Okay, what are all you guys and gals watching this season? Into Lost? 24?

I dig 24, although I haven't caught up on all the episodes yet (I DON'T HAVE TIME!!!). But, as longtime readers of Garfield Ridge know, I feel that the best show on television right now is the new Battlestar Galactica.

I've pestered Ace about watching the show, but he's never told me whether he's even seen it or not. I've tried to argue that it's got everything he likes-- hot babes, explosions, philosophy-- but it's just too hard to pull him away from that Christopher Lowell show.

As for the philosophy behind BSG, nearly every episode grapples with grand ethical questions, giving the audience a lot of red meat to chew on. Sometimes it feels lefty, sometimes it feels righty, but it always feels "thought out." Plus it's just so damn cool.

But don't take my word for it-- read Peter Suderman's recent review of Galactica featured over at National Review Online.

Besides, as if you needed any further motivation to watch it, Jonah Goldberg loves the show. And he knows his geek sci-fi like I know my Little Debbie snack cakes.

Posted by: Dave From Garfield Ridge at 08:25 AM | Comments (80)
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I was watching VH-1's "Best Week Ever" show the other night...yeah I know...I have no life.

Anyway, they had video of E!'s Isaac Mizrahi grabbing Scarlett Johansson's breast at the Golden Globes. I was shocked!

It is beyond me how/why she did not beat the living shit out of that little bastard.

Look, just because you are gay does not mean that you have permission to grope womenÂ’s breasts on camera without their permission.

But it does make for some good TV!!!

Where was Ace during all this? Can someone vouch for his whereabouts? Allah? LauraW? Anyone? Just curious.

Here is a still shot:

Video can be found here.

Best line from where I found this video:

Giuliana DePandi telling Ryan Seacrest that he'd get slapped for groping breasts because he's straight, and then Ryan Seacrest laughing at the idea of being straight.

Still, I would be remiss if I didn't remind the Ace of Spades HQ readers that you can usually find stories like this well-covered over at my blog, Garfield Ridge, as they happen. I don't get to post all that often right now, but when I do, I give you the quality you deserve. Especially when it comes to red carpet can-handling.

Shameless Attention Whore Update:

Thanks Dave. I was wondering if this was old or not. I even searched Ace's archives to make sure he did not post on it. I guess that means I have not been as faithful of a reader of Garfield Ridge as I should have been.

Forgive me father, for I have sinned.

BUT. I do have to hand it to you. You worked that update right into a plug for your site. Bravo!

*clap, clap, clap*

I wonder if Ace will let us whore our individual sites when this guest gig is up? more...

Posted by: WunderKraut at 08:16 AM | Comments (65)
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Michael Moore is aghast at the thought that Canadians might actually elect a Conservative government.

Oh, Canada -- you're not really going to elect a Conservative majority on Monday, are you? That's a joke, right? I know you have a great sense of humor, and certainly a well-developed sense of irony, but this is no longer funny. Maybe it's a new form of Canadian irony -- reverse irony! OK, now I get it. First, you have the courage to stand against the war in Iraq -- and then you elect a prime minister who's for it. You declare gay people have equal rights -- and then you elect a man who says they don't. You give your native peoples their own autonomy and their own territory -- and then you vote for a man who wants to cut aid to these poorest of your citizens. Wow, that is intense! Only Canadians could pull off a hat trick of humor like that. My hat's off to you.

Far be it from me, as an American, to suggest what you should do. You already have too many Americans telling you what to do. Well, actually, you've got just one American who keeps telling you to roll over and fetch and sit. I hope you don't feel this appeal of mine is too intrusive but I just couldn't sit by, as your friend, and say nothing. Yes, I agree, the Liberals have some 'splainin' to do. And yes, one party in power for more than a decade gets a little... long. But you have a parliamentary system (I'll bet you didn't know that -- see, that's why you need Americans telling you things!). There are ways at the polls to have your voices heard other than throwing the baby out with the bath water.

I'm from a part of the country (Maine) that is often accused of being an extension of Canada. As such, I have access to CBC and watched it last night. I don't think Americans have a real sense of how weak the Liberal party really is in Canada. Like the Democratic party here in the United States, the liberals focused their message on the urban areas of the country and ignored the growing discontent with their rule in rural Canada. Add in another liberal party and some surprisingly strong polling by Bloc Québécois, and you have a Liberal loss.

Is there a lesson here for the parties here in the United States?

No, not really.

I mean, it's freaking Canada.

Update By Ace: Pardon My English suggests a new map for Canada.

Posted by: Slublog at 05:21 AM | Comments (35)
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Poor Democrats. They can't win for losing.

NBC canceling 'West Wing' after 7 seasons

This is horrible. What will Liberals do without their fantasy, alternate reality? Man, talk about harshing their groove.

