Palin

She is not only anti-abortion but also anti-polar bears. If she should get elected I will have to fear for my life.

GOP veep pick

most of the possible republican VP picks do not concern me. i think romney would get slapped around in the debates by biden, as would pawlenty (who supposedly is out of the running). romney would also reinforce the elitist image for mccain that has gained traction since his timeless $5 million and number of houses comment.

the GOP being considered for VP that scares me? alaska governor sarah palin. this hot librarian type is worrying. i feel like the clinton backer voting for mccain issue is largely a media creation. but a female republican VP nominee could really capitalize.

4KS veep pick:

so who should obama choose as his running mate? i for one think it has to be joe biden. tons of foreign policy experience, tons of experience in general, and appeals to working class white voters (he's catholic, born in PA). i know that bayh and kaine both reside in swing states, and i recognize the allure this has. kaine, in particular, could help obama makes the inroads in the south that he's promising but that people are skeptical of.

but it has to be biden. kaine is just as green as obama in terms of high elected office, opening them up to criticism for lack of experience. and bayh seems like a bit of a softy, who can't bring the noise in the way a running mate needs to be able to. running mates have to talk trash and call out the opponents, so that the nominee can keep his hands clean. bayh is too meak to get the job down, but biden is strong willed guy who calls it how it is and cracks jokes in debates.

plus, at the end of the day i'm afraid obama needs an experienced, old white guy standing behind to allay the fears of middle americans. and joe biden is very much an old white guy.

Manny being Shitty Manny

I know there are some Manny fans on here but I certainly don't count myself as one and this is a good explanation of why. I can guarantee you if Manny had been traded to my Pirates instead of the Dodgers he'd be hitting .240 instead of over .400.

Dear Mr. McCain...

read this, do your research, and please shut up. This entire offshore drilling thing makes me sick to my stomach. And Mr. Obama's shift in his position does not make it better.

We have a saying over here which goes like this: Sometimes it is hard to see the forest because there are too many trees in the way. America can keep pretending that silly measures like off shore drilling will resolve the energy crisis. Gas is $10 a gallon over here and it will only be a matter of time until the price for oil in the U.S. will reach similar heights. When I read Thomas Friedman's op-ed in the Times yesterday I wasn't really sure whether he was serious. All the stuff and policies he was so amazed about had been standard for a decade, not only in Denmark but all over Europe. And yes it is possible to ride a bike in the rain...

The sad thing is that McCain's stupid push for drilling forced Obama to reconsider. While I understand Mr. Obama's reasoning I wished he would have stayed tough like he did when Hillary was proposing a summer gas tax break...another one of these brilliant ideas for all those people who got used to turning a blind eye to reality...

Recent events of note

1. Made a flickr page, with photos from Japan and some other places.
2. Took KB's recommendation and went to San Francisco for the first time. Some highlights: the Musee Mecanique (free museum where you can experience all sorts of old time mechanical entertainment from marble baseball games to peep shows of the San Francisco fire to a very un-pc animated diorama of a Chinese opium den), eating fresh steamed crab on the wharf, Indian Pizza at Zante's, and just walking around a pretty amazing city.
3. Saw the original Inglorious Bastards. From the initial info, it looks like Tarantino's version of the same name is going to be predictably awesome. Here's a quote from an article sent to me by HM's and KB's dungeon master, MZ:

The first chapter, set in 1941, introduces Shosanna and the film's antagonist, a Nazi officer named Landa who's known as the "Jew Hunter." The second chapter introduces the Bastards and their tactics...The third chapter, set in 1944, reintroduces Shosanna in Paris ("This whole Chapter will be filmed in French New Wave Black and White"). The fourth sets up the Bastards' attack on the theater. And it all comes together in Chapter Five, which plays fast and loose with history, to say the least...All in all, it reads like Kill Bill meets The Dirty Dozen meets Cinema Paradiso.

That last line is the one that got me...
4. Went to 88 Boadrum, LA. I was actually out of town when they released tickets so I completely missed out. Ended up volunteering, and got free entrance, which was actually even better as I got to see the rehearsals too. Some of the best bands in history have employed the multi-drummer approach, from the Allman Brothers (correct me if I'm wrong Sauce or Kevin) to the Grateful Dead, to the Fall (at times) to Pavement, to Tortoise, and all the way to...Je Suis France. So, with 88, you kinda knew it would be insane.
The show was held at the field that connects LACMA (LA CO Museum of Art) with the La Brea Tar Pits, making the afternoon rehearsal really interesting as completely unaware museum attendees, from summer camp kids to grandmothers took the opportunity to take in what I suspect was the first Boredoms show any of them had witnessed. I sat by an elderly woman who was steadily bobbing her head with each boom of the 88 drums. I heard another guy, probably in his 70s, comment "This is gonna be wild." It was, to say the least. Even more so after dark when the real thing started. I ended up bowing out of my already vague volunteer duties a few minutes before the show, taking a seat on the hill, and taking it all in...

paris speaks out:

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

the john mayer one that pops up afterwards is pretty funny to. as is basically the whole website.

RIP Skip Carey

One of those unforgettable radio voices ---