No BOMOB this week

Traveling this week. Holiday weekend. Meh.

We'll resume next week.

Fun with graphs

Heh. Some of these are pretty funny.

They even included a graphical Rick-roll:

more song chart memes

HT Blogizdat.

Breathtaking arrogance

Said Senator Obama at a campaign stop in Oregon Saturday:

"We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK," Obama said.

"That's not leadership. That's not going to happen," he added.

To which Mark Steyn retorted:

So "leadership" means finding out what other countries want from America and then doing it. Good luck with that.

Don't laugh too hard, though. Remember, it wasn't too long ago when the liberals in California sought to take remote control of thermostats in private homes.

Random thought: Would referring to Barack Obama as "Big Brother" be construed as racist?

Best of the MOB, May 9-15

Update: Kathy's the big winner this week with her get-a-life screed. Congrats!

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Happy Friday!

Please check out the posts below and vote either here or at the sidebar. The poll will stay open until noon on Monday. Vote early and often, and have a great weekend!

Best of the MOB, 5/9 - 5/15/08

"I may not be Politically Correct; but now I'm Ergonomically Correct," The Far Wright, May 9. Nominated for wanting to make sure we're comfortable.

"Helen Hudgens: Rest in Peace," Freedom Dogs, May 10. Nominated for a nice photo tribute upon the loss of a grandmother (condolences, Chief).

"Follow The Money," SpaceBeagle, May 13. Nominated for calling on the State of Minnesota to keep a promise of transparency.

"You've Honestly Got Nothing Better to do With Your Time?," Cake Eater Chronicles, May 15. Nominated for suggesting activist efforts to be used more constructively.

"Red Roaver, Red Roaver," What If?, May 15. Nominated for reminding us that we sometimes need to let kids be kids.

(poll now closed)

Oh, my!

Surfing the MOB over lunchtime, I was greeted with the following when trying to access EckerNet:



I guess congratulations are in order. Kevin is the only MOBster rejected by the Cargill firewall. Well done, sir!

Makes me wonder what sort of foul-mouthed tirade he must be on today...

I've been tagged

...by kingdavid. The "Message to the World" meme states: You have 150 characters to send a message to the world. Punctuation doesn't count. Ok, here goes.

Hug your kids, and say 'I love you' every day.

Protect the unborn.

Global warming is a scam.

Free markets work.

Liberalism is dangerous.

Stay positive, and keep your sense of humor.

Go Cubs!

Four characters to spare - woo hoo!

Time to spread the love. Lessee... How 'bout Mark, Leo, and Brad?

Glass half full?

Leave it to Hugh to put a positive spin on the disaster that is John McCain's energy policy.

Skeptics about any aspect of the global warming debate --the significance of the temperature rise, its origins, or the ability of humans to affect the temperature change-- thus have a choice: A candidate with a plan that includes a push for nuclear energy and accountability for China and other rapidly industrializing countries, or a candidate who will push an America-first, only, and without nuclear power plan.

McCain has occupied the center on this debate, and the GOP and conservatives should get over it and begin working to keep enough Republican senators in place to assure that President McCain's emphasis on a new generation of nuclear power plants becomes a reality, thus keeping cap-and-trade from becoming a suffocating blanket.

If cap-and-trade leads to the long overdue renaissance of nuclear power plant construction and generation in the U.S., it will have been a very good thing indeed....

It is clear that our maverick friend is the lesser of three evils, and maybe Hugh's got a point. If McCain can use the global warming silliness as a means to promote a revival of nuclear energy in the US, that would indeed be a positive outcome.

Still, I have a difficult time being enthusiastic about a candidate who has drunk Al Gore's kool aid.

Thanks

Entering last weekend, I mentioned that I had become a temporary fan of the Milwaukee Brewers.

I am pleased to announce that they did not disappoint. They took 3 of 4 from the hated Red Birds, and that combined with a modest win streak by my Cubbies has now restored the Chicago Cubs to their rightful place on top of the NL Central.

So thanks, Brewers! You may now resume losing.

Don't quit your day job, Tony

Yesterday, Major League Baseball celebrated Mother's Day by going pink, with many players using bats and other assorted gear to be later auctioned off for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. Very cool.

The Cubs also celebrated Mother's Day by having Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo (who attended Eastern Illinois University) throw out the first pitch and, um, "sing" during the 7th inning stretch.

(embed didn't work - here's the link)

Um..., yeah. FAIL.

Now let's play a bit of word association. When you hear "Romo" and "pink," what comes to mind? That's right...



But alas, there was no public appearance by Ms. Simpson at Wrigley during the Cubs' telecast. I expected a photo op of her sporting something like...



Maybe next time. Suffice it to say, though, that if Tony and Jessica ever have kids together, I hope they get his athletic ability and her singing talent, and not the other way around!

101010

Michelle Malkin reported the results of Lockheed Martin's "MATHCOUNTS" competition yesterday. The contest was won by 6th grader Darryl Wu.

