A reader e-mailed me this picture. I thought I would share it with you all.
Church bus crash kills 1 in Miss., leaves 27 hurt
21 minutes ago
Friday, October 3, 2008
The Great Debate Reaction
After any big event, I like to use my Facebook friends as a barometer of public opinion. I have friends of all different backgrounds and beliefs from across the country, so it is interesting to see what they think.Here is a quick snippet of Facebook statuses from friends in regards to the Vice Presidential Debate.
Jaya S. is wondering if it's rude that she might want Joe Biden for President. Yikes? Gobama though!
Ben S. Palin Rocks!
Trevor K is debated out, after watching both the US & Canadian election debates..LOL.
Kellie W. Holy crap balls, Palin may actually have a set of balls!
Rick W. wonders if the fourth grade class watching Palin feels dissed by not receiving a shoutout too.
Kenny G. sees how divided this country is in the status updates of his friends. So much hostility and mean-spiritedness on both sides. Makes me sad. :-(.
Andrea K. is laughing at the "Tina Fey in 08" picket sign in the background on MSNBC.
Joni N. didn't win the game of Palin Bingo. But "You Betcha" she marked out "Maverick."
Adam T. is happy how the debate went and had fun playing some Palin Bingo.
Al B. is still voting McCain/Palin and PROUD of it! You fu__ing ROCK Sarah Palin!!!
Fausto F. Oh Gwen is getting sassy! "Everyone gets extra credit tonight."
Sonia M is watching the debate...They're talking but they're not saying anything.
Ron R. is FRIGHTENED there are more than three people on the face of the planet that think Sarah Palin's ready to be 2nd in command of my country. Yikes!
Mark B. doesn't think that Sarah Palin knows the fundamental principals behind ANSWERING THE QUESTION! WTF!?!?!
Julie P. not a fan of Biden's dentures...McCain/Palin 2008!!
Laura L. can see Russia from her house!
Crystal B. is pissed, someone stole her McCain/Palin yard sign! Haters.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Fact Checking The Debate
Tonight’s debate was not nearly as train wreckish as I thought it would be. Joe Biden didn’t swallow his foot and Sarah Palin actually had a few answers prepared.They both spouted off a great deal of facts and figures. They talked about voting records and called each other out on fudging the details. But, the average American sitting at home had no idea if those facts were even legitimate.
The guys over at the Associated Press did a little fact checking for us and came up with some interesting findings.
Here’s the article:
Some facts adrift in veep debate
Facts went adrift on taxes, deregulation and more Thursday when Republican Sarah Palin and Democrat Joe Biden clashed in the vice presidential debate.
Some examples:
PALIN: Said of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama: "94 times he voted to increase taxes or not support a tax reduction."
THE FACTS: The dubious count includes repetitive votes as well as votes to cut taxes for the middle class while raising them on the rich. An analysis by factcheck.org found that 23 of the votes were for measures that would have produced no tax increase at all, seven were in favor of measures that would have lowered taxes for many, 11 would have increased taxes on only those making more than $1 million a year.
___
BIDEN: Complained about "economic policies of the last eight years" that led to "excessive deregulation."
THE FACTS: Biden voted for 1999 deregulation that liberal groups are blaming for part of the financial crisis. The law allowed Wall Street investment banks to create the kind of mortgage-related securities at the core of the problem now. The law was widely backed by Republicans as well as by Democratic President Clinton, who argues it has stopped the crisis today from being worse.
___
PALIN: "Two years ago, remember, it was John McCain who pushed so hard with the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reform measures. He sounded that warning bell."
THE FACTS: Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska led an effort in 2005 to tighten regulation on the mortgage underwriters — McCain joined as a co-sponsor a year later. The legislation was never taken up by the full Senate, then under Republican control.
___
BIDEN: Warned that Republican presidential candidate John McCain's $5,000 tax credit to help families buy health coverage "will go straight to the insurance company."
THE FACTS: Of course it would, because it's meant to pay for insurance. That's like saying money for a car loan will go straight to the car dealer.
___
PALIN: "We cannot afford to lose against al-Qaida and the Shia extremists who are still there, still fighting us."
THE FACTS: She appeared to confuse the two main Muslim sects in Iraq. Al-Qaida is solely made up of Sunni Muslim militants. Through the course of the war, U.S. forces fought ferocious opposition from both the Sunnis and the country's dominant Shiite sects. Now, both groups are largely maintaining a cease-fire with the U.S. A much-diminished al-Qaida, mainly foreign fighters, remains the primary threat.
___
BIDEN: Said McCain supports tax breaks for oil companies, and "wants to give them another $4 billion tax cut."
