James's Journal

04/22/2008 00:17 #44094

Has Hillary Clinton Gone Bat Shit Insane
Category: politics

WTF?

"I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attack Iran," Clinton said. "In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them."

That is from a Good Morning America interview set to air this morning.

I hope that was just taken out of context, because that is absolutely insane. Like, i am scared she is even a senator, insane. Back up our ally Israel if they are attacked, fine. I am going to attack you when I am president, padded room insane.

I really hope in context she meant the former.

jim - 04/22/08 11:39
NUKE THEM FROM ORBIT IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO BE SURE

joshua - 04/22/08 10:21
Given the media climate I'm almost positive that was taken out of context. Clintons are too savvy for something that obviously reckless.

fellyconnelly - 04/22/08 08:31
if such a statement is not out of context, then HRC just grew the biggest set of cajones that has come out of this presidential race.

04/21/2008 16:46 #44085

Antici.......pation!
Category: politics

AHHHHH!!!

Six weeks since the last contest in this drawn out primary. They were hitting us every week, sometimes twice there for a while. But then we have this long, long break and the suspense has been killing me.

The contest will be crazylicious. Absolutely crazy. Six weeks ago polls had HRC up by over 20 points. But that lead has been eroding steadily. Most polls have her up around 8 points and some within the margin of error. Now, I am ridiculously optimistic at times but I am not expecting an Obama win at all. I will be shocked if he loses by under ten. For one, the polls themselves are pretty dubious. Polling firms with the best track records are very mixed, most floating around ten and twelve.

What is significant about all this pre-game stuff is how ineffective HRC's strategy has been. Polls overwhelmingly show no effect to the faux-fiasco with the 'bitter' remark, or Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers, who apparently is a big evil nasty or something. The news outlets talk about the hits he is talking for this. The polls shift by a whopping 1%, and not always in her favor. In short, the kitchen sink assault of last month really was the last of her ammunition.

Well, the primary is tomorrow. I plan on spending it glued to the nets.

james - 04/22/08 00:19
I will dance in the street if you are right Drew.

Tiny, you have music by the Scorpions? Like, at your fingertips that you can play at a moments notice? You, Ms.Pliny, are one metal chick!

tinypliny - 04/21/08 19:56
That reminded me of that rocking song by the Scorpions - "Love 'em or leave 'em" (unbreakable) :)

scurries off to play it*

drew - 04/21/08 17:53
I think Obama will make a strong showing, and maybe even win.

I know the demographics are against him, but Hilary ran a lousy campaign in PA, and he did great. I think an upset is in the works.

04/17/2008 10:15 #44034

Thesis Time
Category: school

Well, that was fast.

Apparently I have only one class and a thesis to write. Problem is I should have started looking into a topic last semester, if I was in that program. I have worked with two professors at Buff State. One of them works in a field I am not interested in, the other is on sabbatical next year.

So I spent yesterday talking to a few different professors to see if my interests and theirs match. One of them does American art history and I would love working with the guy. I have a class with him next semester, so it might work out.

But, as I am late in getting into this, I have been thinking of expanding my senior thesis. It was on the transition from a medieval mindset to a Renaissance/Humanist mindset in Northern Europe. It dealt heavily with artists like Bosch and Durer, as well as my hero Erasmus. Oh ya, I could put you folks to sleep talking about it. (begin historian/rock star voice) "Hello Buffalo! Are you ready to NAP!" (end)

There aren't many Early Modernist historians in this country. It was a period in vogue in the 70's and is due for a comeback sometime before I am dead. You can imagine my surprise to hear that one of the professor in the department not only is an Early Modernist, but also just wrote a book and my very topic but with a different focus. Jackpot!

I might actually have fun with this!

drew - 04/17/08 13:55
A convention with those sellouts? No way!

james - 04/17/08 11:59
OMG! Were you at Erasacon 2007 in Houston? ^_^

drew - 04/17/08 11:22
I like Erasmus, too.

04/15/2008 10:00 #44015

I'm Just Sayin'

A martini is made with gin.

A martini is always made with gin.

A martini is never made with vodka.

Now, a vodka martini. Yes, that is made with vodka.

But a martini is always, always, always made with gin.

Next bartender who makes me a martini with vodka looses an eye.

Thankfully estrip's own (e:TheJuggernaut) knows this and is to be loved for it.

