Pancake City

Bloxors.

With special guest, future cool game:

It’s the best explanation I’ve seen. Stick figures: is there anything they can’t do?

NASA takes aim at moon with double sledgehammer
Is it just me, or has NASA completely forgotten its original mission?

Mint Rejects D.C. Protest Slogan
Quarter will not bear the words “Taxation Without Representation Is Bullshit”.

Panel Recommends Flu Shot for All Kids
Panel’s sponsors: the Let’s Make Kids Cry society

When Borrowers Fight Back
“Hey, can I borrow a club? I need to go beat someone up.”

Shark Attacks on the Rise Around the World
I don’t want to be a Summer of the Shark snob or anything, but methinks it’s still a tad early for beach-related scare stories. I tell you what I could go for: intercontinental super-flu.

Poll: Is a Particularly Nasty Cold Going Around?
Ehhh. Close enough.

Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 2008 Election Early

Well, my resistance to blogging about it lasted all of one minute.

9:01 — I wish MSNBC could understand that a Presidential debate shouldn’t be run like an episode of Meet the Press. They always start off the debate with insider politics, horse race questions. Which is fine…for Meet the Press.

9:03 The video is jerky and almost unwatchable. Not sure I’m disappointed.

9:05  I might as well drop the “mini” from the post title. Who am I kidding? I’m going to blog the whole debate like a big nerd.

9:07 Yikes! Already nasty.

9:10 Seriously, MSNBC. You want to add another 8088 to your server rack so the video doesn’t break up every 5 seconds? You can hold ctrl-alt-dash to put it in turbo mode (4.77 Mhz -> 10 Mhz. I had one growing up, 20 years ago. Fond memories.)

9:14 Part of me likes the mudslinging. I admit it. It’s like how I dislike the idea of boxing, but can’t help watching Ultimate Fighting for a few minutes when it’s on TV.

9:15  Lots of snark, head shaking, and interrupting so far. Clinton is using some misleading but clever arguments (if I weren’t biased towards Obama, maybe they wouldn’t seem misleading.) Obama is holding his own so far.

9:16 MSNBC, don’t act like you are taken aback at how the debate is turning out. This is exactly what they wanted, and why they structured the debate this way (no time limits, a “free for all” to paraphrase them)

9:19 Clinton complains about getting asked questions first all the time, then references a Saturday Night Live skit to back her point up. Seriously. (Hey, it’s cool, Hillary. You gotta work the refs.)

9:21-9:30 The Internet both takes away and giveth. MSNBC streaming is down, but the local Ohio TV station has its own (working) feed.

9:34 I’m guessing what I missed in those 9 minutes was Brian Williams and Tim Russert stabbing Obama and Clinton with cattle prods if they tried to stop attacking each other.

9:38 Clinton’s attack against Obama: he voted the same way on Iraq as I did when he was in the Senate. Okay…. Then she misrepresented his position on Pakistan. I’m pretty sure that one will be on the WaPo fact-checker site. (Update: Yup.)

9:41 They both brought out their A game for this potentially last debate. I’m glad I’m watching it now.

9:42 Russert almost asked a good question on Iraq. Almost. Then it took a turn into inanity.

9:43 This “Iraq is costing us money” argument is going to be get a lot of play in the general election. Guns or butter, bitches!

9:46 Clinton makes a decent attack on Obama not holding a hearing while chairing the subcommittee of something-or-other. Obama: I started chairing the committee in the beginning of 2007. It’s probably a good attack in that there is some truth to it, but it’s so Washingtonian that I think it will elicit a “So what?” response.

9:48 - 9:52 Today’s color bars brought to you by: WKYC-TV #2. When you want color bars, WKYC-TV #2 is your place to be.

9:53 Considering how ferociously Obama and Clinton are attacking each other, the audience has been fairly quiet. Which I like. Adds a little dignity.

9:54 That was a really nice opening response of Obama to the clip of Clinton poking fun at him. He laughed and gave her a compliment on her delivery. Hillary cackled. Guess who’s side I’m on?

10:01 I’m starting to believe that Obama can be a very good debater. Except for his response on Clinton’s subcommittee attack, he has been doing very well.

