Procrastinator Reax

One of the things we’re interested in at this site is intellectual (and/or funny) conversation via comments about our posts. Well the same thing goes for the The Procrastinator newsletter (click here: procrastinator_12-192), which we do with the folks for the AD Hall. So I’d like to offer you the comment section of this post as a place to voice your thoughts on the newsletter.

Personally, I think this issue is excellent through and through; all the way down to the personal info following the articles (ie Trey is a world class hater and your angry Arianna Huffington-esque emails can be sent to dantzlersmith@gmail.com). But I’d really love to hear your thoughts on the articles, the fiction, and the satire so please let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

Here, I’ll even give you some points to mull over for the various articles:

The League of Ordinary Gentlemen by Trey Smith

-       Will Senator Clinton use the position of Secretary of State to advance her own agenda? Will she use the position to set up another Presidential run? Do you think her nomination was a good or bad idea for President-elect Obama?

The Credit Rapture by Winthrop Sheldon

-       Can you get rich, like JD Rockefeller or Warren Buffett, without being cutthroat (put another way, can you be both moral and super-weathy)? Buffett and Rockefeller avoided the excess of wealth and we applaud them for that, so why is it that we also like news about Paris Hilton and shows like Laguna Beach or Housewives of Orange County, which are examples of the worst kind of wealthy excess? Will China pass the US as the global economic power and if so when? When did the US stop making things? Who would win in a fight, Rockefeller or Buffett?

The Blame Game by Michael Orr

-       Since Michael posts things under the name “Mao” and since he’s the driving force behind the newsletter, shouldn’t we henceforth refer to him as “The Chairman”? Why has Chicago been notorious for corruption since prohibition? Is it the fault of the voters that they keep electing corrupt politicians? What are the chances that Blagojevich actually gets off scot free? What’s up with his hair?

“Can You Not Also Build Bridges Out of Stone?” by Michael “The Chairman” Orr

-       How many 20-somethings are like Michael (and myself, Jim, and Jeff) and would join a public works plan if they started one? Is the US workforce actually “shovel ready” or is the workforce primarily comprised of technology and business degree people who don’t want to dig ditches? Would public works programs actually fix our economy? Isn’t Monty Python’s Holy Grail one of the best movies ever?

Discuss …

Giving Allah Some Dap

First of all let me welcome everyondpe with a fist bump, which is apparently also known as a “terrorist jab” (here’s the link in case you missed this bit of Fox News greatness)

Secondly, we’ve got two new posts and some great discussion going on. At SP Sports you can read my piece about how I think we should all be watching Euro 2008, how soccer inspires ’sporting nationalism’, and my excuse for why Americans haven’t fallen in love with soccer.

At the Politics page you can read my musing about the Bilderberg Group, David Stern, and the J-Curve. It isn’t that good, I just wrote it because I wanted an excuse to a) make people aware of the Bilderbergs, b) talk about the genius that is the J-Curve, and c) compare David Stern to North Korea. Just thought I’d tell you that in the interest of full disclosure.

But maybe the most interesting thing for your weekend will be to read the post and following discussion surrounding Brad’s post The Office Space of High Fidelity over at the Stormy Present Society page. Read it and comment. We can all relate.

Enjoy your weekend, and Go Turkey for Euro 2008!

Business Unusual

Since Friday was D-Day I thought we should hold off making announcements for a couple of days to allow the D-Day post (below) to have the prime spot out of respect.

But now it’s Monday and we’re back to business unusual. So here’s what has been going on over the past couple of days:

At SP Sports you can read why Jim is going to give in and watch the Finals. Beneath that post you can read my little homage to John Smoltz, which isn’t all that interesting but did spark a debate in the comment section about who your favorite Brave is. That debate is worth checking out.

At The Stormy Present Politics page you can read my 2008 Election Trilogy: Part 2. This one uses Star Wars to analyze the present state of the election and what might happen as we approach November. Below that you can read Jeff’s post called “The Audacity of My Father”, which is hilarious to read and the discussion is equally funny as we taunt all the false information sighted in the anti-Obama email and discuss the stupidity of the Left Behind books.

Finally, at The Stormy Present Societypage you can read my in depth analysis of Sex in the City; not the movie, but the series as a whole and how it related to men and women. I think it’s pretty funny. Funny enough to risk my manhood by writing a post that has the title, “When She Left Aiden, That Said it All”.

Politics, 3 Goofs, and Links

First of all, congrats to Senator Obama for a historic nomination victory and congrats to Jeff for being way out in front on this by supporting Senator Obama since 2004.

Second, Jeff has a funny post over at The Stormy Present Politics page that examines an email sent to him by people convinced that Senator Obama is a Muslim terrorist. No. He. Isn’t. Nevertheless, the post is funny and worth a read.

