Who Woulda Thunk....
Thursday, May 12, 2005

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050511/ap_on_go_co/clinton_gingrich_1

Yes you are reading the article correctly, Hillary Clinton and Newt Gingrich working together on Health Care!!!!!

If this isn't a sign, then I don't what what is. Actually its pretty cool, Hill has been a smart cookie the last couple years, partnering with some high profile republicans showing her ability to work across the aisle. Yeah she worked with McCain who some don't even consider a republican, but to pull in Newt, thats like asking Posh Spice out for a date and her saying yes. This is good for Hill, there is a trial going on that may reach her regarding campaign finance and if she weathers that one, she has a good shot come 08. I'm glad the lawsuit is going on now so it can be ancient history come 08. It may cause problems next year but her numbers are very strong so I don't see that happening.

The health care in question is regarding paper records and making records electronic throughout the country. Hopefully they succeed, for both the health care side of things and for sticking it to the republicans and those who hate Hillary.

Posted by mardenhill 5/12/2005 09:36:00 AM 3 comments    

Vinotecca
Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Erika and I went to Cafe Habana last nite for dinner and had Cuban breakfast which was very good and not that expensive. I had french toast made with Challah bread and a berry compote featuring mango, raspberries and something else. Afterwards we stopped into Vinotecca the new Royal Oak wine bar hooked to Bastone. The atmosphere is great, the seating is very comfortable the place was clean. I did have some problems with their selection tho, compared to their whole wine list there are only a handful of wines available by the glass. They have the list sectioned off by style and there are only usually a few wines by the glass and the rest you have to buy the bottle. The ones available by the glass tend to be ones you can find in the store which doesn't help me much. I would like to go in and try something I cannot find or is a bit out of my price range rather than ordering a Montes Alpha Cab that I can pick up from Costco for $14 a bottle.

I had a glass of Frei Brothers pinot noir from California, it was $9 a bit over priced but like I said the atmosphere was good. Erika had a Blackstar late harvest which she enjoyed and their cheese menu was pretty impressive. Overall, the bar is good, but I think they need to serve more by the glass. If someone who wants to learn more about wines and wants to try different styles, they will be a bit hard pressed to have a large choice. Say I want a Burgundy, well I'm out of luck seeing that there was only 1 French wine by the glass. This all may sound a bit pretentious but there are people out there who would like to experiment and the easiest way is to drink by the glass not by purchasing the whole bottle. One other complaint, they only had 1 port available, why not have a selection of different ports like some from California for people to enjoy. Buy a bottle of Trentalude Chocolate Amore port and sell that by the glass for $8, people would go crazy for that.

I give the bar a "B" rating, take some of my advice and it could become a 4 star A+ venue.

Posted by mardenhill 5/11/2005 12:32:00 PM 1 comments    

Yahoo Has Entered The Game

http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=785

Last year Yahoo bought Musicmatch but since then, they have operated as 2 different companies. Yahoo just announced it will enter the digital music world with a subscription service for all mp3 players except the ipod. This will be the same as Napster To Go but the difference is the price, $6.99 a month instead of the $14.99 Napster charges. Yahoo has about a million songs in its catalog, most likely from the purchase of Musicmatch. There are no details regarding the downloading software, whether or not it will be from Yahoo.com or a separate app. I am not sure if they will keep the Musicmatch pay service or not but its just another company trying to take away marketshare from Apple.

The price is good, its rumored that it could be about $60 a year for the service if paid in full, thats not a bad price to rent music which is essentially what you are doing. They in turn will drop the per song charge down to .79c which could trigger a price war with Apple. This leaves Apple as the only other major player not offering a subscription service. Do I think they should have one? Yes, it would be good for some people, I would never use it but seeing that there are over 10 million ipods out there, some will. Should it be priced as low as Yahoo, yes but I don't see that happening. Steve Jobs has denied any type service for iTunes but that could change in a second if Yahoo takes off. Who knows, Steve probably has the service already lined up and ready to go, he is just waiting for the right moment to pull the trigger.

What does this mean to all of us, it means that the free lunch of music we have been living on for the last few years is finally coming to a close. There will still be ways to get it on the net, that will never change but the major P2P will become more and more unattractive. I enjoyed the ride, found lots of new bands, replaced old tapes and saved lots of money. Its probably time we grow up and faced the fact, but until Apple throws their hat into the ring, I say run wild. Apple will perfect this distribution and just sit back til that moment happens.

Posted by mardenhill 5/11/2005 09:14:00 AM 0 comments    

New iTunes Software
Monday, May 09, 2005

For all you iTunes users, there is a new version 4.8 available for download, go to www.itunes.com for it. The new version uses iTunes to sync the ipod calendar/contacts instead of isync and there is a new feature that allows quicktime movies to play in iTunes. Now there will be a ton of speculation as to why you can view movies within iTunes, does this mean that an upcoming ipod will feature video playback? Or is it just another way to bundle all media into 1 program.

I think the next round of ipods will feature the 1 gig shuffle down to $99 and possibly a color screen for the $299 model and maybe an increase in hard drive. It would be nice if they offer the 30 gig ipod photo as the $299 benchmark and then drop the 60 gig down to $399 and come out with an 80 gig. Am I dreaming, probably but most of the ipod rumor sites talk about something coming down this june/july.

For those of you with a bit of a disposible income, there is a new adapter on the market, bluetooth headphones. On ipodlounge you can see them, there is an adapter for the ipod and then the headphones. This is pretty cool except for the price, $169, maybe if it was $40 or $50 max then I would consider.

http://www.ipodlounge.com/index.php/reviews/comments/macally-bluewave-bluetooth-stereo-and-streaming-headset-ipod/

I also found some pretty crazy ipod cases, they glow in the dark, have screen protectors and look like those lifesavers cream candies.

http://www.iskinprotect.com/wildsides.html

Posted by mardenhill 5/09/2005 09:02:00 PM 2 comments    

Separated at Birth....

Notice a resemblence? Both are from Michigan, both republicans and one is our current Secretary of State and the other was the previous one. I think the bad hair and teeth showing is a must for this job. If you decide that the Secretary of State is a postion for ya, start practicing your award winning smile and get the feather look down pat. I could add our current senators Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin but that will be for another day. There are even more things to make fun of regarding them. Its scary that we elect such bad looking people, maybe that should be part of the election process, if you are trapped in the 80s then u cannot run. If your smile sends shivers up the state's spine then u need to step aside. This is sooo wrong on many levels....

Posted by mardenhill 5/09/2005 05:18:00 PM 1 comments    

Fast Food Tax

Well our buddy Kwame has a great idea, add a 2 percent tax to fast food to help close Detroit's budget gap. Kwame thinks the tax just adds pennies to every order and would help his financial woes. How bout not leasing SUVs for 1 year at top dollar? How bout not charging alcohol or paying for your whole entourage everytime u go out?