10:03 Russert is somewhat mendacious and overly aggressive in his framing of McCain’s claim that Obama is ducking out of his public financing agreement, but at the heart it’s a good question and I’m glad it was asked. Obama gave a so-so response.

10:06 Russert asks a question to Clinton I’m also curious about: “Why haven’t you released your tax return yet?” I thought her response was weak, but again <—- me biased.

10:08 “Do you support Louis Farrakhan?”  It’s like an extended version of Meet the Press.

10:09 RUSSERT: See, Hillary? I can ask obnoxious questions to other politicians too!

10:13 CLINTON: Obama hates Jews. She’s dancing on a real fine line here.

10:14 I love Obama. Clinton made what I thought was a sleazy hint that Obama really wouldn’t mind Farrakhan’s support (and secretly doesn’t like the Jewish people as much as she did). He responded with a humorous line that addressed the issue as well. I really think she shot herself in the foot with that one. It would have been much better if he had just flat-out rejected Farrakhan though. The way he worded his response was nowhere near as strong as it could have been.

10:20 Williams: Obama, why you so liberal? He gave a good response on the National Journal rating system, although frankly, the “Most Liberal Voting Record” rating is going to be dragged out again and again, whatever its basis.

10:22: RUSSERT: “Russia! Betcha didn’t see that one coming! You, Clinton: what’s the new Russian President’s middle name? Answer now!”

10:26 Decent final question: are there any votes or things you said that you wish you could take back? Hillary-hating media asked her first, of course. Obama brings up Terry Schiavo. Gave a surprising but (at least to me) a frank response. Ended complimenting Hillary too.

10:30 WILLIAMS: “Just kidding, false ending! One more attack, please!” OBAMA: “No.” CLINTON: “No.” (I wondered what they would have said if Clinton was asked first, and Obama second. I say that because Obama was a little more charitable in his response.)

POST-SCRIPT: I really, really, hate Tim Russert. I think his antagonistic, bombastic style is totally inappropriate for a Presidential debate. I hope this is the last we see of him. Tonight was “mean Clinton.” I like nice Clinton better, when she promotes herself rather than tear Obama down, but that’s just my preference. That was a downer of a debate, as any attack-focused debate is. I’m glad voting isn’t held tonight, or not as many people would show up.

The 20th and perhaps final Democratic party debate starts at 9:00, MSNBC. I’m a huge political junkie. I’ve watched probably 15 of these debates. Listened to the radio-only NPR debate a few months ago. I can’t muster much enthusiasm for this one though.

Part of the reason is that I don’t see this debate making an iota of a difference in the race, barring a major gaffe from Obama or the hand of God breaking through the roof of the auditorium and pointing to a celestially-illuminated Hillary Clinton: “I CHOOSE YOU.” And even them, some of Obama’s supporters would have a hard decision to make.

General election thoughts, assuming it’s Obama vs. McCain: this is the first Presidential election in my short memory where both of the candidates in the race have a truly compelling life story. There is potential for great nastiness, but there is also potential for a repeat of what many Democratic voters faced this season: a difficult choice between two appealing, well-qualified candidates. Perhaps my opinion will change a few months down the road, but there are some things I like and admire about John McCain, and that’s more than I can say about the past Republican picks for President in my voting lifetime.

I have no idea how the general election campaign will turn out (eight months seems like an eternity for a campaign), but I suspect it will be much closer than the Obama vs. McCain polls suggest at the moment (some of which give Obama a significant lead). What is interesting is that while Obama hasn’t been hit with months of negative attacks in his political career, neither has McCain to my knowledge.  I find the idea of being “vetted” ridiculous, as Clinton claims, because Presidential campaigns are a different beast entirely. They bring a level of national scrutiny that just doesn’t occur anywhere else. You are never vetted until you win the nomination and have to run as your party’s nominee.

Furthermore, people have short memories. I think that’s the function of the Internet age, but that’s for another time. Those scandals that happened 10 years ago that you thought were behind you? They are new to 18-30 year olds, along with everyone else with a fuzzy memory.

