TeresaCentric

Goodbye, TypePad

Hello Wordpress!

I have permanently moved my blog to TeresaCentric.com. You can subscribe to my new feed by using the chicklets on the top of the sidebar.

Come on by and check out the gorgeous new digs.

New Feeds and Big Changes Ahead

I've been working hard lately on moving TeresaCentric away from TypePad and to its own domain at TeresaCentric.com. It's still propagating, so you won't see anything if you go there just yet.

If you subscribe to my blog via RSS, and you want to continue to do that, you'll need to subscribe to my new feed. I've added a number of RSS chicklets to the sidebar on this blog that will allow you do that easily in your various hosted services. The next time I post on this blog, it will be with directions to my new, improved, self-hosted solution.

If you have any questions, you're welcome to e-mail me at tsv02001 [at] gmail [dot] com.

Iraq is Going Fine

Posted by George

I'd like to apologize for the below post.  Iraq is NOT in a state of Civil War.  Al-qaeda is trying to weaken our resolve with attacks that are overpublicized by a far too dovish media, who have always wanted this war to fail.

The majority of people are not being killed, over half have jobs, there is stability in much of the country.  This is hardly the free-for-all genocidal civil war the media and disgrunted ex-staffers are trying to convince the public of.

Democracy is working.  Freedom isn't free, but we have made the lives of the Iraqistani's much better.  We will constantly adjust tactics while staying the course until the job is done.  If we pullout now, the terrorists win.  If we don't fight them over there, we will have to fight them over here.

Iraq is just days away from becoming a stable, pro-American, pro-business, Democracy, which will stand as an example to the entire Arab world.

Now if you'll excuse I have a very important meeting which will solve all the problems of the Middle East.

What! He canceled!  Why?  Moqtada who?  What's a Shi'ite?

Up Ahead For Iraq - Civil War and Genocide

Posted by Andy.

More good news! Iraq is now in Civil War, but Genocide is apparently being held off by American troops.   Our President can't even set foot in Iraq for safety reasons.  There is absolutely no chance that this can turn out well.  Pulling out will leave the region a complete disaster, but they really don't want us there anymore. 

Our best strategy is to make the move to get off a foreign oil as quickly as possible, because that whole region is about to delve into chaos.  The Arab world is fucked.

The problems in the Middle East are EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY, complicated.  And Bush arrogantly thought he had realized a simple answer.  Democracy in Iraq.  The problem is, Iraqi's don't want democracy; they want to not be killed. 

Human Among Humans

In his book The Conservative Soul, Andrew Sullivan wrote that to die is to "cease to be human among humans." It got me thinking about mortality and how it makes life meaningful. It might be a cliché thought, but it bears repeating.

Technorati Tags: death, life, afterlife, human among humans, Andrew Sullivan

Tony Bennett and Christina Aguilera: American Classics

What a performance by Tony Bennett and Christina Aguilera! I'm so glad that YouTube makes it possible to find and share these wonderful videos.

Stuff from my childhood

SHUT THE HELL UP CHARLIE!! continued

Quick update.  I found some info on the make-up of the military.  According to the Department of Defense, the poor are underrepresented in the military. Whatever the case, Charlie Rangel really needs to shut up.

Also, Iraq is really fucked up right now (see below).

Iraq Continues to get Worse

By Andy

Murders and sectarian killings hit a new high in Iraq last month.  Yesterday's violence may be remembered as the first day of a civil war if things continue to progress.  While I rarely ask for comments, I have two questions I would really like to hear feedback on.

First: Given the current situation, is there anybody still out there who thinks invading Iraq was a good idea?

Second : Are there any possible solutions anybody could have to stop the violence in Iraq short of nuking the place?  Or are you like me, with the belief that a best case scenario is the Shiite's slaughtering the Sunnis (yes, that is the best case I can realistically picture in Iraq.  You really don't want to hear the other ones).

Happy Thanksgiving! But Not for Bree.

