Sunday, April 29, 2012
Trouble getting your wireless-enabled LG Network Blu-Ray DVD player to connect to your wireless network?
Using the router configuration, try assigning it a fixed IP address, based on its MAC address. This is what finally worked for me. This was not required when using the wired (ethernet) alternative.
Using the router configuration, try assigning it a fixed IP address, based on its MAC address. This is what finally worked for me. This was not required when using the wired (ethernet) alternative.
Sunday, May 08, 2011
What would they be saying?
The more partisan Republicans are finding ways to complain even about Obama's success in ridding the world of Osama bin Laden.
What would they say if...
Instead, the President who rescues the economy, passes a Conservative version of universal health are, rescues General Motors, and gets bin Laden is labeled a "marxist".
What would they say if...
- Obama had lost the popular vote but won the Electoral College with a partial recount?
- 9/11 had ocurred under Obama's watch?
- Obama invaded the wrong country, and done it badly?
- The entire financial system had collapsed under his watch?
- Obama had abrogated Habeas Corpus and introduced "enhanced interrogation techniques" never before considered legal in the US?
Instead, the President who rescues the economy, passes a Conservative version of universal health are, rescues General Motors, and gets bin Laden is labeled a "marxist".
Yes we can... be happy that Osama is gone
Before it gets too stale, a quick note, reacting to the (mostly liberal) scolds who can't tolerate a celebration.
Even though I am against the death penalty, I recognize that there are people who deserve it. (I just think that very fallible governments should not be deciding how to apply it, and in any case, life in prison is a good alternative that can be reversed if an error was made).
Among the people who do deserve the death penalty, there's a further select few whose death can be celebrated, simply because it has the potential to prevent so much future suffering. Among these Kony, Escobar, and Bin Laden.
So I celebrate not so much his death, but the fact that he won't spend the next 20 years causing the trouble he caused for the last 20.
The fact that bin Laden killed 3,000 Americans on US soil and lived 10 more years to tell the tale adds further pressure to the bottled-up emotions. It was an embarrasment that he was still around.
Steven Colbert might have said it best: "I hope I am never again this happy over someone's death."
It's OK. We don't all have to be Ghandi or the Dalai Lama.
I always thought this fake Mark Twain quote was dubious: "I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure". Twain was an honest writer, and probably did wish someone dead at some point in his life.
Even though I am against the death penalty, I recognize that there are people who deserve it. (I just think that very fallible governments should not be deciding how to apply it, and in any case, life in prison is a good alternative that can be reversed if an error was made).
Among the people who do deserve the death penalty, there's a further select few whose death can be celebrated, simply because it has the potential to prevent so much future suffering. Among these Kony, Escobar, and Bin Laden.
So I celebrate not so much his death, but the fact that he won't spend the next 20 years causing the trouble he caused for the last 20.
The fact that bin Laden killed 3,000 Americans on US soil and lived 10 more years to tell the tale adds further pressure to the bottled-up emotions. It was an embarrasment that he was still around.
Steven Colbert might have said it best: "I hope I am never again this happy over someone's death."
It's OK. We don't all have to be Ghandi or the Dalai Lama.
I always thought this fake Mark Twain quote was dubious: "I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure". Twain was an honest writer, and probably did wish someone dead at some point in his life.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Paying their fair share
There's a piece of sophistry that has been popular in the blog comments lately, and has now percolated up to the opinion pages of the New York Times, in the form of Ross Douhat's column today.
The argument seems to be that since taxing the rich at 100% won't eliminate the deficit, then for some reason the rich should not have their taxes raised at all.
People: Just because it won't solve the entire problem, but only a part of it, doesn't mean it shouldn't be done!!!
This tax day, I'm hearing about Wall Street millionaires who pay a tax rate that is literally 20 to 30 times lower than what working folks pay. Is that shared sacrifice?
The argument seems to be that since taxing the rich at 100% won't eliminate the deficit, then for some reason the rich should not have their taxes raised at all.
People: Just because it won't solve the entire problem, but only a part of it, doesn't mean it shouldn't be done!!!
This tax day, I'm hearing about Wall Street millionaires who pay a tax rate that is literally 20 to 30 times lower than what working folks pay. Is that shared sacrifice?
