Happy Halloween

Trick or Treat!

Be Back Later

Can't get rid of my bout of depression.

I feel crappy.

Thanks for visiting, I will return soon... I always have videos to post and funny pictures and piano music.

Breaking News?

I dunno why I look at the opinion page of the Indy Star... here is a good example:

Our position: Attack ads demean candidates and further erode public discourse.

Wow, did you come up with that all by yourself? Frankly, I am shocked. SHOCKED! I can't wait for upcoming opinion articles "the sky is blue" and "bears shit in the woods." Way to go out on a limb there Indy Star!

Drug Wars

I just started learning about Wal-Mart's $4 prescriptions, and now Meijer is going to top it... from the Indy Star:

Meijer Inc.'s 176 pharmacies will fill without charge prescriptions for seven generic oral antibiotics, the discount retail and grocery chain said Monday.

"Any customer, regardless of insurance or copay, can take their prescription to any Meijer pharmacy and receive their designated antibiotic free of charge," the company said.
Meijer said its program covers at least one antibiotic from each major antibiotic classification. They make up at least 70 percent of the generic antibiotic prescriptions for children that Meijer fills.

I like this talk of reduced priced drugs, but it still doesn't fix the problem of affordable health care...

The covered antibiotics are Amoxicillin, Cephalexin, SMZ-TMP, Ciprofloxacin, Penicillin VK, Ampicillin and Erythromycin.

Grand Rapids-based Meijer has stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced last week it would offer $4 prescriptions for some generic drugs at its stores in 15 states, including Illinois and Indiana, after launching the program in the Tampa, Fla., area two months ago.

In May, Kmart, which is part of Sears Holding Corp., started offering 184 generic prescriptions for $15 for a 90-day supply in all its 1,100 pharmacies nationwide.

Today's Must Watch Video

Sheeling Fity

I am here, but not here. I don't feel well at all, and trying to fight through it. So if you don't see me around, you know why. Thankfully it is football season, so I got something to entertain me. The election can't come quick enough, I am tired of all the talk and the hype. I still don't feel confident in my candidates winning, so I am still not banking on the "Democrat takeover" everyone is thinking about. Been burned in too many elections.

Speaking of sports, how bout a football show that doesn't mention Terrell Owens? He isn't even the top receiver on his team!

Crimes Against Children pt 3

It is almost too painful to watch...



Please, please think of the children!

Today's Must Watch Video

Watch Chocola/Donnelly Debate

So you didn't see the debate on Saturday? Well I got help for you!

You can see it from YouTube... Just click on the parts to watch.

Chocola/Donnelly debate pt 1
Chocola/Donnelly debate pt 2
Chocola/Donnelly debate pt 3
Chocola/Donnelly debate pt 4
Chocola/Donnelly debate pt 5
Chocola/Donnelly debate pt 6

You can also see the debate at WSBT.com here.

Today's Must Watch Video

A Halloween cartoon! Trick or Treat!

Chocola/Donnelly Debate Tonight @ 8

The second debate between Republican Chris Chocola and Democrat Joe Donnelly for IN-02 seat is tonight at 8. WSBT tv is going to air the debate.

If you don't see it, I hope to have it on YouTube sometime this weekend.

Crimes Against Children pt 2

Oh the horror, the horror!



Please, think of the children!

How Do You Fry Coke?

I know we can fry potatoes... I know we can fry onions... I know we can fry just about everything. Yet this story from the AP about frying Coca Cola just blows my mind!

Fried Coke has become the latest artery-clogging hit at US state fairs, local media reports.

The gooey Coke-battered nuggets topped with cola syrup won the "most creative" title at the Texas state fair in Dallas last month. Since then, the deep-fried phenomenon has spread to North Carolina and Arizona.

"We've been getting calls from everywhere since we introduced it," Elizabeth Martin, a spokeswoman for the North Carolina fair, told the Dallas Morning News. "Everyone wants to know where they can get it."

Oh I had to find out more! I think I found out what Fried Coke is... from WFFA.com:

The State Fair of Texas is known for its fried foods: Elephant ears, corny dogs... even fried pralines.

This year, one of the top new creations is Fried Coke. Yes, one fair concessionaire found a way to deep-fry the 120-year-old soft drink favorite.

"Why fry Coke? Why not fry Coke?" asked creator Abel Gonzales, a computer analyst most of the year, and the son of a restaurant owner. He's been perfecting his Fried Coke recipe for two years.

"If you listen to someone go, 'How do you fry Coke?' or, 'I've got to try Fried Coke,' that's automatically what you want to do—is try the Fried Coke," Gonzales said.

Gonzales' culinary contribution at last year's fair was the "Elvis," a tribute to the pop icon consisting of a fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich with banana.

Gonzales concedes that Coca-Cola is like water—too runny to fry; it needs batter around it.

In this case, it's mostly flour and sugar. After being fried, the golden nuggets cool off for a second, then get some powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, strawberry sauce and Coke syrup.

"It's not what you think," Gonzales said. "You're not going to be overwhelmed with Coke flavor."

But one consumer was satisfied with the result. "This tastes like donuts, cream and some Coke with strawberries on top. Great stuff!"

With back-to-back hits, what does Gonzales have prepared for next year's fair?

"That's the State Fair secret," he said. "You really don't start letting people know about next year's fair until this fair is done with."

His only hint: It will be something golden. "The fryer is always going at my house."

Today's Must Watch Video

Never played World of Warcraft... and after this I never will!

warcraft
Uploaded by riri1310

Crimes Against Children

I have more photo evidence of the atrocities.




Please, think of the children!!!

Super Duper Alcoholic Drinks

I might have to try these drinks... from the Indystar INtake:

We can't promise they'll make you faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive or able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but these superhero-themed drinks are the perfect capper to an evening caper. Once you're done fighting crime, turning into a large, well-proportioned green man, or climbing your own spider webs, sidle up to the bar for a serving of one of these. They're sure to take some of the punch out of the POW! BIFFF! and BAM! of the workweek.

Well the drinks are pleasing to the eye, so I dunno if they are any good.

Superman

"It tastes good, it's got a kick and looks beautiful in a martini glass," said Simon Robinson, managing partner at Nicky Blaine's, of the Superman. The layered drink is clear on top, blue in the middle and red on bottom. It might take a few times to get the layering right, but, Robinson said, "you don't want to throw away the trial and error."

Ingredients:

1 ounce citrus vodka

1 ounce lemonade

1/4 ounce blue Curacao

1/4 ounce of blue pucker

1/4 ounce of grenadine

Directions: Slide grenadine into the bottom of the glass. Mix the Curacao and pucker with one shake, then strain into the glass. Mix the vodka and lemonade the same way, and layer on top. "It'll set up really nicely," Robinson said. "There'll be no doubt about it that it's Superman."



Spider-Man

George Pitney, bartender at Landsharks, said superhero drinks sell well when comic-book based movies come out. The Spider-Man holds its own post-movies, though.

