Applause

Television has woefully been missing a good clapping themesong. Ever since Friends has left primetime, there haven't been any good clapping opening songs. Clapping along with a song is just friggin' fun. Tell me it's not. I admit that I struggled to get that timing just right. Those four fast claps only come once during the song. Miss them and you'll have to wait a whole week before you can try it again. Yeah, this was in the dark ages. The time before Tivo.



Imagine how my heart warmed to hear the promos for the new series Life on Mars. A new clapping song!!! But much more complicated than just 4 staccato claps. So I played the show off the website. I was so excited for a new clapping song. The opening scene didn't disappoint. There it was : When it all falls down... *clap, clap, clap*. Engaging syncopated rhythm. But then, there it went. I don't think it is the theme song for the series.

Oh, how sad for me. I guess I'll just have to wait for Friends reruns.

Silly Pit Bull

Lipstick's for people.

What is politics as usual?

Would it be having "tests of loyalty" because blind obedience is better than thinking employees?

Would it be using your office to settle personal vendettas or perhaps allowing non-staff like, oh, I don't know, your spouse to use government offices to settle personal vendettas?

Or would it be more of a change to use the position to be respectful of your opponent as opposed to seeing them as your enemy?

I still like John McCain. Not terribly fond of the company he keeps.

Birds and windows

The other day, Princess and I were talking about how sometimes birds will fly into our windows. There have been a few bird fatalities around our house because of wayward birds. Princess and I talked about ways we could prevent the birds from flying into our windows.

"Mommy, why do they fly into our windows in the first place? Did they want to come into the house?"

"No, I think they can see the reflection of the trees and sky in our windows so they don't think that they're going to hit anything but then they do." She chewed on that for a little bit.

"Oh, I know. We could put black paper up on all our windows because then they would only see black and then they wouldn't fly in our windows."

"Yeah, but I kind of like having light come in through our windows. Can you imagine just being able to see black all the time? It would be night all the time in our house."

"Well, maybe we could put signs up that said, 'don't fly here,' or 'danger: window."

"Good point. I don't know how well the birds would be able to see that though. I have heard of people putting stickers up on their windows. That can stop them."

So we made plans to get some decals to stick on our windows and save some bird lives.

"Hey Mommy, do you remember that time that a bird flew into our window. We thought it was dead but it turned out to be alive? You brought it in the house because you thought it was dead and then it jumped up and you let it outside."

"You're forgetting that he jumped up and pooped on my leg before I let it outside."

"I remember. But Mommy, poop is better than dead."

Poop is better than dead. Good point.

War

I heard a program the other day about that Nigerian prince who needs your help to get $8million out of the bank and all you have to do is send $2000 for transfer fees. A group of people decided to punk one of the guys who perpetrate this type of crime by promising the scammer that they had money and they lead him all over the place into dangerous territory. The host asked why the scammer didn't suspect that this was wrong. That they were lying to him and that the payoff wasn't going to happen. He had spent over 6 months in war torn countries waiting for his payoff. He said something that really resonated with me. It was, "At some point in a scam, you have gotten in so deep, you have to believe. You've come so far, you must believe that you'll get your payoff." I believe we're there. We've thrown resources, but more importantly lives of our soldiers at this scam on the American people. And nobody wants to give up there because we've been suckered. We are the poor granny who has sunk her life savings into the belief that the Nigerian prince will be by with her $8 million. Just a little more money, Granny. It will all turn out right. Does the death of more of our soldiers make the sacrifice of those who have died already more profound? No. There is no winnning. Just like there is no $8 million in Nigeria waiting for you.

Turning Point

Fw: The Next American Idol

From: David
To: Tess H; Dwight; Norman
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 9:19:41 AM
Subject: FW: The Next American Idol

Even Palin had more political experience than the Hawaii Born next Pres.

David

You couldn't get a job at McDonalds and become district manager after 143 days of experience.You couldn't become chief of surgery after 143 days of experience of being a surgeon.You couldn't get a job as a teacher and be the superintendent after 143 days of experience. You couldn't join the military and become a colonel after a 143 days of experience. You couldn't get a job as a reporter and become the nightly news anchor after 143 days of experience. But time Barack Obama was sworn in as a United State Senator, to the time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, he logged 143 days of experience in the Senate. That's how many days the Senate was actually in session and working. After 143 days of work experience, Obama believed he was ready to Commander In Chief, Leader of the Free World .... 143 days. We all have to start somewhere. The Senate is a good start, but after 143 days, that's all it is - a start. AND, strangely, a large sector of the American public is okay with this and campaigning for him. We wouldn't accept this in our own line of work, yet some are okay with this for the President of the United States of America? Come on folks, we are not voting for the next American Idol! Please, please forward this before it's too late!!!!