"Kilpatrick wants to ask Detroit voters to approve a 2 percent fast-food tax — on top of the 6 percent state sales tax on restaurant meals. The mayor says consumers will barely notice the extra cents at the cash register, but critics say the tax would unfairly burden the poor and hamper economic development."

"Although the tax would not come close to fixing Detroit's financial problems — officials predict it would bring in $17 million in the next fiscal year — every dollar counts in a city already bracing for mass layoffs and service cuts."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050508/ap_on_bi_ge/big_mac_tax&printer=1

This story was on Yahoo, a link from www.rawstory.com , the www.freep.com didn't even have the story. Wonder when it will break locally.


*******
Update: Ok I just looked at the date of the article and it was yesterday but I don't remember seeing it on the Freep when I checked the site and its not there today. I guess we will wait and see if it peeks its head out this week.

Posted by mardenhill 5/09/2005 04:26:00 PM 2 comments    

Worst Pitchfork Ratings

I just clicked on Pitchfork and there was a scathing review of the new Weezer album - Make Believe and it received a 0.4 rating. I am not a big fan of the new single, its pretty lame and havn't heard anything else but man that is rough.

My favorite review ever was Liz Phair's -Liz Phair cd, it was given a 0.0, I don't think that has ever happened in the life of Pitchfork. As I said before, I am not always on the same page as theses guys but the Liz review is dead on, check it out below for a few laughs.....

Weezer
Make Believe[Interscope; 2005]
Rating: 0.4

http://pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/w/weezer/make-believe.shtml

Liz Phair
Liz Phair[Capitol; 2003]
Rating: 0.0

http://pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/p/phair_liz/liz-phair.shtml

Posted by mardenhill 5/09/2005 12:36:00 PM 1 comments    

Is Delay Finally Radioactive?

Its about time people wakeup to the abuse this country has been under, keep swinging and this bloated baffoon will finally fall......

Courtesy of www.politicalwire.com

Is DeLay Finally Radioactive?Despite his recent bravado, the Washington Post notes scandal is started to wear down House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

"Suddenly, the old Texas brio that carried him through years of smaller controversies is on the wane. The leader recognizes -- belatedly, some GOP colleagues say -- that the latest questions about his relationships with lobbyists are a problem threatening his career and the GOP majority he helped to build and sustain since coming to the House 20 years ago. Everywhere there are signs of a politician in retreat."DeLay's prowess in fundraising, for instance, was always a pillar of his power in the House. Lining up a corporate aircraft to ferry him to an event was usually arranged with a single phone call. These days, Republican officials report that they are having trouble finding available aircraft -- as businesses fret that DeLay may be
radioactive."

Meanwhile, a New York Times piece says an "empire of favors" is the source of DeLay's power. The reason he has survived so far "is that over the years, brick by brick, Mr. DeLay has built a wall of political support. His small acts of kindness have become lore. Pizza during late night votes. Travel arrangements for low-level lawmakers. Birthday wishes, get-well cards, condolences for House members in emotional need."

Posted by mardenhill 5/09/2005 12:30:00 PM 3 comments    

Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Arianna Huffington's long awaited blog has finally started today, it features over 350 different celebrities, professionals, musicians, politicans etc. Its an online community where people are able to post what they want, any topic and its all unfiltered. CNN had Arianna on this morning which was cool to promote the site. Obviously this will not replace the Drudge Report, there are breaking news links but there are also stories and commentary from everyone and anyone. I have a feeling that this thing is going to be huge, its slated to be 24/7 and with all the possible people picked to write, there will never be a dull moment.

Posted by mardenhill 5/09/2005 09:23:00 AM 1 comments    

Yardwork Vol II

Ok, I spent another 4 hrs yesterday outside working on the yard, this yard is going to kill me. After spending countless hrs digging up dandilions, I woke up Sunday to more scattered thru the yard. I am going to become that crazy old man that yells at kids to stay off the lawn and becomes obsessed with his yard. I pulled out the weed whacker and cleaned up the place and now the next step is to start ripping up along the fence for the garden.

I still have a 10 ft spot in front next to the street that consumers energy tore up and I am just waiting for them to return to fix it. They tried to offer me $70 to fix it but no way, it would cost more than that and I they were the ones that ripped it up. My neighbor cuts his grass 3x a week but he is also retired and its his way of avoiding housework. He figures if he is outside his wife cannot make him work. I'm not that bad but its probably just a matter of time.

Posted by mardenhill 5/09/2005 09:15:00 AM 2 comments    

Ferns, Hostas & Grass
Saturday, May 07, 2005

We went to English Gardens to pick up some fresh basil and $78 later walked out with 6 hostas, 3 long grass, 3 ferns and 6 other herbs. Gotta love English Gardens and their sales. We planted everything but the herbs in the back under the tree where we just roto tilled the other week. This has become my mission, to create a controlled jungle in the back. Next weekend is the flower show at Eastern Market and I think we are going to head down to see what is available. We still need more greens for the back, the space is pretty big and there are lots of bare spots.

I also spent 2 hrs pulling weeds and dandilions all over the yard, grass still looks bad compared to the neighbors but at least its weed free. Tomorrow will be cutting the grass, running the edger and possibly trimming the hedges. Once things start to grow, I will post some pics.

Posted by mardenhill 5/07/2005 09:25:00 PM 3 comments    

Now Thats Low
Thursday, May 05, 2005

Low Cancel Upcoming Tour

James Gregory reports:Beloved Midwesterners Low have recently cancelled plans for an upcoming North American tour in support of their 2005 release The Great Destroyer. The band was to play a month-long series of shows across the U.S and Canada this June. The band's label, Sub Pop, tells us: "Low unfortunately had to cancel their existing tour dates due to medical reasons, but they're excited about getting back on the road as soon as possible."

However, June 28 will see the DVD release of Low in Europe, a recent documentary film covering Low's 2002/2003 European tour.


I didn't have tickets but I was thinking of going. It would have been one of those pay at the door shows and now its cancelled. This is very upsetting seeing that I got their cd from iTunes with free pepsi bottle caps and have it in my car. Oh well, maybe next year.

Posted by mardenhill 5/05/2005 04:41:00 PM 3 comments    

Adams vs Pitchfork
Wednesday, May 04, 2005

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/a/adams_ryan/cold-roses.shtml

Well it looks like Ryan Adams and Pitchforkmedia have kissed and made up since Ryan's last release. He has received a 7.3 review on Cold Roses and thats pretty good for Pitchfork. In my last posting I made a mistake regarding the next 2 albums, they are entitled Jackson City Nights slated for summer release and 29 for the fall. I have been listening to a lot of Cold Roses and I have to say if you havn't heard yet you will not be disappointed.
This is a more mellow, alt country cd that is very reminicent of Whiskeytown. I am a fan of all of Ryan's personas and styles but this is what he does best.

