It's been a little while since we had a music pick. Mainly because we got Sirius, so I've spent a lot time on the Grunge Channel, hence - no new music. but, we do get harrassed by the radio channel at work that plays the pop channel 24/7. In between all the Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, there are a few nuggets of gold - and I found one that floored me.
I'd be hearing 'The Only Exception' for a while at work, and being a Chicks & Acoustics guy, I liked it immediately. i swore it was probably Sara Bareilles, but I finally looked it up today, to find out it was Paramore !!
Yep, hailing form the music hotbed that is Franklin, Tennessee, the Pop-Punk band has a hit on their hands, although it was released early in the year.. Made up of the ultra-hot Hayley Williams, guitarist/drummer siblings Josh and Zac Farro, bassist Jeremy Davis and rhythm guitarist Taylor York, they've been signed to the coolest named indie label - Fueled By Ramen Records - since 2005.
To get a real idea of the band, we suggest checking out other videos from them, but if you're feeling a little bit soft today, and want to see a cute girl sing her ass off, without it being too loud, 'The Only Exception' fits the bill... The video at the end is very sweet too. Enjoy!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J7J_IWUhls&ob=av2e
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Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus Are Making the News Too Much For Teens .... And For All the Wrong Reasons
As long as there has been TV or movies, there have been Child Stars... And shortly afterwards, there came the Stressed-Out Child Star. Every kid wants to be famous, but media machines like the Disney Channel are making it the ugliest art form out there...
This week is a good example: Demi Lovato, who is the star of 'Sunny With a Chance' on Disney, who just starred in 'Camp Rock II' from Disney, and is now touring on a Disney-sponsored tour with The Jonas Brothers in South America, just checked herself into a clinic to treat 'physical and mental issues' that she's been dealing with. Rumor is, she's been 'cutting' herself...She's all of 18. Is it just me, or does this sound like a shitload of stuff to put on a kid's plate? No wonder the kid's exhausted.
Lovato's been on the Disney rollercoaster since she was 13, which makes her a veteran, I guess - kinda like a Vietnam Vet on his 5th tour of duty... Nice. I feel bad for this kid. First, because just last week, I put a comment on my Facebook page that said she will make a great porn star when she grows up. But also, and I'll admit this - the kid is actually talented. She's funny, and she can sing her ass off. Disney LOVES to take actor kids (see Selena Gomez), and try to make singers out of them. That's what they do: make them act, make them sing, make them dance, mass market them and tour them until the peel comes off the banana .... and then find another kid. Much like Mooby in 'Dogma', Disney has the Soul of Satan, with a cute mouse as it's Idol for kids to pray to - and commercials every five minutes for their parents to buy...
Lovato's not the only one having a bad week. Miley Cyrus found out her parents are getting divorced. Why? Because her mom was having an affair with none other than Bret Michaels of Poison! Yeah, lots of kids deal with their parents divorcing, but only in Hollywood do you end up with Momma doing the Unskinny Bop with Bret Michaels! When you wish upon a Star......
Last night, Sarah, who is seven, came up to me to sing a song she wrote. No, it wasn't that good, but hey, she is only seven. As someone who lost all his focus during his teens because he wanted to be a rock star, I tried to dissuade her, without making her cry as much as possible. If I did have a kid, I'd tell my kid the odds of just getting there - then I'd show them these two right now. Be a kid. Have fun. It's not all it's cracked up to be.....
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Republicans Stick It the Democrats in House, South Carolina ....
No, I didn't make this picture up.... but it is nice to see someone has the same sense of humor I do! For the most part, Election Day 2010 is over, with the exception of a few too close to call races, but even those we can pretty much guess correctly. For the most part, the Republicans gave Barack Obama a pretty strong message. I correct that - the VOTERS gave him the message. the GOP was just the beneficiary of it...
Nationally, the Republicans picked up about 60 seats, at around 240 seats total. They weren't able to convert a few tight races in the Senate (Sharron Angle?, C'mon, guys!!), so it appears the Democrats will hold a 53-47 edge. That can mean only one thing: probable deadlocked legislation for the next 2 years. Every issue will have 2 bills passed, and then they will need to be resolved into one bill that the House, Senate and White House will all have to agree on. Barack Obama will need to find his inner Bill Clinton (re: bipartisan reconciliation), or he will undoubtedly be a one-term President..
