Just win, baby?

Selling naming rights - the "bud light bleachers?". Can't afford reliable starting pitching. God damn Tribune. co.

LA's real name

El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de la Porciúncula

The full nameof Los Angeles, Calif., means "The town of our lady the queen of the angels of the little portion." Now the city is customarily known as "L.A.," giving it also one of the shortest names in the world.

Could this be the end of Anglo-US cooperation?

Or are politicians in the UK just as wacky as those here? Check out this article on the US Embassy not paying a fine on driving cars in downtown London, and the Mayor's response. Reminds me of the hubbub over the unpaid parking tickets at the UN in NYC a few hours back?

I know, it's Jonah Goldberg, but still....

i thought that this was a somewhat interesting column. He argues that foreign policy is not a legal practice, but an art. And so while we're caught up in saying that 43 didn't have "proof," isn't it more about whether or not Hussein was a world class a-hole that was poking and prodding like a petulant child - a child with the ability to massacre thousands of people. And do we let leaders like this continuously bluff and antagonize? Can we afford to do that? I sort of agree.

Different opinions?

Bush, Losing it?

I think we can say that we're, ahem, "losing the war" - whatever that means. Personally, I don't think that this is really a war for us to win or lose. Yes, if we fail to meet our objectives, we lose. But I'm not really sure where our responsibility as an intervention force end, and the personal responsibility of Iraqis starts. Meaning, I'm not sure we'll be able to dictate whether or not we win/lose the war.

The country is descending into civil war. And, i don't really feel like i've been given a good reason for why that's happening.

• Is an inability to form a government the reason?
• The US's "best" efforts to restore services and rebuild not being quick enough?
• Just our presence there?
• Are there too many competing factions that are trying to fill a power vacuum?
• Are the Iraqis declaring authority in the only way they know how?
• Or are the Shia and the Sunni just barbaric?

Obviously Bush and his buddies share a large part of the blame for how the US has mishandled this (Abu Ghraib, reconstruction, enemy combantants, you name it)...But, I don't feel like i've read/seen anything that comments on the culpability of the Iraqis, and their inability to be resolve this through negotiation and peaceful discussion. I mean, settle down, people. If you've got any sources for me to look at, i'd be interested to review

Anyway, what got me on this tangent was this article in the washington post. Milbank's coverage of bush's press conference yesterday. Sounds like ol' george is this close to not giving a shit, and is gonna shoot from the hip, or say whatever he wants. Which could be fun, and revealing.

In-n-Out

I had it for lunch. ANd it was good. Does anyone ever have the point wher ethey could eat like eleventy of something, but then better judgment sets in and you settle for a normal portion? I hate better judgment.

World Baseball Classic

This post is about a week overdue, but whatever....What does a game between Korea and Japan have in common with a Cubs/yanks game from 2003? Two things: 1) Hee Seop Choi and 2) The most exciting baseball games i've ever been to. This is how baseball should be. People screaming and yelling after every pitch, fans and players excited to be there. People banging drums, pans and blowing on trumpets. I remember going tot he world cup matches in 94 (men) and 99 (women), and it was the same atmosphere. That's what a sporting event should be like.
Americans are too blase about their national pride - or we show it in weird ways. A magnetic yellow ribbon on the back of our SUV's supporting troops fighting an oil war is patriotism? bah. Show me the excitement and cheer of americans rooting on their overpaid stars as we beat up on the koreas and venezuelas of the world. That's what i want.

Blue Moon...

I used to like blue moon. When i first had it in 2000, i thought i'd found a belgian ale that really suited my palate. Today, i found out it's owned by Molson-Coors.Knowing that one of my favorite beers is surreptitiously owned by a macro-brewery diminishes my pleasure in drinking it. Not to mention, i like to think of myself as an opinion leader in the alcoholic beverages arena. How could i have been endorsing a mass produced beer? Did i fall victim to guerrilla marketing? Is my opinion that easily manipulated for major corporation profits? BAH!
If i'm gonna drink a mass produced domestic beer, it's gonna be miller lite. Or Corona.

Internet gaming...

for those of you interested in what i do, this op-ed in the LA Times might help explain a few things.

What was the Olive Garden Thinking

This is an ad i saw on www.engadget.com

Pat Robertson needs a muzzle

I'm all for freedom of speech. But when the guy is just saying crap that is going to get us bombed, i think it's time for some one to put some duct tape on his mouth. It's bad enough to have a Congress and President who keep f-ing things up, do we really need Pat Robertson meddling too?

The NCAA sucks.

Ok, so i'm slightly biased, but let's take a look at GW's "rogering" by the Selection Committee. To recap, GW:

1) Had the best regular season record at 26-2 (losses @ NC State and to Temple in the A-10 tourney)
2) Was ranked #6 in the next to last AP poll, and was in the AP top 25 all season long.
3) A substantially similar team in make up to last years tourney entry, who ranked a #12 seed

Now, as a commendation and in recognition of their season and ability, the NCAA Selection Committee:

1) Gave GW an #8 Seeding, rating them anywhere from 32nd-35th in the field of 64. In 2004, when the A-10's own st. joes wen't 27-1 heading into the tourney (and playing a substantially similar schedule), they were given a #1 seed.
2) Have them playing their first and second round games in Greensboro, NC, where they lost to NC State, one of their 2 losses this year
3) will play UNC-W in the first round, one of the hotter teams heading into the tourney (they won the CAA tournament)
4) if they manage to get past the first round matchup with UNC-Wilmington, they get to play overall #1 seed Duke in the second round
5)Both schools are in North Carolina, making the greensboro site a home game, whereas it's about a 7 hour bus trip for GW.

Translation: GW got screwed. Royally. the NCAA is a sham.

i hate congress.

looks like republicans and democrats both have succeeded in spiking the ports deal. Good work guys. Way to listen to the knee-jerk sentiments of your constituents who have absolutely no idea how these systems work. I can't believe i agree with Bush on this one. Whatever happened to reason and debate. When did we become a nation of isolationists? Where do we go from here?
Although, it is ironic that the very jingoistic sentiments 43 used to get his war started are now coming back to bite him in the ass.

Barry Bonds...

after thinking about it for a day or so, i realized that Barry Bonds is exactly like Michael Jackson. Neither trusts the media or thinks that it represents his story accurately. Both think that the fans love him, and prefer to speak directly to them. Both are delusional and raised in circumstances that distanced them from reality. ANd both enjoy wearing women's clothes.