tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62207532012-01-29T13:25:19.721-08:00I'm a fiend for mojitos.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.comBlogger69961100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-56148346363476944262012-01-29T13:23:00.000-08:002012-01-29T13:25:19.733-08:00

Burning the Flag300 ARRESTED AT OCCUPY OAKLAND: Police arrested 300 people at Occupy Oakland in California Saturday, after demonstrators broke into City Hall and burned a U.S. flag, following a day of protests that saw officers fire tear gas to disperse rock- and bottle-throwing activists. Police continued to stand guard around City Hall to prevent any more protesters from entering the building,

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-73905145887982401112012-01-28T08:38:00.000-08:002012-01-28T08:42:30.098-08:00

Glad That Mystery Is SolvedSomeone figured out which day was Ice Cub's "good day." No verification, however, on whether he used his AK.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-71125557146899713222012-01-27T13:31:00.000-08:002012-01-27T13:33:13.751-08:00

Alex SmithIs he the long term answer? I don't know. He played great this year. He earned a starting spot for next year. Do we sign him to a multi-year deal? I hesitate. Why not sign him to a short deal with loads of performance incentives? The guy has already gotten paid. He made tons in his rookie deal. I say a two year thing with lots of incentives.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-88534667386278859832012-01-27T09:53:00.001-08:002012-01-27T09:53:59.332-08:00

Really? Do Less?Maybe the best answer to the housing crisis is for the government to do nothing at all.The argument is simple and logical as the best ones usually are.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-59640583063008598712012-01-27T08:57:00.000-08:002012-01-27T09:05:43.320-08:00

Tax IdeasFrom the readers of the Atlantic. I agree with their main point: simplify, simplify, simplify. I believe in progressive taxation, so I think there should be about 5 different tax rates and very few, if any, deductions. Shoot, I don't care if there are 10 different tax rates. That doesn't matter to me. The main point, is that it should be clear what you are paying, why you are

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-35938390684489626192012-01-26T16:24:00.000-08:002012-01-26T16:26:58.022-08:00

Did I Miss Something?Some mayor in Connecticut says he'd eat tacos for dinner to support the Latino community, the community gets outraged, and then sends him tacos?None of this makes sense. Saying he'd eat tacos to support the community makes no sense. The community getting upset makes no sense. Sending tacos - if you are upset - makes no sense. Although, it does make me want to eat tacos.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-41764709311451213792012-01-26T12:10:00.000-08:002012-01-26T12:14:43.625-08:00

Good AnalysisOf the State of the Union. I forgot about this, which was another silly point, along with the bullet proof vest that can stop any bullet --And the worst was the bizarre proposal for states to force students to stay in school until graduation or the age of 18. Beyond the obvious enforcement questions, by the time people drop out of high school, they're normally already badly lagging

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-56743554303315147962012-01-26T09:35:00.000-08:002012-01-26T09:36:35.191-08:00

FunA fake all time soccer fantasy draft. If you want to know why America is no good at soccer, you need to look no further than this draft. 1 American taken in spot 159 of 160 - and that - a goalkeeper. Probably a suck up vote anyway.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-15582759234336466312012-01-26T08:42:00.000-08:002012-01-26T08:44:21.151-08:00

Killing HollywoodThe drive to fund start ups to develop new forms of entertainment. All I can say is: good luck. They will invent the most boring, useless APs and "interactive web series" known to man. I know this because while I was at USC, lots of people thought very hard and a lot about these things and they always ended up way clunkier than a single well written scene brought by a student

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-3894275819253922992012-01-25T10:33:00.000-08:002012-01-25T10:35:00.528-08:00

If You Have 4 HoursA dissertation on the finale of the Sopranos and what it all means. Admittedly, some of it reads like a 9/11 truther argument, but the guy makes a definitive case that Tony was shot in the the side of the head by the Man in the Members Only Jacket. I'm sold.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-69130576477281996712012-01-25T09:41:00.000-08:002012-01-25T09:43:08.603-08:00

The New American DivideOn what divides Americans today.Hat tip, Phil.I blame the feminist movement only half jokingly.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-13450040329963117892012-01-24T21:39:00.001-08:002012-01-24T22:19:55.352-08:00

State of the UnionI have it on in the background and I swore I heard Obama say we should invent a lightweight bulletproof vest that can stop any bullet. I'm no military expert, but that seems a bit fantastical.UPDATE: Listened to the 2nd half. Found little to disagree with.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-62396581525105938382012-01-24T15:02:00.001-08:002012-01-24T15:04:45.482-08:00

