So according to CNN, the economic package talks have fallen through because the House Republicans think it's too pricey. That's nice. Do you have any better ideas, or should I go ahead and reserve my spot in the bread line? I wanna get there early, you know, before it gets stale.
Oh and yes folks, according to a new CBS interview Sarah "I can see Russia from my house" Palin really does think that Alaska's "proximity" to Russia enhances her foreign policy credentials. As she says..."It's right there!" You'd think the Governor lived across the street from Red Square, not, you know, somewhere in the same general hemisphere as Siberia, which is more the case. So Tina, err, Sarah, big bad Vlad Putin lives in Moscow, which is quite a ways from Alaska, not Siberia. Why don't you go walk across the land bridge and see for yourself?
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Fantasy Epics and Fairytales.
So last week I made my wife watch all three Lord of the Rings movies, not really her box of rocks, but she gamely sat through them and held her ridicule down enough, for the most part, to keep my from becoming aggravated at her poking fun at some of my favorite movies.
I'm happy to report that these movies still move me as much today as they did when I first saw them.
Anyway, in return for making her watch those, I sat through a movie called "The Tenth Kingdom," one of her favorites. It was originally a mini series from a few years back, kind of incorporating the old fairy tales with a more modern flavor. I was pleasantly surprised, it was pretty good. I'd suggest anybody who likes fantasy or the old fairy tales to check this out, rent it or something. You won't be disappointed.
Procul Harum and magic mushrooms for everybody!
I'm happy to report that these movies still move me as much today as they did when I first saw them.
Anyway, in return for making her watch those, I sat through a movie called "The Tenth Kingdom," one of her favorites. It was originally a mini series from a few years back, kind of incorporating the old fairy tales with a more modern flavor. I was pleasantly surprised, it was pretty good. I'd suggest anybody who likes fantasy or the old fairy tales to check this out, rent it or something. You won't be disappointed.
Procul Harum and magic mushrooms for everybody!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
More lies....
So both Senator McCain and Governor Sarah "I can see Russia from my house" Palin have been busy touting the Alaska governor as the most knowledgeable person in the United States on energy issues. (John McCain, ABC news interview, 9/11/08). Well turns out a little fact checking by the Washington Post among others has exposed even more lies out of the McCain camp in this area.
Last week, Palin told ABC's Charlie Gibson that her job as Governor of Alaska was to oversee "production of nearly 20 percent of the United States domestic supply of energy." Well the non-partisan group factcheck.org pointed out that the actual percentage of domestic energy is actually an astounding.......3.5%. That's a long way from 20, Governor.
So on Sept 15, while giving another speech, the Hottest VP from the Coolest State revised her claim to "20 percent of the US gas and oil supply." BUZZZZ! Wrong again! Try 7.4 percent, again, a long way from 20 Governor.
So how can the most knowledgeable person in the US on energy issues not even be aware of the the amount of energy produced by her home state? Make up your own minds. I smell a rat. Again.
Read the story here
Last week, Palin told ABC's Charlie Gibson that her job as Governor of Alaska was to oversee "production of nearly 20 percent of the United States domestic supply of energy." Well the non-partisan group factcheck.org pointed out that the actual percentage of domestic energy is actually an astounding.......3.5%. That's a long way from 20, Governor.
So on Sept 15, while giving another speech, the Hottest VP from the Coolest State revised her claim to "20 percent of the US gas and oil supply." BUZZZZ! Wrong again! Try 7.4 percent, again, a long way from 20 Governor.
So how can the most knowledgeable person in the US on energy issues not even be aware of the the amount of energy produced by her home state? Make up your own minds. I smell a rat. Again.
Read the story here
More new music...
September's a great month for new music folks. Some other albums that have been/will be released in the coming days....
TV on the Radio--Dear Science
Kings of Leon--Only By the Night
Jenny Lewis--Acid Tongue
Mogwai--The Hawk Is Howling
Check 'em out.
TV on the Radio--Dear Science
Kings of Leon--Only By the Night
Jenny Lewis--Acid Tongue
Mogwai--The Hawk Is Howling
Check 'em out.
Post convention bounce over?