Not that everythign nationally went the GOP's way. Meg Whitman spent $140 MILLION of her own money, and still got pummeled by Barbara Boxer by 10 points. Word is, her lost $$ will be refunded in PayPal bucks.... Also, the Alaska Senate race is being led by...... Write-In Candidate, also known as Lisa Murkowski. The funny part is it will take weeks to confirm all the ballots with her name written in, which must be spelled correctly, or it is void. Not great, but it sure will be nice to see 'House Minority Whip James Clyburn' on the TV again!! Almost forgot.... We'll miss John 'Droopy Dog' Spratt, but onyl for about a minute or two. Great to see Tim Scott go to DC. Tim was another of my 'I knew him when' stories from 2004. I remember him and I begging the state senate candidates to shut up at a Chucktown meeting back then. At least now I can get into the Capitol....The message sent by voters to DC was clear - if you don't have enough guts to stand up for your constituents, and vote against bad bills like The Stimulus, Cap & Trade and ObamaCare, you need to come home.
Speaking of South Carolina, it was a clean sweep for the GOP, although it looked a bit scary for a while there.. Nikki Haley stood off a challenge from Vince Sheheen. We were worried that Bobby's voting for Sheheen mean a Haley loss, but it didn't pan out... Otherwise it was a good night for Ken Ard, Alan Wilson, Richard Eckstrom, Hugh Weathers, Mark Hammond, Curtis Loftis, Bob Livingston and Mick Zais.....
Locally, it was a mixed bag, as usual. Very happy to see Glynn Willis get the City Council seat he should have gotten in 2008. Life will be a lot easier on Mayor Hickory Head with Glynn there... SC6 buddy Brad Richardson just texted us back to tell us he lost the Johnsonville mayor's race to Steve Dukes by 15 votes. It didn't happen today, but we have a feeling he'll be the next mayor of J'ville soon. It was also a tough night for Rose Mary Parham, who was beaten by Solicitor Ed Clements by about 10 points. Clements' connections to people on both sides of the aisle were just too much for Parham to overcome...
Another bit of good news in the area is Moye Graham's hard work in Clarendon is paying off. While Tod Williams lost his Solicitor race, many of the statewide candidates did much better than they ever have in Clarendon, posting in the mid to upper 40's, expect Jim Demin, who easily beat Alvin Greene and his campaign literature and action figure...
Lastly, we can confirm that New York IS the exact opposite of South Carolina, as all the statewide seats went to Democrats, including Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo's 28 point thumping of Tea Party kookster, Carl Paladino and his baseball bat. Upstate, there were a few US House pickups, but our local boy Randy Altschuler lost by 2 points to incumbent Tim Bishop. I still can't get away from my Democratic congressman...
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We'll Let Dexter and Noodles Speak For Us.....
Democrat or Republican, surefire winner or Alvin Greene, our only advice is for you to go to the polls, do your civic duty and cast your ballot. Only a Piece of Shit doesn't vote..... Don't be a Piece of Shit. P-Diddy has nothing on my slogans! The Offspring will take it from here....
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yxbXsQ5yCc&ob=av2e
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'If the citizens neglect their duty, and place unpricinpled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted.'
- Noah Webster.
Our first Noah Webster quote! Something to think about, before you skip going to the polls tomorrow.... Although if Brazilian beauty Paola Oliveira were anywhere within a 500 mile range of us, we'd probably skip voting too.
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We Don't Mean LITERALLY Beat Clyburn .....
Well, since P-Luv asked, we'll make an endorsement - but only one. Since we are SC6, and the district is our focus, we're going to try and help at least one person. In this year of anti-incumbency, we could not think of a better person to get the hint of it than The Whipper himself, Jim Clyburn. Since it worked in the June runoff (just barely), SC6 is endorsing Jim Pratt for Congress...
Granted, we don't know everything about Pratt. In fact, we've never even met or spoken to him directly - something we consider to be a big mistake on his part. But, from all indications that we've gotten, Pratt has run the most active campaign in the Sixth since Clyburn took office. If he works as hard as he has the past eight months, he will do fine in Congress. Running is easy, winning is tough, keeping your promises the toughest part of all.