"It's nice, it's pretty smooth, very fruity," Pitney said. "It's not overwhelming with alcohol."

Ingredients:

1/3 ounce coconut rum

1/3 ounce peach Schnapps

1/3 ounce triple sec

1 splash grenadine

Pineapple juice

Directions: Fill a glass with ice, add equal parts rum, peach Schnapps and triple sec. Fill with pineapple juice and stir. Top with grenadine. "The Spider-Man is actually a blue color," Pitney said. "It's very colorful. You can garnish it with a cherry or an orange -- usually a cherry to make the red and blue."



Incredible Hulk

You won't like Bruce Banner when he's angry, but maybe this cognac-based drink will halt the transformation. Throw a couple his way. Also from Landsharks' Pitney, the Incredible Hulk is "more of a regional drink," he said. "It's very popular on the Westside of town."

Ingredients:

2 ounces of Hpnotiq

2 ounces of cognac (Hennessy is recommended)

Directions: Layer over ice and stir.

More Piano Music

Joe Bongiorno - Chasing The Wind


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Worst Ken Lay Indictment Quote

"As far as we're concerned, this is the last step. It's as if the indictment never occurred."

Said by Samuel J. Buffone, lawyer for the late Ken Lay... from an article in the Washington Post.

Now if only Enron's fraud never "occurred"... or Enron's collapse never "occurred"...

Oh in case you didn't hear, Ken Lay's convictions have been thrown out.

A federal judge in Houston yesterday wiped away the fraud and conspiracy conviction of Kenneth L. Lay, the Enron Corp. founder who died of heart disease in July, bowing to decades of legal precedent but frustrating government attempts to seize nearly $44 million from his family.

The ruling worried employees and investors who lost billions of dollars when the Houston energy-trading company filed for bankruptcy protection in December 2001. It also came more than a week after Congress recessed for the November elections without acting on a last-ditch Justice Department proposal that would have changed the law to allow prosecutors to seize millions of dollars in investments and other assets that Lay controlled.

With the judge's order, Lay's conviction on 10 criminal charges will be erased from the record. "The indictment against Kenneth L. Lay is dismissed," U.S. District Judge Simeon T. Lake III wrote in a spare, 13-page order.

I love that second paragraph too... about Congress not acting to change the law so prosecutors could seize Lay's money. Don't get me wrong, I am angry that the convictions were overturned but I understand that it is a followed precedent... but it is nice to see that Congress couldn't find the time to act on behalf of all those Enron hurt. It is all about priorities...

Today's Must Watch Video

Warning: Probably not Work Safe

Halloween Havoc

I love this time of year... I love the weather, I love the scenery, I love candy.

But every year, something horrible happens at Halloween. No it isn't needles in candy (which is bad), or worshiping the devil (which I am not condoning); no it parents! Parents taking advantage of their children who haven't a voice.

What do I mean? THIS!



Why, why treat the innocent like this??? I hope to have kids one day, and I swear to them never to dress them up for All Hallows Eve until they tell me how they want to dress. I SWEAR IT!!!

Worst DUI Wreck I Ever Read

Wow... I just read one of the saddest stories ever about a DUI death. From the South Bend Tribune:

A jury convicted a man on Tuesday of murder for driving drunk the wrong way on a highway, slamming head-on into a wedding limousine and killing the chauffeur and a 7-year-old flower girl.

Prosecutors said Martin Heidgen, 25, drove his pickup truck more than 2 miles on the Long Island highway before ramming head-on into the limousine in July 2005. They contended Heidgen never tried to stop and turned slightly toward the limousine in the seconds before the crash.

Heidgen, of Valley Stream, had at least 14 drinks before getting behind the wheel; his blood-alcohol level, 0.28, was more than three times the 0.08 legal limit in New York state, prosecutors said.

Kate Flynn and limousine driver Stanley Rabinowitz, 59, were killed. Five other members of the Flynn family were injured.

I am having a hard time wrapping my mind around that... he crashed into a wedding limousine. Oh how tragic...

A scream echoed through the courtroom as the murder conviction was read, with several of the jurors in tears as the slain girl's mother collapsed sobbing into her weeping husband's arms. The verdict followed a gut-wrenching, five-week trial that was filled with gruesome images and testimony.

Jennifer Flynn, who testified about holding her daughter's decapitated head immediately after the wreck, praised the jury for its decision.

"It was the right verdict," she said. "I'm happy for that."

Jurors, who deliberated for five days, saw a horrifying video from the limousine's surveillance camera that showed Heidgen's pickup truck barreling toward the car moments before the crash. It ended with the metal-on-metal crunch of the two vehicles colliding.

Buy AP Photo Reprints



In closing arguments, Heidgen's defense attorney called the murder charge "extreme" and suggested jurors return a guilty verdict on a lesser count of criminally negligent homicide, which carries a four-year prison term.

Defense attorney Stephen LaMagna complained that prosecutors held Heidgen to the "same standard as a cold-blooded murderer" but insisted, "this is a kid who drank too much and got lost on the way home."

Heidgen faces 25 years to life in prison. The jury, which was sequestered on the fourth day of deliberations, had a choice of convicting him on the lesser charge of second-degree manslaughter, which carries up to 15 years in prison.

"Thank God," said Keith Rabinowitz, son of the dead limo driver. "It's about time. I'm glad that he was prosecuted and the truth came out."

Heidgen also was convicted of assault and driving while intoxicated.

LaMagna said he intended to appeal and was confident the murder conviction would be overturned.

This is tragic, but I don't understand how he was guilty of a Murder charge... shouldn't it be guilty for Manslaughter? I thought that for murder, it had to be premeditated. He is wholely responsible for his actions, but it wasn't premeditated.

Remember, Never Drink and Drive! Speaking from experience here... it is a wrong choice.

Today's Must Watch Video

I remember Weird Al from his old school stuff... "Like A Surgeon" and all. Who would have imagined that he would still be going strong all these years later?

This isn't his latest and greatest, but it is still a gem nonetheless. :)

Must. Watch. ZeFrank

The Show with Zefrank is a must watch video blog. Another is Rabbit Bites, but that is for another day...

I liked this one encouraging people to vote. If you wanna register to vote like he suggests, the bad news is that in the state of Indiana you are now too late to register to vote in the upcoming election. You still should register though, there will be more votes in the future! :)


the show with zefrank

PS- I am still serious bout callin' in sick on the blog today... I decide to post this and then I have to reedit the thing 5 times for silly mistakes. GRRR!

(Maybe) Calling In Sick

Feeling funky today, so I might have stuff later... but I wouldn't place bets on it.

Instead, here are some desktop images from Dilbert.com.

Click on the picture for a larger size you can save... or go to Dilbert and get your exact desktop size or another picture. I thought these two fit my theme of the day so far... don't you think?

Two Questions

One: Why does anyone watch "The Bachelor" or "The Bachelorette"?

