Fodder, and a Mudder, and Teaser Stallions

A horsey friend of mine writes with more information, more "fodder" if you will, for the horse sex thread. (If you add a race horse who specializes in wet tracks, you get a mudder to go along with the fodder).

Friend notes, in an email:

In fairness it should be noted that there are also teaser stallions, because one wouldn't want to allow a valuable breeding stallion to mount an unwilling mare, now would one? Not much sexual dimorphism in the horse world, so she is well able to protect herself, if uninterested.

This of course only necessary if one is planning to rely not on artificial insemination but on -- another lovely phrase -- live cover. No napping there because, as you note, of the head-smacking thing.


Llive cover? Sounds like a strip club I know in New Orleans. I've just seen the outside, of course. Very nice outside.

And, if i understand what my friend says, the teaser stallion has got to be the most pathetic, loser job in the universe. Worse than being a grad student in English Lit, though not by much. Most teaser stallions, most times, likely just get kicked in the chest, because the mare has a headache.

But if the teaser stallion DOES get her all hot, and it turns out she says, "Give it to me, baby, uh HUH, uh HUH*"...THEN THE TEASER STALLION GETS PULLED AWAY!

"NOOOOOOOOOoooooOOOOOO! She likes me! Just give me five minutes! Three minutes! 30 seconds! Oh, GOD, NOOOOOOooooo...."

Then, he has to WATCH while the high dollar stud ("I'll take it from here, loser!") starts gettin' busy with the mare that the poor teaser stallion just seduced. Should call him the "Cuckold Stallion."

Here is a picture of Hootie, a "mare ovulation prediction technician." As if the euphemism helps....

The site says: "Hootie earns his oats by teasing mares. (Teasing is the process of bringing mare and stallion together to determine, by the mare's reactions, if she is in the receptive and fertile portion of her reproductive cycle.) Hootie LOVES big mares, so he enjoys his job." I LIKE BIG HORSE BUTTS, YOU KNOW I CAN NOT LIE!!

Poor Hootie. Who's he kidding? Doesn't the poor teaser stallion get all hot, too? What about HIS needs? Do they at least let him borrow the big wooden girl-horse for a few minutes, later? I mean, he doesn't have opposable thumbs, so he can't very well take matters into his own hands. Maybe watch some video, perhaps an old Flicka movie, and then bring on the Trojan horse, complete with horse-sized Trojan?




Otherwise, as we are told here, "stallions used heavily for teasing may develop 'frustration-induced behavior changes.'"

I bet so. In fact, I think being a teaser stallion may be worst job in the world.

(It's been a while, so I should say: apologies to the Offspring, and their song, "Pretty Fly")

Mencken Rising

Had trouble sleeping last night, read some THE MENCKEN CHRESTOMATHY I keep at bedside to soothe me.

Found this: "Sometimes, a politician must rise above his principles." Fell asleep immediately.

This morning, though, I was curious: did Mencken say it FIRST?

I have seen the thought attributed, in very similar form, to Lincoln, though I find no authority for this.

Still, WHOEVER said it, as good a statement of the Downsian model as I have seen, in succinct form.

Mencken's Creed

• I believe that religion, generally speaking, has been a curse to mankind - that its modest and greatly overestimated services on the ethical side have been more than overcome by the damage it has done to clear and honest thinking.
• I believe that no discovery of fact, however trivial, can be wholly useless to the race, and that no trumpeting of falsehood, however virtuous in intent, can be anything but vicious.
  I believe that all government is evil, in that all government must necessarily make war upon liberty...
• I believe that the evidence for immortality is no better than the evidence of witches, and deserves no more respect.
• I believe in the complete freedom of thought and speech...
  I believe in the capacity of man to conquer his world, and to find out what it is made of, and how it is run.
• I believe in the reality of progress.
• I - But the whole thing, after all, may be put very simply. I believe that it is better to tell the truth than to lie. I believe that it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe that it is better to know than be ignorant.