Now, do we have much hope that Pratt can win in a 53% black district? Not really... No one has gone above 33% the entire time. We're almost looking for one of those 'moral victories' .... or more like one good cold-cock shot to the nose that bloodies up your nose, makes you take a step back, and wonder what the hell just happened. My hope was for the Republican to get 40%, which would mean that Clyburn had eroding Democratic support. I think Pratt will do it, and then some...
Misguided as it may be, there are some Republicans who think that Clyburn's seat can be won, so there are actually motivated people out there putting in time and effort, which is the real victory this year.. Don't give me five geniuses - give me 50 people who aren't as smart, but will follow me into the gates of hell, or die trying.... They've finally shown up.
As much grief as John Spratt has gotten this year, the truth is that Spratt is tired... to tired to care anymore, and he is just following the band. Jim Clyburn is the leader of the band, the one who has Barack Obama's ear. The one who is helping him develop policy, and worse - getting it passed. In our book, Jim Clyburn is almost as much to blame for some of the misguided work the Democrats have done as Obama himself. Nothing would make us happier than a wake-up call to Clyburn - an election where even an arrogant politician like him has to take notice, and back off the ridiculous theory that Government can fix everything...
Do we expect a miracle? Nope. We're realists here. Dreaming is what got us into this mess in the first place, from both parties. But, hard work does earn something from us here. That something is our endorsement, for what it's worth...
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If You Refer to the Map Above, You Can See the Emprical Data Clearly States That a Majority of the...... Aww, Forget It!
Taking a quick look at the US House and Senate races, there is good news in that the Supermajority in the Senate and House will be coming to an end. That is the first , and perhaps best good news we have for November 2nd. We have long felt that when either party - even Republicans - rules with an iron fist, bad things happen. On a side note, I have just been kicked out of the GOP.....
Most signs point to a small Republican majority in the House, which will make us infinitely happy to see Nancy Pelosi and The Whipper go back to their closets... Now, will there be a GOP Majority is the Senate? Ehh, not so much. According to a Washington Post poll and map (which is about a slanted towards the Republicans as you'll find), the Democrats have 48 seats which are not up, safe of leaning, to the Republicans 44. With two of the crappiest candidates ever put on the ballot this side of Alvin Greene, we here in New York are not helping the GOP cause. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand are safe....
With only 8 toss-ups, the GOP would have to win seven of them for a majority.... any majority. While a few of these races are Democrat stalwarts like Harry Reid, Barbara Boxer and Patty Murray - which all three could lose - four of them have no incumbent. Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Illinois and Kentucky are toss ups with no bullseye on an incumbent like Reid. In this year of anti-incumbency, it's hard to blame problem on a candidate that isnt in DC, so the job is tougher.
Our guess here is that Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Illinois (Obama' old seat) go GOP, along with Reid and Murray's. California and Colorado are just too liberal to go, and the Manchin name in Deliveranceland is too strong. That would leave a 51-49 Democratic majority. How is that good? Well, in our always optimistic (stop laughing) view, it gives the Senate, House and White House an 'opportunity' (re: necessity) for bipartisanism, which generally leads to decent legislation. Of course, it more likely will leads to NOTHING getting done for the next 2 years....
No a majority is not a mandate for either party.... and that's a good thing. maybe for once, our leaders will see that the 'R' or 'D' isn't all that important. Doing right by the people is. I said STOP LAUGHING !!!!!
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Two Weeks of No Fox Local Channel Ends at Last....
The past two weeks, lots of us here in Yankeeville were wishing for the days when you could just hook up a pair of Rabbit Ears, and watch the Boob Tube. That's because, like what has been going on a lot lately, local cable TV giant Cablevision and News Corp - owner of Fox 5 and My 9 in New York, took part in a gigantic pissing contest. As usual, the big losers were viewers.
Fox and Cablevision's agreement ended about 2 weeks ago. Usually, the cable provider gives in, due to a lack of influence. However, Cablevision, which also owns Newsday - a direct competitor to News Corp's New York Post, as well as the New York Knicks and Rangers, used all their power as well to get the people on their side. Truth be known, they did an effective job at it. While News Corp was silent on why an agreement wasn't reached, Cablevision was EVERYWHERE, spouting that Fox wanted more than ABC, CBS, and NBC combined - more than doubel what they were getting.
