Its the Pathetic vs. the Deplorable
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
http://www.nme.com/news/111853.htm
IT'S THE KILLERS v THE BRAVERY!
Ok my last post talked about the funniest article but this one takes the cake. You have The Killers dissing the Bravery for riding their coat tails. You have this 2nd, hell maybe 3rd tier band The Killers trying to compare themselves to Franz Ferdinand and The Strokes. Come on, The Killers are just a bunch of flotsam and jetsam that floated to the surface in this mixed up world of music. They have no originality and are riding the retro wave. How can they stand there and criticize The Bravery while doing the same thing, where do the Killers get off thinking they are a legit band? What, they played Saturday Nite Live, Ashley Simpson played and I don't think people see her as legit anymore. Their songs are thin, weak and lack any substance. They are just summer fodder meant to be played while driving around in a convertible and forgotten the next year. The Killers will put out one more cd, it will be trash and they will be forgotten. The Bravery, same thing but at least they are stuck in the UK and hopefully we won't have to hear much about them.
If you happen to like The Killers, well too bad, they suck rocks and u can post all you want trying to sell them.
My new fav is Nic Armstrong & The Thieves, I wrote about them the other day but I think everyone needs to check them out so I will continue to push him until everyone is sick of it.
Posted by mardenhill 3/29/2005 02:26:00 PM 1 comments
Sex, Prozac and rock 'n' roll: satirists turn on the 'Glum Rock' takeover of British pop music
This is one of the funniest stories I have read in a while and its not even supposed to be funny.
http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/music/news/story.jsp?story=624478
The point of it is that bands are all starting to sound like or copy Coldplay and that they have become the Oasis of this decade. Just a few years ago, I was complaining that Coldplay was just copying Jeff Buckley and Travis on their 1st cd and now they are leading the revolution of "Glum Rock". I have to admit, I do like Coldplay, they are a good band that took Travis's spotlight but then you cannot have everything you want. They do have 2 terrible songs and those would be "In My Place" and "Moses", I hate them both and are very amaturish.
Nothing like Embrace ripping off the Verve for their 1st cd and now Coldplay for their latest, at least they have good taste. I do like Athlete, Keane and Snow Patrol and can see the comparisions but then any band with a piano and wussy singer can be compared. The only probem with Coldplay leading the charge is that they are boring personally, yes you have Chris Martin and his marriage but there are no good tabloid stories like Oasis. No band other than Marylin Manson has been able to manipulate and use the media like Oasis, they are pros at kick starting album sales and getting exposure. They stage fights, breakups, marriages, divorces, new members and do it with ease. Is Oasis the best band musically, No, but they are the best when it comes to image and the whole package. I miss this, the Libertines were just a bunch of drunks and addicts and burned out, Oasis was able to sustain and carry on. We need more bands like this and Coldplay is not cutting it.
Posted by mardenhill 3/29/2005 01:30:00 PM 1 comments
D610
Monday, March 28, 2005
Well i am sitting here at work while the rest of the world has the day off. We had a huge server migration project we did this weekend and that included the 3 Donovan servers I am responsible for. So I got to work Friday and now Monday, makes for some good OT as long as my boss doesn't try to make me take comp days.
I decided that it was time that I treated myself to a new laptop, I am in the process of loading it up right now. I am 2 models behind the brand new ones that just came in so I feel its time to upgrade. I have to lose my docking station which sucks but its about time to move on. My new laptop is a nice silver color, 1 gig of ram, 2 ghz processer, 40 gig hd, built in wi-fi plus more. One of the perks of working in the IT field, you get the good stuff when it comes in. Now if I could only get a better Mac at work then I would be all set.
My new favorite cd of the week is Nic Armstrong & The Thieves - Greatest White Liar. It just came out this year but has the feel that you are listening to a recording from the late 60s. Lots of Kinks, Stones, Faces, Beatles in this cd, its going to be a great summer drive listen. Below is a link to his record label and a bit on him, his current page wasn't up when I tried it.
http://www.indian.co.uk/nicarmstrong/
I think this cd, the new Beck, Brendan Benson's and The Sights are going to be some of the best releases this year. I am still in love with the Kasabian, The Kills and Brazilian Girls but those are last months and before and its time to move on.
