tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-130521702024-03-23T13:06:19.228-05:00Dodecahedron: Shape of the Universe<p align="left">Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one.</p>
<p align="right">-C.S. Lewis</p>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.comBlogger497125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-41843070281130999242008-11-10T19:38:00.002-06:002008-11-10T19:45:39.432-06:00Transfer of powerNot sure why everyone seems to be so impressed that we're having a smooth transfer of power. Are we supposed to be proud of the fact that their aren't armed factions dueling in the streets over this? What other third-world chaos should I be patting myself on the back for avoiding this week?<a href="" target="_blank"></a><br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-43793066597117713282008-04-23T00:54:00.002-05:002008-04-23T00:59:59.474-05:00Clinton vs. McCainI keep hearing how a significant portion of Hillary supporters would vote McCain if Obama got the nomination. <br /><br />Just 2 things to say about that: <br /><br />1, I don't really believe it - these are people in the heat of the campaign and they'll say anything. When the inevitable occurs and Hill ends up rallying behind Obama as the nominee, most of that animosity will disappear. <br /><br />2, anyone who's willing to trade a Hillary vote for a McCain vote is so stupid they probably shouldn't even be voting.<a href="" target="_blank"></a><br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-15035640593684391072008-04-12T11:45:00.002-05:002008-04-12T11:48:28.309-05:00Prison termsJust read an article about Giants' WR Lawrence Tynes' brother Mark. He's currently serving a 27 year prison term. His crime? Selling marijuana.<br /><br />Just the other week I read an article about some loser out on parole who killed his girlfriend and then subsequently offed himself. He had served less than 10 years in jail. His crime? Murder. <br /><br />People are so stupid.<a href="" target="_blank"></a><br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-24430066865925508172008-03-22T09:20:00.002-05:002008-03-22T09:26:54.541-05:00Even StevenOn 9/11/2001, al Qaida killed almost 3,000 of my fellow countrymen for absolutely no good reason. <br /><br />In response, and over the past 5 years, George Bush made sure that 4,000 <i>MORE</i> of my countrymen were killed for no good reason. That'll teach 'em!!!<br /><br /><a href="" target="_blank"></a><br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-32904916435519988302008-03-21T17:48:00.001-05:002008-03-21T17:50:53.817-05:00RedliningIsn't it illegal to make decisions about insurance coverage based <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-credit-crunch-lending,0,2004435.story" target="_blank">on geography</a>??<br /><blockquote><i>Mortgage insurers, whose backing is required for borrowers who can't afford the traditional 20 percent down payment on a home, have already <b>flagged nearly a quarter of the nation's ZIP codes</b> where they refuse to insure some home loans.</i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-23099058803538811542008-03-20T22:14:00.003-05:002008-03-20T22:16:53.791-05:00O'ReillyI find it hilarious when racists like Billy O'Reilly get angry about being called a racist.<a href="" target="_blank"></a><br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-13672110676374454812008-03-20T20:23:00.002-05:002008-03-20T20:34:49.084-05:00WeirdI just read an article that confused me. Kraft and Sara Lee are worried about <a href="http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=28596" target="_blank">shrinking profits</a> due to the rising cost of their inputs, namely beef and pork. This is, of course, exactly the opposite of what's happening with the oil-refining industry. The cost of oil has increased by a factor of six over the past several years, yet Exxon and the rest experience record profits. Someone please explain this to me.<br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-88504619379877908452008-03-16T19:04:00.001-05:002008-03-16T19:06:48.095-05:00Bear StearnsSo now that Bear Stearns is being purchased for pennies on the dollar, was that "little" cash injection the other day just a complete waste of cash?? Wouldn't surprise me. Go Republicans!!!<a href="" target="_blank"></a><br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-64043617328240959872008-03-12T22:13:00.003-05:002008-03-12T23:26:35.872-05:00Horatio's debate schoolTHEIR COMMENT: Obama is where he is because he is black<br /><br />YOUR RESPONSE: laughter (while pointing at them)<br /><br /><a href="" target="_blank"></a><br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-36984201911584657692008-03-12T22:09:00.002-05:002008-03-12T22:13:33.428-05:00LizHard to believe (no it isn't), but Elizabeth Hasselbeck really did intimate that it must have been because Mrs. Spitzer didn't let her husband get his freak on often enough that the ex-guv was <em>forced </em>to visit hookers.<br /><br />The really sad thing is that there are about 1,000,000 Elizabeth Hasselbeck clones running around the world. It's true. I've met them. And I kept count.<a href="" target="_blank"></a><br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-76008113200934614522008-03-12T22:04:00.003-05:002008-03-12T22:08:37.994-05:00Stupid Non-newsMust our sex-obsessed corporate press unearth EVERY last sordid detail of this stupid Spitzer story?