I perpetrated the single most loser thing that anybody could do - I stayed home New Year's Eve.

My plan was to go to PMT and my friends private party at Goodbar, but on New Year's Eve it dawned on me that I didn't feel like celebrating at all, even on the biggest party day of the year. I made an egregious error here - the solution to my non-party, non-cheerful mood would have been to simply go anyway! I should have just grabbed a bottle or two of champagne, drank them down and rolled with it. Instead I stayed home. Believe me, I'm not proud about it but I'm not too afraid to acknowledge a mistake if I make it. Even if I didn't feel like it I should have forced myself out.

I'll never stay home again! (e:jason) and I are overdue a visit to a PMT party and all I can really say is that (e:paul), (e:matt) and (e:terry) are good lads that I generally enjoy chatting with who know how to have a good time.

On to politics. Before you stop here and say, "Oh god, here goes Joshy again" - don't be afraid of another diatribe. I've generally been disinterested in the political process for a while now - even before the election. My interest right now is focused on what the Democratic majority in Congress are about to do, and you should be too. This is where I come in.

In general I think the Democrats have been gifted a fantastic opportunity to maintain control of Congress and potentially win the presidency in 2008. On Thursday, Democrats will be simultaneously breaking a campaign promise and ushering in a series of new laws that I generally think are needed. The campaign promise Democrats are breaking is that they intended on including the minority on lawmaking on a more broader scale than what has been in place previously.

I have no disagreement at all with what they want to do in the first 100 hours (minimum wage increase, tightening ethics rules, more stem cell research, cutting interest rates on school loans, cut subsidies to the oil industry) but if you are going to inspire confidence in the votership that subsequently put you in power (a hint - the votership that swung the election were moderate/conservative Democrats) you should probably actually stick to what you say. Simply saying, as Pelosi's aides have suggested, that shutting Republicans out for the first 100 hours isn't breaking the campaign promise and they should be judged on the first six months to a year, is unacceptable. You cannot do what Democrats are about to do and retain credibility when they rode the moderate wave into power on the back of promises such as one where they promise more cooperation in government. Right now, Democrats cannot say that they are hanging on to one of their prominent campaign promises - that is absolute and cannot be tempered with a suggestion that the Democrats intend on opening things up.... eventually.

I think that these sets of things the Democrats want to do in the first 100 hours are long overdue - like I said I have absolutely no problem with what they are starting with. Just do not trumpet the Democratic intention of 'unprecendented bipartisanship' while you turn around and do the exact opposite as the FIRST thing that you do when power is handed over. One of the rules of politics is that when power is handed to the other party, ignore everything that the new guys in power say about bipartisanship. The temptation is too great to rule the roost with a strong hand and there are no politicians in the United States that are particularly exceptional... the public have every right to feel skeptical about the intentions of their politicians if they cannot manage to hold onto a campaign promise through the first few hours of gaining power.

Do I think that Democrats will maintain a spirit of cooperation? No. The reason is because cooperation is a two-way street. Today the new leader of the DCCC, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, was quoted in the Washington Post as saying, "My sense is that there's going to be a testing period to gauge to what extent the Republcans want to join us in a constructive effort or whether they intend to be disruptive. It's going to be a work in progress." The problem with this is that "cooperation" doesn't mean that if Republicans don't agree with what you are doing, then bipartisanship has failed. Pursuing bipartisanship has a connotation tagged to it that you are willing to be as flexible as your opponent. If this is not true then you are not being bipartisan and therefore you cannot criticize the opposition for not playing along. The signal that the new DCCC chairman has sent is disconcerting.

I'll be interested in seeing exactly how things unfold for Democrats over the course of the next year. The DNC is fractured ideologically and while Pelosi has a reputation for keeping everybody together its clearly going to be a struggle to keep everybody happy. If they achieve the bipartisanship that they are boasting about, then I think a great political achievement will have been made and the American public will be the big winner. Whether we have the politicians that are capable of such an achievement remains to be seen, but my hope is that at least for a little while we'll remember that we are all Americans and we are going to have to put the vitriol aside in order to tackle our problems effectively. To say I'm skeptical would be an understatement, but in the end I'm an optimist and right now all we really have is hope and nothing more.

When I have a day off I usually don't appreciate it as much as I should. Today, however, I have to say that I've truly enjoyed it. And it hasn't required the use of green, leafy, flammable, stinky plants!

I went to the Co-Op to get some beans. I totally love their selection - a nice variety of organic and 'regular' beans. My two favorites are the Organic Sumatran and the one I got today - some sort of Nicaraguan variety that I couldn't pronounce despite my decent but still feeble command of Spanish. I'm not even sure that it was a Spanish word. In any case, when you go to the Co-Op its situated on the far right plu #17520. Sad... I can remember the PLU but not the name. Anyway I like the dark roasts best but this one was a medium dark and it said on the container "one of the best coffees" - I'll be the judge of that, thanks! A little over half a pound later ($5.89, small sacrifice considering what it costs to go to Spot multiple times a day every day) I was out the door. A note - their beans are actually roasted by Spot according to the fellas at Spot.