Sometimes there is a feeling that if it happened in the past, it’s not worthy to report on again, but I think a growing realization in the media that it is part of their job to reshine the media spotlight on important events in the past, so people who were too young to remember them at the time, or just plain forgot the details, can be able to make a more informed decision. Couple this with the fact that reporters will have to fill up to eight months with Obama and McCain stories, and the idea of Clinton or McCain already being vetted becomes a little silly. We’re going to know the candidates’ wastelines for their boxers by the time all this is done.

One last thing: Science Debate 2008!

Can anyone seriously argue that the TSA hasn’t become completely corrupted with power?

FOX News Porn.  So that’s why so many people watch FOX News.

Anti-NSFW: Garfield Minus Garfield (thanks, Kate) . This is the only way to enjoy Garfield.

I’m drinking a cup of tea while eating a big bowl of Doritos. It’s creating a poop/anti-poop containment system in my bowels. The last leg of my digestive tract is having an existential crisis of a scatological variety. Previous meals try to tip the scales. The ham omlette I had earlier dances around in its new, reduced form. “To poop or not to poop” says Hamlet. “That is the question.” This is a story with no interesting end.

(The referenced video)

It’s “Kids“, a catchy, high-energy song by MGMT. Just curious, does anyone like the “Song of the Week” feature?

Did the computer graphic artists go on strike at the same time as the writers? The CG intro was horrible, I think it was rendered on a Playstation 2.

“Print is dead.”

– Dr. Egon Spengler, Ghost Busters, 1984.

8:07: I admire Clinton’s ability for tailoring her opening statement to the audience, but I think she took it a little too far when she commemorated former Cowboys coach Tom Landry.

8:09 Four minutes in and still mud-free!

8:10. Obama’s opening statement. He’s using a lot of the same phrases he used in past speeches. No one’s accusing him of plagiarism this time!

8:11 I call this opening remark pander-off a tie. A good pandering to the both of you.

8:12. Obama: “What we are lacking now isn’t good ideas.” He introduced this line a week ago, I guess it’s a swipe against Clinton’s wonkiness, but I actually don’t agree with him. Political strategy is critical to implementing legislation, but what you are trying to implement is important as well. This line is anti-idealistic, and it’s strange coming from a campaign partially based in idealism.

8:14: First question is from the soccer game announcer at Univision. “Senator Clinton, what are your GOAAAAAAAALS for America?” Actually, it’s a good opening question: “Would you be willing to meet with Raul Castro or whoever leads the Cuban dictatorship?”

8:15 Clinton’s response: not until Cuba changes first. This is the same argument Bush uses for not talking to countries. It’s based on the idea that America is the popular kid in school and Cuba is a socially awkward nerd that will do anything to please us. We’re like 0 for 13 in countries we tried this policy against.

Another ridiculous policy: embargoes. When have they ever worked? We had a trade embargo against Cuba for 40 years, and all it did was make the Cuban people poorer. We would have got rid of Castro faster by sending over some of our potato chips. Try living past 70 after eating a bucket of Lays, Fidel.

8:17: I can’t say if Obama’s position on Cuba is ideal, but it’s worlds better and more forward thinking than Clinton’s position.

8:22 Obama makes a good argument for active diplomacy–to undo some of the damage caused by Bush.

8:23 Q: “How are you different from Clinton on economy?” Are they different?

8:25 Obama avoiding differences so far, giving stump speech answer.

8:28 Clinton wants a “trade timeout”. No X-boxes for 2 weeks.

8:30 Pleasantly pleasant so far. I wonder if at 9:00 they will give Clinton and Obama battle sticks and send them into the Octagon. (Note: I swear I wrote this at 8:30, and not after watching what happened around 9:00)

8:30 I like Clinton’s “War on Science” line. I also like the passionate, positive Clinton. There is an argument to be made that her only chance is to ferociously attack Obama, but I personally like and admire Hillary more when she’s arguing for herself and not against Obama.

8:31 Today’s group to pander to: Hispanics. The Kanaka Maoli got totally left out when their wasn’t a debate in Hawaii.

8:33 The path to citizenship for illegal immigrants sounds like a huge pain in the ass. Are any illegal immigrants really going to do this?

8:34 Obama: We need to tone down the rhetoric. Fits in with his campaign well. “We need to fix legal immigration process.” Clinton nods in agreement, looks like she’s thinking “I wish I said that.”

