Worst President? Historians–Fair and Balanced May 31, 2007
Posted by skinbad in History, Politics.comments closed
I have a book on hand titled Rating the Presidents (2000). Over 700 historians were polled. The presidents received a ranking from 1-41 in the following areas:
- Leadership qualities
- Accomplishments and crisis management
- Political skill
- Appointments
- Character and integrity
From these scores, an overall ranking was given. Top ten are: Lincoln, F. Roosevelt, Washington, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt, Wilson, Truman, Jackson, Eisenhower, and Madison.
Clinton is 23rd. Reagan is 26th. Carter is 19th.
Carter ranked higher than Reagan in “Accomplishment and crisis management.” Clinton ranked higher than Reagan in “Character and integrity.” FYI.
Worst President May 31, 2007
Posted by Sobek in AA - Uncategorized.comments closed
So someone pointed out to Ace that George W. Bush is the worst President of the 21st Century, and I think that’s pretty much indisputable at this point.
That leads naturally to the next question: who was the worst President of the 18th Century? I’m saying John Adams. I mean the guy had, at the most, like three dicks? No way can he compete with George Washington:
Great Apes Threatened By Global Warming!!! May 30, 2007
Posted by Michael in Economics, Food, Politics.comments closed
Yet another crisis.
Apparently, as we shift away from fossil fuels to save our species from extinction, the increasing use of palm oil and so forth will threaten the habitat of great apes.
Great apes are facing an “inevitable crisis” arising from climate change, a leading conservationist has warned.
Dr Richard Leakey said that growing pressure to switch from fossil fuels to biofuels could result in further destruction of the animals’ habitats.
The chair of WildlifeDirect called for immediate action and proposed financial incentives to save forests from destruction as one possible solution.
He said: “Climate change will undoubtedly impact everything we know.”
I bet that “financial incentives” means that my taxes will go up.
Nobody seems to be thinking about the upside of global warming. For example, if the polar ice caps suddenly melt and Florida is submerged by cataclysmic flooding, I’m thinking that Social Security and Medicare would both be solvent. That’s a good thing, right?
I’m actually OK with the extinction of great apes. A few years ago, a gorilla jumped through my bedroom window and attacked me, so I had to wrestle with it. Like that Israeli guy had to wrestle with a leopard.
I finally subdued it with a Half Nelson. My kids thought this was hilarious, but this gorilla was actually dangerous. He looked mean.
So, if global warming wipes out these pests, I’m really pretty relaxed about it.
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Great apes ‘facing climate peril’
I realize that I have been remiss lately in offering excellent music selections. Sorry, I’ve just been lazy about it.
I’ll make it up to you with this one:
[sonific=6171853143e51f0d8d872839a7552a8e7ea6a178]
The Preakness 2007 May 30, 2007
Posted by harrison in Heroes, Humor, Man Laws, Philosophy, Science, Sports.comments closed
Now we all know that horse racing is the “Sport of Kings.”
In My Fair Lady, all of the people in the scenes at Ascot are obviously upper crust.
(Well, except one.)
Well-behaved folks like this:
But let me tell you of the groundlings.
Baltimore, Maryland.
The Preakness, second race of the world-famous Triple Crown.
The Infield.
With alcohol and boredom comes entertainment and sport.
For your pleasure:
The Running Of The Urinals.
h/t to my brother Andy, who watched it live.
Wrestling With A Leopard May 29, 2007
Posted by Michael in Man Laws, Personal Experiences.comments closed
JERUSALEM – A man clad only in underwear and a T-shirt wrestled a wild leopard to the floor and pinned it for 20 minutes after the cat leapt through a window of his home and hopped into bed with his sleeping family.”This kind of thing doesn’t happen every day,” said 49-year-old Arthur Du Mosch, a nature guide. “I don’t know why I did it. I wasn’t thinking, I just acted.”
Well, that doesn’t happen to me every day either. But when a wild predator jumps through a window onto my bed, I “just act” also. I mean, duh. You’ve got to do something.
This is a pretty lame looking leopard anyway.
Arthur admits that the leopard was not much of a contestant.
Du Mosch said he probably would not have been able to control the big cat were it in better health. As a nature guide, he said, he was familiar with animals and did his best to hold down the leopard without harming it. He said he took it all in stride, “but the kids were excited.”
Kids are like that. They get a huge kick out of watching wild animals jump through the window and wrestle with Dad.
My kids are grown up now, so I just let Mrs. Michael deal with this situation when it arises. I mean, with the Spurs in the playoffs and all, I just don’t have time for that shit.
