Thankgiving plumbing repair...

So last night we had gotten ourselves all packed to head out to my sister's house in West Virginia for Thanksgiving. We also do Christmas with my family this week, so there's a lot to get done. This morning, mrsdrmagoo was going to head out to the gym for a little while, and I was going to load the car, and then the three of us were going to be on our way...

Of course not.

When I got downstairs this morning, mrsdrmagoo asked me to look at the ceiling. Which was wet. And then dripping. All over the place.

Now, normally we handle household repairs (even relatively major ones) ourselves, but this is not normally.

The first few calls to plumbers revealed that many of them were busy today. Finally, one called back...

And now the living room ceiling's being torn apart. And of course the leak is in a very difficult to access spot (although now he's found the leak, which is a good start).

The little guy's off at day care, since being around the plaster dust isn't good for him.

Whee!

Update: Well, it looks like they'll have to put a clamp on it for today, but that's not code, so they'll have to come back next week and pull out the old pipes and put in new ones. And then we can rebuild the living room ceiling...

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Well, I'm off to Paris Fort Wayne and then a few days of skiing in St. Moritz Springfield for the big weekend.

Just a couple of quick thoughts from the morning paper.

One of my least favorite right wing airheads, Chatty Kathy Parker, wrote a decent but painfully obvious column about how we are a really dumb country. She finishes, though, with this little zinger

Who will govern a free nation if no one understands the mechanics and instruments of that freedom? Maybe one day, a demagogue.

Hmm, Chatty, just idly speculating about the future? I think not. Unfortunately, her demagogue reference is to our articulate, inspiring and intelligent future president.

Kathy, if you REALLY want to know what happens in that situation, look behind you. Look at the last eight years, of incompetence, imperial aggression, corruption and a betrayal of all that should be American. THAT is what you get.

And Lula, this is an Illinois-centric question,but an issue here involves our imprisoned ex-governor (we have a long history of felon governors here, and the current occupant may soon join that list). He was the epitome of the two-bit crook, but the tragedy is that he was doing his two-bit crookery as Secretary of State, giving away drivers' licenses for bribes to unqualifieds and ineligibles. Now he is old and infirm and the question of commutation comes up. I'm somewhat torn. He is a miserable old bastard, yet what is the public good of continued imprisonment?

Thoughts?

Sarah Palin pardons turkey, sort of.....

This happened last week in Wasilla. There really is something wrong with this woman.

>

Is she really that dense? Or is it just an act?

War is hell

The editorial page of the Wall Street Journal even back in the Dow Jones days was "The Shady Acres Rest Home for Whackjob Conservatives" (insert "Paul Gigot" here), but no one took them seriously. You bought the paper for the business news, as the "Chinese Wall" between editorial and news made the real wall in China look miniscule by comparison. Now that it's been Fox-ified, you don't even want the Journal for business coverage, and editorial has gone so far out that they make Gigot, etc. look measured and thoughtful. Case in point? What is the cause of our economic crisis? Speculation, de-regulation, deficit spending, etc. No. Ladies and gentlemen, we suffer today because our nation is at war on three fronts, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and against...Christmas.

Notwithstanding the cardboard Santas who seem to have arrived in stores this year near Halloween, the holiday season starts in seven days with Thanksgiving. And so it will come to pass once again that many people will spend four weeks biting on tongues lest they say "Merry Christmas" and perchance, give offense. Christmas, the holiday that dare not speak its name. This year we celebrate the desacralized "holidays" amid what is for many unprecedented economic ruin--fortunes halved, jobs lost, homes foreclosed. People wonder, What happened? One man's theory: A nation whose people can't say "Merry Christmas" is a nation capable of ruining its own economy.

Yes, boys and girls, we are in this mess because we have not decked the halls nor heard angels on high. No fa la la la la, no Fannie Mae. Because we didn't see mommy kissing Santa Claus, Lehman Brothers collapsed, and we can no longer join in any reindeer games or in the international credit markets. Amazing. (link)

What the Citigroup bailout is paying for

So, we're giving Citigroup $20 billion with the promise of more behind it. Citigroup has also made a recent $400 million investment in...the naming rights for the new Mets stadium. So now I'm giving the Mets money.

Excuse me while I throw up.

h/t Daily Kos

Effigy Makers Seek Federal Bailout

First it was the banks, then the auto industry, and now effigy makers are lining up for federal aid.



Like other industries seeking help, the effigy makers have been criticized for poor planning, as the "Bush bubble" in the industry was due to end next January. One industry spokesman, speaking anonymously, thought the Republicans could steal one more election and the industry would be "burning" brightly into the next decade at least with McCain and Palin images.

