FYI Meghan: She's like Britney Spears, but without all the nuance

More comedy gold from Meghan "David Frum with a better rack*" McCain:



Say, isn't Meghan McCain supposed to be mega-super-ultra hip and poppin' fresh?  Shouldn't she know who Lady Gaga is?  Hell, I even know who Lady Gaga is. 

*I said "better," not "bigger," mind you.

(h/t)

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Behold The Glory Of The Nanny State

Namely, the records keeping of students might be in need of an upgrade.

“Megan would have loved going to the prom. She planned to go with a group of friends, she was really looking forward to it.”
The letter carried the signature of deputy head G White. Headteacher Ged Ward has now apologised for the ‘software error’. 
 
Mr Ward said: “Clearly that letter should not have gone out. I want to make my apology to Megan’s parents and can only apologise for the distress that it has caused.
“The letter was sent out to all year 11 parents regarding the school prom.
“We didn’t think to check it. With hindsight we would have checked all 150 of them. The problem is a software problem.”

But the family say they could never forgive the mistake.
Mr Gillan, 53, a civic attendant for Macclesfield Borough council, found Megan in her bedroom. He said: “To send a letter to her family when you are trying to come to terms with her death is just not right.”
Mr Ward said the school uses the software SIMS (School Information Management Systems) which is produced by Capita.

He said: “Unknown to the school, Megan’s details had remained in a different part of the computer system and were called up when the school did a mail merge letter to the parents of all Year 11 students. The letter called up details of each student’s attendance for the whole year to date and because Megan had been on roll in September, she was included.
“Capita has acknowledged to the school that there is a problem with this part of its software and is working to remedy it, because they realise that it could affect other schools.
“Capita has asked the school to convey their apologies to Mr and Mrs Gillan.”

Phil Neal, managing director of Capita Children’s Services, said: “What has happened is absolutely tragic and our thoughts are with Megan’s family. Capita Children’s Services supply a software system known as SIMS to Macclesfield High School.
"Among many other tasks, the software keeps track of pupils’ attendance at the school and the school is able to produce letters to parents based on this information.
“When a child is no longer attending a school, for whatever reason, the software will allow the school to continue to produce letters to their parents as occasionally it is necessary to do so.
"It appears that this is what has happened in this case which everyone involved deeply regrets.”

Thanks to Hermit Dave

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You Know Who Is Enjoying The Carnage?

George Soros, who is making a ton of money off of this mess.

George Soros, who predicted the global financial crisis twice before, was one of the few people to anticipate and prepare for the current economic collapse.

Mr Soros said his prediction meant he was better able to brace his Quantum investment fund against the gloabal storm.

But other investors failed to take notice of his prediction and his decision to come out of retirement in 2007 to manage the fund made him $US2.9 billion. And while the financial crisis continued to deepen across the globe, the 78-year-old still managed to make $1.1 billion last year.

'It is, in a way, the culminating point of my life’s work,' he told national newspaper The Australian.

Soros is one of 25, top hedge fund managers from across Wall Street who have defied the credit crunch crisis to reap a total of $11.6billion (£7.9bn) last year.

The managers made their profit by trading above the pain in the markets, according to Institutional Investor’s Alpha Magazine.

Former maths professor James H. Simons, who has made billions in  hedge fund Renaissance Technologies, earned $2.5 billion running computer-driven trading strategies. [/blocqkuote]  

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Meanwhile, Someone In Europe Still Has Some Balls

Namely, Daniel Hannan.

The internet has changed politics - changed it utterly and forever. Twenty-four hours ago, I made a three-minute speech in the European Parliament, aimed at Gordon Brown. I tipped off the BBC and some of the newspaper correspondents but, unsurprisingly, they ignored me: I am, after all, simply a backbench MEP.

When I woke up this morning, my phone was clogged with texts, my email inbox with messages. Overnight, the YouTube clip of my remarks had attracted over 36,000 hits. By today, it was the most watched video in Britain.

 ...

