Month: February 2010

Karaoke: the not-silent killer.

(Via Althouse & Instapundit) Apparently, you don’t sing “My Way” in a Philippine karaoke bar.

You just don’t.

The authorities do not know exactly how many people have been killed warbling “My Way” in karaoke bars over the years in the Philippines, or how many fatal fights it has fueled. But the news media have recorded at least half a dozen victims in the past decade and includes them in a subcategory of crime dubbed the “My Way Killings.”

Especially the karaoke bars that are also brothels. Although they have gay men in those to defuse tensions over the brothel workers and the karaoke machines. Apparently, in the Philippines gay men don’t do karaoke (fairly obviously, they also don’t patronize female brothel workers). I shouldn’t raise an eyebrow at any of this: American customs look just as weird to the outside world, sometimes.

Still.

Ol’ Blue Eyes?

I am currently clearing 3 feet of globalwarming…

…off of the car.  Well, not currently; but it is not going swiftly, mostly because there is no good place to put all the loose globalwarming to the side that isn’t already being occupied by another car.  This would be an excellent time for me to acquire superpowers centered around either water or fire; unfortunately, there are no radioactive ice weasels handy and I don’t know where to find the Hidden Portal of Flame.

In other words: erratic posting today.

The speech was a Rorshach test, Smitty. #rsrh

At least, it was for Kleinheider, coupled with a big heaping of sour grapes about how nobody wants to come out and march for left-populism the way that they want to march for right- and libertarian-populism (not quite the same thing).  For that matter, the sexual connotations in Kleinheider’s first paragraph* would provide interesting fodder for a remote psychological viewing, if I inclined that way.  On the other hand, I haven’t actually seen THAT WOMAN’s speech, so I probably shouldn’t even be opining on the subject.  On the gripping hand: it’s Sunday, and since when do people not opine on subjects just because of… any reason, really?

See Instapundit for a round-up of more reactions.

Moe Lane

*The erotic and sexual aspects associated with vampirism in modern Western society are of course well known; I suggest this post for a perusal of some of the literature.  And this one for a more pragmatic take.

Jacob Weisberg, Democrat. Dem-o-crat. #rsrh

D-E-M-O-C-R-A-T:

In trying to explain why our political paralysis seems to have gotten so much worse over the past year, analysts have rounded up a plausible collection of reasons including: President Obama’s tactical missteps, the obstinacy of congressional Republicans, rising partisanship in Washington, the blustering idiocracy of the cable-news stations, and the Senate filibuster, which has devolved into a super-majority threshold for any important legislation. These are all large factors, to be sure, but that list neglects what may be the biggest culprit in our current predicament: the childishness, ignorance, and growing incoherence of the public at large.

What? No. Jacob Weisberg doesn’t want to move. He just wants all of you to move. And approximately 90% of the population of the United States, apparently.

Moe Lane

PS: If you’re scratching your head about what was so bad about this article, do me a favor?  Tell everybody about it, and mention your political affiliation in the process.  Can you do that? You can?  Great!  Thanks a bunch.

PPS: H/T Hot Air Headlines, by the way.  Sorry: the firstborn suddenly decided to engage in antics.

Quote of the Day, Kit Bond edition.

How do we feel about calling Gibbs ‘The Mouth of Obama’ from now on? Does it give him too much style? – because he’s a bit of a nebbish, honestly.

To properly appreciate this one, imagine that Senator Kit Bond (R, MO) said this in a tone that is normally associated with the comparison of the relative volume of a particular individual to the upper range of the speaker’s more memorable individual bowel movements, to the detriment of the former:

“I don’t debate Press Secretaries.”

Story here and here: bs at RedState otherwise covered it nicely here.  Mind you, Gibbs wouldn’t be such an arrogant so-and-so if the White House press pool was doing its job properly.  In this, in fact, we see the comedy of the Obama administration in miniature: they’re so accustomed to not being challenged that they don’t quite know how to handle it when they are.

And no: they’re not handling it well.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

Four days left on Adam Kinzinger (IL-11) drive.

(Reminded by AoSHQ) I could come up with a convoluted reason to repost this widget for the Adam Kinzinger campaign, but I shan’t:

It’s just that it’d be great if the campaign had to reset the total amount that they were going for with days to spare. This district should be ours, and incumbent Debbie Halvorson doesn’t put her constituents first; so if you’re mildly cursing because the snow is stopping you from ordering that pizza that you wanted, well…

Moe Lane

PS: As you know, I don’t have discretionary income, really. But I gave Adam something. Because it’s important.

Crossposted to RedState.

Back down to 44% in Rasmussen. #rsrh

Unsurprising.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Saturday shows that 26% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-one percent (41%) Strongly Disapprove which Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -15. That matches the President’s ratings just before the State-of-the-Union Address. While Obama received a modest bounce in his ratings following the speech, today’s results suggest that the bounce is over (see trends).

If you’re having trouble visualizing what that signifies, let me show you:

44

Although in my case this bleak picture is being countered by the smell of warm, dark, rich cocoa. The cocoa sustains me. It allows me to continue on until the snow ends and the snow shovels may begin their clattering play. The cocoa is my shield and support.

The Obama administration has no cocoa.

Moe Lane

Hey, the feds are taking the Stolen Valor Act seriously! #rsrh

Fancy that. See AoSHQ & CDR Salamander for details: the short version is this Michael Patrick McManus guy went to Democrat Houston mayor Annise Parker’s victory party with more decorations than Patton’s, and now he’s been arrested on a federal misdemeanor charge.

Yes, I know. The poor fellow.

I love local news sometimes.

Moe Lane

PS: This is the Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes (Black). Lightweight, hooks up directly to a computer, point-and-film using the Big Red Button.

Just saying, that’s all.