....but the words have not.
[Brian Stevenson] saying well there goes my parents' paychecks to lazy people and i hope my husband will still have a job after the airline industry goes to hell! [emphasis added]
[Jennifer Johnson] Today America has chosen form over substance, emotion over logic, idealism over reality, but worst of all, color over quality. [emphasis added]
These are status changes from people I am "friends" with on facebook.
Maybe you know them. At this point, I hope you don't.
They will likely defend themselves, making claims that these words are misinterpreted.
But I am entirely disheartened about these statements.
These are my peers; my colleagues. People that I will likely be around for the foreseeable future, even beyond law school.
I say it again....tell me that racism isn't alive.
When the words "good ol' boy" still circulate in Houston and the South
When people allege that the country voted on color and not the 1 million other variables.
When those pre-conceived notions pop into your head throughout the day.
We've all been programmed from a young age.
Tell me racism doesn't exist.
I miss the days of grade school, where I wasn't fully aware of what race was.
As far as this country may have come, is as far behind as we really are at times.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Yeah, I'm a Little Late
It's looking bad for Republican judges early on in Houston. Actually, looking bad for anyone who is a Republican and not named Ed Emmett.....
This is why I do not support straight-ticket voting. Good and qualified judges will be losing their positions because of some grossly unqualified democrats that decided it was time to get swept in for one reason or another [I will say that this doesn't necessarily mean all of them are unqualified, but I know of a few].
Anyway, we'll see what happens, but I need a laugh.
This was hilarious. Background on this: Shaq threatened to hurt San Antonio from the line....so Popovich decided to foul him within the first ten seconds of the game. HILARIOUS. And Shaq gets a good laugh out of Popovich's two thumbs up.
This is why I do not support straight-ticket voting. Good and qualified judges will be losing their positions because of some grossly unqualified democrats that decided it was time to get swept in for one reason or another [I will say that this doesn't necessarily mean all of them are unqualified, but I know of a few].
Anyway, we'll see what happens, but I need a laugh.
This was hilarious. Background on this: Shaq threatened to hurt San Antonio from the line....so Popovich decided to foul him within the first ten seconds of the game. HILARIOUS. And Shaq gets a good laugh out of Popovich's two thumbs up.
5 Songs to Listen to - Election Day Special
1) 4th Branch - Revolutionary Vol. 2 - Immortal Technique
2) Patriotism - Soundbombing 2 - El-P
3) Memorial Day - Black Dialogue - The Perceptionists
4) Two More Years - Bloc Party
5) 3rd World - The 3rd World - Immortal Technique
2) Patriotism - Soundbombing 2 - El-P
3) Memorial Day - Black Dialogue - The Perceptionists
4) Two More Years - Bloc Party
5) 3rd World - The 3rd World - Immortal Technique
Monday, November 3, 2008
The Left Field Trade
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3679931
I don't think most people saw this one coming.
Cheikh Samb (yeah, I know, WHO?!), Chauncey Billups, and Antonio McDyess were traded today for Allen Iverson.
Ummm...on paper, this looks like a horrendously bad deal. But the break down makes a lot more sense.
Chauncey is locked up for four years at $46 million. He's currently 32.
McDyess has a two-year deal at $13.5 million.
A.I. is in the final year of his deal, at around $21 million.
Now McDyess has said he doesn't want to play for Denver. So really, Samb and McDyess were players included to make the deal happen. McDyess will either retire or be bought out. I anticipate a buyout, and him resigning with the Pistons.
Who knows what Denver will do with Samb, although with Nene, Birdman Anderson, and Kenyon Martin being the major players in the front court, Samb might actually get some tick.
For Denver, they get a true point guard, which they haven't had since....well since they traded Andre Miller for Iverson. Although I'm sure Denver will look back in 1-2 years and completely regret having pulled the trigger on this trade because of an aging and less productive Billups.
For Detroit, this is a stellar deal. It opens up the youth movement, giving more time to Amir Johnson, Jason Maxiell (who just got an extension) and Rodney Stuckey. Lots of different rotations, including Stuckey at the 1 or 2, Iverson at the 1 or 2, Hamilton at the 3, and a variety of options at the 4 and 5.
For my fantasy team, this might actually do wonders. JR Smith gets consistent minutes, as does Stuckey.