I'm having a fun Thanksgiving, but Bree a.k.a. LonelyGirl15 went to the movies. She doesn't even seem upset that it's Thanksgiving and her parents have been kidnapped by a scary cult and she has no idea if she'll ever see them again. This "on the run" shit is getting old.

Technorati Tags: LG15, Lonelygirl15, Thanksgiving

Manipulation in Romantic Relationships

Technorati Tags: sex, love, relationships, manipulation

SHUT THE HELL UP CHARLIE!!

Rep Charlie Rangel wants to reinstate the draft, to make our leaders less likely to go to war.  Now I could go on and list all the reasons this a bad idea, but I'll keep my commentary brief:

Memo to Charlie : SHUT THE F*CK UP!  We are not going to reinstate the draft. Ever. Your proposal was shot down 402-2 three years ago.  I will go down 434-1 this time.  We all know the military is full of poor minorities, and our last two presidents were draft-dodgers.  SHUT THE F*CK UP!  Nobody cares.  Secretly, all the rich people want all the poor people to fight the wars.  Rich people are pussies.  We know, and we don't want you to remind us.  Shut up.

I'm Andrew Sparrow, and I approved this message.

The Conservative Soul, Sarah Buxton and the Bond Movie

Did I mention that Daniel Craig is lickable? I think so.

Technorati Tags: Sarah Buxton, The Conservative Soul, James Bond Casino Royale

More Patrick Stewart Hilariousness

God I love that man.

Technorati Tags: Patrick Stewart, Star Trek

Something All Trekkies Must Watch Immediately

Is it wrong that I want to rip Patrick Stewart's clothes off?

Technorati Tags: Patrick Stewart, Star Trek

More on waterboarding

In which I reply to some comments on my previous video about the FOX News correspondent getting waterboarded.

Technorati Tags: FOX News Waterboarding Torture

The Dixie Chicks Concert Was Awesome!

I took my little sister to see the Dixie Chicks at the Tacoma Dome last night. It was her first concert Here's what she thought of it.

We're hoping that maybe the Dixie Chicks themselves will see this video, since they are bloggers and they love kids, and apparently, they watch videos on YouTube all the time.

And of course, when you give an 8 year-old a web cam, she wants to make more and more videos. Here's her first solo video blog in which she follows in my footsteps by voicing her feelings about President Bush:

Why I Support the Federal Income Tax

A fellow YouTube user sent me a video about how the 16th Amendment--the one that allows the Feds to tax us--was never properly ratified by the states. I took a look at it:



Here's my reaction:



Technorati Tags: taxes, federal income tax

In Which I Get Controversial

Yet another videoblog. This time I answer some questions and talk about some controversial topics.

Bush vs. Lincoln

Another entry in my vlog, in which I compare Presidents Bush and Lincoln, and in which Andy makes an appearance in his underoos.

Technorati Tags: bush, lincoln, rumsfeld

Rummy's Gone!

It's been a great day for America. In an unrelated matter, I've had a very shitty day. More later...

Technorati Tags: rumsfeld

Tester wins in Montana!

Now control of the Senate rests on the Webb vs. Allen race in Virginia.

Technorati Tags: tester, montana, virginia, allen, webb

The Morning After the Election

Here's my vlog entry for November 8th.



PS: I know it's Wednesday, not Monday. I blame it on a combination of cough syrup and feeling like it really is Monday.

Technorati Tags: election, midterm, missouri, tennesee, montana, virginia, vote

Keep Your Jesus off my Penis

This is too hilarious not to share:

Technorati Tags: jesus, penis

Help Pasado's Safe Haven Save Animals Affected by the Flooding in Washington State

As with Hurricane Katrina, the victims of the recent flooding in Washington have not all been human. A number of animals, both livestock and pets, have been stranded or abandoned in the rising floodwaters.

Seattle-area animal sanctuary Pasado's Safe Haven needs your help to rescue and care for those animals.

Here is an e-mail my aunt Deb forwarded me from Pasado's yesterday:

EVACUEE ALERT: If your animals need help, Pasado's Safe Haven will provide:
--Emergency transport for pets or livestock
--Water rescue
--Temporary housing and care for all animals.
--Call 360-793-9393 for help.