Posted by mardenhill 5/04/2005 03:12:00 PM 2 comments    

Kwame Round 2
Tuesday, May 03, 2005

After the SUV fiasco and now this, I really don't think Kwame will be re-elected for another term. In the article it talks about Dennis Archer and his expenses which were nowhere close to this. When I travel for work, I am allowed $55 a day for food and if I go over, I have to pay for it out of my pocket. They have even made it more strict where you have a certain amount for breakfast, lunch and then dinner so gone are the days of eating a bagel in the morning and blowing your whole wad on a dinner. Why isn't Kwame held to the same standard, Jennifer Granholm doesn't even get as much as I do.

http://www.freep.com/news/locway/kilp3e_20050503.htm

Kilpatrick lives it up while city struggles

Mayor puts over $210,000 on his Detroit-issued credit card
May 3, 2005

BY M.L. ELRICK and JIM SCHAEFERFREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS

Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial champagne in Atlanta. Lobster tail in Chicago. Limos in Washington, D.C.

As Detroit eliminated thousands of jobs, struggled with exploding pension and health care costs and became a city on the brink of receivership, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick charged more than $210,000 to his city-issued credit card in less than three years on the job, city records show.

Posted by mardenhill 5/03/2005 05:43:00 PM 3 comments    

Hillary 2008?

White House odds

Is Hillary Rodham Clinton headed to the White House? The smart money says so.

Sportsbook.com has prepared a list of odds for likely presidential candidates, and Democratic senator Hillary Clinton is a 6-1 favorite, running ahead of Republican Rudy Giuliani, who comes in at 10-1. What’s more, Condoleeza Rice is not far behind, with 15-1 odds, tying the chances given Senator John Edwards and beating Senator Barack Obama (30-1). Jeb Bush is ranked twelfth on the list, with 35-1 odds.

In fact, of the top several candidates, two are female and two are African-American. “This means that there is a very good chance the next presidential election could feature a female or visible minority presidential candidate,” notes a spokesman for sportsbook.com

Posted by mardenhill 5/03/2005 02:37:00 PM 3 comments    

Evangelicals
Monday, May 02, 2005

When Pat opens his mouth he sticks his whole leg in. This piece of trash compares judges to Al Qaeda and that judges are worse. I guess he likes terrorism and thinks its ok, but doesn't like civil rights, environmental/labor protection, women's rights, consumer protection etc. I guess Pat and Bush have a lot in common, both don't seem to think al Qaeda and Bin Laden are much of a threat, heck they are a good scapegoat for going after countries that have resources that we want.

Pat Robertson: Judges Worse Than al Qaeda

Pat Robertson was on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" yesterday. He said that federal judges are a bigger threat than al Qaeda.

"Over 100 years, I think the gradual erosion of the consensus that's held our country together is probably more serious than a few bearded terrorists who fly into buildings," Robertson said on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos." "I think we have controlled Al Qaeda," the 700 Club host said, but warned of "erosion at home" and said judges were creating a "tyranny of oligarchy."

"I think they are destroying the fabric that holds our nation together."

Posted by mardenhill 5/02/2005 02:47:00 PM 3 comments    

Cold Roses

Well Ryan Adam's latest release is almost here, tomorrow to be exact. Its called Cold Roses and is a double cd, or if you want an 18 song single cd. Its very good, you can hear it on
www.ryan-adams.com if you can't wait. The style is very close to that of Whiskeytown so all you old school fans will be happy. Its total alt country, not too rockin and some female vocals mixed in. And if you cannot get enough of Ryan he has 2 more cds coming out this year "September" slated for summer and "29" for the fall. Not sure what the styles will be but I would expect one of them to be a moody acoustic style, kinda like Love is Hell but who knows.

Ryan is touring but of course no Detroit dates right now, hopefully he comes thru this fall, it would be nice to see him again. And some Adams dirt, he has broken up with Parker Posey.

Posted by mardenhill 5/02/2005 10:43:00 AM 1 comments    

Dashboard
Sunday, May 01, 2005

Dashboard, one of the new features of OS X 10.4, Tiger. This is a great new tool, tons of widgets can be downloaded and deployed on your computer. These widgets range from weather, stock tickers, clocks, translations, traffic reports, gas prices, cpu processes, rss feeds, sticky notes etc. You can download as many as you want and there are new ones being developed everyday. I grabbed a few that gives me traffic reports in my area, cheapest gas prices and cpu monitoring. There are tons of others that I have tried but deleted because they sucked but thats the beauty of it, download for free, dont like delete. Another cool feature is spotlight which gives you access on your desktop to the most powerful search ever. You can type the name of any file and is shows you where its it. Loading Tiger was easy, stick the dvd in and 45 minutes later you are done. Its a pretty big update, about 2 gigs in size but its well worth it. There are a ton of other features but those are the 2 that I have played with the most. For you pc users, you can also have widgets, there is a company that makes them and they are pretty cool.

http://www.widgetgallery.com

It contains both pc and mac widgets and these are a bit different than the dashboard, they sit on top of your desktop rather than hide like the dashboard. Both have their pros and cons and I am still trying to figure out which ones I like the best.

Posted by mardenhill 5/01/2005 10:29:00 AM 3 comments    

Congrats Joel & Julia
Friday, April 29, 2005

http://www.littlebunsblog.blogspot.com/

I would like to say congratulations to Joel & Julia on the birth of Amelia Hanalei Gargano, check out their blog above for a picture.

Posted by mardenhill 4/29/2005 06:45:00 PM 3 comments    

Dems 2 Repubs 0
Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Well, well, well it looks like the repubs have 2 strikes against them right now, 1st one was when Sen Reid out manuvered Sen Frist on the judicial filibuster. Reid offered Frist a compromise but Frist being the proud man that he is said no. Frist has backed himself into a corner and looks weak if he caves on this. The american taliban want him to hold his position even when polls are not in his favor. So Frist is standing his ground pandering to the Dobson's and Perkins and just waiting to pull the nuclear lever. This was a risky move on Reid's part but he pulled it off beautifully, he looks like a moderate willing to compromise and Frist looks just plain bad.

Strike 2, Speaker of the House, Dennis Hassert had to come out on TV and announce that they are repealing the rules put in place to protect Delay from ethics violations. Delay has backed the repubs against the wall and they are not playing dodge ball with him anymore and are starting to turn. The rules that were changed allowed for the ethics committee to dismiss any ethics charge if they were deadlocked between the 5 dems and 5 repubs on the committee. Now there will be an investigation brought up on Delay, the only thing we need to worry about is the repubs trying to sweep it under the rug. Hassert doesn't want to go down with Delay so he came to his senses and put things back to normal.

Hmm what will strike 3 be, hopefully its just a matter of time when something even bigger breaks and the repubs end up with egg on their face yet again.