Overall, this trade is average at best for Denver. But it's phenomonal for Detroit. Why? Because Rasheew Wallace is also in the last year of his deal. SO, it frees up becaup cap-room for a 2009 AND 2010 free-agent pool that includes: Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Lebron, Kobe, Carlos Boozer, Joe Johnson, Dirk, Amare, Ginobili, etc.
In addition, in 2010, Rip Hamilton's contract is up. So we could be looking at an entirely new Pistons team within 1-2 years. I like what Joe Dumars did. Amazing.
I don't think most people saw this one coming.
Cheikh Samb (yeah, I know, WHO?!), Chauncey Billups, and Antonio McDyess were traded today for Allen Iverson.
Ummm...on paper, this looks like a horrendously bad deal. But the break down makes a lot more sense.
Chauncey is locked up for four years at $46 million. He's currently 32.
McDyess has a two-year deal at $13.5 million.
A.I. is in the final year of his deal, at around $21 million.
Now McDyess has said he doesn't want to play for Denver. So really, Samb and McDyess were players included to make the deal happen. McDyess will either retire or be bought out. I anticipate a buyout, and him resigning with the Pistons.
Who knows what Denver will do with Samb, although with Nene, Birdman Anderson, and Kenyon Martin being the major players in the front court, Samb might actually get some tick.
For Denver, they get a true point guard, which they haven't had since....well since they traded Andre Miller for Iverson. Although I'm sure Denver will look back in 1-2 years and completely regret having pulled the trigger on this trade because of an aging and less productive Billups.
For Detroit, this is a stellar deal. It opens up the youth movement, giving more time to Amir Johnson, Jason Maxiell (who just got an extension) and Rodney Stuckey. Lots of different rotations, including Stuckey at the 1 or 2, Iverson at the 1 or 2, Hamilton at the 3, and a variety of options at the 4 and 5.
For my fantasy team, this might actually do wonders. JR Smith gets consistent minutes, as does Stuckey.
Overall, this trade is average at best for Denver. But it's phenomonal for Detroit. Why? Because Rasheew Wallace is also in the last year of his deal. SO, it frees up becaup cap-room for a 2009 AND 2010 free-agent pool that includes: Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Lebron, Kobe, Carlos Boozer, Joe Johnson, Dirk, Amare, Ginobili, etc.
In addition, in 2010, Rip Hamilton's contract is up. So we could be looking at an entirely new Pistons team within 1-2 years. I like what Joe Dumars did. Amazing.
(5) Songs to Listen to - 11/3/08
1) 7:18 - A Weekend in the City - Bloc Party
2) Wild Horses - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint that $h@t Gold - Atmosphere
3) Metal Gear - The F-Word EP - Cannibal Ox
4) Why You'd Want to Live Hear - the Photo Album - Death Cab for Cutie
5) Psycho Killer - the Talking Heads.
2) Wild Horses - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint that $h@t Gold - Atmosphere
3) Metal Gear - The F-Word EP - Cannibal Ox
4) Why You'd Want to Live Hear - the Photo Album - Death Cab for Cutie
5) Psycho Killer - the Talking Heads.
Celebrate the World Series......
..........with a new set of luggage!!! That's what these Phillies fans did. At around 1:55, someone also yells, "let's burn this (bleepin) city down baby!"
I will never understand why people riot to celebrate. It makes zero sense. And I went to UMass, where rioting was a way of life. Hey, we weren't one of the most dangerous schools in the U.S. because we didn't riot.
I will never understand why people riot to celebrate. It makes zero sense. And I went to UMass, where rioting was a way of life. Hey, we weren't one of the most dangerous schools in the U.S. because we didn't riot.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Five Songs to Listen to (Today)
- Life on Mars?, Best of Bowie - David Bowie
- No Cars Go, Neon Bible- Arcade Fire
- Safety Bricks - Kevin Drew
- House of Pain, LAX - The Game
- Harlem Renaissance, The 3rd World - Immortal Technique
Before We Argue.....
...that Obama is a socialist, please observe the reality we live in.
