Open Threads

Congrats, Mr. Affleck:

If his movie career fizzles, Ben Affleck may have a fallback that pays pretty well.

He’s won more than 356-thousand dollars playing poker in California.

The actor outlasted a field of 90 players at the three-day tournament in Commerce that ended Sunday. Fellow actor Tobey Maguire went out on the first day.

Affleck’s win also earns him a 25-thousand dollar seat at the World Poker Tour Championship next April in Las Vegas.

If poker is your thing, make sureyou hit the Fat Guy’s and check out his long list of Poker Bloggers.

Ante UpPost + Comments (1)

When I say the lies and distortions from the NY times and her cronies are less than helpful, I am not exaggerating. Now the Chicoms are seizing on the election year politicking of the Times and the Democrats:

The United States should face the truth instead of playing around with the reality over the issue ofIraqi war, said China’s English-language newspaper China Daily in a signed article Friday.

“The United States would do itself and the world a huge favor by establishing a closer relationship with reality rather than wrestling with its own version of the truth, as the international credibility of American military intelligence is simply of zero value,” said the article.

“The truth is the United States used the threat of Iraqi WMD (weapons of mass destruction) and a connection to al-Qaida as justification for launching the war against the regime of Saddam Hussein,” it stressed.

According to a report Wednesday by a US commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, no credible evidence has been found that former Iraqi President Saddam Husseinaided al-Qaida attempts to target the United States.

“We have no credible evidence that Iraq and al-Qaida cooperatedon attacks against the United States,” said the report, issued by the bipartisan commission after two days of public hearings into the Sept. 11 attacks.

Meanwhile, the Bush administration so far still could not collect enough evidence that Saddam Hussein would give whatever WMD he possessed to terrorists, although it treated as a proven fact, said the article.

As the US government did not get support from the report for waging war in Iraq, “it is likely the Bush team will face more backlash both at home and abroad,” the article added.

Thanks.

Thanks, Grey LadyPost + Comments (7)

You didn’t have to spend all those summers working the second job at Oglebay, but you had a family to raise.

You didn’t have to spend all those years painting and wallpapering on the side, but you wanted to make sure your kids got to go to the beach every year.

You didn’t have to spend all those years driving second-hand cars, but you wanted your kids to have new clothes for school.

You didn’t have spend all those summers getting up at 5 am to go work in the garden, but it helped to feed the family and allowed you to help pay for four sets of braces and four sets of glasses.

You didn’t have to always defend me, but you did- even when I was probably definitely wrong.

You didn’t have to be mayor for 20 years, but who else was going to take care of your family’s town?

You didn’t have to put up with me when I was a bastard as a teen, but you did- and you even blamed yourself for my behavior.

You didn’t have to stand up to all the bullies at work who were doing the wrong things and picking on those who couldn’t defend themselves- but who else in your Department could and would take the heat?

You didn’t have to travel to my Basic Training, but you were so excited to see me finally listen to an authority figure that you did.

In short, you didn’t have to do any of those things, but you did.

Thanks, and Happy Fathers Day.

Happy Father’s DayPost + Comments (3)

After reading this Matthew Yglesias post, I am beginning to understand how David Dinkins got elected.

BTW- From what movie did this post derive its name?

Home, Crap HomePost + Comments (14)

Go over to the right and click on the new ad for SnarkBait. They aren’t trying to sell you anything, they don’t want you to do anything- except read.

Pretty site, btw.

Snark BaitPost + Comments (1)

Am I the only one who has been getting stream of consciousness spam lately? This latest one had the subject of ‘diagnose jerky,’ and the text stated:

“Unlike so many brides who have made their molten sandwich to us.When ball bearing near food stamp laughs out loud, coward about mortician daydreams.”

I have been getting a lot like this.

Weird SpamPost + Comments (7)

This rather embarassing to admit, but however fascinating an invisibility cloak might be, the only activities I can imagine myself engaging in with one range from the indecent to the illegal.

Invisibility CloakPost + Comments (3)