Caralis

First Millionare in Virtual World

Ailin Graef is your first millionare in the Virtual World - Second Life. I guess if someone is willing to pay thousands of dollars for a website name, which in a sense is a piece of virtual property, this isn't so suprising.

Here is a link to the story.

Disraeli Gears

Reading the NY Times today I came across a quote from Leon Panetta on James Baker

“I think he’d like to be remembered as a 21st-century Disraeli,”

Now I've read Disraeli's biography, I watched the Disraeli mini-series and I've listened to Disraeli Gears (there was a Ginger Baker on that album??). James Baker is no Benjiman Disraeli.

One quick side note - also in the Times on Sunday was mention of Edith Hamilton's The Greek Way. By 2pm EST it shot up to the #1 spot on Amazon's movers and shakers.

 

 

Why is tower record's closing stores?

I heard Tower Records was closing their store in Burlington so I went to check out their 40% off sale. I entered the store anticipating great music at great discounts soon within my grasp.

Let's just say I wasn't all that surprised when there prices after the "40% discount"  were still more expensive than ITunes.

NewsBlade Homepage

Check out NewsBlade's new and improved homepage.

There was an interesting post on BMG the other day - 10 things I hate about the American Left:

I thought it might be uselful to use this criteria to re-examine my left leaning positions.

1.  The widespread penchant for dripping sarcasm as a primary means of communication. 

I hate sarcasm/satire and the like.

2.  The massive popularity and influence of forces such as daily kos and the spread of mob mentality, demonization, negativity and myopia.

I’m farsighted or so my optometrist tells me.

3.  The frequent characterization of high earning people as undeserving of their wealth  (e.g.  money managers, sales slicksters, corrupt business men, inheritance).

I can’t believe we elected Deval Governor. Right on!

4.  The assumption that it is reasonable and proper to judge what other people do and do not need.

I believe cancer patients should decide for themselves if they need Marijuana.

5.  The blending together of progressivism, socialism and marxist theory into the Democratic party.

Dude you forgot communism and I’m definitely not communist.

6.  The widespread belief that it is OK to affect change - including constitutional change - via the judiciary.

I think we should allow Fox News to do that.

7.  The prominence of numbers, statistics and expected outcomes over principle.

I don’t believe in reason.

8.  Principle notwithstanding, the inability to correctly judge expected outcomes in the long term  (e.g. creating a dependent class, poor incentivization through entitlements)

I was one of those crazies against invading Iraq.

9.  Continual division of people into various "oppressed" (to the left:  vaunted) classes based on factors such as skin color, gender, etc.

I think we should divide the oppressed into those Starbuck categories, tall, grande and venti.

10.  The triumph of communalism over human freedom.

I’m definitely for human freedom – that’s good stuff.

I’ll be damned, I am a Republican!

Congress to debate Moon name change…

I have learned from a Congressman on double deep background that there is a frantic push under way to rename the Moon before Congress is officially handed over to the Democrats.. I’ve got to tell, that while I don’t agree with the choice of name I’m having trouble arguing against the reasoning behind the name change.

My conversation with the Congressman started of with a discussion on why the name of the Moon should be changed.

“We are the only planet in our Solar system to have an unnamed moon. I’m mean really; do you want to be the representative from NASA that explains to some intelligent life form that the name of our moon is Moon? I mean it’s like naming your dog, dog. It’s ridiculous. It’s, it’s embarrassing.”

With that matter settled the discussion progressed to the naming issue.

“Clearly it should be named after an American, after all we discover it”

“Discovered what sir?”

“What? The Moon of course.”

At this point I explained to the Congressman that the United States did not discover the moon.

“Well we landed on it, didn’t we?”

“Yes, sir we did”

“Alright then, we own it”

“Why don’t we move on Congressman?”

“It should be someone that …”

“Sir, I think I know where you are going with this. See, I fly out of Ronald Reagan Airport, work next to the Ronald Reagan building and live on 16th street which you tried to name Ronald Reagan Boulevard. I have a sneaking suspicion that you would like to change the name of the moon to Reagan.”

At this point the Senator started to look around the room furtively and then settled his eyes back on me.

“Well you’re wrong, but how does the Big Gipper strike you?”

Thought those secrets were going to the grave with you?

A friend of mine, here after to be know as AFOM, sent me an article on an interesting problem that the  folks who run guest books for  obituaries have (legacy.com).

