Take a day off

The Today Show made a big deal of the Matthew Broderick "Bueller" Super Bowl commercial.
I'm looking forward to VW's Star Wars surprise and the Doritos winner (Go Great Dane).

Abortion and arrogance

Ace has a great post dissecting the Obama administation - and it's decision to limit religious freedom for those organizations that provide insurance for their employees.
It's more Obama my way or the high way.
Obama is a moralist, and an arrogant one. For all the talk of Christians being rigid moralists, the dirty little secret is that the left is far more rigidly, arrogantly moralistic, and it is cheerleaded by our cultural institutions (media, academia) rather than pushed back against, so its arrogance is encouraged.
Obama is pushing, very hard, a rigid moral system, and attempting to "shove it down the throats" of people who do not seek nor need his moral instruction.
The Anchoress tries to find the silver lining - uniting divided Catholics.

Today's Tied with Me

In Technorati's U.S. Politics ranked, this blog is tied with 24th state. That Missouri-based blog has information on Rick Santorum becoming the first candidate to visit ahead of the looming primary.
The race goes one.

January goes out like a lamb

January 31.
Highs expected in the 60s.
Isn't it nice to enjoy unexpected warm weather instead of trying to push your political agenda?

To the moon

Dustbury has a good idea for Newt Gingrich's moon base.
Here’s my own stimulus program:

1. Build, as Newt Gingrich suggests, a base on the moon.
2. Move the Federal government to this base.
3. Activate the self-destruct mechanism on the vessel, making a return trip impossible.

Prospects should improve literally within days.

Typical Monday evening in January

It's a tad bit warmer than normal in Fishersville tonight.
How warm is it?
While walking the dog, I saw that a neighbor was cooking on his outdoor grill. Just what you'd expect on a mid-winter Monday evening.

Tea Party time

Smitty has plan for March 24 - hanging with his Tea Party friends on the east side of the Capitol.
Looking forward to warm weather and a big crowd.

Remember the Stimulus

Don Surber gives his rallying cry for November.

While Newt Gingrich and his team snarl at Mitt Romney’s team for snarling at Newt, let us remember that revelations of today will be gone like today’s snow by November. This election is a referendum on the presidency of Barack Obama, and not them. Provided the eventual Republican nominee does not go Full Dukakis on us, he should carry 30 states or more. There are 787 billion reasons for this: The $787 billion stimulus failed so massively that no Democrat should ever again utter the word “stimulus.” A column in the New York Post reminded me of this simple fact.

Having a politician stimulate the economy is like having a blind man pick out your wallpaper.
UPDATE: Linked by Citizen Tom.

Send some global warming

So far this school year, no snow days in Augusta County.
The biggest snow of the year was two days before Halloween.
You want winter weather?
Check out the interior of Alaska.
And the pictures of two college swim teams taking pictures outside in the minus-40 temperatures.

These scientists say

Via Instapundit, the London Daily Mail has data that the earth hasn't warmed since 1997.
Those who talk global warming and the need for action mention CO2 as the problem.
But sun strength and ocean temperature also have their impacts.
Those two point toward global cooling.
So we have more time to study, analyze data and compare before panicking.
Dig some coal in celebration of this data.

Cain makes plain he'll endorse Newt's campaign

Herman Cain finally threw his support behind Newt Gingrich Saturday.
Do endorsements make a difference?
The endorsements of Mitt Romney by John McCain and Bob Dole don't bring anything to his campaign. We'll see if any Cain supporters were still waiting to pick a candidate.

Way to go, team

My college, Towson, doesn't appear on ESPN much.
But today, they made the crawl while I was watching basketball. They won their first game of the season, breaking a 41-game losing streak.
Won't be seeing them in March Madness, I bet.

Recycling update

I got 50 cents per pound on aluminum cans Saturday, same as November.
And I saw four signs of houses for sale on a two-block drive to the recycling place.
For sale by owner.
And our economy is recovering?