US Will Be FineDrenzer writes about why the US is recovering fine from the economic crisis and is actually stronger relative to China, etc, than in 1991.From a big perspective, he is probably right on about how the US is de-leveraging fairly smoothly and although public debt is up, that's probably the right thing to do while the de-leverage is going. Also, the best news is all this oil shale

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-77906065653658273592012-01-24T14:39:00.000-08:002012-01-24T14:59:15.899-08:00

How Fragile Things Are - FootballIt looks like Peyton Manning is done in Indy. Right now it seems likely they will release him, and I imagine he will retire. Can't picture him playing anywhere else. Strange to think about - if someone said a year ago this time Peyton Manning would never play football again - it would've been among the stranger things imaginable.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-21630527473374152892012-01-24T09:53:00.001-08:002012-01-24T09:53:48.653-08:00

OscarNominations are here.The usual mix of undeserved and expected.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-36302858133196991532012-01-22T21:14:00.001-08:002012-01-22T21:31:38.292-08:00

On The WarsCalling for an exit from Afghanistan from an unlikely pair of sources.I find in America today we are both too hard and too easy on people and institutions. Where is the public anger over the fact our military - which is supposedly the best in the world - can't defeat a rag tag army like the Taliban in over 10 years and at an expense of billions per week? This is like having Kobe,

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-29649257300981884442012-01-22T20:15:00.000-08:002012-01-22T20:19:25.572-08:00

Niner GameIncredibly lame way to lose the game. Ironic, as the Niners did not beat themselves all year, and then go out in the NFC Championship game and fumble away two punts to lose. Bummer.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-36586427477446141092012-01-22T13:24:00.001-08:002012-01-22T13:26:12.899-08:00

The 2 Minute DrillWhy do defenses play the 2 minute drill differently? I see no reason why defenses should adjust when under 2 minutes in a game or half. Or maybe it is just the offense goes into no huddle, I'm not sure. It seems like a lot more points are given up during 2 minute drills than other times during the game.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-79157245871653388382012-01-22T10:41:00.001-08:002012-01-22T10:54:43.776-08:00

LoggingFilm: Red Tails, HaywireA strange weekend for cinema. Red Tails felt like it came from a parallel universe where the past 25 years played out a lot differently both in the world and in film. It had the feel of an 80s TV show with a ton of CG effects.Haywire, I read, got a D+ cinema score. It really is not a good movie and makes basically no sense. That said, I was enjoying myself in

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-84910299572511232922012-01-20T17:01:00.001-08:002012-01-20T17:01:30.916-08:00

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-60711220580485734032012-01-19T13:55:00.000-08:002012-01-19T14:19:04.408-08:00

Media VulturesA lot media folks are criticizing Ed Reed for questioning about Flacco getting rattled in the Texans game.The media folks are such vultures. They say the same thing Reed says about Flacco, they ask players about this very issue, they want "honest responses" from players. They criticize people like Belichick, who purposely says nothing to the media, and then the moment someone says

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-34587571849498200132012-01-19T11:36:00.000-08:002012-01-19T11:38:20.680-08:00

Oil PipelineDavid Frum on why Obama is making a mistake by opposing it.The true locus of opposition to the pipeline is not Nebraska, but California, where big liberal environmentalist donors have seized on the pipeline as a talismanic cause. These California environmentalists do not want to redirect the pipeline. They want to stop it altogether, so as to leverage an end to further Canadian

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-36116948968205246222012-01-19T11:14:00.001-08:002012-01-19T11:19:00.750-08:00

Soccer and BoredomA great article on soccer. Highlights:Danny Blanchflower, 1972: "The great fallacy is that the game is first and foremost about winning. It's nothing of the kind. The game is about glory. It's about doing things in style, with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom."andHere's the full quote: "I go about the world, hand

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-42759553664266153872012-01-19T10:24:00.001-08:002012-01-19T10:24:07.430-08:00

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-83992290032102553982012-01-18T17:02:00.000-08:002012-01-18T17:04:35.051-08:00

InterestingThe moguls pull Obama support.The issue at hand — piracy — is a legitimate concern. But Google and those Internet guys have been swiftboating the entertainment industry by saying we’re trying to shut down the Internet just because we don’t want them to advertise pirated movies. As for other claims, we make 24. We don’t make national security problems.”

