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Tues. Show Prep - Team of Rivals edition

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on December 1, 2008

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AFP: President-elect Obama (Did you know there’s an Office of the President-elect?) unveiled his national security team today, including Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton. Yes, the Hillary Clinton who said that she dodged sniper fire. The phrase of the day is “team of rivals,” with talking heads all over the place comparing Obama to Lincoln, who recruited his election opponents to be in his cabinet. Of course this is a comparison that just doesn’t make sense. Lincoln’s rivals actually disagreed with him, Obama’s “rivals” just wanted the same job.
IHT: Why is Obama’s national security team so newsworthy today? Well as the President-elect himself said, we’re in the middle of two wars. But it’s not what’s going on right now that has me worried, it’s what could happen in the future, especially with a new president to break in. On panel for example has concluded that terrorists will most likely carry out an attack with biological, nuclear or other unconventional weapons somewhere in the world in the next five years.
FoxNews: The Pirates of Somalia are back at it again, this time they attacked a cruise ship carrying 690 American, British and Australian passengers and a 386-member crew. Oil tankers, cruise ships… what’s next, a French aircraft carrier? Actually scratch that, capturing a French ship would be too easy for the pirates. They have a reputation to uphold.
LiveScience: According to a new study, some brains are wired for change. This is actually looking more at the people who are constantly searching for the greener grass on the other side of the fence, as opposed to those who have Obamamania, and the only cure is more hopenchange.
USAToday: There’s an old saying that it’s a “recession” when you’re neighbor loses their job, and a “depression” when you lose yours. But there are actually parameters for what is and is not a recession, and for the record we have been in one since December 2007. Hmmm… what else happened in December 2007? Coincidence? Probably so.

Tues. Show Prep - Open house edition

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on November 10, 2008

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AP: President-elect Obama and future First Lady Michelle Obama stopped by the White House for their first post-election tour. This tour was of course just a formality, since Obama has been measuring the drapes for four years no. Laura Bush and Michelle Obama took a stroll around the residence, while George and Barack talked transition. What would you have given to be a fly on the wall for that conversation?
Reuters: The economy is on life support these days, but Barack Obama’s victory on election day cause a resurgence in one sector of the economy… Guns sales are through the roof. No, people aren’t planning a revolution. They are just a little worried about Obama thinking that the Second Amendment is just an option.
USA Today: As we all know, one part of the economy that isn’t seeing the boom that they are in gun sales is the auto industry. Many are calling for a bailout for the US automakers, saying that the “big three” are too big to fail. If that’s true, won’t they be able to quickly rebound from bankruptcy and not need any of my tax dollars to do it?
BBC: A British private pilot had to be talked down by the RAF after a stroke caused him to go blind mid-flight. He made it down safely, and his eyesight does appear to be returning, but it’s hard to imagine a more terrifying scenario. Which do you think would be tougher, having to land completely blind or landing on an aircraft carrier? My money is on the carrier.

Thurs. Show Prep - President-Elect edition

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on November 5, 2008

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Trib: Barack Obama won last night… I certainly hope you’re not reading it here for the first time. People who know me are well aware of the fact that he is not my guy, but it’s a historic moment for the country and I certainly wish him well. In his acceptance speech last night the President-Elect told his daughters that they had earned the new puppy he promised them. Two things: a) this is just the first example of the new administration wasting tax dollars, since they’ll immediately have to replace the rugs in the White House when the little guy takes a leak in every room when they get their. b) Am I the only one who can’t help but feel sorry for the Obama kids, since they are so young and will barely see their father for at least the next four years. That’s not meant as a critisism of Obama, as Sarah Palin was criticized, I’m just a little sad that these kids will be in the spotlight and forced to grow up so quickly.
ESPN: Wayne Huizenga and Sam Zell aren’t the only people in sports who are looking to alter their portfolios before the Obama tax hikes go into effect. Some baseball agents already are thinking about trying to beat a possible tax increase for their well-paid clients under the new administration. If they get new contracts before January 1, it’s likely that they’ll save the hundreds of thousands of dollars each in extra tax they’ll owe when the rates go up.
Miami Herald: This just proves that nothing good comes out of Atlanta these days, Delta Airlines has become the last of the major carriers to charge $15 for checking the first bag. I have to give the local guys credit for being the last of the big guys to do it. For my part, I’m going to make up the past year of walking to work by driving wherever I go. Does the extra $15 make you any less likely to fly?
AP: Does life really begin at 40? New research suggests that you actually start to get dumber when you hit your midlife crisis. The study says that in middle age, even healthy people begin to lose some of that insulation in a motor-control part of the brain — at the same rate that their speed subtly slows.

