Additional Program Note

I'm not being a bad host; I appear to have lost the ability to post comments from my Treo...

Feh.

The wifi here at the Chateau has deteriorated into complete unusability, and my Plan B for posting phots isn't working, at least not yet. (Plan C involves putting the Treo's SD card into my wee backup camera so I can copy picture files to it, because right now I can't seem to copy directly to the Treo)

So, in the meantime:

Abraham Lincoln vs. Dracula. Discuss.

Aaarrgghh.

Well, I didn't think there were any hotels left that didn't have wireless access, but my family has managed to find one. Actually, it does have wireless access in a "salon" of some sort, but it's very sporadic in my room, so I may only be able to post photos at night when there's less interference. I'll also see if I can find this mythical "salon" of which they speak. Of course, I can still blog from my Treo smartphone (as I'm doing now), but it's much harder to post photos from it. I have some elaborate and unwieldy ideas on how I might pull that off; maybe I'll put those to the test later.

Um, other than that, so far, so good. The flight was uneventful, I got some decent cloud photos which I haven't processed yet, and then we all hung out in Grandma's apartment and looked through her photo albums, which appear to date back close to the turn of the century (although Grandma herself does not).

Friday Quote & Dog Blogging

This week's quote is from The Love Butcher, a delightfully cheesy and insane psycho-killer movie from the 70s which I have recently obtained on DVD (weep with envy, all you people who are not me):

I shall go to her. Women love me, Caleb. I'm not like you. You're ugly. But I am handsome and delightful. She shall love me, Caleb, as much as she hated you. I am love, total love. I am Lester, and I am alive!

And, of course, there'll be other people's dogs...


Random happy puppy.

(Additional program note: I am heading off to California this afternoon, so posting will probably be sporadic and uninsightful until Thursday.)

So I Don't Have To

I actually thought about doing something very similar to this.

Now I don't have to.



On the other hand, three years isn't enough to show much visible aging. Plus it would be kind of cool to see my hair grow and then get cut back every 3-4 months...

Belated Wednesday Softball Blogging

The hot streak continues. Last night I went 5-for-6 with two bases-loaded triples and a home run, 4 runs, and (I think) a career-high 9 RBI(if I had been half a step slower on the first triple, I would have hit for the cycle...). Over my last four games, I'm 19-for-21, with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, 16 runs, and 15 RBI (.905 BA, 1.524 SLG).

I was in right field, so I didn't get much action defensively, although I caught the only fly hit to me, and I gunned someone down trying to go from first to third.

2006 Stats: 17 games, .644 BA (67-104), 1.077 SLG, 13 2B, 4 3B, 8 HR, 42 runs, 41 RBI.

Career Stats: 44 games, .599 BA (179-299), .823 SLG, 30 2B, 5 3B, 9 HR, 103 runs, 81 RBI.

But Is Anybody Listening?

A fellow Eli (Mr. Pariser from MoveOn) has an interesting and optimistic piece up at WaPo (hat tip to commenter blue e at FDL):

...Lamont's victory... marks the beginning of the end for an old favorite of Washington insiders -- the tactics of triangulation. Originally employed as a survival strategy by a Democratic president in the wake of 1994's Republican revolution, the policy of seizing the political middle ground no longer makes sense in an era when any attempt at bipartisanship is understood as a sign of Democratic weakness and exploited accordingly.

Had triangulation worked, we'd be in a different moment. But for six long years, it hasn't. Even Sen. Hillary Clinton has seen the writing on the wall in recent weeks, criticizing the Bush team's Iraq fiasco by publicly confronting Donald Rumsfeld, calling on him to resign and demanding that troop withdrawals from Iraq begin soon.

With triangulation passing, a new era of bolder, principle-driven politics can begin. Lamont's success should be the opening salvo in a 90-day campaign to establish the clear-cut differences between Democrats and Republicans. Most independent voters, like Democrats, want change, but many of them aren't sure yet whether Democratic candidates are capable of giving it to them. Now's the chance to seize that mantle.

(...)

If the Democratic Party can emulate Lamont's principled progressivism, a durable national electoral majority and a government that embraces real people's concerns awaits. Americans want change as badly as they did in 1994.... [T]hey want their officeholders and candidates to hold the president accountable for his failures.