THE FACTS: Biden is repeating a favorite saw of the Obama campaign, and it's misleading. McCain supports a cut in income taxes for all corporations, and doesn't single out any one industry for that benefit.
___
PALIN: Said the United States has reduced its troop level in Iraq to a number below where it was when the troop increase began in early 2007.
THE FACTS: Not correct. The Pentagon says there are currently 152,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, about 17,000 more than there were before the 2007 military buildup began.
___
BIDEN: "As a matter of fact, John recently wrote an article in a major magazine saying that he wants to do for the health care industry — deregulate it and let the free market move — like he did for the banking industry."
THE FACTS: Biden and Obama have been perpetuating this distortion of what McCain wrote in an article for the American Academy of Actuaries. McCain, laying out his health plan, only referred to deregulation when saying people should be allowed to buy health insurance across state lines. In that context, he wrote: "Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation."
___
PALIN: Said Alaska is "building a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline, which is North America's largest and most expensive infrastructure project ever to flow those sources of energy into hungry markets."
THE FACTS: Not quite. Construction is at least six years away. So far the state has only awarded a license to Trans Canada Corp., that comes with $500 million in seed money in exchange for commitments toward a lengthy and costly process to getting a federal certificate. At an August news conference after the state Legislature approved the license, Palin said, "It's not a done deal."
___
PALIN: "Barack Obama even supported increasing taxes as late as last year for those families making only $42,000 a year."
BIDEN: "The charge is absolutely not true. Barack Obama did not vote to raise taxes. The vote she's referring to, John McCain voted the exact same way."
THE FACTS: The vote was on a nonbinding budget resolution that assumed that President Bush's tax cuts would expire, as scheduled, in 2011. If that actually happened, it could mean higher taxes for people making as little as about $42,000. But Obama is proposing tax increases only on the wealthy, and would cut taxes for most others. In the March 14 budget resolution supported by Obama and Biden, McCain actually did not vote.
___
PALIN: Said a McCain-Palin administration "will support Israel," including "building our embassy ... in Jerusalem."
THE FACTS: Moving the U.S. Embassy from its present location in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is a perennial promise of presidential candidates courting the Jewish-American vote. In fact, moving the embassy is actually required by U.S. law. But successive administrations of both parties, including President Bush's, have made the same pledge only to find that the realities of Middle East peacemaking have forced them to invoke a waiver to delay it. Jerusalem is claimed as a capital by both Israel and the Palestinians, and Israel's occupation of east Jerusalem is not internationally recognized. The city's status is a key issue of disagreement in peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
THE FACTS: The dubious count includes repetitive votes as well as votes to cut taxes for the middle class while raising them on the rich. An analysis by factcheck.org found that 23 of the votes were for measures that would have produced no tax increase at all, seven were in favor of measures that would have lowered taxes for many, 11 would have increased taxes on only those making more than $1 million a year.
___
BIDEN: Complained about "economic policies of the last eight years" that led to "excessive deregulation."
THE FACTS: Biden voted for 1999 deregulation that liberal groups are blaming for part of the financial crisis. The law allowed Wall Street investment banks to create the kind of mortgage-related securities at the core of the problem now. The law was widely backed by Republicans as well as by Democratic President Clinton, who argues it has stopped the crisis today from being worse.
___
PALIN: "Two years ago, remember, it was John McCain who pushed so hard with the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reform measures. He sounded that warning bell."
THE FACTS: Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska led an effort in 2005 to tighten regulation on the mortgage underwriters — McCain joined as a co-sponsor a year later. The legislation was never taken up by the full Senate, then under Republican control.
___
BIDEN: Warned that Republican presidential candidate John McCain's $5,000 tax credit to help families buy health coverage "will go straight to the insurance company."
THE FACTS: Of course it would, because it's meant to pay for insurance. That's like saying money for a car loan will go straight to the car dealer.
___
PALIN: "We cannot afford to lose against al-Qaida and the Shia extremists who are still there, still fighting us."
THE FACTS: She appeared to confuse the two main Muslim sects in Iraq. Al-Qaida is solely made up of Sunni Muslim militants. Through the course of the war, U.S. forces fought ferocious opposition from both the Sunnis and the country's dominant Shiite sects. Now, both groups are largely maintaining a cease-fire with the U.S. A much-diminished al-Qaida, mainly foreign fighters, remains the primary threat.
___
BIDEN: Said McCain supports tax breaks for oil companies, and "wants to give them another $4 billion tax cut."
THE FACTS: Biden is repeating a favorite saw of the Obama campaign, and it's misleading. McCain supports a cut in income taxes for all corporations, and doesn't single out any one industry for that benefit.
