Tales from the rust belt, by The Fenian Godfather

Surely just a coincidence.

2012-01-24T21:26:00.001-05:00

...Warren Buffett, whom President Obama likes to cite as a fair-minded billionaire while arguing for higher taxes on the wealthy, stands to benefit from the president’s decision to reject the Keystone XL oil pipeline permit... Clearly a coincidence, n'est ce pas? Then again, people who are smarter than I am have always maintained that there are no coincidences in matters of politics and money.

Some of them do listen.

2012-01-18T13:34:00.000-05:00

Not many of them, but some of them. By 'them' I refer, of course, to our congressional overlords humble elected public servants. Responding to the growing chorus of concerns over the SOPA/PIPA 1-2 punch making its way through Congress, one of the Senate version's original sponsors has now decided to ask the Majority Leader to withdraw the bill. Good for you, Senator Rubio. And, as usual, he

What was I saying about perception again?

2012-01-17T11:28:00.000-05:00

Something comes to mind when I think of the folks working in federal agencies. Hard work isn't really it though. I'm sure there are plenty of government workers who come home at the end of the day feeling like they gave it their best shot and whatnot. The trouble is that the results of their work are absolutely awful when taken in the aggregate. And their pay and benefits are astronomical

Perception

2012-01-13T14:08:00.000-05:00

We would all prefer to think that we see the world as it is. We would like to think that our own viewpoint makes sense. We would like to think that our eyes would never lie to us. Yeah, we'd like that, wouldn't we? I was on my way home from work Monday night when it occurred to me that I was going to be able to watch the national championship game on television. I hadn't given the game much

Merry Christmas to all of you, plus a few thoughts about time

2011-12-26T04:07:00.001-05:00

As tends to be the case, I went to my parents' house for Christmas dinner this year. My brothers and I give gifts to my sister's kids and my sister's kids give gifts to the three of us. (We stopped exchanging gifts among the adult portion of the family a few years back. Great move, as it turns out.) So the evening went fairly well. Mom made lasagna. Madasyn and Darek got some new toys. Joe

Things I Get a Kick Out Of - Volume Four

2011-12-21T14:46:00.001-05:00

Volume Four - Ambushing the UPS Guy Nah, he doesn't look like that. He's actually kinda tubby for a dude that hops in and out of a truck all day. He has a scruffy blond beard and beady little eyes. Sort of like a young Santa Claus before all his hair turns white or whatever. I just happen to like that chair in the background of this picture. (Admit it - you didn't notice the chair.) Anyhow,

SOPA, Stop IP, and so forth...

2011-12-19T01:32:00.001-05:00

It appears that our Republican babysitters in Congress, with the assistance of our Democrat babysitters in Congress, are ready to pass the two bills mentioned in the title of this post. They're going to stamp out online piracy and save $100 billion for the American economy every year. Except they're full of shit. Even if one accepts the premise that online piracy costs American companies this

It took this long, but...

2011-12-14T12:50:00.006-05:00

Is it possible that, after many years of calling the guy a kook, I might actually come around and give in to the RƎVO˩UTION? It's too early to tell, but I'm not immune to the 'anyone but Romney' syndrome that appears to be afflicting quite a few Americans these days. Unlike most of the bandwagon-jumping wannabe pundits chiming in on the current race, however, I have a long history of backing

Heh... Scotland

2011-12-09T13:33:00.002-05:00

Pretty windy.

Phase One - Where to Stay?

2011-12-02T13:08:00.000-05:00

Phase One - Complete The home base for next year's visit to Ireland has been selected and secured. The travel package also took care of our football tickets at the sparkling new venue, a few guided tours, and a rental car. Nine months out, it looks like we're in pretty good shape. Now we'll have to work on that foreign driving business. I'm pretty sure I can adapt to being on the wrong

This post is a disappointment.

2011-11-28T03:07:00.001-05:00

It all started back on Wednesday morning. I was lying in bed, dreaming (most likely) about what I would say to Rachel McAdams about her various hairstyles (spoiler alert: rave reviews all-around), when my phone rang. I struggled across my bed and looked at the caller ID display. "Quickway" Well, fuck me. Those of us on the afternoon shift get a two-day holiday break for Thanksgiving. Our

Bad News: You probably don't exist.

