Closed Until Further Notice

THE LEFT HAND COLUMN

• 
• 
• 
•  

blogroll

Deleting Bush

(Bloggerel Mailbag)

How to start your day with a positive attitude:

1. Create a "new folder" on your computer.

2. Name it "George W. Bush".

3. Send it to the trash.

4. Empty the trash.

5. Your computer will ask you: "Do you really want to get rid of
"George W. Bush"?

6. Answer calmly, "Yes", and press the mouse button firmly.
(Thanks, Pepper)

Posted by: Likes2mtnbike at August 29, 2004 09:18 | link | comments

Ketchup Wars!

Posted by: Likes2mtnbike at August 29, 2004 08:53 | link | comments

Another '80's Icon Gone

'Gloria' singer Laura Branigan dead at 47

Posted by: Likes2mtnbike at August 28, 2004 22:03 | link | comments

I Came, I Saw, I Won a Medal and You Didn't

"Anybody that grew up in the U.S. and is able to be a basketball player in the NBA, you understand what that country has done for you and your family," Iverson said. "It gave you an opportunity to support your family and be recognized as a household name. I mean, it's just an honor to be able to do something like that, and I would advise anybody that's selected to a team like this to take that honor and cherish it."-Allen Iverson, on NBA players who passed on repping their country.

Well shut my mouth. Allen Iverson just keeps surprising.

Nicely said.

Posted by: Likes2mtnbike at August 28, 2004 21:43 | link | comments

"Because I got high, because I got high, because I got high..."

John Capel, USA Track & Field.

Posted by: Likes2mtnbike at August 28, 2004 20:53 | link | comments

Hamm on Rye

It's like a sandwich, it's either wet or dry. Either you sit in front of the television enjoying yourself full-body, or you stand at the sink, eating and dripping goodness into the basin.

Paul Hamm doesn't deserve to go into the basin. He said he would give up the medal if the FIG asked him. He won't, of course, but the point I'm now getting is that they never should have asked.

Read what convinced me here.

Just because he won't give it up on his own doesn't make it right to try and shame and humiliate him into doing so. It's not for me to judge Paul Hamm so I can feel morally superior.

Posted by: Likes2mtnbike at August 28, 2004 09:46 | link | comments

Hamming It Up

At one point, Paul Hamm was willing to do the right thing.

"For me personally, I will abide by whatever the FIG decides," he said after competing in two events without winning a medal in Sunday night's gymnastics programme at the Athens Games. "I still feel I'm the Olympic champion."

That is until the FIG asked him to do it.

"..the federation's president, Bruno Grandi, asked the gymnast Paul Hamm give up his gold medal in the all-around event. Grandi wrote that ``such an action would be recognized as the ultimate demonstration of fair play by the whole world'' and that ``you are the only one who can make this decision.''

At one point, the USOC was willing to do the right thing.

“We have indicated to them that we would be willing to consider the notion of a second gold medal being awarded,” USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel said. “It’s up to the Korean Olympic Comittee to determine how it wants to proceed. There’s a willingness to at least consider this idea.”

That is, until everyone hauled ass outa Athens.

Peter Ueberroth, chairman of the United States committee, called the federation's action ``deplorable'' and said, ``They are deflecting their own incompetence.''

``I felt really horrible that no one was defending me, not USA Gymnastics, not the F.I.G. who caused the whole thing, nobody,'' he said. In the end, Hamm said he felt ``in his heart'' that he was the rightful Olympic champion, but that would agree to share the medal, if the federation required him to do so. (Which they claim they cannot).

Somebody call the WAHmbulance. Poor Paul. Look, it's not like I don't feel for him. But now he's starting to justify everything. Of COURSE it wasn't his fault. CERTAINLY you hate to see judges being the ones to f*** everything up, leaving the jocks rolling their eyes. But, come on. It's just not a W. Not like this.

Here's a tidbit, referenced in the same NY Times article:

During the trampoline world championships in 2001, the federation changed the results at the request of the gymnast Irina Karavaeva, after she learned that she had won the gold because of a judging error. She gave up her gold medal.

Posted by: Likes2mtnbike at August 27, 2004 16:20 | link | comments

Learn a Word a Day By Using it in Every Way

Today's word is: KERFUFFLE

Suspect T-shirt causes school kerfuffle

School chief mistakenly thinks Hempstead refers to drugs.

Twit!

Posted by: Likes2mtnbike at August 27, 2004 06:00 | link | comments

Until This...

GOP to 'respect and accept' dissent

Oh I get it. They'll accept dissent from other GOP ("God is Our President") members but not anyone else in America.

Dang.

Posted by: Likes2mtnbike at August 26, 2004 18:19 | link | comments

Best Headline of the Day So Far:

Canadian MP calls U.S. 'idiots' (via cnn.com)

Canadian Member of Parliament Carolyn Parrish had said she hated "damned Americans" and called them bastards in the run-up to the Iraq war. She found a new moniker, idiots, on Wednesday in discussing the planned U.S. missile defense system.

"We are not joining the coalition of the idiots. We are joining the coalition of the wise."

Uh, that would be our President who's an idiot, Ms. Parrish. Get it right.

Now why don't you just run along and go club some baby seals?

Posted by: Likes2mtnbike at August 26, 2004 18:10 | link | comments

Do You Needed More Evidence That George W. Bush is an Inept and Dangerous Space Alien?

(Not to insult aliens...)