Well I am almost out of here so I will end this post here, I will try to add more tonight.
Posted by mardenhill 3/28/2005 12:38:00 PM 2 comments
New Jon Spencer!!!!!
Friday, March 25, 2005
Yes you heard me right, a new Jon Spencer record is slated for release next month. This one goes by the title Heavy Trash, same for the band name. Heavy Trash is Jon Spencer and Matt Verta Ray who was from Madder Rose and Speedball Baby. This cd is more Spencer swagger but a bit on the alt country side, well from the 1st single I heard on Woxy. So I went investigating and the cd is out April 19th and is on Yep Roc Records. The good news, Yep Rock is on eMusic so it will be available for download, well it better seeing that the rest of the catalog is out there. I tell ya, if you havn't checked out eMusic you should, its getting better and better. I just got last years Mary Lou Lord cd with the remaining downloads I had for the month. I also got the Kitchens of Distinction greatest hits cd 1 which rocks. I have to wait til next month to get cd 2, I didnt have enuff downloads left. Ian Brown's new one, Nick Cave, Pixies, Bjork, Throwing Muses, the whole Detroit garage rock scene just to name a few. Some of the labels are: Anti, Merge, Matador, Koch, 4AD, Thrill Jockey, Cooking Vinyl, Jet Set, Kill Rock Stars etc.
Posted by mardenhill 3/25/2005 09:40:00 AM 1 comments
The Flaming Lips
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Right now on Austin City Limits, the Flaming Lips are playing. They had the longest rendition of Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots and then did a cover of Black Sabbath's War Pigs. They had Cat Power guest star on that one and in typical Cat Power fashion screwed things up. She couldn't remember half the words and was pretty lame to watch. I have decided that I don't care for her, she sucks. The Flaming Lips are amazing tho, I havn't seen them live in a while and can imagine how much fun their shows are. They had the costumes, ballons, confetti everywhere and even played She Dont Use Jelly. The Lips will be like the Velvet Underground, people liked them but it wasn't until 20 year later when people realized what they were all about and how they changed rock n roll.
The Shins are on now, they are one of those quirky indie rock bands that has a few good songs but not enough to hold me for a whole show. If you havn't noticed, the Autin City Limits show has become the indie rock mecca the last couple years. There are always tons of great bands and I got to see Guided by Voices in one of their last performances. Another underrated band that broke up before I got to see them.
While we are on the topic of music, The Sights have signed to a new label and have a new cd coming out next month. iTunes has their single Circus available for download, I just got it the other day. Its lots of fun, tons of organ and good stuff. It was wierd to see them on iTunes, I just hope they get the whole cd and a ton of exposure, they are one Detroit band that deserves it. Brendan Benson's new cd is out on iTunes also, I will pick it up this weekend most likely, he is another Detroit great.
Posted by mardenhill 3/24/2005 10:22:00 PM 1 comments
More over Delay, You got company.....
I have tried to not post on this subject, we are already bombarded by the coverage every minute of the day but when it comes to the hyprocriscy of our politicans, I can't resist. I am usually attacking Delay, the former Pest Exterminator, yeah that was his previous career before becoming the house of representatives resident pastor. I have now turned my attention to our beloved senate majority leader "Dr Bill Frist" he perfers Dr instead of senator since that was his previous profession. So you have Dr. Frist diagnosing Terri by watching 4 minutes of video tape, now thats accurate, where do I sign up to have this quack diagnose me. You got to understand, Frist is gunning for the 08 republican nomination and now needs to "shore up the base" so what does he do, panders to the religious right. Instead of putting his profession to use, he uses his lip service to buy some votes. Do you see Howard Dean out there diagnosing people to get the spotlight? No, he is smart enough to know people will see thru this bullshit but not our Frist. So Dr/Senator Frist gets called out below for his hyprocriscy and will continue as long as he runs with the Delay and co trash that has infected our congress. I have no qualms attacking Frist, he has proven that he is no longer a respectable senator and just another sleazy politican.
courtesy of http://dcinsidescoop.blogspot.com
Frist's Schiavo Assertion At Odds With His Comments About Christopher Reeve
Frist's assertion that Schiavo could recover stands in stark contrast to his attacks on John Edwards for saying back in October that stem cell research could help people like Christopher Reeve walk again. Observe:
Frist on Schiavo Possibly Recovering: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist several times questioned Schiavo's diagnosis, saying he had reviewed a videotape of her and her case file and wasn't sure whether she really was beyond recovery.
