled and had them say when they filled out Vanity Fair's form and which we all know is total b.s.
Do I just come right one and say uhh... well... I haven't actually, you know, been reading a lot of what you might call "books" lately. What with the new job and the baby and, um, you know... all of that. Also I kind of maybe only have a two minute attention span anymore because of blogs. So.... I'm not really down with all the latest editions and, like, it's been a while since I've been in a bookstore except to get to the cafe at Joseph-Beth. You know, so maybe my contribution wouldn't be exactly what you're looking for, which is what people like National Review and New Criterion contributors are reading these days, because that's the kind of people who are contributing to this thing.
Do I just come right out and say that? Or should I just recommend Elfriede Jelinek's Einar? Suggestions, please!
So who did I think won?
Nobody, hand's down. Huckabee seems personable, but he's lost on the tax issues. You can just tell he has an improper understanding of the role government is supposed to play.
Ron Paul...right on the tax issues, but lost, lost, lost on foreign policy. Why does he play ball with the whackadoos? The only possible conclusion is that he's a wackadoo, too. I'm glad he's on the stage though.
McCain's right on foreign policy, but I just can't get over all the crappy ideas he's had in the past about domestic policy. Campaign finance. Immigration. And the way he continually implies that people who are opposed to illegal immigration are racist. And he doesn't believe in torturing terrorists. Ridiculous!
Rudy did well, but came across as petty. I think he was coached too much. The attack on Romney for having a "sanctuary mansion" was just silly. Toss the campaign worker who thought that would be a witty phrase.
As for Thompson? What can I say? He's still such a disappointment. Where's the passion? Where's the personality? It's just emptiness. He barely did one thing during the debate that was memorable. No wait. He didn't do ANYTHING during the debate that was memorable.
So who does that leave? In my mind, Romney who had the most well-rounded result. He flubbed a few questions, but overall, the presentation works for me, and so do the policies. He's personable, but firm. I call Romney the winner.
I'm still undecided, though.
UPDATE: I accidentally deleted several comments. I get several thousand spam ones a day, so sometimes accidents happen. Sorry!
See what happens with the elitists don't know jack about religion?
November 27, 2007 09:19 AM
They are forced to run newspaper corrections, like this one:
A headline last Sunday about a Muslim man and an Orthodox Jewish woman who are partners in two Dunkin’ Donuts stores described their religions incorrectly. The two faiths worship the same God — not different ones.
--From the New York Times "Corrections" section on November 25th. Christians worship the same one too. I wonder if they know that?
HT: Titusonenine
And there's one more book I won't be writin'
November 8, 2007 04:11 PM
Dang, Marc Levin (conservative commentator, attorney, man of all seasons) is out with a new book, Rescuing Sprite:
I could have written this book. Why didn't I? Grrrr.
Anyway, Mark tells National Review Online:
I wasn’t planning on writing Rescuing Sprite. As much as we try to plan our lives, life is unpredictable. I was thinking about writing a book that was more along the lines you mention — about philosophy and politics. We had actually begun the process of talking to several interested publishers about that project, but then Sprite passed away. It was a crushing blow to me, as I am sure other dog lovers can relate. I put in very long days. My radio show finishes at 8 P.M. ET, after which I eat dinner with my dogs every night; I take long walks with them; I talk with them at length. T hey give me enormous pleasure and enjoyment. They keep me company. They give me far more than I could ever give them and, in return, they ask for nothing more than something to eat and drink, a warm place to sleep, and some loving attention.
It never occurred to me to adopt a dog from a shelter. It was my wife’s and kids’ idea, and their persistence, that brought this wonderful dog, Sprite, into our family.
