Keith Olbermann with another special comment, the target, the president, and his failure to act.

Chris Wallace is a "monkey posing as a newscaster, and the Iraq war is not a check on terror but fertilizer for it." Wow.

On Sliming done by Proxy:

Quicktime Video 8.1MB  10'34
Quicktime 7 required

>

Via One Good Move

Posted at 05:57 AM in Media, Politics, War/Defense | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The maker of one of my very favorite cigars was written up in the NYT this week:  José Orlando Padrón.

"Mr. Padrón, 80, began working in his father’s tobacco farm at the age of 7 and is still a hands-on manager a lifetime later. He now shuttles between Miami and Managua and is a constant presence on the factory floor, plucking bad leaves off the table with a disapproving eye and leaving a trail of smoke behind him.

“Don’t even talk about life without cigars,” said Mr. Padrón, a stocky man who speaks in rapid-fire Cuban Spanish and sticks his nose into tobacco leaves to take in the pungent scent as some might smell a rose.

In the 1970’s, Mr. Padrón began growing tobacco derived from Cuban seed here in Nicaragua’s fertile Estelí region. But politics interfered.

In 1978, as Sandinista revolutionaries battled the longtime dictator Anastasio Somoza, Mr. Padrón was regarded by some as sympathetic to the strongman. His Nicaraguan factory was burned.

Still, he kept smoking, and eventually he was back producing cigars in this country. To do so, he had to meet with the local comandante and make the case that he was employing hundreds of Nicaraguans and not meddling in politics.

The crises did not let up. In 1979, he and other Cuban exiles went back to Cuba to negotiate the release of political prisoners. In a meeting with President Castro, Mr. Padrón was photographed handing the leader one of his cigars, which riled some of Miami’s anti-Castro hard-liners so much that they repeatedly put bombs in his factory.

A group called Omega 7 claimed responsibility for the attacks, which backfired in the long run. Many in Miami sympathized with him and bought more of his cigars. Mr. Padrón posted this quotation from José Martí, the 19th-century poet and fighter for Cuban independence, on his factory wall: “Men are divided into two groups — those that love and build, and those that hate and destroy.”

In 1985 the Reagan administration imposed a trade embargo on Nicaragua, which effectively ended Mr. Padrón’s ability to get his Nicaraguan cigars to his American customers. “I got hit again,” he said.

He hustled some bales of tobacco out of the country to continue producing for a while, then opened an operation across the border in Honduras. But when the embargo was lifted in 1990, he was back in Nicaragua. “I’m a survivor,” he said."

Source:
A Career Seasoned With Cigar Smoke and Revolution
MARC LACEY
NYT, September 27, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/27/world/americas/27cigar.html

Padrón 1964 Anniversary Exclusivo
http://www.padron.com/cigar_show.php?cigar=exclusivo

My other favorite:

Diamond Crown Figurado No. 6
http://www.thecigarstore.com/product.php?p=73988

Posted at 05:59 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Posted at 06:14 AM in Humor, Politics, War/Defense | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Holy cow!

Posted at 09:03 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Tom Toles via Yahoo

Posted at 06:44 AM in Humor, Politics, War/Defense | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The 4 year old could keep a beat, but this 7 year old really rocks:

Posted at 09:08 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

First look:  THE French are used to the Germans getting attention for automotive engineering, but when Mercedes-Benz, with the flowing lines of its CLS, and BMW, with its controversial Chris Bangle designs, steal the limelight in style, something must be done.

The Peugeot 908 RC design study.

For Peugeot, that something is the 908 RC, a design study to be displayed at the Paris auto show this month. The sleek black 908 RC is an answer to the S-Class or 7 Series, a lux limo powered by a 700-horsepower V-12 diesel designed for endurance racing.

Source:
Score One for France
PHIL PATTON
NYT, September 15, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/15/automobiles/17BEAM.html

Posted at 10:25 AM in Automobiles | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Terrific collection from around the world:

Posted at 09:16 AM in Humor, Television | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Via Wired:

"Comparing official mortality data with the number of Americans who have been killed inside the United States by terrorism since the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma reveals that scores of threats are far more likely to kill an American than any terrorist -- at least, statistically speaking.

In fact, your appendix is more likely to kill you than al-Qaida is.

With that in mind, here's a handy ranking of the various dangers confronting America, based on the number of mortalities in each category throughout the 11-year period spanning 1995 through 2005 (extrapolated from best available data)."

click for larger graphic

Source:
One Million Ways to Die
By Ryan Singel
02:00 AM Sep, 11, 2006
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,71743-0.html?tw=wn_index_29

Posted at 05:46 AM in Politics, Religion, War/Defense | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Too damned amusing:

Posted at 06:06 AM in Current Affairs, Music, Politics | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Pretty sharp criticism:  Democrat Tim Ryan from Ohio kicks the Bush Administration ass. He was responding to why young people think the Administration will institute a draft despite their denials.

