PSoTD

Apparently the Clinton campaign and their supporters believe that she's still the inevitability candidate in November, if she can just overturn the current status of delegates for the primary races. That's the only sense I can make out of the "Obama can win, Hillary will win in November" argument.

However, I think that campaign theme has been discredited already. Why would somebody buy that as an argument for the fall when the same argument has been so clearly destroyed in the spring?

A relatively big lobbyist in Pennsylvania - and not a client - sent me an email inviting me to join him in a "professional" social networking group (not FaceBook, in case you were wondering). I have a theory that it's really an effort to try to build some internet buzz about the company providing the software/framework, because I don't do any work with this lobbyist but I suppose I'm known to the community for our web development.

So... I guess I'll refrain from joining.

I just wanted to promote this very early piece of web design art. Dole was still a candidate back in those days!

From Hillary's speech last night:

And I will be back. As we move on now to the next contests, in Kentucky and Oregon, in Puerto Rico, in Montana and South Dakota, tonight I'm thinking about Florence Steen from South Dakota, eighty-eight years old and in failing health when she asked that her daughter bring an absentee ballot to her hospice bedside. Florence was born before women had the right to vote, and she was determined to exercise that right, to cast a ballot for her candidate who just happened to be a woman running for president. Florence passed on a few days ago, but I am eternally grateful to her and her family for making this such an important and incredible milestone in her life that means so much to me. I’m also thinking of Dalton Hatfield, an 11-year-old boy from Kentucky, who sold his bike and sold his video games to raise money to support my campaign.

That Hatfield kid seems to have "political operative" written all over his future. I do kinda wonder what kind of reception he'll be getting at school for selling his bike and games to give money to a failing political candidate.

There are many foods that I disliked as a kid but have developed a taste for over the years. Clams, sauerkraut, cooked carrots... lotsa others. But pickles are still x'ed off my list and I anticipate they'll stay that way.

What really annoys me about pickles is that restaurants insist on letting them share the plate with sandwiches. This is wrong! Pickles infect whatever they touch with gross pickle juice. When a pickle arrives on my plate positioned promiscuously next to my sandwich and fries, I toss it on the table in disgust.

Join the cause! Ostracize the pickle! Maybe one day we can make the sour green gourd the dinner table outcast it rightfully should be.

I've always liked Chrissie.

Bad strategy for the pledged delegate leader to devalue delegate pledges.

I've been tagged, with this:

1. When you're tagged, answer the question on your blog, with a trackback to the original post.

2. Ask an additional million dollar question — and tag 3 bloggers with answering.

The question is:

The million dollar question is - Would you give up one of your values / morals for $1 million?

Tough question to answer. Morals? Probably not. I only have a few, but they are pretty definitive of who I am. Values? Like everybody else, I have a wide range of values, they fluctuate in time in how I prioritize them, and sometimes values change to the point where they fall off the map. Some of the values have been with me, and strong, forever, but some have been changing since the beginning of my adulthood to the point where they rate pretty low as a priority to me.

On the other hand, one of the values that has been constantly dropping has been money. I value time a LOT more than money, but I value "good times" a lot more than "hard times", and I suspect that an easy to drop value would be worth a million dollars, as long as it didn't change the core of who I am.

But I guess that really wouldn't make it a value. Values are part of how you define yourself as well as morals, and this question eventually equates to

"Is there a part I like about myself that I'm willing to lose for a million dollars?"

And I guess the answer to that is no. What I like about myself, I want to keep.

Now, I'm going to tag the following bloggers

Cannablog
PoliTits
and MCCS1977

with this question:

If you found out there was a reward for turning in a family member to the police, would you do so for $1 million?

Because you have to admit they're pretty, even when they're in your yard.

Mellow about yellow: We love those spectacular sweeps of yellow in the parks by the lake this May. Not only the daffodils, but the dandelions. After all, the only reason we call one of these Eurasian species a weed and the other a garden plant is because the dandelions annoy us by growing where we want only grass. The Chicago Park District has decided the annoyance is not worth spreading toxic chemicals and downright brags about its dandelions in a news release: "The sight of dandelions indicates grass that is healthy and safe for all park patrons to play on." Take that attitude about your own dandelions and you'll save yourself a ton of work. If you just can't stand it, hand-pull them from a small lawn.

