Tuesday, October 16, 2007
From the mouths of babes ...
Sunday, August 12, 2007
OK, I've reached the 900th post here on Politizine. Almost five years and 900 posts. Wow. I was going to write up something special for the 1,000th post but I'm not there yet. I probably would be if I did what other bloggers do, and put everything in an individual post. I just don't have time for that, frankly. And, I like a bunch of stuff on one page. To celebrate, here is a link to some very cool UFO footage, supposedly from Haiti. I don't know what these things are and I don't know if they are real. But, if they are toys, someone tell me where to get one because I want one!
Friday, July 6, 2007
I can't believe that "Nightline" is doing a piece on UFOs tonight. It could have something to do with this: ["Roswell theory revived by deathbed confession"]. Or this, which was mentioned: ["Out of the Blue"]. I'm going to watch this video after "Nightline."
Update: Shockingly balanced and free-of-ridicule segment there. Can hardly wait to watch "Out of the Blue" for myself.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
It has been a quick few weeks since I've done any headline roundups. Sorry about that. Things have been a bit crazy but here are some of the things which have piqued my interest over the past few weeks.
Front page editorials: You gotta love 'em. And, almost no one does them anymore. This is too bad because it does bring you back to the classic days of the newspaper business.
Locally, the New Hampshire Union Leader has them every once in awhile, although they aren't as rough and tumble as the old days. Here is one from publisher Joe McQuaid from today's UL: ["Seatbelts good; big government force is bad"].
Most days, I wear my seatbelt. It's a no-brainer to wear your seatbelt. But that doesn't mean our state or nation needs a law forcing us to wear them. We simply don't. But that is what we are about to get here in the Granite State. McQuaid doesn't make the point of economics in his editorial today but it is an issue. This is a revenue stream for state and local governments and nothing more. Shame on them!
I admit, I voted for a lot of Democrats in 2006. I was angry like a lot of folks were and I wanted to make a major statement with my vote. In my neck of the woods, the Democrats always win anyway, so my votes for the state Legislatures weren't very meaningful. Although, my vote for one Republican, Rep. Liz Hager, admittedly, a liberal one, who I happen to like personally, probably helped her hold onto her seat because she only won by a measly 155 votes over someone named Karen Kelly.
At the same time, I didn't vote for Democrats so that they could turn New Hampshire into a nanny state. I also didn't vote them in to obsess over social issues which often distract us from more important issues like economics and education. I voted to send a Democrat to Congress so he would work to end this stupid war. I voted to send Democrats to the Legislature so they would work with Gov. John Lynch to fix the education problem and eliminate the broad-based property tax.
So far, they've haven't gotten the job done and they have been there for months.
Instead, the Legislature has spent time rescinding the rights of parents to know if their under-age daughters are getting abortions, passing a useless resolution against the Iraq war, and is now looking at passing a seatbelt law [Yeah, I know, I know, it was Hager's bill to rescind the rights of parents on the abortion. We'll agree to disagree on that issue]. Maybe it's bad PR, but I doubt it. I normally wouldn't have a problem with a resolution on the Iraq issue but there is too much work to be done to waste the Legislature's time on such things. That is the Congress' job. The Legislature should leave the federal issues to the federal candidates and work on issues they actually have jurisdiction over.
I truly hope that the Democrats in this state can get back on track or they will probably find themselves out of power just as quickly as they got in.
FCC makes good: Over the years, I, and others, have been really disappointed in the FCC. They have done some pretty ridiculous things. But today, they made good. And the next time you are on a long trip on a plane, you can thank them for this one: ["FCC Says 'No' to Cell Phones on Planes"].
Cellphones, as I've written before, are great tools. They shouldn't be treated as toys, even though they are. Almost all of us who have them have come to rely on them and we wouldn't know what to do without them. However, when you are trapped somewhere, the last thing you want is some yahoo yacking on his cellphone. Sure, we can put on our headphones and ignore it. But this change wasn't needed. And we can award the FCC with a big Thank You!
An aware government?: As we complain about government, it is important to recognize when governments do good things. Let's take a look at one recent example, in France, where the government has decided to release its UFO files: ["France opens secret UFO files covering 50 years"]. Wow. Fifty years? Amazing. The article gives the official site but it is useless to those of us who don't know French.
Speaking of space, I continue to be fascinated by stuff going on in space, including these very cool pictures of the sun: ["Dazzling new images reveal the 'impossible' on the Sun"].
Two bogus stories which make we wonder about things. First, the National Organization for Women has to complain about this one: ["NOW Demands Access to Program Geared to Fathers"]. Like, can't fathers get a break?