Facebook quote of the week

During the State of the Union address:
So what I am hearing is .......blah blah blah....and.....blah blah blah ........oh there is another blah...blah....blah.......
UPDATE: Linked by Political Clown Parade.

Why so many debates?

Two debates last week in South Carolina.
Two debates this week in Florida.
Nineteen so far in the campaign.
Why so many?
Ratings.
Don Surber has the chart.
It's like having so many college bowl games. It's a programming choice by ESPN as much as anything.
How often does CNN get 5 million viewers during a stretch of primetime?

Saturday song

Chicago doesn't just mean President Obama's adopted hometown.
It's a group that roared through the 70s with plenty of big hits, including this one. "Baby what a big surprise."

Here comes Sarah

Legal Insurrection posts Sarah Palin's thoughts on the Republican race this week.
It's not a good night for the establishment.

Pep talk on every drop

I've had a bit of a winter cough, so I've been using Hall's Cough Drops to get through the work day.
This year, the drops have "peppy" sayings to read.
The latest drop said

Be resilient
Go for it
Flex your "can do" muscle
Get back in there, champ

Now we know what President Obama's speechwriters are doing when they aren't working on the State of the Union speech.

Newt and friends

Establishment Republicans like Bob Dole make the case against Newt Gingrich - he didn't work well with them in the 1990s.
Isn't that the point?
Do you think the Tea Party inspired freshmen will be more like Gingrich's vision than Republicans of the past?
The Republicans whose failures led to four years of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Weekend watchdog

From the ice to the tropical sun, the best players gather this weekend.

The NHL holds its All-Star game Sunday at 4 p.m. in Ottawa, just before the NFL's Pro Bowl in Hawaii.

Due to his action last Sunday, the Capitals' Alex Ovechkin plans to miss the festivities on NBC Sports Network. The skills competition goes Saturday at 7 p.m. before the offensive stars attack the goal for 60 minutes.

The Pro Bowl now kicks off Super Bowl week, meaning the best players of the best two teams will miss the event. Instead of canceling the trip after the big game. NBC has the coverage starting at 7 p.m.

The stars of the future play in the Senior Bowl Saturday at 4 p.m. on NFL Network.

For other stars on ice, NBC shows the U.S. Figure Skating Championships Saturday at 4 p.m. and again at 9 p.m. Only two more years until the next Winter Olympics.

The stars of tennis close out the Australian Open this weekend, with the women's final Saturday at 3 a.m. and men's final Sunday at 3 a.m.

The PGA tour begins the new year on CBS, with coverage of the Farmers Insurance Open Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.

Virginia Tech faces Maryland in ACC basketball Saturday at 2:30 p.m., after Wake Forest plays Clemson at noon. Sunday at 1 p.m., Miami takes on Boston College.

CBS has Texas vs. Baylor Saturday at 1 p.m., then Michigan battles Ohio State Sunday at 1 p.m.

ESPN starts Saturday with St. John's at Duke at noon, followed by Kansas taking on Iowa State. Georgetown faces Pittsburgh at 4 p.m., and Washington heads to Arizona at 7 p.m.

ESPN2's Saturday begins at noon when Marquette plays Villanova. Three more games follow at 4 p.m., as Purdue takes on Northwestern and Auburn plays Tennessee. The night closes with Virginia traveling to N.C. State at 8 p.m.

Comcast has a CAA doubleheader Saturday, with James Madison going to George Mason at 2 p.m. followed by William & Mary vs. Old Dominion.

MASN features the Big 12 Saturday at 4 p.m. as Oklahoma State plays Texas A&M, then it's off to the Big East for a pair of games. Cincinnati meets Rutgers at 6 p.m, followed by Louisville-Seton Hall. The night ends with Hawaii's game in Idaho at 10 p.m. Sunday, Notre Dame battles Connecticut at noon.

