You are Soy Gay!

This makes total sense...

Gingrich raises alarm at event honoring those who stand up for freedom of speech

This is disturbing. I would love to see this guy get the nomination for the Republicans, his record, his personal history and his views would make for an easy Democratic victory.

Democratic House and Senate, what now?

The Mid-term elections are over and it seems Americans have given their heads a collective shake and decided to toss out enough Republicans and elect enough Democrats to shift the balance of power in Washington. The last two years of a 2 term presidency are often a challenging time for an administration, your enemies see you as a weak lame-duck and your friends are all trying to ensure they get your job when you are kicked out. This is made worse in Dubya's case by the ongoing shitshow in Iraq and the fact that the current vice-president is not considering running for president. If the Democrat's decide to start hammering the administration with investigations and enquires about the war, things are going to get rough, how rough depends on the reaction of the Whitehouse. Dubya's natural instinct when trapped into a corner is to retreat to his base and this might overcome any desire to build a legacy that not does not involve pre-emptive war. Cheney seems to have become uber-bitter and will either finish out his term padding a nest egg for himself or attempting to get Dubya to bring out the VETO stamp on any legislation likely to help the Democrats.

The real question will be how will the Democrats win back the Whitehouse in 2 years? Will they attempt a centrist course that lures independents and moderate Republicans over to the Democratic side? Or will they try to appeal to their base; unions, women, minorities and urban voters? The safe bet seems to be to stay moderate, at least until a front runner emerges from the Republican party. If a moderate like McCain is nominated then expect the Dems to veer to the left, if a more conservative candidate receives the nomination then the center is wide open for democrats. All in all it should be interesting.

On a personal note we are still waiting for our house to be completed, apparently infills are like Rome, not built in a day.

Played some 5-10 at Deerfoot Casino last night, bought in for 100, cashed out 300. Not a bad night. The table was evenly split between knowledgeable, competent players and those who did not understand the betting structure, let alone low-limit strategy. The dealer showed great patience when hand after hand players were betting 10 when they can only bet 5 and vice versa. My biggest regret of the night was tangling with the more experienced players with questionable hands. I would have made about 200 bucks more if I had stayed clear of them and focused on the ample supply of fish. I will definitely be back to Deerfoot in the near future.
I recently bought Winning Low Limit Hold'em by Lee Jones, it was a great read. All my poker books have been based on No Limit tournaments, a very different game.

the end of wikipedia....

I'm a pretty big fan of wikipedia ,but I fear it's chaotic ways may be coming to an end. As more and more people begin editing entries and people with a serious ax to grind , the article on evolution has been locked by the administrators due to the constant altering of the article by creationists/I.D.'ers and pro-evolution advocates. The sudden death of Kenneth Lay has resulted in a similar battle. Read about it.

the guy in charge of the internet.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens’ (R-Alaska) is conducting hearings on the so called net neutrality bill, now this guy is 87 years old and like many 87 year olds is a little behind the times. He recently stated

"I just the other day got, an internet was sent by my staff at 10 o’clock in the morning on Friday and I just got it yesterday. Why? Because it got tangled up with all these things going on the internet commercially. […]

He then asked "what happens to your own personal internet when someone else tried to download 10 movies at the same time?"

But the gem is this ditty "They want to deliver vast amounts of information over the internet. And again, the internet is not something you just dump something on. It’s not a truck. It’s a series of tubes."

A set of tubes indeed. And I mean who better to head a Senate commitee on commerce than an 87 year old from Alaska. Article found here.

a month off...

Ok, in the last month I've been rejected from law school, gone to Vegas, sold my house and bought a new house. I'm on the last week of 3 weeks of holidays and I was bored and reading over some of my old posts, damn sometimes I can actually write!

Best Headline Ever

"Tommy Hilfiger Attacks Axl Rose With Punching Barrage In NYC Nightclub…" from the Huffingtonpost.com

Google Earth....

I'm a pretty big fan of Google Earth, but you quickly run out of stuff to look at due to the sheer size of, well earth. This site provides some cool stuff.

BBC Screw-up

The BBC was supposed to be interviewing a lawyer for Apple and they grabbed the wrong guy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj65znF5gNI

Hat tip Dave.

Laura Bush doesn't believe polls about Dubya

"I don't really believe those polls. I travel around the country. I see people, I see their responses to my husband. I see their response to me," Laura Bush

Yeah, good one Laura. There's a reason you don't see anyone who doesn't like your husband when you travel around the country, all your events are staged and the audience is hand picked die hard republicans and soldiers in uniform who are not allowed to critize their commander in chief. There is a reason why the First Lady is being showcased much more than her husband, her approval ratings are at record high while a new Harris poll has put Bush's numbers at a record low 29%. It's too bad the First Ladt can't veto legislation or conduct foreign policy, all she can do is open museums and give speeches to Rotarians.

For a view of what might have been....