<br /><br /><a href="" target="_blank"></a><br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-40674016956176927542008-03-10T19:15:00.002-05:002008-03-10T19:23:44.034-05:00Spousal supportWhy are the wives always trotted out to "stand by their man" whenever some random public official decides to come clean about cheating, or visiting prostitutes, or whatever lurid thing they're meant to have done? Why do they stand for it? How does it make them look anything but ridiculous to be seen on a stage while their husband details exactly how much of a scumbag he is? <br /><br />All I'm saying is if I'm Mrs. Spitzer, I tell my husband that if he expects me to be photographed at press conferences, and appear in front page photos and publicly go down with the ship, he's living in a dreamworld. <a href="" target="_blank"></a><br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-80580824542148148512008-03-08T22:01:00.002-06:002008-03-08T22:04:27.630-06:00WowWow. Foster won. That's kind of a big deal. Oberweis is a really horrible candidate (even for Republicans) but still, this district should have gone his way. If only the NRCC could've wasted even more money on this race.<a href="" target="_blank"></a><br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-66717728690677878202008-03-01T21:03:00.002-06:002008-03-01T21:08:59.492-06:00Kreskin-esque Prognostication AbilitiesWhat the hell. I'm sitting at my computer, might as well make it two in a row. I hope <a href="http://www.upyernoz.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Upyernoz</a> remembers (and possibly can produce) my comment from years ago predicting that Obama would be the next president.<br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-60862953840048316662008-03-01T20:53:00.002-06:002008-03-01T20:57:35.787-06:00Sorry<a href="" target="_blank"></a><br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote><br /><br />I've been MIA for awhile now. Well, I'm working a full time job, going to class in the evening for my MBA at Kellogg, and my wife is currently pregnant with twins, which will be our 2nd and 3rd children. So there's not a lot of time for frivolous things like writing on blogs no one reads. Maybe I'll try to connect this thing with Facebook or something and that will inspire me to write more often.Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-84167737381064228662007-01-23T20:12:00.000-06:002007-01-23T20:20:20.071-06:00Black Head CoachAfter the Bears victory in the NFC Championship game, reporters asked Lovie Smith about a hundred times how he felt to be the first black coach to lead a team into the Super Bowl. Of course he said he was proud to be the first and indeed his staff and his team and his fans, myself included, are proud of him. But really, isn't the fact that it's taken until 2007 for a black man to coach a Super Bowl team more a reason to be pissed off than anything else? No one can say so, because then they're labeled "angry" and "controversial" but it's taken a long long time for owners to wise up to the fact that blacks coach just as well as whites. Why, when faced with the tangible evidence of this, should we be all swelling with pride?<a href="" target="_blank"></a><br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-58465736853694974732007-01-14T15:53:00.000-06:002007-01-14T15:53:19.624-06:00Lessons in Cause and Effect<a href="http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article2149762.ece" target="_blank">Blaming the media</a> for the overwhelming world-wide anti-war mood is sort of like blaming the pile of vomit for the fact that someone feels sick.<br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-13090489642793393782007-01-14T15:52:00.001-06:002007-01-14T15:52:43.039-06:00Go Bears!Hell yeah!!!<a href="" target="_blank"></a><br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-42180924159197491292007-01-13T08:39:00.000-06:002007-01-13T08:41:28.162-06:00Believe itSometimes, after a particularly pointed rant about the US government, I find myself having to defend my love for this our wonderful country. My explanation is always the same: we only bitch about what we love. I like to bash the Catholic Church, too, on everything from their outlook on gays to their curious devotion to all things European, but only because I love the tradition I was raised in and want desperately to see it become the force of good I know it can be. As a Cub fan, I don't care about how the LA Dodgers spend their money. Sure I may laugh hysterically for hours on end that they paid Juan Pierre $45 million over 5 years, but do I care? Not at all. I will, however, find time to complain about almost every misappropriated dollar that the Cubs spend. Same thing with the USA. Our country is more than a plot of land circumscribed by borders. The USA is an idea, an ideal. It's a notion of something better, a committment to freedom, and the proof that such places can exist. This is the role of the USA, not just for its own citizens, but for all people of the world. We are the place that they dream about in their jail cells, when the ethnic cleansing begins, when the police can no longer be trusted. We are the hope that keeps them going. At the very least, we have the ability be all these things. I know that this country can be all these things. No one can convince me otherwise. And to see its legacy betrayed by shortsighted and stupid men infuriates me beyond all report. So that's why I add my voice to the chorus of disapproval. Because I love this country more deeply than any war-cheerleader could possibly imagine.