Taxes are HARD folks!

I think we need to stop ragging on Democrats with tax problems. I mean, obviously, Dems simply don't understand the whole tax procedure. Should we really expect our elected officials and Obama's cabinet appointees to understand such a complicated issue as reporting income? Paying their fair share? Making legal deductions?

Eric Cantor on Dem tax cheats:

A pattern is developing,” Cantor said. “The pattern is solidified. … It’s easy for the other side to sit here and advocate higher taxes because — you know what? — they don’t pay them.”

Ouch. And, you know, they pay them.

If they get caught cheating.

And now for something completely different

I don't listen to much musically oriented radio, because usually I prefer my iPod or CDs to whatever crap they're playing, but the other day I heard this song:



And, I could have SWORN that that it sounded it a bit like Incubus. But, certainly not. They haven't turned into some poppy, sap-singing wimps! I mean, I know they've gone soft as of late, but certainly they haven't plunged to such depths.

Now, to refresh, this is Incubus:



You see my issue? They cannot be the same band. What do you think? Pod people?

This joke may never get old

Clicken to embiggen.

Want your own? Go here

I need followers

I saw that Krista added me to her following list, which I think is a neat little gadget, so if you've got it, can you clicky on the linky on the right sidbar down there?

I just like all the neat pictures, is all.

Oh, and Krista, this stupid internet still doesn't let me access your site. DNS look-up error. Can't. Figure. It. Out.

I've never been prouder ...

I've never been prouder to be a Republican ...

Every House Republican voted no to the "stimulus" bill. But, not just that, the bill had bipatrisian non-support, since 10 Democrats voted nay as well.

Expect Nancy Pelosi to ratched-up her "the government is the only thing that can save us" rhetoric to drum up support in the Senate. Rhetroic totally detached from the reality of the bill, which will only stimulate government and pork projects.

Only twelve cents of every dollar is tied to "stimulus" in the bill, the rest is pork. Projects that have little-to-no financial return (basically money thrown down a well), and certainly don't "stimulate" anything.

This is supposed to be a new era of bipartisanship, but this bill was written based on the wish list of every living -- or dead -- Democratic interest group. As Speaker Nancy Pelosi put it, "We won the election. We wrote the bill." So they did. Republicans should let them take all of the credit.

And they did. WELL DONE, Repubs. Obama, Nancy and Democrat voters, this is all YOURS.

I hope he fails

Leonard Pitts Jr's idiocy aside, hoping that the President fails to achieve his vision of the United States is not the same as hoping the US fails.

Do you ever say that about your president if you are an American who loves your country? Would you say it about George W. Bush, who was disastrous; about Bill Clinton, who was slimy; about Jimmy Carter, who was inept; about Richard Nixon, who was crooked? You may think he's going to fail, yes. You may warn he's going to fail, yes.

But do you ever hope he fails? Knowing his failure is the country's failure? Isn't that, well . . . disloyal?

Urm, than what was all that Bush is Hitler, Bush is War Criminal, NOT MY PRESIDENT stuff? That didn't have anything to do with hoping he would, somehow, fail did it? And, those Presidential assassination plays were ... what then? Or, is the suggestion that those would be the proper way to register our lack of support for Obama?

Barack Obama was elected in large part on a promise to carry the nation past anger, past the notion that either party has a monopoly on wisdom, past the belief that ideology is identity. He was elected because people want a sense of mission that makes them feel like Americans again.

If he is successful, Limbaugh and the other clowns will face tough sledding in a radically different world. Small wonder he is so eager to strangle this presidency in its infancy. And need it even be said?

It's funny, because I see little signs that Obama is interested in being bipartisian ("I won"), yet this claptrap keeps being said. Look I hope Obama fails to socialize healthcare. I hope he fails to pass card check and localism. There are lots of things I hope he fails at; things he RAN on. Why in the world would I want him to succeed at this stuff?

Really, all this mumbo jumbo racial stuff doesn't have anything to do with the aims of Obama as president. That's just the hope and change fluff that resulted in such uncritical support of him.

Honestly, what does it MEAN to "have a sense of mission that makes them feel like Americans again." Please, someone tell me.

