retirement has been planned for me- no more need to worry (click)

since I turn 65 days before this event. No mor eneed for me to work on that Pesky ROTH.

Moron of the week 2 for 2007.

I believe I have shown remarkable restraint in holding off a week for this one:

George W. Bush becomes 2007’s second moron of the week.
Insanity is defined loosely as continuing to do an act that does not yield the intended end. All the more insane repeatedly doing a thing that causes you harm (slamming your head against a wall, etc).

Tonight “W” will unveil the “plan” he has been working on for over two months, a plan that his own military advisers tell him has limited to no chance for success.

I wish someone could help the Commander in Chief grasp these realities:

Coalition Casualties in Iraq (Military March 20, 2003- January 9, 2006)
US UK Other Total
3017 128 123 3268

Non-mortal Casualties (US) including non-hostile and medical evacuations
46,880

The most conservative numbers available recording Iraqi security forces and civilian deaths are those provided through the media. By all accounts these appear to be grossly underestimated at 19,090.

"The plan" is to put 20,000 additional troops into the middle of this chaos with a hope that their presence- the very presence that is causing the anger and turmoil- will somehow bring an end.

How many more must die?

I plan on watching the speech tonight. Maybe he will prove the media wrong and I can cheerfully recant.

In Fairness to Zak George

Check out the "other channel" of Zak George on YouTube. He pulled the video rantings to which I commented below. While his rationale is dubious I am, none the less, grateful for the change. The site referenced here with clickable link is very entertaining and informative. He still has an ego but in the context of such entertainment that is forgivable.

Check out Zak and his dogs- family and other happenings in his life.

Music (iPod) Shuffle-

Since I don't have an iPod I need to come up with a better name for this. The idea is simple: Using your digital music storage component select random shuffle for your whole music library.
Post the first 10 songs that come up. here is my list for January 7, 2008.

"Superman" - REM
"I Can't Tell You Why" - Eagles
"Innuendo"- Queen
"Hear Them Bells"- Neil Diamond
"If You Could Read My Mind- Gordon Lightfoot
"Punky's Dilemna"- Simon and Garfunkel
"Mony Mony"- Billy Idol
"I'm Still Standing"- Elton John
"We Belong"- Pat Benetar
"Jungletime"- Neil Diamond

Have fun with your own digital music device and share your results.

Best of 2006

Best News Commentary: Keith Olbermann
His ‘Special Commentary’ segments are truly must see TV. This is apparently the only media personality left with a spine. I encourage everyone to check him out at MSNBC.

Best Local Weather Personality: Sven Sungaard
This guy may not be the best at what he does but at 25 years old he is very well seasoned. He is very short and based on the MN State Fair live appearances he has a legion of 12 year old girls following him. He seems a bit too intelligent to fit in with the rest of the weekend crew at KARE11 but he has a way of making the weather more watchable.

Best 2006 Election Result-
Hands down, for me this was Amy Klobuchar in the US Senate for Minnesota. The first woman elected to the senate for Minnesota Amy brings a glimpse of what the Dems have to offer for the future. As an added bonus she blocked Mark Kennedy from the ambition set forth for him by Chenney and Co out of Washington. If Coleman gets similarly routed in 2008 I will indeed be a happy man.

Best Decision of the Bush Administration
The final disposition of Donald Rumsfeld. If only it had been 3 or more years earlier.

Best Celebrity Moment
I can’t think of one, sorry.

Who's Reading you Mail?

This from the guy who said he doesn't use email for privacy reasons.

Housekeeping

To all of my reader:

When leaving comments-

If you are not registered at blogspot you can leave your name in the text of your message so I can identify you.

If you know me from other sites by other names, please call me "Jon" at this site.

Please, please, please... tell all your friends about our little site. I will try to do more to keep their interest.

Peace in 2007

Kudos to Jim Tucker at Dappled Things!!!

I highlighted the Moron of the week, Zak George because of his displayed ignorance at (mis) AdventuresofZak on YouTube. It is fitting that I should give Kudos to Jim Tucker at Dappled Things (clickable link above) for his blog entry on January 3, 2007 accounting of an officer who is refusing to return to Iraq.

Unlike Zak, Jim has a way of clarifying the issues without inserting his own opinion. His balance is refreshing. He brings illumination to the topic and challenges the reader to deeper thought. He says, in part:

“Even if we grant that the decision to invade Iraq was wrong and immoral (as I have held from the start), now that our forces are there and everything's in chaos, what is the morally most correct way for us to deal with the mess we've made? What kind of an obligation have we incurred toward the Iraqi people as a consequence of our government's decision to conquer their country?”

I like Jim’s blog but regret that he does not allow comments. Check it out.

It is regrettable too that when I tried to add this comment to AdventuresofZak he refused my comment- probably too political for him.

I hope, if I actually get readers and commenters some day that I will be more hospitable.

iPod Shuffle (revisited)

The shuffle yesterday was unbalanced since only about half of my music was on my computer. Also, I have isolated the Christmas music out now. So Here is the new entry for the week.