This sounds familiar.

The line just a few hours after the first Five Guys hamburger haven opened in Monroe County on Sunday showed that patrons at the Shoppes at Stroud Center are hungry for a change of pace.

"I was thrilled," said owner Ann Negvesky after the opening. "Monroe (County) has embraced our burgers. It exceeded expectations."

Negvesky said that a demographic study indicated the Route 611 shopping center in Stroudsburg is the most feasible spot in the area. Although it is a bit tucked away from the focal point of shoppers' vision, the distinguishable red-and-white logo captured the curiosity of enough patrons to keep the line rebuilding as a coterie of employees bumped elbows providing brisk service.

Galvanized pails of peanuts were placed on the tables, and in the back of the business there were 30 sacks of potatoes and a dozen boxes of peanut oil.

"We want people to see that everything here is fresh," said Negvesky. "We pride ourselves as a cool, fun place to be. There's no frills here. What you'll expect is the best burger you ever had."

You know, the same story basically played itself last year in Mechanicsburg at the Five Guys on the Carlisle Pike. Their parking lot was full every day. But here it is, a year later, and I drive past the place almost every day around lunchtime, and usually the lot is less than half full. Monday there were four cars in the lot.

Their burgers are tasty, but this IS a premium priced fast food hamburger. And in today's economy, I wonder how well such a place can do for the long haul. You can still figure out a meal for 4 for $7 at the grocery, which is what a burger and a soft drink will set you back at Five Guys. It just seems like more people are likely to go the grocery route now than they did just a few months ago, and that's probably the way it will be for a while.

How do you prefer to print your digital photos at photo quality?

Man, that guy's annoying and ill-informed. Hopefully after this campaign, he'll never get hired for another national gig again.

Senior Clinton advisor Howard Wolfson, appearing on "Fox News Sunday," rejected the idea that the campaign was over.

He predicted victory in the next primary, on Tuesday in West Virginia, where Clinton is heavily favored.

"If Barack Obama wants Hillary Clinton out of this race, beat her. Beat her in West Virginia, beat her in Puerto Rico, beat her in Kentucky," Wolfson said, citing other upcoming contests.

Dude, he IS beating her. Look at the delegate count! There's no requirement for a total skunking of a candidate of victory in any states.

This is kinda cool, you can use this to find out who are buying ads for what keywords and at what cost. For example: Republicans. Really, ChristianCafe.com?

When is a 20% election victory in a state not a victory?

Perhaps when the victorious campaign has bragged about 40% margins. I'm not sure Terry McAuliffe is doing the Clinton campaign any favors...

MR. McAULIFFE: Has it become an avalanche today? No. Did it become an avalanche after Tuesday, when you and others were all on the air saying it was over? No. Which should make you say something. We are now coming up to West Virginia on Tuesday. The last poll had Hillary up 43 points. She's up 40 points in Kentucky.

They really didn't play the expectations game very well this week. A gigantic blowout is to be expected, and anything less than a gigantic blowout will raise as many questions about Clinton - where did her expected voters go - as Obama.

Somehow, as a Bears fan, I am raising a Green Bay Packers fan, and even more unfortunately, apparently I'm going to be destined to see this painted on his bedroom wall soon.

This is why we don't, and shouldn't, use polls for decisionmaking OVER election results.

California voters would change their February primary vote for Hillary Clinton to a vote for Barack Obama if the vote were held again, according to an exclusive poll commissioned by CBS 5.

While voters in the California Democratic Presidential Primary backed Clinton by a 10-point margin, a new SurveyUSA poll shows that if given the chance to vote again, Californians would choose Barack Obama by a 6-point margin, 49%-43%.

The poll was conducted on May 7 and 8 and has a margin of error of 4%.

One of the arguments that I find rather unconvincing is that superdelegates should somehow weigh an unofficial poll as highly as an official election/caucus. What the hell is that all about? Do we throw out the votes for any election because of a contrasting poll? Regardless of how supposedly scientific a poll may be, why is it even considered to be on a par with an official election?

And yet, the argument about electability is just that. Polls saying that one candidate does stronger than another candidate with certain segments of the population. Polls saying that one candidate does better than another against McCain.