WHAT WE NEED!
Here's what we need as of this writing:

Flat-bottom boats (called 'Jon', Zodiac, or 'Bass' boats) with a small motor call
425-283-8307.

Boat trailer to accommodate the above. Call same number.
Both MUST be in the Seattle area to be picked-up quickly.

Livestock Feed: Hundreds of pounds. Please call our local feed store (they give us a discount too): (360)794-4663

So there you have it, if you're an animal lover and you have supplies, equiment or money to spare, Pasado's needs your help to preserve the livelihood of farmers and protect people's cherished pets.

Technorati Tags: pasado's safe haven, flooding, washington state

Election Eve Parte Deux

Technorati Tags: election, 2006, midterm, republicans, democrats, nancy pelosi

If you could roll back one hour from your life, which hour would it be?

The hour that I kissed my ex. I would have told him that I wasn't ready to be in a healthy relationship. Then I would have walked. the fuck. away.

(From Consumating)

My Election Eve Vlog

Here's my first vlog from election eve...

Wiping Santorum off the Floor of the Senate. Did Savage Put the Final Nail in the Coffin?

Well, it looks like the Democrats have picked up a couple of Senate seats already, and held on to one crucial one in New Jersey.

CNN and the Wall Street Journal are reporting that Bob Casey has defeated Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania. I can't help but wonder how much impact Dan Savage's redefinition of the term "santorum" had to do with it...

Technorati Tags: santorum, casey

Finally! Spears and Federline to Split!

CNN and the Washington Post are both reporting that Britney Spears and Kevin Federline are divorcing.

The folks at DivorceKevin.com must be celebrating.

Technorati Tags: Britney Spears, Kevin Federline

FBI Investigates Possible Voter Intimidation in Virginia

Yesterday, I posted (and vlogged) about some suspicious phone calls that have turned up in Virginia. Now, both MSNBC and CNN (just saw it on The Situation Room) are reporting that the FBI is investigating the allegations of voter intimidation.

Technorati Tags: election 2006, midterm, voter intimidation, virginia, webb, allen

My first videoblog

I got a new MacBook and I made this with the built-in iSight camera. I comment on the dirty tricks I've heard about on the Republican side of the aisle and how pissed off they make me.

Harold Ford Jr. is a MasterDebator

Man, that guy has a tongue coated in silver. Just listen to how he turns the whole John Kerry debacle around on Sean Hannity:

Technorati Tags: sean hannity, harold ford jr., hannity combs

Everyone's a Little Bit Racist...

This video is not politically correct. It's not even close. Don't watch it if you're easily offended.

But it's true. Everyone is a little bit racist. Including me.

Technorati Tags: racism

"Virginia Elections Commission" Intimidates Webb Woters

Jim Webb, the Democratic challenger for the Senate in Virginia, has posted this phone message on his website. Apparently, supporters of his opponent, incumbent Senator George Allen have been calling registered Democrats under the pretext that they are with the Virginia Elections Commission. The callers have been leaving messages telling voters that they are not registered in Virginia and that they will be charged criminally if they turn out to vote tomorrow.

Let's be clear here. In any state, if you turn up at the polls with the reasonable expectation that you are registered and allowed to vote, you will not be criminally charged. Even if you're not on the voter rolls, you will be asked to vote a provisional ballot and the elections department will sort your status out later. As long as you have no criminal intent, you won't be charged with anything.

These attempts to stifle democracy are deplorable!

Technorati Tags: virginia, elections, virginia elections commission,

Electoral Hijinks, What Else is New?

Neither political party has a monopoly on corruption at election time. I know a lot of liberals who would like to pretend that it's only Republicans who play dirty tricks. But this time, it really is the Republicans. Except that they're pretending to be Democrats in order to annoy the crap out of unsuspecting voters to throw the race for New Hampshire's second district to incumbent Republican Charlie Bass.