"Remember, Terri is alive. She is not in a coma," Frist said Sunday. "Although there are a range of opinions, neurologists who have examined her insist today that she is not in a persistent vegetative state. She breathes on her own - like you and me. She is not on a respirator. She is not on life support of any type. She does not have a terminal condition." [The Tennessean, 3/22/05]
Frist Attacking Edwards: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist attacked Sen. John Edwards for saying that stem cell research would enable people like Christopher Reeve to “get up out of that wheelchair and walk again.”
Frist responded on a conference call with reporters arranged by the Bush-Cheney campaign: "I find it opportunistic to use the death of someone like Christopher Reeve -- I think it is shameful -- in order to mislead the American people… We should be offering people hope, but neither physicians, scientists, public servants or trial lawyers like John Edwards should be offering hype.
“It is cruel to people who have disabilities and chronic diseases, and, on top of that, it's dishonest. It's giving false hope to people, and I can tell you as a physician who's treated scores of thousands of patients that you don't give them false hope." [CNN.com, 10/12/04]
So what does this tell us, Frist is just a scumbag, Reeve was able to vote before he died, he had no intentions of voting republican so that was open game for Frist to attack him. Now with Terri, she cannot vote, cannot speak and Frist sees this as an opportunity to get all moral on us and bless us with the "culture of life" bullshit lines. Frist you are on my radar, just ask Delay its not a place you want to be. We will bring the both of you down and return the republican party back to the party we don't agree with rather than the party that we we hate.
Posted by mardenhill 3/24/2005 09:44:00 PM 0 comments
Bush's Vacations.....
Monday, March 21, 2005
courtesy of www.democraticunderground.com
I find this very interesting and it just goes to show that Bush and co. are just trying to politicalize the Schiavo case. What people don't understand is that this is going after the core foundations of Hospice, and the right to die. If we cannot die in dignity what rights do we have left? I am afraid opponents of abortion, assisted suicide and hospice will use this law to dismantle these freedoms. Hospice is not a bad thing, I just went thru this with my aunt at the beginning of the year and I do not think keeping my aunt alive would help her improve. What I don't understand is that Terri Schiavo's medical bills fall under Medicade the same program Bush plans on cutting funding this year. Will this case give him a change of heart, I doubt it, Medicare and Medicade will both be on the table for cuts this year and its all just political theatre to score a few points with the conservatives out there.
Bush Rushes Back To DC! Ends Vacation! by Michael in New York - 3/21/2005 01:46:00 AM
Yes, as you already know, Bush ended his vacation early -- a virtually unprecendented act for a President who spends a LOT of time on vacation -- and rushed back to DC so he could score political points on the painful private decision surrounding Terri Schiavo. Obviously, this took hours and hours of time when the papers he went to sign could have been flown to him in Texas without much difference. But this issue was too important and he wanted to spend hours flying there to emphasize to the far right how he had come through for them.Now let's think about the many other times when Bush couldn't be bothered to spend an hour or two on an issue and decide if any of them were more important.
1. The tsunami victims -- More than 100,000 people died in the worst natural disaster of our lifetime. Millions were left homeless. It happened just after Christmas and hit hard our staunch ally, Thailand. (Many, many Muslims were devastated by this disaster.) Bush couldn't be bothered to step outside for FIVE minutes and offer his heartfelt sympathy to an event that had the rest of the world riveted and shocked. It took Bush DAYS to do anything, even after his aides had bungled our first offer of aid.
2. Investigating 9/11 with Congress -- Bush spent months hemming and hawing and avoiding having to meet with the bipartisan panel trying to look into the worst attack on US soil in history. He finally, grudgingly, spent a few hours but insisted he appear with Cheney by his side, cause they were busy and needed to get this over with.