Polls are unofficial. Elections and caucuses are official. They do not carry anything close to the same weight.

by Happy Rhodes.

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

For whatever purpose or for whoever's candidacy, Lanny Davis is a poor choice to go on as a representative. He somehow manages to provide a general overtone of whining regardless of the topic he's speaking about. Add to that the atmosphere of boredom that seems to develop when he speaks, and you have yourself a talking head that can't get the job done well.

After watching this guy in the NCAA tournament in person, I think parts of this assessment is WAY OFF.

C Brook Lopez, Stanford
Stats: 19.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.1 bpg
This may seem like a no-brainer since Lopez is a lock for the lottery, but he probably would have been taken among the first 14 picks last year. Seven-footers with his size and coordination always are in high demand. The difference this time around is that the 7-foot, 260-pounder is good enough to help an NBA team immediately. He developed a couple of go-to moves in the post this past season, allowing him to score consistently when given the ball with his back to the basket. He also became a better rebounder and post defender. Look for him to contribute from Day One with the NBA team that picks him.

His height will put him in demand, but his skills just do not seem that good, and he seems very soft around the basket. In a league which had 81 players on rosters last year of 6'11", he's going to have to play guys his height now.

On the other hand, how many of those 81 in the NBA are stars? Hint: many sit on the bench. Brook will have buddies with him watching the game.

Oh, and btw, how many players in the Pac-10 were 6'11' or taller last year?

12 plus the 2 that were on Stanford. 2 on USC, and Lopez played mediocre against them. He seems to know how to take advantage of his height when that advantage is there for him, but that's about all.

A passenger train was quarantined today after one person died and some people had to be hospitalized with flu-like symptoms in Ontario, CBC reports on its website.

Canwest News Service reports that emergency crews have sealed off two of the cars.

"The whole place is being overrun with ambulances and police cars, and we've got helicopters," Deborah DesRochers, chairwoman of Foleyet, tells the Canadian broadcaster. "They've got the train quarantined. They're trying to isolate what it is."

CBC says the train was carrying about 290 passengers and crew members.

Canwest says 10 people are being treated at a hospital. The rest are being kept on the train, the news service says.

"No one is going onto the train without full protective gear,'' police spokeswoman Sgt. Laura Nichols tells CTV.

The Canadian, as this train is known, was headed from Vancouver to Toronto.

Update at 1:10 p.m. ET: Canadian Press says a woman in her 60s died after boarding the train in Jasper, Alberta. "We don't know if the element is viral or bacterial or a case of food poisoning," provincial police Constable Marc Depatie tells the news service.

He tells CTV that seven passengers from the Jasper area are sick.

So why isn't it the law? Why should we let those with the "need for speed" help the terrorists?

Somebody just left it there.

Photo from Kindred Wolf.

For whatever reason the official site isn't working, but it's coming up in Camp Hill, May 16 - 18.

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Greek Festival in Camp Hill PA May 16 to 18 2008

Start Date/Time Friday, May 16, 2008 11:00 AM

End Date/Time Sunday, May 18, 2008 4:00 PM

The Greek Festival at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church will take place from May 16 to May 18 2008 on the church grounds of the church located at 1000 Yverdon Drive, Camp Hill, PA.

Let's see if I understand this. Sender Score Certified offers a free email whitelist service to ISPs. But emailers have to pay them if they want to be certified sender.

If this is truly how it works, then ISPs shouldn't use this service from Return Path. Entities shouldn't have to pay to be on an accepted list for email delivery unless ALL entities pay.

George Stephanopoulos thinks Hillary Clinton is still in the race because she's maneuvering for the VP slot.

Could be, who knows. I think if it were offered to Clinton, she'd HAVE to take it. Otherwise, she's giving somebody else viability for the next Democratic Party Presidential Primary that has no incumbent.

And she could see her future possibilities even further hindered if Obama selected another woman as a running mate.

I suspect we'll see Obama start up the VP possibility tour soon. Those kinds of stories not only provide new interest in him, but take away news space that Hillary Clinton desperately wants.

I stumbled onto this movie clip on YouTube. I don't even remember such a movie being made, but this is clearly an alltime painful performance.

