Open Threads

I have come to the conclusion that my coffee options suck, so I am soliciting advice on some coffee that I can use as a general purpose mild-medium coffee that is good all day long. I just am not happy with all of the options (Seattle’s Best, Starbucks, Celestial Seasonings, etc.) that my local grocery has, so if you can think of something I can buy in bulk and store, is reasonably priced, and tasty…

Right now there is some wingnut congressman, David Rivera (Teaparty- FL) on CNN comparing the Cuba policy changes to Neville Chamberlain and Hitler. I wasn’t kidding when I said there are only three events in all of history for wingnuts.

Ok. That idiot is no longer on my tv. Back to coffee. I’m really not interested in flavored coffees, just a good roast. Any suggestions that fit those criteria would be welcome. I also am not a fan of really bold or overbearing coffees.

In other news, since the tragic loss of Hola Fruta from my grocery store, I have been sampling the Haagen-Dazs fat-free frozen sorbets. I like fruity frozen treats, plus the frozen sorbets are not as catastrophic an assault on your waistline as the ice creams, although having long since lost my girlish figure, at this point worrying about high-calorie ice cream is like worrying about another torpedo in a sinking ship. Every little bit helps, though, so frozen sorbet it is, and if you eat one container over two nights you are really only adding about 250 calories. That is acceptable.

The Harvest Orchard Peach will knock you out it is so good, and tonight and tomorrow I am trying out the lemon, and it will pucker your cheeks it is so tart. Probably should have gone with the Raspberry.

According to CNN, Harry Kalas has collapsed and died. Such a shame- I just loved his voice, and for people my age, he is the voice of the NFL. Just yesterday, as a matter of fact, I watched the Steelers 2008 Superbowl Championship and at the end thought about what a wonderful voice he had.

I forget what the point of this post was.

Monday Night Rambling Open ThreadPost + Comments (207)

Rick Moran has another pretty good take-down of Glenn Beck from the conservative point-of-view:

And this brings us back to the first part of the question that people were asking me; why bother? Beck is an entertainer. He speaks for the little guy. In the large scheme of things he doesn’t matter. Besides, he’s funny. He’s not serious about a lot of the things he says.

All of that may be true. But if you see someone running toward a gasoline dump with a lit match, what would you do? Say, “Ignore him, he doesn’t matter?” Or perhaps, “That’s pretty funny, someone trying to immolate himself.” Or maybe, “Man, this explosion and fireball is going to be so kewl!”

You can argue that I’m an idiot for believing this as many of you have and no doubt will continue to do so. But Beck and others like him, who constantly raise the specter of American doom, of Obama as commissar, the Democrats as Nazis, while imploring listeners to “take the country back” and start some kind of “revolution” are bat sh*t dangerous to the conservative movement.

It’s interesting because most of what he says is right, but also interesting because, as is typical of Moran and his ilk, all that matters is the conservative movement.

But, yes, I think that we are at the point where we should laud conservatives for reaching the conclusion that unabated batshit craziness is a bad thing, even if the only reason they believe it’s a bad thing is that it hurts the conservative movement.

Of course, Rick himself only knows a hack from a handsaw when the wind is southerly, so to speak, as this amply demonstrates:

Meanwhile, our intrepid Somali pirates know they have western liberals on their side as long as they can show that the reason they board ships, terrorize people, take crew members hostage, kill with impunity, and barter for ransom is because they are only acting in “self defense” against rancid capitalists and western governments who allow the practice of dumping and illegal fishing with a wink and a nod. This appeals to many on the left who will now see the problem as a question of “fairness” and will agitate that the president forgoe knocking the stuffing out of pirate infrastructure in favor of a “negotiated” solution. Piracy will continue, hostages will still be taken, governments and businesses will still be forced to pay ransom – but liberals will feel better about the whole thing.

What strikes me most about discussion of the pirates, though, is how thin the line is between the right-wing blog line on piracy and the Georgetown line.

Welcome to the nuthousePost + Comments (84)

That 60 Minutes piece on prosthetic limbs was pretty amazing. I can’t believe they are able to pick up a grape or hold a soda with those. Really incredible.

Watching the piece on guns now.

*** Update ***

Now a puff piece on gambling. Unlike the last couple of shows the past few months, they are talking about Vegas and not Wall Street or the mortgage industry.

BTW- The usual suspects should be quite rich tomorrow, since Angel Cabrera won the Masters and then proceeded to accept the Green Jacket while speaking something other than English.

Arms ControlPost + Comments (139)

Good morning and Happy Easter.

Looks like a beautiful day here in WV, so after the morning workout and CBS Sunday Morning, I might go get some prep work done on the garden. Here is a thread for you.

*** Update ***

Keeping up with the hard hitting news, it appears that the first dog has been selected.

It just occurred to me- they have their “in” now. I was wondering how the Malkins and the Red States were going to get their two minute hate on over a puppy, and now that Kennedy is giving it to the Obamas, they now have an excuse to hate… a puppy. Just watch.

Happy EasterPost + Comments (81)

Not sure what I am going to do with myself. I did a solid clean of the living room today and got rid of most of the evidence of Tunch, so I might just go relax in there for a while.

We were talking about podcasts earlier, and one that I really enjoyed recently was a This American Life episode about the extent to which some people will go to be remembered, and it started with the story of this clown who did what he could to get into as many yearbook pictures as possible. For some reason that really tickled me.

It really is amazing the quality of free av entertainment/information out there these days- I bet family vacations are a piece of cake with kids. I remember when as a kid we got a Chevy Caprice Classic wagon with a diesel engine and a 4 speaker stereo with a cassette deck, and it was just amazing in 1982 or 83 or whenever we got it. We could listen to talking books and the trips from WV to Maine or WV to the beach went by much faster.

Oh, well. I think I am settling in for some channel surfing and reading.

Question: All my cd’s have been imported into Itunes on the Apple and synced with the Ipod. However, I would also like to have those on the PC for backup. Is there any way to upload from the Ipod to the PC Itunes?

Saturday Night Open ThreadPost + Comments (118)