Congress appeared skeptical, and pressed industry representatives for a business plan. "Well, we do have this giant inflammable Cubs logo for sale to White Sox fans, and a giant flaming Ryan Seacrest, but hell, everyone sees a giant flaming Ryan Seacrest every week on TV. Beyond that, we've got nothing."

Alan Colmes to Depart Show with Hannity

Alan Colmes is reportedly set to leave the Fox News freakshow known as "Hannity & Colmes." We'll miss Alan, pictured below:

Don't read this if you just ate

The musical stylings of Jeffrey Scott Shapiro in the paper formerly known as the Wall Street Journal:

Earlier this year, 12,000 people in San Francisco signed a petition in support
of a proposition on a local ballot to rename an Oceanside sewage plant after
George W. Bush. The proposition is only one example of the classless
disrespect many Americans have shown the president...

This is the price Mr. Bush is paying for trying to work with both Democrats
and Republicans. During his 2004 victory speech, the president reached out to
voters who supported his opponent, John Kerry, and said, "Today, I want to
speak to every person who voted for my opponent. To make this nation stronger
and better, I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do
all I can do to deserve your trust...."

Those bipartisan efforts have been met with crushing resistance from both
political parties.

The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less
than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and
slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have.
The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in
America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our
nation during a very difficult time.

Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not
gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can
be when our president needed loyalty--a shameful display of arrogance and
weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White
House.

I think that one stands on its own. There really is no need for me to point out the painfully obvious.

No insurance? That's a Killer

In the October issue of Archives of Surgery, a study done by a John Hopkins trauma surgeon found that overall, uninsured patients were 50% more likely to die from their injuries than insured patients.

I find that to be an alarming statistic. So, now if you don't have insurance you #1) have to pay more if you go to the ER (because you don't get the I HAVE INSURANCE DISCOUNT) and #2) if you're a minority or don't have insurance at all, you possibly were pushed to the back of the emergency treatment line, or worse you received biased treatment that affected your overall health. So now you're not only dead, you have a hefty bill too.

I thought emergency care was the great equalizer in our health care system. According to this study, apparently not.

We need health care reform, and soon. I hope having Senator Tom Daschle as our new Secretary of Health and Human Services (I'm keeping my fingers crossed) is a step in the right direction towards health care accessibility for all in the coming years.

Three in a row?

The only incoming presidents to ever have to lead a nation in such peril were Lincoln and FDR. Luckily those were our two greatest occupants of the White House. We can only hope that history goes three for three this time.

A little noted anniversary

We used to hear about it every year, and then on the "special" anniversaries, but today has passed with little mention.

One of my first memories, though, is when our principal came into my first grade classroom and told us that President Kennedy had been killed.

John, we hardly knew ye.

Can we kiss the wild places of America goodbye?

First the BLM opened up land to the highest bidder for natural gas drilling that is within site of Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Dinosaur National Monument in Utah.

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Next it was the ultra-dirty and water-hog oil shale drilling leases being considered for sale in the arid states of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado.

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Now Secretary of Interior Kempthorne is proposing opening up land that borders Yellowstone National Park for geothermal energy exploration.
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Does the Bush Administration hold nothing sacred? Why is the West always the poster child for life-altering, term-ending legislation for outgoing president's that obviously don't give a damn?

Before you know it, my favorite camping spots are going to be turned into parking lots.

When will this ever end?

The end of January can not come fast enough.

Buy War Bonds Blondes

Sight seen:

While running lunchtime errands a grotesquely tricked Escalade pulled up next to me. The driver, a Cindy McCain vintage bleach blonde Botox nightmare in a ridiculous fur.

On the back of the car? A weathered "Support the Troops" ribbon.

Good to see you sacrificing for the cause, hon.

Let's put a stake through the heart of THIS monster

One result from the resounding electoral rejection of the neocon philosophy on election night should be to finally put to rest one of the great and most tragic myths of American politics--supply side economics. It just doesn't work, pure and simple. The only thing that "trickles down" is misery.

Three GOP presidents were great tax cutters, Hoover, Reagan and Bush the Failure. Each tax cutting splurge brought economic disaster. A tiny bubble initially, and then the INEVITABLE crash.

It is a failed philosophy that must forever be rejected.

Time to "corner" someone

We happily bring back one of our favorite features, and this week's winner is ever so richly deserving.

J.L. Stern of Highland Park, Illinois, gives us this gem:

Isn't it curious that when gas prices were rising every week, so many were quick to blame President Bush? Yet today, with the price dropping rapidly, you don't hear a word of praise. Is Bush really the cause of all our nation's ills, and have we learned anything from the gas price fluctuation?