3. Heck, 9/11 itself -- On the day of the worst attack on US soil in our history, Bush spent hours and hours flying around the country when he could have just spent a few minutes to get in front of a camera and reassure the nation that he was in charge and we'd get through this.
4. Military funerals -- Bush is the first President in US history during wartime (and presumably peacetime as well) who has refused to attend a SINGLE military funeral to honor one of our fallen soldiers. It's not just the couple of hours he can't be bothered to spend; Bush thinks it would be bad politics to remind people that young men and women die in war, so why bother honoring them? They can take a hit on the battlefield, but Bush won't risk taking a hit in the polls. And if things are going so swimmingly in Iraq, why does he STILL refuse to honor our military?
Posted by mardenhill 3/21/2005 06:09:00 PM 2 comments
The Slow Painful Death Of Delay
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Well our favorite Texan Delay is facing yet even more ethics violations. You may be wondering, wasn't he admonished last year on multiple violations? Why yes he was, then what did Delay do, he brushed them off and gutted the ethics committee and changed the rules that both a dem and a republican have to agree before a voilation can make it out of committee. Talk about sleazy, yeah this is the same guy who got his team to change the rules to keep him in power if he is indicted which was reversed at the 11th hour.
So u may wonder what Delay did again, well its more of his financed trips, one to South Korea and another to Europe, all on the lobbyist dime. Yes this is illegal, you cannot use these funds for trips or campaign work, only for administrative costs. Delay is of course denying the charges but they are mounting and he has also ensnared 2 more congressional members in his mess. Feel free to read the articles below.
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/index.php?p=176
I am all about this attack on Delay, he is a total sleazeball and needs to be brought down, hell Newt Gringrich's scandal pales in comparision to Delay. Our other favorite scandal ridden senator Trent Lott has weighed in on the matter and is sticking by his boy, we will see how long that lasts.
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/index.php?p=179
Posted by mardenhill 3/15/2005 10:57:00 PM 0 comments
The Kills
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Stupid Picasa wouldn't post the link and then the pic would disappear when I would edit the post. One of these days I will figure it all out....
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/k/kills/no-wow.shtml
Posted by mardenhill 3/13/2005 07:04:00 PM 2 comments
My new fav cd for the week is The Kills - No Wow, if u havn't heard it yet, check it out. It has a bit of a fuller sound than the 1st one but is still full of the sexual tension like before. I think the this cd is even better, more layers and lots of gritty garage sound. Live these guys are just 2 people with a drum machine, not much to write home about but their cds are amazing. Its not fair to compare them to the White Stripes, Jack has more talent in his pinky than The Kills but that doesn't make them any less of a band. The Kills are not going for that sound, they are all about mixing the male/female dynamic into a New York hipster sound.
Now this is rare and I thought that I should post it, both Pitchfork and I agree on a cd, I think the world is about to end. I was blown away when I read the review, maybe they are finally coming around to good music and are dumping the pretentious indie rock crap that love to praise. Probably not, I just think we are on the same wave this once. Check out the review below.
Posted by mardenhill 3/13/2005 07:03:00 PM 0 comments
Sunrise
If u didn't get U2 tickets yesterday, well you're screwed, they are sold out. The show sold out in 25 minutes and tix were from $50 -$165. We got the cheap upper bowl ones, almost the same seats that I had back in 92 for the Achtung Baby tour. The good news tho, they are adding a 2nd show and that one goes on sale Friday so if u missed out, u can still go. Its the 2nd show so that makes it not as good as the 1st, u will not be at the same one as me and that being the better one. Its ok there are always scalpers if u need ot be at the 1st show and can probably get tix.
Other than that, got more of the bathroom done, got the paneling up on the walls and all thats left is the trim and grouting the floor. I will be doing the floor sometime this week, that should be fun.
If u were not at PCB 05 last nite, u missed the party of the century, ok maybe not but it was fun none the less. Chris threw a good party and had a good turnout. No throwing pens into an uncovered fan that then flew off to mark up the ceiling but still a good time.
I think TV has now hit its low point, on the Food Network they are having a wedding edition of the crazy southern lady Paul Dean who cooks everything with pounds of butter and wrapped in bacon. Its very bad, and of course I am stuck watching it. Please help me.
