tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55631172009-02-21T09:48:06.876-05:00Musings on Politics, Economics, and whatever strikes metegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.comBlogger181125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1154439352903614172006-08-01T07:46:00.000-05:002006-08-01T08:35:52.973-05:00

As we all know, if the Yankees had only signed Fidel Castro, he'd have been too busy winning World Series to bring Communism to Cuba. And if Magnum P.I. had never been cancelled, Fidel's brother Raul would not be taking over during Fidel's health crisis.

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1152993181191506192006-07-15T14:46:00.000-05:002006-07-15T14:53:01.203-05:00

That's Monday's weather forecast. When did weather.com become so melodramatic?

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1151772631925333612006-06-29T11:13:00.000-05:002006-07-01T11:50:54.996-05:00

Don't you ever see female cabdrivers?Does this seem like a good argument to its author? Someone has yet to explain to me how an 18-year-old player (like Oden) could be deemed unworthy of the NBA, yet would be this year's consensus No. 1 overall pick if he were eligible.It's very simple: If that many GMs are ready to draft a player, he is qualified to be in the NBA. And if a player is drafted, he

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1147544658870061792006-05-13T12:47:00.000-05:002006-05-13T13:24:18.996-05:00

I'm not going to pretend to have pondered the whole 'Net Neutrality' question enough to have a full opinion. I don't want to say the broadband provider's arguments are wholly without merit. But I certainly lean in that direction. When you strip away the anti-regulation rhetoric (whatever its merits), I cannot get myself around this question: Are they not seeking to be paid twice for the same

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1146775626746862702006-05-04T13:50:00.000-05:002006-05-04T15:47:06.853-05:00

Let there be no mistake about the media reaction to Steven Colbert's performance at last weekend's White House Correspondent's Association dinner. Colbert's greatest offense was not kowtowing to the powers that be. In a country where the powers that be are not supposed to need to be kowtowed to no less. For anyone late to the 'controversy', the Correspondent's Association dinner- the annual poke

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1146068553182874182006-04-28T08:16:00.000-05:002006-04-28T08:34:13.306-05:00

Yesterday's mail included an impressive looking envelope:An impressive marketing effort on the part of The Economist. So impressive I'm forced to wonder if their habit of consulting the evidence only after staking out their position is hurting the bottom line. One can only hope. Having recently canceled my subscription the envelope did cause me to briefly reconsider subscribing. Until I noticed

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1146068031503180262006-04-26T10:46:00.000-05:002006-04-26T11:13:51.603-05:00

That's how the Kothapalli sisters will enter their joint Sweet 16/ High School Graduation party. Just wanted to offer this little reminder of how the other half-- of the income/ wealth distribution, NOT the people distribution-- lives. I must admit to being fascinated. Not by the lives and plots of the overprivileged children one can meet on MTV's Super Sweet 16, but rather by the level of

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1145916232764862532006-04-26T10:02:00.000-05:002006-04-26T10:46:02.840-05:00

The Bank in question is the New York Times' aptly named Bank of Mom and Dad. Combining anecdotal evidence with pop books and scholarly findings, the Times reports young adults- say 18 to 34 year olds- increasingly are receiving, if not relying upon, support from their parents. But how novel is this development? What constitutes parental support? There are a lot of tangled ideas included in this

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1142196354668440152006-04-11T16:10:00.000-05:002006-04-11T16:23:52.480-05:00

Or maybe that's exactly what happened. Is Dear Abby yet another enterprise run on the Dread Pirate Roberts model? But I digress. It doesn't really matter who is responsible for this, it just has to be corrected. DEAR ABBY: I was engaged three years ago, and shortly before the wedding my fiance called it off. My bridesmaids had all purchased their dresses.I plan to be married this year and will

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1142997497620213212006-03-21T23:10:00.000-05:002006-03-21T23:15:07.320-05:00

As I sit here typing, the Cincinnati- University of Minnesota game is on the television. Last night, I watched portions of the Michigan- Notre Dame game (double OT for the Wolverines). This morning I caught the highlights from yesterday's St. Joseph's- Hofstra game (OT for the Dutchmen). And I watched every minute of Saturday morning's Maryland- Manhattan game (Manhattan in a game that wasn't as

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1141676431218896482006-03-14T22:18:00.000-05:002006-03-14T22:21:01.460-05:00

Although her cough (aka f*ing lung infection as she called it) may have had something to do with that. Despite the difficulties, Orton put on an enjoyable, personable show. Her crowd banter was engaging if not quite funny. Her jokes fell flat, although that may be attributable to the language barrier (she's English). Her older works stood up well under the stripped down instrumentation she is now

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1141596444377783762006-03-12T15:04:00.000-05:002006-03-14T21:39:03.590-05:00

Or should I say “Let's get the family back together.” 22 years ago the feds busted up AT&T. Before the break-up, AT&T was synonymous with the telephone. One bill for all of your services (of course, there were far fewer services at the time- local service, long distance, and that's it) and they provided the hardware (that was starting to phase out by the 1970s). There were a smattering of

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1140814274650160062006-02-24T15:39:00.000-05:002006-02-24T15:51:14.693-05:00

The answer is, surprisingly, yes. But they're in Germany, Norway, and Russia. Good to know someone's listening. I had started to wonder (Yes, the prize is still available).