You know, I’d never been to a shelter before. I’d never given them a first thought, let alone a second thought. But I have since come to know that there are literally millions of dogs (and cats and other animals) who are living in crates or cages in thousands of shelters across the country who are in desperate need of loving families. They became lost from their families, or were turned in by their owners, or had been abused. When you go to a shelter, it’s a difficult experience — at least it was for me. The people there are truly remarkable. They do something I could never do. They care for an endless stream of needy animals, and their contributions to society are enormous. But to see those dogs and cats in those crates, who have to wonder what happened to their world, and who are surrounded by strangers and strange sounds, is heartbreaking. In most cases, just a few weeks earlier, they were in a loving home.
Anyway, back to your question. It never crossed my mind to write a book like this, until my Sprite passed away. Simon & Schuster and several other publishers wanted me to write a book for them — a political book. Well, this was the book I wanted to write. I had to write it. It was this or nothing.
"Well, this was the book I wanted to write. I had to write it. It was this or nothing." And guess what? He wrote it, and Simon & Schuster loved it.
Read the whole interview, if not the book. Especially you, Mrs. NBS. It sounds like you'd love it.
And remember gentle readers, that link to Lab Rescue over there on the blogroll is there for a reason. Go check it out sometime.
"Well that's your opinion!" One thing you never--ever--say to a Judge. Especially not the fiesty Judge Milian of the People's Court
October 16, 2007 11:56 AM
HT: Above the LawThe Enquirer not only buries the lede, they don't even put the lede in their article
The lead story over at the Enquirer.com right now is that the E.W. Scripps Company is going to split into two separate entities. This is a huge story for the Cincinnati business community. And people want to know if they'll still have jobs, be transferred, etc. etc.
But the article the Enquirer runs does not even mention whether the newly created companies will keep their corporate headquarters in Cincinnati--a big issue, since media outlets logically belong in L.A. or New York. You have to go directly to the company's press release to find this information--which is where the Enquirer got all their information for their article. They practically reprint the press release verbatim. Except the most important part, and the part their readers will care about.
I assume the Enquirer will update their story shortly. But why even put anything out there, when it doesn't even address the first question people will have?
Both new companies are staying by the way. NBS breaks the news by reading the press release! Should I insist the Enquirer "credit" NBS as the source?
"Can't the man have a mid-life crisis in peace? In the animal kingdom such displays often attract a willing mate."
October 15, 2007 09:05 PM
Oh dear. The Brits are upset one of their better known tv hosts appeared on tv in moleskin trousers. Maybe he should have used LBJ's tailor?
HT: Jackie Danicki
The Brits call that a lunch box. Yes, the slogan was new to me to.
UPDATE: I almost forgot. This Brit has nothing on Dick Cheney, as photographed during the 2004 campaign. What's the slogan? A [Republican] elephant never forgets?
And now, we know how he died.
October 11, 2007 03:26 PM
Who, you ask? Count Gottfried Alexander Leopold Graf von Bismarck-Schonhausen! We profiled his obituary back in July, because it began as few obituaries do:
Count Gottfried von Bismarck, who was found dead on Monday aged 44, was a louche German aristocrat with a multi-faceted history as a pleasure-seeking heroin addict, hell-raising alcoholic, flamboyant waster and a reckless and extravagant host of homosexual orgies.
It's an awful lot to put on a tombstone, but at least he managed to get in in the first sentence of his Telegraph obit. And back in July, NBS commeter Dr. Mabuse asked, "But what did he die of?" And now we know. He'd injected himself with cocaine once an hour, for 24 hours.
And on a totally unrelated sidenote: This does kind of remind me of the time the Enquirer was interviewing my mom for my grandmother's obit and the reporter had never heard of "Vassar." We still shake our heads in wonder over that. [A weird obituary story is the only link between my grandmother and Count Gottfried von Bismark, lest you be wondering how he put me in mind of her. She was not flamboyant waster or a reckless and extragagant host of homosexual orgies. Well, not unless you count the times she'd have in her antiques appraiser. That always got pretty crazy.]
And while I'm complaining about my fellow Republicans...
