Aaron, I understand what you were trying to say, but this is an issue that the Chinese Government AND the American Government need to come to grips with. I have a little bit of history in the recycling of American computer equipment: when my father sold the last of his big IBM mainframe computers in the mid-1980s, we sold them for scrap value. They were | Read More »
Aaron, I have to tell you that this isn’t a wonderful example of the Chinese being blockheaded: it’s an example of them being desparate, and at the mercy of a government that not only doesn’t value their lives but is willing to import cast off American junk for a few pennies. It’s not funny that so many computer products previously used by American consumers wind | Read More »
To follow up on the post about the ultra-nationalist cryptofascist Russians, it’s not just the far-right in Russia who are talking about the Obama administration. I daresay, however, that the view from the Russian far-left is rosier: they view Obama not as presaging the destruction of America, but as a rebirth that could accrue to their benefit. Hope and Change, and all that. From the | Read More »
[Update: Generally I'll pick one place or the other to post things, but this one was kind of a bookend and I thought I'd place it in both. It won't be my usual practice.] To follow up on the RedHot post about the ultra-nationalist cryptofascist Russians, it’s not just the far-right in Russia who are talking about the Obama administration. I daresay, however, that the | Read More »
One interesting pair of numbers from their breakdown: Nearly two-thirds of voters (64%) said McCain attacked Obama unfairly during the campaign, compared with 49% who said Obama attacked McCain unfairly. That’s a result that deserves some careful thought. To me, it’s astounding how unsuccessful the McCain campaign was at bringing anything negative about Obama to light — and that number tells the story. All of | Read More »
Everyone needs some scapegoat, right? Even if it’s just a cartoon from the Boston Globe. I know a lot of McCainiacs have to be feeling this today, and with some real justification.
There is no shortage of dispirted and angry Republicans this morning as a result of last night’s sweeping losses, but I want to ask them to put that aside for the moment and consider something remarkable and hopeful about Barack Obama’s victory. Last night was a truly profound event for African Americans in this country and around the world, the equal of anything that ever | Read More »
Hey, if you’re smart and can get into MIT, you don’t want your life ruined by a criminal conviction for marijuana possession. It’s sooooo expensive. And let’s face it, even if you lose 20 IQ points because of your toking habits, you’ll still be at least a standard deviation ahead of the rest of the poor schlubs who are going to wash your car. Plus, | Read More »
I just wanted to say something brief tonight about today’s endorsement by Colin Powell: I’m in one of those odd states of mind that really transcends a sense of betrayal as a result of what he gave as his rationale today. A few days ago I was upset with John McCain over Joe the Plumber — not because Joe was wrong to ask the question, | Read More »
John McCain made a point of singling out an individual in last night’s debate and I think he’s just guaranteed that that person is going to be completely and utterly destroyed, along with his family. Everyone knows Joe the Plumber by now, and the New York Times is running an article about everything about him and his family. It’s really wrong to mention someone in | Read More »
Ok folks, because I don’t have anything really substantive to add tonight aside from my commentary on the debate — and because that’s going to be in a different thread, I thought I’d give you a diversion and invite your cooperation. Here’s a hot-off-the-presses compendium of my Fall and Winter (imaginary) booklist. Feel free to add your own: 1) I’m OK, You’re Bankrupt Fritz Perls | Read More »
It’s good news from Rancho Cucamonga tonight, folks, and you have to read between the lines a little to understand why: The OPEC cartel is set to jack the price of oil because demand has fallen! Yep, that’s right: in addition to a major economic crisis and two wars, the United States is about to see a major artificial hike in the price of oil. | Read More »
OK so we’re sitting here tonight in America (and by extension the rest of the world) having our toenails pulled out slowly by the financial crisis and after another day of wild mood swings, the media is reporting that right now we have no deal. Or something like that. Don’t tell me you need a drink, because you know you’ve already had a few. Which | Read More »
Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby submit the Song of the Day for Monday, September 15, 2008 is… “Dead Man’s Party” by Oingo Boingo (originally The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo) From Boingo at the Ritz, 1985: CHORUS I was struck by lighting Walkin’ down the street I was hit by something last night in my sleep It’s a dead man’s party Who could ask | Read More »
Ok, folks this is one of those instances where you only need four words to say it: Sarah Palin won’t be appearing on Oprah’s show until after the campaign is over, according to Drudge and Oprah. I’M SHOCKED! JUST SHOCKED! I haven’t been this surprised since I heard Mayor Daley say that there wouldn’t be any dissent about the nominee during the DNC Convention. I | Read More »
Palin did a tremendous job last night: one of the best VP speeches I’ve ever seen. She’s the real deal. Very quickly this morning, because I don’t have much time to write this – I agree with Peggy Noonan’s column today in the WSJ. Palin is so good that the Democrats are going to bring out the nukes against her. Be prepared to fight, because | Read More »
OK, I’m over it. For the first fifteen minutes today after I learned that Sarah Palin’s daughter was pregnant at age 17, I have to admit that I was — to employ the biggest euphemism I’ve used in a long time — perplexed. Perplexed and befuddled. Perplexed, befuddled, and gobsmacked. Gobsmacked, perplexed, befuddled and crestfallen. Crestfallen, gobsmacked, perplexed, befuddled and spazzed out. Even a little | Read More »
This is a repost of a comment I just made in Pejman’s front page article, adding the following I think John McCain made one of the best VP choices in this or any other century by choosing Sarah Palin to be his running mate. He’s right — he had a deep base of talent from which to choose, but the Maverick picked a game changer | Read More »
Finally after all these years, I’ve cracked the bitter, grey, rotten chestnut that is the New York Times editorial staff and I have had my views, or at least a fascimile of my imaginary views, published by the Newspaper of Record as a Letter to the Editor. I can also tell anyone who asks that I will never publicly recapitulate the contents of the letter, | Read More »
[Update: Warning. Parody? The related story is that Barack Obama is going on vacation... (all humor attributable to Drudge).] Here it is, from the Times in Britain: U.C. Berkeley researchers have blabbed to the press about their proprietary light-bending coatings, invented by a team led by Xiang Zhang, that should allow for the complete invisibility of human beings and cloaking them as well as their | Read More »
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