It has a good beat and you can dance to it May 29, 2007
Posted by skinbad in Ducks, Economics.Tags: Handblogging
comments closed
A lady at work told me about this iGasm (SFW) business today. Apple isn’t happy with the ads which are riffs on the iPod theme. It does seem pretty blatant. I often find myself shaking my head wondering why the average person wouldn’t think this (or whatever new idea) is an obvious use of the technology, but I know I could live to be a thousand years old and this never would have crossed my mind.
I started thinking of what should be on the playlist and creeped myself out and stopped.
But not until I’d already thought of “Fat Bottomed Girls.”
Helpful Signage May 29, 2007
Posted by Michael in Humor.comments closed
Thanks to regular reader John at Average Gay Joe. John has a Memorial Day tribute to our troops here, including a moving video. For something a little different, you can also see the Gay Jaws video at his blog.
As promised, photo evidence of Sobek’s visit May 29, 2007
Posted by skinbad in Blogroll, Ducks, Food, Gardening, Travel.comments closed
He’s all like, “Hey, let’s bury a duck.” And I’m all, “We just met, dude.” And he’s all, “If it’s good for a chuckle, it’s worth it, man.” And I’m like, “I don’t know. My wife’s here.” And then he reached for a shovel and I’m like, “Duuude. OK. Let’s bury that duck!” Whew.
Crisis in Utah May 29, 2007
Posted by daveintexas in Economics.comments closed
Liquor distribution gummed up, citizens surly.
Apparently a combination of legal constraints and booming growth in St. George, Utah have local imbibers standing in long lines for short supplies. Like Murmanskians in line for toilet paper. Hey, at least they had cheap vodka to drink while waiting to buy two rolls of Zharmin-ski.
126,000 citizens. One liquor store. Do the math. A state owned and operated store, and you can just forget about any Mr. John Daniels on Presidents Day.
I predict nothing good can come of this. Some citizens have already turned to bootlegging.
This Just In…Men Know How to Shop May 28, 2007
Posted by Pupster in Man Laws, Personal Experiences, Philosophy, Women Ranting.comments closed
Grocery, Retail Stores Hardest Hit
So I just got back from the store, and I’m feeling kind of overwhelmed and confused. I mean more than usual. I thought it was just the Memorial Day festivities yard work that made me over-tired and a little groggy, but it turns out that grocery shopping while wearing testicles is the problem.
From Reuters via Yahoo News:
Help! Grocery store still overwhelming to men
…In a recent report titled “Men in Grocery Stores,” Putnam said that men shop inefficiently, which leads to missed sales for retailers.
Many men have difficulty finding items, fore-go buying rather than risk purchasing a substitute for an item on the grocery list and hesitate to ask for help if they can’t find an item, Putnam said in her report.
It appears to me that this particular study demonizes men as overwhelmed, but defines “whelmed” as buying a bunch of crap off the shelves that he doesn’t need/want. I say the damn STORE is inefficient if it doesn’t have what I’m looking for where I expect to find it, clearly marked with flashing lights and Hooter’s girls on the package.
Unlike women, male shoppers typically focus more on convenience than price, and retailers will need to cater to that need in order to attract them to their stores, consultants said.
Bingo. Fix the store so it’s easier for my dumb ass to find what I want, and I will buy it. Hell, I’ll even pay more. I’m not a comparison shopper, I’m a hunter/gatherer.
Men shop like they are on a commando raid. Hit ’em hard, hit ’em fast, and get the hell out of there. If you hide the trash bags in the cookware/baking needs aisle, I’m not going back a few aisles to look for them…I’ll use grocery bags in the trash cans, and the store misses out on a sale. Plus I get to say ‘paper’ at the checkout line and listen to the enviro-weenies gasp. Good times.
Unlike women, men tend to hone in on the specific thing they want to buy instead of surveying the entire aisle, consultants said.
Men also tend to bristle at the overwhelming number of choices in grocery aisles, with the cereal aisle being one prime example, Putnam said.
I’m bristling just thinking about it. If I’m used to Captain Crunch being right next to Cheerios, and you move The Captain because Cheerios has a new “Dingle-berry Flavor” with big shiny dingles on the box, it pisses me off. I’m not overwhelmed, I’m frustrated. I’m not going to buy your damn Cheerios, I want my Captain Crunch back where it was.
Dave in Texas’ Memorial Day Activity Post May 28, 2007
Posted by daveintexas in Ducks, Gardening, Sex, Sports, Terrorist Hemorrhoids, Women Ranting.Tags: Spudders
comments closed
A video.
It’s got drama. Pathos. A vocal performance.
Everything you wanted.
Everything you need.
Rolling Thunder May 28, 2007
Posted by harrison in Heroes, History, Philosophy, Politics, Websites.comments closed
I’ve posted a few photos from this year’s run.
Innocent Bystanders 