And then this, a questionable report about who pays taxes in America: ["Who Pays America's Tax Burden, and Who Gets the Most in Government Spending?"]. I'm sorry, this study just doesn't wash. You can prove almost anything with numbers, especially when you don't count corporate welfare, giveaways, and subsidies, which almost always go to the more affluent. Just counting welfare and poor people's programs skews the numbers. I will update this with a bit more in-depth analysis in the future.
My dad has a hot new band that is all the rage in South Florida: [Sol Expressions]
Lastly, a long, but good, article on NPR: ["Has Success Spoiled NPR?"].
Here are some quick political headlines:
The first quarter money numbers are in and here are the details.
For the Dems:
Sen. Hillary Clinton: $26 million-plus.
Former Sen. John Edwards: $14 million-plus.
Gov. Bill Richardson: $6 million.
Sen. Chris Dodd: $4 million.
Sen. Joe Biden: About $3 million.
Sen. Barack Obama: Unknown but expected to be close to Hillary's numbers.
For the GOP:
Former Gov. Mitt Romney: About $20 million.
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani: $17 million.
Sen. John McCain: $12.5 million.
Sen. Sam Brownback: $1.3 million.
Rep. Tom Tancredo: ABout $1 million.
Former Gov. Mike Huckabee: About $500,000.
The figures don't include money transferred from previous accounts, just funds which were raised in the quarter. Money transfers don't count. As I find more numbers for the other candidates, I will post updates.
The firefighters continue to go after Giuliani: ["Giuliani Faces Questions About Sept. 11"]
MSNBC eyes New Hampshire 2008 Senate race: ["Sununu seems beatable, but by whom?"]
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Alright, it's been a few days. Here are some articles you may or may not have seen. Have at 'em. Later this week, when I get a free minute, I will answer the question asked by Suzy and Janice earlier this week.
Boston cable access: Yeah, I know, I don't live in Boston anymore, I live in New Hampshire. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't post some articles from south of the border which might be worth a read. Here's one of those articles: ["The Cable Guys"]. This article, by Dan Kennedy, highlights the great work being put into Boston's cable access station. I can tell you that the two shows featured - Talk of the Neighborhoods and NNN - are really good since I watched them all the time when I lived in Boston.
The biting, vicious, and sometime hilarious Howie Carr really gives it to John Kerry ... really hard ... while he is down: ["Latest Iraq casualty: No more Kerry to kick around"]. Hey, all I said was, Thank God. The Herald also has this - a bunch of potential wannabes: ["GOP ready to pounce on vulnerable pol"]. And then there is this foolishness: [Capitol idea: Senator Schilling? Curt's not sure but fans think he is the ticket]. And Howie Carr is losing New England affiliates: ["Howie Carr's replacement"]. And there is this piece in the Phoenix about the shake up going on at WRKO: ["The WRKO shuffle"].
One last thing on Boston. My old acquaintance, Bob Bittner, may have to drop his beautiful music format ... due to high ratings: ["Music fee hikes could scuttle local WJIB"].
A new documentary is being released about Ralph Nader: ["An Unreasonable Man"]. It begins touring the larger cities on Jan. 31.
The Air Force says mysterious lights in the sky which were recently spotted are actually a new weapons test: ["Lights 'not of this earth' mystery finally solved"]. While other lights are seen in South Carolina: ["911 callers report lights in the sky"].
Hillary not so hot in online polls: ["2008: January straw poll results"]. Official polling data may say people like her but the activist, blogger, online crowd doesn't think too much of her.
Looking for cheap gas in New Hampshire? Go here: ["New Hampshire Gas Prices"].
Wednesday, January 17, 2007

An Air Force Colonel took pictures of these lights in the sky.
Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow ... More lights in the sky, this time, with pictures and right after the Chicago situation: ["Air Force colonel lights 'not of this world'"]. Interestingly, the colonel pointed to Biblical text with similar revelations.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
This morning's Monitor has an extensive 2008 poll conducted by Research 2000 during the same time period pollsters completed a poll in Iowa. The online edition of the Monitor doesn't have the poll but the newspaper version does. Here is the article: ["Obama strong in new poll"]. Clearly the poll is biased because Sen. Obama was in the state just before the polling and got a slew of media coverage. But who knows. Here are some of the details:
DEMS:
Hillary Clinton: 22%
Barack Obama: 21%
John Edwards: 16%
Al Gore: 10%
John Kerry: 7%
Wesley Clark: 4%
Dennis Kucinich: 4%
Joe Biden: 2%
Tom Vilsack: 2%
Evan Bayh: 2%
Bill Richardson: 2%
Undecided: 2%
GOP:
Rudy Guiliani: 26%
John McCain: 25%
Mitt Romney: 10%
Newt Gingrich: 8%
Condi Rice: 6%
George Pataki: 3%
Jeb Bush: 1%
George Allen: 1%
Sam Brownback: 1%
Rick Santorum: 1%
Duncan Hunter: 0%
Undecided: 18%
Some thoughts: Where do the Gore voters go if he doesn't run? Kerry should just give it up. It's hilarious to see Clark, the war criminal, tied with Kucinich, the peace candidate. Kucinich got 1.3 percent in 2004's primary so he is already three times ahead of the game. It is also interesting to see voters naming a slew of candidates who are not running, like Bayh, Allen, Bush, and Santorum. Allen lost a squeaker but any presidential aspirations he had are over. Santorum got totally clocked ... by 18 points. Anyone thinking he is going to run, or has any chance of winning, is delusional. Lastly, Vilsack, Bayh, and Gingrich didn't seem to get any boost from recent visits to the state. Granted, it's early.