Herald Sun Story

A nice piece in the Durham Herald Sun, on my run for governor. Quite fair, and no sneering at all.

Quite different from the question I usually get on TV shows: "Aren't libertarians just the weird party?" Thanks, thanks very much for that wise question. Did you get up early this morning to think of that?

A Rather Serious Criticism

A rather serious criticism, smearing my intellect, and political integrity, has been written by the good John Bruce. These claims, that I am inconsistent, hypocritical, and illogical, would be of concern if proven. I leave the reader to decide.

Let us think of two sets of actions:

1. The set of things I would do if I were king of the world, and could simply impose those policies I believe to be good.

2. The set of things I do, in fact, as myself rather than as king of the world, and possessing as I do only puny powers to effect change in politics and economic regulation.

Mr. Bruce, hearing that I ride on Amtrak and enjoy it, concludes that if I were king of the world, I would continue Amtrak in its current state, with all its wasteful subsidies. This logical leap baffles me.

My claim was more modest, as befits my modest faculties. GIVEN that Amtrak exists, and GIVEN that the train is going to run anyway, should I ride it? I said yes, I like it, it's convenient, and it doesn't cost much.

If I travel by Amtrak, whose trains will be running anyway, and whose unionized employees and dining facilities I have myself decried in a previous post, then do I "cost" the republic anything more? Does it cost the U.S. government for me to ride the train?

In terms of average cost, of course it does. One takes total cost, and divide by number of riders. And Mr. Bruce goes to surprising length to fetishize this non sequitur. The claim seems to be that by riding the train I am, indeed, costing taxpayers money.

But this is an absurd fallacy. At the margin, the cost to Amtrak of my occupying a seat, one of many which would otherwise have been empty, and my use of the dining car, which was open and staffed in any case, is near zero. By patronizing Amtrak, and paying more than marginal, though less than average, cost, in fact I am reducing their deficit. Far from costing Mr. Bruce, I am saving him a bit of coin, and expected from him a bit of gratitude. (sniffle)

As for the apparent belief that I am king of the world, I am flattered, but confused. Sure, if I were king, I would be a libertarian king, and end public subsidies of Amtrak. But what does that have to do with deciding, as a simple citizen, whether to ride an Amtrak that exists over my protests? They are just separate questions. And by writing that I like Amtrak, do I commit an offense, in that others might read, and try the train also? I don't see how. More riders will reduce the deficit, and weigh down the growing lightness of the apoplectic J. Bruce's coin purse.

The comments about my income, multiplying the magnitude of my theivery as a "privileged elite"? Well, in a person I respect less than Mr. Bruce, I would say these reveal a sniveling, puling envy. In this case, I assume the comments are simply uncharacteristic, and manners require that I ignore them, much as one ignores flatulence at a dinner party.

Don't Get Me STARTED on Subsidies to Transport

Okay, now I'm pissed off.

An exchange, reproduced from my good man S. Carlson's blog, Coldspring Shops. Also, a response to a gentle reader, commenting on an earlier post on trains.

The comment, from the good John Bruce, on my post:

One reason the Palmetto doesn't cost Prof. Munger $420 for the same distance -- I'm sure you understand this, Mr. Super -- is that taxpayers nationally are forking over the difference in per-passenger Amtrak costs that Prof. Munger doesn't have to pay. Among other things, there are folks in Nevada or South Dakota who will never, ever have any reason to ride business class on the Palmetto, but helped Prof. Munger pay the costs of his trip.

On top of that, I believe a CBO study has pointed out that the premium Amtrak services, such as business class, sleeping and lounge cars, actually lose more money than the basic coach service. I can see funding Amtrak as a bare-bones necessity, but setting things up so a well-heeled PoliSci prof at Duke can have a glass of wine as he travels, much of which is on our nickel, is something else. The food service on Amtrak, of course, is one of the most egregious loss-producers. How much did I pay for Prof. Munger's wine on last year's 1040, I wonder?

