Joe Smith started the day early having set his alarm clock (MADE IN JAPAN) for 6 a.m. While his coffee pot (MADE IN CHINA) was perking, he shaved with his electric razor (MADE IN HONG KONG). He put on a dress shirt (MADE IN SRI LANKA), designer jeans (MADE IN SINGAPORE) and tennis shoes (MADE IN KOREA).

After cooking his breakfast in his new electric skillet (MADE IN INDIA) he sat down with his calculator (MADE IN MEXICO) to see how much he could spend today. After setting his watch (MADE IN TAIWAN) to the radio (MADE IN INDIA) he got in his car (MADE IN GERMANY) filled it with gas from (Saudi Arabia) and continued his search for a good paying (AMERICAN) job.

At the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day checking his Computer (MADE IN MALAYSIA), Joe decided to relax for a while. He put on his sandals (MADE IN BRAZIL) poured himself a glass of wine (MADE IN FRANCE) and turned on his TV (MADE IN INDONESIA). He then wondered he can’t find a good paying job in America.

[ Forwarded via Email ]

I don’t like McCain. I don’t like him at all. I don’t just dislike his policies; I dislike him. I think he’s dishonest. His behavior towards Romney in tonight’s debate was repugnant.

It was cheap shot after cheap shot — all with very little substance. The guy says Reagan wouldn’t have supported a flip-flopper? Well what does it mean when you say on national TV that you wouldn’t vote for your own bill?

The guy claims to want to build a fence now but wanted to sell out all the people who waited in line for years to get into this country for $3,000. His reason for the change? Becasue the people want it now.

Wait, I thought it was supposed to be based on your core values and not polls? He’s a war-mongering career politician who will do more harm than anyone running, with the exception of Guliani who just became a supporter of his.

So I hope Romney gets the nomination, but McCain will probably win. Either way I hope Obama takes the dem side and beats the winner.

I was hoping very much for Paul, but the cards aren’t just stacked against him on this one — he’s not even being dealt in.

So I’m either writing Paul in or going for Obama, and that one I’m still debating.

First off, Ron Paul pwned everyone; that much is clear. But it was sad. I actually started getting these disturbing images of someone watching Paul’s comments after the fall of America.

I had this really depressing image in my head of a Red Dawn post-war situation where a bunch of Mad Max type soldiers find a copy of the debate we just watched, and they all sit transfixed as they see Paul describe the one thing that could have saved the country — a sound financial and non-interventionist foreign policy — and then get completely ignored.

It’s sickening, really. I’m watching the post-debate coverage now and nobody is even talking about Paul’s comments. It was also very clear that the other candidates had instructions not to engage Paul. The way that works is if you engage him you make him real. If you just pretend you didn’t hear him people will forget it ever happened.

Here’s what I know. If McCain or Romney get elected they’re taking us toward another world War — a bad one. They’ll continue to grow hatred of the U.S. in the Middle East by not leaving Iraq, and they’ll get conned into a Gulf of Tonkin incident that results in Israel starting a conflict with Iran.

1. We help Israel.
2. Much of the Mid East helps Iran.
3. We have very few allies.
4. Russia gets directly or indirectly involved against us.
5. China laughs its ass off and waits for everyone else to weaken.

gg

The world is going to shit and watching the debates and reading Reddit is just depressing me. I should just play WoW and pretend everything is o.k. like the rest of the mouthbreathers.:

Ron Paul just took 3% in Florida, and most states have been going similarly. I’m thinking what everyone else is thinking, but now I’m thinking it out loud.

When do we call gg and switch our energies to keeping Romney or McCain out of office? In other words, when do we give up and start supporting Obama?

Perhaps there are those among you that don’t like Obama, but here’s something to consider: you should vote for him for the same reason you’ll vote for Paul even though he doesn’t believe in evolution. He’s an honest man with common sense.

It’s sad, but that’s pretty much where the bar is at this point. McCain is all about the war in Iraq and wherever else he deems necessary. He mentioned future wars (plural). He’s seriously not much of an improvement over Bush — if any. Romney may be better, but who knows.

Anyway, consider this: Obama / Edwards. Graded on a curve that would be pretty stout. Then if we could just get Paul in as some sort of economic advisor we’ll have a decent shot of not dissolving as a union in the next 10 years.

So when is the right time to say that Paul has no realistic chance and start backing Obama instead? One one extreme we have the danger of abandoning the cause too early, and on the other we have the danger of hurting Obama’s chances by waiting too long.

Thoughts?

Because 12 would just be too much.

And yes, this is a real sign in the complex where I live — no Photoshop or other trickery involved.

Something to refer people to who think Microsoft is innovating on the desktop.

[ A Gentoo Linux Compiz Demo ]

I realized a few days ago just how underhanded the gym membership business is. They prey on those who lack self-discipline and then craft legal terms that are designed to milk them for as much as possible. Observe.

1. The contract is for a pre-determined amount of time. It cannot be cancelled, and it’s auto-renewing. If you move away to Madagascar or Saskatchewan for 40 years, that money will just keep coming out.
2. If you do ever get around to canceling after your contract is up, don’t try and do so over the phone. No, you have to come in to the gym to cancel.
3. Fine, so you drive in and tell them you want to cancel. Fill out this form. Huh? Can’t I just tell you I want to cancel? No. Fill out this cancellation form.
4. Whatever, so you fill out and hand them the form. Oh, we don’t take these. You have to mail them out of state or fax them to this number. What? I’m at the gym I signed up at! Nope, you have to mail it in or fax it. Oh, and no — you can’t use our fax machine.

So there you have it. They’re essentially building in a set of annoying, time-consuming tasks into the cancellation process that they’re relatively certain will cause problems for most people who join gyms.

Basically, if you’re too lazy to work out on your own then you’re probably also too lazy to 1) remember to cancel, 2) get off your ass to drive to the gym, 3) fill out the form, 4) remember to mail or fax the form. And if you fail in any of those steps the money comes out until you die.

Yeah, nice little scam they have going. But they won’t get me with their little game… I just faxed my form in and I’m done with that crap.:

A server.

Photo by Kevin Carter

…oh, and like 40,000 Africans. Which story makes front page news, and which is a side note? And why do I do nothing about this other than blog about it?

Sickening, all around.

–
Edit: And yes, I do know it’s tragic for anyone to die, including Heath Ledger; the point is that the media has a responsibility to focus attention on the stories that matter. But the fact that we’re worried about Mr. Ledger’s demise while tens of thousands of people are dying the Middle East and Africa is proof that they’re failing in that responsibility.

It’s not like it’s a positive story meant to be uplifting — it’s the same kind of story, only it’s about one person instead of many thousands.