Posted by mardenhill 4/27/2005 05:14:00 PM 3 comments    

Tile Grout

Well I took the day off to grout the bathroom floor, I cleaned up the tile and just finished mixing the grout. I tell ya, hand stirring cement is pretty hard. I have a few more minutes to let it sit before I apply it. As you may see I changed my blog template, I was bored of the other one and went out searching this morning for a new one. I just typed in blog templates in google and found some free ones. I recommend if you plan on doing this, open up your current one and copy/paste your html into a word doc and save it. Then copy/paste the new code into your blog and add your links back. I had no problems and just tweaked the font size and justification on parts. Overall, I am happy with the look and will run with this one til I get bored again.

Posted by mardenhill 4/27/2005 11:36:00 AM 1 comments    

House of Scandal
Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Who would have thought that our favorite scandal ridden House of Rep, Tom Delay would have a lobbyist pay for a trip with his own credit card? Well, it has happened and the sad thing is, I'm not suprised.

A plane trip to London and Scotland in 2000 by then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) was charged to an American Express card issued to Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist at the center of a federal criminal and tax probe, according to two sources who know Abramoff's credit card account number and to a copy of a travel invoice displaying that number.

DeLay's expenses during the same trip for food, phone calls, and other items at a golf course hotel in Scotland were billed to a different credit card also used on the trip by a second registered Washington lobbyist, Edwin A. Buckham, according to receipts documenting that portion of the trip.

House ethics rules bar lawmakers from accepting travel and related expenses from registered lobbyists. DeLay, who is now House Majority Leader, has said that his expenses on this trip were paid by a nonprofit organization, and that the financial arrangements for it were proper. He has also said he had no way of knowing that any lobbyist might have financially supported the trip, either directly or through reimbursements to the nonprofit organization.

Posted by mardenhill 4/26/2005 12:36:00 PM 1 comments    

Margaritaville
Monday, April 25, 2005

Wasting away again in Margaritaville
Searching for my lost shaker of salt
Some people say that a woman's to blame
But I know, its my own damn fault

Yes I am a parrothead, kinda of retired one tho, I decided a couple years ago that show was my last. I have trecked across the country and checked out shows and even made it down to Key West not once but twice for a parrothead convention. Yeah you can laugh but i tell ya, parrotheads know how to party and the parking lot at Pine Knob have been some of the best blowouts I have ever seen. Thousands of drunk people running around sharing food and drinks, you can't beat that. I have some friends that like to bring up that I went to some buffett shows and make fun of me, thats ok, they just don't know what they are missing. Buffett is like taking a trip to the Caribbean without paying for the airfare. Its a tropical paradise in the middle of southeast Michigan for a day. If Buffett were to do another Pine Knob show, I might be rethink my retirement but it doesn't look like it will happen this summer.

It's those changes in latitudes,
changes in attitudes nothing remains quite the same.
With all of our running and all of our cunning,
If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane.

Do I listen to Buffett on a daily basis, no, I own 1 cd his greatest hits and thats all you need. I just listen when I see him and sing along there, thats all the Buffett you need. My friends are just jealous that they havn't been able to score tix to a show so they take it out by mocking me. Thats fine, they will just live their life unfullfilled by not seeing Buffett live. Will I point out their questionable shows, no I am above that, I respect their choices and don't hold it against them.

Come Monday It'll be all right,
Come Monday I'll be holding you tight.
I spent four lonely days in a brown L.A. haze
and I just want you back by my side.

And while we're at it, lets singalong to one more song, one of my favorites....

Can't you feel 'em circlin' honey?
Can't you feel 'em swimmin' around?
You got fins to the left, fins to the right,
and you're the only bait in town.
You got fins to the left, fins to the right,
and you're the only girl in town.

Well gotta run, WWE Raw is on, cant miss that.....

Posted by mardenhill 4/25/2005 09:17:00 PM 3 comments    

Polls, Polls, Polls

courtesy of daily kos

From a telephone survey between Washington Post and ABC, April 21-24 2005 1,007 randomly selected adults nationwide.

A new WaPo Poll shows Bush's approval is in fast descent:

Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bush is handling:
Approve Disapprove
A. Social Security 31 64
B. Iraq 42 56
C. Economy 40 57
D. Terrorism 56 41
E. Energy Policy 35 54

A lot of other stuff, but this one is my favorite:

Which party better represents your personal values?

Dems - 47%
GOP - 38%

The Democratic Party, the Party of Values. Can I get an Amen for that?

And from the same poll,

Would you support or oppose changing the Senate rules to make it easier for the Republicans to confirm Bush's judicial nominees?
Support - 26%

Oppose - 66%


How low do the polls need to go before these idiots realize their radical agenda is not what the country needs or wants....

Posted by mardenhill 4/25/2005 07:50:00 PM 2 comments    

Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Set to debut on May 8th, it will be a blog spot for over 250 writers featuring topics such as entertainment, politics, religion, sports, etc. You may remember Arianna Huffington, she ran for Governer of California against Arnold and also started the anti-suv campaign about a year or so ago. Arianna is a pretty cool lady, she has writen for Salon.com, a number of books and is a former republican. Bookmark this site, I think it will be a good news source moving forward in this "Liberal Media" world of ours.

Posted by mardenhill 4/25/2005 09:58:00 AM 1 comments    

Quote Of The Day
Saturday, April 23, 2005

"The time has come that the American people know exactly what their Representatives are doing here in Washington. Are they feeding at the public trough, taking lobbyist-paid vacations, getting wined and dined by special interest groups? Or are they working hard to represent their constituents? The people, the American people, have a right to know... I say the best disinfectant is full disclosure, not isolation."

This is a great quote, whomever said this was dead on and seems to respect the law and to uphold the strictest ethical standards. This is the model representative that every state should have, just image if we did, there would be no problems in politics.

Well no need to keep you guessing this was no other than our favorite Texas rep Mr. Tom Delay. Yes Mr. Pest Control said this back in '95 after the Contract for America that swept thru in '94. Tom rode the exisiting reps regarding ethics violations and acted like the white knight coming in to save the day, but what are we looking at 10 years later, a ton of scandals swirling around this same issue. Tom thinks he can weasel out of the one but the press has taken hold and hopefully won't let go. This is too good to pass on, Tom needs to be taken down along with his cronies of corruption. Now that the Dems finally have the balls to do something, they need to be backed by the rest of us and come '06 vote these bastards out of office.

Posted by mardenhill 4/23/2005 10:03:00 AM 3 comments    

JSBX
Thursday, April 21, 2005

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

There are some out there who think Jon is a hack, hell there are some that even read my blog but they are wrong and full of indie rock hate. They don't understand Jon's music and what he's all about. Jon mixes blues with rock n roll and throws in a bit of swagger from the king himself. JSBX is about booze and gritty sex, its nasty rock n roll for those who aren't afraid to get a little dirty. JBSX rocks you to the core and forces you to accept the seedy underbelly of what music is all about. There is a bit of JBSX in all of us and if you continue to keep it bottled up, one day u will burst and that won't be pretty.