The time has passed for what a New York Times editorial aptly characterized as Sen. Joseph Lieberman's "warped version of bipartisanship, in which the never-ending war on terror becomes an excuse for silence and inaction." People don't want Democratic politicians whose grotesquely nuanced positions on issues make their utterances incomprehensible or meaningless or both. They want a new direction.

The pendulum is swinging, driven by the all-too-apparent shortcomings of the Bush administration. To paraphrase a great Democrat, the only thing Democratic leaders have to fear is timidity in the face of opportunity.

Pariser is correct about the message that Lamont's victory is sending. The question is whether the Democratic party establishment is willing to hear it. Will the Theodems shake off the poisonous counsel of Grima Moosetongue and regain their youthful vigor? Or will they stick their fingers in their ears like Miracle Max and yell "Lalalalala, not Listening!"?

The key to regaining power is within their sight and grasp, if they have the will to reach for it.

(Yes, I did work a Lord Of The Rings reference and a Princess Bride reference into the same paragraph - what are you trying to say? I'm totally not a geek, if that's what you're thinking.)

Joe Kid Gloves?

Here's a question that's been bugging me since Joe made his "Independent Democrat" intentions official: Will the Democrats be reluctant to play hardball with him for fear of driving him into the Republicans' open arms? Even if he can't run as a Republican, he can choose to caucus as one, potentially contributing to a Republican majority, much like Jeffords did when he left the GOP.

If Harry Reid revoked all his committee memberships, would anyone be surprised if the Republicans offered him some of theirs, and maybe even a chair if he agreed to caucus with them? And would anyone be surprised if Lieberman took them up on their kind offer without a second thought?

Please understand that I am not advocating delicate treatment for Lieberman - I want to see the Democratic party disown and destroy him if he refuses to respect the wishes of their CT primary voters. All I'm saying is that the Democrats tend to be depressingly risk-averse most of the time (Gang Of Fourteen, anyone?), and I would not be a bit surprised if all the establishment Democrats simply sat on their hands and let Ned and Joe duke it out themselves.

On the other hand, the Republicans will be at no such disadvantage. Their most difficult challenge will be in finding a way to help Joe without hurting him.

Wednesday Why-I-Love-The-Weekly-World-News Blogging

WWN reports on an inspiring real-life superhero:

A NEW super-hero has come to the aid of terrified citizens in crime-infested Los Angeles. The police have nicknamed him Wedgie Man, because he sneaks up on perpetrators and gives them a mighty wedgie they'll never forget.

Even though Wedgie Man's actions are illegal, police throughout the state are secretly rooting for the red-caped, masked vigilante. "He's like Charles Bronson in Death Wish, only without the killing and maiming. He makes low-life thugs think twice before they snatch a purse or pick some unsuspecting tourist's pocket. They never know when Wedgie Man will sneak up behind them and yank their underwear high into that place where the sun don't shine," says one police spokesman.

(...)

"Because of him, I quit mugging sightseers at the La Brea Tar Pits," says Noel Schmelling, 34. "I'll never forget that Sunday morning when I was taking this old geezer's watch and dentures. Suddenly, I felt a hand grab the elastic band of my underwear. Then my heart nearly stopped beating as the guy yanked and pulled until I nearly lost consciousness.

"The whole horrible incident is kind of blurry, but I remember him saying in a high-pitched voice, 'Next time you'll get an atomic wedgie!' Sweet Moses . . . that was enough to end my life of crime. I enrolled in electrolysis college the very next day and never even thought about mugging anyone again."

Since Wedgie Man made his first appearance in June 2004, police estimate that he has struck at least 50 times. "He's unstoppable," liquor store owner Curtis Zittleman says.

"I saw the masked dude perform a rare feat -- he gave two punks who'd just robbed my store simultaneous hanging wedgies. They screamed like sissy boys when Wedgie Man pulled them up off the ground and hung them on a chain-link fence by the waistbands of their underwear. They were wailing like babies when police arrived."

