The Last Ephor

We all remember Hillary Clinton's miraculous skill at trading cattle futures. At the time her critics wryly noted that she should be giving investment advice rather than being First Lady. I believe it was a means of giving $99,000 to her and Bill without disclosing the source and circumventing any pesky laws about who can give what to elected officials. Now, Bill Clinton has made a fortune by selling worthless stock to someone who wanted them so badly that they'd willingly pay $700,000 for them . These same shares that Gary Kasparov couldn't unload for a dollar a share at the same time. History, it seems, does repeat itself however it seems that cycle is shortening. The Clinton's have always sent the message that they are our betters. They are not bound by laws because they are of a higher order of being and the righteousness of their cause demands that they sometimes skirt the rules. After all, this is For The Children(TM). Lying under oath doesn't matter ...

I'm an avid fan of LOST but seldom write about it because nobody's interested around here (nobody's interested in any of your posts yet you still write them. -Ed). Anyway.... I think Desmond is the key to the show. He's the alpha and the omega. I don't mean that in a biblical fashion but rather that the saga of the island really starts and ends with him. He's not the first on the island but the mysteries largely revolve around him. Notice that his story parallels Odysseus. His love is also named Penelope and he was lost at sea and has been fighting to return to her for years. He has become "unstuck in time" just like Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse Five. He is living his life out of sequence and it's driving him mad. The Constant he has chosen is Penny. Notice that Mr. Widmore was bidding on a book owned by one of Torvald Hanso who we can only assume is related to Alvar. The contents of the book are unknown but are obviously very importan...

Delaware Curmudgeon is hosting Around The Horn Friday this week . Go read it now. And yes, I feel like a dork for having a post about my broken dishwasher on the list.

It has become something of an article of faith among the anti-war crowd that any action by the US in Iraq creates scores of terrorists. Our bungling ineptitude enrages the Arab/Muslim street and our enemies multiply endlessly. Or not. That noted neocon organ The New York Times has an article: “I hate Islam and all the clerics because they limit our freedom every day and their instruction became heavy over us,” said Sara, a high school student in Basra. “Most of the girls in my high school hate that Islamic people control the authority because they don’t deserve to be rulers .” Atheer, a 19-year-old from a poor, heavily Shiite neighborhood in southern Baghdad, said: “ The religion men are liars. Young people don’t believe them. Guys my age are not interested in religion anymore.” .... “I used to love Osama bin Laden...Al Qaeda and the Mahdi Army are spreading hatred. People are being killed for nothing.” So we're winning by not being the iron clamp of oppression and death i...

Small bomb goes off at a military recruiting station in NYC. Which is more likely: 1. Someone with animus towards the military is responsible 2. Someone who wants to strike fear into the American psyche to promote the war on terror is responsible. If you chose #2 you are completely batshit crazy . Seriously how fanatically partisan do you have to be to come up with this one? This is 9/11 Truther territory. One thing that partisans refuse to believe is that there are people on their side who are as bad (if not worse) than their opponents. I supported Ron Paul's run for president but also knew that there were some very lunatic fringe people with me on that. From the aforementioned Truthers to anarchists and what have you. Having people on your side who are bad people or do bad things doesn't undermine your argument. It is impossible to take any side on anything that doesn't have support from someone you don't want. Just for once, use little things like logic an...

So the dishwasher saga continues. Repairman #2, who does not look like a Bears Superfan arrives. I give him the part and he sets to work in grim silence. Upon dismantling the door to the thing he pulls out the fried circuit board with a grim expression. He gives a harumphing noise that doesn't really sound like that but that's as close as I can get onomonpedically (I made a new word, take that Freeberg!) Him: "That's melted pretty bad." Me: "...." Him: "The door handle is melted too." Me: "um..what?" Him: "The closing mechanism for the handle is right behind the circuit board so you couldn't see it and I guess the first guy didn't take it out so he wouldn't have seen it either." Me: "And how much is that going to cost me?" Him: "The part is nine dollars and twenty seven fifty for labor" Me: "So, because the first guy didn't diagnose the whole problem I'm going to get hit w...