cryptique

At one time I had visited far more of the U.S. states than any of my classmates, but that was in middle school, and it's been years now since I added any new ones. I still have to get to Alaska and Hawaii (understandable), Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Delaware, New Jersey(!), Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts(!!!). I've technically been to Texas but I was an infant so it hardly counts. It would take just two trips to check off everything but Alaska and Hawaii. Not sure I'll ever get to those two.

So don't watch it. Nobody's saying you have to. But to come in here and rail against us for watching it ... that's just third-rate wankery. That's your most sexist statement yet. Let's be fair here: how long have women even been able to play club or international football at a truly competitive level? A decade? Has it even been that? And how long have young girls played, in massive numbers, from an early age, learning ball skills and game strategy before they lose all their baby teeth? Is that even happening now, anywhere but in the U.S.? And in how many countries in the world can girls

ction's "Carter Country" mix

is fucking hilarious. I don't think I'd ever heard the unbleeped version. (audio is NSFW)

I'm prepared to believe just about anything about Rove, because I think he's a repugnant being. However, I'm much more prepared to believe that these documents were authentic. The signature was generally accepted to be that of the officer in question. The typewriter conspiracy theorists never made a compelling case, despite all their bluster. In the end, the easiest explanation is that the documents were real. The right-wing noise machine is based on making truths seem false and fallacies seem true. Global warming? Believe in it or not, there is a scientific consensus, but you'd never know i

Who says we have a preference? I love watching them all. It's "Marta," by the way ... and should help you remember her name in the future.

Ah, but in your original post, you referred to the documents as if you regarded them as inauthentic beyond reasonable doubt. It is that with which I took issue. My concern is less about digging up Bush's Vietnam era indiscretions than with exposing the overy cozy relationship between the administration and the media. This is not something we "should move on" from -- this is a cancer that's eating away at the very core of our democracy. If the government controls the media, which for all intents and purposes they currently do, it only strengthens their ability to commit the sort of outrages

Pink Floyd or The Police? I suppose either could be pretty frightful.

A lot of the old Gibson craftsmen are still in Kalamazoo. There's a guy there named Pete Moreno who still works on guitars for everyone, sent to him from all over the world ... from the very top tiers of the music industry on down to the local gits (a bandmate of mine always took his guitars to Pete, and had him rebuild a damaged '64 Gibson SG to good-as-new condition). It was always fun walking into his shop and asking "who's in" at the moment, meaning whose guitars is he working on. The names he'd mention would just about make me cry.

Did you read the article? The documents have not been proven to be false. No one has been successful in disproving their authenticity. The right-wing propaganda apparatus succeeded in getting lots of people to believe that they're false, but they've been unable to actually prove that they're false. It's yet another case of misdirection, and sadly, lots of people have fallen for it.

I was in Yugoslavia in December 1988 while it was still a Communist country, and it was a profound experience. I loved Zagreb ... such warmth and yet so austere. Even more, though, I loved the Plitvice Lakes, which has got to be one of the most gorgeous places on earth (and I was there during winter ... I can only imagine how beautiful it must be in summer). One family vacation took us through Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Quebec. I highly recommend all of them (though that was almost thirty years ago). My family traveled a lot, and as a kid I got through so many of

I strongly doubt Rather is seeking that money for himself. That figure likely accomplishes two things: one, it's large enough to make CBS take notice, and two, it could cover a lot of expenses for whatever Dan's favorite charities might be. I could be wrong, but Rather's a millionaire many times over already, and I don't see this as an attempt to further enrich himself. Even if it is, I say, stick it to 'em, Dan!

Scorsese plans documentary on George Harrison

I do sing in the tub all the time. I don't sing that saccharine turd.

So, you'd rather have a totally submissive media eagerly spreading the talking points distributed the administration and helping them to stifle dissent, and no one trying to push back against that?

I think part of the point of this is that he did dot his i's and cross his t's, but the administration and CBS railroaded him for it anyway, abetted by the right-wing echo chamber.

I did not see that coming. Fantastic choice, though.

[quote name='JUDE

from Salon.com today... Dan Rather stands by his story His lawsuit will attempt to show that CBS tried to suppress the report on Bush's National Guard Service and the Abu Ghraib abuses. By Sidney Blumenthal Sep. 27, 2007 | Dan Rather's complaint against CBS and Viacom, its parent company, filed in New York state court on Sept. 19 and seeking $70 million in damages for his wrongful dismissal as "CBS Evening News" anchor, has aroused hoots of derision from a host of commentators. They've said that the former anchor is "sad," "pathetic," "a loser," on an "ego" trip and engaged in a mad ge

The U.S. women received a major beatdown by Brazil today. I didn't get a chance to watch any of it (they still haven't installed that plasma screen with satellite TV in my cube here at work) but the score and stats don't paint a pretty picture. Damn. On the one hand, it's great that the rest of the world have caught up to the Americans. On the other hand, it sucks that the U.S. now seems to have their own catching up to do. Yours wasn't one of the ones I was referring to, but I'll get all miffed about it now if that'll make you feel better.

The sexist attitudes in this thread are really starting to bug me. If you don't like women's soccer, don't fucking watch it, but don't criticize those of us who do, directly or by implication. I just enjoy watching this sport regardless of who's playing. I watch European matches on TV whenever I can. When I studied for a semester in London, I spent countless hours standing on the terraces at various football grounds. I even go to an occasional college or high school match. I'm a soccer fiend. Why wouldn't I want to watch the Women's World Cup?

I saw Bird at a tiny bar here many years ago, before most people had heard of him (he was billed as having once worked with Squirrel Nut Zippers, and that's about as much as anyone seemed to know about him). At the time he was interesting but not all that memorable. That was long before he started releasing stuff like Eggs and Armchair Apocrypha, however. I do wish that he was playing with his full band on this tour. I guess only the Minneapolis folks will get to see that.