Third, a while back I wrote a post called ‘So Much for a Unity Ticket’in which I said that Senator Obama should not pick Senator Clinton as his running mate and if he did I doubt I could bring myself to vote for him. People scoffed at the idea that such a ticket was feasible, but now I read in this article from the Mail and Guardian that Senator Clinton and her people are pushing for her to be asked to be the VP nominee.

In reading that article you’ll see three names that are striking: Terry, Lanny, and Robert. I have long held that Terry McAuliffe is an idiot who represents everything that sucks about the Democratic Party (see the ‘about’ section of the Politics page). Jeff already made fun of Lanny Davis, who is a complete shill and a hack. And then there is Robert Johnson who not only owns BET, but also the Charlotte Bobcats. This guy is such an egomaniac that he named the ‘Bob’cats after him self. Plus, the Bobcats are poorly run and have no fans, which provides a great metaphor for Clinton’s campaign.

Also, in the Mail and Guardian article at the end you’ll see that McCain wants to try and do a what Goldwater and Kennedy had planned to do in 1960. That is, they want to travel around the country together having reasonable level headed debates without all the hoopla or spinmisters. This pleases me.

Last little bit: this is a good link on how Zimbabwe arrested opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai (all while Mugabe is in Italy talking about food security and denying food aid to opposition supporters) and this is a good link on how the entire state of Sudan is culpable for the genocide in Darfur.

Your Weekend Jimmy Hat

Once again The Stormy Present has your weekend covered like a jimmy hat. First of all, to any new comers, this is the main page with announcements about what new posts we have have up on our three pages. You can get to those three pages by clicking the links under The Stormy Present in the sidebar.

Now to the good stuff. Why aren’t we watching 30 Rock? Jim wants to know and makes a great case for why we should check it out. That’s got some good discussion on it so be sure to check out the comment section under that one (which contains a link to the funniest Tracy Morgan interview ever). That is at the Society page underneath my post, which asks, What is Adventure? I answer this by comparing Alby Mangels and Bear Grylls. See who is the truest bad ass adventurer by reading that post on the Society page.

The Politics page has a Top 5, which usually goes in the Society page, but this one deals with the top 5 most interesting Presidents (not including the obvious ones). So read that at the Politics page and then leave your own top 5 in the comment section.

Lastly, at SP Sports I’ve posted an article about how the older sports writers and analysts are still stuck in the past epoch of basketball in which ‘big men’ dominated. But clearly, they need to get with the program and realize that this is a new guard dominated era. Bet accordingly.

So enjoy the weekend and happy reading.

What is ‘Politics’?

Jeff put up a great post that deals with how the Primary season and the news coverage of it is in no uncertain terms, mind numbing. He gives his account of what it is like to watch CNN cover the Indiana and North Carolina primaries for over 7 hours. The fact that he is still alive to tell us about his experience is amazing in and of itself, so give it a read over at The Stormy Present Politics page.

In terms of discussion, I proceeded to rant in a comment on Jeff’s post about what ‘politics’ means to people like us as opposed to what it means to people actually in the business of politics. So join in that discussion because it is always fun to deride the media and politicians.

Lastly, we have some new links including one that goes to Jim’s Not for Tourist site. Another one to check out is Seeding Spartanburg, which Jeff and I used to read back in the day and is a great place to keep up with the goings on in Spartanburg and South Carolina along with purposeful musings about life and politics in general. All in all, now more than ever you are able to cruise around on this site and waste even more time at work. You are welcome.

Hot Streak

Unlike the Braves we are riding a bit of a hot streak with lots of new stuff pouring in. At the sports page you can read my long, very long, season preview for the Atlanta Braves and check out my much shorter MLB 2008 predictions. Post your own predictions and then we’ll see if any of us know what the hell we’re talking about.

Meanwhile, the Society page is brimming with activity as people keep discussing what their top 5 TV shows of all time might be. So join in with your own top 5 or just admonish the lists other people have compiled. Your call. The newest post over at the Society page, however, is a good one on the merits of satire for a community written by Brad Wright. Good discussion has followed that one so jump in with your thoughts (so far I think we’ve agreed on the need to poison Matt Stone and Trey Parker with hemlock).

New Post and New Comments

I just posted a Masters level and length paper on how to fix college basketball and basketball in general. It is long, but since we’ve been treated to an overall boring NCAA tourney I think it is necessary reading. Give it a read over at SP Sports and comment as to whether or not the solution I propose is viable or not.

Also, the discussion under Fantasy Sports Morality (Sports) is still going as is the What You Knew When You Were 5 (Society). The newest discussion hot spot is over at the Politics page where Brad’s post on the role of religion in government has sparked some interesting thoughts and responses. So read it and join it because we really want this site to be about informed, intellectual, and fun discussion.