Earlier in the week I established the over/under for candidate appearances during the Derby festivities at 1.5, thinking that the half would prevent a tie.  The actual would be 1, 2 or 3 and so everyone would win or lose.

Well, perhaps not.  As of right now we are scheduled for a visit from Hillary and from Michelle Obama.  So it may be a push after all.

It’s all premature though.  They come in tomorrow.  Time will tell if they try to latch onto the Derby theme.  Hillary is always good for a cheap, forced local reference, but Michelle Obama is just so clueless she may not even be aware that the Kentucky Derby is run in Kentucky.

Update to the Update:  Just found out that Chelsea Clinton will be attending the Derby.  So we are at a firm 0.5 and counting.

Thanks to John Rabe for his link to the Most Annoying Song Ever.

This thing is pure gold!

After gathering data about people’s least favorite music and lyrical subjects, they did the unthinkable: they combined them into a single monstrosity, specifically engineered to sound unpleasant to the maximum percentage of listeners.

Unpleasant?  Maybe if it were simply passed off as “here’s our new single, what do you think?”  By the way, it is 22:00 long so that would be a hard sell on time investment alone.  But knowing the premise, I found it to be a hilarious audio scrapbook of musical styles and gimmicks that just about everyone would agree range anywhere from lame to pathetic to downright awful.  As each new element appeared or re-appeared, after I finished a brief session of ROTFLOL, I had to nod and agree, “Yes, I hadn’t thought of it, but that is really bad.”

I also found it interesting how they were able to combine elements.  Opera-rap for instance.  And tubas with just about everything.

So, it is 22 minutes long, but for me that was a small price to pay for the best laugh that I’ve had in weeks.

At his own site, Dick Morris wonders if Hillary is continuing her fight not in hopes of a miraculous come-from-behind victory this year, but to sabotage Obama and clear the decks for a run in 2012.  For a while now Morris has been convinced that Clinton’s case is hopeless, that there is no way she can overcome the numbers stacked against her.  Morris believes that after an Obama loss to McCain in November Hillary would emerge as the Democratic front-runner for 2012.

I really respect Morris, and always enjoy reading his analysis.  But, I think this particular post is full of holes.

First of all, assuming the whole thing is true, I would have to add a confused, “And?”  Hillary was the presumptive front-runner for 2008 and look where it got her.  In fact, many point out that that was probably her biggest problem.  (more…)

It’s the perfect storm for a candidate.  The Kentucky Derby, the most-attended single event of the year in this state, will be run this coming Saturday.  The Oaks on Friday is no slouch of an event either.  Kentucky’s primary is just a few weeks away.  And Churchill Downs sits just across the river from Indiana, the state that is currently in play.  Seems like a great opportunity for a candidate.

A quick trip across the bridge.  Toss back a couple Maker’s Mark shots, or a Mint Julep.  And let the media get video of you carefully studying your racing form, you know, like you do every weekend when you are hanging out with the boys and betting on the “ponies.”

Number of candidates appearing in Louisville over Derby weekend, over / under:  1.5

If Hillary appears, odds that her campaign will have thought far enough ahead to procure a bonnet:  2:1 against

(more…)

I came into to the day realizing that Brian Brohm (QB – Louisville) wouldn’t be drafted as high as once hoped.  But, I balanced that with optimism, thinking that his fall meant that every team would probably get a crack at him and hoping that he’d find the right niche.  Admittedly, Green Bay was not what I expected.

As I was watching and trying to figure out which team might snag Brohm I realized that this was not a good year to be a QB in the draft.  Granted, there are only a handful of truly great QB’s in the NFL so you can never say that most teams are set at that position.  But this year, a lot of teams who are looking for a mainstay under center at least have a clearly established candidate in place.  For example, the Cards have Matt Leinart and the Raiders have JaMarcus Russell.

And, I thought, the Packers have Aaron Rodgers.  After seasons of wondering if his chance would come “next year,” it appeared that 2008 belonged to Rodgers in Green Bay.  And it probably will.  But this is why you don’t draft a QB in this situation. (more…)

Wow!  Arby’s is buying Wendy’s corporate for $2.3B.  I’ve got to admit, I don’t see any warm fuzzy synergy here.

Know why the Wendy’s burgers are square?  Because Wendy’s doesn’t cut corners.  Now Dave Thomas’ legacy rests in the hands of an organization that never met a corner it wouldn’t cut.  I can’t wait to see how Arby’s trademark high prices, poor service and filthy restaurants will boost Wendy’s business.  Wendy’s gave us “Where’s the Beef?” and Arby’s gave us “Honk if your service was great” signs in the drive-through.

We’ll see how this goes, but I don’t look for either of them to start setting the world on fire.

I know, I’ve got to get back at project TIL.  But for now, another wave of Twitter confusion has gripped me, as those who follow the blogging, or electronic communication industry rave on.

It’s neat, and I admit I do enjoy picking up my phone and dropping a quick thought via text.  But that is more about the functionality than the thing itself.  It’s not the steak or the sizzle, it’s the plate the steak is served on.

And I admit that I also mock the mentality that says everyone needs my 411 constantly and I need theirs constantly.  But even that isn’t the heart of it for me.  That’s why I don’t want it, but not why I don’t get it.

Here is the main question that I have yet to find an answer for:  How is Twitter anything more than blogging with very short entries?  And I’m not even going to pretend to apologize for being obtuse on this.  I’ve read post after post gushing over Twitter, and I’m not talking about Acne Pete in his parents’ basement, I’m talking people who get paid to follow and comment on the industry.  They are all the same.  "Look how awesome Twitter is.  Now you can (insert random item of blog functionality here)!"

Greg’s Office Tormentors is a Man in the Box spinoff that is catching on over at YouTube. In this week’s particularly awesome edition, the Tormentors talk about how Greg has tormented them. Enjoy.

Thanks to the Chicago Boyz for pointing out this link and quote:

“We know we want to phase it out, but I think until we build the replacements for gasoline that there ought to be a prohibition on market speculation,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. “These prices are all driven up by all kinds of different speculative practices.”

She makes “speculative practices” sound like some kind of black magic going on behind the scenes.  To think I was worried about what lawmakers would do when they finally tried to “address” the issue of higher gas prices.  As long as they agree to confine their efforts to the realm of impossibility, I say let them have their fun.

This pretty much sums up Carter’s whole trip and meeting with Hamas.

"I did the best I could."

Truer words were never spoken.  The best he could was pitiful when Carter was president and actually had authority.  Now … it’s just laughable.  He is nothing more than another in a line of out of touch celebrities who seek to denigrate their own nation by providing appearances of legitimacy to its enemies and fringe terror organizations.  Of course he can pretty much do these things with impunity – it’s not like his legacy can get any worse.