While the Fox blackout was limited - Fox News and sports channels were still on - New Yorkers were left out of the first two games of the World Series, as well as a Giants game. Their regular programming was gone too, so fruitcakes who like Glee and other shows missed out as well. Fortunately, an agreement (whose terms were not announced) was made yesterday, just in time for Game 3 of the Series. No doubt Fox was hoping for a Yankees appearance in order to gouge some more cash, but it backfired.
The holdout did solidify two things for us here: first, the FCC's mandatory digital signal HAS given consumers less choice and power, and that they could have stepped in and arbitrated a settlement weeks ago (like local Reps and Senators asked them to), but didn't. Which lends us the question.. Exactly what the fuck is it that you people do??? Another Clyburn in DC, doing NOTHING for you, as usual....
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"The true principle of government is this: Make the system complete in it's structure, give a perfect proportion and balance to it's parts.... and the powers you give it will never affect your security."
-Alexander Hamilton, 1788.
If we didn't know better, we'd swear he was describing a woman. In this case, Elizabeth Ashley's (isn't that a interior decorator?) complete structure, perfect proportion and balanced parts fit ideally. That and a pose that would make Johnny Cash proud! Where can we meet this girl?
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With Election day only 2 days away, the pontificating of a GOP runaway is everywhere... If so, might we give this little suggestion to our newly-minted representatives and senators. Much like the NASCAR-themed term, 'Catching is Easy, Passing is Hard", saying you're going to cut the budget is simple .....then you look at the numbers, and get pressure from all sides. Yeah, it can be done, but it ain't easy. You'll see...
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In Yankeeville, Get Used to This, But No Phone Calls ....
With just a couple days left until the elections, we thought we'd muse on a couple things we've noticed while up here. Like the language and the dress, political campaigns work differently here as well. Maybe it's due to local campaign laws, or the budgets, or perhaps they just do it different up here. But, we couldn't help notice the minor differences....
Yes, they do love their mass mailers. They are unobtrusive, leaving you time to peruse them at your convenience, but when 5-6 of them come every day, you get lost in the shuffle... Missing at least from our house is a South Carolina favorite- Robocalls. I lived on these in 2006, but I haven't heard a single one interrupting our dinner at home, and I suppose that's a good thing. Every get cursed out my a New Yorker on the phone? They use words I never even heard of before as curses....
As expensive as TV is in the 11th largest US market, it doesn't stop State Senate candidates from spending hundreds of thousands on it. And they play just as dirty as they do down in SC. Nothing is out of bounds, and everyone raised your taxes at some point. Hey, it IS politics, right?
Now, you would think that New Yorkers do everything bigger than South Carolinians do, but there is one big thing that we haven't seen .... 4x8 signs , or even 3x6's. Or billboads. Yard signs are all we've seen. They're not very useful on the side of the Long Island Expressway, but you do the best with what you've got....
Babysitting awaits, so we'll be back tomorrow.
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What I'm going to tell you today will probably shock you a little, but more than likely, you'll just be in total disbelief that this occurred. Earlier this week, my brother Matt and I were having dinner. We discussed the mess that is our family, and somehow the conversation turned a bit, and Matt suddenly asked me, 'Hey, you know Aunt Joanie passed away, right?' The answer to this was no, I was not aware of it. 'When was this?' I asked... Matt said 'Uhh, about a year ago'. Thanks to the magic of the internet, I found out today that she passed away May 18, 2009, a year and a half ago. I'm not even sure how old she was, but I think she was 75....
To put this into perspective, this wasn't an aunt I never met that was 99 years old - this was my Mom's sister. When my Mom was going through open heart surgery number two, Aunt Joanie took me in and cared for me. I was one year old... Of course, I have no memory of this. Growing up, she was one of the few relatives that we regularly spent holidays and dinners with. But like many families, personal things and money played a major part in the brakeup....