___
PALIN: Said the United States has reduced its troop level in Iraq to a number below where it was when the troop increase began in early 2007.
THE FACTS: Not correct. The Pentagon says there are currently 152,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, about 17,000 more than there were before the 2007 military buildup began.
___
BIDEN: "As a matter of fact, John recently wrote an article in a major magazine saying that he wants to do for the health care industry — deregulate it and let the free market move — like he did for the banking industry."
THE FACTS: Biden and Obama have been perpetuating this distortion of what McCain wrote in an article for the American Academy of Actuaries. McCain, laying out his health plan, only referred to deregulation when saying people should be allowed to buy health insurance across state lines. In that context, he wrote: "Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation."
___
PALIN: Said Alaska is "building a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline, which is North America's largest and most expensive infrastructure project ever to flow those sources of energy into hungry markets."
THE FACTS: Not quite. Construction is at least six years away. So far the state has only awarded a license to Trans Canada Corp., that comes with $500 million in seed money in exchange for commitments toward a lengthy and costly process to getting a federal certificate. At an August news conference after the state Legislature approved the license, Palin said, "It's not a done deal."
___
PALIN: "Barack Obama even supported increasing taxes as late as last year for those families making only $42,000 a year."
BIDEN: "The charge is absolutely not true. Barack Obama did not vote to raise taxes. The vote she's referring to, John McCain voted the exact same way."
THE FACTS: The vote was on a nonbinding budget resolution that assumed that President Bush's tax cuts would expire, as scheduled, in 2011. If that actually happened, it could mean higher taxes for people making as little as about $42,000. But Obama is proposing tax increases only on the wealthy, and would cut taxes for most others. In the March 14 budget resolution supported by Obama and Biden, McCain actually did not vote.
___
PALIN: Said a McCain-Palin administration "will support Israel," including "building our embassy ... in Jerusalem."
THE FACTS: Moving the U.S. Embassy from its present location in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is a perennial promise of presidential candidates courting the Jewish-American vote. In fact, moving the embassy is actually required by U.S. law. But successive administrations of both parties, including President Bush's, have made the same pledge only to find that the realities of Middle East peacemaking have forced them to invoke a waiver to delay it. Jerusalem is claimed as a capital by both Israel and the Palestinians, and Israel's occupation of east Jerusalem is not internationally recognized. The city's status is a key issue of disagreement in peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Land Of A Million Stereotypes
Louisiana natives are very sensitive when it comes to that old stereotype of us being dumb, alligator-wrestling, dip spitting rednecks. People seem to think that we ride pirogues to work every day just to pay for the food to sustain our pet gators.But, sometimes (most times) we perpetuate those same stereotypes. For instance, my Mom, a social worker, was at a conference for the day – at a casino. Yes, a work day at a casino/hotel. It just so happens to be one of the better hotels in the region, so they hold conferences there. God Bless Louisiana.
Mom wanted me to meet her there for lunch. I hadn’t visited this particular casino in a while and they had renovated part of it and opened a new hotel since my last trip home. The sliding glass doors zip open and I stroll right into a living, breathing stereotype. Right in the middle of the hotel lobby were about two dozen living alligators.
No wonder people think we worship the scaly-skinned reptiles. We have a gang of them planted right smack in the middle of the quintessential “nice” hotel in Central Louisiana. Their habitat is surrounded by the hotel shops and restaurants.
With that said, I couldn’t help but take these pictures and sit and stare at them for about 30 minutes. They aren’t a bad idea and they are surely buzz-worthy. They even have gator shows every Saturday – inside the hotel lobby. I’m serious, that’s no joke. A wrangler brings out raw chicken and feeds the beasts in front of hotel patrons.
Welcome to Louisiana – land of a million true-to-life stereotypes.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Home Town Glory
I stepped off my plane and was immediately met with the sounds of Jazz and the smell of Popeye’s in the air. That’s not some flowery metaphor for being home in Louisiana, that’s a literal account of my first seconds back in the Bayou State. It’s New Orleans and that’s how we do it down here.Riding down I-49, I was surprised to see that weeks later, there is still a good deal of damage from Hurricane Gustav that has yet to be cleaned up. There are still tarps on buildings and downed trees crisscrossing the sides of the road. I counted no less than 12 electric company work vehicles on the Interstate between New Orleans and Alexandria before I fell asleep in the backseat of my patents’ car.
I haven’t been home in a year. When you’re away from something for an extended period of time, you tend to romanticize it. There are apparently a few things that I forgot about my home town.
