ohh...i just bought a PS2 on ebay for $50 bucks. I can't wait to play!

as if we didn't have enough systems in the house.

xbox
xbox 360
gamecube
playstation 1
wii
DS
and now
playstation 2

anyone have any old PS 2 games they're not using anymore, i'll be happy to take them off your hands.

i don't think I've ever seen such a pretty bird out in the wild before. i wonder if someone set it free and that's why it died.

reading tiny's message in chat had me looking at mccain's policy on health care. i borrowed from his page and inserted my comments in bold. please.... this is my rant. if you disagree, i don't care. don't try to change my mind. unless i have facts wrong and you want to point those out, i don't want to hear about how this is better for the country than having a free, nationwide health care system.

you can all hate me. i don't care.

i'm a socialist. nothing you can say will change my mind. and yes, i am on my way to one of those sweet, socialist, countries that values and cares for its citizens, as we speak. sorry if this offends you, but i often wish my mother would have never brought me here. i would have had a higher quality education for free and not have been tens, upon tens of thousands of dollars in debt now. i would have had better quality of life that included... more vacation, subsidized child care, elder care, REAL maternity leave at 80 - 100% pay, free health care and a free college education (as well as many other services). AND I WOULD PAY 90% OF MY WAGES IN TAXES FOR THESE SERVICES WITHOUT ANY HESITATION.

so here is mccain's plan.

Access to Quality and Affordable Care for All affordable? really? what is your definition of affordable mccain?

Throughout our health care system, the great goal is to make the best care available to everyone. Underlying the many things that trouble our health-care system are the fundamental problems of cost and access. And these rising costs are by no means always accompanied by better quality in care or coverage.

The key to real reform as opposed to the fake reform obama wants, right?

is to restore control over our health-care system to the patients themselves restore? um...i don't know about you, but i don't really recall when i had control over my health care system in the past? and i'm assuming that this restoration will lower the cost of health care exponentially? because honestly in case you haven't noticed, that is what seems to be the problem here..

John McCain will build on the employer-based coverage, by offering generous tax credits directly to individuals and families for the purchase of health insurance of their choice ok, i'm confused here again....how will you be building on employer based coverage by offering tax credits directly to individuals for purchase of insurance of my choice? either i have employer based coverage or not. if i do, then why do i need tax credits to purchase insurance of my choice?,

including keeping their current coverage. so are you saying that you will give me tax credits for the coverage i already have and am partially paying for through my employer? what about the vast differences between the types of coverage employers offer and the differences in the cost to the patient for that coverage among employers? how will that playing field be leveled out? i know many people who are offered insurance through their employer that aint worth shit. it pays partial hospitalization, doesn't offer screening tests such as mammograms or CT's. how do you plan on addressing those issues? will the employer end up giving me the money he is paying for that coverage so that i can take your TAX BREAKS and purchase better insurance on my own? what if my employer is a cheap bastard and is only spending $5 on my insurance while my neighbor's employer is spending $5000? am i shit out of luck with your tax credit?

While fully protecting employer provided health care benefits, this plan will offer additional assistance to those without employer provided coverage and to those who move in and out of the work force and don't want their health coverage tied to an employer's plan. These health plans would be yours, and yours to keep. UM....OOOOOKKKAAAYYY.....let's look at what you just said here mccain. WHILE FULLY PROTECTING EMPLOYER PROVIDED HEALTH CARE BENEFITS --hmmm...that's a pretty interesting. i don't think you realize what is going on out there. there are people with no employer insurance, there are people with good employer provided insurance and then there are those with sub-standard, shitty employer insurance coverage. so you're willing to provide protection to employers who offer shitty insurance? well at least i'm glad you're being honest by letting me know that you don't plan on instituting some kind of standard in the type of health care coverage that is being offered by employers. thanks.