Whoa, whoa, whoa: We are spending $100 billion on a war to protect gas prices so you can fuel your SUV! I wonder how much I am paying so you can sit in traffic and watch taillights ahead of you. How much revenue are we getting from that? You use the roads for free! At least I paid something to use the railroad. You are just stealing my money, in your car, man.

We spend billions and billions improving the road bed and facilities for cars, and our revenues are....ZERO. We get some money from gas excise taxes, but most states use those for other purposes. Why not a call for toll roads, or making roads pay their own way? You are comparing apples and hookers.

The real problem, from an economic point of view, is of course the difference average and marginal costs. The marginal cost of providing seat space for my oversized butt, and my NYT and coffee, was less than the $29 extra in revenue. So, they made money on the business class sale. Now, sure, in terms of average costs, they lose a lot.

But, again, how much do we lose on roads? The "tickets" on most roads are zero! And thousands of our best young people are fighting to subsidize gas prices. We wouldn't care any more about the middle east than we appear to care about Darfur, without the oil. Maybe that is reprehensible, but our subsidies to cars, and to air, are huge. They just aren't factored into the operating costs of cars and planes. Almost makes me want to advocate a Pigouvian excise tax!

I said, almost.

UPDATE: Dirty Davey, as usual gets it right, in a comment: I'm sure Amtrak will turn a profit for the government at the same time I-95 does.

Why is that so hard for otherwise wise people to understand? I'm just all upset. I'ma'go drive my Lincoln Town Car on the interstate, and spend some of John Bruce's money using up asphalt. And he is going to get NOTHING for it, not a penny. At least I paid for part of my own wine, pal! (I have to admit that I do enjoy the Mt. Hollywood blog of John's, but I have to say, in a pathetic bid to get added to the list of insults on the top right column there: JOHN BRUCE CAN BITE ME!)

Le Petite Mort, and a Special Hat

So, I was following up the Nutty Buddy, to see if anyone had posted interesting comments on other blogs.

There was a great thread, on Wonkette, from her codependent friend Teaser Mare. Fair enough: I refer you to the thread.

But, then I got to wondering what a "Teaser Mare" was.

Well, funny I should ask. This link will no doubt not be news to anyone intimately involved (and I mean that) in the horse breeding business.

BUT GODFREY FREAKIN' DANIELS! WHAT THE HELL?

Tried to pick my favorite parts of what is after all quite a short page. But there are so many things that stand out (sorry). A top six list of my favorite excerpts:

Number 6: "Certain combinations of tranquilizers have been used to induce ejaculation from stallions." Really? That combination of tranquilizers would be of interest to me. Does anyone have the recipe? Though, the tranquilizers may be unnecessary if sleep can be achieved naturally (see #1, below).

Number 5: The idea of a teaser mare, just the very idea. A hot chick you get to nuzzle, before going out with her wooden sister. Teaser mares are equine "fluffers." If you want more information about fluffers, then here. Sicko.

Number 4: "Stallion semen often contains a large volume of gel"...So Cameron Diaz doesn't look so stupid now, does she? Just ahead of her time.

Number 3: "The images below show a typical series of events in collecting semen from a stallion. Note that all the involved people are wearing helmets." Wow. Just....wow.

Number 2: "Use of an artificial vagina is far and away the most common method for collecting semen from stallions. The AV used with stallions is similar to that used for species such as bulls, except larger. [EXCEPT LARGER!!! REALLY??] The image below shows a popular design of a stallion AV (disassembled). Due to the large ejaculate volume, a collection bottle is used instead of a tube. The blue cone next to the AV is not a special hat worn by the semen colletor; rather it is an insulating cone that is placed over the end of the AV to shield the semen collection bottle from thermal shock." It would be SO much better if it were a special hat. Of course, he'd have to wear it under his HELMET.

Number 1: The stallion, having completed the nasty, TAKES A NAP ON TOP OF THE FAKE MARE! I've been there, bro; I've been there. The web page says he's "resting." Like hell; he's passed out. Le petite mort, stallion style. Now that I think of it, though, that's a real advantage to the whole wooden girlfriend thing: after a couple of minutes, real women start smacking you in the head and yelling at you to get off...