Hmm, J.L., won't try and explain the complexities of the oil market to you, but at an ever so basic level, this is a commodity that trades on anticipated supply and demand. We now will have a president who won't wage mindless wars to torpedo the "supply" part of that equation, and in terms of "demand," well, a little thing known as Bush's Great Depression certainly tempers that.

Understand, J.L.?

Oh, and by the way...

Hamlet on the Hudson, Part Two

This isn’t the first time that New York’s most famous politician hemmed and hawed and prevaricated about making an important, and very public, decision, thus leaving those dependent in one way or the other on that decision in a kind of limbo.

In 1992 New York governor Mario Cuomo … waited … and waited … and waited … to announce whether or not he would run for president, so long that he was dubbed “Hamlet on the Hudson.” At the very last instant, as an airplane idled on the tarmac ready to fly him to New Hampshire, Cuomo decided not to run.

Bill Clinton, for whom Cuomo was the main stumbling block to his presidential ambitions, made the comically self-serving statement that he was “moved” by the governor’s announcement. I’ll say (trans: relieved). Ironically, we now have a Clinton, Hillary (Bill too!), vying for “Hamlet on the Hudson” honors, as she engages in a tantalizing media dance, much to the Obama transition team’s consternation:

Will She or Won’t She (accept State, already)?

To Be or Not to Be (Secretary of State)?

Will He or Won’t He (disclose his financial records)?

President-elect Obama must be quite disingenuous if he honestly believed this process wouldn’t turn into the soap opera it’s become. It’s not as if he hasn’t been exposed to the Clintons’ machinations during the course of this long campaign.

And isn’t the Obama camp just a bit disingenuous to be complaining about leaks? Hell, Hillary and Bill may not have leaked that Hillary was “agonizing” over the decision, but this hasn’t stopped their acolytes from leaking.

Realistically, the delay probably has more to do with Bill and his foreign “affairs” than with Hillary. At the same time, the leak of Hillary’s Hamlet act – whether or not it’s true – has placed Obama in a difficult position.

At this point, Obama may need to give Hillary (and Bill) a weekend ultimatum, anticipating an announcement early next week, or cut her loose and cut his losses.

So much for “no Drama Obama”?

Some random thoughts

Since I was once again denied the title of "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine, I suppose I will have to continue scribbling for a living.

I'm wondering how Bush's pardon parade will shape up. It will be a long line, with Rove, Libby, Miers, Gonzalez, Uncle Ted from Alaska, etc. I've brought this up before but for some reason I don't see any human compassion within the man. In addition, offering pardons would be a tacit (or explicit) admission that the perplexedly legacy-obsessed preznit consorted with criminals. I think the first prevails though. He just doesn't give a damn.

SO if your industry employs people in suits, have a few hundred billion! If you employ union workers, screw you.

I REALLY like the team that the president-elect is assembling. Nice work. Memo to Clinton, Bill: You owe your wife one. Do whatever it takes to make this work for her.

I guess the only good to come out of that sad scenario is that Barack Obama owns as much of Joe Lieberman as he could want.

The hysteria out of the right is so pathetic. Sean Hannity bleating about ACORN and how McCain one WAAAY more COUNTIES than Obama (pssst Sean..no one LIVES those "counties!") It is fun to see them try and cope when their entire political philosophy and world view was so thoroughly repudiated and rejected by the voters.

That glee, though, is sadly tempered by the fact that their disastrous policies have once again brought us to the brink of the abyss.

Division III football

A few posts below, Pete once again shows his enthusiasms for his alma mater's football program. I feel like I have to chime in here, noting that my alma mater went undefeated in the regular season and is currently ranked 2nd in the country in DIII. The mighty North Central College Cardinals are seeded first in their bracket (OH NO! A college football playoff? Doesn't that violate some law of nature or something? At least that's what the twits in the BCS tell me!) and will be hosting games for the first 3 rounds (it's a field of 64), if they keep advancing. It's a far cry from the suckitude they displayed when I was there, when they had four offensive plays - run right, run left, run up the middle, and throw an incomplete pass.

Missouri for McCain

Well, they've finally called Missouri for John McCain, with a win of around 3600 votes. Somehow, I don't think anyone will be pushing for a recount. That puts the final totals at 365 for Obama and 173 for McCain. In the predictions I posted here a few weeks ago, I had guessed 364-174. I missed on Missouri and Indiana (they switched) and Nebraska's 2nd district (the first time ever they've split like that). It helped that I was using the right resources to put my guesses together (especially fivethirtyeight.com), but that still feels good.

So what does it take to get kicked out of the caucus?

Apparently actively campaigning for the GOP doesn't do it, nor does badmouthing the Democratic standard-bearer. What does he have to do? Give Harry Reid a joybuzzer handshake? Spike the Senate navy bean soup? I guess we're just stuck with Joe Lieberman, pictured below.