Posted at 06:06 AM in Politics | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sad but true:

Tom Toles via Yahoo!

Posted at 05:46 AM in Humor, Politics, War/Defense | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Mutts

Posted at 07:31 AM in Humor | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Utterly histerically clip of Letterman asking Ann Heche about Ellen Degeneres -- Dave gets utterly tongue tied, states "I Love Lesbians," and "uhhh, girls kissing" "Now I feel stupid"

Not only does Heche match wits with Letterman, she out does him repartee-wise; Be sure to catch her  sly reference to Paul -- making size jokes and winking at the 2:30 mark.

Posted at 10:52 AM in Humor, Television | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Cool (and a bit scary):

Posted at 05:50 AM in Art & Design, Humor | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Beautifully realized: 

Posted at 06:38 AM in Art & Design, Television | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

A good (but not great) show by The Who, marred only by a 40 minute soft spot in the middle of their soon to be released album, Wire and Glass, which, of course, nobody knew (an EP came out on August 30th '06, with the full CD scheduled for a October 30th release).

I always thought The Who never got their due relative to the great English bands of the 1960s and 70s. Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Pink Floyd -- The Who are easily in that pantheon, and yet they seem to be perceived as a notch below. I can't explain. 

A good band behind the 2 surviving members. The drummer was particularly sharp -- Zak Starkey, son of the Beatles' Ringo Starr, did a surprisingly excellent job as Keith Moon's replacement.

Peter & Roger:

The stage and lighting worked well:

Concert Blue:

Video: Download Baba O'Riley

I am striking out when it comes to finding the playlists  -- Here's what I remember:   

I Can't Explain   
The Seeker,   
Anyway Anyhow Anywhere   
Who Are You,    
Behind Blue Eyes   
Baba O'Riley
Relay
My Generation
Won't Get Fooled Again
Substitute

Pinball Wizard,  Amazing Journey,  Sparks,  See Me Feel Me 

Man In A Purple Dress 
Good Looking Boy 
Black Widow Eyes 
mini-opera from  Wire and Glass,    

DID NOT PERFORM:

The Kids Are Alright 
Let's See Action
Magic Bus
anything from Quadraphenia 
Young Man Blues 
Happy Jack 
Summertime Blues 
You Better You Bet
Join Together
I Can See For Miles
Slip Kid
Bargain
Love Ain't for Keeping
Getting In Tune
Going Mobile
Bargain

One interesting aspect of the show was the taping for DVD of the show. The band will offer for sale  sale a CD/DVD of your precise concert via The Music Store.

Posted at 12:07 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack

well said:

Posted at 03:04 PM in Current Affairs, Politics, War/Defense | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

A 98 year old woman wrote this to her bank. The bank manager thought it amusing enough to have it published in the New York Times.

Dear Sir:

I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check with which I endeavored to pay my plumber last month.

By my calculations, three nanoseconds, must have elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it. I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire salary, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years.

You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account $30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank.

My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways.

I noticed that whereas I personally attend to your telephone calls and letters, when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless entity which your bank has become.

From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and loan payments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank by check, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate.

Be aware that it is an offense under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope. Please find attached an Application Contact Status which I require your chosen employee to complete.

I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative.

Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof.

In due course, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me.

I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Let me level the playing field even further. When you call me, press buttons as follows:

1-- To make an appointment to see me.

2-- To query a missing payment.

3-- To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.

4-- To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping.

5-- To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.

6-- To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not a t home.

7-- To leave a message on my computer (a password to access my computer is required. A password will be communicated to you at a later date to the Authorized Contact.)

8-- To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7.

9-- To make a general complaint or inquiry, the contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service.

While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call.

Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement.

May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous, New Year.

Your Humble Client

(Remember: This was written by a 98 year old woman)
JUST GOTTA LOVE SENIORS!

author unknown

Posted at 06:34 AM in Humor | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Too funny!

Posted at 06:53 AM in Humor, SciFi, Television | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Too true:

Tom Toles via Yahoo!

Posted at 06:49 AM in Humor, Politics | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

I know we referenced this almost a year ago, but its so good we had to repeat it . . .

Posted at 08:27 AM in Television | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Terrific:

Posted at 06:20 AM in Finance | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

the one that started it all

Posted at 06:47 AM in Humor, Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

How can you not laugh at this shirt:

Via Scandalshirts

Posted at 06:27 AM in Humor | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Hysterical:

Posted at 05:03 AM in Humor, Politics, Television | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tom Toles via Yahoo!