ATSRTWT.

New Camera, and Charleston....

Got a new digi-camera for my birthday, hopelessly archaic but for that reason perfect for my picture taking skills. Some examples of my first efforts:

Me and the future First Lady of North Carolina, at a charity event. (Okay, so I didn't take the picture...)














Me at the site of the sarcophagus of John Caldwell Calhoun, VP of the US and author of the truly strange "Disquisition on Government."

I took this using the timer feature, and perching the camera atop a nearby gravestone. Before getting this, I got shot of my nostrils when I set the time too short (1 sec; who would EVER need that?), and of the sky when the camera fell off backwards while I lumbered over to the tomb. When I turned around, the camera was gone. I briefly panicked, fearing ghosts, but it had just fallen onto the poor schmoe's grave, behind the tombstone I was using for a table.

And, just to prove that I don't just take pictures of myself, here is my good friend Cindy Nielsen in Charleston. Just before I took this picture, Cindy had seen the door and had asked (before I could stop her) an obvious student, carrying laundry, "Is there a University here?" The kid stammered, and said, "Yes ma'am, the College of Charleston."


I took the picture to dispel the notion that there are just free-standing Department of Political Science doorways, without associated Universities. (I know, I get a Tofe for doing this, but it is a great picture).

The Palmetto: I'm a Trainie

I am now a truly confirmed trainie.

Not a "trainee", mind you. A trainie loves trains, like a foodie loves food.

Took the Palmetto south, from Wilson, NC to Charleston, SC for the LF conference. Took it back north, four days later.

Business class was $62 each way. Four hours, and it was 15 minutes late. I got to the station ten minutes before departure, and just got on the train, like I was a citizen of a nation with protections for personal liberties, instead of a focus on body searches.

Train lets you off near the downtown, and there's a taxi about 30 yards away from train steps. Three minutes off the train, and you are on your way to the hotel.

No cattle car treatment, no indignities from jack-booted thugs ripping shampoo out of luggage. No $420 for being shuttled around some irrational set of hubs and spokes. (Yes, that would have been the airfare for the same trip).

Free New York Times, free coffee and juice, a 120 v plug for my laptop, and room to stretch out for a nice little nappie. On the way back, I reread nearly all of v. III of Churchill's history of WWII, "The Grand Alliance." How civilized. Had a nice red wine from the dining car, which I strolled back to get without having some harried harpy snap at me to get my butt back in the seat, because the captain is afraid of liability. You can stand up for miles, just like you were a grown-up.

And the theater of my beloved southland being performed outside my window, a new fall landscape around every turn. Swamps, bright foliage, shacks overgrown with kudzu, and a lot of churches and graveyards holding the hopes of long ago.

Planes have captains; trains have engineers. And the guys who work with passengers are "conductors," conducting a symphony of sound, sights, and echoes of simpler time.

Give me the train, any time.

Lib'n Rap

Several people sent me this.

From MK: this

From BN: this

Overheard at a Liberty Fund Conference.....

Some snippets from the Liberty Fund Conference in Charleston, SC. Hosted by the good Simmons, and overseen by Ubergruppencalffuhrer Nielsen.

1. At dinner: Young woman-- "I just love the way (famous person) writes!"
Young man-- "Dry....very dry."
Young woman-- "Do you think so? I think he writes well!"
Young man-- "I was talking about the wine."

2. At hospitality: Different young woman-- "I think I'll convert and become a Mormon.
Same young man-- "Oh, you just want to hump [Mormon Adonis]." (NOTE: Mormon Adonis happens to be in the room also, and clearly hears comment)
Young woman-- " "
(This incident led to the creation of a new award, for a comment so inappropriate, so gratuitous, so unexpected, and so casually delivered, that it ends conversation for an entire evening. The award is "The Tofe." If someone wins, you extend your arm, bump fists, and say: "Nice one. That's a Tofe.")

Not Even the Onion Would Make This Up....

The horror.....the horror.....Parents gone wild.