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-54547143770633673922012-01-18T12:26:00.000-08:002012-01-18T12:27:38.408-08:00

A Simple FixOn why Romney pays a low tax rate.Investment managers income from investing other people's money should not be considered capital gains. I think that is a pretty clear tax loophole.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-61049582461505349182012-01-18T12:24:00.001-08:002012-01-18T12:24:23.786-08:00

And That......is why I don't internet date.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-71964200695777182892012-01-17T23:20:00.000-08:002012-01-18T09:32:25.168-08:00

SOPAI obviously don't fully understand the implications of the law because I'm not a lawyer and/or an internet search engineer. But several things strike me - it pits content creators (Hollywood) against content distributors (Google, Wikipedia). Obviously the creators are more protective of their copyrights than the distributors who proclaim to be interested in protecting copyright, but only if

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-27264549869995726112012-01-17T09:50:00.001-08:002012-01-17T09:50:50.052-08:00

"Private" InfoFacebook gives your private info to politico.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-55735043444427650552012-01-16T23:44:00.000-08:002012-01-17T00:18:00.732-08:00

LoggingFilm: Girl With A Dragon TattooSo many questions. First, why does Daniel Craig wear his glasses like an Abraham Lincoln beard for the entire movie? Is that an actual thing people do? Was this how Craig won the role? Did he walk into Fincher's office and say, look David, since all I'll be doing all movie is looking at old photographs and walking through snow, I better have something to

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-61841384647443418422012-01-15T19:26:00.000-08:002012-01-15T19:27:20.477-08:00

Good Tip To RememberLouie CK on Pootie Tang.“Pootie Tang was a huge mistake, it should have never have been made,” he said. “That experience was very painful, I was sucking at making the movie and got fired off of it, and they put my name on it anyway…. But failing at Pootie Tang is one of the reasons for why this show is good. The army of failures I’ve had are the reasons that I’m good at what I

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-42735667580005691822012-01-15T12:36:00.000-08:002012-01-15T12:37:36.564-08:00

RefsThe refereeing thus far in the playoffs has been great. They aren't calling alot of bullshit pass interference and holding penalties. They are letting the teams play. Finally.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-63069955362173988112012-01-15T12:14:00.000-08:002012-01-15T12:26:01.415-08:00

Correlation vs. CausationA good example of the stupidity of statistics:There’s a line of demarcation where too much Brees becomes a bad thing. It’s somewhere in the low 40s. Yeah, Brees threw 44 times in victories against Houston and Jacksonville, 45 times in a three-point win over Carolina and 47 in a December victory against Tennessee. But none of those was pretty, and Houston was the only

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-16242569432213863022012-01-14T17:22:00.000-08:002012-01-14T17:46:06.407-08:00

Wow - Niners - SaintsThat might be the best football game I've ever seen. Just the match up and contrast of styles, the unlikely big plays, the determination displayed by both teams. It did come down to the 49er offense, which somehow delivered after playing terrible all game. Those final two drives were awesome. Note we didn't even need to convert any 4th down plays. The most tense was the

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-10791618486777243572012-01-14T15:21:00.000-08:002012-01-14T15:31:25.451-08:00

First Half - Niners SaintsWow. What an insane first half. Really a tale of two quarters. Niners dominated the first with three turnovers and a couple touchdowns. Saints dominated the second quarter with two nice touchdown scoring drives.I am very worried about our defense getting tired. We are on the field way too much. Alex Smith is playing bad. Besides two touchdown tosses, he looks

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-8406325335505788062012-01-12T19:30:00.000-08:002012-01-12T19:34:48.438-08:00

University of California Bans SmokingIn 2014 all smoking will be banned on UC Campuses.When the anti-smoking stuff started in California, I thought it was a good idea. It makes bars and restaurants nicer. The skeptics said it was a slippery slope and soon they would try to ban smoking all together. Whhhaaa? I said. Well, the skeptics were right. You give the nanny state an inch, they will

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-82479386121618120942012-01-12T19:23:00.000-08:002012-01-12T19:29:49.394-08:00

I Guess...American soldiers pissing on dead Taliban soldiers is a huge news story. Am I the only who thinks killing them would seem more offensive to "the Muslim world" - or whoever finds this offensive - than pissing on the corpses afterward?I'm not justifying the behavior or anything, but the situation is reflective of the absurdities of war and our coverage of it.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-77253976633685034252012-01-12T19:10:00.000-08:002012-01-12T19:11:41.753-08:00

