Exurban League

Friday Music Blogging - The Blasters

2009-11-20T20:47:00Z

Hey!

It's Friday!

Get up and dance!

Now I REALLY want one

2009-11-20T18:58:00Z

Some say that my ~~ridiculous obsession~~ lifelong dream of owning an M163 Vulcan Air Defence System is a tad (or more than a tad) silly.

I say it'd work a whole lot better at skeet shooting than an AMX-13.

Via Gunnuts.net.

A Very Important Announcement

2009-11-20T18:07:00Z

While it is true that I was fortunate enough to have grown up in one of the best (if not THE best) cities in the entire world, I now consider Arizona to be my home. I love this state, and I want to see it continue to grow and prosper. That is why I have decided to seek the Republican nomination for Congress in Arizona's 15th District.

As I have said before, I have made my position quite clear: I will do something about the many issues we currently face only if it's really needed, and then only if a new episode of "Lost" isn't on that night. In addition to this bold decision to do sweet bugger all, I also pledge that I will write A Stern Note Of Great Concern to the new owner of the Coyotes (whoever that may be) if he/she decides to move them out of town.

And let me be clear, as your elected representative, I will also continue to fight for the issues that I firmly believe in, such as outlawing astroturf and the designated hitter in baseball and making the possession, sale and/or distribution of so-called "light" beer a felony with criminal penalties equivalent to those given out to users of heroin, cocaine and other dangerous substances.

And finally, my friends, I ask you to come together and join us as we fight against our common foe. The one thing almost all of us have in common that ruins lives, that makes this country grind to a halt, and that causes so much pain and frustration for people in all walks of life.

I speak, of course, about Microsoft Windows.

Join me, and together we will free our nation from tyranny. We will live in a world without rotten UI structure and inexplicable errors. I look forward to the day that we will all finally come together and use the best personal computers and operating system ever designed and say as one nation, "Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty we are free at last!"

I'm ExurbanKevin, and I approved this message because Windows sucks.

Quote of the Day, 11/20.

2009-11-20T17:06:00Z

"The bile [Palin] extracts from her critics is almost like a dye marker, illuminating deep pockets of asininity that heretofore were either unnoticed or underappreciated."
-- Jonah Goldberg, National Review.

Hoarse race

2009-11-20T14:46:00Z

Rasmussen has the primary race for McCain's Senate seat as a dead heat, and Bill "Thug4Life" Kristol says that Palin will be the deciding factor that wins it for McCain.

Maybe.

This is a tricky one for Palin: If she sits it out or endorses Hayworth, she risks alienating the middle of the GOP, and if she shows up with her old running mate, she may lose her base.

Those who say "Who cares about the RINOs? Let 'em go and let's get back to basics!" should keep in mind that the Democrats won in 2006 and 2008 not because they ran rock-solid liberals who marched in lockstep with Obama in every district, but rather, they ran candidates whose politics were suited to their constituents. And that's McCain's problem: He's an excellent politician, great hero and a decent Republican, but he's not a good fit for Arizona. He'd be better off as a senator from Maryland or Georgia, because we're just too darn ornery here for someone who muddles around in the middle like he does. On the other hand, I'm not sure that replacing him with Hayworth is the answer, because if the Democrats run a strong candidate, the GOP may end up losing that seat.

What we need is another Jon Kyl: Solid Republican, nice guy and well-liked by everyone. I wonder if Kent Dana has any aspirations for political office...

A pound's a pound the world around

2009-11-20T14:23:00Z

There's a lot of truth to this:

In the States, pronouncing foreign words ‘correctly’ is a high-status indicator. It’s not just about demonstrating your racial sensitivity. It’s a way of advertising your membership of the elite.

But, speaking as a Canadian citizen and Arizona resident, it's not the whole story. If there's another word for a given noun in your language, use it, but it it's something like a chile relleño, you pronounce it "ChillAY rayYENno" because, well, that's what it is, no matter what the language you're using.

A Pit Bull with Lip Gloss.

2009-11-20T05:20:00Z

The inexplicably famous Levi Johnston inexplicably showed up at GQ's "Men of the Year" party last night in Hollywood. He was wearing pancake makeup and lip gloss. Inexplicably.

Sounds like Levi's on the backside of his 15 minutes:

Levi, who had on a vest, yellow pocket square and what appeared to be pancake makeup, wandered around the party with both his manager Tank (wearing a diamond earring) and a second beefy gentleman (wearing an earpiece).

And no one cared.

Levi was largely ignored by other guests as he wandered to get a soda (he's underage) and he checked his Blackberry while Tank hit up the buffet. An hour later, they were gone.

I'm guessing Levi spent the rest of the evening drunk-dialing Jon Gosselin and Balloon Dad to discuss the fleeting nature of fame.

(Hat tip: MKHammer)

Out of state revenue

2009-11-19T22:17:00Z

The long arm of the law knows no boundaries in Chicago:

A Chicago traffic camera could cost you hundreds of dollars. It did for Peorian Casandra Davis, who wrote ‘We Hear You’ after getting tickets for something she says she didn’t do. Her ticket charged her $100 for running a red light in Chicago. The only problem is Davis was in Tennessee.