I also got some whole wheat roman rigatoni, mushroom red sauce and some Sierra Mist. I took my blood pressure when I was home - 189 over 102!!! I couldn't believe it so I checked it again - 179 over 101. I seriously, seriously need to get back on the diaretic I took to regulate my blood pressure. On top of that, I want to commit to taking my health more seriously and being in better shape. Part of this, of course, is to commit to a better diet. I don't eat terribly bad, but a year and a half of being on the road and eating very salty, very high calorie meals at chain restaurants, drinking soda, drinking a TON of coffee - you get the idea - has taken its toll on my system and I have to fix it. I've been conscious of this one for a while but after seeing what my BP was I'm a little scared. I need to find a decaf coffee that I can live with, because I don't see myself giving up coffee ever.

In any case, I'm on a tangent. I got the wheat pasta and sauce put together then made some of this double bergamot Earl Grey tea made - man I love this tea! Brand name is "Stash" - they sell it for $2.59 for 18 bags at Wegman's. If anybody can recommend to me an earl grey that they love, please by all means recommend it!

To top it off, Airwolf is on TV. This was an 80's show based around this super secret, super high tech helicopter. The acting is second rate and the script is so contrived... but this is one of those occasions where I'm a stereotypical guy.



Sexy.

Speaking of sexy, I love latinas.

Weird bit of 9/11 trivia - Airwolf episode #209 is titled "Flight #093 Is Missing."

Since (e:ajay) has blessed us with his culinary knowlege for the paneer dish I am begging for a veggie curry recipe. Its my favorite. Help (e:ajay)!

Wow. This picture is not altered in any way.



Nice wrinkle by the hairline there, honey!

Apparently this is caused by having the real human hair extensions, which are glued in, glued a tad too tight.

So, the lesson for celebrities - if you are going to glue someone elses hair into yours in order to improve your physical appearance, either make sure that its not so tight or don't sing, don't smile, look like a robot. Or else YOU TOO might look as gruesome as Beyonce does here.

Hello ladies and germs -

I hope everybody are enjoying or have enjoyed the holiday time off. Today I am at work but am more or less mailing it in. Light unimportant stuff soon to be followed by a monster project that I must complete by Thursday 5pm.

(e:jason) and I enjoyed some time at home with our relatives - I got what I usually get (cash) followed by some Sabres gear and an immersion blender. I'm most excited by the blender! I like to make homemade soups and the last time I tried to blend some up I burned myself... this new kitchen toy will definitely be put into use. I'm thinking about creating a new 750 house drink based on some kind of blended froofy drink. I love the original 750 but some people do not, so perhaps its time to create a second concoction. Maybe we'll make a game of it and have (e:strip)pers participate in the selection of ingredients!

I'm trying to be mellow today but again, and I'm sorry to keep harping on Mike Niman, but to the people that have read the last Artvoice of the year - didn't you find it interesting that his article was based around the concept of a "no shopping day?" My opinion on the idea is that its ridiculous and implausible... if he believes that a no shopping day will ever gain traction I have a 'war on drugs' and a 'war on poverty' to um.... sell him. Oops.

My feelings about Niman's lunacy is well documented, but this is particularly interesting to me because, of course, he had to mention Wal-Mart and that everything in the store is supposedly made at Chinese sweatshops. I was incandescent with rage after reading it. Mike Niman doesn't have a fucking clue about what he is talking about and I will explain why. I'll simply say this - nobody except for people in my/our position have the ability to make an informed comment on the subject of what goes on at the suppliers to the Big Grey Box.

Why? Because, dear readers, without breaking a series of NDAs that would ensure that my company would get in serious doo doo... lets just say that our company has been to hundreds of suppliers to the Big Grey Box throughout the world, including Guangzhou province in China. Sorry Mikey, just because you can namedrop a region in China doesn't mean that you know a fucking thing about what goes on there. We go to Guangzhou. We go to Vietnam. We go to Bangladesh. We go to Pakistan. We go to Nicaragua. We go to Honduras. You get the picture. Niman and almost all activists do not. This is why we in our industry suggest that activists are all heart and no brains - most NGOs that drive our industry have nearly zero participation in verifying what they are making unsubstantiated claims about. Are there concerns? Surely. Is what you think, hear and read about Wal-Mart true? NO. Is the movie that was released this year criticising Wal-Mart factual? Mostly, no.

Understand this - I have a special and priveliged access to see what Niman and several activists are complaining about. If I were able to I could tell you all about it, from an insiders point of view. We are bound by NDAs that prevent us from revealing what it is that we see and precisely where. I could tell you all about the major problems that exist in various parts of the world relating to production for large discount chains. I could tell you about how Wal-Mart has affected labor in the United States - while most of what you buy in Wal-Mart is manufactured overseas you would be absolutely shocked by the sheer volume of American industry that is supported SOLELY by purchases from Wal-Mart. I could tell you about the standard by which Wal-Mart forces all of its global suppliers to adhere to as a condition of doing business and how without it a factory cannot sell to Wal-Mart. I could tell you about where some of the worst factories GLOBALLY are located (here's a hint - the flag is red, white and blue).