How did it happen, in the absence of any media coverage? The answer is that political reporters no longer get to decide what's news. The days when a minister gave briefings to a dozen lobby correspondents, and thereby dictated the next day's headlines, are over. Now, a thousand bloggers decide for themselves what is interesting. If enough of them are tickled then, bingo, you're news... And jumbo thanks to all the American bloggers: you chaps are way ahead of us in this regard.

 

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Amidst All Of The Carnage And Backbiting, Lets' Get Back To The Real News

Namely, is Dolly Parton a Lesbian?

"We're absolutely totally honest, open and comfortable with each other," Parton says in the new issue of AARP magazine. "We've been accused of being lovers. We do love each other, but we've never been like that." (For the record, Parton has been married to her retired businessman husband, Carl Dean, for 43 years!)

As for her future with Hannah Montana, Parton recently revealed that, contrary to reports, she is not in the upcoming Hannah flick. She said that producers initially asked her if she'd be interested in revisiting Aunt Dolly for the big screen, but the character never made it into the script.

No matter. Parton still has plans to stay popular with the Miley Cyrus generations. She has a children's book hitting stores in June and plans to put out a series of children's CDs. Also on the drawing board: possibly hosting a children's TV show a la Pee-wee's Playhouse.

 

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Republicans roll over on Obamajugend program

Says the DC Examiner,

To begin with, the legislation threatens the voluntary nature of Americorps by calling for consideration of “a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people.” It anticipates the possibility of requiring “all individuals in the United States” to perform such service – including elementary school students. The bill also summons up unsettling memories of World War II-era paramilitary groups by saying  the new program should “combine the best practices of civilian service with the best aspects of military service,” while establishing “campuses” that serve as “operational headquarters,” complete with “superintendents” and “uniforms” for all participants. It allows for the elimination of all age restrictions in order to involve Americans at all stages of life. And it calls for creation of “a permanent cadre” in a “National Community Civilian Corps.”

 

But that’s not all. The bill also calls for “youth engagement zones” in which “service learning” is “a mandatory part of the curriculum in all of the secondary schools served by the local educational agency.” This updated form of voluntary community service is also to be “integrated into the science, technology, engineering and mathematics curricula” at all levels of schooling.

Only 14 Senate GOPers voted against this fascist bullshit.  The GOP remains utterly, utterly worthless.

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 09:33 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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California considering banning black cars

Because of carbon emissions, they argue that because the black paint absorbs heat, drivers use more A/C, and contribute to the Global Warming Hoax.  California is quickly becoming a modern liberal fascist state, the UK of the US,

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 09:08 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Help a Moron out

I'm trying to get my head around the currency shenanigans and Turbo Tax Timmy's comments.  I would appreciate anyone who could point me to/give me a brief primer as to what the deal is.  I *think* I understand it but I freely admit that currency trading goes whizzing right over my head most of the time.

Look, I like to pretend I know what I'm talking about when I kick people in the shins.  Help me, Morons, you're my only hope!

Posted by: alexthechick at 08:37 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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Oddly, I didn't notice a fence mentioned at all

Up next?  Hillary tells a rape victim that she was "Kinda asking for it, with that short skirt and everything."  You know, for the sake of Smart Diplomacy.

Oh well, the other countries will love us again.  Those rubes from Texas and Arizona probably didn't vote for Hopenchange anyway.

Posted by: Sean M. at 02:36 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Missile being assembled

The Norks are assembling their missile on the silo right now.

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 09:50 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Fred: I want Obama to fail

What could have been...  In any case, always good to have Fred jump into the fray.  I just wish he would issue a verbal asskicking like he did to the Hucktard and Michael Moore a little more frequently. 

(h/t)

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 09:44 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I'll take a smug and tonic with a wedge of sanctimony

I didn't think it was possible that something could make me not want to drink vodka, but this comes pretty damn close...

TRU Organic Spirits is putting the friendly back in environmentally friendly. Not only are its lemon- and vanilla-infused vodkas and their aromatic gin completely certified USDA organic, but the Monrovia, California-based company plants at least one seedling in Central America (through its nonprofit partner Sustainable Harvest) for every bottle sold--that's 50,000 last year.

