Monday, January 30, 2006
What Do All These Senators Have In Common
Bayh
Biden
Clinton
Feingold
Kerry
Obama
Every one of these senators is mentioned as potential candidates for the Democratic nomination in 2008.
And every one of these senators voted not to invoke cloture in today's attempted filibuster of Samuel Alito. Is it the Kos/MoveOn effect the professor mentioned?
Bayh
Biden
Clinton
Feingold
Kerry
Obama
Every one of these senators is mentioned as potential candidates for the Democratic nomination in 2008.
And every one of these senators voted not to invoke cloture in today's attempted filibuster of Samuel Alito. Is it the Kos/MoveOn effect the professor mentioned?
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
First Nuke Plant in 30 Years Proposed
The new plant is to be located near Raleigh, at the site of an existing nuclear plant.
Looks like it's going to be a Westinghouse reactor, with a lot of passive safety features built in. Not nearly as cool as a pebble-bed reactor, but a step forward just the same.
And let me say: It's about damn time.
The new plant is to be located near Raleigh, at the site of an existing nuclear plant.
Looks like it's going to be a Westinghouse reactor, with a lot of passive safety features built in. Not nearly as cool as a pebble-bed reactor, but a step forward just the same.
And let me say: It's about damn time.
Friday, January 20, 2006
This I Can Support
I wholly agree with Matt from Somerville, who suggests that the phrase "Flank Two Position" become common usage.
And yes, David Palmer's death was awful. It was nearly as soul-crushingly painful as Wash's. I felt like Homer chasing the grilled pig: "He's just a little bloody, he's not dead, he's not dead!"
But, really, how could they kill Michelle? She was hot!
I wholly agree with Matt from Somerville, who suggests that the phrase "Flank Two Position" become common usage.
And yes, David Palmer's death was awful. It was nearly as soul-crushingly painful as Wash's. I felt like Homer chasing the grilled pig: "He's just a little bloody, he's not dead, he's not dead!"
But, really, how could they kill Michelle? She was hot!
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Covering the Spectrum on Inflation
Imagine my confusion when scanning the headlines on My Yahoo page, seeing "Consumer Price Index Rises 3.4 Percent", and then going to CNN Money, and seeing this one: "Consumer prices post surprising decline."
Yeah, slightly different angles on the same story....
Imagine my confusion when scanning the headlines on My Yahoo page, seeing "Consumer Price Index Rises 3.4 Percent", and then going to CNN Money, and seeing this one: "Consumer prices post surprising decline."
Yeah, slightly different angles on the same story....
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Supreme Court Incoherence
Last year, the Supreme Court said that the federal government had the power to regulate the consumption of home-grown marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act, as this activity might have some effect on interstate commerce, however minimal. The Justices in support of that ruling? Stevens, Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg, Breyer, and Scalia.
Today, the Supreme Court said that the federal government did NOT have the power to regulate the prescription of lethal amounts of controlled substances, saying "Congress did not have this far-reaching intent to alter the federal-state balance." The Justices in support of today's ruling? Kennedy, O'Connor, Stevens, Souter, Ginsburg, and Breyer.
So you had 6 justices completely switch sides, as Thomas dissented in both. However, Thomas doesn't count because his dissent today is basically a more eloquent restatement of this post. He says: "You guys said this in Raich, and today you're going completely against it. That's not how it works. Given Raich, I have to say the government has the power to do this."
Is it any wonder people believe the Court has become "results oriented"? Opinion
here. At the very least, read Thomas' dissent (at the end, only 4 pages).
Last year, the Supreme Court said that the federal government had the power to regulate the consumption of home-grown marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act, as this activity might have some effect on interstate commerce, however minimal. The Justices in support of that ruling? Stevens, Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg, Breyer, and Scalia.
Today, the Supreme Court said that the federal government did NOT have the power to regulate the prescription of lethal amounts of controlled substances, saying "Congress did not have this far-reaching intent to alter the federal-state balance." The Justices in support of today's ruling? Kennedy, O'Connor, Stevens, Souter, Ginsburg, and Breyer.
So you had 6 justices completely switch sides, as Thomas dissented in both. However, Thomas doesn't count because his dissent today is basically a more eloquent restatement of this post. He says: "You guys said this in Raich, and today you're going completely against it. That's not how it works. Given Raich, I have to say the government has the power to do this."
Is it any wonder people believe the Court has become "results oriented"? Opinion
here. At the very least, read Thomas' dissent (at the end, only 4 pages).
Monday, January 16, 2006
Weaksauce
Looking for an explanation of how the Troy Polamalu play should have been called? Don't look anywhere in the Rulebook on NFL.com. That'd be too logical.
Yet another reason that baseball is superior. All the technicalities are there for the reading.
Update: Apparently you can buy an official rulebook. Yeah, not gonna happen. Why not provide one for free?
Looking for an explanation of how the Troy Polamalu play should have been called? Don't look anywhere in the Rulebook on NFL.com. That'd be too logical.
Yet another reason that baseball is superior. All the technicalities are there for the reading.
Update: Apparently you can buy an official rulebook. Yeah, not gonna happen. Why not provide one for free?
Urge To Kill Rising, Rising...
Two phrases that should die a quick, quiet, painful death:
Upscale -- where did this suddenly come from, and why is it everywhere I turn? Does it really not have any synonyms?
and
Reality-based -- when referring to politics, red-blue, blah blah blah. It's the height of arrogance to assert that because someone doesn't agree with you, they are ignoring reality. So stuff it where your reality-based sun doesn't shine.
I hate them both so very very much.
Two phrases that should die a quick, quiet, painful death:
Upscale -- where did this suddenly come from, and why is it everywhere I turn? Does it really not have any synonyms?
and
Reality-based -- when referring to politics, red-blue, blah blah blah. It's the height of arrogance to assert that because someone doesn't agree with you, they are ignoring reality. So stuff it where your reality-based sun doesn't shine.
I hate them both so very very much.
Lonely Day
It's Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which means I'm the only one here in the office. It's actually very nice, and I have a feeling I'll be quite productive.
Everybody hears the "I Have a Dream" speech this time every year, and that's fine, because it really is quite good. But my personal favorite of his is the "I Have Been To the Mountaintop" speech, given the night before he was killed.
It's Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which means I'm the only one here in the office. It's actually very nice, and I have a feeling I'll be quite productive.
Everybody hears the "I Have a Dream" speech this time every year, and that's fine, because it really is quite good. But my personal favorite of his is the "I Have Been To the Mountaintop" speech, given the night before he was killed.