YepFrom Instapundit on Google changes:I’ve noticed more and more unforced errors of the change-for-the-sake-of-change type from Google. They’re not, it seems to me, making changes based on user needs, they’re making changes to keep Google employees busy.I've noticed too. I'd sell the stock if I had any.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-66410163942827983532012-01-11T23:38:00.000-08:002012-01-11T23:47:09.087-08:00

Good JobsWas listening to some pundits recently talking about American jobs. Someone made a point, one of the bigger issues right now in terms of society and employment is the dearth of good jobs - these are jobs people enjoy doing, challenge them, pay them well enough to live comfortably, etc. When we talk about jobs-jobs-jobs we don't really mean minimum wage service jobs or factory jobs that

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-45952344675787115022012-01-11T18:10:00.000-08:002012-01-11T18:12:51.684-08:00

Marin CountyBans tobacco smoke, but allows for marijuana.Santa Monica has the same laws. I'm from one place and live in the other, and feel basically the same way as this guy:I happen to loath the smell of tobacco smoke. I’ll do anything to avoid it, and happen to benefit a great deal from the ever-increasing number of non-smoking laws. Having said that, I still find disturbing a mindset that

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-80483989641493991542012-01-11T11:16:00.000-08:002012-01-11T18:05:26.721-08:00

TechnologyIn the law, they distinguish between different types of speech. Certain speech, such as political speech and newspapers are more protected than say, advertising speech by the First Amendment. I think we need something similar for technology to distinguish between important, useful technology and unimportant, time wasting technology. Why do we need such a distinction? Because I

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-64494672337445929452012-01-11T09:51:00.000-08:002012-01-11T09:52:33.636-08:00

StatOn the Niners defense:The Saints run the ball well and have gotten better in that area as the season has gone on. Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory bring a nice mix of speed and power. I think we could see more of the Saints' running game than usual in this one. Mike Sando: The 49ers will welcome the challenge. Arian Foster, Felix Jones, LeGarrette Blount, Jahvid Best and Montario

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-75316066636143723232012-01-11T09:31:00.000-08:002012-01-11T09:33:31.943-08:00

WorseSo much media focus was on waterboarding, but the worst element of Gitmo is described here. We held innocent men for over 7 years and for no intelligible purpose. The media focused on waterboarding, but fail to mention for the most part, it was only done to 3 people. That doesn't justify it, but it certainly puts it in perspective.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-49574050176782965222012-01-11T09:18:00.000-08:002012-01-11T09:25:48.714-08:00

LoggingFilm: CarnageI wish more great directors would try projects like this -- small project that test their basic skills. I'd almost watch this a second time just to watch the blocking. Polanaksi is so clever. The movie doesn't feel "stuck" in the single apartment, even though the whole thing takes place there. He does this by clever blocking, arranging the characters physically in the

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-63815540026782879392012-01-10T14:35:00.001-08:002012-01-10T14:37:46.400-08:00

Ha!Livescience: unconsciously, everyone wants to date a hottie, which is why online dating fails. I can't come up with a better response than Instapundits: Un-consciously?

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-70309319287592042362012-01-10T11:56:00.001-08:002012-01-10T12:28:54.134-08:00

New Orleans-San FranciscoWhat a great build up to this game. This game can go so many different ways. Pro-49ers point of view: The Niners have come to play in every single game this year. They simply do not have major letdowns. There is a reason they went 13-3 and secured the number 2 seed. Jim Harbaugh has them prepared for every single game. He is going to bring some trickery to the play

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-2910621276430422732012-01-10T11:26:00.000-08:002012-01-10T11:34:34.587-08:00

College FootballI dvr'd the game last night and watched it in like 45 minutes. For games one doesn't passionately care about, this is the only way to watch. You realize what a time suck and how many stupid commercials you waste your time sitting through. The BCS is such a stupid system. They basically gave away the national championship by scheduling this year. Think about this - LSU had to

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-41127078932789911382012-01-10T11:25:00.000-08:002012-01-10T11:26:32.689-08:00

ChinaCurbs movie ticket prices.Good move by business, bad move by government.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-24470901023544070722012-01-09T22:33:00.000-08:002012-01-09T22:34:24.364-08:00

Best Blog Entry 2012!An ode to Miami Vice, the tv show. I think we have a frontrunner.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-54840787480770980702012-01-09T09:28:00.001-08:002012-01-09T09:29:28.585-08:00

Oh, LanguageA Madonna interview with Hungarian newspaper translated back and forth between Hungarian to English to Hungarian back to English.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-77613817744308798972012-01-09T08:45:00.000-08:002012-01-09T08:47:16.174-08:00

