Nothing says liberation like being disembowelled and torn apart for the crime of teaching girls. Glad we got rid of that pesky Taliban…
And on an unsarcastic note, it’s too bad for most Afghans that Bush’s belief about the Iraq war, that we’ll win unless we walk away, didn’t also apply to them.
Derrick Hardy – put a baby in the freezer
ExxonMobil and the (powers that be within the) National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) – prevent schoolchildren from seeing An Inconvenient Truth
I would’ve added an exclamation point to the subject, but other things have muted my excitement. I filled out an application for the Lancaster house this morning and put down a deposit and just got the call that my application has been accepted. So there will be no home purchase in the near future. I will continue to be a renter, but this time I’ll have a house to myself.
1996-2006: 4 Durham addresses, 1 Raleigh address, 2 Northern Virginia addresses, 1 Knoxville address. So my next address will be my 9th different address in 12 years and my 5th address in Durham.
I’d make it similar to Keith Olbermann’s “Worst Person in the World” feature on Countdown.
Today’s Worst People in the World:
Bob Kearns and the Loma Linda Homeowners Association of Pagosa Springs, Colorado
They’re forcing a woman to remove a wreath fashioned into a peace sign.
Due to my aborted Thanksgiving plans, I was able to partake in the ritual of early morning Black Friday shopping for the first time. That’s some crazy shit. I had bought a newspaper yesterday to come up with a plan.
5:00AM – Best Buy – Apparently, a lot of people camp out for this one. The parking lot overflowed, and the line to get in wrapped around the adjacent Barnes & Noble and to the back of the building. My goal was get a Samsung 19″ widescreen LCD monitor for $129.99. The computer section was completely packed, but I was able to find shortcut to where the monitors were sitting. To my surprise, there were still five monitors left. When I finally got to the cashier, to my surprise, I watched the monitor ring up $234.99. I realized I had picked up the 938BW model. It was the 930BW that had been the doorbuster, and that model had likely sold-out twenty minutes earlier.
5:30AM – Belk – Belk had opened at 5, and the mall parking lot was packed. I wanted to get some new luggage, which unlike the monitor, I really have needed. Apparently, people don’t camp out for luggage. So I got a 4-piece set (supposedly “regularly-price” at $200) for $59.99. Granted, Target has a 5-piece set for $59.99, but that regular-price of $200 on the set I purchased leads me to believe that this set might be slightly better made than Target’s. (Of course, it may not be at all).
6:10AM – Target – It opened at 6 and was not mobbed, probably because they lacked any morning-only specials. I recalled having seen a 19″ LCD monitor in their circular, but I thought it was closer to $200 and was not a widescreen. To my surprise, Target had run the wrong picture in their circular. The traditionally-shaped monitor was indeed $199.99, but the widescreen model was actually on sale for $149.99, and so I grabbed it. It’s a Westinghouse, who I don’t believe are known for their monitors. But it will do the trick, and I will finally free up some space on my computer desk.
6:45AM – Staples – I just wanted to pop in there to see what they had. It was here that I made my impulse buy of the morning. I go through one computer desk chair every two years or so. I always want to buy a high-quality chair, but I always settle for a mid-quality chai, usually for around $100. My current chair’s vinyl arms and canvas seat have been tearing, but it was difficult to turn down the chance to get a regularly-priced $150 leather executive chair for $59.99 (and I really do think the $150 is the normal price; the legs and wheels are steel, not plastic). So, with apologies to PETA, I bought this chair. I’ll probably bring the old chair to work, since it’s much more comfortable than OIT’s standard cubicle chair.
I haven’t even added up how much I spent yet — 60 + 150 + 60 = $270. Ok, that’s not terrible. As of a few months ago, a 19″ LCD monitor would’ve gone for $270, so today I got the monitor plus new luggage and a new chair.
Yikes. It’s very rare that I make the effort to write a complaint regarding a product. When I do, I’m so harsh in my criticism that I don’t expect to hear back. But I just got a response.
I was listening to “Weekend America” (an American Public Media program that airs on NPR stations) this past weekend, and a young female producer narrated a segment regarding her experience with Macs and iPods. i found the piece very obnxious, as this woman seemed to embody the typical self-absorbed Gen-Yer who can’t string two sentences together without inserted a “like” conjunction.
I don’t have the text of what I wrote, but the subject of my feedback was “the iPod story – wholly obnoxious”.
Now I’m surprised to see an email from Bill Radke, co-host of the program. Now I feel badly about what I wrote. I wish I hadn’t been so harsh. I probably took pent up anger regarding other things and projected it at this young woman. I’m afraid to see what Bill Radke said. I’ll look now…
Hi David,
Bill Radke here, co-host of Weekend America. Thanks a lot for writing. You weren’t the only listener to call us on Neille’s Gen-Y “like” tic. I’d like to do a little story about this for this week’s show. Could I interview you today? Please call me at 213-xxx-xxxx.
Thanks again,
Bill
Wow.
Yes, sometimes.
LA man, 89 gets probation in crash that kills 10
Said the judge:
Sending Mr. Weller to jail or prison would be a burden on prison authorities. It would require taxpayers to pay the substantial costs of Mr. Weller’s medical care and it would likely kill Mr. Weller. None of that is right and it makes no sense, so I will place Mr. Weller on probation.
Don’t all prisoners place a burden on taxpayers? Don’t a lot of prisoners require medical care? Had the old man expressed remorse, I might agree with the probational sentence, but his lack of remorse demands a harsher punishment. What about house arrest? Confine him to this home for a year or two with the exception of medically required outings?
Perhaps remorse is a not a factor that plays into sentencing in California. This is the state of “three strikes, and you’re out” after all. So perhaps if a vehicular manslaughter is your first offense, you get probation. But my impression is that the man’s age and health were the reasons for his light sentence.
And I’m usually “soft” on crime, weak liberal that I am…
My Toastie Radio website links to my Google website which links to…this blog. Why am I always so paranoid that someone is going to have a negative opinion of me after coming across this blog? Sometimes, I think I’m wise to pull some posts out of the public domain, but often I’m so damn afraid to speak my mind.
I’m not really a misanthrope. I think I just like the label. The reality is, I’m just insecure and afraid of people. There are undeniably legions of people deserving of mocking and scorn, but I don’t really mean to denigrate the entire human race.
I just was invited to a group for photos with 700+ views, and I ignored it, because I KNOW I don’t have any photos with that many views, not even close (I knew one “game” photo has about 200 views, but my most popular “normal” photos have no more than 50 or so views). But apparently, this I-85 rest stop cat photo has been viewed 1416 times! How? Why? I shall investigate.
EDIT: It looks like someone posted this on a Japanese blog or RSS feed, but obviously no one clicked on it and looked at any of the other I-85 rest stop pics. Strange.