THIS PLAN WILL OFFER ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE TO THOSE WITHOUT EMPLOYER PROVIDED COVERAGE--- whoa...hold it there horsey....that if fucking amazing! seriously, you're willing to offer additional assistance? what kind of assistance would you be talking about? more tax breaks? discounts? hey maybe you can send me a coupon in the mail? or one of those 20% prescription discount cards? seems to me that if you were wiling to offer some kind of REAL assistance you would be singing this plan from the top of the mountains instead of using some vague and cryptic wording on your web page that neither assures the voters that you actually mean what you say nor does it offer any kind of proof that what you say has any value or worth.

i'm telling you now, that short of either providing me with 90% of the money to pay for it, or by forcing insurance companies and doctors to slash their profits and reducing the cost of health care to me by 90 %, there is very little assistance you can provide that will actually MAKE A FUCKING DIFFERENCE!

every family will receive a direct refundable tax credit of $5,000 for families to offset the cost of insurance. Families will be able to choose the insurance provider that suits them best and the money would be sent directly to the insurance provider.choose providers that suits us best? i don't think i understand how there can be so much varation in coverage needs between one person and the other? i mean, don't we all basically need the same kind of coverage? oh...i guess those who have diabetes, or chronic disease are the ones that need more coverage and lower deductibles? i guess those healthy people don't give a FUCK that should they have just ONE car accident, heart attac or storke, suddenly their minimal coverage is worth shit and they are automatically in debt for life with a $200,000 hospital bill.

Those obtaining innovative insurance that costs less than the credit why don't you tell me what kind of innovative insurance you can think of that costs less than $5000 a year for family coverage?

can deposit the remainder in expanded Health Savings Accounts.to spend on that innovative version of health insurance that you can buy in the back alley in chinatown, right? cuz i'm pretty healthy and don't really need that much coverage, right?

REALITY CHECK ASSHOLE

IF I MAKE 25K A YEAR I CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY FOR FUCKING HEALTH INSURANCE! HAVE YOU CHECKED HOW MUCH IT COSTS LATELY, ASSHOLE?

COBRA COVERAGE COSTS NEARLY 1000 DOLLARS A MONTH FOR FAMILY COVERAGE AND JUST IN CASE YOU CANT DO THE FUCKING MATH, -YOU SHITTY, OLD, CRYPT KEEPING, FOSSIL- THAT IS 12,000 DOLLARS A YEAR AND RISING! (10% expected for next year )
WITH YOUR 5000 IT WOULD STILL REQUIRE ME TO SPEND 7000K ON HEALTH INSURANCE.

THAT IS STILL NEARLY $600 DOLLARS A MONTH!!!!!!!!!

HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO PAY 600 DOLLARS A MONTH WHEN I MAKE 20K, 25K, 30K, 35K, etc...AND STILL AFFORD TO LIVE!!!!!!!!!

oh and just in case you thought that once you're old and medicare kicks in you're safe....here's a sobering thought......

"Retiring elderly couples will need $200,000 in savings just to pay for the most basic medical coverage. Many experts believe that this figure is conservative and that $300,000 may be a more realistic number."



Most importantly, John McCain believes that no American, simply because of a pre-existing condition like cancer, should be denied access to quality and affordable coverage. no shit sherlock

This is a very important priority in his health care plan. And to make sure they get the high-quality coverage they need, John McCain has proposed a Guaranteed Access Plan (GAP) that will combine industry, state, and federal resources to help in the purchase of coverage for those hardest to insure, including patients with pre-existing conditions like cancer. There would be limits on premiums, and lower-income Americans would get additional financial assistance.
OH FINALLY SOMETHING YOU GIVE A FUCK ABOUT BECAUSE YOUR CRUSTY ASS ACTUALLY HAD FUCKING CANCER? I WISH YOUR DUMB ASS WOULD HAVE BEEN INSURANCE-LESS AND BROKE WHILE YOU HAD CANCER. MAYBE THEN YOU'D REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON. how about a guaranteed access plan for those who have no fucking insurance because they can't fucking afford it!!!!!!!!!!

This cooperation among states in the purchase of insurance oh yes...that's right...because government agencies are well known to shop around for the best deals and contracts and avoid favoritism. RIIIGHT...halliburton.

would also be a crucial step in ridding the market of both needless and costly regulations please john, enlighten me on the needless and costly regulations we have. i'm dying to know. because we all know that that is why no one can afford health insurance,

and the dominance in the market of only a few insurance companies. which again, your cooperation among states in the purchase of insurance, will eliminate, correct?