So according to CNN, Senator Obama is inching back in front in the National Polls. Personally I think this is a good thing, though I'm sure there are a fair number of the "Obama is a closet Muslim" people who don't. Apparently, Palin's favorable/unfavorable ratings are dropping as well. Is the honeymoon over?
Everybody see the SNL Palin/Clinton skit? Hilarious. Tina Fey really nailed it I thought. "I can see Russia from my house!"
On news of a more personal nature, my wife and I helped build a church and we didn't even know it! My wife's parent's got a booklet from All Souls Catholic church in Sanford, Florida, and it listed all the people who donated to help build their new building. Surprisingly, we were listed! We never contributed to the building fund, so the only thing I can think of is that they used some of our money that paid to get married at the old church. So that's kind of cool. Kind of proud of that, it's a beautiful building.
Everybody see the SNL Palin/Clinton skit? Hilarious. Tina Fey really nailed it I thought. "I can see Russia from my house!"
On news of a more personal nature, my wife and I helped build a church and we didn't even know it! My wife's parent's got a booklet from All Souls Catholic church in Sanford, Florida, and it listed all the people who donated to help build their new building. Surprisingly, we were listed! We never contributed to the building fund, so the only thing I can think of is that they used some of our money that paid to get married at the old church. So that's kind of cool. Kind of proud of that, it's a beautiful building.
Friday, September 12, 2008
The Right Wing at Wendy's.
Again, I'm not going to apologize for my opinions or for expressing them, but hey I don't go out of my way to offend folks.
So my wife and I are sitting at Wendy's tonight, rehashing, as usual, our views on the upcoming election and the state of national politics in general. (See I come from a family of pretty die-hard Republicans, so it was rather nice to marry into family of Democrats, including my wife herself.) If you can't guess, yes I'm voting for Obama. At some point I'll get into why, but that's not the point of this post.
So we're sitting at Wendy's tonight, having a burger after I got off work tonight. We're talking about Governor "I was for the Bridge to Nowhere before I was against it" Palin and John "Hey did you hear I was a war hero?" McCain. Don't get me wrong, I have respect for both of these individuals as fellow human beings, I just disagree with their policies. We were speaking in particular of the "Troopergate" issue with Governor Palin, and also the fact that she did support the bridge to nowhere in her campaign for Governor before she decided she was against it.
Anyways, a rather ornery looking couple behind us started giving us really nasty looks, I was quite sure the guy was about to say something when we got up and left. It's weird after living in Florida for awhile to come back here and get the stares and dirty looks when I wear my crucifix or talk in an unfavorable light of Republicans and their policies. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, sure, but after listening to several public political conversations over the last weeks, I'm pretty sure this place could use some liberal conversation to balance out the air molecules a little.
So my wife and I are sitting at Wendy's tonight, rehashing, as usual, our views on the upcoming election and the state of national politics in general. (See I come from a family of pretty die-hard Republicans, so it was rather nice to marry into family of Democrats, including my wife herself.) If you can't guess, yes I'm voting for Obama. At some point I'll get into why, but that's not the point of this post.
So we're sitting at Wendy's tonight, having a burger after I got off work tonight. We're talking about Governor "I was for the Bridge to Nowhere before I was against it" Palin and John "Hey did you hear I was a war hero?" McCain. Don't get me wrong, I have respect for both of these individuals as fellow human beings, I just disagree with their policies. We were speaking in particular of the "Troopergate" issue with Governor Palin, and also the fact that she did support the bridge to nowhere in her campaign for Governor before she decided she was against it.
Anyways, a rather ornery looking couple behind us started giving us really nasty looks, I was quite sure the guy was about to say something when we got up and left. It's weird after living in Florida for awhile to come back here and get the stares and dirty looks when I wear my crucifix or talk in an unfavorable light of Republicans and their policies. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, sure, but after listening to several public political conversations over the last weeks, I'm pretty sure this place could use some liberal conversation to balance out the air molecules a little.
Metallica--"Death Magnetic"
So for the last couple years, Metallica fans have been a disgruntled bunch. Let's face it, "St. Anger" left a little to be desired. However, I'm happy to report that in my opinion, the boys are BACK with their new album "Death Magnetic," released today.