Well I'm a sweet n sour, kinda somethin, livin it up yeah
Well I'm a hot n cold, I'm gonna getcha baby, Owe, want your rock n roll

Posted by mardenhill 4/21/2005 05:03:00 PM 4 comments    

Courtesy of www.amazon.com, The Adventures of Pete and Pete Season 1 $18.99. This was one of the best TV shows ever, 2 brothers both named pete, a mother with a steal plate in her head, a superhero best friend by the name of Artie, Michael Stipe an ice cream man, Juliana Hatfield a lunch lady and even Iggy Pop as a father figure. The stories were out of this world, and the humor would make u laugh for days. Its about time the show has come out on DVD, and it will be just a matter of time for the other seasons to come out. Get ready because May 17th is the release date for this classic.

Posted by mardenhill 4/21/2005 03:26:00 PM 2 comments    

eMusic.com Rocks The House!!!
Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Just got the new Heavy Trash and John Doe (X fame) cds from eMusic. The Heavy Trash is a side project for Jon Spencer and its chalkful of Country, Rockabilly and dirty Blues, but is a different style than his Blues Explosion which is nice. The other member of Heavy Trash is Matt Verta Ray who came up with the idea so its just not Jon's ego running wild on the record. I also got John Doe's latest "Forever Hasn't Happened Yet" which he works with Grant Lee Phillips, Kristen Hersh, Neko Case, Dave Alvin and Cindy Lee Berryhill. Havn't given it a listen yet but saw him live with Grant Lee last year and he was very good.

The Heavy Trash came out yesterday and eMusic didn't have it which bummed me out since the label its on eMusic has everything else. So this morning I logged on just to check and there it was. While I was there I saw the John Doe and decided to grab that one. I am now listening to it and its very good, more alt country than anything but lots of good duets. I only have 3 downloads left for the month so I need to figure out if there is another cd I want to start downloading and finish up next month.

Posted by mardenhill 4/20/2005 09:46:00 AM 3 comments    

Blue Orchid
Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Well the White Stripes single is already out, so much for that late May release. The song is "Blue Orchid" and the new cd will be tiltled, "Get behind me Satan" which I originally thought was the single and the other the cd. Oh well, I was wrong and I admit it.

I downloaded the song via iTunes, I had one more pop cap to spend and felt that this was a good purchase. The song is really good, a lot harder than their previous songs and Jack sings a lot of falsetto on it. Not sure if this will be what the whole cd will sound like but knowing them, (not really just thru the media) I see the cd more eclectic. Lots of screaming guitars and heavy riffs, makes me think of the Eagles of Death Metal when I listen to the song.

If you have heard the song yet, feel free to post comments...

Posted by mardenhill 4/19/2005 05:29:00 PM 1 comments    

Come on, Come on
Monday, April 18, 2005

Not too much going on here, just listening to Woxy and the Von Bondies came on and and I was singing along and decided to make a post. I just got the new Sights cd this weekend, bought it off of iTunes and transferred it to my ipod. I listened to it while working outside in the yard and have to tell ya, its a great cd. Its more streamlined than the last one, more consistent with their sound. The singles "Circus" and "Just Got Robbed" are excellent and they have also included "Last Chance" from their previous cd. I am not sure if it has been re-recorded or given a complete overhaul, I only had one listen to it so I need to go back to figure it out. I'm tellin ya, the Sights will be breaking this summer and good for them. If you are going to buy any local music, pick this one up. While you're at it, grab the Brendan Benson if u havn't already, its another excellent choice.

I also got the National's - Alligator yesterday from emusic.com its very good and I will try to give it a quick review tomorrow after I give it another listen. Heavy Trash (Jon Spencer's new side project) comes out tomorrow on Yep Rock Records and I am hoping emusic will have it since they have a ton of other stuff from the label. I am saving my downloads just for that cd and I better not get screwed.

If you havn't given Moby's - Hotel a listen, try it out, I have decided that I really like it. I had it on last nite while reading before bed and there are some great songs on it. I could do without the "Beautiful" song, that one gets annoying but "Raining Again", "Lift Me Up" and "Slipping Away" are classic Moby. "Slipping Away" could easily have been a R.E.M. song, thats probably why I like so much.

oh and its a raining again
out on your car like bullets on tin
oh and its a raining again
open the door and you're pulling me in

oh and its a raining again, raining again...

Just singing along feel free to join in. This is the best song on the cd so check it out......

Posted by mardenhill 4/18/2005 02:29:00 PM 1 comments    

Doctors Against Frist
Sunday, April 17, 2005

From www.rawstory.com

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/index.php?p=255

Classmates from Frist's med school have come out against Frist's 4 minute video diagnosis of Terri Shavio and how he has tried to use his doctor status as a politican. They are calling it like it is, pandering and blantent abuse of the hippocratic oath. Frist is now a politician, he is not a practicing doctor and should not be diagnosing people like he did.

We are going to see McCain vs Frist for the nomination and direction of the party and it will be starting now rather than in 07. Will Frist win, probably, he will envoke religion and fear to get his message across and we all know how people believe in blind faith. Can this help the Dems, yes it can expose the Repubs for what they have become just by a few select individuals within the party. The only way the religious right is pushed back is if we successfully bring Delay down and beat Santorum in 06. I think we have a good chance but you never know.

Posted by mardenhill 4/17/2005 06:04:00 PM 1 comments    

This is what's going on next sunday, the televangelists and churches will be holding what they call Justice Sunday to counteract the Dems filibuster. Right now there are about 10 judges left that havn't been confirmed for good reasons and the Repubs are dead set on getting them thru. So you now have Senator Frist participating in this event to demonize the Dems saying that they hate religion and the baby Jesus and anything related to Chistianity. Talk about abuse of power, he thinks that pandering to the religious right he will be able to enact the nuclear option and overrule the filibuster. Senator McCain has already came out against the nuclear option and Frist's people have come out stating that McCain will have no chance in '08 if he doesn't change his position. McCain is smart, he knows that power shifts from one party to another and that he will be in the minority one day and does not want to give up the filibuster. Frist will will portray the Dems as holding up judges that hold conservative christian values that are not shared by the whole US population. Will this work, I am not sure, I do hope this gets some TV time and exposes Frist and co for the sleazeballs that they truely are. I would have thought that after the Shavio fiasco that they would back off but I guess not. This must be what Bush meant when he had political capital to spend.