I could tell you about what workers in other countries make, what parts of the processes for various products are outsourced and what are not, I could give you a first hand account about the effects of outsourcing and how it has affected American industry in general, I could tell you about how most of the Nimans out there are lacking so much information that when I read what he writes about Wal-Mart I laugh out loud.... and why. I could tell you about the history of the Ethical Standards program, the current size of it, how committed Wal-Mart is to its own standard, how many firms currently audit Wal-Marts suppliers globally, the strength of the W-M standard compared to other independent standards, how many products have at least some ingredients sourced from China that are produced in the USA - the list goes on and on.

Believe me, Niman and several activists out there that don't have a fucking clue about what they are talking about want to talk to a guy like me if they are interested in getting the authentic scoop. Unfortunately for them, we don't spill the beans. Knowing what we know and seeing what we've seen, I can only say that what critics of Wal-Mart suggest are mostly wrong and are based on a complete and utter lack of factual information precisely because they do not have access like I do. Is Wal-Mart deserving of criticism? Yes... but not because of what you might think.

This is where I need some technically savvy people to give me some advice - (e:paul), (e:ajay), (e:ucsf) and the like.

Before I do that though, I would like to thank (e:ladycroft). Its always a birthday or holiday that I am always reminded about how distracted and too wrapped up into my own bullshit I can be. Not the best occasions to be sure but I have to tell you guys a story and thank a very thoughtful person.

I got up at 7am on my day off today to bring (e:jason) to work so that I could go get my check and a new tire for the car up at Uncle Wally. Seriously, they have fantastic looking pizzas and lasagnas at Wal-Mart and for a good price - I got a fresh lasagna for $6.50 today! Anyway, I digress. I have been BSing and running errands for almost 4 hours today in the rainy weather when I walk up my stairs and see a gift bag hanging by my doorknob. I'm thinking, "WTF, did my neighbor give Jay and I something? I barely see her!" I bring it in and open it, its from (e:ladycroft)!! I have no idea how that wound up on the doorknob and this is not the first time that she has managed to get a gift past the locked door into our hallway. If I ever need something stolen back for me I know who to call!

Anyway thank you (e:ladycroft) - you are an incredibly thoughtful person and you make me realize that at times I need to do more thoughtful things for people. (e:jason) cannot have the hat, and it is going to pain him not to know what I'm talking about until he comes home. I sincerely hope that this brings you at least a little bit of pleasure! Hahahaha. ITS MINE JASON!

I have a technical question to ask the compunerds around here. Cutting to the chase, this is what I want to know - is there a way to take a java applet based document and convert it into a format that I can either turn into a pdf, or otherwise make it so that I can at least cut and paste the text? We are putting together a package at work and instead of having to manually copy and retype everything manually I want to know if there is a way to do this easier.

Fantastic band - my bet is that they will be one of the next American bands to make it big.

Nothing to report - just wanted to say hi.

Thom Yorke has released an EP with 2 videos on it, Japanese import only, called 'Splitting Feathers."

They are selling it for $24.99 at New World, but I'll spare you spending the cash. Don't bother. Its an Aphex Twin retread and as a massive Radiohead fan I'm thrilled that Thom is getting this utter garbage out of his system, therefore sparing his main band from having to turn down this dreadful direction.

I'm ultra critical as a music buff, especially so regarding the bands that I love. Radiohead is no exception here. I'm convinced that anybody that thinks this is even remotely brilliant is simply paying lip service.

Anybody have any recommendations on some new and unheard stuff out there?

If you go to Tim Horton's today you get a free key chain! Ok... I'm easy to please at times. Leave me alone!

Still though, the reason why they are giving the key chains out is because they are opening their 3,000th store today. Can you believe it - 3,000 stores? I am fairly savvy about these kinds of things but I would have never guessed that there are 3,000 Timmy stores out there, especially considering that most of them are essentially in Canada and border areas.

They have a strawberry banana coconut doughnut now - its pink. Its amazing how people freak out over the doughnuts in that store. (e:jason) and I have a weekend ritual of getting up early enough for one of us to get coffee and snacks for us to wolf down while we watch football (soccer for you American types) and wake n' bake. I go to the newish Timmy on Delaware Ave. across from Gordon's, and that place is just obscenely busy if you stop there at noon on Saturdays.

Anyway, if you are a diehard Tim Horton's fanatic and want a keychain, allegedly they are giving these things away everywhere today.

EDIT: Two quick news stories that I found interesting today.

1. This is absolutely amazing. A former employee of IBM is suing them for wrongful termination and accusing them of causing his Internet addiction. $5 million in damages. He was fired for discussing a sex act in a chat room while at work. Sorry pal, life doesn't work that way. You fucked up, got fired for a clear breach of their Internet use policy and now you are out in the cold. Claiming that IBM is at fault because of your irresponsibility is laughable, and I'm certain that your case will be thrown out. This is one of the reasons why I feel that our legal system is at times an absolute farce with all of these frivolous cases. Anyway, here is the article -

2. A NYT article is highlighting a clinical trial that showed that circumcising African men may cut their risk of AIDS by 50%! This is a whopping and drastic decline... even modern medicine isn't as effective as putting the manhood 'under the knife.'