Category Archives: imho is just a polite way to say I know you don’t give a hoot what I think but I’m going to say it anyway

Oh, Michael! Now you are not going to be on the Wheaties boxes!

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Unless we begin to serve the Breakfast of Champions in a BONG!

Apology is good. But it would have been better if you immediately came out and admitted it. Now go fire your publicist. He tried to cover it up for you. Yeah, right. Like any news outfit was going to sit on the big fat juicy story of “Michael Phelps caught smoking weed!”, or people were just going to ignore this. This is the payout that every tabloid has been waiting for.

This is a dumb move because you did it 3 months AFTER your stunning Olympic performance. You didn’t realize that you are now famous? You didn’t think anybody was going to follow you, watch your every move, and catch your every action on camera? Where have you been living? Under a rock? Haven’t you ever heard of Lindsay Lohan, Britany Spears or Paris Hilton?

And another thing: NO CAMERA ALLOWED in the BONG ROOM!

Since it happened at a student party, there are two scenarios: someone pretended to be your pal and sneaked in the party. Or, one of your buddies sold you out… That would be the most troubling part of this whole story, for me.

It seems that you were trying to cover yourself up by smoking the pipe while standing sideways. How about wearing a disguise next time? What kind of role model are you for all the dopeheads on college campuses?

I repeat: There is NO FREE lunch. Only Freemium.

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Chris Anderson (the chief over at my favorite mag, WIRED) is coming out with another book, FREE, this summer. As a precursor to the big PR blitz for sure to come, he penned an article on WSJ, “The Economics of Giving It Away“, published today.

Mr. Anderson is the god of generating buzz words (think “The Long Tail”) and cool, attention-grabbing titles (such as this one). And this article, like his previous book The Long Tail and the mag that he edits, is an interesting read.

“Does this mean that Free will retreat in a down economy? Probably not. The psychological and economic case for it remains as good as ever — the marginal cost of anything digital falls by 50% every year, making pricing a race to the bottom, and “Free” has as much power over the consumer psyche as ever. But it does mean that Free is not enough. It also has to be matched with Paid. Just as King Gillette’s free razors only made business sense paired with expensive blades, so will today’s Web entrepreneurs have to not just invent products that people love, but also those that they will pay for. Not all of the people or even most of them — free is still great marketing and bits are still too cheap to meter — but enough to pay the bills. Free may be the best price, but it can’t be the only one.”

Companies need to find a business model that most likely will be based on the “Freemium” model: Free products and services subsidized by the few that actually are willing to Pay. And the Paid price will most likely be extremely low. Companies just have to make it up on volume. Think all the online RPGs that charge gamers $5 a month so that they can get cool weapons for their characters or customize their avatars. I am not sure how well this model will succeed though since my 10 year-old boy refused to pay, out of his own pocket, for the privilege of making his avatar look super duper cool, after I approved of the expense. “Nah, who cares what I look like?” So he uses the money saved on more Pokemon cards. (Hmmm, where is the logic in this decision?)

And I love this line:“The standard business model for Web companies that don’t actually have a business model is advertising.” (and here is a cartoon to match).

Heard on NPR: Blago, No Unemployment For You!

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Many of us heard on TV or radio or read in the newspaper or blogs how the Former Illinois Governor Blagojevich likes to compare himself to all sorts of famous people. “Famous” not “Infamous”, that’s the operative word here. Anyway, he’s compared himself to Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he’s compared his own surprise arrest by the Feds to the Pearl Harbor. One wonders: when is he going to compare himself to Jesus Christ? If you are talking about persecution, how can you forget about the story of Jesus Christ? After his impeachment was passed 59 to 0, he came home from his media tour in NYC, stood outside of his house, out of work, and compared himself to the “tens of thousands of people all across America, just like me who are losing there jobs or lost their jobs.”

I am sure I was not the only one that wondered upon hearing this, Are we going to see him lining up in the unemployment office now? And, is being impeached, the same as being fired? Which would disqualify a person from receiving any unemployment checks. Being impeached is like getting fired in public, with millions of people watching your boss slapping down that pink slip on your desk and the company security guards escorting you out of the door. Right?

Thank goodness that NPR delivered the good news that eased my mind: No, you will not see Blago in the unemployment office any time soon, he is not eligible. But not because he is impeached (or fired), but because “Elected officials throughout Illinois, the wages that they earn in those capacities do not count towards unemployment insurance. [They] don’t put money into the unemployment system, so they don’t qualify benefits.”

Note to self: Do not run for public offices and expect to collect unemployment checks. And if elected, try and not get fired.

Joe the Plumber’s Book is out… Out of Stock already?

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A friend of mine recently paid more than a month of her salary for a plumber’s visit. I commented on her Facebook page, jokingly: Is it Joe the Plumber?

This reminds me that, well, Joe is probably not doing house calls any more, since he is supposed to be living off the sales of his book, right? I completely forgot about it and decided to Google “Joe Plumber Book”. I could not find a single result with an announcement with the book being published, rather I got tons of blog entries about the announcement of the book “deal” last November. Fear not. Amazon.com came to the rescue after I wised up and added “Amazon” to my search keywords. For sure, it showed up on the top of the results:

JOE THE PLUMBER: FIGHTING FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM

Is anybody surprised by “American Dream” being in the book title?

