You People Are So Demanding!

Bah Humbug!

Happy Frickin' Holidays, Jerks!

Nate Robinson is My Boy

OK. I admit it. I am a huge Nate Robinson fan. There are three reasons for this.

1. He's small (for an NBA player).


2. He's a Knick (until Isaiah trades him).


3. He's an incredibly talented player.

He also just got suspended for 10 games for his role in the Garden Brawl. Which is fine. He was on the court, he got in a fight with another player (J.R. Smith) and that's not what the NBA is about (yet). Both were suspended for ten games, which is appropriate. The problem is this description in the Times.

The Knicks’ Nate Robinson, who escalated the fight by grabbing J.R. Smith and spinning him into the front row of the stands, received a 10-game suspension.

Picture that scene in your mind (Nate Robinson gives up about a foot on J.R. Smith). Got it? Now watch the video (it's on YouTube now). That's not what happened.

Apparently the Times has decided that they hate the Knicks. Not just the team and the players and the coaches, managers, and owners, they also apparently have a great disdain for the announcers.

Wikipedia Jumps the Shark?

The Fed has it's own Wikipedia page now. Doesn't this mean that the wikipedia is officially no longer cool? I would also like to mention that there's a Fed alumni email list which every week or two suddenly springs to life with angsty "I don't like the way the Fed is now" sorts of posts. I know that 90% of these people don't even know who I am, but it warms the cockles. You know what I am saying?

Robert Gates

Robert Gates is most likely going to be confirmed in the next couple days as Bush's new Secretary of Defense. Personally, I feel like the president should be able to pick his cabinet, so I don't see the point in getting upset about this person or that.

I just want to take a moment to point out that a new face in the Pentagon probably wont change anything. That's because the man in charge of this circus is the President.

Which would be a good thing in most circumstances, but in this case is a disaster. Our president, as we've known for some time, is completely detached from reality. Moreover, as his advisers fall away, it's becoming increasingly clear that the war in Iraq is Bush's baby.

Rumsfeld got the ax because he lost the faith, and not because of the political beating his party took this November. The neo-cons may have wanted Iraq's oil or a forceful effort to confront terrorism and despotism in the Middle East. But the President just wanted to do what his daddy couldn't.

Robert Gates (with his oily slick -- "I'll tell you what you want to hear" -- confirmation hearing yesterday) isn't going to confront his new boss on the realities of the situation on the ground.

I bought my first present

Yeah. So I totally bought my first Christmas present. But shhhh! Don't tell Nelly!

"Western-Backed"?

Maybe you've heard about the protest going on in Lebanon right now. So far I have heard the current government of Lebanon (the one being protested) referred to as "western-backed" about a half-dozen times. This is from the New York Times and NPR (my main news sources).

I wonder why they don't refer to the ruling coalition in Lebanon as the "democratically elected government". Yes, they're also backed by France and the USA, but that's not why they are currently in power.

Hezbollah is making a power-grab in Lebanon. They couldn't get power in the elections (possibly because the system is set up so that no one group will dominate; possibly because the majority of the electorate doesn't want them to...) so now they're trying to take power by mob rule. This isn't about the west. This is about Hezbollah vs. the rule of law in Lebanon.

Holiday Shopping

Okay, I've denied it long enough. The holiday shopping season is upon us! Run for your lives.

This season (as with many before) I am struck by a vicious ennui. I really don't want to go shopping for presents. I also don't want to pick out presents. Because picking out things that I want is very difficult for me.

Secretly, I want a Wii. And the Zelda game. Oh, and might as well toss in an XBox 360 with Gears of War. Because, you know, that's what I am into.

The problem is that what I really want is a bunch of video games and I feel like I really can't ask for a bunch of video games. (I seriously can't ask for a Wii as they are apparently sold out everywhere). So then I have to think, what do I want that's not a video game/video game system/video game system accesory? Which is where it gets difficult.

Meanwhile, you people out there who want gifts need to get busy on figuring out the stuff that you want and letting me know. Cause I am not psychic. And, when confronted with the dizzying array of stuff at the local Bed Bath & Beyond, I cannot be trusted to make a rational choice regarding your present.