Posted by mardenhill 3/13/2005 06:12:00 PM 3 comments
U2 and other misc stuff
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Sorry I havn't posted in a few days work has been kicking my ass. I have to upgrade 170 people and only have 85 done. It involves writing what apps they have, uninstalling the old ones and then starting the upgrade. I have been doing this since monday and I am already going batty and its only wednesday and I am only half way done!!!
This saturday, U2 tickets go onsale for the October 24th show at the Palace. Ticket prices start at $50 and go up from there. I am hoping to score some upper bowl tix for $50, I cannot justify paying more than that. Its wierd, 13 years ago I saw u2 at the Palace on the Achtung Baby tour and it was one of my favorite concerts ever. I am hoping this tour will be just as good but I am not getting my hopes up, I think I will be disappointed if I do. The Achtung Baby tour was more than just the music, it was U2 moving into a new decade and not relying on thier older music to carry them. They played the new album and a few older ones but only going back to the Joshua Tree. I was fine with this tho I am one of the few people who don't think U2's best work is the Unforgettable Fire and Boy. U2 reached their peak with Achtung, they have never released anything close to as good as that cd. The whole thing is amazing, not a bad song and its timeless. I want you to pull that cd out now and listen to it, the songs are still fresh and not dated. Will U2 ever get back to that level, probably not but as long as they don't release another boring All That You Can't Leave Behind I will be ok. Achtung defined the 90s, it set the stage for the birth of the Internet and media manipulation. No one really understood what Zoo TV was about but now with the internet we can see what Bono was getting at. That cd is on my top 10 cds that if I were on a deserted island, I would want. U2 will always have their place in music, hell can you name another band who has been together as long as U2 without breaking up or changing/leaving bandmembers? I can't I have tried but nothing. REM, changes, all your 70s bands, changes, the Cure or New Order, changes or hiatuses. U2 has successfully stayed together and put out music for 25 years. Is U2 my favorite band, no I prefer REM and the Cure over them but they are up there and have had their moments. I am looking forward to this show, its been 13 years and its about time I see Bono in action again.
Feel free to leave some comments/opinions about U2.
Posted by mardenhill 3/09/2005 10:31:00 PM 0 comments
Update: Oasis
Monday, March 07, 2005
OASIS have finally completed their new album ‘DON’T BELIEVE THE TRUTH’ – and their first single will be called ‘LYLA’, NME.COM can exclusively reveal.
It’s been the longest build up to a record since their unsigned days before ’Definitely Maybe’, but after scrapping over 50 songs, Oasis have finished their sixth studio album.
The band have told NME.COM that ‘Don’t Believe The Truth’, will be released on May 30, and despite the delays the trademark Oasis swagger is back with a vengeance.
“I’m happy with every track on the album,” Noel Gallagher told NME.COM, adding that the album will be proceeded single ‘Lyla’ on May 16
Posted by mardenhill 3/07/2005 09:42:00 AM 1 comments
Some Really Cool Speakers....
Sunday, March 06, 2005
I was reading www.gizmodo.com (a site for gadget geeks, yes I admit I am one of them) and found these speakers. Seeing that I am a smart person, these speakers are right up my alley, u have to check out their website to see what I mean.
http://www.orbaudio.com
Well I don't have a home theatre, hell even a new tv but I do have an ipod and I bet these would make that thing sound like a million bucks. Actually for the price they don't see that much, if you are the market for Bose, these look cooler and because of that sound better. Ok I cannot backup the last part of that statement so you are on your own for testing purposes. I have added these speakers to my wishlist which also has the latest from www.sonos.com . Pair these speakers with the wireless music boxes and u got yourself one kickin sound system. As for a tv, I am still in limbo as to what is the best, plasma or lcd or dlp or whatever the rest of the acronyms there are. Everyone at work seems to have a different opinion on whats best and when they come down in price to maybe $500 i will buy one. There is something wrong with buying a tv that is the same amount or more than your mortgage.
For other geeky tech toys stay tuned and I will start my weekly column of the latest and greatest gadgets that everyone must own.