October 9, 2007 11:29 AM
...let me also carp on the timing of tonight's Republican debate. I'm batching it tonight, so I thought I'd have time to watch it. Liveblog it, no less. But none of that is possible, because it's at 4:00 in the afternoon. Who in the hell has time to watch a debate at 4:00 in the afternoon? All the working (i.e. voting) people are still working. And the people who aren't working are watching Oprah. They're not going to flip over to CNBC to watch the Republican candidates talk economic policy. If a tree falls in the forest, does it still make a sound? I guess we'll find out.
And no, I'm not satisfied that MSNBC is replaying it at 9:00. I'm not going to liveblog a taped program!
Notable Quotable: Albert Einstein on Freedom
October 4, 2007 08:52 AM
Being a lover of freedom, when the revolution came in Germany, I looked to the universities to defend it, knowing that they had always boasted of their devotion to the cause of truth; but, no, the universities immediately were silenced. Then I looked to the great editors of the newspapers whose flaming editorials in days gone by had proclaimed their love of freedom; but they, like the universities, were silenced in a few short weeks. …Only the Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler's campaign for suppressing truth. I never had any special interest in the Church before, but now I feel a great affection and admiration because the Church alone has had the courage and persistence to stand for intellectual truth and moral freedom. I am forced thus to confess that what I once despised I now praise unreservedly.
Albert Einstein, TIME, 23 September 1940
HT: Andrew Cusack
Idiots Delight, Wednesday Edition: The ladies of The View discuss--in all seriousness--whether the earth is round. And at the very end, Barbara Walters is EXTREMELY confused about the internet and where babies come from.
September 19, 2007 10:25 AM
It's been awfully quiet around here
September 17, 2007 08:42 AM
So sorry for the lack of posts here at NBS lately. The press of every day life has pretty much overwhelmed. But more on that later. In the meantime, if you're looking for entertainment, check out this round of Idiots Delight, which we find (predictably) over in the comments section at the Cincinnati Beacon. There, we find the self-important Dean of Cincinnati debating the race-mongering Nate Livingston over this key question:
Is Steve Black, the guy who is running for Congress, actually black?
If so, someone needs to tell the Camargo Club, stat!
So folks, today's discussion topics are: Is Steve Black the "It's Pat" of local indentity politics?
Can a dark skinned whitie ride to victory with the help of confused African Americans like Nate Livingston? Has Steve Black out-tanned John Boehner and locked up the minority vote?
One Year Ago on NBS, Six Years Ago in New York
September 10, 2007 11:16 PM
Last year for the 5th Anniversary of September 11, I participated in the 2,996 Project, in which small websites came together to honor each victim of September 11. It was easy to sign up for, but harder to do. There's really nothing you can say that does the subject matter justice. And I struggled in my research, because I couldn't find the material I thought I needed. Here's what I came up with:
As we mentioned last week, this website is honored to participate in the 2,996 project this year, which commemorates the individuals who were murdered on September 11, 2001. The response to this project has been so overwhelming, that far more than 2,996 private websites have signed up to participate, and the organizers have started through the list a second time. We encourage everyone to spend some time today, and review some of the tributes that are appearing on the internet. Each of the lives that were lost five years ago were precious. We encourage our readers to reflect on those individuals today, and what they meant to those who loved them.
David Ortiz was one of those individuals. He was a locksmith from Nanuet, New York, who worked for the Port Authority. He had a wife named Lillian, and two children: Richard, who was 14 years old in 2001, and Crystal, who was 6. He was very close to his brother, Martin, and his sister, Maria. We encourage you to think about Lillian, Richard, Crystal, Martin and Maria today. They think about David often, and you can read some of their thoughts at the Legacy.com guestbook.
David was a family man, with a sense of humor. When David wasn't working overtime to pay for renovations to their house, he was fishing with his son, spreading joy to those around him, or riding his blue Harley Davidson. He enjoyed playing practical jokes on his co-workers in the WTC Lock Shop.
David was also one of the heroes of September 11th. He knew the layout of the World Trade Center complex like the back of his hand. And after the attacks came, he went back in, to help. He was one of 13 civilians who was posthumously awarded a Medal of Honor for his service on September 11, 2001.