Sometimes it seems to me that once a part gets the majority, all it cares about is retaining power. Ethics and the issues suddenly become inconvenient distractions from power and influence. Until we have a viable third party in this country, these problems are just going to keep cropping up on both sides of the aisle.

Technorati Tags: republicans, new hampshire, charlie bass, third party

Burn, Baby Burn

Just in case you didn't already know this: we are in the process of moving from the Industrial Age to the Information/Internet Age. This new age looks to be exponentially more prosperous, profitable, proficient, and propitious than the previous age, with more positive and perilious potential to boot. There's a small problem though. We have this massive, massive infrastructure left over from the Industrial Age we need to get rid of. This means a restructuring of how businesses, governments, and pretty much any large organization, conglomeration, or network. Some are easily changed, but for some its easier to just tear the whole thing down and start over. When we bombed the crap out of Japan, Germany, and England, in WWII, or when Chicago was burned to the ground, it allowed them to start all their institutions and organizations from the ground with new technology and is partially responsible for their massive economic growth following complete destruction. Our government no longer fits for the new age. And fortunately we have a visionary who understands that. President Bush has taken it upon himself to destroy every bit or our most cumbersome institutions, allowing us to start over. He has wrecked public education with No Child Left Behind, posion public opinion, and gutted funding for every major government program while simultaneously bankrupting the American government. Thank you Mr. Bush. After the conservatives hold both the House and Senate by a single seat, he can use the final two years to complete his destruction of our government. After two more years of complete disgust, we can expect to see a massive sweep into power for progressives, with solid majorities in both House, the Presidency, state Legislature, allowing a brilliant, forward thinking leader to take us into the new age. And 44 will be able to do this much, much easier, because so much will have been razed by 43.

Trust vs. Faith? Can't We All Just Get Along?

Today, I found a terrific post at the Daily Irreverance that effectively refutes the argument that a belief in science is no different from a belief in God.

The problem is that the author continues to polarize religious belief and science, when the two are not mutually exclusive. Further polarizing the conversation, commenter Aerik Knapp-Loomis wrote that science is "morally superior" to faith.

I get really tired of this back-and-forth bullshit between religious people and atheists over what constitutes a "correct" outlook on the world. It becomes particularly absurd when you consider that most people's religious faith doesn't exclude the ability to trust in science. It's logical to believe that if God made the universe, and God is a smart entity, then God probably built the universe around a set of logical rules that can be understood and manipulated.

That said, if my religious dogma tells me one thing about the physical world and science tells me another, I will likely listen to science. That's because I'm not a religious fundamentalist. I know too much about the history of human reinterpretation of scripture to believe that any one book can contain all of God's truth. To quote the United Church of Christ, God is still speaking. We should listen in every way we know how. That includes trying to understand the inner workings of the universe through methodical, empirical study.

Technorati Tags: science, religion, trust, faith

Should I Work the Polls Tomorrow?

I know I made a committment to King County Elections, but somehow I always manage to get a cold on election day. I'm trying to decide whether to suck it up and work the polls tomorrow or to call the elections people and try to beg out :(.

What do you think?

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Ted Haggard: Hateful Hypocrite or Hateful Victim?

As a pro-gay rights American, it's hard for me not to feel at least a little jubilant at the news that anti-gay used-car salesman pastor Ted Haggard has been accused of frequenting a gay male prostitute and using meth to enhance his experience of their sexual encounters.

I first heard of Haggard was when I saw him in this video on YouTube, doing the improbable job of simultaneously making an ass of himself and prolific atheist author Richard Dawkins:

A few weeks later, I next saw him in the film Jesus Camp, heartily decrying homosexuality and acting like a condescending ass toward a small boy who hoped to grow up to be a pastor himself someday.

In both cases, I instantly disliked him. He seemed to me an oily shyster who happened upon fervent religious belief as a way to make himself feel special. His fake tan and crowned white teeth made me cringe.

Like I said before, it's hard for me not to be just a little bit jubilant at the news of his downfall. With all his rabid homophobia, it's possible that he really is a repressed, self-hating gay man. And given his hate-filled message, it seems poetic justice that he would face such allegations, particularly if they turn out to be true. And I pray that they are true. Because if this turns out to be a hoax, it will haunt the gay rights movement far longer than the scandal will haunt the Evangelicals if it turns out that Ted Haggard really is a boy-banging, meth-snorting hypocrite.

Via TailRank

I Hope You Had the Time of Your Life

College was an incredibly special time for me, and for my friends. I've recently begun the process of resurrecting all the digitial video from those wonderful years and posting it to YouTube. Here's my latest snippet:

Doing the Dan Dance

Here's another video, this time of my friend Dan (the hairy man mountain) doing a silly dance. I took five seconds of footage and turned it into a techno video...

Resurrecting Old Videos for YouTube

I've been really into video editing since my freshman year of college. When I say "into," I'm not talking about professional-grade programs like Final Cut. I'm referring to iMovie. Still, I use this kind of software more than is humanly healthy and I know all the keyboard shortcuts for extracting audio and doing crazy shit.

Anyway, I've recently been going through all the short videos on my computer and uploading some of them to YouTube. Here's one that I put together from video clips of Andy and my trip to Mexico in '04.

I'll be uploading more videos in the coming days, so stay tuned.

All Your Grapes (On a Plane) Are Belong To Us!

UPDATE: I should have stated from the beginning, as Scoble always does, that this was a junket, which my company organized to draw some blogosphere attention to our clients. Yes, we got stuff (specifically good wine, good food and flights on private jets) for free with the expectation that we would blog about it and link in. However, as Christophe Hedges said to me, “I don't mind if you write bad stuff about us. I just want to read it either way.” It's up to you, my readers, to make up your mind whether you believe me or not about how great this event was.

Wow! What a 24 hour period. We finished the conference yesterday evening. It was an amazing three days with a mega letdown afterwards.

The Grapes on a Plane event was a smashing success. All the bloggers had an awesome time and we all bonded. I have a bunch of amazing photos that are forthcoming over my flickr photostream.

We visited a number of wineries. First we did some tasting at Bookwalter (try the 2004 Columbia Valley Chardonnay-Viognier) and Chandler Reach (the '02 Cab-Franc is awesome) before traveling to Hedges for dinner.

The dinner was really cool. There was an organic butter lettuce salad with Walla Walla onion and paired with a Three Vineyards. The main course was a traditional Boeuf Bourguignon, which was obviously well-prepared but not really my thing. I do have to get the recipe from Christophe Hedges because I think Andy would really enjoy it. They paired that with their Two Vineyards Reserve.

After the beef, there was a bread and cheese course, which is my favorite thing to eat. The bread crust reminded me a bit of matzoh, which is a good thing. They paired the course with a private reserve Single Vineyard Syrah, which requires a private list membership to even purchase. If I had the money, I would seriously consider purchasing a membership because I've never had anything quite as special as that Syrah.

Finally, they paired dark chocolate truffles with their Red Mountain Fortified port. Everyone had a great time. I think a small food fight even broke out at one point, there are photos in the photostream :-)

The jets provided by Greenpoint Technologies were really a trip. I've never flown on a private jet before, and I felt very fancy. My favorite thing by far were the bathrooms. On commercial jets, the toilets make really scary noises when you flush them. I'm always afraid that it's going to de-pressurize the cabin and vent everyone onboard into the stratosphere. On our jet, the toilet flushed like a normal toilet, except the water was blue. I wasn't freaked out at all! I may never fly commercial again.

UPDATE: So, what do you think? Am I telling the truth about the junket? Did I really have a good time or is Jason Calacanis right to question my authenticity as a blogger? If you need to check out the photographic proof one more time, you might want to do that.

Bush - Confidence is Key to Victory

Posted by Andy

President Bush has come out recently as stating that he has no plan for a Democratic takeover of the House and Senate despite widespread reports by liberals and conservatives that Dems will sweep in November.  He says he is in the game to win, and is only making plans for victory.

I couldn't agree more.  I mean, how would it have looked in the World Series, after the Cardinals got up 3-1, if they had planned on having a game 7.  If they had say, made hotel arrangments for the Detroit Tigers.  Or told employee's that they might need to work that day.  Or had tickets ready for that game.  I mean, they KNEW the they were going to win, so they went ahead and scheduled a Rolling Stones concert the night when Game 7 could have been. Bush is a winner, and winners don't prepare to lose.

Jim Webb - AUTHOR!

Posted by Andy

Now there are a lot of things I like aobut Jim Webb: he's a former Vietnam marine, was President Reagan's Navy secretary, currently has a son serving in Iraq, and accurately predicted exactly what was going to happen in this war.  He decided to run for Senate only because he felt Sen. George Allen was a lapdop for President Bush, and this former fratboy with no army expertise had no business pretending like he knew what war was like.

Webb is so strong on National Security he's practically a Republican.  In fact, he used to be a Republican, and he only switched parties because he felt personally ashamed by George Allen and George W. Bush.

But then I found out something very disturbing.  Jim Webb wrote six books about war.  And in those books, he included scenes with murder and even rape.  What a pervert!  How dare he write a book about war that includes disturbing imagery.  I'm voting for George Allen.

Plymouth Gin Rocks

Posted by Andy

Quick shout to Plymouth Gin, Randall PR, and Maggiono's, for throwing an awesome party last night.  They provided us with free food and drinks.  Teresa will probably post more on it later, but I just want to give them some quick props.

Prohibition - Smart, Effective, and Necessary

Posted by Andy

I am pleased to announce that Congress recently passed HR 4954, which prohibits banks from allowing deposits and withdrawls into and out of online casino's, and make it illegal for online casinos to accept money from US residents.

The bill caused a major drop in the London stock market, due to the huge drop in online gambling sites trading there, such as partypoker.net, a major gambling site which plans to comply with the law, and block 90 percent of its former customers.

Online gambling, which has been referred to as "crack cocaine" for gambling addicts, is dangerous and many people are not capable or trying this drug without becoming addictive and losing their mortgage and marriage. 

We need to protect these people from themselves, and that means keeping the bad guys away.  There's no way these gambling addicts will get their fix another way, and blow the bank in a real casino, or gambling on sports, horse racing, and the state lottery online (all still legal in 48 states), because their are significantly less addictive.

If those out there who just want to blow off a little steam at the end of the day have a problem with losing this service I say that all the fun, relaxation, and potential tax revenue (it is estimated that regulating and taxing internet gambling could yield billions of dollars in potential tax revenue) in the world aren't worth letting potential addicts get their hands on this new technology.  The role of the government is protect us from ourselves at all costs*.

*I just deposited 50 dollars into Bodog.net and played an hour of poker.  Prohibition totally works.

Porn Stars and Political Office are Like Oil and Water, That's a Sad Fact

It's not that I think women who pose in pornography are being exploited. In a lot of cases, they are, but I don't make that assumption about every woman who chooses to pose nude.

What really makes me sad about pornography is that the women who do it will never be able to run for President. Some of them are dumb as posts, true. But some of them are bound to be smart, especially the women who pose on Suicide Girls. Those women have basically forfeited any chance of ever being elected to political office, and it's sad that they have to make the choice between indulging their youthful desire to pose nude and making a difference politically later in their lives.

I wonder whether any of these women have asked that question, and how they answered it for themselves.

Republicans Retreating from their Own 50 State Strategy

The great weakness of the Democratic party over the latter half of the past century has been their abdication in states where they thought they couldn't win elections. It's a strategy that Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean has been combatting with his “50 state strategy.” He's awakening the rusty Democratic machinery in such far-flung Republican strongholds as Alaska and Kansas. When he says he wants to take the country back, he means the whole country.

That's why I was surprised to see that the Republicans are making a strategic move in the opposite direction, cutting and running from states like Ohio, where Senator Mike DeWine is dropping in the polls. The Republican party cuts quite a diminished figure in retreat.