It's nice to know that we're in such good hands...

From the Washington Post:

As fiscal hawks surrendered, would-be government contractors were meeting in the Hart Senate Office Building to figure out how to get a share of the money. A "Katrina Reconstruction Summit," hosted by Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) and sponsored by Halliburton, among others, brought some 200 lobbyists, corporate representatives and government staffers to a room overlooking the Capitol for a five-hour conference that included time for a "networking break" and advice on "opportunities for private sector involvement."

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) sent his budget director, Bill Hoagland, who cautioned that federal Katrina spending might not exceed $100 billion. But John Clerici, from a law firm that helped sponsor the event, told the group that spending would "probably be larger" than $200 billion. "It's going to be spent in a fast and furious way," Clerici said.

Somewhere, a Libertarian is crying.

The Ugly Truth about Superman

Well I guess you really do learn something new every day. Today, thanks to Superdickery, I found out about the true nature of Superman. And the truth isn't pretty. Contrary to popular opinion, it's obvious that this guy's no hero or friend to mankind, he's nothing but a thug!. When he isn't torturing his friends or finding new ways to murder Lois Lane (and it appears that a substantial portion of his time is spent on these activities), he's no doubt off getting some sadistic pleasure from bullying and extorting the everyday citizens of metropolis. Here's some of the damning evidence:




While that evidence is certainly more than enough, it's just the tip of the iceberg! I, for one, am thankful for the people who run the Superdickery website and their dedication to proving to the world, once and for all, that Superman is a dick. The next time I find myself under attack from an arch-villian bent on world-domination or some tentacled science experiment gone awry, you can bet that I'll be calling on Batman, Spiderman or the X-men for help. That pyschopath in blue pajamas can go eat kryptonite!

Skinny Foreigners Making Beautiful Music

I got the chance hear NPR's live webcasting of the Icelandic band Sigur Ros in concert tonight. I really love those guys. Their music is haunting and satisfying at the same time. I find that lying in bed with the lights turned off and my headphones on is the ideal way to listen to them. Succinctly put, Sigur Ros is about as close to pure sonic bliss as it gets. Needless to say, the concert was great, but it just made me want to see them in person all the more. I'm afraid, though, that I may have already missed my shot at getting tickets to their current U.S. tour. Oh well. One of these years...

It's not that I don't respect your opinion....well...yes it is

Offering unsolicited political opinions to one's coworkers should be grounds for automatic termination. I decided this today after having to listen to two of my colleagues bloviate regarding the terrible situation in New Orleans and who is and is not to blame. Actually, no. That's not true. I came to this conclusion some time ago after enduring a rant over lunch on how the French people are all arrogant (anybody who doesn't see the rank hypocrisy in declaring that the entire population of a country he's never visited is arrogant deserves a swift kick to the shins), but today I really reached my limit.

Everybody has opinions, but for whatever reason some people have this silly notion that just because they have an opinion, somehow that means it needs to be expressed and with as much bullshit armchair analysis as possible. It's not that I have anything against bullshit armchair analysis. I don't. It's just that there's already a place for such things and it's called the Internet. Hence this blog...

Let me tell you something: I've got all kinds of opinions on all sorts of topics too, but do I subject you to them? No. Why? Because I'm not an obnoxious prick who feels the need to waste work time in an (unsuccessful) attempt to convince my colleagues that I'm smart and well-informed. How about this? You refrain from telling me that Hillary Clinton "just needs to be shot" and I'll restrain myself from letting you know that I think Tom Delay should be given the world's longest lemon juice enema. Capeesh?