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Musical break
A beautiful song that I was lucky enough to hear live:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhXGyer-cIg
If the "Acoustic Africa" tour comes close to you, it is *highly* recommended.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhXGyer-cIg
If the "Acoustic Africa" tour comes close to you, it is *highly* recommended.
Quote of the Day
From Joe Klein:
"This is my 10th presidential campaign, Lord help me. I have never before seen such a bunch of vile, desperate-to-please, shameless, embarrassing losers coagulated under a single party's banner. They are the most compelling argument I've seen against American exceptionalism. Even Tim Pawlenty, a decent governor, can't let a day go by without some bilious nonsense escaping his lizard brain."
"This is my 10th presidential campaign, Lord help me. I have never before seen such a bunch of vile, desperate-to-please, shameless, embarrassing losers coagulated under a single party's banner. They are the most compelling argument I've seen against American exceptionalism. Even Tim Pawlenty, a decent governor, can't let a day go by without some bilious nonsense escaping his lizard brain."
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Double standards
So let me get this right... the NPR CEO quits, because someone who worked under her said some not-so-nice generalizations about "Tea-Partiers", a subset of the right-wing in the US, in a private conversation recorded surrepticiously by a convicted felon, whose team was mis-representing itself.
On the other hand, FOX News' pundits say equal or worse things about "Liberals" as a whole, ON THE AIR, all the time, and get paid for it! And what the NPR guy said about the tea party (that they are "racist"), the FOX News guys get to say about the President of the United States.
I am wondering what we would hear if we taped the private conversations of FOX News executives... or those of any other large organization, at that.
On the other hand, FOX News' pundits say equal or worse things about "Liberals" as a whole, ON THE AIR, all the time, and get paid for it! And what the NPR guy said about the tea party (that they are "racist"), the FOX News guys get to say about the President of the United States.
I am wondering what we would hear if we taped the private conversations of FOX News executives... or those of any other large organization, at that.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
The Governor's quest for "flexibility"
In their quest for "flexibility" in dealing with the State budget, the Republican Wisconsin governor and the Republican-controlled senate passed a new law requiring a two-thirds supermajority, or a referendum, for raising taxes.
Wow, that's really flexible!
As has been pointed out, such governors are described by the media as "attacking yawning budget deficits by facing down public employees and promising not to raise taxes," which makes as much sense as describing them as "fighting the deficit by promising not to cut spending".
Wow, that's really flexible!
As has been pointed out, such governors are described by the media as "attacking yawning budget deficits by facing down public employees and promising not to raise taxes," which makes as much sense as describing them as "fighting the deficit by promising not to cut spending".
Monday, February 21, 2011
Something that everyone can agree on...
Is that there must be a special place in hell for Moammar Gadhafi.
Posters for Madison
Some ideas for posters at the Madison demonstrations:
--------------------
We're broke. Why?
Tax cuts, war, financial crisis (and more tax cuts).
Thanks, George W! (And Scott Walker.)
--------------------
--------------------
Shared Sacrifice?
The Corporations and the Rich: tax cuts
Everyone Else: benefit, salary, service cuts
--------------------
--------------------
We're broke. Why?
Tax cuts, war, financial crisis (and more tax cuts).
Thanks, George W! (And Scott Walker.)
--------------------
--------------------
Shared Sacrifice?
The Corporations and the Rich: tax cuts
Everyone Else: benefit, salary, service cuts
--------------------
Public employee unions
Joe Klein asks:
Public employees unions are an interesting hybrid. Industrial unions are organized against the might and greed of ownership. Public employees unions are organized against the might and greed...of the public?
Answer: against the might and greed of those politicians and millionaires who only want tax cuts and tax breaks, all the time.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Courting Disaster, Indeed
Another Professional Idiot, with a new book with an offensive subtitle:
"Courting Disaster. How the CIA Kept America Safe and how Barack Obama is Inviting the Next Attack", by Marc Thiessen.
Well, Mr. Thiessen, by politizicing the question of the next attack, you are yourself inviting it.
The "next attack" will probably happen, inevitably, no matter who is the president and no matter who gets tortured or not.
The question, really is (a) whether the torture methods that this book defends are compatible with the democratic nature and moral values of the USA, and (b) whether they, in the long run, invite more terrorism or less.