TRU commissioned an independent report, to be released next week, showing that each tree planted has the potential to absorb 790 square kilos of carbon dioxide, whereas the carbon footprint of each bottle in its relatively lightweight packaging is merely 1.04 square kilos--making the product an eye-popping 760 times carbon negative!

At that rate, a single glass would be enough to offset your carbon footprint for a day. At the upscale hotels (Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott) and restaurants where TRU is mainly sold, the company distributes certificates showing how many trees the patrons have planted so far that year--a virtuous selling point that may make a $12 vodka tonic easier to swallow.

Yeah, if some stupid piece of paper makes you feel better about paying twelve bucks for a vodka tonic, you're a fucking idiot.

Me, I just drink Val-U-Rite vodka (which costs less than $12 per bottle) from inefficiently-manufactured plastic jugs which I throw into a storm drain that empties directly into the Pacific Ocean.  Take that, Mother Earth!

Posted by: Sean M. at 08:44 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Where the Wild Things Are

The trailer for Spike Jonze's new film was just released today (I think).  Can't. Friggin'. Wait.

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 05:09 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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One Thing Right With Wisconsin (Besides Moron Pundit)

 

Rep. Paul Ryan.

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So, How Has That Whole "Outreach" To The Mullahs Gone?

Umm....not so well.

Crowd: "Death to America! Death to America!"

Ali Khamenei: "Listen... The first thing that the Americans did was to incite the scattered [elements] of the opposition to the Islamic Republic, and to help separatist and terrorist movements in our country. They started doing this from day one. Wherever the separatist movements were present in our country, we have seen the fingerprint of America - in the form of their money, and even their people. This has caused great damage to our people, and unfortunately, it still continues. Those evil people at the border areas of Iran with Pakistan... We have recordings of some of these evil people, and we know that they are connected to Americans. They talk to them via wireless radio, and get their orders from them. These are evil, murderous terrorists, who are connected to American officers in a neighboring country. Unfortunately, this is still going on.

"They started with this, and then they moved on to confiscate and seize Iranian assets and goods. The previous regime had placed enormous amounts of money at the disposal of the Americans, in order to receive airplanes, helicopters, and weapons from them. Some of this equipment was already manufactured there, but when the revolution took place, they did not supply the equipment, nor did they return the billions of dollars. Even more extraordinary - they stored this equipment in some warehouse, and decided by themselves to charge storage fees. They turned themselves into creditors, and deducted storage fees from the account of the Algiers Accord. Plundering the property of another people and keeping it for themselves, and then charging storage fees - this behavior began back then, and it continues to this day.

Mind you, Iran is a dictatorship, and these rallies are not spontaneous.

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By the way

Right now?  Toomey 41%, Specter 27%.

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On the Patterico/PW fight

I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with Eddie on the PW/Patterico fight. As Veeshir says, we've got to get our collective shit together before we can defeat the leftists and statists once and for all, and what Patterico and Jeff are arguing is a critical issue. 

I happen to agree with Jeff that going forward, we can no longer cede the meaning of our own words to the left, which is what most of the GOP leadership has done with Rush and us as conservatives(except Jindal!).  The problem with this is that unlike Rush, we don't have the ability to bring the wrath of millions of activists to bear when our words get twisted, and even then, even Rush himself can't stop the left and media from doing so anyway.  We've ceded language to the left too often already, and have paid a dear price for it.  The fatal flaw in Patterico's criticism of Jeff's arguments over the Four Words is that Patterico is arguing from a place of tactics, not strategy.  Tactics don't win wars, strategies do.  Even if it makes tactical sense to throw Rush under the bus, it makes zero strategic sense, which is the key, Jeff and most of us understand that, Patterico and most of the GOP leadership don't.

