POTD

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Dumb

Don't you hate it when someone seems to be coming to a good point, then says something stupid, ruining everything?

"Earth to critics: black writers and performers work under the same First Amendment as anyone else. If you don't like what people have to say, don't buy their books or watch their shows. You don't have the right to demand a retraction or to tell McGruder what to say on his show."

I certainly do.

Maybe I should Google it, but I don't remember the First Amendment mentioning anything about "not demanding a retraction." In addition to religion and (apparently) lobbying, the First Amendment guarantees fee speech and a free press.

The guarantee, of course, prohibits congress from making a law infringing on these rights. It doesn't preclude anyone, even Al Sharpton, from pointing out your bad taste and suggesting that an apology is in order. Unless Al Sharpton's words somehow carry the weight of law, which, thank God, they do not.

:-o

Cingular can suck it.

Danger

The U.S. government thinks vegans are dangerous. Good use of tax money. Well done.

I'm drinking a cup of coffee, don't remember what kind of beans, but I swear that it has an aftertaste just like a joint.

Shit

"Conducting war is a responsibility in the executive branch, not the legislative branch."

I couldn't agree more, Mr. President. I think, therefore, it is time for you to shit or get off the pot.

We are not at war. Amid your declarations of L'Etat c'est moi, you seem to have forgotten that clause in the Constitution giving Congress the power to declare war.

Congress declares, you execute.

We are not at war. You were given authority to use force in specific circumstances:

"That the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons."

That bounds your authority. This, in no way, authorizes you to create enemies disruptors lists or spy on U.S. citizens. Your playing fast and loose with the law and civil rights is only bad for the country. Cut the crap and start acting like a president.

And for you, Congress, once the greatest deliberative body on the planet, when were you planning to find your balls?

Blindly handing power to an administration marked by a curious mix of incompetence, mendacity, and blind ideology does no good. In fact, it does quite a bit of harm. Please, for the good of the world, assert your constitutional power. You have the power of the purse. Use it. Stop funding these ideologues' pet projects.

POTD

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Alife.

AB

Air bag.

Failure

It's the president's prescription drug plan (Medicare Part D), though, that is his most mind-boggling failure. As was not the case in Iraq or with Katrina, it hasn't had to overcome the opposition of man or nature. Pharmacists are not resisting the program; seniors are not planting car bombs to impede it (not yet, anyway). But in what must be an unforeseen development, people are trying to get their medications covered under the program. Apparently, this is a contingency for which the administration was not prepared [...]

Via The Washington Post.

Money

Yup, the economy is really picking up steam.

Shopper

Still trying to figure out the AOL ShoppingBuddy bot.

It seems they are still working out the "family friendly" thing.

VV

Veronica Vinegar gets the most bizarre fan mail.

Burn

Uptown train. A beautiful woman steps on. She is wearing a deep red coat and carrying a silver leather duffel bag.

As she turns to sit next to me, I see that part of her coat covering the small of her back is missing. A gaping hole, surrounded by black, singed material. At 14th street, she stands and leaves the train.

This will bother me for the rest of the day.

POTD

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In the piazza.

Ouch

Because the -- all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those -- changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be -- or closer delivered to what has been promised.

Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled. Look, there's a series of things that cause the -- like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate -- the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those -- if that growth is affected, it will help on the red.

I can't believe he actually said that. Certainly he should have had an answer ready for that question.

Shopper

So I made the mistake of logging into AIM using one of AOL's IM clients. As soon as I did that, two AOL bots appeared in my buddy list: MovieFone and ShoppingBuddy. I thought this was kind of rude, but then figured I might as well try one out.

If you aren't going to help me shop, don't clutter my buddy list. Fucking puritanical AOL.

NYC

Two Scenarios:

1) Walking down 41st street. I'm walking East, some little troll of a woman is walking West. She is walking directly toward me. It appears that she wants very much to step off the curb exactly where I happen to be. I stop to see what she'll do. Looking straight at me, she walks right into me, bouncing back.

2) Grabbing that crucial first-of-the-day coffee. Some giant, mannish woman is standing at the bar, directly in front of the cup of coffee just poured for me. "Excuse me" I say to the big woman. She steps closer to the bar, pressing her belly against it, entirely blocking access to my coffee. "That isn't helping" I tell her.

Question:

If you were either of these women, would you be angry with me? Because they both were.

Apple Wins

Disney buying Pixar means Jobs is on Disney's board which means lots of Disney video will appear for sale (exclusive online) on iTunes which means that Apple wins.

Everyone's kids will pester them to buy animated stuff from iTunes. Everyone will have iTunes installed. I think this is the end for every other company trying to sell video over the internet.

POTD

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S5.

Polaroid

Polaroid stops manufacturing Time-Zero film.

Coffee

Remembering one of the reasons I like Seattle.

Wikipedia

My God, I love Wikipedia.

POTD

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tp.

Pet Seal

> PET SEAL

It's not that kind of seal.

Web 3.0

Zeldman: Web 3.0 thinks you are so 2005.