Part XVI.
But really, this seems to happen a lot more in the world of sports.

In the second inning of Friday's game between Detroit and Oakland, Piniella talked about the success light-hitting A's infielder Marco Scutaro had in the first round of the playoffs. Piniella said that slugger Frank Thomas and Eric Chavez needed to contribute, comparing Scutaro's production to finding a "wallet on Friday" and hoping it happened again the next week.

Later, Piniella said the A's needed Thomas to get "en fuego" - hot in Spanish - because he was currently "frio" - or cold. After Brennaman praised Piniella for being bilingual, Lyons spoke up.

Lyons said that Piniella was "hablaing Espanol" - butchering the conjugation for the word "to speak" - and added, "I still can't find my wallet."

"I don't understand him, and I don't want to sit too close to him now," Lyons continued.
Fox executives told Lyons after the game he had been fired.

Posted by: LauraW. at 06:22 PM | Comments (26)
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Who doesn't love these commercials?

Whole page of them here.

Posted by: LauraW. at 02:52 PM | Comments (24)
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The lady is a charmer, isn't she?

It's amazing to me how someone so shrill, socially inept, humorless, witless, and prone to faux pas of all sorts (nevermind the fact she's a dog) is actually considered an electryfingly charismatic candidate for the Democratic Party.

Posted by: Ace at 02:24 PM | Comments (44)
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...dead at age 69.
He passed away early this morning at Boston Medical Center.

No bashing, please.

Ace Adds: I question the timing.

And Ted Kennedy fondly eulogizes him.

Posted by: LauraW. at 06:15 AM | Comments (84)
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Hee hee.

The Walt Disney Co. on Thursday said it took "appropriate action" against employees at its Paris theme park who were caught simulating sex while dressed as Disney characters in a digital video that has received wide attention on the Internet.

The video shows Minnie Mouse struggling to free herself as she is grabbed from behind by Goofy and then a giant snowman.

Later, Mickey Mouse simulates sex with the snowman and Goofy does the same with either Chip or Dale, the chipmunks, as laughter is heard on the tape.

Posted by: LauraW. at 06:10 AM | Comments (30)
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...Among our young folks.

"I think that for sure college students hold hands just like the old days," says Sandra L. Caron, a professor of family relations and human sexuality at the University of Maine in Orono.

If they do, it is likely only after they are deep into a relationship.

"It is a lot more intimate to hold hands nowadays than to kiss," says Joel Kershner, 23 and a student at the University of Maine. Because of that, he says, reaching for someone's hand these days has more potential for rejection than leaning in for a smooch at a party where alcohol is flowing.

Libby Tyler, 20, says it was "weird that hand-holding is more serious," but true. "It's something that you lead up to," she says.

There is nothing casual about it anymore, says Rachel Peters, 22.

"Hand-holding is something that usually people do once they've confirmed they're a couple," she says.

Rainbow parties at age thirteen? No prob. Holding hands in college? Uh, that's some serious shit.

It is a topsy-turvy world.

Posted by: LauraW. at 05:07 PM | Comments (81)
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The Washington Post concludes Democrats are neither as guilty as Republicans charge of engineering a late hit, nor as innocent of it as they themselves claim.

What's undeniable is that "a Democratic operative" was pushing the story since about May.

Why no one is willing to name him is beyond me.

More... Ken Silversteen, the Harper's reporter who admits being shopped the story by a Democratic operative, for some reason feels the need to step out of objective-reporter role and spin in the Democrats' defense.

Gee, I wonder why he would do so.

Thanks to Larwyn for that.

More: Gay Troop Leaders Can Take Teenagers Camping, But Gay Republican Congressmen Can't: The Democrats and MSM are determined to root the boy-lovin', disease-spreadin' faggits out of the Republican Party.

Thank God we have a party willling to fight the Pink Menace.

Nuance.

Posted by: Ace at 01:14 PM | Comments (167)
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Making a claijm similar to British law's distinction between games of skill, like chess, which can be wagered on, and games of chance, like backgammon, which can't be.

British law, according to a friend living in London and in the online gambling business, recognizes poker as a game of skill.