ABC starts a new season of Sunday afternoon NBA, with the Bulls meeting the Heat at 3:30 p.m. ESPN offers the Knicks against the Nets Friday at 8 p.m., and the Spurs' visit to Dallas Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

The Wizards head to Houston Friday at 8 p.m. on Comcast, then visit Charlotte Saturday at 7 p.m.

ESPN's Winter X Games fill the weekend, starting Thursday. There's more from Aspen Friday at 10:30 p.m., Saturday at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 2 and 9 p.m.

The Virginia Tech women host N.C. State Sunday at 1 p.m. on Comcast. At 7 p.m., CAA women take the stage with Delaware at James Madison. ESPN2 offers Penn State taking on Michigan State Sunday at 3 p.m., followed by Tennessee-Georgia.

NBC Sports Network has college ice hockey Friday at 7:30 p.m., with Harvard meeting Yale.

The CONCACAF women's qualifying tournament will be Sunday at 8 p.m. on NBC Sports Network.

End of cheerleading season looms

The NFL season is down to the Pro Bowl Sunday and Super Bowl next week.
What will cheerleaders like Amanda of the Patriots do?
Amanda just got her doctorate in pharmacy. Maybe she'll know something to help fans get over the end of the season.
UPDATE: Linked by the Daley Gator.

Scientists against global warming

Blue Virginia has touted a new website - Forecast the Facts.
They want TV weathercasters to talk more about global warming and connect weird weather to that.
So I checked the about page on the website.
TV meteorologists have worked for years to build respectability for their profession. What began as a glorified announcer position has morphed into a true scientific pursuit, with graduate degrees, a professional association, and standards for certification.
So let me get this straight.
TV weathermen have brought science to their profession.
Many TV weathermen don't believe global warming.
But don't all scientists believe global warming?
If TV weathermen have scientific degrees and training, and don't believe global warming, doesn't that mean that some scientists don't believe global warming?
If there's scientists who don't believe global warming, why fuss that TV weathermen don't focus on a scientific consensus that's not really a total consensus.
Stand proud, Topper Shutt.
What's his scientific standing?
Topper earned the American Meteorological Society's Seal of Approval for both television and radio in 1988.

Taxing situation

Megan McArdle has the breakdown on the taxes paid by Warren Buffett's secretary.

In sum, the presentation of these numbers is quite confusing, and I suspect a little bit of cherry-picking to maximize the invidiousness of the comparison.  Ms. Bosanek probably does have a somewhat higher effective federal tax rate than her boss, and it may even be much higher.  But if so, this is because she is a very unusual taxpayer--exactly the opposite of what is implied by comparing Warren Buffett's taxes to those of his secretary.

We were there. We remember.

Legal Insurrection has the links of those who remember Newt Gingrich insulting Ronald Reagan - and those who remember him closely working with the President.
We all were there. And we have our memories as well.

30 percent? I'll take it

TaxProf highlights an article suggesting Mitt Romney's tax rate is actually 44.75 percent.
Why do we have lower tax rates for capital gains?
So people will save their money for the future and invest.
What do you call people who spend everything they have, not thinking about the future?
Government.

How Obama saves money

He just recycles the same lines and phrases from past State of the Union addresses.
No need for another repeat in 2013.

Commercial of the year

Republicans everywhere need to follow the example of Florida's Mark Oxner, with this great commercial.


Just insert your opponent's face next to Obama.

Why I'm glad to telework

My office allows some employees to work from home, avoiding the drive back and forth to Charlottesville.
Today was a good day to miss the drive to the office - numerous wrecks on I-64 heading into town.

You lie

Just getting ready for President Obama's State of the Union speech.

Like Father, like son

Forty years ago, Bob Irsay became owner of the Baltimore Colts and began dismantling the famous squad. Quarterback Johnny Unitas finished his days as a San Diego Charger.
Will Peyton Manning be leaving Indianapolis for parts unknown in a few weeks. Only the younger Irsay knows for sure.