Global warming?
It's friggin' Christmas and it is 47 degrees outside! Where is the cold weather? Where is the frost? Where is the snow? I got my son a two-man rubber toboggan for Christmas ... but there's no snow to use it! Ugh.
Link dump
Here is a bunch of stuff I've been meaning to share.
Ralph Nader continues to make sense: ['This is about corporate-managed trade']. Lori Wallach is one of my heroes. I also haven't bought Sen. Byron Dorgan's book yet but I plan to when it comes out in paperback.
If the end of oil is coming soon, this is something we should all look at: ["DIY Fuel"].
Very interesting: ["Pyramids were built with concrete rather than rocks, scientists claim"]. So, I guess they won't be digging around the Sahara looking for those space machines from Exodus any time soon ...
Last night, I stumbled across the "Dark Skies" pilot listed in On Demand and watched it. I had forgotten how good the show was. And, it makes sites like this one, even more interesting: ["Alien Payback"]. I saw this linked at DailyKos of all places. I don't fault the guy for trying to get his story out there. But I find it strange that you can get booted from DailyKos for supporting Ralph Nader or for challenging anything but the official story about 9-11, but he then accepts ads from people who claimed to have been abducted by aliens and injected with stuff. Ohhhh-kaaayhh.
Speaking of 9-11, this site has a whole slew of stuff which is really worth a second look: ["Killtown"]. This site, along with this one: ["9-11 Truth"] this one: ["Share the truth"] and this one: ["Scholars for 9/11 truth"], are worth second looks. I would also advise people to watch the "Loose Change" documentary ... with an open mind. I don't know if 9-11 was an "inside job" or whether or not government officials had prior knowledge. But, I don't believe that a 757 was flown into the Pentagon and no one has yet explained why WTC 7 was "pulled." I wish the FBI would release all the security tapes they confiscated from the Sheraton and 7-11 right near the Pentagon. Which actually find out that it was a cruise missile and not an airliner which crashed into the Pentagon.
Aaron Russo, a former Libertarian Presidential candidate, has been working on this new documentary, which is now out on DVD: ["America: Freedom to Fascism"]. I'm looking forward to checking it out.
This guy created MySpace ... and he has a lot of complaining to do: ["Free MySpace"].
Joy Division doesn't like upcoming documentary: ["Joy Division doesn't like 'Control'"].
And then, there is this: ["Forespray"].
WSJ
I really enjoy reading the Wall Street Journal. Despite some delivery problems - it took six weeks to get the sub started and since that time, I haven't received a full week. I usually only get four issues a week and I don't think I'm the only person in Concord, N.H. getting the thing. But I really like reading it. There are changes coming and most of them look pretty good:
Dear Subscriber:
We live in an era of change, and the way we get our news has also changed.
So, starting January 2, 2007 you will see a more relevant Journal designed to better meet your needs. There will be increased focus on interpretation, insight and ideas …more of what the news means and not just what happened.
And your Journal will look different too. It will come to you in a slimmer, easier to handle size, with a more legible typeface. There will be better section labeling and more daily summaries to help you find what you need more quickly.
Some other great new features include …
- “Today’s Agenda” designed to alert you to the meaning of news expected later in the day.
- “In Brief” summaries which will mirror the popular “What’s News” on key industries and topics inside the paper.
- Value-added Statistics that graphically communicate market information and global market trends each day.
- NEW Markets Data Center at WSJ.com available free to all subscribers. This site will provide full stock listings and easy ways to put data into context. Innovative features include stock and index charting, access to market-moving headlines and email delivery of key market information.
Please visit now at wsj.com/mdctour to find out for yourself how easy Markets Data Center is to use.
We hope you like what you will see on January 2. Be assured that what has not changed is the high quality content and credibility you have come to expect from The Journal. As always we welcome your reactions, comments and thoughts. You can contact us at newlookfeedback@wsj.com.
Sincerely,
The Wall Street Journal