John McCain will break down these barriers to competition, creativity, and excellence, with his competitive, creative and excellent plan

with the goal of establishing a national market to make innovative policies and lowest prices available oh i see, so a lack of a national market has been the reason for the lack of innovative policies and lower prices all along? so once this is established the cost of health insurance will go down to $50 bucks a month for family coverage so that a person making 25K with no employer coverage will be able to afford it?

to every person in every state. sorry puerto rico, i guess you're fucked

Finally, John McCain will continue to be a leader in pushing for greater competition in the drug and biotechnology continue? you already are a leader in this? please do share your leadership efforts with the rest of us.

industry through faster introduction of generic drugs and by allowing safe and effective follow-on biologics (FOBs) to enter the marketplace um...ok....by doing what exactly? i can say that will make the goddamn sun burn purple, but i bet you'll think i was flying on acid without an actual plan and proof of how it's done.

while ensuring that future research and development is not hindered again, how do you plan on ensuring this?.

This will ensure that all patients, including cancer patients these damn cancer patients are getting kinda greedy and needy, no?,

have access to more affordable life-saving medications. except, of course, the people who still cannot afford insurance to pay for the doctor that prescribes that medication.

GO FUCK YOURSELF YOU PASTY DEATH MASK WEARING FUCK! YOU WILL NEVER, EVER BEGIN TO IMAGINE WHAT LIFE WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE FEELS LIKE. YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT LOOSING YOUR MEASLY LIFE SAVINGS IF YOU GET SICK OR OLD. YOU WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO WORRY ABOUT LOSING YOUR HOUSE IF YOU HAVE AN ACCIDENT. YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO HAVE TO CHOSE WHAT ILLNESSES YOU SHOULD HAVE TREATED AND WHICH ONE TO IGNORE BECAUSE YOU CANNOT AFFORD HEALTH COVERAGE. YOU WILL NOT KNOW WHAT IT"S LIKE TO HAVE TO DREAD GOING TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM IN AN EMERGENCY BECAUSE YOU WILL BE RIDDLED WITH DEBT FOR YEARS TO COME.

ALL I CAN HOPE IS THAT ONE DAY, ON YOUR DEATH BED, THE POOR SOULS OF THE PEOPLE YOUR POLICIES KILLED, DESTROYED, DEHUMANIZED AND DEGRADED....DRAG YOUR INHUMANE, ROTTEN, SOUL TO HELL. YOU ARE MAKING A CHOICE TO IGNORE AND TO BE IGNORANT. YOU LIVE IN YOUR POSH LIFE WITH YOUR POSH WIFE AND THINK THAT YOU ARE SOME GREAT DO GOODER THAT WILL MAKE THIS COUNTRY GREAT. GUESS WHAT, I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THIS COUNTRY IF I CAN'T EVEN AFFORD TO KEEP MYSELF AND MY FAMILY HEALTHY. IF YOU BECOME PRESIDENT, THEN YOU, YOUR POLICIES AND YOUR COUNTRY CAN SUCK MY BIG FAT COCK. I HOPE YOU DIE, MISERABLE AND ALONE, WHILE YOUR CRUSTY ASSHOLE IS BEING RIPPED APART BY THE PEOPLE YOU'VE BEEN BLATANTLY FUCKING WITH THE SHORT END OF THE STICK YOUR ENTIRE LIFE

FUCK YOU!

ok, here we go again.

(e:pmt), (e:enknot), meg, and anyone else i'm forgetting. can we pleeease get out shit together and go to the movies sometime this week to see tropic thunder?

i am in love with lady gaga right now. she reminds me of a female vincent gallo and looks like donatella versace and sounds at times like peaches.

in all actuality she's a pretty established song writer and trained musican. here's her bio.


learned piano by ear at the age of four
wrote her first piano ballad at thirteen
was one of twenty people in the world to have gained early admission to the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU
By age twenty she began writing songs for Interscope Records artists

and this is her mini movie with a taste of her what's to come.
can i just repeat that i am soooo loving her right. i want to get her drunk.