REPORT: 1.3 MILLION MORE AMERICANS IN POVERTY

The nation’s poverty rate rose for a third straight year in 2003 and the ranks of the uninsured swelled, the Census Bureau said.

Got that? The Census Bureau. Nothing but numbers and facts. Not raving LIBERALS, not demented Democrats, the damned Census Bureau.

Posted by: Likes2mtnbike at August 26, 2004 17:34 | link | comments

Not-So-Swift Boat Veterans Floundering (via msnbc.com)

WP: Bush lawyer advised anti-Kerry vets

Chief outside counsel for campaign aided Swift boaters

CRAWFORD, Tex. - A top lawyer in President Bush's reelection campaign acknowledged Tuesday that he has been advising the veterans group seeking to discredit Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry's military record, an admission the Kerry campaign said is evidence the president's campaign is orchestrating a "smear" by the private group.

Asked about the Ginsberg matter Tuesday night, Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt said: "There has been no coordination at any time between Bush-Cheney '04 and any 527 organization."

Don'cha just lurve a hair-splitter?

Posted by: Likes2mtnbike at August 25, 2004 06:00 | link | comments

Will The Real Tampa Please Stand Up?

Oh boy, can blogging be embarrassing. Like recently, when I read a fellow local blog and couldn't decide what to do first: rant at every entry that's poorly-researched and reflective of the amount of time (34 months) the blogger has actually lived in the area he/she blogs, or just shoot myself. That being an option I've always saved for later, I picked rant. But gently.

The author is one of those people who refer to the South Howard Avenue area of Tampa as SoHo. You know, like New York, only not there. By a long shot. These folks are generally 22-34 years old or realtors. They come to sunny Florida to study but can't get into FSU or UF so they "settle" for Tampa's USF. After graduation they forget to go home. I would direct you to the offending blog but I fear, also not being from the area, that you, all 8 of you, might actually take some of these ramblings as fact. And that's just 8 too many.

Apparently nothing in Tampa is satisfactory. The blogger can't understand why the City of Tampa wouldn't want to give away (for free) an entire city block for a new park memorializing the late Bern Laxer. The old one, which is actually new,(Called Bern's Park), is seemingly just awful and the blogger isn't activist enough to call Lowe's or Home Depot for his/her self. The same blogger also aspires to raise awareness in the *gak* SoHo area about the road conditions. Who knew? A city by the bay with flood problems. Somebody go tell Mayor Pam.

I tried to give the author some background information via comments, (I did live there 35 years), but, alas, they didn't jibe with the already-made-up mind of the blogger. so they were deleted. Heh heh. Kinda like George Bush: don't bother me with facts, I've already made up my mind. And so, my bloggy little fingers begin to rant right back.

Let's see, you say the libraries stink, the mayor does nothing (It's called a "strong-mayor" system, like St. Petersburg, which means a mayor-council format. She's not supposed to do anything without the council), the police are ineffectual (Try telling that to Lois Marrero's co-workers), the schools (one of which bloggity attends, mind) are likened to "garbage," (Oh come on, they're more like Hole, Garbage is hot), the graveyards and parks are "poorly maintained" and there are just too darned many stray dogs. Sigh. I had no idea. Someone should notify the City Council immediately.

The blog does manage a compliment for its adopted home, though:

The prisons are nice.

Okay, okay, I can't resist: there's only one actual DOC prison in Hillsborough county and nary a one in Tampa. Not even SoHo.

Posted by: Likes2mtnbike at August 22, 2004 23:41 | link | comments

Team USA Men's Basketball Loses

The American men's basketball team lost to Lithuania 94-90. It was either yesterday night, this morning or live, they never say anymore.

After all I've read about their behavior and demeanor at the Olympics, call me un-American but those cocky 2nd-stringers got their comeuppance. Wonder what that puny whiner Alan Iverson will come up with to brush it off? They congratulated themselves mid-court and then, as they were heading to the locker room, ignored the victorious Lithuanians and players could be seen peeling off their USA singlets, in full view of the crowd.

I say we go back to sending the best college players. At least they'd appreciate the experience.

 

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Then there's the situation with gymnastic all-around champ Paul Hann Hamm (don't proofread, look stupid...). Apparently, his medal really did come at the expense of the South Korean, Yang Tae-young via a scoring error. If he's the man he appears to be, he'll give it up to the Korean. His coach says no asterisk by his name but I'm not so sure.

And is is just me or does Michael Phelps need to quit counting medals? Just as it's nowhere near as much fun watching a football team that starts out with one group of players and ends up in the Superbowl with an entirely different crew, watching swimmers switching out on relays between heats and finals and then everybody gets a medal is boring.

Local girl Maritza Correia showed herself a crybaby. Bumped from a relay by her head coach, she took her complaint to anyone who would listen. And it didn't help that her dad did the same.

Former Dartmouth football player Adam Nelson spent nearly three minutes in the shot put ring after his toss, pleading his case that he didn't foul on his final throw, giving him a silver rather than the expected gold medal. Like a tempramental kid trying hard not to pitch a fit, Nelson could be heard shouting, "Idid not. I did NOT. No I didn't," pointing to an imaginary spot where his fould didn't occur.

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle." Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games

Posted by: Likes2mtnbike at August 21, 2004 13:05 | link | comments

The Obligatory Thanks

-That Charley didn't come here as anticipated.

-That mom's place came out fine.

-That this may scare some people into going back to wherever they came here from.

-That all my friends are safe.

-That hurricane season is over in November.

Posted by: Likes2mtnbike at August 21, 2004 10:53 | link | comments