LoggingFilm: North Dallas FortyMoreso than any other sports movie, I actually felt the physical pain endured by athletes in this film. I was wincing at times. Very much a spiritual ancestor to Bull Durham. Not quite as funny and definitely more dark.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-53978715320699366442012-01-08T16:11:00.001-08:002012-01-08T16:12:34.889-08:00

Words With Friends - 655I must record this as I don't think I'll ever score this many points again. 655 against a stranger. I don't know how to make a screenshot from my ipod.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-58608257777062751242012-01-08T15:24:00.000-08:002012-01-08T15:25:05.284-08:00

BummerTony Blankley died. He was easily my favorite contributor to Left, Right, and Center.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-37119474809272132392012-01-08T14:27:00.001-08:002012-01-08T14:28:50.998-08:00

Tebow Magic!So those two pass plays for long yardage and a touchdown where nice and lucky and all the stuff of Tebow magic. But let's not forget the play before where Tebow totally puts his receiver Decker in a vulnerable position to catch that ball and he gets injured by Harrison's hit. I'd hate to be one of his receivers. You never see Brees put his receivers in those positions.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-12847755928109549192012-01-07T14:09:00.001-08:002012-01-07T14:15:36.479-08:00

GoodActress is suing IMDB for posting her age without her consent.All this online information is out of control. Nowadays people think they have a right to all sorts of information about others and these online sites like Facebook, Google, IMDB, etc, sloppily use whatever information they can gather to enrich themselves. I myself had a problem with IMDB when they linked by common name to some

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-57286210173782204392012-01-07T13:30:00.001-08:002012-01-07T13:35:17.901-08:00

LoggingFilm: second half of Broadcast NewsThere was literally nothing on TV - no sports I wanted to watch after working out this AM, so I watched it again. It isn't transcendent art, but it is the best Hollywood can do. The New Beverly would be brave to schedule a Broadcast News and Working Girl double feature and title it single working women in the 1980s series or something. The studios

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-37451048642860540222012-01-07T13:24:00.001-08:002012-01-07T13:30:23.173-08:00

LoggingFilm: The Big LebowskiImagine if the Coen Brothers had only made this one movie. We'd still remember and talk about them. Now consider they also made Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, and the Man Who Wasn't There -- three movies which - if they were their three best movies - would put them up there among the most important working directors. But of course, these aren't their three

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-6740752068209456872012-01-06T22:42:00.000-08:002012-01-06T23:13:20.856-08:00

SacrilegeTonight, I go mad. I was watching some of the Laker-Warrior game at a bar and paying mild attention to Kobe. He is old. He lost the ball a couple of times - something he does quite a bit since he often forces the issue on offense - but I had a thought -- perhaps it is because the Lakers are clearly past their prime, and Kobe is past his prime, and the Lakers are obviously underdogs in

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-34640428117003574852012-01-06T12:10:00.000-08:002012-01-06T12:11:44.420-08:00

NiceA brilliant defense of the liberal arts major by the great Virginia Postrel.The argument that public policy should herd students into Stem fields is as wrong-headed as the notion that industrial policy should drive investment into manufacturing or “green” industries. It’s just the old technocratic central planning impulse in a new guise. It misses the complexity and diversity of occupations

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-8643826133901228452012-01-06T12:02:00.001-08:002012-01-06T12:02:57.147-08:00

Hat tip, Naveen.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-50937491882362489932012-01-06T10:37:00.000-08:002012-01-06T10:40:14.719-08:00

Equal OpportunityIf you really wanted to go crazy with the equal opportunity, you would force highly educated people to marry less educated people.I would expect the household to try to achieve the level of education of the highest parent. This should increase the education level and life opportunities outcome for double the amount of families.On the downside, the highly educated parent would

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-13314912665776603942012-01-06T09:50:00.001-08:002012-01-06T09:56:02.773-08:00

Good Article on Supporting Ron PaulReally good article.Several major points:1. On the charges of Paul being "crazy"Labeling people “crazy” as a means of dismissing their views — basically depicting political disagreement as a mental illness — is one of the oldest and stalest means of discrediting people who dissent; it’s basically the prime weapon used to enforce mainstream orthodoxy and punish

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-2384762539633758432012-01-05T21:39:00.000-08:002012-01-05T21:52:25.799-08:00