Posted by mardenhill 3/06/2005 01:24:00 PM 0 comments
Brazilian Girls
Friday, March 04, 2005
http://www.braziliangirls.info/
I have found my new fav cd for the week and it comes from the band Brazilian Girls. Below is a quick bit from their bio on www.allmusic.com.
Their music incorporates bits of reggae, electronica, jazz, bossa nova, and you name it, and despite their name, no one in the band is Brazilian. The sexy/quirky/mysterious Brazilian Girls are three men — Didi Gutman on keyboards and computers, Jesse Murphy on bass, and Aaron Johnston on drums — and one woman, Sabina Sciubba, the vocalist who often enjoys wearing lacy eye masks on-stage and sings in no less than five different languages. Sciubba was born in Rome but grew up in Nice and Munich before settling in Brooklyn, NY.
If you are a fan of Pink Martini, take their sound, mix it up with some New York sex and electronic and you have Brazilian Girls. I am a sucker for female vocals sung in a different language and that's what you got here. Anyone who can sing pussy, pussy, pussy marijuana, pussy, pussy, pussy over a reggae beat has got to be cool. Ok, the song actually sux, but don't let that spoil the rest of the cd. I expect a car commerical out of them in the next few months, their sound is perfect for a summertime convertible or night on the town drive. Yep thats me working in the IT dept of an Ad Agency coming up with commercials.
They played the shelter last month, I didn't even know until I checked out their website. Hopefully this cd takes off and they come back for a show at the stick.
Posted by mardenhill 3/04/2005 11:46:00 AM 2 comments
Dashele who? Reid's The Man....
Ever since Reid was elected to the Democratic leader in the Senate, things have turned around. Reid has led the charge against Bush and his cronies and withstood the slanders and smear campaigns leveled against him. Reid is proving to be a good leader, too bad we didn't elect him years ago. Lets home he keeps up this aggressive campaign and brings in votes to the party. Reid has finally said what everyone knew but was afraid to say about our "beloved" chairman. The geezer needs to retire and let someone else take over who isn't swayed by the almight Bush dollar.
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/11044402.htm
While some Democrats worry that his low-key style might make him an ineffective opposition leader in President Bush's Washington, Reid has shown that he can throw a punch, too.
Asked Thursday his reaction to Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan's insistence this week that Social Security must be transformed, preferably along lines urged by Bush, Reid replied:
"I'm not a big Greenspan fan. ... I voted against him two times. I think he's one of the biggest political hacks we have in Washington," Reid said on CNN's "Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics."
Reid complained that Greenspan had decried budget deficits when Bill Clinton was president but he doesn't criticize Bush for turning a federal budget surplus he inherited from Clinton into trillions of new debt.
Posted by mardenhill 3/04/2005 09:31:00 AM 1 comments
DCFC Why!!!...Why!!!
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Well our favorite indie rockers Death Cab For Cutie are back covering songs they should have left alone. While listening to Woxy, a cover of the Cure's "Love Song" came on and it had the pretenious, whimpy ass indie vocals that we have come to love from DCFC. They covered the 80's song "Against All Odds" which has taken over the #1 spot for the worst cover ever and now they are doing the same with the Cure. What can we do to stop these punks from ruining music? A letter writing campaign, boycott, blog bashing? What goes thru these clown's heads that they think they can successfully pull off a cover song? Death Cab if you ever read this, it is now my mission in life to prevent you from ever releasing or playing live again. I will not let you tarnish the "indie rock" genre anymore. This is your warning, pack up and leave now or I will hunt you down and kick your skinny asses from here to hong kong!
BTW, 311 covered the Cure and did a better job which isn't saying much.
For the record I do know the difference between DCFC and the Postal Service but both suck and contain the same members so cover songs by either group blow.
Posted by mardenhill 3/02/2005 04:39:00 PM 4 comments
BONO FOR PRESIDENT?
This is way cool, just image Bono heading the World Bank, hell they were just talking about Paul Wolfowitz this morning for the position. Bono is a smart man, he is well versed in world affairs and would not bring any baggage to the position. If Arnold can be Governor then Bono can be President! That would mean that the U2 tour would be cancelled, that would suck but on the bright side the World Bank would actually be able to do something good for a change. I know I am getting ahead of myself and the chances of Bono actually scoring the seat are slim to none but its fun to dream.