Commentary, some more.

And then, they DID get to play....

(Nod to JT)

At a SOCCER game?

Nazi speech played before H.S. game

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Part of a Nazi leader's speech was played over the
public address system before a high school soccer game, prompting an apology
by the home team's principal.

Forestview High School principal Robert Carpenter said neither he nor his
team's coach knew about the speech before the 90-second excerpt was played
during warmups Saturday, according to a letter he sent Monday to visiting
Charlotte Catholic High School.

The speech, by Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, was in German.
Carpenter said in the letter the team had adopted the slogan "On to
victory," and a German exchange student who plays on the team had taught
other students how to say the phrase in German.

"Some of our more zealous students sought to capture this slogan in German
and to play it on the PA," Carpenter wrote.

School officials said two players had downloaded the speech off the
Internet, and no adult heard it before it was played at the field, The
Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday.

Catholic coach Gary Hoilett said his squad was "just real shocked."

"All of us stopped and looked up at the booth," Hoilett said.

Hoilett, who is black, said some Forestview players also shouted racial
epithets at his two black players. Gaston school officials said they
interviewed 14 people, including coaches, officials and players, but did not
find conclusive evidence of that.

Hoilett called the Forestview principal's apology "lame."

"You don't toss something like that to the corner," he said.

The Gaston County district will now require school personnel to listen to
any recording before it is played over the public address system.

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association was investigating. If
wrongdoing is found, penalties could include probation, fines or loss of
home games.

"It's really hard to fathom in this day and time," association spokesman
Rick Strunk said.

Forestview won the playoff game 1-0.

I guess it was just a prank, yank the chain of all those grown-ups.

But holy cow. Plus, now the school thought police have to listen to recordings. Seems like a pretty significant overreaction.

But holy cow. I tend to dismiss vague charges of racism as made up...But holy cow. Even if you are just invoking some offensive symbol of the past to get a rise out of adults....

I realize I'm repeating myself. But...well, here's the thing. How could kids in HIGH SCHOOOL have so little knowledge of historical context that they would be surprised that people would be offended? How would a GERMAN KID not know? Germans are (or were) hyper-sensitive about associating themselves with Nazi iconography.

Insert Your Own....

Insert Your Own...well, Joke, here:

"Johnson County's election commissioner is reporting sporadic problems with
the county's touch-screen voting system. Commissioner Brian Newby said the issues aren't with the touch-screen machines themselves, but with separate machines that encode cards that voters plug into the machines. When encoded, each card contains a single ballot for the voter to cast. Newby said encoders at a half-dozen sites have failed to read their cards and have had to be shut down to eject the cards so they could be encoded again. Sometimes, he said, a bit of hand lotion on the card will do it." [KAKE/AP]

Hard to know where to start with that one. So, I'll leave to my loyal readers.

(nod to KL)

If you don't understand, ask a Cubs fan

"BTW, Kerry is simply relieved that he won't become the Steve Bartman of Democratic politics."

(from the National Journal)

(Nod to MWT. See you in Charleston!)

UPDATE: more from MWT: "I don't know if todd is a cubs fan, but this is really the apt analogy, compared to say buckner. buckner had the power to make the out himself and he actually had to do something where as kerry like bartman should have just stayed out of the way and let everyone else do what they were doing."

Go, Libertarians, its your Birthday!

From the Economist:

16:42 GMT +00:00
Libertarians emerge as a force
Posted by:
Economist.com NEW YORK
Categories:
Third parties
GLUM Republicans might turn their attention to the Libertarian Party to vent their anger. Libertarians are a generally Republican-leaning constituency, but over the last few years, their discontent has grown plain. It isn't just the war, which some libertarians supported, but the corruption and insider dealing, and particularly the massive expansion of spending. Mr Bush's much-vaunted prescription drug benefit for seniors, they fume, has opened up another gaping hole in America's fiscal situation, while the only issue that really seemed to energise congress was passing special laws to keep a brain-damaged woman on life support.
In two of the seats where control looks likely to switch, Missouri and Montana, the Libertarian party pulled more votes than the Democratic margin of victory. Considerably more, in Montana. If the Libertarian party hadn't been on the ballot, and the three percent of voters who pulled the "Libertarian" lever had broken only moderately Republican, Mr Burns would now be in office.
Does this mean that the libertarians are becoming a force in national elections, much as Ralph Nader managed to cost Al Gore a victory in 2000? Hope springs eternal among third party afficionadoes, but the nature of the American electoral system, which directly elects representatives in a first-past-the-post system, makes it nearly impossible for third parties to gain traction. The last time it happened was in the 1850's, when the Whig party dissolved over internal disputes about slavery, opening the way for the emerging Republican party to put Abraham Lincoln in office. And acting as a spoiler is dubiously effective at achieving one's goals. In theory, it could pull the Repubicans towards the Libertarians, but in practice, it may just elect Democrats, pushing the nation's economic policy leftwards.

(From InstaPundit, who seems skeptical, via PM, with thanks!)

Voters Knew She Died, But They Wanted Change

In classical spatial theory, the challenger should always win, right? Incumbent occupies a space in a multidimensional policy space; for nearly any configuration of preferences, that means the win set of the incumbent location is non-empty.

Proof:

"A woman who died two months ago won a county commissioner's race in Jerauld
County [South Dakota] on Tuesday. Democrat Marie Steichen, of Woonsocket,
got 100 votes, defeating incumbent Republican Merlin Feistner, of
Woonsocket, who had 64 votes. Jerauld County Auditor Cindy Peterson said she
believes the county board will have to meet to appoint a replacement for
Steichen. Peterson said she'll check with the state's attorney to be sure
that's the process. Peterson said voters knew Steichen had died. 'They just
had a chance to make a change, and we respect their opinion.'" [AP]

So, even a dead challenger can beat an incumbent. Spatial theory rules! Green and Shapiro can BITE me!

(nod to KL for the reference, and to SdM for the interpretation)

News from the front

A report, from anonyman:

I've been monitoring polls in Northern Va. It's been a "presidential turnout" so far today according to every polling official I talked to. I don't think this bodes well for Macacawitz.

Well, well. If MT, MO, and VA really do all go Dem, then it's 51-49 with the Senate flying a D flag. Hard not to be happy. Given that the R win in Tennessee was based on an ad that did everything but mention "Big buck negroes, chasing after your white women..."

Heard on the Quad

I'm walking on the quad at Duke, leaving the Perk. Four young women talking in a cluster. Imagine a kind of Dopler effect in the following, as I walk past, and hear the following snippet:

"I can't believe she called on her like that."

"She always calls people out; I hate that."

"She calls on you if you make eye contact! It's terrible."

"But if you are looking down, she'll call on you. And she wants you to do the reading."

"I know! Such a witch!"

"I look almost at her, but a little off to the left. Stare like you are thinking. You want to look interested, but not too interested. That way, she won't call on you. She never calls on me."

And, by now I am out of earshot, receding. Feel free not to take any of my classes, ladies. I expect you to have done the readings, too.

Rumbling, Mumbling, Tumbling....

1. Rumors of high turnout, in Chatanooga and in the Commonwealth . Bad for Repubs. Folks don't get up out of their chairs to go out in the rain to vote for the party in power.

2. Ky. poll worker charged with assault, interfering with electionfrom Stephen Bach, CNN Washington Bureau--> LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- A poll worker was arrested Tuesday and charged with assault and interfering with an election for allegedly choking a voter and pushing the voter out the door, an official said.Election officials called police, and the voter wanted to file charges, said Paula McCraney, a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Clerk. "That about tops off the day," McCraney said.It wasn't immediately clear what sparked the altercation. The name of the poll worker was not released and a Louisville police spokesman did not immediately return calls seeking comment. Posted 11/07/2006 12:49:00 PM (CNN)