But for the rest of you bartenders out there, learn how to tend bar.

fellyconnelly - 04/16/08 08:38
i like to swirl my can of champagne and contemplate things as well.

james - 04/15/08 12:03
You also cannot make a Rum and Coke with diet Tab, though some swear by its exotic, yet formidable flavor.

and "Hold up to light and swirl contemplatively" is a hilarious instruction.

jbeatty - 04/15/08 12:01
I thought that the juice from one lime wedge was sufficient to become a cuba libre. But i could be wrong.

drew - 04/15/08 11:52
Went to look up the Cuba Libra recipe and saw this:

A Pimp Named Slickback:
Scale ingredients to servings
1 oz triple sec
1/2 oz white rum
1 oz Rose'sÂ® lime juice
1 splash amaretto almond liqueur

Combine all ingredients in a goblet with a sugared rim. Hold up to light and swirl contemplatively.

Never had one, but the name of the drink caught my eye.

drew - 04/15/08 11:48
really? not lime juice, mind you, just a little piece of fruit. I am such a bad bartender, and at one point in my life, I got paid to tend bar (it was in Ireland though, so all I had to do was pull pints)

jbeatty - 04/15/08 11:46
but if you add lime its no longer rum and coke. Now its the exotic Cuba Libra.

drew - 04/15/08 11:38
And a rum and coke should always be made with rum.

Also, with Coke, or Pepsi if necessary, but only a little bit in either case.

A wedge of lime is nice, too. Or a slice.

Ice is good, too.

But mainly, the most important thing to get right is the rum.

megan - 04/15/08 11:18
mmm. i love gin

04/09/2008 14:51 #43962

The Circle Game

Ugh,

To get an MA in Social Studies education, you need about half pedagogy classes, half history. I walk into the history/S.S. ed. department to find out what I have to do to finish up my S.S. ed.MA. Reasonable, you cannot get that degree without finishing student teaching. So, I can't get that. However, they would be more than glad to have me in their history MA program.

crap.

So everything comes full circle and I am back to history again. Luckily, I have only four classes and a thesis to go.

ka-boom

james - 04/10/08 21:50
Sir Francistron Drake was the cyborg cosmonaut to claim pluto for England. You dreams are intact my dear.

tinypliny - 04/10/08 21:41
I thought you were a native of Pluto. You didn't need to crush my interplanetary dreams so brutally! :/

james - 04/10/08 17:27
as a side note, English is my native language. But you wouldn't guess that from the way I screw up homonyms.

james - 04/10/08 10:28
A curious bit about Childebert the Adopted. Seventh century typography was such that the letter 'o' looks quite a bit like 'a'. Many historians write his name out as Childebert the Adapted. Yes, it is true that he was an adopted son, but it is also true that he was a cyborg. In fact, he was the third cyborg German prince.

He had no need for cybernetic enhancements, but the Diet of Robots, Vampires, and Sentient Trees bailed out the government of its fantastic war debt and demanded one of their own be placed on the thrown. Chancellor Meternacht cleverly adapted the human heir to the thrown into a cyborg to ensure that human interests would not be completely ignored.

tinypliny - 04/10/08 09:28
Yeah! Totally rocking history trivia for today. I would be able to use it at office. Something to the effect of: If you cross that boundary marked by the discarded candy wrapper, I will dump my pen/pencil holding mug on you. It has precedent. Henry did it with his hounds to Leopold.

fellyconnelly - 04/09/08 23:00
wasn't it wonderful how King Henry XXIV released the hounds on Leopold XXV after the border of Brandenburg was breached during the reign of Childebert the Adopted?

tinypliny - 04/09/08 20:01
Ah. Gotcha. Like an education decision maker/administrator as opposed to minion teacher. Rock on. All the best!

james - 04/09/08 19:51
I would have an advanced degree in education. That seems more relevant to the sort of careers I am exploring. But, at this point, I want any advanced degree so I can stop school, start paying back my lones, and be a productive member of society.

tinypliny - 04/09/08 19:41
Okay. Shoot me if I am lame. But why on earth would you want an SS.Ed degree if you hate teaching? What do you intend to do with an .Ed degree if not teach?

james - 04/09/08 19:35
Felly: Just make it up as you go along, that is what I do ^_^

Pliny: What is stopping me is hating it. I was teaching kidos at some point but dropped it like a stinky potato. And I can use a bunch of those classes towards this. This way will actually be less work and work I would rather do. So I have no problem with it.

Chicky: I can and I am. ^_^

museumchick - 04/09/08 19:32
You can use probably use one or two of those classes as an independent study- and you can use the independent study to help you prepare for writing your thesis. At least that's what I did in the Museum Studies concentration.

tinypliny - 04/09/08 19:01
I don't get it. What's stopping you from finishing the practical teaching part? If that is the only part stopping you, just push for it and complete it. And weren't you teaching the kids at some point? Can't you use that experience?

fellyconnelly - 04/09/08 15:55
remember when we said that we were going to discuss history together? then i think i realized that I really don't know that much about history. And then i gave up.