Frankly, I've never really understood this distinction, and I don't see how they can evade the new law's ban on wagers made "subject to chance" (which poker obviously is, even if skill plays a major role), or how a British interpretation can possibly carry in US law, but hey, it's worth a gamble:

LONDON--PokerStars, the world's second-biggest Internet poker firm, said on Thursday that a looming U.S. ban on online gaming would not apply to poker, as it is a game of skill, and its business would continue as usual.

The gambling industry was left reeling this month after the U.S. Congress unexpectedly approved a bill that would make it illegal for companies to accept Internet wagers or for banks to process payments to online gaming companies.

The bill defines gambling as the act of staking something of value on "a sporting event or a game subject to chance" and is expected to be signed into law by President George W. Bush on Friday.

"These provisions do not alter the U.S. legal situation with respect to online poker," privately-owned PokerStars said in a statement.

"Our business continues as before, open to players worldwide including the U.S.," it added. "You may play on our site as you did prior to the act."

At least until the courts rule against Poker Stars, which they will.

Posted by: Ace at 12:58 PM | Comments (17)
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For reasons unfathomable, rock album covers decide to slaughter eachother with some delicious graphic violence.

Thanks to Bubba.

Posted by: Ace at 12:02 PM | Comments (12)
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So, the House has announced they're going to put him under oath and question him about stealing documents.

Perfect timing. Congress is out of session, and won't be back until after the elections for a lame-duck session. And after that, the Democrats take control, in all likelihood, and immediately end the hearings.

Ah, well.

Just to remind everyone of what this bastard did.

Probation. He got two years probation. Two years probation for lying to investigators, lying to the 9/11 commission, deliberately stealing highly-classiified documents, and deliberately destroying those documents.

Contrary to Libby’s situation, the essential facts of Berger’s case do not seem to be in dispute. Because of his high-level position, Berger was permitted access to the national archives to prepare for his commission testimony (and to help prepare President Clinton for his). He used that public trust as an opportunity to filch, on at least two occasions, highly classified information — stuffing some of it into his clothing to avoid detection. This bizarre behavior caused authorities to investigate and discover the theft. In the ensuing investigation, Berger brazenly lied. He told the government that his undeniable removal of the intelligence was an honest mistake … only to admit later (as the Washington Times reported) that he had quite intentionally stuffed the documents into his pants, jacket and a leather portfolio.

That’s not the end of the story — not by a long-shot. Berger did not take just any documents. As recounted by National Review’s Byron York, among others, he took various drafts of a so-called “after-action report” prepared by top Clinton counterterrorism officials. The purpose of the report was to assess the Clinton administration’s 1999 performance in connection with terrorist threats that riddled the run-up to the millennium observance. Annotated on some of those copies is believed to be reactive commentary by some high-ranking Clinton officials. The report and the manner in which it was finalized were patently germane to the commission’s investigation.

...

Of course, as it turns out, Berger was not content merely to conceal the drafts of the after-action report. He has admitted deliberately destroying some of the documents he took. Unauthorized destruction of classified information, it bears noting, is yet another felony violation of federal law, carrying a potential ten-year penalty.

Sandy Berger neednÂ’t worry about ten-year penalties, though. He neednÂ’t concern himself with a prosecution for false statements or obstruction of justice. He neednÂ’t sweat for two years over whether he will be charged with multiple black-and-white classified information violations.

No, Berger is home-free. Next year, when Scooter Libby starts trial on false-statement and obstruction-of-justice allegations that carry potential decades of jail time, Sandy Berger will be starting the second half of his two-year term of probation.

Read the whole thing.

And blame the Republicans. Who continually believe that if they give every benefit of every doubt to the Democrats, and attempt to treat lawbreaking, national-security-document destroying, perjuring, justice-obstructing thieves like Berger with mercy, they may receive some mercy in return.

They won't ever learn.

This isn't just politics. This an almost unfathomable breach of national security protocols, and serial obstruction of justice, but Clinton's former National Security Advisor.

And the media doesn't care.

Partly because the Republicans never made much of an issue of it. And partly because the Department of Justice decided, incredibly, to give the man a mulligan on the theft and destruction of national security documents.

The man should be spending 15 years in prison. Instead, he'll get his security clearances back in time for the 2008 election.

Flashback Funny: Sandy Berger Claims "Honest Mistake" in "Inadvertantly" Removing Ark of the Covenant From Secret Government Warehouse By Stuffing It Down His Pants.

Posted by: Ace at 11:47 AM | Comments (17)
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