Regardless, neither candidate is all they are cracked up to be. I find myself being less and less excited about either one, and more and more disgusted with the current state of Democrat vs. Republican politics. Particularly the supporters of either side who wish to impose their will and their thoughts upon me. We are a society founded on discourse, and to some extent it's a great thing to talk about politics. But please: Everyone stop using fear tactics. During Bush's tenure I consistently heard about him "rewriting the Constitution." Then, most recently, my dad said he's worried about Obama rewriting the Constitution. So let's talk about fear tactics
I've seen the emails and other publications roaming around about Obama being a Muslim or dressed in Muslim attire. So if someone wears a Japanese robe while visiting Japan, do we now claim they are Japanese? While the notion seems utterly ridiculous, it's analogous to the photos circulating and the notions that ignorant Americans continue to circulate. If you don't like a candidate, talk about the political reasons you don't like the candidate. But don't use fear tactics and falsehoods to attack them. Most recently, a poll revealed that TWENTY-THREE PERCENT of Texans think Obama is Muslim. Gee, that's a real head-scratcher....
Second, Obama isn't going to re-write the Constitution. Only Congress has that power. And it takes 2/3 of them. Now, others are going to cite that having a Democratic controlled Congress AND Presidency is a dangerous thing. First of all, we have a system of checks and balances. And because politics are truly local, unanimity isn't something that will consistently occur. Why? Because every House member and Senator has to count on their constituency for reelection. So although Obama may layout his policies, it still takes a Congress to pass the legislation. Thus, if their constituents don't support the policy, a House member or Senator will not vote for that issue because it could jeopardize their political aspirations. And lets not forget how many times the Republican controlled Congress bucked Bush's policies when it was a Republican Congress and a Republican presidency. The Constitution reflects the brilliance of the Founding Fathers. Checks and Balances and the electoral process are here to protect us. If you think the Constitution is eroding, I encourage you to go and study it yourself rather than repeating the notions you hear from political pundits. It will make a lot more sense and will make you feel a new-found respect for the Constitution and what it is to be an American.
I'll leave you with this:
Tax Center
AND, as a bonus, in light of the seriousness of this entry, please see this for a laugh. It's my new shirt.
- Social security is a "socialist program" and a redistribution of wealth - with every paycheck I've made since the age of 16 or 17, there has been that portion that comes out of my check under the label "social security." I pay it. It's part of life. I've been conditioned to it. However, I pay into a system I will never be able to participate in. Alas, it's a redistribution of wealth, for the greater good. I don't hear too many people calling FDR a socialist
- Economic Stimulus Package, another "socialist program." Redistributing the wealth, but alas, that was for the greater good as well. (Side note: I didn't get a check...thanks government)
- The Federal Government's recent bailout, another "socialist action." If you believe in free-market capitalism, let the market crash. Let everyone lose everything. The market will recover on its own. Alas, we don't necessarily believe in that when it comes down to as individuals losing everything. We're not lazy. It's those lazy, freeloaders who don't deserve help. Me, I'm living the American dream.....so federal government, please protect me.
- We are still the only industrialized country that doesn't have a socialized health care program. And before you make the lame-duck argument citing Canadians having a poor health care system and that they'd rather have our system, my uncle, a Canadian, has specifically told me that he wouldn't trade his free health care for anything. Alas, people throughout the U.S. are forced to foreclose on their homes because they've taken out a second mortgage on their homes to fund their health care costs. But you know, that's part of the American dream right? Losing your home to pay for overly inflated medical costs. Awesome. I'm looking forward to that.
Regardless, neither candidate is all they are cracked up to be. I find myself being less and less excited about either one, and more and more disgusted with the current state of Democrat vs. Republican politics. Particularly the supporters of either side who wish to impose their will and their thoughts upon me. We are a society founded on discourse, and to some extent it's a great thing to talk about politics. But please: Everyone stop using fear tactics. During Bush's tenure I consistently heard about him "rewriting the Constitution." Then, most recently, my dad said he's worried about Obama rewriting the Constitution. So let's talk about fear tactics
I've seen the emails and other publications roaming around about Obama being a Muslim or dressed in Muslim attire. So if someone wears a Japanese robe while visiting Japan, do we now claim they are Japanese? While the notion seems utterly ridiculous, it's analogous to the photos circulating and the notions that ignorant Americans continue to circulate. If you don't like a candidate, talk about the political reasons you don't like the candidate. But don't use fear tactics and falsehoods to attack them. Most recently, a poll revealed that TWENTY-THREE PERCENT of Texans think Obama is Muslim. Gee, that's a real head-scratcher....