A red light camera that can ticket people in other states? Good to see that NASA is finding some civilian applications for technology from the Hubble Space Telescope.

And of course, the Chicago authorities were more than happy to clean up their own mess. Errrr, maybe not.

Davis says she called Chicago’s Revenue Department and sent proof, but instead of correcting the problem, Chicago increased her ticket to $200.

Why the increased fine? Because shut up, they explained.

Via SayUncle.

Maricopa County Manager tries to silence local bloggers.

2009-11-19T22:12:00Z

Freedom of speech? Such a quaint concept. Maricopa County would rather that you just shut up:

Maricopa County Manager David Smith has filed a State Bar of Arizona complaint against County Attorney Andrew Thomas and three of his employees.

In recent weeks, Smith and the Board of Supervisors have stepped up their offensive against the County Attorney's Office, including the bar complaint, a motion to give supervisors control over the selection of special prosecutors and a formal demand for information about whether deputy county attorneys are making anonymous Internet postings about county business while at work.

Smith's two-page complaint was sent Monday to Chief Bar Counsel Maret Vessella, and in it he makes several allegations about Thomas, Special Assistant County Attorney Barnett Lotstein and Deputy County Attorneys Rachel Alexander and Lisa Aubuchon. The complaint alleges that Thomas has a conflict with his client, the Board of Supervisors, and that some county attorney employees may have leaked confidential, legal information on Internet blogs or to reporters.

"Maricopa County has reason to believe that some of its lawyers are anonymously being adverse to their clients through anonymous use of the internet," the complaint said...

The Sheriff's Office has filed bar complaints against Smith and against two attorneys working for the county.

To summarize, David Smith is using official county time and resources to attack local bloggers and commenters. Not only is he chilling free speech, he's using my tax money to do it.

Buy Ammo Day!

2009-11-19T16:58:00Z

Today is National Ammo Day. I'm celebrating by reloading more .223, but feel free to go out and peruse the barren shelves of your local sporting goods store for the ammo of your choice.

Is Chicago fascist, is not Chicago fascist?

2009-11-19T01:02:00Z

The dark night of fascism has settled at last in the United States, and not surprisingly, it's landed in Chicago.

A giant web of video-surveillance cameras has spread across Chicago, aiding police in the pursuit of criminals but raising fears that the City of Big Shoulders is becoming the City of Big Brother.

While many police forces are boosting video monitoring, video-surveillance experts believe Chicago has gone further than any other U.S. city in merging computer and video technology to police the streets. The networked system is also unusual because of its scope and the integration of nonpolice cameras.

The city links the 1,500 cameras that police have placed in trouble spots with thousands more—police won't say how many—that have been installed by other government agencies and the private sector in city buses, businesses, public schools, subway stations, housing projects and elsewhere. Even home owners can contribute camera feeds.

Criminal dog owners of Chicago beware, now you're under the same surveillance as your counterparts in England. And you're just as safe as the English are, too.

1 Little, 2 Little 3 Little Tax Cheats

2009-11-18T20:18:00Z

Another day, another tax cheat in the Treasury Department.

A congressional report says Obama's nominee for undersecretary of the Treasury for international affairs, Lael Brainard, was late in paying real estate taxes in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

When pressed for a comment, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner reportedly said, "Hey, who better to deal with sloppy bookkeeping overseas than a guy who knows how to do it here?"

California bans big-screen TVs. No, really.

2009-11-18T20:07:00Z

It looks like California bureaucrats aren't happy with their 12.2% unemployment rate. It's just not high enough:

In their continuing quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, state regulators at the California Energy Commission has just approved new regulations which manufacturers and retailers say will in effect ban the sale of big-screen TVs in the state.

The new regulations will require televisions sold in California to be more energy efficient beginning in 2011. The requirement would be tougher in 2013, with only one-quarter of the TVs on the market currently meeting that standard.

Manufacturers believe that implementing a power standard will cripple innovation, limit consumer choice and harm California retailers because consumers could simply buy TVs out of state or order them online.

The standards would apply to all TVs up to 58 inches, allowing increasing power use for larger TVs.

California currently suffers from a 12.2% unemployment rate.

Hear that sound, Golden Staters? It's Arizona laughing.

Guns deter pirates... who would have guessed?

2009-11-18T19:22:00Z

Back in April, Somali-based pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama and seized some of its crew. At the time, much discussion focused on the lack of guns aboard the vessel despite sailing through pirate-infested waters. Some blogs even made light of the situation.

Well, pirates just attacked the Maersk Alabama again today, but the results were markedly different.

Four suspected pirates in a skiff attacked the ship again on Wednesday around 6:30 a.m. local time, firing on the ship with automatic weapons from about 300 yards (meters) away, a statement from the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain said.

An on-board security team repelled the attack by using evasive maneuvers, small-arms fire and a Long Range Acoustic Device, which can beam earsplitting alarm tones, the fleet said...