After Wedgie Man prevented a 350-pound gorilla of a goon from stealing her prized 1969 Ford Pinto by giving him a double- handed power wedgie, Sheila Lepke, 89, shared a prune Danish with her hero. "Aren't you afraid of armed criminals?" she asked.

"Wedgie Man just shook his head," Lepke remembers. "And then he said, 'Criminals, shmiminals. Evildoers with guns, clubs, knives and surface-to-air missiles don't scare me. It is they who should fear me, for I possess the most lethal weapon of all: The wedgie. And if the situation deteriorates and I need to bolster my assault, I am also a master of the dreaded noogie and the despised wet willy."

The world has just become a safer place.

We've Decided To Go In A Different Direction.

"I want to thank Senator Lieberman.... for the dignity and decency with which he's represented our state and our country for many, many years...."
- Ned Lamont

(From NYT)

Woohoo!!!

Woohoo! Just... WOOHOO!!!!


That is all.

DoS And Don'ts

Oy. I'm jumping in (hopefully) towards the end of this sorry fiasco, but apparently the Lieberman campaign has been pissing and moaning about the joe2006.com website going down as a result of a dastardly Denial of Service attack by Lamont supporters. As pretty much the entire liberal blogosphere has already pointed out, it is considerably more likely that the crash was due to their hosting their primary campaign website with a $15-a-month hosting service that lumps them in with 73 other websites on a single server.

But that's not important, and not being reported. What's important is that JoeCo. is milking this for all it's worth, using it to smear Lamont and build a dirty-tricks storyline to justify Joe's already-decided-on independent run.

It's worth noting that this occurred almost exactly on the fifth anniversary of another, much larger disaster which also turned out to be a PR bonanza for the incompetents who let it happen. Yep. Incompetent like a fox.

The Final Countdown

Today is the day. The battle for the soul of the Democratic party is joined in Connecticut. I don't believe I have any Connecticutians among my regular readers, but if any Nutmeg denizens happen to be reading today, I implore you to make sure you get out there and vote for Ned Lamont. Tell every registered Dem you know to get out there and vote for Lamont. If you're able, put on some comfortable shoes and help get people out there and vote for Lamont.

It's not just about getting rid of Lieberman (undeniably a good thing). It's about sending a message to the Democratic party establishment that any Dem who doesn't represent his or her constituents, who undermines his/her own party, who eagerly serves as a useful idiot for the Republicans, will be shitcanned with extreme prejudice.

But it won't happen unless everyone who wants Lamont in and Lieberman out gets out there and votes.

The polls that don't count have made it very clear who the Connecticrats want representing them. But they must all get out and vote so that the polls that do count send the same message. Please vote.

Overreaction Of The Week

Oh... Kay.

[A] caller - Jimmy - pushed the right button to set [Yankees radio announcer Michael] Kay off. He sent Kay to Wig City by simply saying it is against "baseball etiquette" for an announcer or analyst to even mention that a pitcher is working on a no-hitter or perfect game.

Kay became extremely defensive and defiant. He flipped, going into a full scream/rant mode.

Kay: "... Why shouldn't I say it (that a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter or perfect game)? Tell me Jimmy. Why?"

Jimmy: "Because it's not baseball etiquette."

Kay: "... Don't tell me it's baseball etiquette. It used to be etiquette to have black people as slaves. ..."

You could hear Jimmy groan and the air going out of other listeners, too. Kay's inappropriate comparison was over-the-top.

A few seconds later, he topped it.

Kay: "Jimmy. Tell me why? Tell me why I can't say it."

As if he was waving a red cape in a bull's face, Jimmy, again, parroted his "baseball etiquette" line.

Kay: "That's a stupid, stupid thing to say. ... Baseball etiquette? There's a lot of rules that don't make sense. That's why there was Nazi Germany. Why did they march people into ovens? Well, that's what they told them to do ..."

So... apparently not talking about a no-hitter is comparable to slavery and the Holocaust.

Alllrighty then. I'm glad we've got that sorted. Thanks, Michael Kay, for all that you do.

Revenge Of The Zogbies

Okay, I know the Democratic establishment is never going to listen to little ol' me, but maybe they'll listen to John Zogby. He is a pollster, after all...