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1140533050836295082006-02-21T09:26:00.000-05:002006-02-21T09:44:10.906-05:00

If you haven't, don't worry. But don't celebrate either. They are probably playing the 'hide from the staff and hope it all blows over' game this morning? The game officially begins with the coldsweat which accompanies noticing an article such as this morning's "Suits on Overtime Hitting Big Firms." Next, they read the article and learn, "The suits stem from state and federal laws that require

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1140305428772762682006-02-18T16:59:00.000-05:002006-02-18T18:30:28.846-05:00

I ask this seriously. In today's Washington Post there is an article about the North Carolina Republican Party requesting church directories from party members. Included in the article is a reference to a similar practice employed by Bush-Cheney in August 2004. According to the article, religious leaders- both then and now- object to the practice. This is the first I am hearing of this.Actually,

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1139622109964620632006-02-10T20:29:00.000-05:002006-02-10T20:41:49.976-05:00

where companies trade anchors?It would seem so as ESPN and NBC have announced a deal which sends play-by-play man Al Michaels to NBC in exchange for expanded broadcast rights and Mickey Mouse's older cousin, Oswald the Rabbit.Is a guy with a microphone really a tradable asset nowadays? Is anyone else not okay with this state of affairs?

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1139494546006269932006-02-10T19:14:00.000-05:002006-02-10T20:27:48.910-05:00

As I type, my email account is probably receiving an unwanted message or three. Maybe it's another of the occasional communiques from my Nigerian 'friend' updating me on the status of our get rich quick scheme. Possibly the message is from CBSportsline encouraging me to sign up for Fantasy Golf (ugh, football is where I draw the line). Or the helpful in spirit, though not really in practice,

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1139496885481430882006-02-09T09:15:00.000-05:002006-02-09T09:54:45.560-05:00

Apparently, the Olympics begin soon. Tonight, tomorrow some time, Saturday. I'm not really sure. Is anyone? Also, are they in Turin or Torino? Is that a distinction without a difference? My disinterest has nothing to do with the much advanced theory that these games, thus far, lack dominant personalities. The games - the competitions themselves- lack intrigue. Yes, there are a few potentially

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1139072674178858182006-02-04T11:07:00.000-05:002006-02-04T12:04:34.250-05:00

It all started at Appel Farms last year. Rufus Wainwright and his father Loudon Wainwright III were among the performers. During a father-son duet, Loudon brought out his daughter Lucy Roche. We were confused- Roche? Our intrigue only grew as we flipped through the program for the day's concert* and saw a note for a similar music festival in Rhode Island or some such place. Among the scheduled

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1138947088680081402006-02-02T23:24:00.000-05:002006-02-03T01:14:55.203-05:00

I'm currently reading The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth by Benjamin Friedman. In short, he's arguing economic growth is responsible for the success/ extension of the liberal project (i.e. democracy, personal freedom, a more open society, the other good social justice stuff). More precisely, stagnation and decline lead to a retrenchment of these social goods. If you believe Friedman and

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1138123148763258172006-01-24T11:28:00.000-05:002006-01-24T15:03:27.990-05:00

Nellie McKay performed a thoroughly entertaining show at the Birchmere Sunday evening. I was considering sharing my impressions of the night before I read the Post's write-up. That piece convinced me. While not an unfavorable review, it was written without any attention paid to the overall context. Yes, she was not on the top of her game- which was part of the fun. But she's not on tour. This

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1138053534393106942006-01-23T16:08:00.000-05:002006-01-23T17:01:23.996-05:00

My morning Metro ride featured the normal (such as it were) cast of characters and a decidedly abnormal contingent of Catholic priests. I counted not fewer than 10 Collars standing around me as I rode from stop to stop. In fairness, their presence doesn't seem so odd when we consider that today is the big Right to Life march on the Mall. Whether the priests count as weird or not (the grumbling

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1137643009376640622006-01-18T22:11:00.000-05:002006-01-18T23:05:11.206-05:00

This evening at Happy Hour, my blog was mentioned- partially by me, partially by a friend who I mentioned it to last week. And now they'll be stopping by and wanting to read the latest. This is a problem. Currently, the 'latest' is nearly a month stale. And I can't claim to have anything I am itching to say. But the public wants a show, so it is a show we will give them.First, it should be said,

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1134689123463005942005-12-23T13:34:00.000-05:002005-12-23T14:28:14.810-05:00

I know two blogs operated by ex-patriate Minnesotans. The Pie-Eyed Picayune and The House of Wonks. On December 10, one of Minnesota's most recognizable politicians, Eugene McCarthy, died. As an aside, there are a surprising number of recognizable Minnesota politicians from McCarthy's era- Humphrey and Mondale each held the vice-presidency. Neither has a peep to say about McCarthy's death.I

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563117.post-1134656703843966652005-12-15T21:21:00.000-05:002005-12-15T09:25:40.760-05:00

Donald "Heck of a Good Job" Rumsfeld. So says the President.* The Bubble strikes again? You have to think an engaged President would have banished that phrase from his vocabulary. *Standard Disclaimer: the original source of this material is Fox News. As such, its reliability and veracity are inherently suspect.

tegwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17777738356875078344noreply@blogger.com0