And the publishing date is listed as February 6, 2009, but the book is listed as Out of Stock already. Lots of people apparently want to know what Joe has learned from his 15-minute of fame. (Or, has he?)

Granted, I have not read the book. Free, maybe. Definitely do not plan to shell out any dough for this book. Sorry, Joe. Please don’t take it personal. It’s just that all my hard-earned money apparently is going to pay for the bonuses for the Wallstreet Hotshots!

Judging from the reviews though, it is a pretty one-sided book. As a matter of fact, folks expect it to be one-sided, so that Liberals/Democrats will rate the book 1 or less star, and Conservatives/Republicans will give the man some credits for “telling it like it is,” no matter whether the reviewer has actually read the book or not. My prediction? Reviews and ensuing verbal fights on Amazon.com will be more entertaining than the book itself. (Don’t forget to read the comments on the reviews too! Got to love the Internet!)

Obama is in Da House! Day One: Capping pay for White House employees and banning gifts…

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Those who are affected, i.e. those whose salaries are more than 100K a year, are probably not too happy about this, but we are thrilled to hear that the man seeks immediately to rule by example.

“All of you are committed to building a more responsible government… Families are tightening their belts and so should Washington,” said President Obama to his staff.

The president also signed new executive orders to implement new ethics rules to ban lobbying by current staff after they leave the administration, including a ban on gifts!

Say that again? I cannot believe this. Amen to that!!

Today is the day: Inaugration of President Obama, yet, I am not feeling the fever. What’s wrong with me?

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I am a liberal alright and a staunch Obama supporter. In fact, I am proud of the fact that I “called it” in 2004 before Obama gave that fateful speech at the Democratic Convention that launched him into the national spotlight. (And what’s more, he wrote it himself!) I called it even before that: I saw him on TV being interviewed for something, and I told my husband, this guy could run for the president one day and I would vote for him. After the 2004 Dem Convention speech, I was utterly convinced that he has what it takes to be the POTUS and I anxiously waited for someone, someone that mattered to make this official.

I still tell my husband, “I called it before anybody else did!” from time to time, and it annoys him to no end since, of course, it cannot be true that I was the very first one to see this coming…

I was guessing 2012, but it came 4 years earlier to my excitement. At the same time, I was worried that the timing was off, and the country might not be ready for someone so young, and this might ruin his chance forever. (Not ready NOT because he’s black but because he is young, relatively “inexperience” – I already predicted that the country would be ready for an African American man to lead them before a woman… but that’s for an entire different post later)

During the election, I constantly had panic attacks that we were going to lose again, and be under the GOP thumb for another 4 years. I joked, “kidding on the square”, with my husband that we should consider moving to Canada, as we did 4 years ago when Bush won again. On November 4, 2008, I was so happy that my worry was unfounded. He won. WE won!

I admire Obama very much and would like nothing more than the opportunity of speaking to him in person, or even just shaking his hand, like the rest of the nation, judging by the blogs, Facebook updates, Twitter followings, even the news media that lavish praise after praise upon him. He has made so many speeches that brought tears to my eyes. He is able to get in touch with many on a very personal level. I have posted tribute to him myself as well.

I admire Michelle Obama as well, on so many different levels, esp. her being an intelligent person, and a working mother to boot. Like her husband, many have responded to her on a very personal level as well. They are truly an inspiration to the “regular” Americans since as far as I can tell, they have absolutely no ties to any big political names, not the nephew or niece of so-and-so. And for African American women, her being the First Lady has begun to carry so many symbolic meanings, and many of them have been materialized in the new book Go Tell Michelle.

Oh, I have felt the fever alright. During the election.

But I woke up early this morning, at 2:46 am to be exact, feeling a panic attack, because I am not feeling the excitement that the news media has shown us, the screaming fans and all. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy. But it feels like, all of a sudden, at a party where everybody is screaming and laughing and drunk with youthful abandon, and well, partying, I am standing in the midst of all this, sober.

I can understand the significance of this event for many people, a significance much much deeper than the face value of a Presidential Inauguration – He IS the first African American to be elected the President of the United States. I cannot begin to imagine the significance of this event on the psyche of African Americans. This is truly a watershed moment that can potentially change the lives of so many, not just in the US, but around the world. The policies he will make, the changes he will carry out (or at least try his darnedest), the wrongs that he will correct (starting with banning waterboarding outright!), the people that he, as the first Black U.S. President, and Michelle, as the first Black First Lady, will inspire, again, not just in this country but all around the world.

But I am not feeling the screaming fan blind adoration bestowed on him as if he were a rock star or a movie star chosen as Sexist Man Alive. Maybe that’s my problem. This man has a wife, and two young daughters. And he is going to be OUR President for the next four years. To be honest, I am not cool with screaming female fans treating him like some sort of sex symbol. (Call me a prude… I am never one to fall for a celebrity so maybe that’s why I am such a party pooper at this moment). Calling him Obama-daddy trivialized the election of an intelligent capable man who just wants to do the right thing and inspire others to do the same. Selling thongs with his image on it and words “Sleep with Obama” is disrespectful to his wife, not to mention anything else.