On September 14, 2003, David's brother Martin and his wife became parents. Their new son is named David Ortiz.
One year ago on NBS, six years ago in New York, and three years, 362 days ago for a family who lost, and gained.
Dennis Kucinich takes his anti-American Presidential campaign to Syrian TV. No. Not Kidding.
HT: Right Angle BlogStill MORE on Brenda Nesselroad-Slaby
September 9, 2007 09:56 AM
Kudos to Dan Horn and the Enquirer for writing a story about the Brenda Nesselroad-Slaby case that actually explains the legal issues involved. Newspapers rarely look at these matters in depth, and it's definitely unusual to see the popular press analyze mental states and what they mean under criminal law. Oh sure, Dan doesn't throw out the Latin, so I will:
Actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea.
It means "the act does not make a person guilty unless the mind is also guilty." There are different mens rea (i.e. mental states) and culpability is based on whether the offending party possessed the mental state that comports with a particular crime. In the Nesselroad-Slaby case, the necessary mental state is recklessness, and to prove that, you need to show that the offending party perversely disregarded a known risk. That is different than forgetting something. As the Prosecutor explained:
"Here's my challenge to anyone who thinks she should have been charged: Do you believe she left her child in there on purpose?" White said. "That's what I have to believe as prosecutor to charge her. That's what the law is."
The law he's referring to is child endangering, which in Ohio requires a parent or guardian to act recklessly by disregarding a substantial risk.
To many, there is little doubt the mother was reckless. But the legal definition of reckless requires proof the mother perversely disregarded a known risk.
"When people hear the word reckless, they say, 'Well, certainly this person was reckless,' " Piper said. "But the legal definition of reckless is way, way higher than the definition we use every day."
White decided the evidence supported Nesselroad-Slaby's claim she forgot her child was in the car. Once he made that decision, criminal charges were out of the question.
If the mother forgot, White said, she could not have disregarded a risk because she didn't know the child was there.
That is why this is completely different than cases where someone leaves a baby in the car while running errands. In those cases, they haven't forgotten the baby. They're just leaving it the car, and assuming (wrongly) that nothing is going to happen to it. When someone does that, they are perversely disregarding a known risk, and they can be charged with child endangering.
One other quick legal point: The purpose of criminal law is two-fold. It is designed to punish the offending party, and to deter future conduct (either the offending party's future conduct, or someone else's). In this case, prosecuting Brenda Nesselroad-Slaby would not have a deterrent effect on her or anyone else. There's zero chance she'll leave a baby in a hot car again. And as for members of the public, no one is more likely to leave their baby in a hot car just because Brenda Nesselroad-Slaby wasn't prosecuted. If anything, people are going to look at this tragic situation and be more cautious about their kids, not less.
And as for punishing her, I have to say that the people who think she needs to be punished more are just creepy. I can think of no worse a punishment than having your child die and have it all be your fault. The idea that something more should be piled on top of that is just vile. People need to keep their blood lust in check. And, they need to watch out for bad karma when they demand that someone else be prosecuted for what was obviously an accident. It's not something you would want to have happen to you.
Major Terrorist Attack Thwarted in Germany...
September 6, 2007 08:24 AM
...the target were U.S. military bases, and the plan was to be executed on Tuesday (September 11):
Prosecutors and police painted a picture of a ruthless cell of Al-Qaeda-linked fanatics, willing to die in suicide attacks with bombs more powerful than those used in the July 7 attacks in London in 2005.
Prosecutors said the attacks were planned at Frankfurt airport, Germany's biggest and busiest, and the Ramstein Airbase - the Pentagon's largest outside of the US.
Other US bases, civilian airports, a nightclub and pub were on the terrorists' target list.
Germany's chief prosecutor, Monika Harms, said the plan was to construct massive car bombs and cause "as much loss of life as possible".