Second, Obama isn't going to re-write the Constitution. Only Congress has that power. And it takes 2/3 of them. Now, others are going to cite that having a Democratic controlled Congress AND Presidency is a dangerous thing. First of all, we have a system of checks and balances. And because politics are truly local, unanimity isn't something that will consistently occur. Why? Because every House member and Senator has to count on their constituency for reelection. So although Obama may layout his policies, it still takes a Congress to pass the legislation. Thus, if their constituents don't support the policy, a House member or Senator will not vote for that issue because it could jeopardize their political aspirations. And lets not forget how many times the Republican controlled Congress bucked Bush's policies when it was a Republican Congress and a Republican presidency. The Constitution reflects the brilliance of the Founding Fathers. Checks and Balances and the electoral process are here to protect us. If you think the Constitution is eroding, I encourage you to go and study it yourself rather than repeating the notions you hear from political pundits. It will make a lot more sense and will make you feel a new-found respect for the Constitution and what it is to be an American.
I'll leave you with this:
Overall, the Obama plan would lower effective marginal tax rates for the majority of households. In 2009, only about 1 in 7 households would see an increase in their marginal rate. Only at the top of the income distribution—households making at least $500,000 a year—would a majority of taxpayers face higher rates. Obama’s plan would leave the average marginal rate on wages and salaries for the economy as a whole unchanged at 24 percent in 2009. In that same year, close to 80 percent of the population would see no change in their marginal rates under Senator McCain’s plan and most other tax units would face lower rates; only about 1 percent of households would experience a marginal rate increase under the fully phased in McCain plan. Overall, Senator McCain’s plan would reduce the average marginal tax rate on wages and salaries by about 1 percentage point, to 23 percent in 2009.
Senator Obama’s proposal would result in an average marginal tax rate of 25 percent on wages and salaries in 2012, lower than under current law but higher than if the tax cuts are extended. Because Obama would leave the top two statutory rates at 36 and 39.6 percent and reinstate PEP and Pease, taxpayers with more than $1 million in income would face an average marginal rate of 40 percent, 6 percentage points higher than under the McCain plan. Overall, because it would extend all of the individual income tax components of the 2001–06 cuts and increase the dependent exemption, the McCain plan would lower the average EMTR for all households slightly relative to a tax cuts extended baseline and significantly compared with current law.
Tax Center
AND, as a bonus, in light of the seriousness of this entry, please see this for a laugh. It's my new shirt.
More NFL?
Apparently Roger Goodell is strongly considering cutting 2 preseason games and adding 2 more regular season games.
While some of me is all for more football - and in-turn, more fantasy football (wooohoooo!) - I think this is probably a bad idea. It would push the Superbowl back to something like late February and is probably too much of a good thing. Consider how physical the game of football is. Can these players last this long? Every week they step on the field there is a risk of injury. And sure, all of these players know that. But adding two more weeks only increases the risk of those injuries and subsequently a decrease in the quality of football being played when players get injured.
Maybe a roster size increase might help combat the problem of injuries. But if you ask me, the game is always increasingly physical, and this doesn't bode well for a player's career (long-term). 19 weeks of football (1 bye week) plus whatever playoff push the team makes is putting a lot of strain on a player's body. And if you thought players hated the pro-bowl before, you will have no idea how much they hate it if there are 18 games. Hell, we might as well abolish the pro-bowl (and disappoint the Hawaiians).
Quality Commissioner Goodell, not quantity.
While some of me is all for more football - and in-turn, more fantasy football (wooohoooo!) - I think this is probably a bad idea. It would push the Superbowl back to something like late February and is probably too much of a good thing. Consider how physical the game of football is. Can these players last this long? Every week they step on the field there is a risk of injury. And sure, all of these players know that. But adding two more weeks only increases the risk of those injuries and subsequently a decrease in the quality of football being played when players get injured.
Maybe a roster size increase might help combat the problem of injuries. But if you ask me, the game is always increasingly physical, and this doesn't bode well for a player's career (long-term). 19 weeks of football (1 bye week) plus whatever playoff push the team makes is putting a lot of strain on a player's body. And if you thought players hated the pro-bowl before, you will have no idea how much they hate it if there are 18 games. Hell, we might as well abolish the pro-bowl (and disappoint the Hawaiians).
Quality Commissioner Goodell, not quantity.
Layoffs (As Usual)
Today marks the worst part of the semester: The first day of studying for finals. Blogging will be entirely sporadic from here on out. But hang with me, I will do my best to post relevant content - or at least link you to it.
Big day on Tuesday. All eyes will be on foxnews, cnn, msnbc, or other media outlets. We'll see what happens.
Big day on Tuesday. All eyes will be on foxnews, cnn, msnbc, or other media outlets. We'll see what happens.
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