if you watch until the end it's got naked tits

So we went to see Tropic Thunder yesterday. OH MY GOD...can I just say FUNNY? I seriously was laughing my ass off throughout the entire movie. Robert Downy Jr. is unbelievable. It worth seeing just for that. He is so good that he should get an oscar for that. Oh jeesh, you have to see it, you wont regret it.

my entire household watched that race and i can assure you not one of us will forget that night for many, many years to come.

faben came to me last thursday night and said she could not wait to watch the olympics this year. this, coming from the most un-sport like child on the face of the earth that has never expressed any interest in anything sport related during her entire 14 year existence, was a shock, to say the least.

allthough our trip to china a few years back was probably the catalyst for her olympic interest this year, nevertheless, she was so excited and awed during the opening ceremonies and throughout the weekend, including last night, that i'm sure she too, will not forget these olympics for as long as she lives.

for her it’ll be one of those moments where you think back on your childhood and realize that this was the year where she became aware of the importance and impact that the olympics have on the entire world. she has always known what the olympics were, but until this friday, she had no idea as to what the olympics meant. what they meant to the athletes, to their families, to the host nation and the visiting nations and what it all means to the citizens of the world who are counting on their athletes to represent all that their county stands for and is hoping to achieve.

this is the year that she will realize that the olympics are the one and only event (other than a tragedy) that can bring together the entire world and the one event where people feel tremendous national pride coupled with a truly genuine human experience that unifies peoples of all cultures, races and ethnicities, while standing side by side with dozens of other nations and cheering for our country and their county and countries with which we have conflict, and countries whose names we cannot pronounce or locations we cannot identify. The countries that are our allies, our foes, our friends and enemies. the one and only time in which the entire planet respects and honors all of its neighbors regardless of their GDP or military power and it is one of the few times in which a 16 year old girl, from a dairy farm in indiana, can become a true princess based solely on her hard work and dedication and not on the size of her cleavage or one of the few times in which a man without money, power or connections can become the king of the nation who provides his people with tremendous amounts of optimism, inspiration and enthusiasm by nothing more than hard work, dedication and the true love he has for his sport and his country.


this is the only time where humanity becomes all that it stands for; kindness, charity, compassion, sympathy, mercy, and pride. pride in our selves, in our country, in our people, in our culture and values and beliefs. pride in our work, our dedication, our sport and leaders and friends, teammates and coaches. pride to be part of a movement, of a world wide event, pride in ourselves, in our neighbors and families. the olympics mean so much to so many. once every four years, for two weeks you can become THE ambassador of your country and of your sport to the ENTIRE world and carry on one of the oldest traditions known to man. the olympics continue to represent what it means to be human, what it means to compete, to work hard, to give it your all, to sacrifice, forfeit and to surrender yourself for the honor of your nation and your sport.

this is why i love and respect the olympics and all that it stands for.

Father-in-law of U.S. coach stabbed to death in Beijing

i can't believe this. some crazy man attacked two americans and killed one and wounded the other and then jumped off a building and killed himself on the first day of the competition.




BEIJING - A 47-year-old Chinese man stabbed an American tourist to death, wounded his wife, then jumped to his death from an ancient downtown landmark, marring the first full day of competition at the Summer Olympic Games, U.S. sports and government officials confirmed Saturday.

The American couple are relatives of a U.S. men's indoor volleyball coach,

Todd Bachman, 62, a prominent horticulturalist from Lakeville, Minn., was killed, U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman Darryl Seibel said. He owned Bachman, Inc., a family business that dates to the early 1900s.

Bachman's wife, Barbara, was in serious condition Saturday night at a Beijing hospital.

Todd Bachman is the father-in-law of U.S. men's indoor volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon.


The Bachmans had come to Beijing to deepen their ties with the Olympic Games. Daughter Elisabeth "Wiz" Bachman competed as a member of the U.S. women's volleyball team at the 2004 Athens Games. She was with her parents during the attack but was not injured.

McCutcheon was scheduled to take the floor Sunday as coach of the U.S. team when it played Venezuela.

