Top Ten Reasons Chicago Didn't Get the Olympics

An e-mail:

10. Dead people can't vote at IOC meetings

9. Obama distracted by 25 min meeting with Gen. McChrystal

8. Who cares if Obama couldn't talk the IOC into Chicago? He'll be able to talk Iran out of nukes.

7. The impediment is Israel still building settlements.

6. Obviously no president would have been able to acomplish it.

5. We've been quite clear and said all along that we didn't want the Olympics.

4. This isn't about the number of Olympics "lost", it's about the number of Olympics "saved" or "created".

3. Clearly not enough wise Latina judges on the committee

2. Because the IOC is racist.

1. It's George Bush's fault.

Yes I'm still laughing my ass off about this whole thing.

books 09

Read so far:

( 1-50 behind cut )

51. Frederick Wentworth, Captain: For You Alone by Susan Kaye [x]
52. Resenting the Hero by Moira J. Moore
53. The Hero Strikes Back by Moira J. Moore
54. Heroes Adrift by Moira J. Moore
55. Heroes at Risk by Moira J. Moore [x]
56. Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey [x]
57. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
58. Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson [x]
59. Good-Bye, Pink Pig by CS Adler [x]
60. Help, Pink Pig! by CS Adler
61. The Giver by Lois Lowry [x]
62. The Devil's Eye by Jack McDevitt
63. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
64. Thief! Said the Cat by Louise Munro Foley
65. Blood! Said the Cat by Louise Munro Foley [x]
66. Alcatraz versus the Scrivener's Bones by Brandon Sanderson [x]
67. Poison! Said the Cat by Louise Munro Foley
68. Lightning by Dean Koontz

Started reading, couldn't get into

- Prophet by Frank E. Peretti
- Emma by Jane Austen

In Progress:

The Wizard Hunters by Martha Wells [x]

( In the queue: )

( Interested but not yet in possession: )

Key:
x = first time read | L = library book

Great post from Moe Lane at redstate.com

Let me explain what happened here to President Obama with regard to the Olympic bid.

One has to make a distinction between the people of the world, and the governments of the world. The people of the world generally like the USA/Americans/the concept of America for one or more of the following reasons:

* Because we are free;
* Because we are vulgar;
* Because we are loud;
* And because we visibly do not care if anybody likes that or not.

Meanwhile, most national governments do not like the USA/Americans/the concept of America for one or more of the following reasons:

* Because we are free;
* Because we are vulgar;
* Because we are loud;
* And because we visibly do not care if anybody likes that or not.

So, when the President went to the IOC to get this valuable thing for his home city and country, I’m sure that he thought that he would be able to remedy the situation. But all that he did was make it clear to people who don’t like us very much - mostly for the ‘vulgar’ and ‘loud’ bits - that he and the USA could be quite gratifyingly (to them) snubbed. So they did. And they enjoyed doing it, because they know that there’s damned little that the USA can do to them about it.

Personally, I’m grateful: this is an incredibly cheap lesson in Foreign Relations 120: Why we don’t have better relations with certain countries. It is my sincere hope that the President take the hint, and stop worrying quite so much about our overseas reputation. And by ’stop worrying quite as much’ I mean ‘visibly do not care.’

Moe Lane

PS: There are quite a few governments that do not hate us, of course. Unfortunately, these days one thing that they mostly have in common is in having been snubbed by this administration. It’d be great if that stopped happening.

long overdue update

Okay, so my actual life-related post was a while ago. I haven't been busy, exactly, just distracted. Well, and a little busy.

So, working. Just a quick primer -- ( Read more... )

So, long story short, I'll be working as of Monday, but until the district gets their head out of their asses I'll be considered - and probably paid as, at least for the first pay period - as a sub. Meaning I'll need to keep up my COBRA benefits for the time being. But at least I'll be working.

Meanwhile I've been driving Mom around the area the last few days. She's got this eye problem, and even the specialists have never seen it before, but basically in one eye the blood vessels in the back of the eye are 'leaking', and that obviously affects the vision in that eye. Every once in a while she goes and gets an injection in the eye - icky! - that's supposed to stop the leakage. She got an injection about a week and a half ago, and the day before yesterday that eye started bothering her. Puffy, sore, tearing up... not good. Dad's been working so I took her to the local optomitrist, and he looked and said, 'yeah, it's inflamed but I don't see any other problems' and we called her retina specialist and he wanted to see her today, and they're in Oakland, so yeah, I've been playing chauffeur a lot :) Good news is the specialist says it's not an infection, and she's got a nice cornucopia of eyedrops that seem to be helping. Tomorrow we're going to shop for work pants - for me - at JCP. Woot ;)

Let's see... anything else? Oh. I had some TV-related remarks but I'll put that in a separate post.