In 1984, my grandfather passed away, and his decent-sized estate was split between mostly my Mom and Joanie, who cared for Grandpa the last few years. She got the house and some cash, and my parents got some cash as well. What my parents did with their money I don't know (and it's not my business), and Joanie sat on the house during the Real Estate boom in the 80's and 90's, before selling and moving to North Carolina, just a few miles from my Mom. Mom died in 1991, and the bonds that she kept with literally everyone died with her. That was the year I graduated college - and spent the next year making every mistake you can, what I refer to as 'The Lost Year'.
I was so broke that I couldn't even afford to make phone calls, so this got Aunt Joanie ticked at me, along with a few other spats with members of my family. Granted, she didn't call me either, but this matters nothing to an Italian family in New York - we hold grudges like NO ONE... Finally in 1995, I spent a week in NC, and decided to try to mend things with Aunt Joanie... I called, and she kinda sarcastically asked if she had a nephew. Then she said that she really had nothing to say to anyone in my family - without about emotion as if I was a telemarketer selling insurance over the phone... After that, I gave up. That was the last time I talked to her..
No, I still thought about trying again, knowing that eventually this day would come, and that I'd feel some regret for not making another effort. This is just how my family seems to be since Mom passed away - a series of unparallel lies that somehow never cross or touch each other. The reunion this summer with my dad's family was similar: I might as well have crashed a reunion of strangers. I haven't mentioned how Matt found out of Joanie's passing .... he went to the cemetary to visit Grandpa and Joanie's son, Joe (he died in 1989) - and there she was on the headstone. From what I know, no one called.
Yeah, there is plenty of blame to go around on this. Everyone has at least one or two examples of 'I should have done this', and things would be different. As heartless as this whole story sounds, I suppose if I really was a cold person, I wouldn't have thought twice about Joanie passing away. I worry a lot about how alone I am at times. I have lots of acquaintences, but I rarely get phone calls, asking what i'm doing tonight. That's my own fault, I suppose. It's a byproduct of how I was raised in a way, or how the last two decades has affected me.
I see a lot of families that are very tight, and it makes me very jealous. My family now is like a pile of cats.. I speak semi-regularly to two of my siblings. Another I talk to when they need something, and the fourth I haven't spoken to in three years - I think. Maybe yours is the same, but most I've seen are at least marginally better. At this point, all I can think of doing is trying to bridge that gap with these strangers that share my blood. My Aunt is gone, but her only other child is still here, so the goal will be to at least get a discourse started, and go from there. The same with my immediate family, although that will be easier. After all, we're not kids anymore. Shit happens, and I picture the regret being exponentially worse with them if I did the same thing..
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Which One Is Tom, and Which Is Ed? One Too Many Clements on the Ballot May Cause Election Day Confusion ....
We'll admit, we never ran into this problem... When your last name is Reino, you won't have to worry about there being a candidate with the same last name on the ballot. Voters might have trouble pronouncing it, but.....
Taking note of my absentee ballot, however, we noticed something that could cause trouble for one candidate in the 12th Solicitor's race. Ed Clements has a tough enough race against Rose Mary Parham on November 2nd, but there is an unrelated race that might make it even tougher. In the asswhipping that will be Jim DeMint's pummeling of Alvin Greene and his action figure and his immensely effective campaign literature, enter Green Party candidate TOM CLEMENTS. BTW, Tom is the guy on the right, standing in front of what appears to be a garbage dump, next to a mental hospital...
I put out a Facebook message, asking who I should vote for (like I'd listen), and one friend invoked me to vote for Sheheen and Clements.. She lives in Myrtle Beach, so what would she know about Ed Clements. That's when I realized that she was talking about Tom Clements.... and that got me thinking. This will be a phenomenon restricted only to Florence and Marion counties - just like Roswell with UFO sightings - but it could essentially cost Ed Clements the election. As usual, it all works out for Jim DeMint!
Seriously, think of the average Joe in the area, who all he knows is to vote for Clements, and he/she votes for the wrong one? It's not going to be a massive voter fraud, but as close as the Clements-Parham race is going to be, a couple hundred morons from Centenary or Lake City could send Clements (Ed, that is) packing home...
It'll be easy to find out if it does happen: simply see what Clements (we're talking about Tom now) pulls statewide, and compare it to Florence and Marion Counties. If it's eschew, we - rather Clements - Ed Clements , that is - have a problem.. If the variation is greater than his , Ed Clements, loss, then you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be a grievance.