My Sweet Lady- John Denver
Crossroads- Gordon Lightfoot
Dear Father- Neil Diamond
For Lovin Me- Gordon Lightfoot
Show Me the Way- Styx
Circle of Love- Elton John
Chelsea Morning- Neil Diamond
Do Ya Think I’m Sexy- Rod Stewart
Under Pressure (remix)- Queen
LA Woman- Billy Idol

iPod Shuffle

Take your ipod, or other music system (mine is my laptop currently). Chosoe the random setting and post the first ten songs to play. Here are mine for this first attempt at this:

1. "Love Montage" from Les Misrables- Original London Cast
2. "It's Raining" Peter, Paul and Mary
3. "Bat Out of Hell" Meatloaf
4. "I'm Guilty" Neil Diamond
5. "Whispered Words" Peter, Paul and Mary
6. "Joy to The World" Neil Diamond
7. "Everybody" Neil Diamond
8. "For Cryin' Outloud" Meatloaf
9. "I Dreamed a Dream" Neil Diamond
10. "Father and Son" Cat Stevens

Interesting, no?

Moron of the Week- (clickable link) Zak George

Keith Olberman does a nightly bit about the 'stupidest person in the world.'

I don't claim to know the rest of the world enough to know if that is true but I do feel confident in identifying the biggest moron I have encountered in a long time. I don't mean to imply that the person is too stupid to live. In fact, I make no estimation of their intellect at all. The designation is reserved for statements or acts that define moronness, whether in a temporary or permanent state.

The first Moron of the Week I found on YouTube. I was first very interested in his work with dogs but am getting the idea now that dogs, who tend to be good natured to the point of sappiness, are his only company.

When I happened upon his response to a girl singing a christmas message for her brother who is serving in Iraq I found him to be (seemingly) reasonable and rationed.

But apparrently his meds don't mix well with egg nog.

His next two video blogs, both recorded for some unknown reason in duplicate on his YouTube site, make me want to scream out " YOU TUBE!!!" His position is ridiculous, to say the least.

He claims to run a site for 'civil discussion of controversial issues. He tries for civility, and is mostly polite, but misses the mark when he does not attempt genuine discussion.

Anyone who disagrees with his position is 'playing politics' or as he said of one contributor who was particularly well versed in facts:

You're just playin' politics bro. You're too concerned with being correct than you are about actual solutions. You're welcome to hang out here, but I'd like you to contribute something more valuable to the conversation if you don't mind.

Oddly, the point Zak fails to grasp is that when you are correct you rarely need to be concerned about it. It is when you are wrong and can't acknowledge that there are things you may not know that you have to get so defensive.

Check out his site- he watches his numbers as a way of inflating his ego as I saw on his other, more watchable site. Watch and see why Zak George is the "A Page That Aches" MORON OF THE WEEK!!!.

Former President Ford dies... (click)

Many of my liberal friends would argue about the wisdom of Ford's pardon of Nixon. The article linked here puts his position in his own words.

I for one have always felt that he did the best he could with a miserable situation. It may well be that this one decision cost him the election in '76, but I don't think so. Ford will neer be known as one of the great presidents. But he was a steady hand at the wheel during chaotic times.

Kick the $3.75 daily habit

Earlier this month I made the decision to stop going to Caribou Coffee for my daily $3.75 latte'.

I had been trying to convince myself that I enjoyed this extravagance by telling myself that the people wee so friendly and all that I was paying for the expreience, not the coffee which in fact I could make for myself.

Then I had the experience of being treated rudely by one of the employees at my daily stop.

This is a place that I frequented enough that the employees all knew me by name. I spent in excess of $100/month at this location.

But on the morning of the first Saturday in December I stopped in at my usual time and ordered my usual large skim decaf latte'.

After about 5 minutes, Steph, the coffee jockey that morning sniped at me that my drink hd come up 7 minutes ago and that someone must have taken it. While her tone was rude, I ignored it at that point and told her that I hadn't even been there 7 minutes and that I was okay with the mix-up and could wait.

She said something- I don't remember exactly what- that mad eit sound like it was my fault that someone else took my drink.

After 10 minutes of watching person after person getting their drinks- remember that these people are well aware of who I am- she placed the latte' at the far end of the counter and called out "lg decaf latte'".

I did not get so much a s an apology for the mix-up or even an acknowledgement of my existence.

I told the staff at that point that I believed the whole episode to be very rude and that if I did not return that would be why.

Having been convinced that a small amount of familiarity and politeness is not something one should expect to pay for I decided to create for myself a new morning routine.

Breuggers Bagels- just across the street- has a reasonable cup of coffee that would fit the bill for lee money. I went in to discover a promotion going on currently that offers a travelling mug that would provide free refills through 2007. The cathc was that the mug was being offered for $99.

In less than 1 month I have had that same mug refilled already 37 times. If each of those replaced a $3.75 latte' I have already made my initial payment back.

This means that for a reasonable sacrifice - having to add my own skim milk to my coffee and having to clean my own mug- I am in a position to receive free coffee for the coming year.

Add to this that the folks at Breuggers offer a friendly environment as well. Even if the decide to take me for granted that would be only fair since my main ambition is to maximize my value for the next 370 days.

Think of what I can do with the $1200 I will save in 2007- If Neil is listening a concert would be a good idea- I am willing to travel as needed.

Oh the things they will say...

take a look at Media Matters review of the stupid things conservatives said in 2006.

Makes me recall a better time

and dream about the possibility of a (Blank/Webb) '08 ticket.