At least one day a week they could turn the TV on and bask in the glow of the way things SHOULD be, if it wasn't for that damn puppet, ChimpyMcHitlerBurton Bush and his black hearted masters! The cold hand of government repression is upon the TV industry. Dissent is no longer tolerated.

Martin Sheen in '08!

My Bizarre Analogy Update From Dave At Garfield Ridge: Hearing about the cancellation made me think up an analogy this morning: the West Wing was the television equivalent of Andrew Sullivan.

In the beginning, it was must-see/must-read. Even if you didn't agree with everything that was said, you had to admire the craft. The writing was excellent, really whip-smart stuff, and if you lived inside the Beltway, you simply had to tune in.

But then, ratings declined, sweep stunts got introduced (terrorist kidnappings and/or gay marriage obsessions), and both lost their focus. Even attempts to reinvent the formula (presidential campaigns, guest bloggers, moves to Time Magazine) didn't pay off. All attempts at political fairness were swept away as the liberal bias, previously secondary to good writing, moved to the foreground. Nothing could be done to salvage things-- what was once essential viewing/reading became laughably non-essential, a punchline.

And so here we are, where both go away with a whimper. Well, okay, Sullivan's still writing. Or so some people tell me.

Posted by: WunderKraut at 04:03 AM | Comments (37)
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Say hello to my lil' fren'

That's compared to 600 [# corrected from original article] rounds per minute in a standard military machine gun.

Metal Storm Inc., a munitions company headquartered in Virginia but with its roots in Australia, has been developing a gun that can shoot at blistering speeds, albeit in short bursts as each barrel is reloaded.

A Metal Storm gun of any size -- from a 9 mm hand-gun up to a machine gun size or a grenade launcher -- has no moving parts other than the bullets or munition inside the barrel. Rather than chambering a single slug for each shot - very quickly in the case of machine guns -- the bullets come pre-stacked inside the barrel and can be shot all at once, or one at a time, as the shooter decides through the electronic controls.

Because there are no moving parts, the weapon is less likely to jam, and will presumably need less maintenance.

This technology has potential in a number of areas; it can be used defensively as a "wall of slugs" to cut down enemy fire or fitted with other ordnance such as bean bags for crowd control at IKEA store openings.

Time will tell.

Sweet.

UPDATE: Thanks, Jason, for the video.

Posted by: LauraW. at 04:04 PM | Comments (26)
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The Milwaukee five, accused of slashing tires on Election Day 2004, have accepted a plea deal and walked away from their crime with few consequences.

After a two-week felony trial culminating with notes from a conflicted jury, four Kerry-Edwards campaign workers - including the sons of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) and former Acting Mayor Marvin Pratt - had their charges in the Election Day 2004 tire-slashing reduced to misdemeanors and accepted the deal.

The fifth Democratic staffer accused of crippling Republican vans won a jury acquittal by sticking with a fight against the felony charge.

"Any other case like this, they would have made the offer (to reduce charges) right away, but for the people involved," said Adam Essling, attorney for Lavelle Mohammed, one of the four men who made no-contest pleas Friday afternoon.

If they pay a collective $5,317.45 restitution by their April 26 sentencing, Assistant District Attorney David Feiss will recommend all four get probation. Misdemeanor property damage carries a possible maximum penalty of nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine.

This sends a terrible message: attempt to disenfranchise voters and receive a slap on the wrist. It's stories such as this one that make me indifferent to the constant wailing of Democrats about "stolen elections." This was a case where there was solid evidence against these guys, and their purpose was to take votes away from the president. And yet the same Democrats who scream and create elaborate conspiracy theories to explain their election losses stay silent in the face of misbehavior by people who share their party affiliation.

The Democrats' outrage at 'vote supression' would be a lot more convincing if they were not so tolerant of it within their ranks.

Posted by: Slublog at 12:56 PM | Comments (12)
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It's Sunday and I am going to watch the playoffs games.

So, let's jump in the way back machine and head back to the year 1992.

When: October 1992
Where: Georgia Institute of Technology (aka Georgia Tech, aka North Avenue Trade School)
Dorm: Smith Hall built in 1947

Dorm life. There is nothing else like it in the world. Smith hall had cinder block walls that were painted baby blue. We had communal bathrooms. No big deal, until you wanted to shower. There were six showerheads on one wall and six on the other wall. There were NO shower curtains or dividers of any kind. If you hit the shower at peak time, the spray off the guy's ass behind you would hit you. *shudder* Eh, but you got used to it and it taught you to be secure in your own manhood.