8:36 Snide question from me: How can we help the Mexican economy when we have trouble with our own? It’s probably one of those ideas that ends up helping both of us, but people become more protectionist when they’re fearful for their own economic future.

8:37 Border fence question. Question I would prefer: “Is a border fence as stupid as it sounds?”

(Side note–the audience seems slightly pro-Hillary. Not sure if it’s her performance or their predisposition)

Clinton’s argument for why she and Obama voted for a border fence: Bush tricked both of us. Again! Damn you, Bush.

8:39 Clinton mentions “smart fencing”. Is that like those ultrasound electric dog fences? Overall, she gave a good response.

Obama agrees with Clinton. Clinton nods in agreement, looks like she’s thinking “Yeah, I’m the one who said it.”

8:43 Obama mentions the “Dream Act”. I don’t know what that is, but Obama is dreamy, so I support it.

8:43 Get this Univision guy back for another debate. He asks good questions. “Is there a downside to a bilingual nation?”

8:46 Obama: I want kids to learn a second language. Woah, hold on there, Barack. I don’t like learning new stuff. And I don’t want to raise a race of super kids that are smarter than me. Let’s keep our kids the way they are now: unilingual and dumb.

(commercial break) If this is what debates will be like, Obama should be fine with one every week. Both candidates are coming off well, which favors Obama slightly.

8:50 John King: Will you fight. Please? Come on. I’ll help you out. Obama is a _____.

8:52 Bye Internet. I was watching the debate online. Come back soon.

8:56: Obama says something that gets a lot of applause. What is it? I don’t know, INTERNET.

8:57. Campbell Brown: Seriously, you have to fight. I mean, Senator Clinton, you are sitting next to a plagiarist.

8:58 SILLY SEASON! I love it, Obama! I want to put Silly Season on my popcorn.

8:59 Clinton must have been crushed when that line bombed. “…lifting whole passages from someone else’s speeches is not change you can believe in; it’s change you can Xerox.” It’s a good line, but the timing was horrible, especially after Obama’s strong response against the charges of plagiarism. First boos of the night.

9:00 Number of licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop: three. Number of questions it takes to get candidates to fight: two.

9:03 Where is this debate, next to a wind turbine? A gust of wind has been blowing their papers around for the past 10 minutes.

9:06 Obama: openness vs. closedness. Closedness is why Hillary’s health care reform in the 90s failed. Plans needs to be explained to people. A philosophical difference between the two candidates.

9:11 More fight questions!

9:13 Obama gives a better-than-usual rebuttal to Clinton’s health care claim.

9:15 It’s an attack question, but it’s from the Univision guy, so I like it.

9:22 Good question on the surge: Were you wrong in opposing it?

9:22 Very good answer by Clinton–goal of surge was about political progress. Goal still hasn’t been met. Completely true. The whole point of the surge was to create a safe enough environment for political progress to take root and flourish. The security part worked, but the political process is still stalled. We need to do something else to motivate the many power-holders in Iraq to figure out a political solution.

9:24 Clinton: “Last night in Brownsville, you know, a woman grabbed my hand and said, ‘Please, my husband’s there for the third time. Bring him home.’ ” There are a lot of people grabbing Hillary’s hand. Where is she holding rallies, Zombie Conventions? “Last night, in Gaisnville, a young zombie mother of two grabbed my hand and said, “BRAAAINS!” And I tell you, when one of her daughters started biting my ankle, the tears welled up in my eyes.”

9:33 Questions on their records on earmark spending. Obama mentions a “Google for Government” bill he co-sponsored with a staunch conservative. I like the bill, and I like his point–it’s not earmarks that are bad, it’s the secrecy behind them.

9:35 Hillary: Remember the good times with Bill? I’m a Clinton too.

9:36 Univision guy asks his first bad question. Super delegates: yawn.

9:39 “Describe the moment in your life when you were tested the most?” I think Oprah submitted that question.

9:43 Awwww…. (Hillary gave a nice closing response. They shook hands. You had to be there.)

How to eat a banana like a monkey.

It means I’ll jot some notes while I’m watching tonight’s Democratic debate and post them later. Or maybe not. I wrote notes for the last debate, but didn’t feel motivated to share them.