I wrote the above before reading the excellent review of this book by someone who does know what he's talking about --- a military interrogator.
Read it here: http://www.slate.com/id/2246692
"Courting Disaster. How the CIA Kept America Safe and how Barack Obama is Inviting the Next Attack", by Marc Thiessen.
Well, Mr. Thiessen, by politizicing the question of the next attack, you are yourself inviting it.
The "next attack" will probably happen, inevitably, no matter who is the president and no matter who gets tortured or not.
The question, really is (a) whether the torture methods that this book defends are compatible with the democratic nature and moral values of the USA, and (b) whether they, in the long run, invite more terrorism or less.
I wrote the above before reading the excellent review of this book by someone who does know what he's talking about --- a military interrogator.
Read it here: http://www.slate.com/id/2246692
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The World Upside-Down
So now the House Republicans are voting against funding US troops.
Furthermore, they are doing this to deny funds to the IMF.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_06/018645.php
Furthermore, they are doing this to deny funds to the IMF.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_06/018645.php
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Shameless FOX News
Could they be more dishonest?
Quoting the President's speech out of context to make it appear as the opposite of what he actually said:
http://mediamatters.org/research/200906040053
What does this say about the patriotism of the FOX news people involved?
Quoting the President's speech out of context to make it appear as the opposite of what he actually said:
http://mediamatters.org/research/200906040053
What does this say about the patriotism of the FOX news people involved?
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Without a teleprompter
Here is President Obama speaking at a news conference, without a teleprompter.
Compare to George W. Bush.
That entire teleprompter canard, courtesy of Fox and friends, is nothing but another instance of the Karl Rove maxim: attack your enemy's strengths, not his weaknesses.
Compare to George W. Bush.
That entire teleprompter canard, courtesy of Fox and friends, is nothing but another instance of the Karl Rove maxim: attack your enemy's strengths, not his weaknesses.
The man has a talent for projection, that's sure
So Karl Rove, on Fox news, compares the investigation of torture under the Bush Administration to third world dictators:
Of course, it is the practices being investigated, themselves, that are reminiscent of said dictators. It is Rove himself who has done much to put the United States of American on the road to a Banana Republic.
On this subject, TPM makes an apt Junta analogy here.
...what we're going to do is we're going to turn ourselves into the moral equivalent of a Latin American country run [by] colonels in mirrored sunglasses...
Of course, it is the practices being investigated, themselves, that are reminiscent of said dictators. It is Rove himself who has done much to put the United States of American on the road to a Banana Republic.
On this subject, TPM makes an apt Junta analogy here.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
More shameless Karl Rove projection
Now Karl Rove accuses President Obama of using straw man argumentation to a "troubling" degree?
WHAT?????????
As this post correctly points out, George W. Bush knew few argumentative devices other than the straw man.
And the examples from Obama that Mr. Rove thinks are "straw men" are actually, you know, accurate.
WHAT?????????
As this post correctly points out, George W. Bush knew few argumentative devices other than the straw man.
And the examples from Obama that Mr. Rove thinks are "straw men" are actually, you know, accurate.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
A good summary of Karl Rove's carreer
This struck me as a very accurate summary:
p.s. In this post, Noam Scheiber dissects a single paragraph of Rove's editorial. He misses one falsehood: Rove calling the Democrats' spending "permanent". The entire point of the stimulus is that it is temporary --- unlike the permanent tax cuts that Bush and Rove fought so much for.
The good news is, Karl Rove no longer works in the White House, so his capacity to do real damage to the country has been vastly reduced. The bad news is, Rove remains a major media figure, including writing columns for the Wall Street Journal, where he continues to annoy.Rove calls Obama's approach to the stimulus plan "my way or the highway". A CLASSIC case of the projection that they've engaged in for so long. Not to mention the boldface lying.
That this clown helped run the executive branch of government for seven years remains vaguely horrifying. Then again, it also helps explain the mess we're in now.
p.s. In this post, Noam Scheiber dissects a single paragraph of Rove's editorial. He misses one falsehood: Rove calling the Democrats' spending "permanent". The entire point of the stimulus is that it is temporary --- unlike the permanent tax cuts that Bush and Rove fought so much for.
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