2011-11-23T23:00:00.001-05:00

Good news: Cogito ergo sum. Reading my (incredibly insightful) blog means that you've defied the odds. Click the image to review those odds.

Addendum to my previous post

2011-11-23T22:02:00.000-05:00

I didn't get this part of the deal from my fresh California pomegranates. Score one (or two) for Pom Wonderful™.

"True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing."

2011-11-21T23:23:00.000-05:00

I think it was Socrates who said that one. Or maybe it was the fake Socrates from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. In any event, the first step in solving any problem is to acknowledge your own limitations. A friend of mine out on the Left Coast has a pomegranate tree in her yard. I've been fortunate enough to sample the homemade jelly that she makes from the pomegranate juice. (And by 'I',

The coolers are loaded

2011-11-19T00:36:00.000-05:00

The beer is on ice. The chairs and tables are stowed away. Lots of food is waiting to be grilled. I even stopped at Meijer and picked up a patio heater on my way home from work, just in case. (Mine was only $99.99 though, and the package says 11,000 BTUs, so I guess that Meijer website is a scam.) We're getting sidetracked though... I have a feeling that these miserable pricks won't be

Just a quick reminder about this "Super Committee" nonsense

2011-11-18T01:49:00.000-05:00

Via Veronique de Rugy at George Mason University. You're being lied to by lying liars who lie a lot. As you hear the news over the next few days about what a huge deal that "draconian" $1.2 trillion in spending "cuts" will look like, just keep this in mind.

Wait... what?

2011-11-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

I've probably drunk more alcohol in my 35 years on this planet than most of you will drink in a lifetime. Plenty of you may actually get drunk more than I do, since I don't ever get all that intoxicated when I drink, but my capacity for consumption is enough to surprise even myself sometimes. (You should have seen that tailgate for the Navy game. Oy.) Being a fat bastard plays a role in this

Saturday night...

2011-11-12T23:51:00.000-05:00

I watch football and drink beer on Saturdays. That's it. There are no exceptions. I don't work. I don't go around and hobnob with various people. I sit in my recliner and I watch football... while drinking beer. There were a few opportunities to stand up and shout during tonight's "home game" in DC against a hapless Maryland team, but everyone kinda knew how that game was destined to go. I

Messing With Tradition

2011-11-12T00:44:00.000-05:00

It seems that plenty of the Notre Dame faithful are up in arms about the latest affront to the storied past of the Ramblers Fighting Irish. New helmets will be worn for the upcoming offsite game against Maryland. I'm not referring to the new standard helmets (which incidentally look awesome). I'm referring to a new alternate helmet, kinda like the shamrock one that they wore in that debacle

You know... I knew it all along...

2011-11-11T04:24:00.001-05:00

"Naomi Greenblatt, MD, a board certified psychiatrist specializing in women’s health, told HealthyWomen.com: 'There seems to be a growing trend in women having sex for obligation, not enjoyment purposes.'"It wouldn't hurt you ladies to consider the benefits once in a while. And learn to prioritize, for Pete's sake. If your fellas aren't getting you into the 42% camp, well, that's when it's time

Sitting in the second row inludes certain, ummm, perks.

2011-10-30T13:29:00.001-04:00

What is there to say?

2011-10-23T01:45:00.000-04:00

I think that pretty much covers it.

So I guess the USC game is tomorrow night, eh?

2011-10-21T22:25:00.002-04:00

Most expensive assassination ever?

2011-10-21T00:00:00.001-04:00

Kevin Baron at National Journal seems to think so. I tend to agree. "Call him the billion-dollar man. One billion for one dictator. According to the Pentagon, that was the cost to U.S. taxpayers for Muammar el-Qaddafi’s head: $1.1 billion through September, the latest figure just out of the Defense Department. And that’s just for the Americans..."But hey, at least we got some bonus results

Are you smarter than a protester?

2011-10-18T23:12:00.002-04:00

Given that I turned out to be kinda sorta right in my last post, I figured I'd wade back into this hippie business one more time. I can't say for certain that Edward T. Hall III was faking his rant, but he's a Columbia grad student who inherited a trust fund from his grandfather. That's more than I can say for myself or anyone that I know personally, and none of us are in tears over the fact