From the NYT article.

EVANSTON, Ill. — Long-silent mistresses, disgruntled former employees, estranged family members — Katie Falzone has seen them all.

Legacy, which gets more than six million visitors a month and one comment every five seconds, says it vets everything before it is posted.

Read on, it's funny in a kinda "I know what you did last summer" way.

 

The real transcript of President Bush's remarks

Click here for the supposed transcription.

Earlier this week, the American people went to the polls and voted for the emboldeners of terrorism. The American people are out of their mind. I think they are full of shit and so does my cabinet.

I want to congratulate the Democrat leaders on the victory they achieved for their party, but I want them to know, I purposely blew the election so Hillary could not be elected President. In a few minutes, the wicked witch of the west, and some Congressman you have never heard of are coming for lunch. I'm can’t wait for this day to be over.

I'm also meeting with two other asshole Dem Senators tomorrow. Daddy told me there may be days like this.

We'll discuss the way forward for our country, and I'm going to tell them what I just told our Cabinet. I don’t care what horse you came riding in on, you don’t have a veto proof majority so you can kiss my ass.

I have some important issues that have no chance of being passed by the next Congress so I’m calling on Congress to actually do some work for the next couple of weeks while they clean out their offices and move to the side of the building without windows.

The first order of business is for Congress to cut as many social programs as possible and give out the last contracts Halliburton is likely to get for some time.

The other important priority in the war on terror is for the Congress to pass the Domestic Spying Program. It’s also time to tell the oil companies they can raise prices again.

And on the foreign policy front, we need to complete the work we should have finished before the election.

As the new members of Congress and their leaders return to Washington, I've instructed my Cabinet to provide whatever briefings and information they need after filling a request via the Freedom of Information Act.

The American people expect us to rise above partisan differences, and my administration now that is has little choice will do its part. One of the most important challenges facing our country is the war on terror, and while the citizenry has said they don’t agree that Iraq was a central front on the War on terror, I’m still in a state of denial and pressing forward.

Now I can blame the Democrats for not providing the support our troops they need to prevail. I'm open to any idea or suggestion that will help me preserve my legacy.

Yesterday, I accepted the resignation of one of the original members of my Cabinet, [Defense] Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. He could not be with us today because in a moment of over zealousness, Condi canceled his access card.

Don has totally screwed up the war, taken no responsibility and is sure to write a tell-all book blaming everything on Tommy Franks. I've named another one of my Daddy’s friends from Texas to succeed Don Rumsfeld, former CIA Director Bob Gates.

Secretary Rumsfeld has to stay until Bob is confirmed, otherwise we would be without a Secretary of Defense and I don’t want his record to suffer by comparison.

When is my next vacation?

Together we didn't elect another Republican

The circle is now complete. We are now a very dejected 0 for 5. Our calculated risk of switching parties to win has failed miserably. The only thing that is going to get me though the night is knowing I can cuddle up to my signed copy of Kerry's Victim and Witness Intimidation classic.

To all those who supported our effort, I thank you. I plan on moving out of Massachusetts to Connecticut, no scratch that, how about Rhode Island, no scratch that, surely New Hampshire, oh come on now this is ridiculous...

DemsForHealey endorses...

We have heard Deval Patrick say on many occasions now that Kerry Healey is better than the campaign she has run. We could not disagree more. Have you even bothered to look at what Kerry has done in this campaign Deval? Seriously.

Let’s talk about what Kerry Healey‘s campaign has done. Do you think her “volunteers” work for free? Do you think those skinheads paid for their own uniforms or their ride to Abington? Do you think doubling up on attack ad buys is cheap? Kerry Healey has poured millions of dollars from her campaign into the local economy. She has been far more effective in stimulating the economy with her campaign than she has been as Lt Governor.

Kerry, you’re campaign has helped the people of Massachusetts to believe in a leader that espouses a positive tone and casts aside the negative rhetoric that divides us. A campaign that has put aside the partisan ways of the past and admits that all the candidates and political parties have good ideas.  Kerry, we all owe your campaign a debt of gratitude.

Deval, I believe you stand corrected.

So it is with great pleasure that DemsForHealey proudly endorses Kerry Healey for governor.

BTW – we have a new slogan for you.

Healey for Governor because “if you break it, you own it.”