"We have stopped what would certainly have been the worst terror attacks in Germany," he added.
Why don't these things get more press coverage? It is on the front page at Fox's website, but over at CNN (as of 9:01), it's not even mentioned. They do find these items newsworthy, though: "Man's arm stuck in meat grinder for 2 hours," "5 Mistakes Parents Make with Newborns," "Squirrel attacks, bites tot, trooper," and my personal favorite, "Peeping Tom Wants 10K Porn Stash Back."
Is it any wonder CNN's ratings are in the tank?
More on Dennis Kucinich and his freaky wife
August 31, 2007 10:32 AM
From the Plain Dealer's Openers Blog, we hear of their plans to celebrate their anniversary. And the Kuciniches want us all to participate:
In an Aug. 22 e-mail titled "Help Celebrate our Wedding Anniversary," Kucinich notified backers that he and Elizabeth were celebrating their second wedding anniversary that week.
"I know we are newly weds and all, but I felt the undying urge to share this occasion with our supporters," Kucinich said in the e-mail.
Um. Ew.
"The love Elizabeth and I share encompasses all of the reasons you support our campaign and all the reasons we exist as human beings."
Using the word "love" 17 times, Kucinich proceeded to claim that "the Power of Love" could eliminate world hunger, establish universal health care and return U.S. troops from Iraq. Then he decided to see if "Love" could also generate campaign money by urging e-mail recipients to "share in our celebration."
Tacky. Tacky. Tacky. An unnecessary sexual reference and a shake down for cash. Hell, it's almost as tacky as some of the ads that are running on this site right now. I'm making millions, by the way. Who knew Republicans were such pervs?
I know you've already seen this on the Drudge Report...
August 28, 2007 10:50 AM
... but I'm posting it too because I just love this photo of Winnie Langley celebrating her 100th Birthday:
Hilarious. If an American newspaper ran that photo, how many indignant letters to the editor would they receive?
And on the birthday front, check out this creepy email I got from LexisNexis Martindale Hubble:
Happy birthday from LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell! We're also celebrating the 10th birthday this year of martindale.com and we would like to invite you to make a birthday wish with us.
For the past 10 years, martindale.com has played a critical role connecting lawyers with other lawyers. Each month, more than 700,000 users tap into martindale.com to find the exact right lawyer to handle their matter or business referral.....
Now we'd like to hear from you about the next cutting edge features we should implement on martindale.com. Share your ideas with us by making a birthday wish on behalf of martindale.com. For each idea you submit, we'll enter your name into a drawing for a 42" plasma television.
So blow out the birthday candles and make a wish for martindale.com - We hope both your wishes come true! Have the happiest of birthdays and many more!
Yes, it's my birthday. But I don't think I care for birthday wishes from massive legal research organizations with huge databases. It just reminds me that they know too much about me, and probably everyone else. Big Brother is watching you! I also don't like that they think I'm going to give away a free "idea" in exchange for a chance to win a tv. How patronizing--they are supposed to be an organization for professionals.
Just how limited are the Enquirer's Republican connections...
... or their headline writers' grasp of politics? Malia Rulon's article about Mitt Romney's fundraiser here next week is just awful. First, she passes off his fundraiser as news, because his campaign just announced it yesterday. We were asked to be on the host committee for this event six weeks ago, and the invitations have been out for at least two weeks. It's not news. Maybe it would help if the Enquirer didn't have Washington-based correspondents writing about local events?
She also writes:
The location of Romney's reception wasn't immediately available.
It's at Craig and Frances Linders'. Why write about facts you don't know? Especially when it is easy to ask someone who does?
But my big problem is with the headline:
For $2,300, Romney will pose for photo with you.
Yes, that's it. That's the headline. Never mind that $2,300 is the going rate for every major Presidential candidate, including the Democrats. It's really unfair to put it in the headline like that, as if is is something special or unique... or like Romney is the only one who does that. They all do!
Is Castro dead, and did Perez Hilton break the story?
