a quick show of hands?

is the hoopla over the Baker-Hamilton committee's upcoming report called for? does this group of cold-warriors (the spring chicken of the group is 67, the vast majority of members are about 75) have the ability to think through our Middle East problems through a radically different lens? is that even their function? what do we think, dear readers?

HALLELUJAH!

BRITNEY FILED FOR DIVORCE!!!!!!!!

so, much, good, news, can't, process...................... if the dems win i will explode with glee. i think i need a celebratory beer.

Released!

That's right kids, as of 6:30 pm on Sunday evening, MM was discharged from the lovely hosptial where we vacationed this weekend (some people go to the Hamptons, some to 68th and York).

Tomorrow is the big day, gulp, and I'm hoping you all go vote "correctly," as Smel's Mamma would phrase it. The local news, the great pillar of truth in our troubled society, reports that a whopping 40% of registered voters are expected to turn out for one NJ race, which is apparently an enormous percentage. Now, I don't know for sure, but I thought that during the 2004 election, some astronomically high percentage (like 75 or 80%) of my Dakota brethren turned out to vote.

What's the deal NJ? What's the deal rest of the country? And does anyone have any theories (other than the usual "well the lines are short when the population is 200") why the South Dakota folk would be so much more likely to exercise their civic duty? In terms of ease of getting to the polls, a significant number of voters live on farms and would have to drive 15+ miles in order to vote. Is there something in the unpolluted air?

And on another note, I'm trying to shave 25 pages off my thesis so I can use it as a writing sample for grad school. Any suggestions? Are you saying I don't really need to devote 7 pages to The Delta Force's splendor? I'm afraid this will come down to a fight between Chuck Norris and Foucault....

Mas manana, laila tov.

Me, My Mister and Oktoberfest

So, here I am, passing another night on the couch with the invalid, and being angry at Republicans. Why what brought this bout of anger on, Flooz? It's actually nothing new, just some mental clarification that I achieved on the subway uptown (second only to my shower in terms of where I do my best thinking). This is a bit ranty, but like most rants, it just needs to be freed.

I'm not angry at all Republicans, because I don't think the classic articulation of the party platform is necessarily tied to its current right-wing Bible-thumping incarnation. If anything, you would think that the party which has historically stood for greater government involvement in people's lives would be pushing for this type of "values" agenda. But philosophical coherency aside, it is the selective adherence to values that makes me most disgusted with the current Republican party. When deployed by a usually fat, white, middle-aged Republican official, "values" really just means siding with the radical minority on abortion and gay marriage. Do you have other values? Like honesty, tolerance or perhaps protecting life that already exists (but with regards to the death toll in Iraq, who's counting?)? Maybe your values are governments that aren't plagued with corruption or lawmakers who don't abuse their positions to prey on high school students. I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of Americans would voice their support of those values, but the Republicans are concerned only with the values that a vocal and well-funded minority would like to impose on the entirity of American society.

To make matters worse, Democrats have allowed their opponents to create a quasi-monopoly over "values," demonstrating that the true power in discourse is having the opportunity to define language and establish its limitations. Having allowed the Republicans to define values in such a narrow fashion, the Democrats have weakened their ability to stand up for the values shared by Americans across political, demographic and socioeconomic boundaries. On the eve of this election, I am mostly just disenchanted with the state of American politics.

Oy va voily. Anyone have a reason to hope the Democrats can not just win, but actually pull their heads out of their collective ass and do something interesting?

can you just.....

Why no post Flooz? What is going on today? A short dramatization:

"Hi Flooz, um, so we have this presentation that's due today... would you be able to just.... you know, look through these business plans of companies you're unfamiliar with and create a quick executive summary? You know, the only part of the presentation clients actually read? I guess in the abstract it would make more sense for someone who has actually worked on the project to create the executive summary, but we've managed this project poorly and are really pressed for time. Thanks for the value-add, Flooz. Your thought leadership in this field will make a key contribution to our value proposition.

yours,

Management"

someone put me out of my misery, who wants to launch a rescue mission to bust me out of Wall Street?