Portland Trail BlazersWho is this Raymond Felton? Jamal Crawford? Gerald Wallace? Did I totally miss something in the NBA the past couple years? These guys are ballers. And they have LaMarcus Aldridge and gotta-be-about-to-retire Marcus Camby. But man, what a fun team to watch. Making the Lakers looks like old men in this second half. The only place where LA seems to have an advantage is

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-71199166587893249312012-01-05T14:48:00.001-08:002012-01-05T14:49:01.726-08:00

Good For TargetTarget features an ad with a Down Syndrome kid without making a big deal about it.Good for them.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-1528809122637578782012-01-05T14:41:00.000-08:002012-01-05T14:44:48.754-08:00

Bag LawI continue to be discouraged by the total and utter hypocrisy of the Santa Monica bag law. I go to the grocery store, they charge me for bags, and yet they have this ridiculous McDonalds-Monopoly style game for which they give me like 20 little cards and a game board and all this paper nonsense that will basically go straight into the trash. So let me get this straight - Santa Monica

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-25566927306484469322012-01-05T13:48:00.000-08:002012-01-05T13:52:16.193-08:00

LoggingTV: Cheers, finished full 1st seasonWhat stands out to me in this show is how adult the whole thing feels. While watching, it feels like adults are manning the store. They have Tip O'Neil as a guest star in one episode. As much as I love 30 Rock, the whole thing feels youthful to me. Cheers seems to have a wisdom and melancholy that comes with age. The irony, of course, is that I

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-82508810611787793042012-01-05T12:05:00.000-08:002012-01-05T12:07:42.962-08:00

IronyThe Arab League puts the Sudanese Intelligence Officer who oversaw the genocide in Darfur in charge of overseeing the Syrian protest crackdown.I know the Arab League isn't the UN, but it kinda makes you wonder about these international organizations.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-22391807423256976512012-01-04T18:49:00.000-08:002012-01-04T18:52:06.638-08:00

Krugman on DebtOn why government debt is different than personal debt.Fair enough. To be fair, liberals tend to worry about debt when it comes to things like defense spending and war, but seem to find it less important when it comes to unemployment benefits and healthcare.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-8058323198924198052012-01-04T18:24:00.001-08:002012-01-04T18:24:42.266-08:00

SoldI'd buy one - the best map of the United States.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-54212365222877789192012-01-04T14:46:00.000-08:002012-01-04T14:50:54.419-08:00

Inequality or Poverty?Obviously poverty is a worse problem than income inequality -- arguably, income inequality isn't even a problem at all.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-77449877414587803642012-01-04T13:47:00.000-08:002012-01-04T13:51:23.848-08:00

Google SucksForget all these internet companies. Google is becoming just as bad as facebook. First, this past weekend, it asked me to enter my birthdate so they could better target ads. More info on me out there in the world? No thanks. So I lie and tell them I am a 10 year old girl. They immediately disable my account and force me to enter my credit card information before restoring it.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-51542722038873993882012-01-03T10:15:00.000-08:002012-01-03T10:17:51.787-08:00

Flight AttendantsRemember when they used to be hot, agreeable women back in the 60s and 70s? I don't, because I wasn't alive yet, but I've heard. Now, flight attendants are petitioning to get 30 Rock removed from flights because of Baldwin's Words With Friends incident.Also, they protested Jodie Foster's Flightplan because it portrayed them poorly. What happened to these people? They are

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-53984370099553737922012-01-02T22:49:00.000-08:002012-01-02T22:52:49.318-08:00

IdiocyFrom an article about cool aps.SproutSocialPlatform: iPhone/Android What I like best about the new SproutSocial app for iPhone, which ties into the subscription-based SproutSocial service on the Web (sproutsocial.com; $9 a month), is that I can post status updates to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn at the same time. That's a real timesaver, especially from my iPhone. The app does not have

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-7362522669671218302012-01-02T22:04:00.000-08:002012-01-02T22:42:02.907-08:00

LoggingFilm: Ides of MarchAfterwards, the person I watched the movie with asked me "what do you think was the worst part?" My response, "Worst how? Like worst technically from a craft perspective or worst from a 'most tasteless perspective'?" If there was a subconscious contest going on between Brad Pitt and George Clooney to see who could better use their movie star status to make great

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-44237139442449061202011-12-31T11:39:00.000-08:002011-12-31T11:45:26.254-08:00

MoviesEbert on why the box office is down.The movies stink, man. I know the studios think to themselves, we can only make 5-10 really good movies a year and the rest we have to rely on tricking the audience to go see. How stupid and cynical is that? Once you hold that belief, it becomes a self fulfilling prophesy. Also - I know there is an anti-trust thing with the theaters being owned by the