Two: I saw the guy, talking to a 23 year old woman... so I started looking at ages. The Guy (or I should say "The Prince") is 34. Guess how many of the women were around 34? One. ONE. No one older. Next old age? 30... a couple. then 28, 27... and a lot of 22-23 year olds.

Only ONE woman was his own age? I mean COME ON! That just wrong to anyone else?

Todays Must See Video

Piano Music Time

Alicia Bessette - Open Your Hand


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Time For Another CartoooOOOooon

Another great one from Mark Fiore!


GOP 2.0

Cartoon Cartoon

I should have done this yesterday. :)

Birch Bayh supports Donnelly

Birch is still going strong at 78, and is supporting Joe Donnelly for Congress! From the South Bend Tribune:

Back in Birch Bayh’s day, there was hope and confidence.

At least that’s the sense that John F. Kennedy instilled when he was elected president in 1961, said Bayh, who was stumping in Plymouth Sunday for Democrat Joe Donnelly, who’s running for Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District.

Bayh, father of Sen. Evan Bayh, served as an U.S. senator from 1963 to 1981.

Pause for my post collapsing software... :)

He continues to practice law in Indiana, he said.

When he was in Washington, Bayh said the environment was positive.

"I try not to judge others without walking in their shoes," he said before a speech before the Marshall County Democratic Party in Plymouth.

But he said he’s talked to many Hoosiers in truck stops, diners, churches and assisted living centers, who believe the "environment in Washington is rotten.”

“I think there’s a sense of selfishness and arrogance and a disregard for different opinions," Bayh said.

What made the country great was leadership and a willingness to work together.

Bayh said he served along with Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar, a Republican who remains in the Senate, and calls Lugar his friend — an example of working together.

He said he wishes more attention would’ve been paid to Lugar’s viewpoints about the Iraq war than what was paid.

Despite that, if Donnelly is elected, he will be going in at a good time so that Democrats can bring a new leadership into the United States, Bayh said.

But the challenge is that Democrats not fall into the traps that Bayh said many Republicans have fallen into, which he called a "majority of the majority."

He said it’s important to continue to work together and "instead of making war, making peace."

It will be up to those elected to "restore hope and confidence in the government institution," said Bayh.

While he said he sees the current government as selfish, he does know there are some good senators like his son and Lugar.

And the advice he has for those wishing to run or serve in an elected office is: "Don’t blame other people for your problems. You can make a difference."

Donnelly said he felt fortunate to have Birch Bayh in his corner, noting that Bayh, just as he, believes the country needs a "change and a new direction for this country."

Today's Must Watch Video

This video is like a train wreck, you can't turn away. What do you get when you combine Japanese tv, cats, and fish? You get a strange competition where we try to find out how big does a fish have to be before a cat can carry it away.

Quote Of The Day

"Well believe me, Mike, I calculated the odds of this succeeding versus the odds I was doing something incredibly stupid... and I went ahead anyway."

Crow T. Robot, Mystery Science Theatre 3000: The Movie

Todays Must Watch Video

Just So You Know...

Some notes that may interest you...

Indianapolis Star Online now allows commenting on all articles... it can be an interesting read. It is like LGF meets Atrios.

You can see encore presentations of your favorite shows on all the networks internet sites now. It is a wise idea... one way or another people will get the episodes but this way they still get some ad revenue. So check out shows now on CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox.

Just so you know...

Friday the 13th

I always liked this day... it has been lucky for me in the past. I got nuttin to post right now, so here is more piano music from Alicia Bessette - Open Your Heart:


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The Story Of The Words

Thanks to TBogg, you must check out this site!

The War of the Words: The Story of the 101st Fighting Keyboarders

Today's Must Watch Video

Ever Feel Like This?

Merv The Perv Lives In South Bend?

Oh this guy takes the cake, a real live panty thief. From the South Bend Tribune:

Police say his motive for breaking into homes differs from most burglars, who usually go for pricey valuables.

Instead, 55-year-old Paul Oakes seems to be looking for only one item to steal: women's underwear.

Although it might seem humorous, police say the repeat offender can be dangerous, especially considering the great lengths Oakes goes through to take -- and sometimes wear -- the panties.

Oakes' apparent fetish has led to four arrests in the last six months and at least one crime where he was named as a suspect after allegedly filling a Viagra prescription and going into a women's dressing room with bathing suits.

This guy was on a roll... really read the article! In case you don't know Merv the Perv, watch this...

Snow, Already?

I just saw snow... in Northern Indiana... in early October! WOW! Well it was weird snow...

I looked it up, and it snow pellets... also known as graupel, which is loose collections of frozen water droplets, sometimes called "soft hail." Isn't learning fun?

Wanna picture??



So what does this mean winter will be like?

Sarah Silverman Rox

This is good... Sarah Silverman - Give The Jew Girl Toys

Who Shouldn't Write Children's Books

Ever heard of Terrell Owens? If you have, then you won't believe who put out a children's book...

The outspoken Dallas receiver is set to release his first children's book in mid-November. But the book, titled "Little T Learns to Share," will be a far cry from the tell-all book T.O. released in July.

Little T, the main character, refuses to share his football but eventually learns he can't enjoy his new ball without friends.

"I tried to play outside alone and throw it by myself, but football isn't football unless you play with someone else," Little T says in the book.

"It's a life lesson for discipline," co-author Courtney Parker said Friday on The Dallas Morning News' Web site. "It's ironic because he's considered one of the more undisciplined players in the NFL."

TiVo Writer Misses The Point

Well if you don't wanna hear about TV or TiVo, you can skip this post. I really like TiVo, it lets me watch TV when I want to.

Anyway, the article from the AP:

Ever get an itch to buy a movie ticket, find your nearest Lexus dealer or listen to the president's weekly radio address on your television?

No? Well, you're probably not alone, but TiVo Inc. is hoping to get more customers tuned into the idea of using their digital video recorders to do a lot more than just pause live TV or hook up season passes to their favorite shows.

Teaming up with Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news) and other companies, Tivo began adding online services late last year that let viewers share photos with family and friends, check weather forecasts and real-time traffic conditions, play games, listen to live radio or recorded podcasts, compare reviews of kid-friendly programming, or track fantasy football standings.

If you didn't catch her negative tone, she has a point... the extra features of TiVo do kinda suck. She seems to forget that people get TiVo's not for those extras but for RECORDING TELEVISION!

Why buy a TiVo? You will never miss another episode of your favorite tv shows... showS. I have TiVo set up to record NCIS, Adult Swim cartoons, the Daily Show, Colbert Report, Countdown with Keith Olberman, etc etc etc. I can watch the shows whenever I want to, I can transfer shows to my computer, I can set it up to record movies with my favorite stars (hey I got a thing for Sandra Bullock... so what?) Yes, it is nice to just fast forward through commercials. It is a very nice bonus.... but it gives me a library of content that I can access at any time I have free time. I can record stuff to DVD, and I have heard through the grape vine that you can convert TiVo files to share with others on the internet. Not that I would know anything about that...