3. Don't leave home without it, Guv!--> ATLANTA (CNN) -- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford probably wishes he checked his pockets before heading out the door this morning.Sanford was turned away from his polling place as cameras were rolling because he forgot his voter registration card. Sanford went to vote at Sullivan Island Elementary School near his family home, but the photo-op went awry as the governor began looking though his wallet. "I don't have the blue card with me," he said.Smiling sheepishly, Sanford called home to get the numbers, but officials told him he had to present the card itself. Sanford then went to a nearby voter registration office to be issued a new card, and finally was able to cast his ballot."This is want you want," Sanford said, praising the workers for doing their job. "I admire her; she's being conscientious." -- CNN Senior National Editor Steve Brusk (CNN)

prediction

So, the Senate will be 50 R - 50 D (no more Jeffords as an "Independent.") The tie will be broken by Vice President Dick Cheney. An awful state of affairs. Like kissing your sister, only she calls the cops.

The House? The range I have seen:

Guru List:
Congressional Quarterly: 212-199-24
Charlie Cook: 223-197-15
Stu Rothenberg: 237-192-6
Larry Sabato: 232-203
Electoral-vote.com: 241-193-1
Votemaster: 235-200
(source here)

Now, I have been saying 223-225 D for sure, but have been reluctant to go up from there.

The Guru totals above assume, for example, that Hayes loses to Kissell in the NC 8th. I'm not convinced. It could happen, but I have doubts.

And, if Kissell does win, then that is a bellwether. My 225 will be low. Because the set of things that would have to be true, about a national swing, for Hayes to lose in that district, are pretty extreme.

The State of Things

My good friends at WUNC were kind enough to pause, in the middle of their annual NPR-style fund drive, to chat for an hour on "The State of Things."

Their web site, if you want to contribute, and haven't yet. SCUM!

The MP3 of the interview (long! 53 mins).

Frank Stasio's page. He's the host, and a fine fellow. Very fair and able to separate his own views (which tend toward...well, toward not exactly like mine, to say the least) and the story being told by the person being interviewed. A credit to public radio, that Frank.

Finally, their blog. That big hunky Dave DeWitt and I are having a dispute about "running the gauntlet." I claim it has to be "gantlet," and he of course says, "yo mama!" My authority can be found here....

El Jefe, In a Nutshell: A Fine Video

Apparently, from an actual product: Make SURE you watch the video. One of the finest pieces of cinematography ever. Best moment in the video: A tie, between when the poor high school girl has to hold up two baseballs to show that they are hard, and then again when Mark Littell announces that he has "real cajones. I'm not a transvestite!" I was unwarily drinking tea when I first heard that, and I spit tea on my keyboard. Watch the video, please.

But even the ad copy is worth reading:

The Nutty Buddy is a revolutionary athletic cup designed by a pro baseball player for superior protection of your most valuable assets. The Nutty Buddy is stronger, more comfortable and more protective for athletes in any sport.

Pre-Order Your Nutty Buddy TODAY
* Comfortable Design
* Complete Protection
* Ergonomic shape
* Prevents Pinching
* Fits any athletic supporter





The Nutty Buddy provides complete protection so you can play hard and protect the family jewels!

The Nutty Buddy' comfortable design actually fits a man's groin area to avoid pinching and chafing during athletic activity. Traditional protective cups are dangerously fragile and have awkward shapes that force the genitals into small, cramped spaces.

Select Size "The Boss" - Medium
"The Hog" - Large
"El Jefe" - X-Large

El Jefe? That's art. (Nod to MM)

Three Things to Watch for If the Dems Take the Congress

Six months ago, the idea of a Democratic House seemed far-fetched; taking the Senate was impossible.
How things have changed. The odds of a House takeover are 60-40; taking the Senate would only require that the Dems: (1) hold on to leads against GOP incumbents in Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island (nearly certain); (2) turn out their base in Maryland, Missouri, and New Jersey (very possible); and (3) get lucky in either Tennessee or Virginia (could happen).
What will happen, after the election? Three things:

1. It’s raining subpeonas! Committee hearings and subpeonas will be the number one non-legislative priority of a Dem-controlled House. If they take the Senate, given its star power and prestige, we will have a new reality TV show: “Survivor: Oversight!”, with lots of Republican officials voted right off the island. The Dems argue, with cause, that Congress has failed to monitor thousands of administration activities. Expect hearings on administrative rule-making, wire-tapping, detainees, health care for veterans, too much corruption and not enough armor in Iraq….I could go on. If you are an attorney with Democratic connections, dust off the resume. Hundreds of lawyers needed, right away.