Of course, the other thing that can happen is that everyone in the rest of South Carolina will think that Clements - we're back to Tom, now - is actually Clements - Ed, that is again - and Clements (we're talking Tom now) will be elected US Senator, where the voter inquiry will be invoked, and Ed Clements will be given the seat by attrition or confusion, whichever you prefer. Are you still with me?
Either way, this is a no-win situation for Clements (either one for that matter), but mostly Ed Clements - except for now, he would have an excuse. If his name were Reino, this never would have happened......
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Yes, That's My Ballot, And Yes - It's Blurry ...
Before the harrassment of my not owning a 'real camera' starts, I'll acknowledge the bad shot, and just move on... Like I said, I got my absentee ballot this week. To go over each office would be predictable and not very exciting. Yes, I went straight Republican, although maybe I had to think once or twice. One thing that struck me is the order candidates are listed. I guess the Green Party pulled the lucky ball from the hopper, because they are listed first for every office they entered a candidate. Republicans were second, Libertarians third, and the Democrats drew the outside post, unless you consider the Working Families and United Citizens parties as viable... We don't.
Instead, we're going to devote a whole post to the Amendments, which in some cases are more important than the candidates themselves. Candidates come , go and eventually die, but the Constitution is forever - or at least until the other party comes into power and reverses everything. Like most years, this year's amendments include some good ideas, and others make us wonder just a bit who felt THIS was important....
Amendment 1 - Hunting and Fishing Rights.
"A yes vote will make it a constitutional right for citizens to hunt and fish and will permit the State to legally provide for proper wildlife management and the protection of private property rights." is what the official explanation is... Like we said, we're not sure why a Constitutional right to hunt and fish is necessary. First they come for the guns - then they come for the fishing poles.... Either someone in Columbia had a buddy that has a gripe with DNR, or someone found a loophole that makes the agency technically illegal. We're not sure, but the overall bill seems OK with us. SC6 Votes Yes.
Amendment 2 - Secret Union Ballots
"A yes vote will give employees the constitutional right to vote by secret ballot when they are voting on whether to be represented by a labor union." We go a long way back on this issue, and we are solid in secret ballot. how would you like having to go the the polls on Election Day, and be REQUIRED to tell everyone how you voted? That's what Unions are used to doing here, so they can know who to pressure to vote how they want. To us, it's evil and flat-out un-American. It's an employees business and right to vote how they want - in secret. SC6 Votes Yes.
Amendment 3 - Rainy Day Fund Increase
"A yes vote will increse the amount of money state government must keep in the General Reserve Fund (aka Rainy Day Fund) from 3% to 5% of the previous year's revenue." This is obviously a hot topic issue after the budget problems the past couple years. Essentially, it's increased forced savings for the State, which HAS to balance the budget every year. It is a graduated increase over the next 4 years, and there is a possibility of budget (and tax) hikes to cover the extra $$ from devious legislators. But to us, saving more for a rainy day is a good idea for anyone .... even Government! SC6 Votes Yes.
Amendment 4 - Rainy Day Fund vs. Budget Cuts
"A yes vote will require that the Capital Reserve Fund's first priority is to replenish the State's General Reserve Fund (Rainy Day Fund) instead of serving to offset midyear budget cuts at state agencies". This is one that requires more thought - too much thought for someone going into a booth and seeing this for the first time. It's basically trying to establish priorities in spending, and that is the problem to a degree. Everyone has different priorities, and each year 180 legislators get together and set those priorities with the budget. Yeah, lower than expected revenues screw it up, but let's go back to the household allegory again... You have debts and responsibilities, and suddenly, you lose a bonus check, or you get fired. Do you start saving immediately to avoid doing it again in the future, or do you pay those bills you have now first? Easy enough. Maybe there are some ways to cut bills, but hacking the budget to SAVE FIRST seems a little ass backwards to us, and out guess is there was a politician with his/her foot stuck in a theory book more the real world on this one. SC6 Votes No.
There, now you will be an informed (and slightly instructed) voter on November 2nd. If you disagree with us on any of these issues, that's cool - after all, your vote counts just as much as ours does.... although it shouldn't. as for our picture, here's our reply....