Let's just look at the numbers from my most recent national poll (July 21). Overall, only 36% of likely voters told us that they agree that the war in Iraq has been "worth the loss of American lives", while 57% disagree. But the partisan splits are more revealing: only 16% of the Democrats polled said the war has been worth while 82% disagree and only 26% of Independents agree the war has been worth it while 72% disagree. On the Republican side, 64% said the war has been worth it, while 23% disagree. The war has been the principal cause of the nation's polarization in the past three years. The polling evidence shows the degree to which Iraq has become a Republican war. And these latest numbers are also noteworthy in that they show that about one in four Republicans have now pretty much given up on the war.

All of which is to suggest that Democratic candidates will now probably be emboldened to take a stronger stance against the war. If principle doesn't win the day, at least the polling numbers are pretty clear what their base wants. Indeed, the polling numbers were pretty clear what Democrats and Independents wanted in 2004 - and the fact that they didn't receive the opposition to the war they were looking for from their standard-bearers is the main reason that they lost both the Presidency and did not pick up seats in either house of Congress.

I think this actually extends to opposition in general (See: Alito, Roberts, Bankruptcy Bill). By not standing up to an unpopular president's unpopular agenda, the Democrats are alienating the very people they are supposed to be appealing to. Despite what the media constantly tells us, Republicans are not the middle.

(hat tip to Christy at FDL)

Monday Media Blogging

I... um... OhGod.

Hat tip to Phila.

Oh, Don Virtual Piano...

This is just too cool.

Digital Information Development (DID) has developed a highly portable virtual piano that is played with a keyboard consisting of projected laser beams.

The box-shaped device measures about 10 x 3 x 3 cm (4 x 1 x 1 in.) and weighs about 100 grams (3.5 oz.). Using a red semiconductor laser module and holographic optical element, the device projects a 25-key 2-octave keyboard onto the surface in front of it.... A CMOS camera module and infrared... semiconductor laser module detect which keys are touched, and the corresponding notes are emitted from speakers built into the device. Chords can also be played, and DID claims it is technically possible to reproduce weighted notes (but presumably not with this version).

The keyboard has 3 other voices in addition to piano — organ, pipe organ and harpsichord. It is scheduled for release in Japan in November 2006 and is expected to cost around 15,000 yen (US$130).

DID says that a virtual 88-key grand piano can be created by increasing the size of the device.

[Source: Yomiuri Shimbun]

Just try not to think about how silly you'll look playing it...

Oy.

Matt Stoller reports on the Lamont Sign Bandit:

Something along the lines of the following conversation ensued.

"Why did you take those [Lamont] signs?"
"I'm just excercising my freedom of expression"
"No, you're stealing."

At that point the perpetrator became uncooperative.

That dang First Amendment is just so hard to pin down...

Wait... What?

By way of Atrios:

From a press release just issued containing a speech he's delivering at a campaign event with Max Cleland.

Sadly, my opponent has done his best to distort my record, spending at least $4 million of his own money to mislead people into thinking that I am someone I am not. Not unlike what happened to Max Cleland four years ago.

Now that's chutzpah. I think it's pretty safe to say that Lieberman's support for George W. Bush has been considerably more substantive than Cleland's support for Osama bin Laden. Come to think of it, Bush's support for Osama has been considerably more substantive than Cleland's...

But that's not actually what made me go WTF. Why is Cleland campaigning for Lieberman??? Why is any anti-war Dem (I'm looking at you, Ms. Boxer) campaigning for Lieberman? He's stabbed Boxer and Cleland in the back on Iraq; he's stabbed NARAL and Planned Parenthood in the back on Alito and emergency contraception at hospitals; he's stabbed Bill Clinton in the back on Monica Lewinsky, and yet they've all supported him against an actual anti-war, pro-choice Democrat. I don't know what kind of pheromones or hypnotism Joe is using, but if I could bottle it I'd make a fortune.

We Pass The Shavings On To You.

Oh. My.

Chain of hat tips: Echidne Of The Snakes -> Majikthise @ RudePundit

And yes, it does appear to be a for-real Philips-Norelco website...


It also kinda reminds me of this: