Washington Post Op-Ed

Richard Cohen's great Op-Ed article pleading for the government to let GM and Chrysler fall into Bankruptcy.

The Wheels Are Off

Stop Pouring Money Into GM and Chrysler

By Richard Cohen

Tuesday, March 31, 2009; Page A17

When I was around 12, I was a paperboy for the now-defunct Long Island Press. One Thursday, when the paper was heavy with shopping inserts, a storm hit, and my papers and I wound up in a puddle. My customers would not pay for a paper not delivered, and the Press insisted on billing for those I had received. The CFO of my company, a.k.a. my father, took one look at my books and pronounced me bankrupt. He would say the same thing about General Motors and Chrysler.

This is not a complicated concept. GM and Chrysler do not have the money to pay their bills. They are, in fact, deeply in debt and have almost depleted the $17.4 billion the federal government -- which is to say, you and I -- lent them only last December. Now they are asking for billions of dollars more -- $16.6 billion for GM and $5 billion for Chrysler. Life itself instructs that it will not end there.

The Obama administration has warned both companies that it may let them sink into bankruptcy. In the meantime, though, more money is probably on the way -- along with some cosmetic management changes. Rick Wagoner, GM's chief executive of blessed memory, has already been pushed out, and the company's directors are heading in the same direction. Still, somebody -- God only knows who -- is supposed to come up with yet another plan to save GM and do it in 60 days. Maybe they'll outsource it.

It beats me whether either company can be saved. Both have proved themselves to be singularly incompetent over the years, but lately, some brain waves have been detected. GM, in particular, has been developing energy-efficient cars and, according to the administration's auto task force, could survive if it further cuts its expenses. Chrysler, in contrast, can survive only if it more or less merges with Fiat -- a company once renowned for poor management. See: Anything can happen.

Here I must introduce Tim Geithner, the hapless-cum-brilliant secretary of the Treasury. He not only proves that conventional wisdom is a half-truth but that in certain matters, it is best to be first. Geithner got confirmed by the Senate even though he had failed to pay some taxes; Tom Daschle later had to withdraw his Cabinet nomination for a similar offense. As always, timing is everything.

So it is with this auto industry bailout. It comes too late. It comes after the government has substantially taken over some big banks and that financial house of horrors called AIG. Taxpayers are now in hock for trillions of dollars, some of it incurred to bail out the thieves and rascals who bought $1,000 bottles of Cristal champagne at New York clubs or put the GDP of small nations up their noses. With the various stimulus packages, we are adding $9.3 trillion in debt over the next 10 years.

The auto industry is not only late to the table, it comes with a bad rep. We may not understand what AIG did -- what's a credit-default swap, anyway? -- but we sure as hell know what GM did: It made a lot of lousy cars. So did Ford and Chrysler. They made cars with utter contempt for the customer. The industry at one time even opposed seat belts and air bags, and it designed cars that were not safe. I know things have changed, but I remember. I remember.

Finally, we have yet another application of the Geithner Rule. Recall his confused explanations of how he learned of those AIG bonuses. Those of us who cannot find our keys in the morning ought to have nothing but sympathy for a man who is now running a large part of the American economy. Of course, he might not have been paying attention. He can't pay attention to everything.

This is where bankruptcy comes in. It slows things down. It's a mechanism. It's a process. It takes things step by step. It has been designed for situations such as the one the auto manufacturers face. It puts things into court and out of the political arena, where both the United Auto Workers and the Big Three can play the lobbying game. Bankruptcy can save the industry.

Is there a downside? Sure. No one knows whether anyone will buy the cars of a bankrupt company. (The government could guarantee the warranties.) Will it further hurt the economy? Probably, but who really knows? But bankruptcy acknowledges a reality -- GM and Chrysler are broke. I wish them luck -- but no more of my money.

Failure, Canada Style.

Cellphone jamming principal forced to retreat at B.C. high school
Device illegal in Canada, students point out

CBC News
Many schools across Canada have banned cellphones from classrooms. Many schools across Canada have banned cellphones from classrooms.

The battle between students and teachers over the use of cellphones in schools reached new heights in B.C. when a school principal installed an electronic jamming device to stop the ring tones, the chatter and the text messaging.

Steve Gray, the principal in Port Hardy Secondary School on the north coast of Vancouver Island, was frustrated that a cellphone ban in his school wasn't working.

"We banned them a couple of years ago and that doesn't seem to have stopped the problem," Gray told CBC News on Monday.

"When there are cellphones in use, there is a constant background of 'Please put your cellphone away. Please give me your cellphone,'" Gray told CBC News.

So about a month ago he went online and bought a device from China to jam the signals.
Electronic warfare

Last week the device, which Gray described as a little box with four antennas, arrived from China, and he plugged it into the wall in the school library.

"I thought we'd do a little experiment and see what happens," he said.

"It was astonishing how it worked.… Two-thirds of the school instantly shut down for cellphone use. The teachers were very happy. Students were wondering what was going on," he said.

"Many students said, 'Yeah, you have done the right thing,'" said Gray.

Many others, however, were irate, and on Thursday a group of students refused to return to class after lunch, claiming their rights had been taken away, said Gray.

The students informed the principal the jamming device was illegal in Canada, and Gray had to pull the plug.

Now he's back to the frustration of an ineffective cellphone ban.

"It's not easy to enforce, because, you know a cellphone in your pocket, it's impossible to know it's there, and it's always on, always ready to be used," he said.
Toronto has largest ban

In Toronto, school trustee Josh Matlow understands the principal's frustration, but he said with proper enforcement cellphone bans can work.

Matlow introduced Canada's largest ban two years ago across 560 public schools. He acknowledges that some students still break the rules, but says fewer are using phones inside the classroom.

"If they are caught using it in the classroom, the teacher is allowed to confiscate the cellphone. Certainly, in most cases they get a warning, and they are told to turn it off," he said.

In New York City schools, students are banned from having cellphones on school property, but Matlow said that violates their right to contact parents on the way to and from school.

Instead, he urges school boards in Canada to go as far as they can to ban cellphones in the classroom — without breaking the law.

Untitled

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Stephen's Angry Mob Will Crush AIG

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Political Humor

Mark Sanford
NASA Name Contest

Good News for Young Recessionistas!

Under 35? Hurray for the meltdown!

If you're a young adult, the economic clouds have silver linings: You've got time to recover from the market's losses, and you can snag a great deal on your first house.

By Liz Pulliam Weston

MSN Money

If you're 35 or older, the financial crisis may seem to have no upside. Your retirement funds, home equity, job prospects and credit lines have withered so much that it's hard to focus on anything but what you've lost.

If you're young, though, the biggest threat to your future financial security isn't the current crisis. Your greatest risk is that fear will cause you to miss some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

Consider:

Houses are on sale. Home prices are down 27% from their July 2006 peaks, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, and values have fallen more than 40% in some areas. That's a bummer for current homeowners but a boon for those just starting out who can now afford better homes and neighborhoods than they could have just a few years ago.

Could home prices drop further? Of course they could, and they probably will, because the foreclosure crisis is far from over. But right now:

• Interest rates are still near generational lows but are likely to shoot up once the recovery begins.

• The Internal Revenue Service will give you an $8,000 tax credit if you buy before Dec. 1.

You shouldn't buy if you can't stay put for at least five years. And you should read "3 bad reasons to buy a home." But if you're where you want to live and can afford the costs, there may never be a better time to buy.

Stocks are on sale. Yeah, yeah, you've heard this before -- and heard it discounted by pundits who measure "long term" in weeks or months. So let's be clear: You've got at least 30 years until retirement, and an investment in stocks, as measured by the benchmark Standard & Poor's 500 Index, has never lost money in any 30-year period. Far from it. Even those who invested before and during the Great Depression, when stock indexes plunged by up to 90%, eventually came out ahead:

30-year period	Average annual return*	30-year period	Average annual return
1928-1958	8.47%	1935-1965	12.00%
1929-1959	9.20%	1936-1966	10.53%
1930-1960	10.27%	1937-1967	12.93%
1931-1961	13.27%	1938-1968	12.31%
1932-1962	13.25%	1939-1969	11.99%
1933-1963	12.40%	1940-1970	12.53%
1934-1964	13.03%

*As measured by the S&P 500 Index at year-end

Source: T. Rowe Price

Here's another way to look at it: Much has been made of the fact that the S&P 500 has fallen more than 50% from its peak, to under 800. Thirty years ago, the S&P was under 100.

Could stock prices fall more? Of course they could.

But to think stocks will never recover is kind of ridiculous. Yes, there are some doomsayers who are predicting the end of the financial world, with a complete worldwide collapse. But there have always been folks forecasting financial apocalypse, and they've always been wrong.

What's really going on is the flip side of the bubble. As human beings, we erroneously think that whatever happened recently will continue indefinitely. In good times, we decide that dot-com and real-estate prices can only go up. In bad times, we make the same mistake in the opposite direction.

What you shouldn't do is sit on the sidelines until it's "safe" to get back into the market. By the time the economy is clearly in recovery mode, the market will have made big gains, and you'll have missed out.

Credit is tight. How the heck is that a blessing? Unlike your unwise elders, you won't be able to borrow your way into trouble, at least for a while. You may actually learn to live within your means.

That's a big reversal from a couple of years ago, when lenders were pelting virtually everyone with credit cards, auto loans and outsized mortgages. Today the pendulum has swung so far in the other direction that you really need your financial ducks in a row to get a loan. (Read "Need a loan? Borrow like it's 1975" for details.)

The good news: Everybody's cutting back these days, and the national savings rate has jumped to 5%, so you won't stand out if you're careful with your money.

Where to start

That means it's a great time to:

Get in the habit of saving. A financial cushion is essential now that you can't just borrow your way out of a jam. Read "Why you need $500 in the bank" for starters. If you're saving for a home, shoot for at least a 10% down payment plus three months' worth of mortgage payments before you buy. ("The end of the 0% down payment" tells you more about why.) Want to buy a car? A 20% down payment is good -- 50% is even better -- because plunging resale values can leave you "upside-down" if you pay less ("What a car wreck could cost you" has details). Really smart folks pay cash for their cars and drive them until the wheels fall off. Owning your cars for 10 years instead of five can save you more than a quarter-million bucks over your lifetime.

Pay your credit card balances in full. This was always the best way, but it's crucial now that issuers are slashing limits and raising rates with little or no justification. If you don't charge more than you can pay off when the bill comes, you won't be at the mercy of mercenary lenders. This one habit can make a world of difference in your financial life, leaving you richer and at far less risk of bankruptcy.

Work on your credit scores. These little three-digit numbers have never been more critical than they are today. If you have good scores, you still have access to cheap loans and the best rewards cards. If you don't, you're in a world of hurt. Read "Raise your credit score to 740" and "7 fast fixes for your credit score" for more.

Cheerfully Stolen from msn.com

Epic Failure Prediction

Stolen from CNBC.COM (Screw You, Jon Stewart).

Treasurys Are 'Disaster Waiting to Happen': Dr. Doom

The Federal Reserve has no option but to start buying Treasurys as the government's needs for financing are huge, but the government bond market is a disaster in the making, Marc Faber, editor and publisher of The Gloom, Boom & Doom Report, told CNBC.

Federal Reserve policymakers start a two-day meeting on Tuesday, weighing options on how to spur lending to help cash-strapped consumers kickstart the economy.

Economists expect them to leave rates at zero and look to other ways of boosting liquidity, such as buying government bonds – a measure which has already been taken by the Bank of England.

"Well I think other central banks have done it already around the world but basically what it amounts to is money printing and in fact I don't think that it will help the bond market at all in the long run," Faber told CNBC's Martin Soong.

The yield on the 30-year Treasurys touched a low of 2.51 percent last year in December but now it is back up at 3.77 percent, he said.

"Yields have already backed up pretty substantially and I tell you, I think the US government bond market is a disaster waiting to happen for the simple reason that the requirements of the government to cover its fiscal deficit will be very, very high," Faber said.

"The Federal Reserve will have to buy Treasurys, otherwise yields will go up substantially," he said, adding that as their reserves were dwindling, foreign investors were likely to scale down their purchases.

But there will be a time when the Federal Reserve will have to increase interest rates to fight inflation, and it will be reluctant to do so because the cost of servicing government debt will rise substantially.

"So we'll go into high inflation rates one day," Faber said.

The stock market is likely to continue its bounce at least for a while, but the outlook is bleak, he added.

"I think we may still have a rally (in the S&P) until about the end of April and probably then a total collapse in the second half of the year sometimes, when it becomes clear that the economy is a total disaster," Faber said.

© 2009 CNBC.com

Stupid Judge Watch

Wake judge orders home schoolers into public classrooms

Posted: Mar. 12, 2009
Updated: Mar. 14, 2009

Raleigh, N.C. — A judge in Wake County said three Raleigh children need to switch from home school to public school. Judge Ned Mangum is presiding over divorce proceeding of the children's parents, Thomas and Venessa Mills.

Venessa Mills was in the fourth year of home schooling her children who are 10, 11 and 12 years old. They have tested two years above their grade levels, she said.

"We have math, reading; we have grammar, science, music,” Venessa Mills said.

Her lessons also have a religious slant, which the judge said was the root of the problem.

"My teaching is strictly out of the Bible, and it's very clear. It is very evident so I just choose to follow the Bible,” Venessa Mills said.

In an affidavit filed Friday in the divorce case, Thomas Mills stated that he "objected to the children being removed from public school." He said Venessa Mills decided to home school after getting involved with Sound Doctrine church "where all children are home schooled."

Thomas Mills also said he was "concerned about the children's religious-based science curriculum" and that he wants "the children to be exposed to mainstream science, even if they eventually choose to believe creationism over evolution."

In an oral ruling, Mangum said the children should go to public school.

"He was upfront and said that, 'It's not about religion.' But yet when it came down to his ruling and reasons why, 'He said this would be a good opportunity for the children to be tested in the beliefs that I have taught them,'" Venessa Mills said.

All sides agree the children have thrived with home school, and Vanessa Mills thinks that should be reason enough to continue teaching at home.

"I cannot sit back and allow this to happen to other home schoolers. I don't want it happening to my children,” Venessa Mills said.

Mangum said he wouldn't talk with WRAL News Thursday about the details of the case because he hasn't issued a written ruling yet. He said he expected to sign it in a few weeks.

An estimated 71,566 students were taught at home during the 2007-08 school year, according to figures released by the state Division of Non-Public Education. The enrollment amounts to about 4 percent of students ages 7 to 16 in North Carolina – students in that age range are required by state law to attend school. About two-thirds of the schools classified themselves as religious schools.

Home school students and their parents plan to come to Raleigh on March 24 to lobby at the state Legislature. They want to demonstrate they have a strong voice regarding education.

• Reporter: Valonda Calloway
• Photographer: Greg Clark
• Web Editor: Minnie Bridgers

News I stole from NBC

Gregg: Budget forecast a lie

Posted: Thursday, March 12, 2009 12:55 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: White House, Congress, Republicans

From NBC’s Ken Strickland
It was obvious to most Capitol Hill insiders why President Obama wanted Republican Judd Gregg as a member of his cabinet: He's one of the sharpest money-minds in Congress.

But instead of getting Gregg's counsel within the administration, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner found himself today of the receiving end of Gregg's fiscal conservative wrath.

In a hearing before the Senate Budget Committee Gregg dressed down Geithner with facts, figures, and charts. While always keeping his cool, the exchange was somewhere between a mother's scolding, a drill sergeant's questioning and an attorney's cross examination.

In his opening statement, Gregg politely called the administration's budget forecast a lie.

"The argument that it cuts the debt in half in four years is, ahh, is truly spurious," he told Geithner.

President Obama himself gives Gregg's comments a sense of stinging credibility. When the president introduced Gregg as his nominee for Commerce Secretary last month, he said Gregg is known for is fiscal discipline.

"He shares my deep-seated commitment to guaranteeing that our children inherit a future they can afford," Obama said.

Today, the president's compliment of Gregg turned into an attack on Geithner. Gregg said the budget is essentially "putting on our children's backs a debt they can never get out from underneath."

He added pointedly, "I think we're putting at risk not only our children's future, we're clearly putting at risk the value of a dollar and our ability to sell debt."

When Gregg withdrew his nomination, he said he and the administration were "functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy."

Gregg's opening monologue today would indicate that was a gross understatement.

"The argument that this budget doesn't have tax increases [on everyone] is, I think, an 'Alice in Wonderland' view of the budget," he said.

He challenged the budget's math on cutting the debt: "When you take the deficit and quadruple it and then you cut it and half, that's like taking four steps back and two steps forward. That's not making any progress; you're still going backwards."

Gregg questioned why any foreign country would continue to buy up U.S. debt: "Because if I'm in the international marketplace, and I'm looking at this budget, I'm saying to myself, ‘Where's the discipline? Where's the containment?' There isn't any."

In his withdrawal statement last month, Gregg said, "I expect there will be many issues and initiatives where I can and will work to assure the success of the president's proposals."

The budget doesn't appear to be one of them.

Self Righteous or Does he have a point?

Jon Stewart's interview with Jim Cramer.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Pt. 2

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

Everyone deserves a bailout

"Lex Luthor Bailout" with Jon Hamm from Jon Hamm

Compromise

Got a call from my bank this morning. All they would tell me was that my debit card number had been "compromised." Despite my further inquisition, they declined to tell me what that meant. However, they did tell me that they were shutting off my card and sending me a new card, which they generously agreed to rush to me.

So, until I get my new card I'm poor. Yea. In honor of my situation, here's an acoustic performance of one of my favorite bands, The Format, playing "THE COMPROMISE."

NOBAMA!

STOP! STOP! STOP!

Here's the link to the Wall Street Journal article imploring Mr. Obama to stop his insane war on economic recovery.

Link

Stop the presses!

Obama announced that the fed is going to print yet another trillion dollars to loan to people. When will this madness end? WHO IS JOHN GALT?

Stick with Cramer!

Hey Geithner, YOU SUCK!

One of simsisms favorite market commentators, Jim Cramer on why the current bank plan sucks and won't work. The second clip, though a little long, is Cramer's explanation of why Obama's policies are killing the country and ought to be put on hold.



Can we force the market down to 6500 this week? YES WE CAN!

Ron Paul

DownSize D.C.

The fine folks at DownsizeDC.org have a mighty fine post on why the president's proposed plan will not work. Downsize is one of our new favorite websites here at Simsisms. Link HERE.

No No No

I didn't watch the president's speech. Not because I wasn't interested, but because I knew from experience that I would end up throwing things at the television and frankly, in the Obama economy I can't afford to break my television.

I have read the reports on the speech and I just cannot fathom how anyone so dense could become the leader of this country. Granted, the last guy was no genius, but exactly what planet is Obama on? We've plunged a trillion dollars into the banking industry, and he basically said we're going to go spend even more money later? WHAT!?!?! We haven't spent so much as a dime to fix the mortgage crisis that is driving the economy downward. As for the president's plan to have a mortgage relief that doesn't reward unscrupulous buyers who bought homes they couldn't afford, that's the most asinine thing I've ever heard. It's the irresponsible buyers who are driving the economy downward. We've bailed out every other undeserving schmuck, why aren't we cutting home owners a break?

Not that it would matter if we did. There's a lot of talk about modifying loans, adjusting mortgage rates, etc. I'm going to tell you right now that this is all a mistake and these efforts are only going to prolong the agony of our faltering economy. Credit is not moving because of uncertainty. Uncertainty is being caused by the fact that a lot of companies have assets and they have no idea what they might be worth because real estate is essentially worthless as long there's an endless supply of foreclosed houses going on the market. It does not matter what the interest rates are, or what adjustments to principal are made. There are a lot of homes occupied by people who will never in a million years be able to afford to own a home. Not if the interest rate were -2% could they afford the payments. Rather than dragging this thing out by trying to keep people in homes they are going to inevitably lose, we should be speeding things up. We need to get people out of those houses and get the house sold to someone who can afford it. Once the houses are all sold, the real estate market will recover its value, and we can start rebuilding the economy.

In the meantime, the idea that we can throw money all over the place and the economy will magically heal is just insane. It hasn't ever worked in the past, the bailout shows no signs of working now, and it is the very definition of insanity to think that it will somehow start working in the future.

As if that weren't bad enough, the President then went on to say how he's found two trillion in savings from programs he's going to cut (not true, see links at end of post) promised to cure cancer, make us a green economy, and to get everyone a college education. WHAT? Ignoring that there is no conceivable way to pay for this, there is still no physical way to accomplish these goals. Not everyone can go to college. An outrageous number of kids can't pass the high school exit exam, how are they going to go to college? I also find it laughable that Obama would promise to end costly agribusiness subsidies, when he has continued to support the Ethanol, the largest agriculture swindle in America. This whole speech was outrageous and just plain idiotic. If you bought any of it then I suggest you have your head examined.

The fine folks at factcheck.org have weighed in on the stimulus plan. Their review can be found here (short version: It's Bull).

Also, the fact checkers at mywaynews had a thing or two to say about the speech tonight, story here (short version: you could fertilize your lawn with that speech).

P.S. Ben Bernanke said he thinks that the recession will end this year. Based on what? Where on earth do you get the facts to support your starry eyed optimism, Mr Bernanke? Please, share with us the figures that indicate any kind of trend towards recovery. Show us what facts convince you that all of the experts who say 3-5 years until a recovery are in fact wrong.

Don't believe the madness. Fiscal responsibility is our only way back to success.

Only you can bailout the economy

Addicting Games has a great little game where you get to handout bailout cash or slap bankers. Give it a whirl:



Play Games at AddictingGames

D'oh!

Some economists are saying that the president's new program to employ people to install rural broadband networks could actually result in job LOSSES. I'm starting to feel for Obama, the guy just can't catch a break. Story here.

Meanwhile, no one seems to be gaining enthusiasm for my plan to help the economy. I'll explain it again. We have people who need jobs, and we have an auto industry that needs something extraordinary to pull it out of the tank. Let's put those people to work building flying cars. It's almost 2010 and every freaking Sci-Fi movie worth its salt has promised us that we would have flying cars by now. Flying cars would revitalize the sagging auto industry, and it would eliminate the need to spend large chunks of government funds to maintain the roadways. Be honest, which would you rather see: people working in a modern Tennessee Valley authority, or those freakin' sweet flying cars from Minority Report. If the government is going to spend a trillion dollars, wouldn't you at least like to get flying cars out of the deal? Shouldn't a trillion dollars be enough to make it happen? Can we finally get the way cool flying cars that you know you want, and revitalize the American economy? YES, WE CAN!

I want to point out that not only is the Sims Stimulus plan economically feasible, it is the only stimulus plan that has the benefit of being TOTALLY AWESOME. I urge you to write, telephone, or email your congressperson and tell them to vote for the Sims Stimulus plan (also referred to as the Simsulus Plan). I want to point out to all of the naysayers that the Simsulus plan has EXACTLY the same chance of working as any other economic recovery plan that has been presented. Plus, it is the only plan that offers you FLYING CARS.

Congratulations

Here at simsisms, we are often criticized for being too negative. But, we like to recognize achievement when we see it, so today, we at simsisms would like to give a big congratulations to the nation of Iran.

Intelligence reports that Iran now has enough uranium to make a nuclear weapon. SURPRISE!!! Iran is now one step closer to reaching its goal of being a nuclear force and vaporizing the filthy zionists. Iran, we congratulate you. YOU GO GIRL!!!

Idiot Watch

Exactly how hard is it to find a competent attorney general? Have we had one in the last 20 years? In a nation where you can't throw a stone without hitting a lawyer, someone has got to be able to do the job and not be grotesquely beef-headed.

For those who didn't hear, soon to be former Attorney General Eric Holder called the United States a "Nation of Cowards." In context, his remarks were directed at america's ongoing failure to openly discuss the issue of race. However, that is NOT how the remarks are being taken. Memo to all would be cabinet officials: Speechwriters save lives. Enjoy crucifixion in the media Mr. Holder!

Story may be found here.

Poverty Watch

Yet another reason why you are screwed:

Just as everyone who ever picked up an econ book has predicted, printing massive amounts of cash has caused inflation. Almost a full percentage point in the month of January. If inflation continues to rise at its present rate, we'll be looking at about 10% inflation this year. That's assuming things don't get worse, which they will every time the government decides that the solution to our problems is to spend money that doesn't exist rather than make real meaningful changes to the way we live.

Oh, and still more people lost their jobs. Details here.

Legal Watch

What do you do as a follow-up for getting OJ? You take down Suge Knight. Infamous rap mogul and (alleged) force behind the Biggie and Tupac murders, pled guilty to Battery in a Las Vegas court recently. That's right, California. Our courts get the guys you can't. Send us Phil Spector and Robert Blake. We'll put them away too.

Suge was caught beating a naked woman along D.I. He apparently had possession of a bunch of ecstasy and a Gregory House amount of Vicodin. He also had a knife. Good Job, Suge.

Story here.

Today in the Financial Crisis.

Quick survey of some notable financial developments.

First, in case you didn't know already, credit card companies hate you, and they aren't shy about showing it. Pretty much every credit card company on earth is raising their interest rates, minimum payments, and tacking on additional fees (ever call a credit card company? exactly how does an organization that does not provide service justify calling fees a "service charge"?). We here at simsisms would like to taunt all of you who slave away for VISA, Bastardcard, and American Excess by rubbing in the fact that we have no credit card debt. Neener, Neener, Neener.

Not wanting to be upstaged in the "people or groups that you are absolutely sick of hearing from" contest, congress immediately announced that it would be looking into credit card companies. The same credit card companies who no longer have the resources to give generous campaign contributions. Way to attract attention to yourselves at precisely the wrong moment, guys! Maybe you should have just lied low and waited for the whole economic crisis to blow over, but no, you had to go and try and get a few more drops of blood out of a nation full of stones. Good move, guys. Seriously, next announce your corporate sponsorship for the 2009 "Club baby seals" competition, FTW. Link to the story may be found here.

Next, a surprising number of homeowners have been able to escape foreclosure by asking their lenders to produce the note. Turns out, a lot of the time, Banks can't do it. Good job consumers. Pwn those banks! Link may be found here.

Forbes had a decent article on why we should not bail out shareholders in banks. I skimmed the article but didn't find any mention of bankers having horns. Must have been an oversight. Seriously though, the article should appeal to all of you amateur economists out there (you know who you are). Link here.

Also, it appears that the economic crunch is being felt all over, resulting in premiere Las Vegas attorney Craig P. Kenny actually charging for defending you from traffic tickets. Kenny used to provide this service for free as a way to meet new clients. Now he's charging 50 bucks. That's still less than most other lawyers are charging, but still, it stinks to lose such a valuable free service. Over the years, we here at simsisms have sent many people Craig's way, but we may now have to rethink this. Sorry Craig, until further notice we are downgrading your status from "People we love" to "People we moderately like." Story on Wild Wild Law, here.

I've been meaning to lug this for a while, but haven't found the right time to do it. I've decided that here is as good a place to plug it as any. One of my favorite prof's has a blog and I am commanding everyone to read it. Nancy Rapoport is one of the great bankruptcy minds in the state of Nevada, and has worked on several big name bankruptcy cases, including the Enron case. I insist that you check out her very worthwhile blog, http://nancyrapoport.blogspot.com/

Lastly, have you seen this photo?




Don't front, that's freaking cute. I don't even care that it has nothing to do with money and doesn't belong in this post.

More snarky comments as they develop!

Bankruptcy Watch

Oh yeah! It's the economy, Baby.

The following notable companies got pwned by the economy.

First off, Muzak, the dreadful "music" played in elevators and shopping malls through which the government may or may not be controlling your mind is out of cash. Sadly, they are not liquidating and will continue to kick the tunes. Story here.

Next, providence has smiled upon us all and forced Trump entertainment to declare chapter 11. You may notice the sun shining a little brighter and music sounding a little sweeter today. Except for Muzak-type music. Story here.

Nazi Zombies

Open Letter

Dear Barack Obama,

On behalf of the entire city of Las Vegas I would like to thank you for discouraging companies from sending their employees to Las Vegas. Thank you very much for taking billions of dollars out of the rapidly deteriorating Las Vegas Economy. Did you not seem to realize that when people spend money it helps the economy? Did you seriously rise to the highest office in the country without a rudimentary understanding of economics? Are you clueless to the fact that there are ways to stimulate the economy other than the government just randomly printing money? See, those people would have come to Las Vegas, and spent money on goods and services. The people who would have provided those goods and services would have then spent the money they received on more goods and services, and so forth. It's bad enough that you are on TV every night flogging this outrageous and ill conceived stimulus bill which will commit our nation to economic underachievement for the foreseeable future, but why do you feel the need to further embarass yourself by seeking to discourage tourism to Las Vegas, a town which anyone with approxamite IQ of granite knows relies heavily on tourism for its economy. Is it possible that the same man who criticized his predecessor for being a simpleton could be so mind-bogglingly beef-headed? Mr. President, are you seriously saying we must act with reckless abandon to mortgage the next 30 years of our treasury to save our economy at the exact same moment that you are telling people not to go and spend money in a town leading the nation in foreclosures and with double digit unemployment? Thank you very much for making Las Vegas an utter pariah in the business world, you unbelievable schmuck. Just please, never mention my town again. In fact, don't even visit this state. You are not welcome here, you pea-brained twit.

Mayor Goodman has asked for an apology, and I you owe it to this city. You've cost this town a great deal of money and jobs, and you have offended the city of Las Vegas, a city with numerous mob connections. Next time you want to score political points by making someone else look bad, please don't throw my city under the bus to do it.

The cost of credit

How much does it cost a business when you use your credit card? Check this website.

http://truecostofcredit.com/400927

Music Czar

Some people have mocked the new administration. It's too idealistic, too focused on change, they say. I, on the other hand, have become inspired. It's time we right what's wrong. It's time that we make changes happen. That is why I am volunteering to serve as the Music Czar for the Obama administration. Can we fix the dismal state of music in America? Yes we can.

Here's my platform as Music Czar.

1) MTV will be ordered to go back to playing nothing but music videos. It will not be allowed to interrupt the music for ridiculous viewer comments or clutter the screen with a news crawl. MTV will also be required to show the video for "The Superbowl Shuffle" at least once a day between the hours of 8 am -7pm Eastern Standard Time. The Creators of The Real World and Road Rules will be jailed for crimes against humanity.

2) Yoko Ono and Courtney Love will both have their citizenship revoked immediately.

3) Your best friend who keeps insisting that you should listen to more Sigur Ros will be subject to prosecution for being a Poser.

4) CD's will no longer be produced as no one buys them. Those resources will be reallocated to producing Vinyl Albums so that people who want music that sounds fresh and alive can finally find it.

5) The Format will be required to get back together.

6) Resources will be diverted from middle east peace talks and channeled into brokering a peace agreement between Roger Waters and David Gilmour so that Pink Floyd can finally do a reunion tour.

7) The RIAA will have to be reparations to everyone it sued for illegal downloading while screwing musicians out of money and jacking up CD prices.

8) The government will subsidize the purchase of Bon Iver songs.

9) Hip Hop artists will be prohibited from performing in khaki's and/or argyle sweaters. I don't know when this trend started, but it needs to stop. I'm looking at you Kanye West.

10) Country Music singers will no longer be allowed to do songs about the beach. It's country music; it should be about the country.

11) The FBI will investigate the Biggie and Tupac murders. This country needs closure!

12) Any top ten guitarists list will be required to feature Lindsay Buckingham. Can we finally get a musical genius some much deserved recognition? Yes we can!

13) Metallica will have to pay a settlement to be divided equally among its fans, proportional to the amount of money each fan spent on concerts and CD's.

14) Seven string guitars will be banned.

15) A law will be passed mandating that all lyrics must be decipherable.

16) Otherwise ood bands will not be allowed to sell out and allow their music to be used in Teeny Bopper Vampire movies. Can we restore Iron and Wine's indie cred? Yes we can!

17) Lip Synching in concerts and live TV performances will be punishable by fine or imprisonment.

18) Any artist who shows up to concert drunk or stoned must offer a refund to ticket buyers. An exception will be created for Willie Nelson.

If you can think of any urgent music reforms that I missed, feel free to post them in the comments section. Together, we can save the music.

Bottle Water

Daniel Hamermesh has an excellent screed on universities and bans on bottled water. Recommended for your edification, here.

The Ascent of Money

Sorry for the last minute post, but PBS is running the excellent special, "The Ascent of Money" tonight. Tear yourself away from American idol and catch this special. If you miss it, check your local PBS listings because they will almost certainly rerun it.

2008 Wrap-Up

Greetings to all after the Holiday layover. As we move on to 2009, I think it appropriate that we take time to remember the mighty suckfest that was 2008. Here's the Simsisms rundown of the best and worst parts of 2008.

Best Movie Seen in 2008

Look, 2008 was a pretty crappy year for movies. Let's face it. There were maybe a handful of movies that you could actually justify seeing a second time. I think we can all accept that Dark Knight was pretty much the cream of the crop, provided you ignore Christian Bale's Tom Waite impression every time he speaks as Batman. Batman scores major points for having at least 3 Oscar worthy performances and having the guts to realize that Batman is a fairly boring character at this stage and focusing on everyone around him. Harvey Dent's rise and fall was probably the most interesting story told onscreen this year, and the Joker was about the scariest character to show up on film since Hannibal Lecter.

Other Fairly decent films include Iron Man, and....uhm...(crickets chirping)....uh....yeah. By all accounts Wall-E was pretty good, as was Kung Fu panda, but I haven't gotten around to seeing either of them. I've also heard some great things about documentaries, but again, I haven't seen anything. Pretty much everything else was a tragic disappointment or mediocre at best. James Bond was Meh, and Indiana Jones....well....let's just say I'm working on a device a la "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" to expunge the memories of this film from my brain. We may need to take a restraining order out on George Lucas to keep him away from movies.

Worst Movie Seen in 2008.

This is a pretty crowded field, as there were a number of movies I turned off midway through when I realized that I didn't care how they ended. However, the most ridiculous movie I sat all the way through would have to be Eagle Eye. The more I thought about the movie, the more it just didn't make sense. Why would a computer go through such convoluted lengths to accomplish something so very simple?

Thanfully the 2009 slate of movies looks very promising, with Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes leading the pack of movies that I want to see.

Best TV show of 2008

LOSTLOSTLOSTLOSTLOST!!!!!!! A thousand times LOST. No show featured more jaw dropping, mind blowing moments. I love the Wire, but I'm too traumatized by what happened to Dukie to put it as number one. I'm tearing up just thinking about it. By the way, did I mention that LOST starts again in 3 weeks? I may completely fail school this semester.

Worst TV Show of 2008 that used to be good.

Heroes. It's stock has dropped further than Bear Stearns. This last chapter was the equivalent of Indy hopping into the fridge. Note to producers, It takes a lot to make me not watch Kristen Bell. I have a mad crush on that girl and have since day one of Veronica Mars. She makes my little geek heart race. But I just couldn't watch her on heroes, it was just too awful. After years of hearing her bantering witty Rob Thomas dialogue, I just couldn't take the banal drivel the Heroes writers had her spouting. I don't know if Bryan Fuller can fix this train wreck of a show. I've quit watching anyway.

Best Music of 2008

While 2008 was a dreadful year for movies, it was a boom year for music. Picking favorite music from this year is like picking between my children. In addition to the great lineup of indie artists I found by cruising amazon at 2 in the morning, I also discovered some great classic stuff as well. I've played "Perfect Day" by Lou Reed my iPod is practically in revolt. I've also gotten hugely into the Clash and local record stores are toying with me by not carrying any of The Clash's classic stuff in Vinyl. DARN YOU ZIA RECORDS!!! YOU HAVE EVERY RECORD JACKSON BROWN HAS EVER RECORDED AND NOT A SINGLE COPY OF LONDON CALLING?!?! HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT!?

As far as tracks from this year, a definitive best is impossible to name, but Fleet Foxes, Vampire Weekend, Bon Iver, and Ra Ra Riot all made must have music this year.

The Album Most Overhyped as "Amazing" When it was Really Just Okay, or at Best, Pretty Good.

Viva La Vida by Coldplay. Sure, It's on my iPod, it's got some good songs, but it was well sort of Earth Shattering and nowhere near as transcendantly good as everyone made it out to be. I haven't listened to Violet Hill in months, and the album is just not an essential to anyone's reord collection. Go ahead, send me angry email messages, it doesn't make the album any better.

Worst Song of the Year, Who's Singer Should Be Shot.

"I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry. Terrible song, propelled up the charts by teenagers who wanted to upset their parents. Back in the day, kids bought Offspring, or Green Day to make their parents mad. At least they had talent! I sound so old. This song is irritating, irritating, irritating. If the lyrics were about something else, this song would have never seen the light of day. It. Sucks. Period.

Most Washed Up Artist who is No Longer Relevant and We Should All Seriously Reconsider if He/She was Ever Any Good to Begin With.

Madonna.

2008 proved that she's an old hack, and an embarassment, and her career has basically been perpetuated by finding new and interesting ways to court controversy.

Best Blog of 2008

Goes to my buddy Myron. If only he updated more often.

Most Unprofessional group 0f 2008

The mainstream media, for not even attempting to be evenhanded. It's not that they were overly harsh to John McCain or George Bush, it's that they wouldn't ask hard questions of the other side. It galls me that these outlets wonder why they are losing ad revenue and viewership and can't seem to self-examine and figure out that they have a HUGE credibility problem.

The Publication most desperately in need of a more competent and biting Ombudsman in 2008.

The New York Times. If this paper wants to savce itself, it needs to find credibility FAST. It should follow the ESPN model and get an Ombudsman and actually draw attention to it. ESPN's Ombudsman was the Must read feature on the web this year. She's tough, fair, and calls people on the carpet all the time for being idiots. If the New York Times is going to continue being a leftist hack publication, it ought to admit it, and bring someone in to point out the Glaring Bias in its reporting. Ditto the Washington Post, which already has an ombudsman, but doesn't give her any power or press.

Best Book I read in 2008

This is a tough one, since I didn't read many books. I read a lot of cases, and they were all terrible. The kind of writing that would make John Updike light himself on fire. I guess I'll go with "Slaughterhouse Five" even though I can't decide whether I loved it or hated it. Vonnegut's writing is undeniably brilliant, and buried deep within all of the sci-fi stuff is a compelling account of the horrors of the Dresden Bombing.

Coming up number 2 on the list is Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Meth Addiction. It's a heartbreaking story of a father of a brilliant young man who turns to drugs. The father describes the years of heartache as his son becomes a modern day Jekyll and Hyde. The book does tend to ramble a bit, and the poor author must be the only one in the world who didn't see that his son was probably doomed to drug addiction before he ever became a teenager (broken home, nasty custody battle, long distance joint custody arrangement, early experimentation with marijuana. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that this kid was at risk). Still, the book works as a compelling story of heartbreak, and the capacity of a human being to live in complete denial of reality, even when the truth is right in front of him. It also serves as a great window into the condition of rehab and recovery in this country, which the author shows is fairly impotent and unequiped to handle an ever-growing epidemic.

Favorite Book I read to My Nephew, Thomas

Five Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.

I may go out and adopt a kid just so I have an excuse to read this book every night. Thomas loved it so much he started reciting it in the middle of sacrament meeting last week. I couldn't help myself, I joined in. I'm sure the family in front of us hates me.

Favorite Moment of 2008

On a long 15 mile run a few months ago, I ran up Charleston avenue until just after all the houses. I stopped and looked around and noticed that I had escaped civilization and there was nothing around me. At that exact minute, snowflakes started falling.

Also fun was Emma telling me I was the most fun of everyone. Ha! Take that, Uncle Danny!

Favorite Discovery of 2008

Vinyl Records.

I've now spent more money on vinyl albums in the past few days than I have spent on CD's in the past couple of years. In fact, I can't remember how long it's been since I even bought a CD. Records sound so warm and alive. I listened to "New Slang" by The Shins last night on vinyl and it was like I heard the song for the first time. As much as I love all of the music from 2008, the best song I've heard all year was last night, when I listened to Simon & Garfunkel's "Only Living Boy in New York" on vinyl. I don't know how CD's ever replaced the warm and inviting sound of records. Vinyl just sounds so much better.

Worst Move During the 2008 Economic Crisis

New York City, for raising welfare benefits 30% while introducing a plethora of new taxes.

Is it a prerequisite for elected office in this country that you must not have a basic understanding of economics? How else do we explain this? In a year of stunningly bad financial decisions by government, this has to be the worst. "The only way to stimulate the economy is to get people to spend money, let's raise the price of everything so people won't spend money." WHAT?!?!?! A tax on soda, coffee, iTunes? Seriously, freaking iTunes?

Close runner ups were the auto bailout, and the Einsteinian "Stimulus Package." The auto bailout means that the mismanaged auto companies will continue to run without meaningful change, and the stimulus package which was supposed to prevent a recession, well, let's just say it didn't work. Even though it didn't work, congress has decided to try and give it another go. We'll probably have another round of stimulus checks this next year. This is the very embodiment of why nothing in this country gets fixed. Rather than change the regulations or failed policies that gave us this mess and then wait for a recovery, the government would much rather throw money at the problem and then pat itself on the back. You realize, that since we've been in recession not one meaningful financial regulation has changed? Again, the capacity of human beings to live in denial is limitless.

Worst Losers of 2008

The Whole "No on Prop 8 crowd." If they had spent the kind of energy trying to defeat the bill that they did complaining and harassing Mormons after the bill was passed, it might have been a closer election. They also seem to be wholly immune to the message that voters sent, that the No on Prop 8'ers are CLEARLY in the Minority and that the Majority absolutely, positively, and without exception does not want gays to marry, PERIOD. You cannot inflict social change on people who do not want it. Just ask all of the schools in the south that weren't desegregated until the NIXON administration, almost two decades after Brown v. Bd of Education.

Biggest Stud of 2008.

Thomas S. Monson.

Hands down. No contest. No comment needed.

All right kids, that's the wrap on 2008. Stay with us for 2009, as we cover the continued recession, the collapse of the construction industry in Las Vegas, and the early failures of an overly arrogant Obama administration. Happy New Year, and Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men.

Holidays and Insulin Shock

I've posted about my love of cake before, but in honor of the holidays I'm posting one of my favorite sites, http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/ They have some great and hilarious holiday cakes for your enjoyment.

Also, check out recent baking enthusiast John Mayer's latest entries on Interfaith Baking, and check out some of the cool cake pictures that fans have sent in. Link here.

Merry Christmas to all! Diets start Friday!

More Required Listening

I avoided listening to Raising Sand, Robert Plant's collaboration with Alison Krauss, for a long time. It just seemed too odd to work. For those who don't know. Robert Plant was the lead singer of Led Zeppelin, probably best known for singing Stairway to Heaven and generally inspiring Heavy Metal. Alison Krauss is probably best known as the poster child for Bluegrass music and was heavily featured on the O Brother Where Art Thou? By all rights this shouldn't work. Who even suggested this collaboration? Well, whoever it was is a freaking genius because their album together is one of the greatest things I've ever heard. Highly recommend that you sample some tracks.

As I Lay Dying

I managed to get sick midway through my tax final. Thankfully, I didn't know anything about the subject anyway so it didn't affect my performance. I'm just hoping for that All important C-. At this point, my motto is C's get degrees.

Before finals, I went and dropped a wad on Amazon's mp3 shop. For those of you still downloading from iTunes or pirating from limewire, get with the times. Amazon is where it's at. The music is DRM free. Restricted music is so last year, as is getting sued.

As I've basically been stuck at home in bed waiting out the chills, dizzyness, headache, and crazy David Lynchesque nightmares I haven't had much to do except zone in and out of consciousness while listening to my iPod. So, without further ado, here's the latest recommendations for your download list.

Old 97's- Question and Murder or a Heart Attack

What's that you ask? When did I get into alt country? Get with the program, peeps. Alt Country is where it is at. The Eagles, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, if they were around today they'd be lumped into the Alt Country category. Don't forget that Wilco emerged from the remains of Uncle Tupelo, which was the poster child of the Alt Country movement in the 90's. That said, I defy you to find anything as catchy as Murder or a Heart Attack. I love this song. It gets caught in my head and keeps me company all day long. Kind of like the voices which tell me to burn things.

Apologies, but youtube only had a decent video for question. Still a good song, but not AS good.




The Helio Sequence- Lately

The best thing to come out of the White Stripes revolution is the realization that a band only needs two people. Sorry Bass players, but most of you are just glorified metronomes. Anyway, the two man line up is about where any similarity with the White Stripes ends. The sequence sounds a lot more like Coldplay with Bob Dylan as the frontman. It's good stuff.



The Kooks-Always where I need to be.

Yet another example of Indie Rock being more than whiny dudes with an acoustic guitar. I'm a bit of a latecomer to the Kooks, as they've officially become so buzzed about that they're essentially mainstream at this point (They have an actual music video. Sellouts!). I don't care, I don't have any street cred that needs preserving.


Neutral Milk Hotel- In an Aeroplane over the Sea.

Speaking of whiny guys with acoustic guitars...

I've always thought the best musicians were the ones who could hold their own in front of a crowd with nothing but an acoustic guitar. NMH is pretty much from forever ago, but it's amazing how unknown they remain in most circles. Bonus points for the horn solo in the middle.

The National-Mistaken for Strangers and Fake Empire

I was going to post the video for Mistaken but then I found out that it was directed by a guy named, I'm not making this up, "Thread Count." I'm not going to lie, it's pretty much killed the song for me. Maybe enen the band. Too bad because they were really good. Here's the band live on Letterman.


Ra Ra Riot-Can you Tell

Darn it, picking between favorite Ra Ra Riot songs is like picking between you children. St. Peter's Day Festival is also a treat. This band is one of my recent favorites if for no other reason than they have an electric cello and it actually sounds good. And you know my feelings on cellos. They are the audio equivalent of Sylvester Stallone's acting.

Beirut- Scenic World I've heard a lot about Beirut and I've been meaning to give them a spin for a while now, but I've resisted because they have an accordion player. Generally, I feel that the Accordion is like Tom Waits voice: It has no place in music. (Cue angry emails defending Tom Waits). I'm happy to say I was wrong and that Beirut is completely awesome. As synth music seems to be catching on more it's good to hear some novel and organic sounds.


Panda Bear- Comfy in Nautica From unorthodox instruments to no instruments. Panda Bear's A Capella + Sound Effects song is insanely catchy (or is that kitschy?). The song is good enough that I will forgive the dude for stealing the title Panda Bear, which I had long intended to be my Rap Name. I'll also forgive him for using sound looping in his live performances, but I have to tell you that it was likeing finding out there is no Santa Clause.

I didn't like the normal video for the song (skateboarders?), so I replaced it with this one full of Indiana Jones scenes.



Ben Folds- Fred Jones Part II

An oldie, but a goodie, and often overlooked. No one does depressing like Ben, and this song is one of his better forays into Melancholy. The sad tale of a man who's life has passed him by and finds that his usefulness is gone. I included this clip because it features the random and unintentionally hilarious cameo by the dude from CAKE.



The Weepies- The World Spins Madly On

Darn it, this group is like Buckingham Nicks, but mellower. This makes me wish I had the original Buckingham Nicks record on Vinyl. Anyone who wants a good Christmas Gift idea for me, there you have it. Okay, back to the Weepies.

No, wait, we need to go back to Buckingham Nicks. How is Lindsay Buckingham so under appreciated? He was the lead guitarist for one of the most successful groups of all time and he is a guitar savant. He's never mentioned on anyone's top guitarist list and that's just criminal. He's released two solo albums in the past couple years and they are as good as anything Fleetwood Mac did post-Rumors. How is he the least famous member of that group?

Okay, back to the Weepies. I'm telling you, this group has major upside. Look for them to continue to sell their ethereal, mellow tunes to undeserving movies for the next several years, or join a formerly well thought of power blues group fallen on hard times and transform it with their pop influence culminating in a best selling album fueled by divorce and Mick Fleetwood's cocaine habit.

Please ignore the fact that this video was taken from a total chick flick.

What is a GPU

Ah, Mythbusters, How I heart you.

Watch the demonstration of Leonardo 1.0, 2.0, and then the second video show's what happens when a man get shot by 1100 paintballs at once

Hipster?