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJJsoquu70o&ob=av2e
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Happy Sunday to all !! I wish I could say things are great here, but once again, I've come down with a malady that I can't seem to get a real hold on. Two weeks ago, I got the official analysis of my blood tests - High Bad Cholesterol. Overall, I blew a 259, but 170 of it was bad cholesterol. They blame it on heredity, I blame it on a decade of BBQ and pizza every Sunday at Bobby's house....
So, I got a prescription for Crestor, and the first ten days seemed great. It drops your blood pressure, so I slept like a baby, and other things seemed better too, if you catch my drift.. I stopped by the doctor's offie Wednesday for a standard follow-up visit. It seemed fine, aside from the gouging of my arm from another blood test (I bruise easily). She asked about 'any pins and needles?', and i blew it off, because I had none.. Well, the pins and needles started Friday, along with some standard allergic congestion. It was so bad on the way to work, that I took a two hour nap and popped a Sudafed, before I started work.
I immediately stopped the Crestor, but the pins and needles still come up anywhere from the top of my head to my legs. The best way to describe it is like wearing a wool sweater without a t-shirt under it. No rashes, just the feelign to want to scratch. Hopefully, my doctor will call back Monday AM to tell me what to do, but an occassional Benadryl and cough drops are helping. Still, the perpetual feeling that you're going to die soon is a bit taxing. Still, the fuzziness continues on in the world, and so we report on it - although it does itch...
As Election Day grows closer, a Republican sweep of the state offices seems as likely as ever. Nikki Haley has a 14 point edge, and barring an 'October Surprise', Vince Sheheen appears to be heading for a loss. I wouldn't expect anything new, because nine days left is prime time to drop a bomb. If the GOP couldn't take out Haley, the Dems won't. Having boobs like Carol Fowler run your show will do that...
I just got my SC Absentee Ballot in the mail today. I guess I could fill out straight line, but that gives me the feeling that I'm a sheep, and actually READING a ballot is beyond my ability. That, and there are a few local races that are non-partisan or the GOP left blank. I've only voted for one Democrat this past decade... I did find out that I now live in District 8, so a 2012 run against Johnnie Rodgers is out of the question. Maybe that Wilson guy will run again - but will he run as a Democrat or Republican this time? That race will be the tiebreaker, I guess...
Speaking of Democrats, kudos to P-Luv and Mayor Hickory Head for throwing a successful Oyster Roast this week in Flotown. How do you fit 1200 people in the parking lot at Wukela Law Firm??? There's always a space for my car there, but 1200? DAMN....Must have counted everyone ten times. ;) It would have been nice to attend, but I was busy, and Jim Clyburn still has that restraining order bullshit against me...
Updating an earlier post, the supernoisy Sun Chips bag has been discontinued, but for me, it's too late. Stevie is already addicted to the Garden Salsa flavor (the kid only eats like three things), so any chip bag noise is like blowing a Dog Whsitle to him....
On the social scene, it's been a bit confusing. I got another wink from a decent looking girl on Match, so we'll see. Meanwhile, Julie calls me up to do stuff, but not much happens. Went over her house to see the Will Ferrell/Mark Wahlberg movie on Friday, but her friend was there too... Think I need to throw the buddy $20 to leave. Two people with ADD hooking up is probably a bad idea anyway, but neither can focus long enough to remember to make a move!
Evil thought of the day.... Justin Bieber has got to go - or at least hit puberty. Maybe that lawsuit of him 'assaulting' someone in a Laser Tag game will ruin him. See, he is gay, because getting charged with assault in a game of Laser Tag is the queerest thing I can think of...
The Battle of Surfer Cooler rages on. Carol swears she didn't buy this Capri Sun flavor, so i must have. I told her I only buy Wild Cherry or Pacific Cooler. She won't budge, neither will, so that Surfer Cooler has been literally sitting in the fridge for a month, unconsumed. I just reversed my opinion..... THIS is the queerest thing I can think of.
I heard on XM that there is now a channel devoted to ....... drumroll, please..... PEARL JAM! As much of a fan as I was of Eddie and the Boys, Pearl Jam 24/7/365 might cause even me to jump off a brige in my flannel shirt and Doc Martens! But, hey, it's free...