Back to the article...

I tested out the features on a borrowed Series2 and liked the first feature I tried — browsing for movie listings and buying a ticket through the online ticketing service Fandango. Still, it didn't completely dazzle me.

After punching in my ZIP code, I got a choice of searching for movies by title or theater, what was opening that week or coming to theaters soon. Movie listings came with short plot descriptions — skimpier on detail than those Fandango offers on its Web site — plus a list of cast and credits and a photo gallery that seemed designed to make up for the lack of a trailer.

With another click of the remote, I picked a theater and showtime, got a prompt saying it would cost me $9 per ticket plus a $3 Fandango charge, then I entered my credit card number, got an 11-digit confirmation number — which I had to jot down because there was no way to print it out — and instructions to head to the theater with the credit card I'd used.

When I got there, there wasn't a line, but if there had been, I'm sure I would've felt cool walking up to the Fandango machine and getting my tickets with a quick swipe of my credit card.

The rest of TiVo's online features struck me as spare, less user-friendly imitations of tasks that seem better suited to a computer.

I agree with her there, a lot of the extras on TiVo can be done much better through a computer, but hey they are just extras. I can't buy local tickets, or browse local theaters very well (BFE Indiana... so I don't fault them), but it is nice that you can get internet radio and even connect to your music files on your computer, and even show your pictures on the TV without bothering with Picture DVDs and stuff.

Maybe future TiVo's will have more power to actually act more like a computer, but the unit I have now just doesn't have the firepower to do much else than record my shows. It doesn't do HD, and the HD TiVo would be SWEET to own, but I don't have the luxury of upgrading right now. I can record the downgraded HD channels on my TiVo, and it may not be HD but it is good enough for me right now.

If you are interested in getting TiVo, drop me a line and I might have a couple answers to your questions... write to markedhoosierATgmailDOTcom. If you are setting up a TiVo, I would be your new best friend if you would use my Tivo Rewards number as a referrer: R4391395

What is TiVo Rewards? If new TiVo subscribers put you down as a referrer, you get points that can be redeemed for nice stuff... even new TiVos!

Yea, I like TiVo enough to make free advertising for them... Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) makes TV watching easy.

More Piano Music

More from Alicia Bessette, Harrington Trail:


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Today's Must See Video

Not in the mood to blog right now, so see how other countries "entertain" their children.

Today's Must Watch Video

It would have to be the Daily Show's take on Korea... watch for my favorite new correspondent Aasif Mandvi.

Police: Camera Catches Prosecutor Naked

BUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh to live in Hamilton, Ohio... from the Northwest Indiana Times:

A security camera caught a city prosecutor walking around naked in a government building after business hours, authorities said.

Scott Blauvelt, 35, was arrested Monday and charged with two counts of public indecency. He was released from the Butler County jail and is awaiting a hearing in Hamilton Municipal Court, where he usually works, sheriff's Maj. Anthony Dwyer said.

Well this answers my question of, "if you walk around naked in a goverment building and no one sees you... is it Public Indecency?"

A guard monitoring a security camera spotted a nude man investigators identified as Blauvelt in a building that houses county offices Thursday night, Dwyer said. The night before, security video had captured Blauvelt naked in another area of the building, where city offices are located, he said.

Dwyer said investigators don't know why Blauvelt, who was alone, wasn't wearing clothes. The indecency charge carries a sentence of up to a month in jail and $250 fine if convicted.

Mayor Don Ryan said he planned to meet with the city law director Tuesday to talk about Blauvelt's employment status.

Blauvelt also has served as assistant county prosecutor and a defense lawyer.

Blauvelt's lawyer, Michael Gmoser, did not immediately return a call from The Cincinnati Enquirer seeking comment.

Playstation 3 Preorders Sell Out

It Has Begun! Well it sold out even before it begun... Playstation 3 Preorders sell out quickly!

GameStop Corp. (GME.N: Quote, Profile, Research), said on Tuesday its 3,600 GameStop and EB Games stores in the United States have sold out their quota of pre-orders for Sony Corp.'s (6758.T: Quote, NEWS, Research) (SNE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) new PlayStation 3 video game console.

Each store had no less than eight and no more than 13 of the anticipated next-generation players available on pre-order, GameStop spokesman Chris Olivera told Reuters.

"In some stores they sold out in 10 minutes, in some stores hours, for others it was the afternoon," Olivera said, declining to say how many units the biggest video game retailer in the United States had been allotted.

Sony will begin selling the PS3 on Nov. 17 in the United States.

The Japanese electronics company will offer $500 and $600 versions of its hotly anticipated video game console, which includes a high-definition Blu-ray DVD player.

Why such shortage?

Sony isn't manufacturing a shortage here to get some buzz going --they've had all kinds of problems getting together the Blu-Ray player for the console. Of course, this is the same bit of hardware that's driving the box to its $600 price tag. Couple extreme scarcity with high prices and a less-than-stellar list of launch titles, and the PS3 is increasingly looking like it's in for trouble.

I *HEART* DRIVE-INS

I was a fan of Tri Way Drive-In before, but now I am a true believer!

Photo credit goes to the great blog Taking Down Words, stop by and say "hi" sometime!

More drive-in goodness here.

For Fans Of 'The Office'

You must see this video of 'The Office' reading Jenna Fischer's article for Esquire Magazine...

You can see the video here, and I hate it when they block embedding...

And here is the article from Esquire: 10 Things You Don't Know About Women by Jenna Fischer.

1. If we run into your ex-girlfriend in public, the first thing you should do is put your arm around us. And if we have to introduce ourselves, you are in big trouble.

2. When you tell us about a business lunch you had with a woman, it's a good idea to tell us that she's fat, ugly, old, or a lesbian. Preferably all of them.

3. PMS is real. It's chemical, and it sucks. If someone told you that every thirty days you were going to get jacked repeatedly in the nuts, you'd be pissy around day twenty-six, too.

Pause for station identification (a.k.a. my post collapse script won't collapse large quotes)

4. When we say, "I don't feel connected," the only appropriate response is, "I feel it, too. Let's go out for a nice dinner and reconnect." Try it. You will get laid.

5. If you can locate the following items in our home—tape, casserole dish, Christmas ornaments—you will get laid.

6. If you act excited about the bath mat we bought at Target, you will get laid.

7. We really want to have kids. That is, until you want to have kids. Then: "Hey, slow down. What about my career? It's my body. I'm not just a depository for your sperm, you know. Fuck off. Wait, come back. I'm sorry about that. It's sweet you want to have kids. Let's talk about it in a year."

8. You know what's really gay? Football. Instead of watching it, just have sex with another dude once a year. Get it all out of your system at once.

9. We can make a "celebrity safe list" if you want. But I am way more likely to get Patrick Dempsey to fuck me in a bathroom than you are to get Lindsay Lohan to suck you off in your car.