As you follow the argument, you'll notice that Patterico has offered up all kinds of different scenarios and arguments in an effort to try to make a dent in Jeff's arguments regarding language, to no avail.  Jeff hasn't had to make any adjustments in his argument, just simply applying his argument to the various scenarios laid out by Patterico (until it became an exercise in futility).  That isn't to say we don't need good tacticians, we need both, but the overall strategy has to take precedent.

As for the whole "threat" thing, silly crap, and I'm dismissing it as such.  I won't go so far as to attribute it to Patterico acting desperate as a result of losing the argument, but I think it is silly.

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 11:28 AM | Comments (131) | Add Comment
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"I reject your premise"

Says Jindal, on the Four Words,

Jindal described the premise of the question -- "Do you want the president to fail?" -- as the "latest gotcha game" being perpetrated by Democrats against Republicans.

"Make no mistake: Anything other than an immediate and compliant, 'Why no sir, I don't want the president to fail,' is treated as some sort of act of treason, civil disobedience or political obstructionism," Jindal said at a political fundraiser attended by 1,200 people. "This is political correctness run amok."
*snip*
Jindal, a potential 2012 presidential candidate, told the Republican audience he would "not be brow beaten on this, and I will not kowtow to their correctness."

"My answer to the question is very simple: 'Do you want the president to fail?' It depends on what he is trying to do."

Four words in response, Jindal gets it.

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 10:51 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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And it comes down to this

Read this. 

This is the resignation letter sent by Mr. Jack DeSantis, an executive VP at AIG, to Edward Liddy in the wake of Liddy's testimony.  Read it all and not simply because it is a fantastic example of very polite bitchslapping.  Read it because it details just how utterly everyone is lying about the AIG bonus situation. 

This is one of my favorite bits: 

You’ve now asked the current employees of A.I.G.-F.P. to repay these earnings. As you can imagine, there has been a tremendous amount of serious thought and heated discussion about how we should respond to this breach of trust.

I commented in another context that I was more than a bit confused as to why bonuses were being given considering the financial performance of AIG.  It is now apparent that these are retention payments and were the carrot to get people to stay through this utter mess.  People with skill were needed to stay and this was the incentive to get them to do so.  I see nothing improper about that.  The employees were being asked to take a huge risk and this was the reward.  Fair enough.  Now these same employees are being fucked over utterly becuase of the shifting political winds. 

Look, I understand the rage and the fury and the argument that we own AIG, we get to set the pay is valid.  But these were completely legal contracts that were not renegotiated and which it appears were going to be honored, hell, were honored, until the shrieking began.  That's horrifying to me.  Contract law is contract law and the notition of post-contractual revision due to external pressure is appalling.  A strong argument can be made that these contracts should have been rescinded and/or renegotiated.  But they *weren't*.  That means they are valid and "omg but but but it's UNFAIR" is not proper justification of retraction now.  If that is the case, then not a single fucking contract is worth the paper it's printed on.  Not a one. 

Then there's this:


Jesus.  Fuck.  Really, that's the only response to that.  I'm not sure I have the words for how terrifying it is that public officials feel perfectly free to set a howling mob on private citizens.  What is the point?  What purpose will be served other than the obvious political theater? 

Ace mentioned having Obama Fatigue.  I'm sick of it all.  I am standing open mouthed watching the destruction of all I hold dear, namely the concept that we are a nation of laws not men, and it is difficult to maintain any type of rational response in light of all that is going on. 

It comes down to this, tomorrow it can be anyone.  Anyone at all.  The ravening hordes are at the gates and I am running out of shells.

Annnnnd that got a bit more emotastic than anticipated, my apologies.  Girls and guns later in recompense.   

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Property rights? What are those?

What the fuck is wrong with Haley Barbour?  Is he for the individual's rights, or the corporation?  A Democrat in the Mississippi legislature offered up a bill that would have banned the state from abusing eminent domain for private projects.  This is of course an effort to nullify the horrendous Kelo decision, and it should be supported. 

Yeah, I get that MS is desperate for new business, but you can't trade business opportunities for individual rights, and a Republican ought to know that better than anyone.  There's a reason the GOP is in the minority right now.

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 08:46 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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