August 24, 2007 10:16 PM
How delightful to see bitchily delicious mega-celebrity blogger Perez Hilton speaking truth to power about Fidel Castro. Perez has great resources in the Cuban immigrant community, and this is what they are talking about:
Sources reveal exclusively to PerezHilton.com that U.S. officials will be holding a press conference shortly to announce the death of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
South Florida police organizations are calling in reinforcements before the announcement is made, we’re told.
PerezHilton.com was the first media outlet in the world to break the news of Castro’s death. We posted THIS ITEM on it last week!!!!
A Cuban broke the story of the oppressive ogre’s passing. We are soooo proud and happy!!!
We’re so sad we can’t be in Miami this weekend.
There’s gonna be a big ol’ party en Calle Ocho, mi gente!!!!
In the words of Gloria Estefan…
“Quiero my Cuba libre pa que la gente pueda - pa que mi gente pueda bailar!”
listen to this while you dance
There are plenty in Hollywood who could learn a lot from Perez. The Drudge Report (one week after Perez) is leading with the news that Castro death rumors are sweeping Miami. We've heard them before though. Let's hope this time they're true.
Hollywood Hates
An entry, from Melissa Etheridge's partner's blog:
so if i blog
about what an idiotic, parasitical, country-raping piece of shit george w. bush is, i could
go to jail?
george bush
you are a criminal
you are raping our country of our intentions
i do wonder if his mom and dad go to bed at night
proud of little whiskey-cokey-georgie poo
for
his dictatorship?
how does laura lay her head down at night
pulled eyes and all
and dream sweetly of lambies and cashmere sweaters?
when she f**** him
does she call him adolf or castro?
rove
you sweaty little piggish oompa loompa elmer fudd ass
karma is a bitch
and i don't think you'll ever get
that wascaly wabbit
while torturing the fellas at abu gharib
this war is
war for profit
something i am sure
the bible does not favor
weapons of mass destruction:
the current american government.
now come arrest me
you f*ckers.
And the Hollywood left thinks Republicans are the ones with the problems?
Dennis Kucinich is harder on ABC News than he would be on [insert name of your favorite foreign threat here]
August 23, 2007 09:38 AM
They cropped him out of a photo of the Democratic candidates, among other evils. Dennis is "awaiting an explanation." His indignant website is hilarious.
Also: Can you believe his campaign slogan is "Strength Through Peace"?
Matt Dole signs up with my former boss...
August 20, 2007 12:06 PM
... Mark Weaver. Funny how things turn out. Matt was (until mid-July) one of Ohio's most prominent GOP bloggers. A few weeks ago, he mysteriously announced he was closing down his blog to pursue other opportunities. And then last week came the news that he had signed up with Mark Weaver to work at Communications Counsel.
I've been surprised by the attention this has received, such as this post from the prominent left-wing site Buckeye State Blog:
Last week Matt Dole, the prominent Republican blogger which surprised all by scrubbing his blog and going underground, popped back on the radar. Not surprisingly, Dole had been hired into to Ohio Super Republican Consultant Mark Weaver's Communications Counsel. For those out of the loop, Weaver was largely responsible for Betty Montgomery's place in Ohio government, along with countless others in the Ohio statehouse. The position with Weaver is quite a reward for the young Dole.
It will be interesting to see how these two fare together. Mark has a bloggers' brain--he's a news junkie, he's eccentric, and he works really weird hours--so I'm a little surprised he thinks he even needs help with new media. But he and Matt should have a good time working on creative ways to get the blogs to drive what the old media is covering. I just hope they're careful about how they try to "use" the conservative blogs to feed the old media machine. We're pretty savy.
Monday morning and I'm busy with real work...
...but I do have to take a minute to roll my eyes over this comment, left over at the Beacon:
Of possible interest to local blogwatchers, yesterday Nasty, Brutish and Short ran an item about the Beacon’s cuckold story with the title, “Ridiculous Blind Item of the Day.”
Interestingly, earlier today