I've bought various Metallica cds over the years, starting with "Load" and "Reload," then working back through the earlier stuff. Mostly I enjoy the earlier albums the most, with "Master Of Puppets" being my favorite.
In my opinion, "Death Magnetic" is probably the best thing they've done since the self titled "Black Album." While I wouldn't say that it's as good as the pre-Black album stuff, it's a pretty dang good album.
Track by Track--out of 5 stars....
That Was Just Your Life....4 Stars
The End of the Line....4 Stars
Broken, Beat, and Scarred....4 Stars
The Day That Never Comes....5 Stars
All Nightmare Long....5 Stars (Best track in my opinion)
Cyanide....3 Stars (Weakest track in my opinion)
The Unforgiven III...3 Stars
The Judas Kiss....4 Stars
Suicide & Redemption....3 Stars
My Apocalypse....4 Stars
If you like Metallica, pick this one up, give it a chance, I think you'll like it. Make sure you get it all legal like though, or Lars will come after you.
I've bought various Metallica cds over the years, starting with "Load" and "Reload," then working back through the earlier stuff. Mostly I enjoy the earlier albums the most, with "Master Of Puppets" being my favorite.
In my opinion, "Death Magnetic" is probably the best thing they've done since the self titled "Black Album." While I wouldn't say that it's as good as the pre-Black album stuff, it's a pretty dang good album.
Track by Track--out of 5 stars....
That Was Just Your Life....4 Stars
The End of the Line....4 Stars
Broken, Beat, and Scarred....4 Stars
The Day That Never Comes....5 Stars
All Nightmare Long....5 Stars (Best track in my opinion)
Cyanide....3 Stars (Weakest track in my opinion)
The Unforgiven III...3 Stars
The Judas Kiss....4 Stars
Suicide & Redemption....3 Stars
My Apocalypse....4 Stars
If you like Metallica, pick this one up, give it a chance, I think you'll like it. Make sure you get it all legal like though, or Lars will come after you.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Hurricane Ike
Well, if you read my interests, you'll know one of them is weather. Despite the fact that I no longer live in Florida, I follow the Tropical weather with great interest, and right now Hurricane Ike is the big game in town on a collision course with the Texas coast.
While moving back here to Utah this summer, my wife and I drove through the Texas Gulf coast. Honestly, it wasn't our box of rocks. I think we both enjoyed the lush green of Louisiana more, and the ride through Houston was less than fun.
So it looks like Ike is gonna hit as a category 2, not a major hurricane, but hey, I'm glad I'm not in the way right now. Let's hope everybody that needed to get out got out, and hope for the best for the folks still there. The National Weather Service issued an advisory this evening saying people in single family homes "face certain death" if they don't evacuate the coastal areas. Rather strong wording from that agency, so even though it's only 2, looks like it's still a big time player. The NWS is also calling for a 15-22 foot storm surge in Galveston, that could be heavy duty.
Latest CNN Story on Ike
Here's hoping for the folks in Texas.
Also if you're a tropical weather enthusiast such as myself I strongly recommend checking out Hurricane Hollow Weather
Barometer Bob does a great job of putting together a great clearinghouse of information of all things tropical weather related, including an award winning podcast that I listen to on a regular basis.
No matter where you live I recommend getting a NOAA weather radio. They're almost an essential in Florida, and my wife and I picked up this one, endorsed by weatherman extraordinaire Tom Terry from Channel 9 in Orlando, while living there:
The NOAA radio will let you hear all the weather related watches and warnings for the area in which you live, and is especially helpful in waking you up at night if there is a warning. Trust me, you won't sleep through this alarm!
While moving back here to Utah this summer, my wife and I drove through the Texas Gulf coast. Honestly, it wasn't our box of rocks. I think we both enjoyed the lush green of Louisiana more, and the ride through Houston was less than fun.
So it looks like Ike is gonna hit as a category 2, not a major hurricane, but hey, I'm glad I'm not in the way right now. Let's hope everybody that needed to get out got out, and hope for the best for the folks still there. The National Weather Service issued an advisory this evening saying people in single family homes "face certain death" if they don't evacuate the coastal areas. Rather strong wording from that agency, so even though it's only 2, looks like it's still a big time player. The NWS is also calling for a 15-22 foot storm surge in Galveston, that could be heavy duty.