From: Tess H
To: David; Dwight; Norman
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 10:12:19 AM
Subject: Re: The Next American Idol

While I would have preferred somebody more experienced, apparently people found Hillary too polarizing a figure. Barack is the only choice that makes sense.

I cannot see how continuing to have a republican administration will be the solution to our current problems. After 8 years of Republican leadership, we have gone from a budgetary surplus to our economy being heavily leveraged overseas, on the brink of depression and more divided as a country than ever. We have a president who is again trying to tell us that the sky is falling, but his credibility is so low, nobody wants to believe him. Sad thing is, he may actually be right for once. Hank Paulson is a smart guy but he raised major red flags by including no oversight in the initial bill he put before the house. WTF? Was that supposed to be a carrot so we could fight about it and feel like we won something when it was struck from the bill?

What I fear is that people will support McCain because they wish they had a do-over. A do-over from voting Bush through in the primary of 2000. I have always said that I like McCain. His mistake was being a proponent of deregulation. Deregulation that is at the core of the republican economic theory is largely responsible for the economic crisis we are in right now. Rules have always been in place to prevent the kind of lending that has lead us here. But deregulation and lack of enforcement is finally showing its ugly teeth.

A vice-presidential candidate choice often covers the areas that a presidential candidate lacks. It is a telling choice. In Biden, we have experience in spades and a compelling personal story. Just about as American as you can get. Cut him and boy bleeds red, white and blue. He is hardly a rich fat cat senator as he routinely is ranked as one of the "poorest" senators on the hill. In Palin, we have youth, a shaky reputation as an agent of change, and a social conservative with a uterus. I still am puzzled as to how she ever said "yes" to McCain when he asked her to be his running mate. She knows her own knowledge level and has not considered the national stage and international stage before she was asked to be veep a month ago. Even conservative pundits are calling for her to step down as the veep candidate. In her, McCain's campaign is showing its opinion of women, they should be seen and not heard. 3 interviews. 3. And might I add, they were disastrous interviews. She may be bright and a quick study, but there is a strong chance that she would be president. McCain is old. He would be the oldest president if he were elected. McCain is healthy. Now. But it is conceivable he's put a dangerous but pretty neophyte in the #2 slot of his ticket.

McCain has a reputaion of a hot head. In this time where we need more diplomacy, do we really need a hair trigger president? We watch the debates waiting for him to blow up. He didn't. Good on him. This time.

ugh. done now. Why did you get me started?

Tess

Deja-vu all over again

Here's the thing, to quote our sitting president, "...Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."

Remember the last time our congress was urged to act -- quickly and decisively? Remember how we were rushed and coerced and bullied? Remember how we're still paying the price heftily?

So here were are again. It is the same administration going to the well. This time it is Hank Paulson asking us to had over $700 Billion dollars. (I don't know if the word billion should be capitalized but I think maybe it should just because of the immense nature of the word. I don't think I can keep the concept of "billion" in my head without it blowing up.) If Hank has his way, we'll be signing over $700 Billion by Friday. With NO oversight. With NO transparency.

Seriously?

Guess what, Hank. You can talk all you want about how you welcome oversight and transparency. If your proposed bill you're pressuring Congress to pass by Friday didn't have that phrase in there, I might have believed you. Were you hoping that we wouldn't notice? I bet you were. Shoot, the American public has pretty much proved that we can be victimized over and over and not really ever notice.

Not no, but hell no. Let's say we bail out these banks and insurance companies. But let's say that we put conditions for the bail out. Let's say we have complete transparency and oversight. Can we say regulation? Yeah, de-regulation has worked just so well. I'm kind of thinking we could use a dose of old fashioned regulation, administered just like the nuns used to in parochial school -- with a firm ruler snap to the knuckles if you step out of line. Make the $700 Billion a loan that they must pay back with interest. Make a moratorium on home foreclosures. After all, there was a lot of predatory lending that happened. We also have an opportunity here to raise some revenue for the United States Government. Housing prices tank much more, we'll have further shrinkage of the dollar, further loss of confidence, further loss of GDP.

This administration is totally against oversight and holding people accountable. Unless you're a teacher. Then by all means, hold them accountable.

Oh man, more rants to come.