Posted by mardenhill 4/17/2005 06:02:00 PM 1 comments    

Beautiful, just Beautiful
Friday, April 15, 2005

Well the Dems have upstaged the Republicans on the web with a bit of redirection of their website. Try going to www.dccc.org and u get sent to http://houseofscandal.org/ which chronicles Delay's ethics violations and web of deceit. The MSM picked up on this for about a day or so but have moved on, I guess Michael's trial is more important.

Posted by mardenhill 4/15/2005 12:46:00 PM 2 comments    

The Sights CD Release Party
Thursday, April 14, 2005

Well the Sights are having their cd release party tonight at the Stick, bad news is that I am on call this week and also working late tonight. So no show for me, will have to wait until they hit it bigtime and charge $20 a ticket. They have a new website and I just found out that the cd came out on tuesday, the 12th. I had thought it was next week so I never bothered looking it up. iTunes has it available so I might download it from there or might have a friend pick it up for me tonight.

http://www.wearethesights.com/

iTunes had the single "Circus" which i downloaded a couple weeks ago. I am glad to see them making it, they are probably the best local band around and deserve the spotlight.

http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=7560

Here is an article from the metro times where they made the cover, a lot of fluff in it tho just skim thru and u get the jist.

Posted by mardenhill 4/14/2005 03:43:00 PM 3 comments    

Favorite of the Week
Tuesday, April 12, 2005

My new fav cd of the week is "The Alternative To Love" Brendan Benson's latest. I just got it on friday from itunes, I collected enough bottle caps to get it free. The best part, I never drank 1 pepsi to get them, we have enough people here who drink multiple bottles a day. This cd is very consistent, lots of power pop songs, sing alongs and head bobbing beats. Lyric wise, lots of songs about love, lost love and self loathing sung over infectious pop sounds. I am very curious to see what Brendan and Jack have in store for us later this year, they have a cd planned together. The White Stripes new cd comes out the beginning of June entitled "Blue Orchid" and a handful of dates around the world. I don't expect to see them until this fall, I wonder if they will do the 2 date show at the Masonic again or move on to a larger venue. The Sights have a new one coming out next week I believe on New Line Records, and so far the singles I have heard are very good. This thursday they are playing the Stick but I am on call and don't think I will be able to make the show. Gotta love Detroit, 3 great bands releasing stuff and getting lots of exposure.

Posted by mardenhill 4/12/2005 10:07:00 AM 0 comments    

17 Days and Counting

17 more days until Tiger is released, for those of you who do not know that this is, Tiger is the latest Operating System from Apple. The number is 10.4 and is referred to as Tiger. Previous versions were Panther, Jaguar, and as a gimick they package things in that animal's print. Yeah its cheezy, but the OS itself rocks. The search feature has been improved, there is a new feature called Dashboard which sits on your desk and has links to whatever you want, stocks, weather, flights etc. I think this replaces Sherlock from the previous versions and gives it to you in a nice GUI. RSS feeds have been added to Safari, RSS is the ability to pull in all the updates to web pages within one window, pretty much like email. This works well for blogs and news sites. Below is a link that lists all 200 improvements to the OS, lots of stuff you will never care about but lots that are cool.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/newfeatures/newfeatures.html

Before you start making fun of me, wait for this to come out and check it out at your local Apple store.

Posted by mardenhill 4/12/2005 09:35:00 AM 1 comments    

New Web Browser

Well its not really new, its been around for years but the latest version rocks the house. The only drawback is that I am not able to post to my blog from it, IE is the only browser that gives me all the tools I need. When I post from my mac, I cannot add pictures or hyperlinks. Anyways, check out Opera, it is very stable and has few popups. The best feature of it is the ability to open multiple sites and have them cascaded within one major window. When you are done for the day, just shut down the main window and leave all your sites open. When you launch again, they are all there and all you need is to hit refresh on each page. If you are like me and like to read a number of sites, this keeps them all in one window and open at all times.

http://www.opera.com/

I was on the firefox kick for a while but that is so 2004 now, Opera is the future, better get on board before you are swept away.

Posted by mardenhill 4/12/2005 09:05:00 AM 2 comments    

Daily Delay

http://dailydelay.blogspot.com/

The Public Campaign Action Fund has put together a blog to keep a daily history of Tom's exploits and the general public updated on the events that may not make the MSM. I was very suprised to hear on CNN yesterday Delay's name and his ethics violations in the same sentence. Feel free to bookmark this site if you are interested in following Delay's demise.

Posted by mardenhill 4/12/2005 09:01:00 AM 2 comments    

Signing her book...

Posted by mardenhill 4/10/2005 07:58:00 PM 3 comments    

Shaking hands...

Posted by mardenhill 4/10/2005 07:58:00 PM 1 comments    

Pictures from the book signing. Giada was very nice and took a few moments to speak with everyone. I missed the cooking demonstration, I was too far back in the line, there were probably a few hundred people there.

Posted by mardenhill 4/10/2005 07:57:00 PM 3 comments    

Music To My Ears

Well It has started, the republicans are starting to turn on Delay, its just a matter of time before the slithering snake is forced to step down. I will be throwing a party when that day arrives, drinks for everyone. Delay is the epitomy of corporate/political sleaze and its all coming out. This louse had his wife and daughter on the take, receiving money from a PAC he formed years ago. Bring his whole family down, I don't care, let him be an example to the nation on what happens when politicans take too much money from lobbyists. Hell, his own daughter had a baby shower thrown and paid for by a lobbyist. I guess Tom doesn't make enough money in the house to throw his own daughter a party, what a sad, sad world we live in. Its just a matter of time, the Terri Shavio saga is over, the funeral for the pope is over, now the TV time is wide open and hopefully its on Tom Delay day and night. Expose Tom for the true hyprocrite that he is, play his own words to the world to let them hear how he threatened judges not just once but many times.

"Tom's conduct is hurting the Republican Party, is hurting this Republican majority and it is hurting any Republican who is up for re-election," Rep. Chris Shays, R-Conn., told The Associated Press in an interview, calling for DeLay to step down as majority leader.
"My party is going to have to decide whether we are going to continue to make excuses for Tom to the detriment of Republicans seeking election,"

Now you have Santorum speaking up but a bit more diplomatically since he is public enemy #1 come the 06 elections but still wants to be the the loving grace of Senator Frist and the party.

Rick Santorum, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate, said Sunday that DeLay needs to explain his conduct to the public.

"I think he has to come forward and lay out what he did and why he did it and let the people then judge for themselves," Santorum told ABC's "This Week." "But from everything I've heard, again, from the comments and responding to those, is everything he's done was according to the law.

"Now you may not like some of the things he's done," said Santorum, who is up for re-election next year in Pennsylvania. "That's for the people of his district to decide, whether they want to approve that kind of behavior or not."