Latest CNN Story on Ike
Here's hoping for the folks in Texas.
Also if you're a tropical weather enthusiast such as myself I strongly recommend checking out Hurricane Hollow Weather
Barometer Bob does a great job of putting together a great clearinghouse of information of all things tropical weather related, including an award winning podcast that I listen to on a regular basis.
No matter where you live I recommend getting a NOAA weather radio. They're almost an essential in Florida, and my wife and I picked up this one, endorsed by weatherman extraordinaire Tom Terry from Channel 9 in Orlando, while living there:
The NOAA radio will let you hear all the weather related watches and warnings for the area in which you live, and is especially helpful in waking you up at night if there is a warning. Trust me, you won't sleep through this alarm!
Welcome to my new blog.
Hello everyone. After using livejournal and Myspace for awhile and not being really satisfied with the results, blogger is my new place on the web for my various rantings and ravings.
Why news and views from the 4077 you ask? Well, if you know me well, you probably know that I'm named after Dr. BJ Hunnicutt from the TV Series M*A*S*H. So being that sometimes I feel like I'm right on the front in some kind of a war on reason here in Utah, I decided to take the theme and run with it.
What you'll find here:
Opinions on......
Politics
Music
News/Issues
Retail ups and downs
Books
Sports
An occiasional family or personal news item
...and just about anything else that's on my mind.
What you probably won't find here:
Large discussions of family news and events
In depth look at personal goings on in my life.
Any of my personal writings such as stories, poems, and whatever.
If you are interested in the more personal items, I invite you to visit my myspace page at
http://www.myspace.com/csibrandon
I keep it more up to date on the items of a personal nature.
However, as I have decided against torturing my LJ and Myspace friends with my tiresome views on Politics and the like, this is the new recepticle for those kinds of things.
About Me:
-I'm married to the most wonderful woman in the world, who also happens to be the best friend a guy could ask for.
-I just turned the big 30 in August
-I live in Utah, and no I am not a member of predominant faith.
-Yes I work
-No Kids, but the cutest dog in the world.
-I'm interested in music, politics, reading, sports, and weather.
So that's about it, feel free to comment on whatever you wish.
I will say this, if you're not of a somewhat liberal/democratic mindset, you might find yourself in quite a bit of disagreement with me. That's fine, I will try to be as unoffensive as possible, but I won't apologize for my opinion or for calling a spade a spade as I see it. So if you're down with that, visit often, comment, and enjoy!
Why news and views from the 4077 you ask? Well, if you know me well, you probably know that I'm named after Dr. BJ Hunnicutt from the TV Series M*A*S*H. So being that sometimes I feel like I'm right on the front in some kind of a war on reason here in Utah, I decided to take the theme and run with it.
What you'll find here:
Opinions on......
Politics
Music
News/Issues
Retail ups and downs
Books
Sports
An occiasional family or personal news item
...and just about anything else that's on my mind.
What you probably won't find here:
Large discussions of family news and events
In depth look at personal goings on in my life.
Any of my personal writings such as stories, poems, and whatever.
If you are interested in the more personal items, I invite you to visit my myspace page at
http://www.myspace.com/csibrandon
I keep it more up to date on the items of a personal nature.
However, as I have decided against torturing my LJ and Myspace friends with my tiresome views on Politics and the like, this is the new recepticle for those kinds of things.
About Me:
-I'm married to the most wonderful woman in the world, who also happens to be the best friend a guy could ask for.
-I just turned the big 30 in August
-I live in Utah, and no I am not a member of predominant faith.
-Yes I work
-No Kids, but the cutest dog in the world.
-I'm interested in music, politics, reading, sports, and weather.
So that's about it, feel free to comment on whatever you wish.
I will say this, if you're not of a somewhat liberal/democratic mindset, you might find yourself in quite a bit of disagreement with me. That's fine, I will try to be as unoffensive as possible, but I won't apologize for my opinion or for calling a spade a spade as I see it. So if you're down with that, visit often, comment, and enjoy!
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