The owners of the Maersk Alabama have spent a considerable amount of money since the April hijacking to make the vessel pirate-proof, Murphy said, including structural features and safety equipment. The most dramatic change is what he called a security force of "highly trained ex-military personnel."

"Somali pirates understand one thing and only one thing, and that's force," said Capt. Joseph Murphy, who teaches maritime security at the school. "They analyze risk very carefully, and when the risk is too high they are going to step back. They are not going to jeopardize themselves."

The wife of the Maersk Alabama's captain, Paul Rochford, told WBZ-AM radio in Boston that she was "really happy" there were weapons on board for this attack.

"It probably surprised the pirates. They were probably shocked," Kimberly Rochford. "I'm really happy at least it didn't turn out like the last time."

So let me get this straight -- pirates aren't as likely to attack ships that defend themselves? Madness!

Thankfully, not everyone is happy with this disturbing outbreak of common sense:

Roger Middleton, a piracy expert at the London-based think tank Chatham House, said the international maritime community was still "solidly against" armed guards aboard vessels at sea, but that American ships have taken a different line than the rest of the international community.

"Shipping companies are still pretty much overwhelmingly opposed to the idea of armed guards," Middleton said. "Lots of private security companies employee people who don't have maritime experience. Also, there's the idea that it's the responsibility of states and navies to provide security. I would think it's a step backward if we start privatizing security of the shipping trade."

Middleton apparently doesn't realize that the best way to protect our shipping is the ultimate "step backward." Read it, sir, before it's too late.

I'm Canadian...

2009-11-17T16:05:00Z

... and Ken Ober isn't. (If you don't get it, you never watched his show).

Some may prefer Kari, but I was always a Marisol kind of guy.

Goodbye, Robert McCall

2009-11-17T00:19:00Z

Edward Woodward, (aka The Equalizer) has passed away.

Great show. Fantastic intro. Gonna miss him.

Top 10 'Cheney 2012' Slogans

2009-11-16T21:34:00Z

"Feel lucky punk? Well, do ya?"

While loathed by the Left, Dick Cheney remains remarkably popular among conservative Republicans. Some pundits are wondering if the former vice president might be setting his sights on the Oval Office. Even a "Draft Cheney" movement has started.

Over on Twitter, IMAO's Frank J. wondered what Cheney's slogan should be in 2012. Here were my suggestions.

Top Ten Cheney 2012 Slogans

10. "Yeah, I'm a compassionate conservative. I let you live, didn't I?"

9. "The Secret Service's new job? Protecting other world leaders from me."

8. "I'll crush all enemies foreign & domestic. Then I'll figure out a goal for Week Two."

7. "I shot a guy in the face and he apologized to me."

6. "Democrats will need Universal Health Care after I'm through with them."

5. "Want to see world leaders bowing? Oh, they'll bow alright."

4. "Do what I say or I'll have my daughter kick your $*%."

3. "On my World Apology Tour, I won't be the one apologizing."

2. "I never had a heart attack. I just stopped it a few times to show it who was boss."

1. "Vote for me. Or not. Like I give a *!#& what you do."

UPDATE (11/17): Frank J. has finally posted his slogans over at IMAO. As noted above I did totally steal the idea from him, but he stole my mint collection of Tiger Beat back issues (including my way-rare Bay City Rollers souvenir scarf). Consider us even, sir.

It takes different strokes to move the world

2009-11-16T14:21:00Z

Obama to China : Uncensored society is healthy.

Obama to Fox News: Shut up, you're not really a news organization.

No word yet on whether Obama will warn the Chinese against runaway government spending.

Revelation

2009-11-15T14:23:00Z

Two gay Hillary supporters from Chicago wouldn't be first on my list of people who miss the Presidency of George W. Bush, but they do, and they write with brutal honesty about the mistakes they made in the past.

If there are any of you out there with any connection at all to the Bushes, we implore you to give them our thanks…you tell them that a bunch of gay Hillary guys in Boystown, Chicago were wrong about the Bushes…and are deeply, deeply sorry for any jokes we told about them in the past, any bad thoughts we had about these good, good people.

You may be as surprised by this as we are ourselves, but from this day forward George W. and Laura Bush are now on the same list for us as the Clintons, Geraldine Ferraro, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and the other political figures we keep in our hearts and never allow anyone to badmouth.

Criticize their policies academically and intelligently and discuss the Bush presidency in historical and political terms…but you mess with the Bushes personally and, from this day forward, you’ll answer to us.

We hope someday to be able to thank George W. and Laura in person for all they’ve done, and continue to do. They didn’t have to head to Ft. Hood. That was not their responsibility.

The Obamas should have done that.

But didn’t.

Wouldn’t.

Thank goodness George W. is still on his watch, with wonderful Laura at his side.

Read the whole thing.

Saturday Movie Blogging - Black Rain

2009-11-15T02:11:00Z

A darn good little Ridley Scott movie.

I'm a huge fan of how he lights a set. Not many directors have the guts to use directional lighting and deep shadows like Ridley Scott does, and it gives everything he does a unique look.