I was going to write about Verizon's decision to charge a $2 "convenience fee" to its customers who make payments over the phone or online with their credit cards. I was going to rant what a scam it was. After all, it's convenient to Verizon when people pay that way. They get the money quicker (than by check). I was going … Read More
Obama-Clinton in 2012
Wait. Obama-Clinton? Robert Reich, among others, thinks it is a great idea. My political prediction for 2012 (based on absolutely no inside information): Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden swap places. Biden becomes Secretary of State — a position he’s apparently coveted for years. And Hillary Clinton, Vice President. So the Democratic ticket for 2012 is Obama-Clinton. Why do I say this? Because Obama … Read More
Quote Of The Day
This comes from Rep. Jerry Bergevin, a Republican state senator in the state of New Hampshire. He's backing a bill in which evolution should be taught in New Hampshire schools, but it should be, in his view, exposed for what it is: [Bergevin's] bill would require schools to teach evolution as a theory, and include "the theorists' political and ideological viewpoints … Read More
Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt Get Beyond Adoreable
They sent this out today:
Jesus Wept
Here is footage of a fight among Christians. It involves two rival Christian groups — Orthodox clerics versus Armenian clerics. That makes it interesting enough, but there's a lot more. They are fighting with brooms. Why? Because they were cleaning up when the fight broke out. And what were they cleaning? The Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem. That's right… a … Read More
Santorum Gets His Surge
As Newt plummets, Santorum gets his notice to come up in the polls. At least in Iowa. Which doesn't matter, because it's not a real primary, and the conservatives there are batshit crazy. But it's nice to see that Santorum is getting a little notice. And he has plans to fix things: WASHINGTON — At a campaign event in Iowa on … Read More
Tolerance Does Not Mean Tolerating The Intolerant
"Tolerance", I suspect, isn't a word that was thrown around much 50 years ago. But it does seem to be a buzzword today. Everyone accepts and agrees that tolerance is a value and virtue. But for some — those who haven't really gotten the memo on what "tolerance" means – the word means, in essence, "you must put up with my … Read More
2012 Dead Pool
I like this time of year because all the lists come out. The Best of… The Worst of… It goes on and on and on. I tend not to get reflective, myself. Not anymore. I've seen too many years now to think that any given year, either the past or the upcoming one, is going to be dramatically different. Which … Read More
File Under “Ookey”
I've never given much thought to my sexual orientation. Being straight in a largely straight world, I guess I never had to. I'd like to think that if I was gay, I wouldn't have a problem with that. Except that if I was gay, this would bother me to no end. A new book… Nixon's Darkest Secrets: The Inside Story of America's … Read More
Want Some Good Blog Reading?
Jon Swift was a blogger from a few years ago who may have been one of the best bloggers ever. His satiric writing is legendary, like that of his namesake. Unfortunately, Jon Swift (aka Al Weisel) died suddenly in February 2010. One of Swift's pet projects was a year-end Blogger Round Up. Al/Jon asked bloggers far and wide, famous and in- … Read More
I Can’t Keep Up
Google+ is out, and Pinterest is in? Was Google+ ever in? And I'm told that Winterfell ("Game of Thrones") is out already, to be replaced in 2012 by District 11 ("Hunger Games"). I haven't even seen Game of Thrones yet. I just got onto Spotify, which is apparently passe, too. Bluebrain, the music that changes based on your location, is the trendy … Read More
The GOP Landscape
I find it hard to comment on the GOP presidential bid, if only because it moves too quickly, and I'm not sure what I could add to the cacophany of punditry out there. I mean, I like the gaffes, but even that has become "old hat". It's almost pedantic and cliched now to point out the obvious: that this field … Read More
Did The Framers Intend Gridlock?
Jeff Jacoby has an insanely stupid column in The Boston Globe arguing that "Yes, Virginia, the founding fathers wanted our governing bodies to be dysfunctional". It's one of those pieces that makes you dumber for reading it. Jacoby conflates "checks and balances" with "girdlock" as if the two things are synonymous: What the smart set bewails today as “gridlock’’ or “brinksmanship’’ or … Read More
Back At Blogging
With Christmas Day in the rear view mirror, and life returning to normalcy, I hope to be back to blogging shortly (and hopefully with renewed energy and accuracy).