Tues. Show Prep - Dealing with disapointment edition

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on November 3, 2008

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AP: Just a couple of years ago Buzz Aldrin was asked if he ever thought about running for office. He said that he didn’t because as an astronaut almost everyone had a pretty good opinion of him, and it didn’t make much since to trade that for being hated by 49% of the population and tolerated by 51%. That’s something for everyone to keep in mind tomorrow. Even if the winner does the near impossible and gets 55%, that means 45% of us will be very very disapointed. Even if you’re the winner, that’s an awful lot of people who dislike you. Just something for everyone to keep in mind before they gloat too much. And for the losers? I’m a Cubs fan and have years of experience with disapointment and failure, if you need counseling.
AZ Central: A lot of us tend to take the right to vote for granted. Some of us don’t even bother to do it. So it’s a good idea to take a step back every once in a while and look at what our newest citizens do. A couple who just got their citizenship a year ago will be traveling 9,300 miles just to make sure they get to vote tomorrow. They were in India waiting for their absentee ballots. When they didn’t come they decided to go home and make sure they got to vote in person. That my friends is dedication. Think about that tomorrow if you face a 2 hour wait at the polls.
SciAm: A new study suggests that people are actually hardwired with a sense or irony. I’m definitely one of them. As a matter of fact my sense of irony is so prolific that half the time no one know what I’m talking about, or even if I’m serious or not.
MSNBC: This is just another example of how the Keith Conrad lifestyle is just superior to all others. Participating in a marathon can put severe stress on your body. You could be running yourself to death. So if you don’t take care of yourself, you’re gonna die… but if you DO take care of yourself, well you still might be killing yourself.
News.com: So much for Australia being a staunch supporter of freedom. They’ve joined China as the only countries to implement mandatory internet censorship. The plan was first created as a way to combat child pornography and adult content, but could be extended to include controversial websites on euthanasia or anorexia… or well pretty much anything that they don’t like.

Fri. Show Prep - Martian invasion edition

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on October 30, 2008

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Wired: Today is the 70th anniversary of the War of the Worlds broadcast. The Mercury Theater on the Air was something of the Battlestar Galactica of its day… critically acclaimed but they had a hard time in the ratings department. They didn’t have a sponsor and CBS was ready to pull the plug. Whether or not the broadcast and subsequent publicity had anything to do with it sticking around but within weeks their sponsorship problems were solves. It also demonstrated that radio could have an impact aside from just running live events like concerts or sporting events.
Washington Post: We got some good news on the economy today. It shrank 0.3% in third quarter. How is that good news? Because it was less than expected, which then subsequently sent the stock market up. That may or may not also be connected to the fact that John McCain is making a late surge in the polls.
Fox News: Barack Obama wrote glowingly about his aunt from Kenya in his first autobiography. Whatever became of her? Well she’s living in poverty in a rundown Boston neighborhood. Apparently “spreading the wealth” isn’t a good idea for Obama himself… just you.

Thurs. Show Prep - Twittering Terrorists edition

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on October 29, 2008

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PC World: Intelligence circles are worried that terrorists might “Tweet” their way through an attack using the microblogging site Twitter. You may remember that 9/11 was mostly planned online, by using online email services without actually sending them… thus avoiding any sort of online security. Twitter does allow you to make your tweets private, but I don’t think it’s even as secure as yahoo mail. I’ve always been a big believer that anything you post online is more than likely going to end up visible to anyone, so I don’t have any problem with the feds following such things. Who do you think a terrorist would follow on Twitter?
Daily Mail: How long does love last? Well according to a new study, the average couple gives up on romance just two years, six months and 25 days into a marriage. I don’t think this actually means that “romance” dies, as such. It just means that people are very very lazy, and after two and a half years they just stop trying to hide it. But then what do I know about marriage?
Sun Sentinel: There are two fall traditions that I believe should always remain sacred… the World Series, and Halloween. This election however neither side has shown any respect for them. Tonight you have the Obamamercial, and now a Republican strategist in Florida has decided to put campaign literature in kids trick-or-treat bags so that their parents will see them when they are checking the candy. I’m all for people reading a side by side comparison of Barack Obama’s tax policy and the Communist manifesto, but that’s just unacceptable.
LA Times: Example number 20,0342 that Hollywood has run out of ideas. The success of the new 90210 has lead the CW to the conclusion that a new Melrose Place would be a good idea. Meanwhile the Sarah Connor Chronicles hangs on by a thread. Who are the people that are actually watching the new 90210? I want names.

Wed. Show Prep - Suspended game edition

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on October 28, 2008

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USA Today: Poor Bud Selig just can’t deliver a win. A couple of years ago there was the tie in the All-star game that lead to the asinine “to the victor goes home field advantage” rule. Now for the first time a World Series game has been suspended. Of course I haven’t been following the World Series since the Cubs were humiliated by the Dodgers. But that’s a different story.
JSOnline: Former Milwaukee Alderman and Keith Conrad fan Michael McGee Jr. has been sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for for bribery, extortion and “other crimes.” Contrary to rumors flying around the web, the “other crimes” didn’t include harassing a poor defenseless radio producer who has been described by some as the nicest guy on the planet.
McCainBloggette: Everyone talks about the Obama campaign being on the cutting edge when it comes to the internets, and rightfully so, their internet game runs circles around McCain’s. But lost in all of the hoopla over Obama’s web presence has been the one member of the McCain campaign that has been all over the web: Meghan McCain. Today she did something that as far as I know has never been done, she blogged to make the case for her dad as President of the United States. Obviously she’s a little biased, but it’s still interesting to her from someone who is in my age bracket and has such a personal connection with a candidate.
AFP: Has the Dowpocalypse finally come to an end? The Dow surged 891 points today, even though there wasn’t any particularly good economic news out there. Perhaps the half-off sale on the stock market is finally over.