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-55227583860971849262011-12-31T09:04:00.000-08:002011-12-31T09:16:54.712-08:00

LoggingFilm: Mission Impossible, Ghost ProtocolHere was my logic - I wanted to see a movie. Girl With A Dragon Tattoo was the obvious choice, but I looked it up and it was 2 hrs and 40 minutes long. This, for a story I've already read, already seen a previous version of the movie, and don't really care for. There are no actors in the film that make want to go see it - the only reason to go to

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-45047696661902460342011-12-30T18:31:00.001-08:002011-12-30T18:34:20.061-08:00

LoggingFilm: Due DateThe theme of my Christmas break seems to be mediocre comedies from on demand. I laughed during Due Dute. It was no Hangover, but it wasn't that bad. A very funny line from Zach G. "When he was alive, he enjoyed coffee and when he died, he was enjoyed as coffee." I suppose it only makes sense if you've seen the movie.Book: The Tao of Warren BuffettJust simple investing

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-41145387859355260062011-12-29T12:31:00.000-08:002011-12-29T12:32:15.447-08:00

Writing AdviceOf course the best one comes from Mark Twain."Write without pay until somebody offers pay; if nobody offers within three years, sawing wood is what you were intended for." ~ Mark Twain

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-27179393795044382572011-12-29T12:28:00.000-08:002011-12-29T12:29:38.960-08:00

Yikes9 foot tall super soldier mourns Kim Jong Il.File that one under headlines I would have never anticipated.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-54963498716308693572011-12-29T12:09:00.000-08:002011-12-29T12:11:39.668-08:00

Social Media: Too Much BuzzMore like too much bullshit.Social media is a party that the cool folks left a hour ago.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-6114709417636114692011-12-29T11:57:00.000-08:002011-12-29T12:00:03.854-08:00

LoggingFilm: Dinner For SchmucksSo I only made it about halfway through before falling asleep. Strange movie. I was actually enjoying the tone until Steve Carrel showed up. His character made almost zero sense. I want to see the French original on which it is based. Another plotting point that made no sense was his girlfriend's strident reaction to Paul Rudd going to dinner. Very strange

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-83334447560878770862011-12-29T10:54:00.001-08:002011-12-29T11:02:10.818-08:00

Brilliant ArticleShareholder value: the dumbest idea in the world.A scathing article on the retarded practices of the business world. One pretty startling point - it all started with creating a problem (principal-agent) that didn't really exist -The article performed the old academic trick of creating a problem and then proposing a solution to the supposed problem that the article itself had

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-41339834149901841552011-12-27T14:26:00.000-08:002011-12-27T17:51:17.685-08:00

LoggingFilm: The ArtistAfter watching this movie, I had an urge to re-watch Miller's Crossing, which I did via on demand. This is maybe the first time I've used on demand. It cost $3 - just as good as going to blockbuster (except that blockbuster now charges only .99). I was impressed with the number of movies available. I love Miller's Crossing. It might be the best written movie of the

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-45316565861639123042011-12-26T13:38:00.000-08:002011-12-26T13:39:12.046-08:00

You Don't SayAffirmative action does not work.Racial preferences, says University of San Diego law professor Gail Heriot , have backfired. She is one of three members of the civil rights commission urging the Supreme Court to recognize the damage it unleashed when it allowed racial “diversity’’ to trump the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection of the laws. Skin color was always an

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-30197181509814454952011-12-26T13:35:00.000-08:002011-12-26T13:38:29.477-08:00

You Don't SayAffirmative action does not work.Racial preferences, says University of San Diego law professor Gail Heriot , have backfired. She is one of three members of the civil rights commission urging the Supreme Court to recognize the damage it unleashed when it allowed racial “diversity’’ to trump the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection of the laws. Skin color was always an

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-10386026787909835112011-12-26T10:53:00.000-08:002011-12-26T11:02:31.281-08:00

Showbiz AnalysisPretty interesting.He likes IMax and not 3-D. I was at Best Buy the other day and the sales clerk says next year, they are going to be pushing 3D TVs and phasing out everything else. Really? Who the hell is going to watch 3D TV? What is it going to even look like? What if you have people over - is everyone going to bring their own glasses? This entire concept is absurd. No

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-73875108431918023282011-12-24T21:54:00.000-08:002011-12-24T22:11:30.227-08:00