Yes, I do have a sense of humor. I found the Obama Girl funny, during the election. But now we have reached our goal and elected the man, hmmm, don’t you think it is time to let it go? Last time I checked, this here is the United States, not France….

There lies my problem: I am not seeing him as a celebrity, commanding my unquestioned adoration.

This man is human. He is not Superman.

It is 4:30 am, on the day of the historical Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama who I voted for and wanted for president since before 2004, I am completely sober, much to my liberal chagrin, in the midst of youthful obsession that turns anyone into a Hollywood-style “celebrity”.

My cure? Psyching myself up by shopping for the commemorative items on the official PIC2009 website. Get them before they are gone! If I am not feeling the party, at least I can fake it!

Bush commutes sentences of 2 Border Patrols – Finally, after 8 years, W did something that I approved of…

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I am sure a lot of my liberal friends are going to treat me like a traitor for saying this, but I am glad that the two men, Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, will be out of jail in March, without having to serve the 11-year and 12-year sentences that they were given. There are already a lot of outcry and celebration in the blogsphere: On the Huffington Post, most of the comments expressed outrage at this “anti-immigrant” gesture, and conversely, on the “white supremacy” or self-proclaimed “red-state-leaning” oriented blogs (I am not going to provide links here, just google on your own and you will see…) , this act was celebrated as confirmation that white people won.  Eh, first of all, I believe that Mr. Ramos is not white…

I heard of this story last year when my husband got a hold of the wonderful book series “The Best American Writing” for the year 2008 (which by the way is a series worth looking forward to every year, making Christmas all the much better for grown-ups!), and inside The Best American Crime Reporting 2008 , is an extensively researched and well-written article by Pamela Colloff, published in the September 2007 issue of Texas Monthly.  Here is the reprint found on the US Attorney website.  Read this before you make any judgement!

It is hard not to feel bad for the two men once finishing reading the entire article.  The point, in my mind, is not whether they have shot an unarmed-man while he was running away, in the dark, but rather, the fairness in the sentencing of the two men for longer than a decade on the excuse of their violating bureaucratic procedures.  Anybody that is arguing the merit (or demerit) of the commutation of sentence from the perspective of immigration, whether pro- or anti-, is not looking at this issue rationally.

And how many people that are now outraged simply by the sensational headlines or out-of-context comments such as the one posted on Salon.com by Alex Koppelman:

“Bush commutes sentences of former Border Patrol agents – Anti-immigration forces won a partial victory Monday, as President Bush commuted the prison sentences of two of their heroes…”

Alex Koppelman published a long article on salon.com in January 2007 on this case as well which I was not aware of until just now.  He has a completely different take on this case: as a deliberate cover-up by the right wing and a transformation of criminals into folk heroes.  Guess I need to withhold my own judgement now too before I can make up my mind on this…

Why is life so complicated?

It’s January 6, do you know who your Senator is?

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Finally.  Dare I say "Finally"?  Al Franken finally was given enough evidence to declare victory, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, based on a 225-vote lead.  Norm Coleman of course immediately indicated, "I am going to SUE!!!"  (Attaboy, like a good old American, that's what I'd do too!) 
 
Please please, let Franken have the chance to run his mouth on the Senate floor.  I cannot wait to hear what he has to say now that he has such an attention-getting mainstream forum, instead of his radio show (and it is NOT even on FM!)
 

The good old “Good Samaritan Law” about to be overturned…

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I love California, in general. I love the people there. Liberals. Warm-hearted. Open-minded. Willing to listen to different opinions and considering uncommon alternatives. Thus go the stereotypes. But this is taking the liberal spirit a bit too far.

The California Supreme Court has ruled that good Samaritans can be sued for not being careful when they try to help a victim in an emergency. The case centers on a woman who is suing her co-worker who “dragged” her out of the crashed vehicle like a “rag doll”, causing permanent damage to her spinal cord. I feel for the victim, I do. But there will be huge ramification to the society as a whole if we ever allow a rescuer with honest good intentions to ever be sued for trying to save someone else’s life.

The Good Samaritan laws, or “The Good Samaritan Doctrine” as it is legally known, is a legal principle that prevents a rescuer who has voluntarily helped a victim in distress from being successfully sued for “wrongdoing”. Its purpose is to keep people from being so reluctant to help a stranger in need for fear of legal repercussions if they made some mistake in treatment.

This is insane. So now we have to tell our kids: Yes, of course, if you see someone in danger, you are going to try and help them out. BUT, NOT before you obtain their permission for saving their life first. Actually, that’s not good enough, because it could become a “You said, s/he said scenario.” You should have them write down their permission and sign before you save their life…

How ridiculous does this sound? The scene from the movie Hancock comes to mind:

I Promise: last post about Dr. Maddow this week…

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Follow Rachel Maddow on Twitter!

Oh, oh, oh, and watch this old clip (from before we all fell in love with her) showing Maddow’s commentary on John Bolton, dubbed as the Worst Diplomat, ever. Brilliantly funny!