Posted by mardenhill 4/10/2005 07:01:00 PM 1 comments    

Giada De Laurentiis is a private chef and caterer in Los Angeles and the founder of GDL Foods. Growing up in a large Italian family, Giada's passion for food was sparked as a child as she learned to prepare family recipes for their frequent gatherings. She became a professional chef after attending the famed Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in Paris. After working in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, Giada started her own business. She's happy to share her family's secrets.
Giada will be at Williams Sonoma in Somerset this saturday doing a book signing. We picked up her new cookbook at Costco for almost half the price and I plan on heading up there. If anyone else is interested let me know. Giada is an amazing cook plus she's hot. Move over Nigela, Giada is the new hottie on the block.....

Posted by mardenhill 4/06/2005 09:32:00 AM 4 comments    

David Duchovny's Blog
Tuesday, April 05, 2005

http://lionsgatedirectors.com/duchovny/index_flash.html

Yep, David Duchovny from X Files fame has his own blog out and its pretty cool. I didn't even know he has moved onto directing and has a movie coming out in a couple weeks. Himself, his wife Tea, Erykah Badu and Robbin Williams all star in the movie. Here is the premise of the movie from its website.

A comical and touching story of a man looking back at his childhood in 1970s Greenwich Village, Lions Gate Films' HOUSE OF D is the feature film writing and directing debut of actor David Duchovny, starring Duchovny, Anton Yelchin, Robin Williams, Téa Leoni, Frank Langella and Erykah Badu.

An American artist living a bohemian existence in Paris, Tom Warshaw (David Duchovny) is trying to make sense of his troubled adult life by reflecting upon his extraordinary childhood...The year is 1973, and thirteen-year-old Greenwich Village native Tommy Warshaw (Anton Yelchin) is on the brink of becoming a man. While his bereaved single mother (Téa Leoni) continues to mourn the death of his father, Tommy escapes his own grief by causing trouble at school and making afternoon meat deliveries with his best friend Pappas (Robin Williams), a mentally challenged janitor. Following the romantic advice offered by Lady (Erykah Badu) - incarcerated in the infamous Greenwich Village Women's House of Detention for shadowy reasons - Tommy even experiences his first taste of love. Yet when an unexpected tragedy radically alters his world, Tommy must make a life-defining choice - one that will compel the adult Tom Warshaw, thirty years later, to confront his unfinished past.

Vividly capturing the spirit of youth in all its joy and heartbreak, HOUSE OF D examines with humor and pathos a boy's harrowing coming of age and the manner in which it defines his adulthood. Sensitively directed by Duchovny and bolstered by affectionate portrayals from a talented cast, HOUSE OF D is a winning, hopeful story about overcoming loss and coming to terms with one's past.

http://www.houseofdthemovie.com/

Posted by mardenhill 4/05/2005 12:23:00 PM 0 comments    

Ryan Adams Mania

We have count it 4 total cds from Ryan this year, a double cd with the Cardinals and then Jacksonville and 29 later this year. If you check out Ryan's website, www.ryan-adams.com
you can hear the 1st single "Let It Ride". Keep this site bookmarked, Ryan likes to completely change his site every few weeks.

RYAN ADAMS has confirmed the tracklisting for his first album of 2005.

Ryan Adams And The Cardinals release double album ‘Cold Roses’ on May 3, ahead of full length solo releases from Adams later this year.

The Cardinals are credited as guitarists JP Bowersock and Cindy Cashdollar, bassist Catherine Popper and drummer Brad Pemberton.

The tracklisting for ‘Cold Roses’ is:

Disc one: ‘Magnolia Mountain’ ‘Sweet Illusions’ ‘Meadowlake Street’ ‘When Will You Come Back Home?’ ‘Beautiful Sorta’ ‘Now That You’re Gone’ ‘Cherry Lane’ ‘Mockingbirdsong’ ‘How Do You Keep Love Alive’

Disc two:‘Easy Plateau’ ‘Let It Ride’ ‘Rosebud’ ‘Cold Roses’ ‘If I Am A Stranger’ ‘Dance All Night’ ‘Blossom’ ‘Life Is Beautiful’ ‘Friends’

As previously reported Adams is set to tour North America at the end of this month (April) before releasing albums ’Jacksonville’ and ’29’ later this year.

Posted by mardenhill 4/05/2005 12:04:00 PM 1 comments    

Opening Day Update

Well it was a great day for baseball yesterday, just check out my face, I am sunburnt beyond reason. I also have 2 levels of burn on my arms, 1 from my sweater and then the other from taking it off. The tigers won so I guess thats all that matters. The weather was amazing and it was sold out with 41,000+ people. Kwami got booed at the beginning and so did Jennifer Granholm but I think it was just because they came out together. We went to Harry's to start off, its a pretty cool bar nestled inbetween abandoned buildings on Cass, you would never know it was there. From there we moved onto the Detroit Brewery next to Small Plates and finally the game. Afterwards made a trip down to Mexicantown and back home. The drive back sucked, I took the Southfield expressway back which was stop and go the whole time. 75 was a mess with rush hour and game traffic but I don't think my shortcut was much better. This summer will be the summer of the Tigers, I think we will do something this year, and I plan on being there as much as I can. Btw, the Tigers won 11-2 and Dimitri Young had 3 homeruns along with a few RBIs.

Posted by mardenhill 4/05/2005 11:02:00 AM 3 comments    

If Delay wasn't Enough
Monday, April 04, 2005

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/index.php?p=240%20

Delay isn't the only congressman inciting violence towards judges, now we have Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) spewing forth more hatred. This fucking scumbag thinks that judges are appointed for like and cannot be voted out of office that should just be killed. What us wrong with Texas and their dimwitted representatives? I cannot think the whole state is this stupid, there has to be some level headed people there. The problem with this whole thing, no one will hear these statements since the news is pope 24/7 and that is exactly why they are saying it. Funny how we are mourning a religious icon and they are using religion to dismantle the judiciary system and kill innocent people. What separates these terrorists from Bin Laden, he called for a religious war, these guys are doing the same. Why cannot we just arrest them and throw them into a torture cell and hold them without counsel? Maybe then people would wake up and see the abuse going on here. The sound bytes are great for commericals but then they will sit on the shelves for another year while the republiscums use the nuclear option and kill all the activist judges. Will it take Michael Shivao or judge Greer to be murdered for people to see whats going on? I believe so and I hate to see that happen but it will. Some religious terrorist will kill and then it will make the news. I can see the headlines right now, another Matthew Shephard where people protesting saying that he deserved to die. I tell ya, there are some sick bastards out there and its not just hidden away, they are in power messing with our constitution.

Here is the quote, hopefully Senator Conyers rebuke gets some play but I highly doubt it.

“I don’t know if there is a cause-and-effect connection but we have seen some recent episodes of courthouse violence in this country,” Sen. Cornyn said. “Certainly nothing new, but we seem to have run through a spate of courthouse violence recently that’s been on the news and I wonder whether there may be some connection between the perception in some quarters on some occasions where judges are making political decisions yet are unaccountable to the public, that it builds up and builds up and builds up to the point where some people engage in - engage in violence.”