For those of you who have ever wondered what a hipster is and whether you or someone you know might be a hipster, Urban Dictionary provides the following definition:

	People in their teens to 20s who generally listen to indie rock, hang out in coffee shops, shop at the thrift store and talk about things like books, music, films and art.

The Hipster Handbook offers this definition:

One who possesses tastes, social attitudes, and opinions deemed cool by the cool. (Note: it is no longer recommended that one use the term "cool"; a Hipster would instead say "deck.") The Hipster walks among the masses in daily life but is not a part of them and shuns or reduces to kitsch anything held dear by the mainstream. A Hipster ideally possesses no more than 2% body fat.

For further reading, see the wiki article on hipsters (is there anything not in wikipedia?) available here.

Worse people skills than me?

Some things are just too good not to be shared. Las Vegas City Life's Article on P.I Attorney Adam Kutner, who's TV ads are best described as "ubiquitous," is one of these things.

Check it out here. But, be warned, this is a story not for the faint of heart.

What's Spinning on the Ipod

Now that the election is over and we can get back to the ordinary course of politicians ignoring the express will of the people, I thought it would be a good time to drop what's on my iPod playlist.

I cruised some of the celebrity playlists on iTunes and found myself laughing out lout at some of the people trying a little too hard to be cool in their music choices (I'm looking at you, Michael Cera). If you don't really like indie rock, then don't put bands no one has ever heard of on your playlist. It doesn't make you cool, it just makes you a poser.

Here's some of what I'm listening to recently. As you can tell, I'm having a bit of a classic punk phase.

Police on my Back--The Clash



I can't help it, I've become a huge Clash Fanatic. If you are not yet a devotee of the Clash, repent hit amazon.com's mp3 page immediately. Not liking the clash is the musical equivalent of voting no on prop 8.

Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn've)--The Buzzcocks.



You may recognize the song from Pete Yorn's remake for one of the Shrek Movies. He actually did a pretty good job, but original is generally the best. By the way, how does someone as decidedly non-punk as Pete Yorn end up remaking a song by the Buzzcocks? I mean, Jason Mraz redid Blitzkrieg Bop, but at least he was in on the joke. The more I think about it, it's like Coldplay doing a cover of "Anarchy in the U.K." Actually, that would be pretty cool. In fact, I'm now insisting that this happen. Chris Matin, wherever you are, I'm begging you the start remaking Sex Pistols songs. Who wouldn't buy this? If anyone out there has connections in the music industry, make this happen.

You are the Best Thing--Ray Lamontagne


Ray Lamontagne is finally starting to get some much deserved recognition. He's essentially Joe cocker for the modern age. It is criminal that people haven't heard of this guy while that "I kissed a girl" song is playing on a continuous loop on pop radio. If that doesn't prove that civilization is doomed, I don't know what does. Maybe this.

Perfect Day--Lou Reed



Yes, I do know what the song is about and I don't care. It's still beautiful. While we're on the subject, if they ever legalize drugs, I think that instead of a surgeon general's warning, they should just put Lou Reed's picture on the packaging. I think the idea of one day looking that messed up should be enough to deter ANYONE from using. In fact, this could single-handedly win the war on drugs.

P.S. John Cale has a much better voice and more musical talent than Lou Reed, so why was Lou Reed the vocalist for Velvet Underground? These questions keep me awake at night.

Closer--Kings of Leon


Just put their entire latest album here. It's great. I don't even care that they lent their music to an impossibly lame season of Gossip Girl, which is 1/10th the show the O.C. was. Yes, even the 22 episode long practical joke that was season 3. Darn it, it was the show that gave us Death Cab for Cutie and it was much better than Gossip Girl will ever be. It had better music and the girls were 10X hotter. I can no longer discuss this rationally, I'm posting the song Life is a Song by Patrick Park in memoriam.



Head On--The Pixies


Okay, it's a cover, but it's a good one, darnit. Besides the Pixies have the distinction of having been loved by Weezer. The Legiao Urbana version is better, but we try and feature english speaking bands on this site.

Flightless Bird American Male--Iron and Wine



Look, I've been listening to Iron and Wine for years, so I knew them before they were cool. If I could grow a convincing beard, I'd be this guy's exact clone. As such, I'm willing to forgive them for allowing this awesome song to be included on the soundtrack for a certain teeny-bopper vampire movie which I will not allow to be named on this site. Seriously, if you name it in the comments section don't think I won't delete you. The video is from a pretty awesome live version, but the recorded version is great too.

He Doesn't Know Why--Fleet Foxes



I've written about this band before, but I can't say enough about them as far as I am concerned. Buy this CD. GO to amazon and pay the 10 bucks for the whole album; it is absolutely worth it. One of the best bands I have ever heard, spread the word.

That's it for now kiddos. Happy listening.

Day late, dollar short

For those who have not seen it, here is Elder David A. Bednar's discussion on Proposition 8. I realize the vote has come and gone, but you are nuts if you think that this is the last you will hear on the issue. At best, a prop 8 passage will delay the homosexual agenda for a bit. We are going to reach the point in the next few years where only an amendment to the United States Constitution will be able to save marriage.

Elder Bednar also discusses the "Tyranny of Tolerance" and how the label of Bigot will be used to attack those with differing view points. In light of what has happened since the election, i.e. the protests at the temple in L.A., you say his words were prophetic. Please take the time to watch the video as the fight for traditional marriage and the family is far from over and Elder Bednar's discussion is probably the most coherent and reasoned explanation of the subject. Until then, keep supporting traditional marriage and family.

Prop 8 Passes

After 8 years of a very unpopular president and a fairly inept republican party, the Democratic triumph is not unexpected. McCain lost the election when he didn't stand up to the bailout and decry it for what it was: A sham bailout for undeserving, greedy crooks, which covers the mistakes of speculators who turned the economy into their own personal roulette wheel and offers not a dime to help normal people struggling not to lose their homes. He likewise should have denounced the stimulus package for what it was: a band-aid on cancer and a tacit admission by the left that what the country really needs are fewer taxes.

No, an Obama presidency is nothing to worry about. We survived 8 years of a Clinton presidency, this can't be any worse. This economy is beyond repair and in 4 years, Obama will probably be hanging on to his job by a thread. If the republicans can come up with a dynamic leader between now and then (Not Sarah Palin) then it should be a simple matter of "Are you better off now than you were 4 years ago?" Since unemployment will probably have doubled, and foreclosures will still be high, I'm guessing people will be ready to see him go.

The big story in this election is that Gay Marriage Bans passed OVERWHELMINGLY in every state where they were on the ballot. Maybe activist judges will finally get the message that they should not read their own political views into the law. Maybe the Homosexual Agenda will finally realize that the way to bring about change in the country is through broad consensus building and not forcing unwelcome change down America's throat by way of activist judicial fiat.

So, while america voted for change in personnel, it HAS NOT embraced a liberal and permissive agenda as some would have you believe. In essence, the vote against gay marriage says:

GET LOST, LIBERAL JUDGES!