Chinese authorities identified the attacker as Tang Yongming of China's Zhejiang Province. Chinese and U.S. authorities said the couple was at a site known as the Drum Tower around noon local time when Tang stabbed the couple and wounded a Chinese tour guide on the second floor of the structure.

Built in the 13th century, the Drum Tower is one of the few ancient structures still in Beijing. It is located on an important central axis of the city to the north of the Forbidden City, the former home of the emperor, and is five miles from the Olympic site.


Shortly after the attack, Tang leapt to his death on a stone path in the busy central Beijing district.

It was not immediately clear what triggered the fatal assault, but the USOC said investigators believe Tang was acting alone. Seibel also said the victims were not wearing clothing that might identify them as Americans or supporters of the U.S. team.

"The U.S. delegation is deeply saddened," Seibel said. "Everyone is suffering with this. It's too early to say what might have motivated this; we're just a few hours from learning the worst possible news."

"It is impossible to describe the depth of our sadness and shock in this tragic hour," said U.S. Olympic Committee Chairman Peter Ueberroth. "Our delegation comes to the Games as a family, and when one member of our family suffers a loss, we all grieve with them. Our thoughts, prayers and deepest condolences are with the Bachman and McCutcheon families."

Seibel said the volleyball team was informed of the tragedy Saturday afternoon, a day before its opening match. Seibel said it was too soon to know whether the 12:30 a.m. ET match would go on as scheduled.

"Our priority in this hour is to attend to the needs of the family members, the U.S. Olympic men's indoor volleyball team and staff, and the entire U.S. Olympic delegation," the USOC said in an early statement. "The USOC is working closely with the United States embassy, United States law enforcement authorities and local (Chinese) law enforcement authorities."

Shortly after the incident, the U.S. embassy dispatched the FBI's chief legal attache in Beijing to the crime scene to monitor the inquiry.

"We've heard the reports, we've got people on the scene,"' said U.S. embassy spokesman Don Washington. "We are not at liberty to say any more out of respect to the presumed victims."

President Bush, who is attending the first days of the games, was alerted to the incident shortly after it occurred.

The rare act of violence in Beijing, where serious crime does not approach levels in the United States, came just hours into the first day of competition at the Olympics. Chinese officials have dispatched more than 100,000 security officials to guard against violence and possible acts of terrorism.

In March, a screaming, bomb-strapped hostage-taker who commandeered a bus with 10 Australians aboard in the popular tourist city of Xi'an was shot to death by a police sniper.

Still, Shanghai and Beijing are safer than most foreign cities of their size. Punishments of crime against foreigners are heavier than for locals, and police-linked neighborhood watch groups are highly vigilant. Chinese are not allowed to own guns.

In recent days, security has been hardened throughout the city with hundreds of Chinese soldiers standing watch at Olympic venues and at popular tourist destinations throughout the city to maintain order and guard against anticipated protests.

At the Drum Tower, once used to keep time in ancient China, police pushed through a crowd of tourists at mid-day to enter the tower courtyard. A number of shopkeepers, whose stores ring the site, declined to speak with a small army of journalists who descended on the area in the hours after the attack. Seemingly oblivious to the crowd, two elderly men continued their game of chess, shooing reporters away.

The state-run Chinese news agency, Xianhua, said security officers were examining the scene on the tower and below, inspecting and taking samples from the balcony railing.

Associated Press photos taken at the scene about 3 1/2 hours after the attack showed a white sheet spotted with what appeared to be blood in the courtyard on the west side of the Drum Tower. It appeared that the body had already had been removed.

Seibel said Chinese officials had offered their condolences and offered to provide any assistance they could.

The International Olympic Committee, the games' governing body, also said it was "deeply saddened to learn of a tragic incident."

"It is understood at this time that a lone assailant was responsible, who shortly afterwards committed suicide," the IOC said in a statement.

the opening ceremonies for the beijing olympics were the most spectacular thing i have ever seen. i have never seen something so amazing. i could not have even imagined anything close to what they did. my entire family watched for 4 1/2 hours and we will never forget this night.

china spent 300 million dollars on the opening ceremony presentation. overall it spent 40 billion for the olympic preparations. again, it was utterly breath taking. if you didn't see it, you missed a moment in history that will be remembered for a long time to come.