Posted at 06:10 AM in Current Affairs, Humor, Politics, Science | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Last year, we saw this Dorm Room trick.

Here's a variation, this time, on a "Dorm Room Door"

via Rocketboom.

Posted at 09:24 AM in Humor | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Excerpt:

THE CITY of New Britain, near the geographical center of Connecticut and the midpoint between New York City and Boston, is home to the Rock Cats, the Minnesota Twins' Class AA affiliate in the Eastern League. But the Twins do not have much of a fan base in New Britain. As is the case across much of the state, there is a debate in New Britain about which is the more popular team, the Red Sox or the Yankees.

Last summer, the Rock Cats staged a Rivalry Night. They had 2,000 Yankees caps and 2,000 Red Sox caps. Paying customers could choose one.

 

''The Red Sox caps ran out first, so we declared this Red Sox territory, although it's probably 51-49,'' said Bob Dowling, the team's media relations director.

A city divided. A region and state, too. But where, exactly?

The idea for this exercise was simple in design but complicated in application: Plot the length of the border between Red Sox Nation and Yankees Country, a sort of Mason-Dixon Line separating baseball's fiercest rivals, who will play five games in the next four days in Boston.

Source:
Where Do Rivals Draw the Line?
JOHN BRANCH
NYT, August 18, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/18/sports/baseball/18fans.html

Posted at 05:11 AM in Sports | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tom Toles via Yahoo!

Posted at 02:19 PM in Current Affairs, Humor, Politics, War/Defense | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

A great scene from an under appreciated Movie:

Man in Black: All right. Where is the poison? The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide and we both drink, and find out who is right... and who is dead.
Vizzini: But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you: are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet or his enemy's? Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
Man in Black: You've made your decision then?
Vizzini: Not remotely. Because iocane comes from Australia, as everyone knows, and Australia is entirely peopled with criminals, and criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you.
Man in Black: Truly, you have a dizzying intellect.
Vizzini: Wait til I get going! Now, where was I?
Man in Black: Australia.
Vizzini: Yes, Australia. And you must have suspected I would have known the powder's origin, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
Man in Black: You're just stalling now.
Vizzini: You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? You've beaten my giant, which means you're exceptionally strong, so you could've put the poison in your own goblet, trusting on your strength to save you, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But, you've also bested my Spaniard, which means you must have studied, and in studying you must have learned that man is mortal, so you would have put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
Man in Black: You're trying to trick me into giving away something. It won't work.
Vizzini: IT HAS WORKED! YOU'VE GIVEN EVERYTHING AWAY! I KNOW WHERE THE POISON IS!
Man in Black: Then make your choice.
Vizzini: I will, and I choose - What in the world can that be?
Vizzini: [Vizzini gestures up and away from the table. Roberts looks. Vizzini swaps the goblets]
Man in Black: What? Where? I don't see anything.
Vizzini: Well, I- I could have sworn I saw something. No matter.First, let's drink. Me from my glass, and you from yours.
Man in Black, Vizzini: [they drink ]
Man in Black: You guessed wrong.
Vizzini: You only think I guessed wrong! That's what's so funny! I switched glasses when your back was turned! Ha ha! You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha...
Vizzini: [Vizzini stops suddenly, and falls dead to the right]
Buttercup: And to think, all that time it was your cup that was poisoned.
Man in Black: They were both poisoned. I spent the last few years building up an immunity to iocane powder.

-The Princess Bride
1987
Directed by Rob Reiner
Written by William Goldman

Posted at 05:45 AM in Film, War/Defense | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Dear Captain: a rather funny note from 8 year old girl on her first flight
(you may have to read it twice to cacth the funny part)

Yes, its real -- see the other time wasters here:   http://www.micom.net/oops/

Posted at 09:35 AM in Humor, Travel | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Astonishing!

Posted at 05:24 AM in Video | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Too amusing: The deadpan look is priceless.

Hat tip: Adams Options

Posted at 05:06 PM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Cool article in Wired:

"A new generation of supersonic private jets could trigger a boom in luxury high-speed flight -- without the sonic boom normally associated with breaking the sound barrier.

Lockheed Martin's advanced Skunk Works unit is designing a small, 12-seat passenger jet that would travel at 1,200 mph (Mach 1.8) but which would produce only a whisper of the annoying crack once emitted by the retired Concorde.

The sleek, 130-foot-long QSST (for "quiet supersonic travel") aircraft is being designed for a Nevada consortium called Supersonic Aerospace International, or SAI, at an estimated cost of $2.5 billion.

Source:
New York to L.A. in Two Hours
By Robert Andrews
Wired, 02:00 AM Aug, 28, 2006
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,71665-0.html

Posted at 08:36 AM in Design, Science, Travel, War/Defense | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack