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…or why I think Anthony Bourdain is the coolest chef/host/dude on TV.

THE DOUCHEBAG
For the best example of twisted, repressed, or compromised “I’d rather be making lemon bundt cake with My Cat, Mr. Mufflesworth” journalist who actually HATES food and hates the people who make food even more

Nominees: Alan Richman for taking a big Dump on New Orleans at the worst possible time. And for his totally disingenuous piece on celebrity chefs not being behind the stove when Alan chooses to dine;

(Reference material: The hit job in question, Time-Picayune article on same)

Check out the other nominees. I think The Doucebag (the Doucey?) is all wrapped up already, so tune or surf  in Friday for the other winners.

The 2008 Golden Clog Nominees Announced!

Tax season is upon us and with it, for me at least, a refund; an especially good one this year, as it turns out. So, after paying off a couple nagging bills, there will be enough left over to fund my gadget lust. After talking myself (and J–) into a MacBook, a visit to the Apple store actually backed me off that decision.

So I will instead be getting an iPod Touch. We have Verizon so jailbreaking an iPhone won’t work and I swore off AT&T years ago. Hence, the wifi-enabled, widget-sporting iPod Touch is exactly what fits the bill: connectivity with ultra-portability.

Anyone got experience with these? I plan on doing minor surfing with Safari, setting up Gmail for the mail client, and, yah know, using it as an iPod. Reasonable expectations for a souped-up PDA?

Congress never seems to run out of ways to fail the people that elected them. Yesterday, they voted heavily in favor of granting telephone companies immunity from prosecution over the illegal wiretapping program that the Bush administration used to spy on Americans.

Lesson here? Break the law for the right people and they’ll change the law for you. I suspect we won’t have to wait long to see the impact of this. Oh, wait, we already had precedent when the Army Corps got out from their liability for their failure to adequately safeguard one of the most important shipping routes for the country.

Back to the issue at hand, the vote is something you would have expected to be along party lines. Your expectation would be wrong. 18 Democrats crossed lines to vote for immunity. Debbie Stabenow was one of them.  Stabenow is racking up quite a record on major issues; she previously voted against retaining the rights of Habeus Corpus by voting for H.R. 6166, the Military Commissions Act of 2006.

Beyond that, McCain voted for immunity, Obama against it. Hillary Clinton, inexplicably, abstained.  Classy. All that’s left is for the House to stand by their bill, which doesn’t let the telcoms out with immunity. Maybe John Conyers, the Judiciary Committee Chair in the House, will have more backbone that Sen. Stabenow and fight the White House.

Didn’t the Democrats sweep into power by promising not to do this kind of crap?

Senate Votes to Give Retroactive Immunity for Telecoms

It’s short, so go read the whole thing. Marvel at the whining of one of the largest Internet companies to ever grace this planet. Bask in the innuendo. This is fear, folks, plain and simple. It’s also hilarious in it’s childishness. Way to go Google; you look stupid for this. Remember, Google is concerned for consumers, not their bottom line. Please, remember that.

Official Google Blog: Yahoo and the future of the Internet

Congrats and Hooyah to my cousin, Matt, for making it through Ranger training. All the best and the next one’s on me. Here’s to an assignment with your boys in the South.

Good to see some old fashioned pandering going on at the State capital. Rebekah Warren (D-Ann Arbor) has proposed “Bo Schembechler Day” as  an official State day (whatever that means). It would be the same day as the first UM football home game (natch), as if that day isn’t already a High Holy Day in AA already.

Bo’s was a nice guy and all, but I think the hero worship angle is pretty well covered at this point.

WOODTV.com – Schembechler might get own official day in Michigan

Personnel bookmark. Why is this country so damned uptight about alcohol?

Free the Grapes!: To Ensure Consumer Choice in Fine Wine

In the Bad Way (driving them crazy the good way is not for this blog).

1. Ramble on about work politics.
2. Endlessly talk about, price out, and search for discounts on an MacBook, but then end every conversation with “…but I’m not going to buy one.”
3. Take out cilantro and set it on the counter whenever you cook dinner, but never actually but any in since you know your S.O. hates it.
4. Go to dinner, order the most expensive beer on the menu, then wax about how much better another beer as (even though that beer cannot be purchased at this restaurant).
5. Only put hyper-nerdy, niche sci-fi/comedy films in your movie rental queue.
6. Stare agape when your well-read movie-aficionado S.O. hasn’t seen the above movies.
7. Order seemingly-random T-shirts on impulse, then insist that they agree about how cool they are (they’re not).
8. Eat their chocolate. This may be cause for justifiable homicide in some states.
9. Blog lists of things that drive them crazy.

An alcoholic is someone you don’t like who drinks as much as you do.
  – Dylan Thomas