10. Okay, wait. Maybe not Lindsay Lohan. But you know what I mean.

Jenna Fischer stars in NBC's The Office and in the upcoming figure-skating comedy Blades of Glory.

First Spinach, Now Lettuce?

Someone needs to fix them California farms... from the New York Times:

It is, in scope and severity, a fairly minor recall: about 8,500 cartons of lettuce, which may or may not have come into contact with irrigation water contaminated with E. coli bacteria. No one has gotten sick, the lettuce company involved emphasized, adding that the move was precautionary.

But for farmers in the Salinas Valley of California, already reeling from last month’s deadly E. coli outbreak in spinach, the timing could not have been worse.

“It clearly has the potential to set back our effort to regain consumer confidence,” said Bob Perkins, the executive director of the farm bureau in Monterey County, one of three counties to which the contaminated spinach was linked. “Right now, I don’t know how the story is playing out with the general public, whether it’s an example of another problem with the industry or it’s an example of how the system works.”

Down with veggies I say! Long Live Meat!!! Only one problem though, I love lettuce, tomato, and onion on my hamburgers...

I will manage. Somehow.

Before And After?

Still kinda shocked that he is Governor of California... History will not look kindly back at us. Heh.

Must Watch Video

Interesting Read!

Check out the South Bend Tribune's series called "Judging the Judges," about how criminal punishments can vary from county to county:

There’s a widely held perception in law enforcement circles -- acknowledged by judges themselves and reportedly cited by criminals -- that if you commit a crime in St. Joseph County, you’ll be treated more leniently than if you were to commit the same crime in Elkhart County.

Lots of interesting stuff there!

Iraq Wounded Surges

I kinda tune out stuff about Iraq, because it is just depressing with the endless bad news. This caught my eye though from the South Bend Tribune:

The number of U.S troops wounded in Iraq has surged to its highest level in nearly two years as Americans fight block-by-block in Baghdad to try to check a spiral of sectarian violence that U.S. commanders warn could lead to civil war.

Last month, 776 U.S. troops were wounded in action in Iraq, the highest number since the military assault to retake the insurgent-held city of Fallujah in November 2004, according to Defense Department data. It was the fourth-highest monthly total since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

The sharp increase in American wounded -- with nearly 300 more in the first week of October -- is a grim measure of the degree to which the U.S. military has been thrust into the lead of the effort to stave off full-scale civil war in Iraq, military officials and experts say. Beyond Baghdad, Marines battling Sunni insurgents in Iraq's violent western province of Anbar last month also suffered their highest number of wounded in action since late 2004.

Something needs to change, quickly.

The surge in wounded comes as U.S. commanders issue increasingly dire warnings about the threat of civil war in Iraq, all but ruling out cuts in the current contingent of more than 140,000 U.S. troops before the spring of 2007. Last month Gen. John Abizaid, the top commander in the Middle East, said "sectarian tensions, if left unchecked, could be fatal to Iraq," making it imperative that the U.S. military focus its "main effort" squarely on Baghdad.

Stewart/Colbert '08???

Alas, it is too good to be true, from the South Bend Tribune:

Those people wearing "Stewart/Colbert '08" T-shirts can stop hoping - Comedy Central's fake news stars have no intention of making a run for the White House.

Jon Stewart said the T-shirts promoting him and Stephen Colbert "are a real sign of how sad people are" with the state of affairs in the country.

"Nothing says 'I am ashamed of you my government' more than 'Stewart/Colbert '08,' Stewart told an audience Sunday at the New Yorker Festival. He was interviewed by the magazine's editor, David Remnick.

Stewart, who recently hosted Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, on "The Daily Show," said he's been trying to get top Bush administration officials to appear. "We have requests in there to everyone including Barney," Stewart said. "Only Barney replies." Barney is the president's Scottish terrier.

Stewart scoffed at suggestions that some people actually get their news from "The Daily Show."

"There's no way you could get the news from us," he said. "I've seen the show. It couldn't happen."

Funny Video

Ya gotta feel for those actors that did such a good job, that they have trouble getting new roles. Watch Thomas Wilson (aka Biff from those Back to the Future movies) sing about it...

Playin' Some Piano

Here is a nice piano piece from Alicia Bessette, titled Caller's Place...


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What Is With The Colts?

Again, the Colts can't stop the run at the beginning of a game. As the game wears on, the defense gets solid but why is there a 1 quarter lapse?

Oh and listening to the game on the radio isn't that bad, but I have to give two thumbs down to WSBT for airing the Bears game instead of the Colts.

Colts game went down to the last play, while the Bears was a 40-7 blowout. Great choice, who wants to see an actual game???

Sunday Funnies

Can't Watch The Colts

Well I have noted before that the Colts won't be on TV today, so what to do?

Write angry letters to WSBT about showing the Bears game? Strong possibility.

Watch the Bears? Not if my LIFE depended on it.

Read more depressing news in newspapers? Probably.

Actually I think I will take the dog for a walk, and then figure out someplace nice to eat tonight. What sounds good?

UPDATE:

Decided to go old school, and found the game on the Radio. For added viewing pleasure, I am watching the game stats on NFL.com. Anyway, the game sounds lousy... might be glad I didn't have to watch it.

Now We Have Problems With FDA

Jeez, what goverment agency isn't broke? From the South Bend Tribune:

When scientific advisers urged the Food and Drug Administration in February to put a strong warning about suspected heart risks on attention deficit drugs taken by millions of children and adults, agency officials said more clinical evidence was needed.

Now, the FDA-funded study meant to authoritatively answer questions about the drugs for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder may be halted in midstream. The reason: the agency doesn't have the money to finish it.

The threat to the study, as disclosed in documents and interviews, stems from the chronic shortchanging of the nation's drug safety program. It is one symptom of a federal agency increasingly constrained by a budget that has failed to keep up with costs. This crunch is even more dire in the food division, which tries to keep tainted foodstuffs from supermarket shelves.

Ya know, if the Democrats do take over Congress I feel sorry for all that needs fixing in Washington!

Even as concerns grow, the agency has budgeted only $1.6 million for such safety studies of medications already on the market; and that sum is scheduled to drop to $900,000 in the coming year. Outside experts estimate the agency needs $20 million to $100 million a year to conduct such studies.

Recently, three former secretaries of Health and Human Services sounded a public alarm about what they see as a dangerous squeeze on the overall FDA budget. Tommy Thompson, who served in President Bush's first term; Donna Shalala, who served under President Clinton; and Louis Sullivan, who served under President George H.W. Bush, joined consumer and industry groups calling on the administration to substantially boost -- and perhaps even double -- the agency's $1.5 billion annual budget, which has seen only modest increases in recent years.

You can read more about it at the South Bend Tribune.

Is Republican Base Crumbling?

I dunno if I would agree with this article from the South Bend Tribune:

They made it look so easy.