The final question he answered (in 45 seconds) to win was:

A set of distinct positive integers has a total of 11 digits, and all the digits are ones. What is the smallest possible sum of the integers in the set?

I'll put the answer in the comments in case you want to try on your own. I'm proud to say that I was able to figure it out myself, so at least I'm as smart as a sixth-grader.

In the comments to Michelle's post, someone wisecracked that the answer was 42 (the answer to everything).

However, as another commenter pointed out, the "distinct positive integers" used in solving the above problem, if summed together in binary, do in fact add up to the binary equivalent of the decimal number 42.

Positively geektacular!

All the best, Jenna

First Daughter Jenna Bush is getting married today in Crawford, TX. Of course, Northern Alliance Wannabe wishes the couple a long, happy, healthy life together.

I was curious, though, about the sentiments expressed from the leftosphere regarding the nuptials. Certainly, they would put partisan feelings aside and take a moment to raise a toast to the new bride, right?

Uh, not so much.

Comments from the HuffPo:

I would be equally disinterested in a wedding of the daughter of Adolph Hitler, if he had one, for the same reasons.

It would be sweet if they took Bush with them on their honeymoon to Basra, Iraq. Hotel rooms are cheap and empty. That way cheap living and a view of the war with even Jenna and her new husband just possibly picking up a rifle.

My tax dollars better not be paying for this _______! wedding.

Poor girl. She looks as ignorant as her dad.

Tell me again why she and her fiancee aren't in Iraq fighting for freedom's cause?

Unfortunately she does walk lockstep with her parents.She's got a drinking problem, just like dear old dad, avoided serving her country just like dear old dad and is marrying a repug chickenhawk just like dear old dad is.

I'm suppose they plan to serve Iraqi blood at the wedding .

"Jenna Bush will wear a "simple and elegant"" I'm sorry, but anyone who supports war crimes cannot possibly be "elegant", no matter how he/she spends on clothing...

And last, but not least...

She looks like Terri Schiavo in that picture

Stay classy, Huffsters.

Say what?

As the now sub-.500 Milwaukee Brewers are taking on the now 1st-place St. Louis Cardinals for a weekend series, I find myself in the very unusual position of cheering for Milwaukee.

Go Brewers!!

*urp!* I think I just threw up in my mouth a little...

Best of the MOB, May 2 - 8

Update: It was a close vote, but this week's winner is Jennifer Carlson. Congrats!

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Happy Friday!

Please check out the posts below and vote either here or at the sidebar. The poll will stay open until noon on Monday. Vote early and often, and have a great weekend!

Best of the MOB, 5/2 - 5/8/08

"I need you to do something for me, and for them," The Night Writer, May 7. Nominated for reminding us what should be in the papers.

"The Miracle Cure," The Far Wright, May 7. Nominated for teaching us that those strange-sounding home remedies sometimes actually work.

"A Knight in Shrining armor," View from the Cloud, May 8. Nominated for honoring an unsung hero (who happens to be his dad).

"Buy gas at SuperAmerica or Speedway?," Bike Bubba's Bits, May 8. Nominated for pointing out something more offensive than the price at the pump at SA.

"Hope Wins!," The Brad Carlson blog, May 8. Nominated for a nice bald-is-beautiful story (posted by new co-blogger Mrs. Carlson).

(poll now closed)

This makes me sick

Suspected Illegal Immigrant Charged With Rape, Impregnating 10-Year-Old Girl:

ST. ANTHONY, Idaho - A suspected illegal immigrant has been charged with raping a 10-year-old girl who later gave birth in eastern Idaho.

The girl gave birth less than two weeks ago by caesarian section at Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg, Fremont County Sheriff Ralph C. Davis and other authorities said. Officials would not disclose the gender, date of birth or paternity of the baby....

St. Anthony police began investigating on April 28 after medical officials reported a pregnant child, and Guadalupe Gutierrez-Juarez, 37, of St. Anthony, was arrested the same day, Police Chief James Smith said.

In documents that were filed April 29 in 7th District Court and obtained by The Associated Press, Gutierrez-Juarez is charged with one count of rape. He remained in jail with bail set at $250,000 pending a preliminary hearing May 13....

Raping little girls Americans won't rape. Ugh. Where were the parents?

This is just one more reason to take Night Writer's advice.

McCain - Romney?

Kathryn Jean Lopez makes the case.

For Mitt Romney, the suspension of his campaign at the Conservative Political Action Committee conference two days after Super Tuesday marked the beginning of a new and promising campaign. As he ended his quest for the Republican presidential nomination, he staked for himself a position as leader for the conservative future. It's a good position to be in for a potential 2012 run for the presidency. And it's a position that makes him an attractive option for John McCain's No. 2 in 2008....

Bottom line: Vetted outsider Mitt Romney adds to Washington-insider McCain. He's a running mate with pluses, which, most importantly, includes being a plausible president -- 294 delegates' worth of primary voters thought so, anyway. His resume speaks for itself. McCain could do worse than pick Mitt Romney -- and he's got to know that, if he wants to win in November.