NFL Week 16 - What We Learned1. God was apparently busy preparing for Christmas the last two weeks because Tebow played awful again. 4 interceptions today. I wonder how much longer this nonsense will last. The Broncos can lose to anyone in the league. And seriously - isn't it the job of a reporter to question Tebow - if God is responsible for your good luck, isn't he also responsible for

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-12259892051243187202011-12-24T12:43:00.001-08:002011-12-24T12:44:22.692-08:00

LoggingTV: Hung, rest of season 3Felt unfinished. I guess they thought the show would keep going. It seems HBO is moving away from their experiment in the 25 minute dramadies - Hung, Bored to Death, and How to Make It. Smart move.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-24314501678111811262011-12-23T15:08:00.001-08:002011-12-23T15:09:42.576-08:00

Take Your TimeIt is okay by me if they keep the shadow inventory of foreclosed homes. Maybe by the time they release the inventory, me and my peer group will be ready to buy -- and it'll be as cheap as can be.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-53757863971954639652011-12-23T14:58:00.001-08:002011-12-23T15:03:44.528-08:00

LoggingTV: Hung Season 3, Ep. 2-8Yes, I gorged on six episodes of Hung last night. Figured since the show went off the air, I was 2/3 through and might as well finish it off. Interesting, how the cancellation of the show actually prompted me to watch (and the fact that my parents don't have Showtime and I can't gorge on Homeland). The thing that I can say about Hung is essentially a back

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-53541264632648151802011-12-23T14:55:00.000-08:002011-12-23T14:58:02.462-08:00

ParentingInteresting thoughts on why parenting needn't be so hard.I actually think this about a lot of things - that there is a culture of stress and anxiety about all sorts of marginally relevant things (NFL football, getting into college, petty problems at work, dating, etc) - that we end up making things that ought to be fun into real chores that sap valuable energy for what otherwise might be

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-17239907496761648742011-12-22T12:01:00.000-08:002011-12-22T12:03:08.133-08:00

LoggingFilm: Hall PassThere were multiple cock shots in this movie for like 20 seconds. I couldn't believe it. Other than that, it was very very ok.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-73094532062697744942011-12-20T11:21:00.001-08:002011-12-20T11:22:02.783-08:00

Growing Up Poor and BlackAn incredibly good analysis of why it is so hard for people to move out of poverty. They have a lot of things going against them.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-90525621919051296952011-12-19T17:11:00.001-08:002011-12-19T17:27:51.697-08:00

Public PensionA teacher/administrator gets a public pension of $174,000 a year.I've got plenty of beef with corporate CEOs and their exorbitant salaries, but let's be honest, there are very few of these jobs and they are being paid by supposedly what value they bring to their companies as deemed by the market. I fail to see how we can afford pensions funded by taxpayers at this high a level for

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-82712139577671910532011-12-19T11:03:00.003-08:002011-12-19T11:03:56.093-08:00

LoggingFilm: Revenge of the Nerds"Poindexter, are we going to fuck or not?""AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-64988312348284790902011-12-19T10:52:00.001-08:002011-12-19T10:52:53.930-08:00

Fun GameSupervillain or Newt.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-27928799515027311122011-12-19T09:51:00.001-08:002011-12-19T09:51:55.542-08:00

This Doesn't Seem RightA women bumps up from a 25K a year job to a 35K a year job and yet, has less disposable income.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-37733446876118117392011-12-19T09:38:00.000-08:002011-12-19T09:49:36.809-08:00

IraqWhen did it become commonly accepted the Iraq war was a failure? More and more, I read the MSM simply refer to the war in terms like these (re Hitchens position):"it must not be forgotten in mourning him that he got the single most consequential decision in his life horrifically, petulantly wrong"; indeed: "People make mistakes. What's horrible about Hitchens' ardor for the invasion of Iraq

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-88456103727739686992011-12-19T09:36:00.000-08:002011-12-19T09:38:15.091-08:00

DeathThey say it happens in threes. Hitchens, Havel, and Kim Jong Il. Imagine that conversation at the pearly gates.

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220753.post-60675361223533252732011-12-16T17:23:00.000-08:002011-12-16T17:29:39.420-08:00

Peyton ManningTo the 49ers?Boy, is that tempting? Would have never thought this could possibly happen in 100 years, and all of a sudden, it is the leading possibility. Especially with the way the Niners have been playing, they are looking like a 1st round exit in the playoffs, and plus, Green Bay seems set for several years to be tops in the NFC and for a team to get over that hump, they need

Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038119723865598681noreply@blogger.com0