After 50 years in the wilderness, Republicans swept to power in 1994 with big ideas about reining in big government, a revolutionary zeal and a moral compass that Democrats seemed to have lost.

With the charismatic Newt Gingrich at the helm, they moved swiftly to impose their view of the world on Congress and the country with lower taxes, less spending, restrictions on abortion and other conservative priorities.

Twelve years later, the House Republicans seem to have lost their playbook. Their ranks are divided despite the GOP's control of the House, Senate and White House. Their vaunted discipline in pushing President Bush's agenda despite a sliver-thin majority has crumbled as nervous lawmakers approach what could be another historic Election Day.

Now, revelations about lurid e-mails that then-Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., sent to teenage pages, and GOP leaders' response to them, may have put the final stake in their majority.

Unity has given way to finger-pointing. Republican leaders who normally speak from the same set of talking points are publicly contradicting one another, seeking to shift responsibility onto the next guy. The public's regard for Congress is at its nadir.

I don't see their base leaving them anytime soon. I have hopes for a Democrat takeover of Congress, but I am not getting my hopes up... if you know what I mean. Articles like this just worry me that people like me who want change will think that they don't have to do anything this November and they will just stay home, and the Republicans will win again and then two more years till we try to get change again. I tell ya, this election can't come quick enough for me. One thing I won't miss is the endless negative ads on TV!

Today's Must See Video

Piano Music

I would like to think that Marked Hoosier will be an all inclusive multimedia blog, so instead of another boring video here is some piano music from Brian Kelly. Plus I wanna see if this works...


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The Simpsons Movie Previews!

The movie is looking promising!

Something Every Bathroom Needs

Bush Thinks He Is King

I have heard of these "signing statements" of President Bush, but it looks to me like he is taking more power... from the AP:

President Bush, again defying Congress, says he has the power to edit the Homeland Security Department's reports about whether it obeys privacy rules while handling background checks, ID cards and watchlists.

In the law Bush signed Wednesday, Congress stated no one but the privacy officer could alter, delay or prohibit the mandatory annual report on Homeland Security department activities that affect privacy, including complaints.

But Bush, in a signing statement attached to the agency's 2007 spending bill, said he will interpret that section "in a manner consistent with the President's constitutional authority to supervise the unitary executive branch."
...
The American Bar Association and members of Congress have said Bush uses signing statements excessively as a way to expand his power.

The Senate held hearings on the issue in June. At the time, 110 statements challenged about 750 statutes passed by Congress, according to numbers combined from the White House and the Senate committee. They include documents revising or disregarding parts of legislation to ban torture of detainees and to renew the Patriot Act.

Privacy advocate Marc Rotenberg said Bush is trying to subvert lawmakers' ability to accurately monitor activities of the executive branch of government.

It is the last part that gets me...

Bush's signing statement Wednesday challenges several other provisions in the Homeland Security spending bill.

Bush, for example, said he'd disregard a requirement that the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency must have at least five years experience and "demonstrated ability in and knowledge of emergency management and homeland security."

Congress makes the laws, how can he just choose not to enforce them? Isn't that his job???

A big thanks to Cookie Jill of Skippy's place for giving me and you the head's up.

Gotta love the Cross Post...

Sexual Consent

Another video you have to see, it is too funny!

Sexual Consent

Go A's

Since my White Sox are not playing in the playoffs (even though they won 90 games), I am supporting the Oakland A's to win it all!

I think the best team right now is the Twins, and the A's have them on the ropes. Don't get me wrong, I don't think the series is over yet, I think there is a good chance it will go to five games but I think the A's will win and carry the momentum to the World Series.

A Story That Makes You Sad

Land Mines. BAD. Yet throughout the world people have to live with them. I came across this story at CBS News:

"Bang!" The little puppet boy steps on a mine, and now he only has one leg. The Afghan children watching the video at a school on a Kabul hillside gasp.

Puppets have long been used to entertain and to teach children basic lessons such as how to count and the letters of the alphabet.

Now in Afghanistan, the creators of Muppet stars Miss Piggy and Fozzy Bear have teamed up with two charities to teach children a lesson in survival: how not to get killed or maimed by the millions of land mines still buried in the Afghan soil.

"The Story of the Little Carpet Boy," loosely based on Pinocchio, is the brainchild of No Strings International, a British charity set up to reach children in war-torn areas and teach them vital life lessons through puppetry.

"It's hard to get a crowd of children to listen to an adult, but the minute you bring a puppet out, kids just light up," says Johnie McGlade, founder of No Strings.

The article made me pause... So what to do about it?

Must Watch Video

Oh this just cracked me up!

More On Donnelly/Chocola Debate

I have two articles from the Rochester Sentinel. The first article has quotes from the debate:

Quotes from Tuesday's U.S. 2nd District Congressional debate at Rochester High School between Republican incumbent Chris Chocola and Democrat challenger Joe Donnelly:

On the war on terror:

"The first thing I want to give to our troops is a letter grade, and that grade is A-plus." - Donnelly.

"I agree with you that we need to give the troops an A-plus." - Chocola.

"We need leaders in Washington as good as our troops." - Donnelly.

"The war on terror started long before Sept. 11." - Chocola.

"We will not win with guns and bullets. We will win with education and economic

growth." - Chocola.

Brief pause for my Post Collapse software...

"We need to find him, and we need to kill him." - Donnelly, on Osama bin Laden.

On Fulton County landfills:

"I have never heard anyone bring up these out-of-state

garbage issues except in these debates ... I would be more than happy to work with local officials." - Chocola.

"Bill, I'm glad you asked. How big an issue is it that the trash from Chicago is put in our backyard ... Interstate trash is not interstate commerce." - Donnelly, addressing Sentinel Editor W.S. Wilson.

On economic policy:

"First, we have an obligation to balance the budget." - Donnelly.

"We have given a tax cut to every single American who is a taxpayer." - Chocola, addressing a question that suggested that only rich Americans have received tax cuts.

On ethanol plants

in Fulton County:

"We can make this district the energy center of America." - Donnelly.

"When the time came to vote for 12 new ethanol plants, including one in Fulton County, you said you would have voted no." - Chocola, toward Donnelly.

On immigration:

"I think immigration reform is a process, and I think you start by securing the border." - Chocola.

"There is one pathway to citizenship: get in line behind those who have already gotten in line." - Donnelly.

On term limits:

"That's why I look forward to coming home for good, just not quite yet." - Chocola.

"I think they're a good idea, but I don't think there is any need to put that in the Constitution." - Donnelly.

On prescription drug prices:

"We could have knocked off half the price of prescription drugs by negotiating with the drug companies, but we sold out." - Donnelly.

"Can anyone remember when the federal government negotiated things more effectively than private companies? Remember toilet seats and hammers?" - Chocola.

On family support:

"Dad, if you don't win, you're going to spend much more time at home." - Chocola, repeating what his son told him after his son said he had to win the election.

"My son and daughter, they love me too." - Donnelly.

