February 2009
25 posts
For the record
Were I a betting man, I would bet on the Steelers on Sunday. I’m not convinced that Arizona can pass protect enough to allow Warner to get the ball to Larry Fitzgerald. This does not mean that I’ll be rooting for the Steelers. An Arizona win would be interesting for the league. I’m sure there have been a few bad sports columns written over the years that carelessly listed a...
January 2009
31 posts
Where the magic happens....
In case you’re thinking that the donuts at Bob’s come from the donut fairy, here’s the master at work last night.
The Debate Which Should Be Occurring In Congress?
The saving on email works both ways. What follows is an email debate had between me and X, a moderate Republican and sometime consumer of the blog. This was all touched off by an initial email from a 3rd party, who we’ll call the [expletive]-disturber. Enjoy. Feel free to join in. From [expletive]-disturber Wed, Jan 28, 2009 at 5:12 PM To: JCSNotes, X Amazing. If you believe most...
Coffee Meets Recession
As one of my first posts on the blog concerned the intersection of coffee and the economy, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that I found this story in the LA Times interesting, which begins: “Starbucks Corp. said Tuesday that it would stop brewing decaffeinated coffee after noon as part of a drive to save $400 million by September.” My first reaction - after noon is the only time I,...
The Boss
Bruce Springsteen released a new album today. He’ll turn 60 this year. Let that sink in a minute. My mom forwarded a link to a obituary for my 4th grade teacher today. She was a Sister of Mercy and recently passed away. We’re not sure exactly how old she was but based upon a couple of clues, we calculated that she was at least 100, probably a little older. Which means that when...
Gitmo
This article in the Post argues, in essence, that the military intended Guantanamo to be far different than it ended up being. What caused the change? More like who - Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney. And on that note, this episode of the Daily Show - go to approximately 5:30 in the clip - has a hilarious puppet show (no kidding) on the subject. Wow is all I can say. Just wow.
Notes
One, good to know that I wasn’t wrong to yell “double team him!” in the not-so-crowded best pizza place in the City last night as LeBron was about to hit his game-winning buzzer beater. (Where? Those who need to know already know, those who don’t, too bad.) LeBron is gooooood. Two, sorry if my RSS feed has been sort of erratic over the past couple of days. I’m...
Gillbrand
OK, I’m going to take a bow. I’ve been predicting since the opening occurred that this was the right move policy-wise. Upstate New York needs a bigger voice in New York politics. This article from PolitickerNY points out the potential political wisdom of the move. Here’s what is key to remember going forward. There’s going to be lots of initial blowback from various...
____________ for Senate Part II
As I said a month or so ago , someone like Kirsten Gillibrand from upstate New York would be a good choice to fill Secretary of State Clinton’s former Senate seat. The tea leaves are pointing more and more in her direction tonight. She is a former attorney with David Boies’ firm and knew enough New York lawyers to be able to raise the money to win in a Congressional District with a...
Day One Miscellany
The wingnuts have their day in the sun as President Obama takes the oath of office again today. Better safe than sorry I guess. Plus, we have the the news late tonight that Caroline Kennedy will apparently not grace the U.S. Senate with her presence. Snarky by me I admit, but I had no patience for her bid from the get-go. Comparisons of her candidacy to that of her uncles Ted or Robert ignored...
Cool picture
The New York Times has a great composite shot of the podium at the Capitol during Obama’s speech where you can zoom in and around. Interesting notes? For a recalled Governor, Gray Davis still had a surprisingly good seat - arguably one row closer to the action than the current Govern-ator…as did current SF Mayor Gavin Newsom (looks like Magic Johnson sitting behind the Mayor). It...
The Speech
I liked it. Thought it was good, not great in terms of inspiration. But, I think this is one of those rare moments where most of us took the time to watch and develop our own opinions. So, not exactly bloggable material in a way. Some random things which struck me: Roberts and Obama mutually flubbed his oath of office. Wingnuts will have a field day. President Bush 41 had a silly, albeit...
This confirms it...
Akamai says that the demand for the streaming of the inauguration on the internet was crushing. (The networks would have done well to try and exploit this by warning folks that the internet might not be the best place to try and watch.)
It's official
Check this out. If there was doubt that, for now, things are going to be a bit different, I think the fact that the internet didn’t seem capable of broadcasting the festivities because of the overwhelming demand is the first bit of evidence. I thought the speech was good although some were expecting some sort of rapturous event and will no doubt be disappointed.
Small sign of the new efficiency
Apparently, it’s not possible for the Obama transition email accounts to be immediately transferred to government service (or for the government accounts to be turned on at 12:01 pm). So, to their credit (I think), our new government is turning to Gmail during the interregnum. And, in a definite 180 in terms of transparency, they are warning people that email sent to those accounts...