Hillary Clinton:

Hillary Rodham Clinton vowed Wednesday to continue her quest for the Democratic nomination, arguing she would be the stronger nominee because she appeals to a wider coalition of voters — including whites who have not supported Barack Obama in recent contests.

"I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on," she said in an interview with USA TODAY. As evidence, Clinton cited an Associated Press article "that found how Sen. Obama's support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me."

"There's a pattern emerging here," she said.

Ed Koch:

As Democrats coalesce around Sen. Barack Obama, one of Hillary Clinton's must outspoken supporters is not mincing words: the party is walking needlessly and unaware into a general election buzzsaw.

"I believe Obama probably will win [the Democratic nomination], although in politics you never ever can count anybody out," said former New York Mayor Ed Koch. "I think Hillary is doing a magnificent job and is a great candidate and if anybody can pull it out, she can. But my honest opinion is, it probably won't happen. And that he will be the candidate and that he will lose."

Koch's argument, while never voiced in public by Clinton, is thought to reflect the opinion of the senator and her key aides.

Remember George Bush's theme of 2004 - vote for me or the terrorists win? Clinton's gone to the fear tactic: vote for me or the Republicans win.

Do we really want a President that wants to rule by fear for another 4 years? Isn't that a reason why we're opposed to McCain and the Republicans?

I guess there's a possibility that Hillary thinks this is helping Obama. Since so many Republicans despise the Clintons, perhaps some are so reactionary that they will do anything to prove Hillary Clinton wrong. So if her campaign says that Obama can't win - maybe those Republicans will vote for Obama in response!

Who knows what that campaign is thinking anymore.

BTW, Hillary is threatening to do some severe damage in any future election in which she might want to run for the Democratic Party nomination for President again. She's getting closer to the "if not now, not ever" line of campaigning, which seems politically unwise. And that's pretty much how I see Hillary Clinton - as not wise enough politically to achieve her political goals. And that's not good enough for President this time around, either.

This would be even funnier except that it could practically be a transcript.

Except for the fact that I think Howard Fineman plays along a lot more than that...

The American Military Branches.

The few, the strong, the brave and some convicted felons could well describe today’s Marine Corps. In the Army, more convicted felons can be all they can be too, as all branches of the military relaxed their standards allowing 861 felons to join the ranks in 2007, according to data released April 21 by the Congressional Oversight Committee.

From arsonists, to burglars to car thieves, each branch of the military saw a rise in waivers extended to convicted felons in an effort to meet the needs of war.

...

The lowering of standards by the military is no surprise to Morten G. Ender, Ph.d., sociology program director in the Department of Behavioral Sciences & Leadership at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.

“In the last war in Viet Nam, there was a draft. This is an historical pattern. This is nothing new,” he told The Final Call. “What’s new is the all volunteer force. The military now has to rely on the corporate model. If people don’t come to your business you have to compromise your standards or lower your expectations.”

“This is no surprise. An all volunteer military coupled with war and an unpopular war at that, no surprise this is happening,” he said.

This Saturday, May 10, 2008 call Countrywide to discuss your mortgage options.

#####, your estimated home equity may be as much as $##,###. Call now for a Special Online Discount.²

Exciting news! Call 1-800-514-0292 or apply online. You may be entitled to refinance, possibly lock in a lower interest rate, and receive up to $41,041 cash from your home's estimated available equity, through our exclusive Fastrack Loan Program – available to you as a select, qualified Countrywide Home Loans customer.

In addition, you may qualify for a Special Online Discount2 on your next home refinance mortgage.

We already have a good rate. We are already a Countrywide client. They keep sending this kind of stuff, by both email and regular mail, to try to entice us to borrow more.

It's getting to the point where, if there was no cost to it, we'd move our loan because Countrywide is becoming very, very annoying.

She can sing. She can act. She's got the best rack in Hollywood.

And not in that order.

K-Lo shares an email from one of The Corner's dim-witted readers.

I sometimes wonder how the really evil Corner "pundits" put up with the purely stupid ones.

Update: The post is gone. Apparently somebody decided speculative commentary on Madonna and Hillary's sex lives was too stupid even for The Corner.

I don't know. I'm confused about what to blog about anymore.

Image by Chris & Ariella

Are meant to be broken. Good read.