Here is the second article:

Negative campaigning, management of the war on terror, seniors prescription benefits, immigration and ethanol topped Tuesday's debate between U.S. Rep. Chris Chocola, R-2nd Dist., and Democratic challenger Joe Donnelly.

Chocola and Donnelly re-

sponded to questions from Sentinel Editor W.S. Wilson and Rochester High School students Philippa Kindig, Caitlin Stoops, Melinda Stamberger, Marc Paff, Meagan Morrison.

Other students of RHS government teacher Mike Whirledge served as time keepers and moderators.

It was the fourth Sentinel-RHS debate. Chocola squared off against Jill Long Thompson and, two years ago, Donnelly. Rochester Mayor Phil Thompson debated the late Ed Fansler.

By virtue of the flip of a coin Donnelly went first.

Two years ago, he said, he talked about the need for change in Washington, D.C. He reiterated that theme throughout the debate. "It's even more apparent now our country needs to go in a different direction," he said.

The weekend news about U.S. Rep. Mark Foley's inappropriate e-mails to congressional pages was "horrifying," Donnelly said, adding, "Lobbyists have run wild in Washington," and the people of the 2nd District don't need a rubber stamp for President Bush.

Turning to face the students, he said the federal deficit and cost of the war in Iraq will land in their laps one day.

Chocola said 38 million senior citizens now have prescription drug coverage, that the nation's border with Mexico needs to be secure and the nation's dependence on foreign oil needs to be reduced.

Both candidates said they do not believe in restricting U.S. citizens' right to bear arms, they support stem cell research as long as it does not harm embryos and they support amendments to prevent flag burning. Both believe in term limits for congressmen.

Chocola said he's pro life and accused Donnelly of taking money from a pro-choice organization. Donnelly said that was years ago during a race for state senate and the check was promptly returned. "You're better than that, Chris," he said.

Chocola later said the $3,000 contribution was this election cycle and came from the Committee For An Effective Congress, which is a pro-choice organization.

Donnelly said a Chocola advertisement with a Mexican flag waving behind him was unfair: "That's just the latest ethnic group we've decided to beat up on television."

Donnelly said that contrary to Chocola's advertising, he does not support amnesty. He said he believes existing employment law should be enforced. In 2005, across the U.S., there were only three legal cases brought against employers of illegal immigrants and anyone wanting to be a citizen should stand in line.

Chocola said he won't reward those who sneak into the country and avoid the legal immigration process. He believes securing the U.S.-Mexican border is a priority and voted for the Secure Fence Act, which will place more than 700 miles of fence along the Mexican border.

Student Meagan Morrison asked the candidates about their tactics.

"Wouldn't a clean campaign make the voters feel better," she asked.

"After I've been hit on the head with a baseball bat I either respond, or I lose," Donnelly said.

Chocola said all of his television advertising has been accurate and noted two Donnelly ads placed by Moveon.org have been pulled from the air by television stations because of inaccuracies. "That shows his willingness to cross the line," Chocola said. "It says a lot about what he'd do if he went to Washington."

The war in Iraq was the subject of several questions and was brought up several other times by the candidates.

Donnelly repeatedly said tougher questions need to be asked of the nation's top officials and troops have better leadership in the field than military leaders have in Washington.

Wilson asked the candidates to give the Bush administration a letter grade for its management of the war in Iraq. Neither did, but both gave American troops serving there an A+.

"We need leadership in Washington as good as our troops have," Donnelly said, adding he wouldn't be a rubber stamp for George Bush and that he'd ask the tough questions. "We have to have the Iraqi troops stand up so we can stand down," he said.

Chocola said he does not agree that the U.S. presence in Iraq causes more terrorism, he believes Iraq is part of the larger war on terror and that the letter grade for the war will come from history.

Chocola said he agrees with U.S. Sen. Bill Frist the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan "can't be won with guns and bullets." Education and economics will be the key, he said, recalling a group of little boys happily running toward U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan when he visited there. The U.S. has to make sure those little boys grow up to see Americans as their friends who built them schools and helped their parents' businesses, he said.

Donnelly, raising his voice, said the Taliban in Afghanistan shielded Osama bin Laden. "We have to go after him hard. We need to find him and we need to kill him," he said, adding 95 percent of the world's poppy crop is in Afghanistan and the U.S. should be willing to go after it.

They were asked what they would do about the flow of out-of-state trash into Fulton County landfills over the last 30 years.

Donnelly offered, if elected, to help Fulton County by sponsoring legislation; Chocola said he doesn't believe there's a concern about the garbage here because nobody but Wilson has asked him about it. Chocola said he's been to more than 150 town hall meetings in the district and visited Fulton County at least 100 times and nobody else has raised the out-of-state garbage issue.

County Line Landfill provides $2.3 million of revenue to Fulton County governments so the community should decide if it wants out-of-state garbage, he said. He'd work with local officials on the issue if they raised it.

Donnelly said his opponent should visit the neighbors of the landfills and ask them how they feel. "Fulton County people can tell us how much it's worth to sell their land, their water, their heritage," he said. "You can't put a dollar value on clean water, clean air," he said.

Other questions:

• Do you agree with President Bush that stem cell research is immoral and should be illegal? This from Wilson.

Donnelly - Embryonic stem cell research has "incredible potential" but there must be care taken in making moral choices. He agrees to push the envelope as long as the embryo is not damaged.

Chocola - There's very promising stem cell research. He does not believe the federal government should pay for embryonic research, however.

• There's been a wave of corruption in Washington, D.C. How do you react when approached by lobbyists? - Marc Paff

Chocola - There have been some bad apples in Washington. Those should be legal issues not political. "People who betray the trust of the voters should go to jail," he said.

He believes in a citizen legislature and has come home to Indiana every weekend since elected. "I learn how to vote and I do my job right here in central Indiana," he said, adding term limits are the best method of cleaning up Congress.

Donnelly - "It's time to take a broom and clean out the barn." He called for the resignation of House Speaker Dennis Hastert and said lobbyists should be kept out of Congress.

• What can be done to reform and protect the Social Security program for future generations? - Melinda Stamberger

Donnelly - The first step should be segregating Social Security funds so they aren't used to pay for general obligations. His opponent and the GOP are in favor of privatization, which he believes the American public wants nothing to do with because Social Security also is an insurance program for families who lose parents and spouses.

Chocola - People now retired and close to retiring are safe, but by 2040 the Social Security system will be bankrupt. Politics have to be set aside to solve that problem. He's an original co-sponsor of legislation that would "wall up" the Social Security trust fund and restrict its use, he said.

• The U.S. has a $500 billion deficit and $10 trillion national debt, but the rich gets tax cuts. How would you prevent that from being placed in the lap of my generation? - Caitlin Stoops

Chocola - Every American has received a tax cut during his tenure. Unemployment is at 4.7 percent compared to 6 percent when he took office and the deficit has dropped from $412 billion to $260 billion. The U.S. government had its highest level of tax receipts ever this year.