The first year I lived in this dorm we had old metal bunk beds. I had the top bunk as shown below:

Being away from home for the first time brought its own sets of challenges. Healthy eating habits were tossed out the window, as were basic standards of house keeping:

But it was an election year and my roommate and I were both Republicans and we were voting in our first Presidential election. It was an exciting year at Tech, the Vice Presidential debates were held on campus and we just KNEW Bush was going to win. Oh well. Youthful optimism.

more...

Posted by: WunderKraut at 12:14 PM | Comments (24)
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TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS:
My message to you is about the media. Only metal breaks metal. Also, paper covers rock and scissors cut paper. Our esteem in the NY Times continues to get better and better, while your situation is the....uh...opposite of that.

But I plan to speak about the repeated errors your President Bush has committed.

(reads two Maureen Dowd columns aloud)

On another issue, jihad is ongoing, thank God, despite all the oppressive measures adopted by the U.S Army and its agents which is to a point where you can barely get a decent suicide bomber any more.
(talks to someone off camera)
Abdul, what was that last guy? Retard? No, the short one. Both of them?
Ridiculous.
(faces camera)
Aaaanyway.
We have a proposition for the American people. We are willing- just because we like you, you understand- to enter into a truce. We will be giving up our advantage, but we don't mind. We're good like that. You should not be embarrassed.
And think of how much you'll save on ordnance! Everytime you plug a jihadi, its like, seventy bucks or something. Add it up.
You can see that this is a win-win situation for you.

In addition to these fabulous savings, you'll automatically be entered as a member of Osama's Book Club, and receive a new book in the mail each month, starting with Al Franken's The Truth (with jokes).

Finally, I say that war will go either in our favor or yours.
If you liked this pick, please check out my website for Osama's Pix, upper right hand corner of the Welcome screen.

This weekend: I like Denver. And Pittsburgh.
Bonus: Either Seattle or Carolina will be victorious.

Let this be a lesson to you.

ENDS

Posted by: LauraW. at 09:42 AM | Comments (9)
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Stupid family feud.

Who wants to be a retard?

Thanks to Boston Irish.

Posted by: Ace at 09:11 AM | Comments (7)
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I am not looking forward to the 2006 mid-term elections. I fear that some of the bad mojo that the Republicans have been involved in will come home to roost.

My biggest gripe about Bush and the Congressional Republicans is that they have left their first love. Coming to power in 1994, the Republicans promised smaller government and less corruption. The past few budget years have seen Republicans gleefully spending my tax dollars like they are drunken Democrats. Under Bush and the Republican Congress, the size of the U.S. government has grown.

What gives guys? Seriously? Is it the power? Is that what makes you lose your way?

The funny/sad thing is that the Democrats were tossed out in 1994 because Americans saw them as out of control spenders, sucking on the tit of the American taxpayer. The American people felt that their representatives were out of touch with the things that mattered to them. So they tossed the bums out.

This may happen to the Republicans, if not this election, then maybe the next one. We can only ride national security so long. I think the American people now know that they cannot trust the Democrats with their security. But see the thing is, there has not been another terrorist attack in the U.S. Sure there is Iraq and now Iran, but the average American could honestly care less about those places. Those places are so far away and they do not think that what happens over there will affect them over here. As long as there is work and cheap gas, they are happy. I disagree with them because I see that events in Iraq and Iran DO matter to the continental U.S. But because nothing is directly affecting them, the American people may put the national security on the back burner in order to toss out the current batch of bums.

But, will the Republican Party see this weakness or not? It does not seem to me that Bush sees it. I guess this is what he meant by Compassionate Conservatism. I get my tax cut but he still grows the size of government.

The thing I am most dreading is the Press.

If there is a net loss of seats for Republicans, even if it is just one seat, watch the MSM spin it as the American people are fed up with Bush and the Republicans. They will harp on this supposed shift for the next two years until the actual event is given birth in 2008. We all know they will do this. Hell, they did it last year with the few Governor races out there. They tried to extrapolate those results to 2006 and 2008. It is tiresome pointing this out. The MSM wants Bush and the Republicans to lose so badly, they will do everything in their power to further that goal.

It would not bother me if our papers were like the ones in Europe. Over there you have the Left wing paper and the Right wing paper. All efforts at being unbiased are tossed out the window. That is great. At least you, the reader, KNOW what you are getting. If The York Times came out today and said that they are a Left wing paper and that they will support Left wing ideology and agendas, then I would actually have respect for them. I have NO respect for them while they stay hidden behind this supposed veil of impartiality. Toss that veil aside and be honest. It is ok. Let the people decide what version of reality they want to read....

Ah, now I see why they don't...money.

Anyway. I hope there is either a net gain for Republicans or it is a zero sum game. At least that way I will not have to listen to the MSM drone on and on about what this means for Republicans.

Posted by: WunderKraut at 08:51 AM | Comments (9)
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