It’s a small town and there isn’t much to do here. I’m not talking about being bored in Charleston. When you are bored in Charleston, you can always go for a stroll downtown. You can try one the 700 restaurants that you haven’t found the time to check out just yet. You can go people watching in Marion Square, shop at the Outlet mall or dodge the tourist at the Pineapple Fountain. And if all else fails you can see who is playing at Music Farm or Windjammer, there is a good chance that Edwin McCain is playing one of the two – he’s always playing one of the two.
People are inherently larger here. I am in a constant state of diet in the Lowcountry. I go through months at a time without eating carbs in an effort to blend in with the weightlifting, rock-hard-abbed world of Charlestonians. Here, I have a long list of places I want to eat lunch before leaving again. Each includes the best desserts on the planet and a smorgasbord of fried foods.
Because of the blazing heat of Louisiana throughout most of the year, paint fades here. I never noticed it before this week. From street signs and school buses to business fronts, the paint is dingy , dull and muted.
Why would you want to visit a place like this? Well, I guess you wouldn’t really. You have to be from here to understand why we love it so much. When you grow up in Central Louisiana, you can’t wait to flee for the fabled metropolis. You don’t miss it though, until you are miles away.
This is what we call home and I love this place in all its boring, fat, faded glory. It’s good to be home!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Oh Yeah... The Emmys
For the first time since I was about 7, I didn’t watch the Emmy Awards and it looks like I wasn’t alone. This year’s “pat on the back” for the television industry was the least watched televised Emmy Awards program in the history of the academy.For me, real life took precedence over the kids from Lost and 30 Rock. I guess other Americans had previous engagements too. Who knows?
I’ve read several scathing reviews of the lackluster show. But, everyone seems to agree on one thing… Josh Groban was the only highlight of the night. He was an uncomfortable highlight, but a highlight nonetheless.
Check this out.
Thank God Groban was having fun with this number. Otherwise I would be simply laughing at him and not with him. This was almost too awkward to watch – almost. Josh looked tragically foolish doing the South Park voices and don’t get me started on the Muppets bit. Was he a laughingstock or an accidental genius?
If Josh's performance were a person, it would be that buddy who had too much to drink the night before. That loud-talking, bar-fighting, hitting-on-your-date friend that tells you "I love ya dude" 30 times before puking in your car and passing out. If Josh's performance called the next day, I would send it strait to voicemail.
There was one bright spot in the number – the Baywatch theme song. Is it wrong that I can’t get enough of that song?
This just made me realize that there are not nearly enough TV theme songs these days. Maybe that’s why no one is watching the Emmys anymore.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Travis & Adam Injured In SC Plane Crash
This is a picture that I snapped of Travis Barker a few hours before his plane crashed in Columbia late last night. Four people are dead. Travis and DJ AM (Adam Goldstein) were critically injured and are being treated for severe burns at the Augusta Burn Center.I woke up this morning with my ears still ringing from the concert, only to find out about that crash. It’s a little surreal. Life is so short and really can change in a moment.
I’ve gotten so many e-mails, facebooks and text messages saying almost exactly the same thing… “that’s crazy.” Every person says something about “crazy” in their messages and that’s really the best word to describe it all – crazy.
I went to the concert to see my favorite artist – Gavin DeGraw. Travis and AM were opening for Gavin and I was lucky enough to be in the front row. I haven’t seen Travis do anything musically since Blink 182 broke up and didn’t quite know what to expect. He’s a drummer… what can a drummer do with no band and no frontman?
Everyone in the crowd was a little skeptical about Travis and AM taking the stage. But, they ended up putting on an amazing show. AM was spinning popular songs from all genres and decades and Travis was pounding away on his set to them all. I’ve never experienced anything like it before – they made me a believer. After almost a full hour of nonstop drumming they worked the crowd into a frenzy and had us begging for more.
I honestly didn’t know much about DJ AM before last night. He was just a guy who was engaged to Nicole Ritchie. But, he really won me over with his personality on stage. He and Travis never spoke a word the whole time they performed, but AM oozed personality. He has a blast on the tables and it shows. He feels the music and you know how I feel about that.My first experience with Travis goes way back to 2000 when I was an intern for MTV News. My very first day at good old 1515 found me logging a Blink 182 interview. I spent 7 hours logging that damn video. I remember that Travis didn’t say much. Mark and Tom did most of the talking. But, I guess you don’t have to talk all that much when you own the drum set like he does.
Here’s to a speedy recovery. Their injuries are serious, but I hope they make it through. I would hate to think that I saw their last show ever – just as I was becoming a fan.
More of my pictures from the concert (Gavin DeGraw also included)
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