"Spending is not the only measure of success," Chocola said. He's sponsored amendments to bills that eliminated millions of dollars of spending.

An old Chocola theme surfaced: "You spend your money better than anyone else does," he said.

Donnelly - Chocola approved of $2.6 billion of tax breaks to big oil companies and he did not approve of negotiating drug prices for the Medicare Part B program. "There's a youth tax being put on all of you," he said. The budget needs to be balanced before renewing a tax credit for the top 1 percent of America's wealthy.

• What would be the benefits of an ethanol plant in Fulton County? - Phillipa Kindig.

Donnelly - Jobs and putting money in the pockets of farmers. He supports ethanol but is opposed to big oil tax breaks.

Chocola - The energy bill he voted for included ethanol incentives, alternative energy and increased refinery capacity in the U.S.

Chocola/Donnelly Poll Results

A big "thank you" to Masson's Blog, some Zogby poll results:

IN-02:
Republican Rep. Chris Chocola, one of the party’s three endangered incumbents in normally Republican Indiana, aired an ad claiming Bush was not tough enough on immigration. “We just disagree,” he said. He faces a challenge from Democratic businessman Joe Donnelly.
Democrat 48.5%
Republican 39%
Not sure: 11%

There is still a lot of time between now and election day, and polls results have been wrong before, so get out there and vote for Joe Donnelly!

That Liberal Media Again...

Tell me what is wrong with this screen capture from Comcast news?



If you said having a Nancy Pelosi picture on a Foley scandal story, you would be RIGHT!

For extra credit, guess how many times Nancy's name is mentioned in the story? If you guessed NONE, you would be CORRECT AGAIN!

That liberal media, at it again...

Crossposted to Loaded Mouth.

UPDATE: Also at ABC News.



And Houston Chronicle... and several other places I would bet. The Houston Cronicle has since changed pictures.

Time For Another CartoooOOOooon!

Check out the great Mark Fiore!









Energy Vacation

SBT article on Debates

Here is part of the South Bend Tribune article on the debates last night:

Neither candidate appeared to have landed a knockout punch here Tuesday in the first debate of the 2006 congressional campaign.

"To me, I didn't hear anything I hadn't heard from either one before," said Terry Swick, of Akron, after the debate.

Swick was among several dozen residents and interested observers who turned out to see the confrontation between U.S. Rep. Chris Chocola, R-2nd, and Democratic challenger Joe Donnelly at Rochester High School.

The rest is ok... You get some of their views, and what they show kinds is what we already know.

Video News reports of last night's Debate

Here are the video news reports from WSBT and Fox28 news for the first debate between Chris Chocola and Joe Donnelly last night in Rochester High School.

That Sinking Feeling

I know a lot of Democrats are feeling good about the election this November, but I don't. I just have the feeling that the Democrats will win some seats, but Republicans will stay in power. I know, I am such the optimist. Here are some projections so far, but they don't guarantee anything.

Donnelly vs Chocola, Round 1

I knew the first debate was tonight in Rochester (would you believe my brother was the timekeeper?), but can't find much info yet about it. There is a quick piece from WSBT.com, here is part of it:

The two candidates for the 2nd District Congressional seat faced off in their first debate tonight. Congressman Chris Chocola and his challenger, Joe Donnelly took questions from students at Rochester High School.

People in a packed Rochester High School auditorium watched the candidates debate a number of issues. Some of their sharpest differences came in a response to a question about the Iraq War. Rep. Chocola tied the war to the ongoing war on terror.

"The war on terror will continue long after we come home from Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. "This is a generationial conflict and we have we to make sure we make the wise investments to make sure we are successful."

Joe Donnelly said the tough questions about Iraq were not being asked before the war and there's a lack of leadership over the war now.

"We need somebody to hold their feet to fire, so that the sons and daughters of Fulton County have the same leadership in Washington that they get in the field," said Donnelly.

UPDATE

More from Fox28, here is part of it:

It's one of the most heated mid-term elections, and Tuesday night, for the first time in this race, Chris Chocola and Joe Donnelly squared off.

The debate began with both candidates thanking the audience and each other, but the tone quickly changed.

Chris Chocola says, "I was disappointed and I think many others are that Joe has chosen not to do a full schedule of debates."

Joe Donnelly says, "I'm not criticizing you for being a federalist. I'm criticizing you for not making an effort and rolling over for Mitch Daniels."

The attacks were not unexpected. For the past few months, both candidates have been saturating the airwaves with negative political ads. When asked why they chose this as a campaign tactic, Donnelly said he never wanted the election to be negative.

Joe Donnelly says, "They began attacking me back in May. I never even ran a commercial until mid-August. And at some point you either have to defend yourself or people believe it. So I'm gong to defend myself because people want a Congressman who is willing to stand up and tell the truth."

Chris Chocola says, "Every ad that I ran on TV since I started running for Congress has been accurate, factual and documented. I think it's important for people to see the difference between the two of us."

Differences evident on many national issues... health care, education, the war in Iraq, immigration.

Vast Left Wing Conspiracy?

Shorter Rush Limbaugh: The Democrats planted teenage boy pages on Mark Foley

Ok now wingnuts are just going nucking futs about the whole thing.

Things I Just Don't Get

I like checking in on the IndyStar.com. It has Indiana news, even if it may skew a little to the right.

Yet with Comcast cable internet, sometimes I can't connect to Indystar.com. Why? Obviously there is a glitch in the Matrix, but I don't know where it is and I am not going to go through hours of calls to get one website working again. It is annoying, to say the least... but I have my ways to get Indystar content... oh yes I have my ways.

In politics, I can't believe the firestorm that has come from that Representative Foley resigning from emails to teenage boy pages. I mean WOW.

Leave a comment about what you don't get.

Cartoon Cartoon

OUTRAGE!!!

MARK ANGRY! MARK SMASH! No Colts game this weekend??? Why you ask?

Every fall here at WSBT-TV we have at least one Sunday afternoon when the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts play in different games on CBS, at the same time.

Every fall, we have to choose which game we’re going to carry, and every fall we outrage Bears fans or Colts fans, no matter what we do.

This year – an election year, by the way – we asked you to cast your vote for which game we show on Sunday, October 8th, at 1:00pm. Here’s how it turned out:



Thank you to everyone who voted! CBS Sports will show updates from the Colts-Titans game throughout the Bears-Bills game, and we will have full highlights that evening on WSBT News.

AUGH! They carry AFC games, they should show the damn team we ALWAYS watch on their channel. And a VOTE? Where did they tell us we could vote on this?? Oh this just pisses me right off!

In Today's Horrible Video

I am not in the mood for politics... so someone explain to me what they were thinking with this video?

Have you had enough?

I like this video from Cookie Jill at Skippy the bush kangaroo!

Video You Have To See

I originally saw this at PunkAssBlog, but since I seen a part of it on Countdown on MSNBC I feel the need to share it. What do you think of this video?