Of course, one of the left's favorite put-downs is to advise the right-winger to turn off Limbaugh. The suggestion, of course, is that I neither listen, nor read, to any other media source. It makes leftists feel good to imagine that I don't get my info from a rather well-balanced collection of sources.

Plus, it takes Jay Nordlinger, to point out the obvious:

“Don’t listen to Rush Limbaugh,” say the Obamas and the Powells and some other people. They are giving “free advice” to the Republicans. Well, since when has the GOP listened to Rush? If it did, we would not have nominated Senator McCain last year (for all his virtues, which are considerable). Moreover, Rush did not ask for many of the policies of the Bush administration, particularly in the domestic realm.

If Rush had the power and influence the left ascribes to him, McCain wouldn't have been the GOP nominee. Wouldn't have happened. Rush didn't come out for one candidate, but anyone who has even been an occasional listener (which I am) would know that McCain wasn't even in Rush's top 5.

And, in hindsight, Rush was right about that choice, wasn't he?

Update:
Iamfelix points to this blogger who has an interesting angle for Obama's attack on Rush.

With nobody to blame, i.e. Bush or a Republican Congress, Obama needs a scapegoat, a way out, a "get out of jail free" card. . And unlike these small morsels he has thrown to his ObamaBots in his first week, the financial issue will fall squarely on his shoulders, despite attempting to blame Bush for "…eight years of failed Bush policies".

Who better than a pudgy Republican radio show host to be able to blame, should Obama not be able to get his "package" passed. Obama will accept no responsibility for failure in any way.

Oh, pleases let this be a joke

Hitler had "Mein Kampf.

Mao had his little Red Book.

And now there is the "Pocket Obama."

Printed in a size that easily fits into pocket or purse, this book is an anthology of quotations borrowed from Barack Obama's speeches and writings. POCKET OBAMA serves as a reminder of the amazing power of oratory and the remarkable ability of this man to move people with his words. His superb and captivating oratory style has earned comparisons to John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, and this collection presents words that catapulted his remarkable rise to the American Presidency. Includes themes of democracy, politics, war, terrorism, race, community, jurisprudence, faith, personal responsibility, national identity, and above all, his hoped-for vision of a new America. This book is truly a primer for readers who want to examine the substance of his thought and reflect on the next great chapter in the American story. It is an unofficial requirement for every citizen to own, to read, and to carry this book at all times.

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

h/t: Dan.

Can I question the New York Times's journalistic integrity now?

Hip inauguration party with Obama swag:

When I arrived at the party, an attendant instructed me to wear a red, white, and blue pin showing an illustration of Obama in profile with the date 01/20/09 stenciled in white, all floating above the Times' logo. The gift bag contained a twelve-inch by twelve-inch poster of the same image. The marriage of the Times' flag and Obama's silhouette was jarring. One guest remarked that the poster looked like something put out by Pravda -- state-run liberal media. (Except with less red and more blue.)

Of course, if you didn't get to attend the party, you can always order your poster and pin from the New York Times gift site. Or, perhaps these swanky Obama Victory coffee mugs or more your style? There is something there for everyone, and by everyone, I mean everyone who voted for Obama.

Yes, the media loves him. So imagine his surprise when yesterday Obama went a-courting a-visiting the White House press corp and they had the audacity to ask him a question.

President Obama made a surprise visit to the White House press corps Thursday night, but got agitated when he was faced with a substantive question.

Asked how he could reconcile a strict ban on lobbyists in his administration with a Deputy Defense Secretary nominee who lobbied for Raytheon**, Obama interrupted with a knowing smile on his face.

"Ahh, see," he said, "I came down here to visit. See this is what happens. I can't end up visiting with you guys and shaking hands if I'm going to get grilled every time I come down here."

Well, Mr. President, that is supposed to be their JOB.

Pressed further by the Politico reporter about his Pentagon nominee, William J. Lynn III, Obama turned more serious, putting his hand on the reporter's shoulder and staring him in the eye.

"Alright, come on" he said, with obvious irritation in his voice. "We will be having a press conference at which time you can feel free to [ask] questions. Right now, I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself to you guys - that's all I was trying to do."

The president was quickly saved by a cameraman in the room who called out: “I’d like to say it one more time: ‘Mr. President.’ ”

Please, someone tell me again how the media isn't biased? I get a good laugh EVERY time you do that.

Please note:

He revealed that he had already gotten in two work outs since being sworn in Tuesday.

Nice to see Mr. Hope and Change has his priorities straight.The New York Times quipt I CAN'T BELIEVE HE'S WORKING OUT WHILE GITMO IS STILL OPEN FOR BUSINESS.

Oh, wait, my bad, that was the New York Times in reference to Bush. Lemme remind you; Bob Herbert, August 2005:

Instead, Mr. Bush is bicycling as soldiers and marines are dying.

No, New York Times is going to be too busy throwing parties for Teh One to ever speak a word of criticism.


**Raytheon is a the war business. You know ... missile systems, intelligence and information systems ... that kind of stuff. The fact that I had to look this up, and it isn't in ALL CAPS ACROSS HUFFPO pretty much says it all. Not only was this guy a lobbyist and Obama said he wasn't gonna have lobbyists in the most transparent White House EVA, but he worked for a company that "profits from war."

Head explodes.

h/t: Darleen

The Hope and Change agenda/ or How we go broke and drag out the recession

Nancy Pelosi (who REALLY is rich) is conflicted with Obama in that she wants the Bush tax cuts on those making under $250,000 repealed NOW.

When she appeared on Fox News Sunday and seemed to break with Obama over the repeal of Bush's tax cuts for families making over $250,000 a year - she wants them revoked right away, he's suggested he'd rather let them expire in 2010 - Politico ran the headline, "Pelosi Draws Her Lines with Obama."

Pelosi sought to downplay the policy rift, suggesting that she and the president may end up on the same page.

"I don't know that he's made that decision," she said. "It's my view that (tax cuts for the wealthy) are big contributors to the national debt."

Tax cuts are contributors to the national debt? I would say that governmental overspending is THE contributor to the national debt.

Oh, but there's more:

The speaker disappointed environmentalists when she said earlier this month that she may not bring climate change legislation to the House floor this year because it may lack the votes needed for passage. "I'm not sure this year, because I don't know if we'll be ready," she told Capitol Hill reporters. "We won't go before we're ready."

But in the interview Wednesday, she shifted her stance, saying she plans to move the bill this year. She said she hopes to hold a vote before December, when climate negotiators gather in Copenhagen, Denmark, to work on a successor to the treaty many countries adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997.

"I believe we have to because we see that as a source of revenue," she said, noting that proposed cap-and-trade bills would raise billions of dollars by forcing major emitters to buy credits to release greenhouse gases. "Cap-and-trade is there for a reason. You cap and you trade so you can pay for some of these investments in energy independence and renewables."

Well, there Nancy showed her slip. Environmentalism is necessary because it's a source of revenue.

I've got your hope and change right here.

Hope, Day 2, part 2

Errr ... about that torture thing ... it's bad, except when we really need it:

They could also allow Mr. Obama to reinstate the C.I.A.’s detention and interrogation operations in the future, by presidential order, as some have argued would be appropriate if Osama bin Laden or another top-level leader of Al Qaeda were captured.

What is Frank Rich smoking?

Via Dan:

Frank Rich, the noted New York Times political observer, said in his column that “after eight years of battering by Bush, the nation has been rendered half-catatonic” therefore we the people have virtually given up complaining. But some of those people emerging from their “catatonic” condition are asking “Where is the rage, the public outcry?” - will the Bush administration’s alleged wrongs be investigated and will the perpetrators be punished? A Times editorial said, “You cannot fix something before you know exactly how it was broken.”

"Catatonic"? That's not exactly the word I would use. The rage and spittle from the left has rendered ME catatonic. I liken the Obama victory to a man who, upon his deathbed, realizes he won't have to put up with his nagging wife anymore, and finds sweet, sweet relief in leaving this world. At least, THAT is what the Obama ascension should have been. BDS should have quietly faded away. Except it's not. Even during the solemn inauguration ceremony I had to listen to those asshats poor catatonic souls.

Andrew over at the Pub has had enough (long quote, but it's just so good):

I took at face value those who said “enough bickering, let’s all get along.” Sure, it was self-serving now that their boy had won, sure a similar appeal from the other side four years ago would have drawn spit and brickbats (as it did eight years ago), but hey, an olive branch is an olive branch, right?

Then, I observed the super-classy good-bye that the supporters of Hope and Change and Unity gave our outgoing President as he left.

You just had to, didn’t you? You couldn’t just enjoy your victory, couldn’t just let the man slip away beneath the radar of your Profound and Righteous Contempt. You had to channel your inner adolescent and flip him one last bird, just in case we haven’t been privy, with diamond clarity, to your exact opinions on the matter. You just had to get in that final kick.

Well, I’d like to thank you for it. You see, observing the new President’s command of rhetoric this afternoon, I was filled with charity and goodwill towards all involved. I had paused to admire the persona that had been placed before me, and to hope that said persona matched up with the reality of the man and the mood of the nation. So thank you, Obamanauts, Democrats, and Affiliated Liberals, for reminding me that when you say “post-partisan” you really mean “mono-partisan”, and that when you say “Unity,” you mean “Submission”. Thank you for again putting your stark, naked juvenility and hate in contrast to the kissy-faced gruel of your so-called idealism. I had forgot myself, and whom I was dealing with. You may now take your Unity, Hope, and Change, compact it tightly, and cram it someplace uncomfortable, like the back of a Volkswagen.

E.X.A.C.T.L.Y. Dicentra, in comments, points to someone who takes it a bit further.

Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists, Obama supporters, et al:
We have stuck together since the late 1950's, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly, this relationship has run its course. Our two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right, so let's just end it on friendly terms. We can smile, slate it up to irreconcilable differences, and go our own ways.
****
We don't like redistributive taxes so you can keep them. You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU.
Since you hate guns and war, we'll take our firearms, the cops, the NRA, and the military. You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore, and Rosie O'Donnell (you are however, responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle big enough to move them).

We'll keep the capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical companies, Wal-Mart, and Wall Street. You can have your beloved homeless, homeboys, hippies, and illegal aliens. We'll keep the hot Alaskan Hockey Moms, greedy CEO's, and Rednecks. We'll keep the Bibles and give you NBC and Hollywood.

You can make nice with Iran, Palestine, and France, and we'll retain the right to invade and hammer places that threaten us. You can have the peaceniks and war protestors. When our allies or way of life are under assault, we'll provide them job security.

We'll keep our Judeo-Christian Values. You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism, and Shirley McClain. You can have the U.N. but we will no longer be paying the bill. We'll keep the SUV's, pickup trucks, and oversized luxury cars. You can take every Subaru Station Wagon you can find.

Now, this is sorta reminiscent of those sentiments made four years ago, and I'm not willing to go down the derangement path. But, point is (well) taken. I'm this close (holding fingers together really, really close) to going John Galt on your asses.

Hope, Day 2

Updated:

Bob isn't being very Hope and Changy. It's Day 2 and he's still bashing boooosh.

Songs for Dealing with Hope and Change

No particular order:

The Outsider, by Perfect Circle
We Do What We're Told, Peter Gabriel
Us and Them, Pink Floyd
Brain Damage, Pink Floyd
Better Living Through Chemistry, QOTSA
Sulk, Radiohead
2112, Rush
Taxman, Beatles

Hope, Day 1, part 3: Let the greening of America BEGIN

H/t Sondra K.

Hope, day 1, part 2

Yet, still bashing boooosh.

Hope, day 1

I may have to start watching the John Stewart show.

Iowahawk is a mad genius

Heh.

BTW, I made my pledge yesterday over at Protein Wisdom.

I pledge to be at least as classy and supportive of our new President that the left has been for the last 8 years, up to, and including, this moment:



WTG you total tasteless, moronic asshats.

Some are more "one"

I would have loved to go to Obama's "We are One" inaugral concert, but only if I could have hung in the VIP area.

I mean, I'm not that interested in hanging out with the smelly proles.

One last day

Before we swear in the GREATEST PRESIDENT EVA.

sigh.

And now this:



Terry Kirby writes:

Even before Barack Obama is sworn in as the next president of the United States tomorrow, he has changed our perceptions. Not just because he is the first black man to hold the office – but because he has altered our view of what a middle-aged man can look like.

Wha?

Kirby goes on to explain how Obama's dedicated fitness regime has resulted in this middle-aged Odanis we have before us. All middle-aged men should follow The One's example:

Most experts advise a minimum of three Obama-style mixed cardio/weights training sessions a week for an hour to maintain a high degree of fitness. Doyle says older men need to spend longer, tougher hours in the gym than younger men. "They just have to work a bit harder at it," he says. What about the reality of ageing, those joints that ache a little more every year? "Compensate for weak knees by strengthening your leg muscles," says Ransom. "Or find a low-impact exercise that suits you, like swimming or the cross-trainer."

Can we call it "Obamarobics?"

Now, over the last year, I've become somewhat of a gym rat. At the gym, there are plenty of middle-aged men with a similar gym addiction. They put Obama to shame.

Please, media, get over it. I know you love him, and he is going to do no wrong for the next 4-to-8 years, but this is getting embarrassing.

Obama has the build of an average gym-rat. It aint all that.

If people want a middle-aged man to look up to fitness-wise, they'd do better to look to this man:



And, instead of Obamarobics, give P90-X a try.

Daily Why

Why won't the dog go outside?


Oh, OH! I KNOW THIS ONE. Because it's -8 (and -23 with the wind chill) outside.

Then and now: a study in contrasts

Then:

"I think it is a top priority for us to stamp out al Qaeda once and for all, Obama told CBS's "60 Minutes" Sunday. "And I think capturing or killing bin Laden is a critical aspect of stamping out al Qaeda. He is not just a symbol, he's also the operational leader of an organization that is planning attacks against U.S. targets."

And now:

"My preference obviously would be to capture or kill him. But if we have so tightened the noose that he’s in a cave somewhere and can’t even communicate with his operatives, then we will meet our goal of protecting America.”

Why ("Why II" or "Why, the series", or "Daily Why" ... I haven't decided yet)

Why does the dog eat crayons?

Oh Lord ...

iTunes. Songs about Obama.

I honestly don't know what to say. I wonder if people wrote songs about Hitler or Mugabe. I don't make the comparison because I fear that Obama is evil, but simply because the cult of Obama creeps me right the hell out. The man hasn't done anything yet, save for get elected. To worship or idolize him at this point is to voluntarily hand over your liberty . Because a hero or a saint can do no wrong.

Anyway, while I worry about I future, you Obamabots can, for the low, low price of $47.52 own "Songs about Obama." I guess you can listen to it while you dust your Obama commemorative plates.

Update:

iTunes isn't the only one; on the 20th the "very cool" Obama Soundtrack will hit the stores. Oh goodie.

The CD features a dozen stars including Stevie Wonder, who contributed a totally new track called “All About the Love Again.” The single, destined to be Wonder’s biggest hit in more than a decade, is a sizzling fresh slice of R&B, very updated and ready to embraced in remixes, etc.

The other artists on the album include Maroon 5 with their own new track, “Pure Imagination (2009),” plus will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas, Sheryl Crow, Lenny Kravitz, India.Arie, Melissa Etheridge, Usher, James Taylor, Jennifer Hudson, Death Cab for Cutie, Ozomatli, Robin Thicke, The Tony Rich Project, Wilco, Bebe Winans, rapper Common, Lionel Richie, and Melissa Etheridge.

I would offer-up a boycott of the artists, but seeing as though the chances of me purchasing the works of any of the aforementioned artists is slim to nonexistent, that seems like a rather hallow threat.

And, again, my gripe is that this whole thing is just creepy.

Paging AlGore ...

It is nine BELOW here in Michigan. As in nine degrees below zero. Our lake has been completely frozen over for two months, and I think I only briefly saw actual DIRT three weeks ago, since we've been snow covered since the first week in November.

But, daily I'm assaulted with gas taxes and milage taxes and green energy and hybred cars. The North Pole has record ice, yet the global warming alarmists are holding steadfastly impervious to facts. Global warming peaked years ago, but that doesn't matter.

And now Mr. Hope and Change has picked radical socialist*, Carol Browner, to be our brand new "energy" czar. Oh goodie. Just what we need at this moment. A socialist, global warming hysteric. An hysteric who was on the board of one of those carbon offset companies that sits to profit big at any draconian measures the government may take. No conflict of interest there.

*no, Really. Warning, that link will take you to a page of pseudo-intellectual babble. Now, I'm sure they are all intelligent. It's just that their babble is totally divorced from reality. Case in point:

Strengthening the United Nations is an important step in the creation of this new, democratic world society. Where there is a consensus among the major nations, significant peace-making and peace-keeping initiatives are possible. The UN specialised agencies, like the WHO, and UN organs like UNDP and UNICEF, have demonstrated that the governments and citizens of various nations can work effectively together in pursuit of common international goals.

He hee hee... strengthening the UN ... can work effectively? I know, I know. What a hoot.

Those socialists are FUNNY.

Irony Alert

Those peace loving Palestinians want to behead Madonna. I mean the pop-singing, Bush bashing Madonna, not the mother of our Lord and Savior.

A source close to the singer said: "Madonna is well known for her Kabbalah faith and support for Israel, having visited the country several times.

"This seems to upset extreme Muslims who forget she respects people of all faiths whether Islamic, Christian or Buddhist. Like anyone else she would like a peaceful end to the problems in Gaza.

"But she is beside herself with worry, not just for her own safety but for that of the children."

Attention Muslim Fanatics! Madonna respects ALL people of faith. How could you forget that? Please don't behead her.

"Why?" The eternal burning questions asked by parents

Is there a box of legos in my shower?

Is Warrent's "Cherry Pie" on my iPod?

Now, your turn.

Sean Penn takes a trip

Sean Penn goes to meet Castro and Chavez, and discovers that the enemy is US. Hurl worthy:

I sat on the edge of my bed with my wife, son, and daughter, tears streaming down my face, as Barack Obama spoke for the first time as the President-Elect of the United States of America. I closed my eyes and started to see a film in my head. I could hear the music too, appropriately the Dixie Chicks covering a Fleetwood Mac song over slow-motion images in montage. There they were: Bush, Hannity, Cheney and McCain, Limbaugh, Robertson, Luis Posada Carilles...I saw them all. And the song was rising as the image of Sarah Palin took over the screen, Natalie Maines sweetly sang,

"And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills

till the landslide brought me down.

Landslide brought me down..."

And so, we should hope, will go what remains of this, our mountain of snakes.

See,this is the problem. Actors see history as a movie in their heads with soundtracks. They direct the facts and edit what doesn't fit their narrative.

Refer now, to the next post.

Must Read

Bill Whittle:

One thing in common these patterns bear: the rise slow, the fall seemingly precipitous, and in every case we find the loss of nerve and strength and will comes not from the bottom, not from the common people at all, but from the rulers, the philosophers, the most affluent and educated who, in their comfort and Narcissism, abandon duty for self-absorption and self-gratification and who in boredom or self-loathing decide to fling open the gates of the city to the barbarians beyond, while the common man still stands at the walls prepared to die for the people in his charge.

It's the 9th

It's the ninth of January, and you've really given it a good go, but now it's time to give up on those New Year's Resolutions you made.

Especially that one about getting in shape this year. Is it worth it? Do you even ENJOY working out? After nine days, what do you have to show for it? Have you even stepped on the scale and noticed that, despite all that sweat and time and toil, it's barely budged? I know many people at least drag out their weight loss attempts for about three weeks, but how about we get ahead of the curve and just throw in the towel now...



(9 days of a crowded gym are making me a tad grumpy)

A Game of sorts ...

I've been up since 3 a.m.

What time do you predict I'll crash and burn?

"Best of" lists suck

Not to complain, but best of lists are like a window into the vacuous soul of our country's musical tastes.

10. Vampire Weekend, “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”
The coolest song to name-check Peter Gabriel since…well, actually, we can’t think of another song that name-checks Peter Gabriel.

9. Death Cab for Cutie, “I Will Possess Your Heart”
Ben Gibbard may sing like a wuss, but it takes some serious balls to make the eight-minute, space-rock stalker jam the first single from your new album. Other mainstream rock acts’ 2008 “experiments” paled in comparison (we’re looking at you, Coldplay).

8. Lil Wayne, “Lollipop”
The last time a hip-hop act this weird made a track this perfectly calibrated to conquer mainstream radio, the group was called OutKast and the track was called “Hey Ya!”

7. Friendly Fires, “Paris”
This gushing synth-rock epic is already massive overseas. Look for it to conquer America in ’09.

6. She & Him, “This Is Not a Test”
Anyone who saw “Elf” knew Zooey Deschanel could sing, but no one could have predicted that, by teaming up with folk-rock icon M. Ward, she could create music this gorgeously timeless.

5. MGMT, “Electric Feel”
If any song this year had a better come-on line than “Ooh, girl, shock me like an electric eel,” we didn’t hear it.

4. The Ting Tings, “That’s Not My Name”
Bubblegum party pop didn’t get any better in ’08 than this U.K. duo’s epic ode to those inconsiderate wankers who can’t be bothered to remember a girl’s name. For the last time, people—her name is Katie!

3. TV on the Radio, “Golden Age”
Sounding like the lovechild of Prince, George Clinton and “Fame”-era Bowie, New York’s preeminent art punks anchored one of the year’s best albums with this funky little gem of a track.

2. M.I.A., “Paper Planes”
With a little help from a Clash sample and a “Pineapple Express” trailer, Maya Arulpragasam became the year’s unlikeliest breakout star.

1. Estelle feat. Kanye West, “American Boy”
Kanye West’s greatest accomplishment in 2008 wasn’t discovering Auto-Tune—it was helping American audiences discover this deliciously soulful U.K. songbird. If Obama can do half as much for trans-Atlantic relations, the next four years are looking up.

Here's my own count down of the above songs.
Vampire Weekend? yuck.
Death Cab for Cutie? Every one of their songs sounds absolutely the same, and the above mentioned one is no different.
Lil Wayne? Rap is crap, of course.
Friendly Fires? I don't even know what to make of this song.
She & Him? Not bad, but BEST? See what I'm talking about? Best?
MGMT? Perhaps the best of the bad bunch.
The Ting Tings? Oh, make them stop.
TV on the Radio? Don't get it. Don't get them. You can interpret that as meaning I don't LIKE them.
M.I.A.- I absolutely LOATH this song. I mean, really. My ears bleed.
Estelle/Kayne West: The Estelle part is OK and kinda catchy. Make Kayne West go away.

Michele asks ...

(And, I'll answer over here, cause it is supposed to be one of those nice threads, and I don't want to go all pissy.)

What am I most looking forward to in 2009? Not reading crap like this:

I’m looking forward to being proud of my country again.

We’re in a real mess, economically speaking. I think pulling out of it is going to require a level of forward thinking and cooperation that has been sadly lacking in our government.

I really want to believe that this time I won’t be disappointed. The U.S. has done remarkable things before and I think in 2009 we’ll show that we still can.

I'm not sure if I still have a touch of food poisoning, but I feel my lunch coming up.

This Just In: Experts don't know shit

Sea ice same level as 1979.

Earlier this year, predictions were rife that the North Pole could melt entirely in 2008.

Oops. Of course, facts didn't stop Gore from saying this a few weeks ago:



Cooler heads (heh) have anticipated the waning of the "Climate change" hoax, and perhaps this is one of the first signs.

To be told, as I have been, by Mr. Gore, again and again, that carbon dioxide is a grave threat to humankind is not just annoying, by the way, although it is that! To re-tool our economies in an effort to suppress carbon dioxide and its imaginary effect on climate, when other, graver problems exist is, simply put, wrong. Particulate pollution, such as that causing the Asian brown cloud, is a real problem. Two billion people on Earth living without electricity, in darkened huts and hovels polluted by charcoal smoke, is a real problem.

So, let us indeed start a Manhattan Project-like mission to create alternative sources of energy. And, in the meantime, let us neither cripple our own economy by mislabeling carbon dioxide a pollutant nor discourage development in the Third World, where suffering continues unabated, day after day.

I'm sure, by now, Mr Ambler has been asked for his keys to the HuffPo door.

Congrats!

The Mayor had a baby! Well, TLDG did, you know what I meant. Go wish him congrats!

Welcome to the world, little Clare!