Posted by mardenhill 4/04/2005 10:53:00 PM 0 comments    

Opening Day
Sunday, April 03, 2005

Well tomorrow is opening day and I will be downtown cheering the Tigers on. I am really excited about this, year after year i say hey it would be fun to go down but then its sold out. This year i was proactive and got tix on the day they went on sale. Seats aren't the best but i dont care i am in the door enjoying the day. Tomorrow's weather is slated to be 59 degrees, sunny and a little wind. Game is at 1pm, i will be down there around 10am to get some pre-partying in and then over to the game. More tomorrow afterwards, now i am off to watch desparate housewifes and think about grouting the bathroom floor.

Posted by mardenhill 4/03/2005 08:01:00 PM 0 comments    

Big suprise, Delay has broken the law yet again....
Friday, April 01, 2005

http://rawstory.com/exclusives/byrne/lautenberg_letter_delay_schiavo_401.htm


Once again Delay has opened his mouth and spewed for more hatred and vitrol. On his latest comments regarding Terri Shavio he threatened Michael and all the judges that their time will come.

SUGAR LAND, Texas – House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) today released the following statement mourning the passing of Terri Schiavo:

“Mrs. Schiavo’s death is a moral poverty and a legal tragedy. This loss happened because our legal system did not protect the people who need protection most, and that will change. The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior, but not today. Today we grieve, we pray, and we hope to God this fate never befalls another. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Schindlers and with Terri Schiavo's friends in this time of deep sorrow. ”

This wretched louse will try to spin this to say he was talking about God's wrath but we know exactly what he meant. "The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior, but not today." I'm sorry this is an open invitation to incite all the extremists to go on a hunting expedition to pick off everyone involved. This is ILLEGAL, IMMORAL and downwright DISGUISTING. I guess Delay doesn't mind when a few activist judges are gunned down along with their family members as long as it advances his agenda. How much more does America have to bear before they take action and remove this piece of trash from office? We have had a rash of killings lately and since Delay is in bed with the same extremists that have no qualms about killings doctors, we know they will go after the judges.

The article talks about Senator Lautenberg's letter to Delay regarding his blatent disregard for laws and the possible charges that can rise from doing so. Many thanks to Lautenberg and hopefully the MSM picks up on this and blows Delay out of the water. Tom your days are numbered, if you want to bring the ship down with you, thats your business but threatening lives will only accelerate this process.

Posted by mardenhill 4/01/2005 11:30:00 AM 1 comments    

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    

Update: Delaygate....
Monday, February 28, 2005

I won't post the whole article but check it out below. This piece of shit, dirtbag gladly took money from a group who targeted seniors with direct mailings to convince them social security was going to go bankrupt and to send them money. Delay had them pay for 2 trips totaling $134,000 over the past few years. This is illegal in Texas and these are the reasons all the ethics violation charges have been leveled against Delay. This guy needs to be run out of town and thrown in jail. Will the main stream media pick up on it, probably not, they are just a bunch of wankers afraid to say anything negative these days.

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/index.php?p=134

Posted by mardenhill 2/28/2005 12:33:00 PM 0 comments    

Tom Delay

NEW TOM DELAY MONDAY BOMBSHELL: GROUP THAT PAID FOR $134,000 IN DELAY TRIPS RAISED MONEY SCAMMING SENIORS ON SOCIAL SECURITY: NOON...

Stay tuned, I will post more dirt on the scumbag and his latest legal troubles....

Posted by mardenhill 2/28/2005 11:06:00 AM 3 comments    

Installation of OS X
Friday, February 25, 2005

Well I am just sitting here at work waiting to leave and watching the installation of OS X on my mac at work. I decided it was time to wipe it clean and reload it, I tell ya, its easier than you would think. Put the disk in, restart and follow a few screens and, BAM!!, you're done.

Other than that, just working on the bathroom, well not me, Erika's dad is but I did help yesterday. Yes I was allowed to play with large power tools and didn't lose any limbs or mame anyone else. I did most of the grunt work the last few days, I had to tear up the original floor which was 2 inches of cement with the ceramic tile embedded into that. So with a sledgehammer and chisel, I took out half the floor. Once we got the toilet and sink out yesterday we were able to rip up the remaining parts in large chunks. At this time our house is covered in sawdust and dirt and we will be cleaning the rest of the weekend. The tile should be down by the time I get home and then tomorrow we can add the grout. I will post some pics once its done. So thats my weekend, cleaning up and learning about tiling.

Posted by mardenhill 2/25/2005 04:57:00 PM 1 comments    

Update: iPod Mini Round 2
Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Well Apple announced the new ipods, no color screen for the minis or bluetooth but price drops are there. The minis will have longer battery lives and the colors are more vibrant. The 20 gig ipod will stay at $299 probably until stock is gone and the ipod photos have dropped in price. There are no docks with the photos due to the price cut and the 40 has been taken out of circulation I believe. This is good tho, even without the color screen they have trumped both Creative and Dell who's players are only 5 gigs in size. In march there will be a connector coming out that can hook from your digital camera to the ipod photo to pull the pictures off.

iPod Mini
New 6GB Model. $249
4GB Model. $199
Up to 18hrs Battery Life
4 Colors

iPod Photo
30GB. $349
60GB. $449

Posted by mardenhill 2/23/2005 10:28:00 AM 0 comments    

Our Favorite Pennsylvania Senator....

Rick Santorum held an event yesterday talking about Social Security, the deficit and minimum wage. During the deficit part, Rick referred to the war as one time costs, I guess the 80 billion here and 80 billion there for a total of about 300 billion just counts as a one time cost. Hmm must be all that "fuzzy math" at play. So you have one side of the room chanting Rick's gotta go and the other side chanting Social Security's gotta go, thats classic, just what the president wants, people telling the truth about his plan.

Courtesy of www.dailykos.com

Santorum's SS eventby kos Tue Feb 22nd, 2005 at 16:49:50 PST

Chris Bowers has a funny take on Santorum's social security event today. These two paragraphs are particularly hilarious:

[B]efore the event, Philly DFA began chanting "Hey-hey, ho-ho, Rick Santorum has got to go!" Local college Republicans, who are just about the only Republicans in West Philly, responded with a chant that beautifully was captured live by CNN: "hey-hey, ho-ho, Social Security has got to go!" I love it when the other side does your campaigning for you!

Inside the hall, the biggest applause line of the event was generated early on when Santorum asked a rhetorical question about demographics and funding: "what happens in 2008?" Before he could answer his own question, someone shouted "Bush leaves office," and the room went wild.

Gotta love those College Republicans -- too young and stupid to use proper code words, letting their true intentions hang out in the open.

Posted by mardenhill 2/23/2005 09:55:00 AM 2 comments