<a href="" target="_blank"></a><br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-25655449818929157852007-01-13T08:35:00.000-06:002007-01-13T08:35:54.355-06:00RussiaWhen the history of our present times is written, I believe that there's a fair chance that, not the struggle against Islamist terror, but Russia's re-emergence as a <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=424434&in_page_id=1811" target="_blank">pariah state</a> will be the central narrative. Bush's stunning incompetence in continuing to silently countenance Putin's power grab may very well overshadow an unstable Middle East. I really believe that for all its bluster, the Islamist threat is primary a regional issue. Iran might talk a big game, but it is Russia who is, in fact, right now projecting and expanding its power. Who knows what this chapter will bring, but a thuggish Russia redrawing the Iron Curtain seems a lot more likely than it did 6 years ago.<br /><blockquote><i>Fears that Russia is using energy supplies as a political weapon increased last night after Moscow forced Georgia to accept a doubling of gas prices. <br /><br />The deal came within hours of a threat by Gazprom, Russia's statecontrolled energy giant, to cut off supplies to the former Soviet republic from January 1. <br /><br />...<br /><br />While Gazprom insists its motives are commercial, critics say it often acts as a political instrument for Russian president Vladimir Putin. </i></blockquote><br />This is not good. I'd hate to see an emboldened Russia using the various Middle Eastern interests as attack dogs. I could be way off, but to me the big story here is how easily any campaign against terrorism could morph into a Cold War redux.<br /><br />All the more reason to research alternate energy sources. Spend the money, research the technology, and distribute it to vulnerable countries. The main goal should be to put these guys out of business and cripple their ability to strong-arm their former vassals.<br /><br />Sorry for the three week old link, but that's when I can get around to these things. Deal with it. All five of you.Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-3039924562375113782007-01-13T08:24:00.000-06:002007-01-13T08:28:52.316-06:00Boxer vs. RiceSen. Barbara Boxer should apologize to Condi Rice. The apology should be short, sincere, unconditional, thankfully free of the phrase "if you were offended by," and arriving sometime within the next 24 hours.<a href="" target="_blank"></a><br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-76022973847087238262007-01-12T20:33:00.000-06:002007-01-12T20:47:58.197-06:00SteroidsQuestion: Why does a clear Hall of Famer like Mark McGuire, who was never once in his career caught using banned substances, have to endure the mud-dragging of his name by a bunch of sneering hacks, while Shawne Merriman of the San Diego Chargers, who was busted for using steroids THIS SEASON, gets to pout and complain to sympathetic writers that his 4-game suspension this year FOR USING STEROIDS cost him the Defensive Player of the Year award?<br /><br />And it's baseball that has the "serious problem" with steroids? How does this make any sense???Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-10574642022855536192007-01-12T20:09:00.000-06:002007-01-12T20:33:29.790-06:00CNN isn't newsI realize that Atrios and others often become frustrated that the people on the TEE-VEE <a href="http://atrios.blogspot.com/2007_01_07_atrios_archive.html#116864632334782684" target="_blank">don't know what they're talking about</a>. And I further realize why Atrios would say something like this about CNN's employment policies:<br /><blockquote><i>Please hire people who know that people from Puerto Rico are citizens of the United States of America if you wish to be an actual news show instead of a hideous joke.</i></blockquote>You figure there's a lot of people out there who have half a brain and aren't ignorant bigoted assholes like Glenn Beck, why not give one of those people a job and have a intelligent discussion for once? There's a problem here, though. This sentiment only makes sense if you assume that, its own name notwithstanding, CNN <em>actually wishes to be an actual news network</em>. The thing is, they don't. And what's more, they never will. They are entertainment network and nothing more. They exist to sell broadcast time to advertisers. As a publicly held corporation, they have no social responsibility save generating returns to their investors. The idea that a CNN program director would be disappointed with the paltry amount of news content in a talking head show is, frankly, laughable.<br /><br />The answer, of course, is to never again watch CNN or Fox or MSNBC or any other TEE-VEE news show for the rest of your life.Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-63014784124017174232007-01-11T11:35:00.000-06:002007-01-12T00:04:28.234-06:00InsaneI'm getting really depressed about the state of our world. I can't believe it, but it looks like Bush and Cheney really do want to attack Iran and Syria. I just don't know what to say anymore.<a href="" target="_blank"></a><br /><blockquote><i><br /></i></blockquote>Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13052170.post-57390651689002840762007-01-05T15:04:00.000-06:002007-01-05T15:04:29.259-06:00I saw her standing there...I was reading Harry Reid's and Nancy Pelosi's <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/1/5/13349/34041" target="_blank">open letter</a> to George W. Bush, quite pleased about the content and cheered that the Democratic leadership seems to understand that to continue the war in Iraq is the wish of only the right-wing fringe.<br /><br />Until I got to the last sentence...<blockquote><i>We appreciate you taking these views into consideration.</i></blockquote>Umm, Nancy, Harry? The subject of a gerund takes the possessive case. That should be "We appreciate <b>your</b> taking these views..." Geez.Horatiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03149189923124941205noreply@blogger.com1