Walking by CNN...
on in a window and I see the “BREAKING NEWS” footer over some recounting about what a great landing it was yesterday. Yes it was a great landing and yes I’m cranky, but this is in no sense BREAKING NEWS. If it actually put up “YESTERDAY’S NEWS,” CNN would have a fan for life.
Irony of ironies
I had forgotten this, but apparently President Bush’s campaign plane in 2000 was named “Accountability One.” Let that one sink in. Iraq. Katrina. Accountability One.
Joe the Moron
I confess that I prefer my CNN without opinions thank you. But that said, CNN midday anchor Rick Sanchez puts Joe the Plumber in his place pretty darn effectively. (JTP’s whole “the media only reports where the troops ‘are at’ meme is the most know-nothingest statement I’ve heard since President Bush was arguably popular. The only outfit I heard accused of...
Wow
Amazingly, it sounds like everyone made it out of some very cold water OK. I predict a huge upsurge in people paying attention to those pre-departure announcements, which is probably a good thing. Birds have a rare tendency to occupy the same space as planes so it’s probably not a bad idea to be a bit vigilant.
My love/hate towards the Genentech Bus
I see it everywhere around town. It must be twice as big as a standard MUNI bus and it definitely sticks out into traffic while it picks people up and drops them off around Pacific Heights. I hate it because of this and because I can’t ride one like it (obviously). I’m sure it comes armed with wi-fi and a full bar and first run movies. (OK, maybe it only has wi-fi). Part of me...
A chance to see if we've grown up
Apparently, Tim Geithner, the nominee to be the Secretary of the Treasury has had some tax issues in his past arising out of work he did for the World Bank. The World Bank, because it is a creature of the UN and not subject to U.S. jurisdiction for many purposes, creates very unique tax issues for the people who work for it. Apparently, tons of people have been caught by this issue and have had...
NFL Stands for "Not Forward Looking"
One of the benefits of the holidays is the ability to sit down and actually read the wealth of stuff that arrives in the newspaper every day. On New Year’s Day, this great piece appeared in the New York Times about the literally age-old method of determining whether a team in the NFL has achieved a first down. Essentially, the old reliable eyeball is used to determine the progress of each...
Um....
LeBron James has turned out to be worth the tanking, hasn’t he?
BCS
Anyone who likes, hates, or merely pays attention to the BCS and its role in college football should read this post on Slate by the great baseball statistician Bill James. That is all.
Just a Thought (insipired by Josh Marshall)
We supposedly in the most serious financial circumstances since the New Deal. Yet, we are obsessed with whether some guy no one has ever heard of gets to sit in the Senate for two years. Doesn’t CNN or MSNBC or Fox realize that they could actually drive viewership if they promised not to cover this story until he is ultimately seated or some competent judicial body weighs in? This story...
LeBron apparently French for "missing the point"
Watch this highlight. LeBron James does not think he traveled the other night against the Wizards and according to ESPN, he is still convinced of this and thinks that it’s only a big deal because people are obsessed with him. I happen to think that it’s only a big deal because LeBron is in such public denial. Maybe he doesn’t have any option (apparently remaining silent is...
On Panetta for CIA
I’m reading some rumblings which make me think that news of this was leaked from the Hill. And that the leaks come from senior Democrats - Senators Feinstein or Rockefeller’s staff look to be likely suspects - who are peeved that their choice for CIA wasn’t heeded by President-elect Obama. Some of the commentary goes as far as to speculate that Panetta could have a rough ride...
Fiesta Bowl Armchair QB-ing
Any chance that Buckeye coach Jim Tressel wishes that he actually played a prevent defense during Texas’ last possession? On Texas’ game-winning TD, OSU’s linebackers almost looked like they were playing for a run. How does someone score on a slant route inside of 2 minutes in a big game? Just wondering. And that this will have Mack Brown campaigning for a share of some...
Read this!
Well not this but rather this piece by Michael Lewis and David Einhorn, which appeared in yesterday’s New York Times op-ed page. (For some odd reason, what was one op-ed in the actual paper has been split up into two parts, I link to the second part immediately below.) I highly recommend reading it in full as it discusses the Madoff scandal as well as the larger turmoil in the markets and...
Dan Reeves will not be getting Joe Gibbs-like...
Had to transition from Chargers-Colts on TV to radio last night. Right outside of two minutes, Colts are up by 3 and face a 4th and long from their own 1. They punt from their own end zone. Before the punt, the radio play by play guy (Ian Eagle?) asks Dan Reeves whether the Colts should consider taking the safety and punting from their own 20. Reeves says yes. Which struck me as a good idea...
Slow blogging weekend
So I apologize. Watching a bit of the Orange Bowl made me nostalgic for the days when all of the big bowls were on New Year’s and we usually had to stay up late to see who the National Champion would be. It gave one something to do for New Year’s Day itself. The present system strikes me as great for advertising but bad for fans. If we are not going to have a playoff, I’d...