2. It’s the Congress, stupid! The center of power and focus for the Dems moves even more to the Congress. Nancy Pelosi will raise $50 million this election cycle, Democratic Senate fundraising chief Charles Schumer is likely to raise more than $100 million before election day. And that is partly because both their organizations, the DCCC and the DSCC, have worked hard. But much of the reason is the grating ineptitude of National Committee Chair Howard Dean, and the apparent belief that “Presidential timber” means candidates made of wood. Except for the anomaly of Bill Clinton, the last Democratic presidential nominee with leadership ability was John Kennedy. Congress is where the Dems feel comfortable ruling.

3. Fiddling while Ramala burns. Having control of Congress means that the Democrats will have to govern, instead of criticize. They are going to need something besides the old standard, “vote for us, and we’ll give you other people’s money!” But their first legislative priority is (drum roll, please)….a new minimum wage law. They claim they will pass this legislation within the first “100 hours” of a new Congress, invoking Roosevelt’s whirlwind “100 days.” Are you serious? You take power in a nation at war, after 12 years wandering in the political wilderness, and your first priority is a symbolic gesture that restores the minimum wage to its inflation-adjusted level when you lost power? The Dems aren’t just mad about 1994; they think it is 1994!
Let’s be honest; the reason the Dems will focus on hearings, and symbolism, is that there is no party consensus on the problems in Iraq. Sure, they didn’t create those problems, but they say they want to rule. They won’t, not on Iraq. The Democrats will dither, criticizing the administration from a newly powerful perspective, but not offering a solution. John Kerry told the truth, in 2004: the Dems think Bush lied, and made a mistake, in Iraq. But at this point they wouldn’t do anything different. And they won’t. Let’s work on that minimum wage thing, instead.
Still, there may be hope for ending the war, in the kind of paradox often found in politics. A Democratic majority could not call for an immediate exit from Iraq, without hamstringing the campaign of their next wooden presidential nominee, in 2008. But the Republicans would have to pull out of Iraq, or at least have a plan for doing so, for their candidate to have a chance in 2008. Iraqi insurgents will be cheered by what they rightly see, in a Democratic takeover, as a voter rejection of Bush’s war. Even if the Dems dither, the administration will have to advance some sort of plan for bringing the troops home, or the Republicans will lose the presidency in two years.

Cards Win! ISMU to blame....

Very pleased about Cards' win in World Series.

Friend from Netherlands points out novel explanation for otherwise hard to understand collapse by Los Tigres.

This is hard to say, but the Tigers suffered from....well, from ISMU, right at the top.

As you probably know, if you have watched those ads on TV, ISMU stands for "Inconsistent Sports Metaphor Usage," and it can be heartbreaking. Sports figures lose control of their metaphors, and sometimes it takes several large towels to clean up.

Here is what happened: Regarding Kenny Rogers' 'it's only a wad of dirt on my hand' incident, Tigers manager Jim Leyland had this reaction:

...Leyland declined to get involved in the debate, saying, "I'm not going to chew yesterday's breakfast."

And then, as we learn in the same article, Tiger first coach Andy Van Slyke, trying to follow suit with his boss Leyland and disregard the controversy as irrelevant, gives up his own breakfast metaphor, but ends up messing things up, badly:

"...I'm not accusing Kenny of cheating, that's not what I'm saying. To me, it's like yesterday's breakfast. I want to throw it back up."

Poor Tigers never had a chance after that. ISMU at the very top of the organization, a rot that must be cut out and cleaned.