As they say, read the whole thing. If McCain's serious about wanting to make nice with the conservative base, picking Romney would do him a lot of good.

I know it would make me fight for McCain a little harder.

Bummed

As one would expect from someone with the handle, "Northern Alliance Wannabe," my allegiance in local talk radio is to AM 1280, particularly Hugh Hewitt & the NARN.

At work, however, when I have the chance to sneak in some talk radio, I can't get an AM signal. I did XM for awhile, but then I moved to an office where I couldn't get a signal for that either.

It was about then that KTLK-FM went to a talk format and brought in Rush et al, so that's what I listened to. To fill in the time outside of Rush/Hannity/Beck, KTLK had assorted shows with local "talent," and most of them were train wrecks. Pat Kessler and Lambert & Janecek come to mind.

Then, a couple of years ago, they canned Kessler and filled the pre-Rush morning spot with Dan Conry, who had been doing nights. As I wrote at the time, my first impressions of Conry's show weren't very favorable, but he quickly became one of my favorites.

Besides having a good discussion of the issues of the day, the Dan Conry show was also hysterically funny. Listening at work, I spent a lot of time biting my lip to keep from laughing out loud.

Recently, though, for whatever reason, KTLK moved Conry to the 5-7 am slot. Since then, I'd continued to listen to Conry via podcast instead of his replacement, Chris Baker. The time move was apparently the first step toward the door. KTLK fired Conry last Friday.

And in typical KTLK style, they replaced him with no word of explanation whatsoever -- just down the memory hole. There's no evidence that Conry ever existed on KTLK's site, except for this thread on their "Talk Spot."

It's a shame. Conry's good. I hope he finds another gig soon, and when he does, I hope he podcasts.

Slow poke

Another plank in the universal healthcare platform being promoted by Democrats in the 2008 campaign cycle was unveiled in Portland recently. Look for this to be a real "sticking point" in the health care debate.

And an artist in Portland, Oregon has stuck a 23-foot needle into the ground by the Willamette River and hopes to plant more. Adam Kuby says it's a really large version of acupuncture. Kuby says he wants to help the city rejuvenate its "chi" — its vital energy.

"It's a visual way of expressing what a lot of people already know. [The city is] one organism, one body, one very complex, independent system," Kuby said.

This isn't the first odyssey into oddity for Portland, which is or has been home to the 24 Hour Church of Elvis, the voodoo doughnut shop, nude bike festivals and what was billed as the world's longest drag queen chorus line.

When reached for comment, the City of Portland said, "Ow! Hey, quit it! Get away from me with that thing, you freak!"

Child abuse

Boy, 11, Takes Off Brett Favre Jersey After Wearing It Every Day Since 2003

GREEN BAY, Wis. - David Witthoft finally shunned his Brett Favre jersey for a red shirt for the first time in 1,581 days.

The 12-year-old Ridgefield, Conn. boy wore the No. 4 jersey every day since receiving it as a gift for Christmas in 2003.

David's father, Chuck Witthoft, says Monday that his son's last day wearing the jersey was April 23 on his 12th birthday. Witthoft conceded his son was starting to become more concerned about his appearance after the jersey barely came down to his belt line...

Now, if they were real Packer fans, Chuck would have started his boy smoking to stunt his growth!

Seriously, though. Ok, fine, the boy's a fan. But what about his cheese-for-brains parents for letting him wear the shirt for 4+ years? Does this mean he wore it every day to school? Including for his class pictures? How about church? Or weddings? Or funerals? Or his dad's parole hearings?

Of course, that it's #4 makes the story even more pathetic...

Made in China - FAIL

'Free Tibet' flags made in China

Police in southern China have discovered a factory manufacturing Free Tibet flags, media reports say.

The factory in Guangdong had been completing overseas orders for the flag of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

Workers said they thought they were just making colourful flags and did not realise their meaning....

Oops.

Best of the MOB, April 25 - May 1

Update: Hmmm... In a late sudden surge, Steam Valve went from zero votes to 15, by far a record for a BOMOB poll. Congrats for this week's win, pending investigation of tampering by Diebold and/or Halliburton.

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Happy Friday!

Please check out the posts below and vote either here or at the sidebar. The poll will stay open until noon on Monday. Vote early and often, and have a great weekend!

Best of the MOB, 4/25 - 5/1/08

"Ontario To Close 300 Schools... No Children," Sprucegoose, April 25. Nominated for noting the consequences of a declining population in Canada.

"Who's Protecting Us in Washington?," Steam Valve, April 26. Nominated for defending the victims of hyperenvironmentalism run amok.

"Hang up the BB gun, Granny Oakley," GigglePundit, April 27. Nominated for a tale of dodging real sniper fire.

"Talking about Jeremiah Wright," Hammerswing75, April 29. Nominated for wondering aloud the motives of professional race baiters.

"He Said WHAT?," Ladies Logic, May 1. Nominated for pointing out still more political hypocrisy over the 35W bridge, courtesy of the MN DFL.

(poll now closed)