I went apartment hunting this week. Check this out. 1 BR/1BA apartments run from $1100-1350 a month here! I might talk Joe and Carol into letting me hang until New Year's, or at least until I'm sure my job is safe...
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'The freedoms and happiness of Man are the sole objects of all legitimate government.'
- Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Thaddeus Kosciusko, 1810.
As usual, TJ is telling the truth... But truth be known, we'd like the freedom to hook up with Lilly Robbins, who seems like a real girl (she has a 31 inch waistline). THAT would make us happy.. Our guess is since she's a Dolphins cheerleader, P-Luv already knows all about her, and likely has a room dedicated to her.... OK, maybe just a table or closet.
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A decent week overall for cartoons, but since Halloween is right around the corner, we went with the topical 'toon... Seems like 'Hope' was a million years ago, but The Change might be here before we know it!
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Here's a Surprise: The Rangers Outhustling the Yankees ...
No, the body isn't cold yet (or officially dead for that matter), but we like to give the deceased-to-be an opportunity to read their obituary before they go .... just ask Les Paul. After tonight, we have a feeling the New York Yankees 2010 season may be overwith... Rest in Peace, my friends.
Yes, with the exception of one inning in Game 1, the Texas Rangers have pitched, hit, outhustled and just wanted to win more than our beloved Yanks. To put it bluntly, thye play national league ball better than the National League teams do, which allows us to forecast a Rangers World Series win before we even know who they're playing.
The ironic part is that the Yanks had a deal for Cliff Lee with Seattle in place, before they dealt him to Texas. It's more frustrating to know the guy kicking your ass for the 6th time in a year should be wearing pinstripes - but he might be soon. Whatever it takes, Cashman. Whatever it takes..... Still, the Yankees are playing stupid. They can't hit with men on base, they can't get a third strike, and if a guy is shutting you down, try bunting to get his ass off the mound and shake him up a bit. Something, anything....
No, the Yankees aren't supposed to win every year, which is why they play the game. On average, they win every 4th year.... But, there is a lot of work to do: Javier Vasquez was a dud - again. AJ Burnett appears to be almost finished right behind Vasquez. Jorge Posada is getting old, along with Derek Jeter, although Jeter did show up for the playoffs. If Jeter gets a pay raise, the Yanks will regret it... Andy Pettitte and Mo Rivera chug along fine, but they too have only a few years left as well. A fulltime DH would be ideal as well, and maybe a guy to take leftfield. Brett Gardner is a great platoon guy, but some days, his bat doesn't get it done.
Anyone who has watched the team this past two months knew that this was possible. It's not a team having a bad week in a short series - it's a slumping team being exposed for it's shortcomings by a - GULP!! - better team.
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A few months back, we showed you Joe's Viper, to encourage the youth of America to stay in school, by showing them that an education pays off.... Well, in case the Viper didn't get some kids jacked up enough, let us introduce you to his new ride...
Yes, Joe recently fulfilled a childhood dream, and bought a Lamborghini Murcielago. He's doing it Italian-style now... To give you an idea of just how sick this car is, Joe's had 6 Corvettes and 2 Vipers, and he spends all night after work drinking beer in the garage, staring at the Lambo, and giggling like an eight year old. Yes, high-performance cars do that to adult men. As for the Viper? Fear not .... He gave it to his brother as a 50th birthday gift.
Today's advice? Stay in school, study hard, and one day you might 'Have Murci' also... No, I haven't driven in it yet.
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Why I'm the Only One in NY Who Thinks This Is Wrong ...
Yes, in New York they can be a little self-centered. Other places in the world don't matter, and they sure as hell don't know jack about South Carolina college rivalries... So, when they decorated the office in an Autumn motif of orange and garnet balloons, I questioned it a little.
'Hey, you can't put garnet and orange together - they don't match', I said... 'Why not?', asked the decorator with a look of confusion. 'Because they naturally clash - orange is Clemson and garnet is Carolina.... They just don't go together!" was my reasoning. To which I got, 'Who the f**k are Carolina and Clemson'. Some days, my work is really cut out for me here.......
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