Courtesy of www.nme.com
BONO’s name has been put forward for one of the world’s most important political jobs.
The U2 frontman has been suggested as a possible candidate for the president of the World Bank by prestigious American newspaper The Los Angeles Times.
"Don't be fooled by the wraparound sunglasses and the excess hipness," the paper wrote in an editorial. "Bono is deeply versed in the issues afflicting the least-developed nations of the world."
The singer’s work charity work, particular his campaigns to get rid of third world debt earned him the paper’s endorsement for the job which becomes vacant in May, although he’ll face stiff competition with British Chancellor Gordon Brown, also linked to the position.
Los Angeles Times Editorial Page Editor Andres Martinez however insisted the suggestion of Bono was ”entirely serious”, CNN Money reports.
Bono has yet to comment on the suggestion.
Posted by mardenhill 3/02/2005 02:24:00 PM 3 comments
Go Dean Go!!!!
http://www.democrats.org/
Check out the website above, Dean our new head of the DNC has put together Bush's budget for 06 and its affects on each state. This will point out what is being cut from each states budget due to Georgie's poor planning.
In other political ramblings, it looks like the Social Security demolition by the republicans may be off for another year. This will give congress a chance to actually work out a bipartisan plan to keep Social Security working and away from Wall Street. Bush thinks that if he gets the young vote on board with the private accounts that they can bring them over to the GOP. I for one lost money during the internet bubble/bust and are not ready to dump my SS into the market again. We all have 401K retirement plans invested in the market, do we want both SS and 401K in the same place? Talk about putting all your eggs in the one basket. We adjust SS to work outside the market and focus more on allowing people to use their 401Ks more effectively.
WP: Social Security Vote May Be Delayed
Posted by kskiskaAdded to homepage Tue Mar 01st 2005, 11:19 PM ET
Critics Could Force Proposal to ChangeWednesday, March 2, 2005
The Senate's top Republican said yesterday that President Bush's bid to restructure Social Security may have to wait until next year and might not involve the individual accounts the White House has been pushing hard.
The comments of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), made as GOP lawmakers returned from a week of trying to sell the plan to voters, underscored the challenge facing the White House, especially in light of unbroken Democratic opposition.
Posted by mardenhill 3/02/2005 09:49:00 AM 1 comments
Crazy Dennis is Right On!!!
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Dennis Kucinich our favorite candidate in the primaries has made a valid point and hopefully this is picked up by the MSM and reported on.
Courtesy of http://www.democraticunderground.com/
Social Security's "Sleeper Issue" Exposed By Kucinich
Social Security’s "Sleeper Issue":Price Indexing Exposed By Kucinich
Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) today brought forth a new case against the Administration’s so-called Social Security reform plan by exposing the precipitous drop in future retiree benefits implicit in the Administration plan to switch from wage indexing to price indexing.In a speech this morning on the House floor, Kucinich said:"Social Security benefits have increased over the years because they long have been calculated to wage increases, which on the average go up 3.6% a year. So Social Security benefits increase with rising wages. The Administration wants to change all that. They want to index Social Security benefits based on a price index, not wages. "As a result, millions of future retirees will see their future Social Security benefits reduced as much as 40%. Because prices do not increase as fast as wages. "Let me give you an example. If you began working in 1959 and retired in 2003, at age 65, under wage indexing, your benefits rise with rising wages, you would get $1158 a month. Under price indexing, your benefits would be frozen, you would get only $701 a month. So it would be a 40% cut in benefits with price indexing, and a person would lose $100,000 in retirement benefits over a lifetime. "Why the switch to price indexing? Because, the privatization of Social Security will create an additional budget shortfall. The Administration is going to have to borrow money to set up private accounts. The shortfall is going to be for 45 years, and the Administration is going to have to borrow $15 trillion dollars."They are going to get the money off the backs of America’s retirees. It is wrong, say no to privatization, no to price indexing."Kucinich added that while much attention has been focused on private accounts, price indexing, once understood by both the media and the American people generally, will create such an uproar that it will jeopardize not only the Administration’s plans, but could create great political risk for members supporting the plans.
Posted by mardenhill 3/01/2005 09:12:00 AM 1 comments
