Today here in North Carolina was the biggest primary in years. Well, after thinking about it, I selected "no preference" in the Democratic presidential primary because after weighing the pros and cons of both Hillary and Obama, I could not come to a decision even though I nearly went with the ex-first lady twice in the voting booth.

Hillary's pros:
-she's capable of dealing with the big boys on the big stage
-she has a big following

Hillary's cons:
-she is very polarizing
-she's opportunistic

Barack's pros:
-he has re-energized young voters
-he has assailed baby boomers for polarizing the nation

Barack's cons:
-Jeremiah Wright
-inexperience outside of Illinois is a big turnoff
-people may hate to be told the truth about certain issues

I previously said that white males would continue to get elected as president but it looks like I'll be eating my words in six months. However, either Clinton or Obama may be nothing more than a token just as how JFK was a token Catholic president. This society is in my opinion, getting to be a bit more closed than anyone imagines. There are a lot of people who aren't comfortable to vote for a black or a woman and are looking for any kind of an excuse to do so (Exhibit A is the Wright controversy).

This is based on a different kind of thinking. Everyone knows how bad things are now as opposed to eight years ago. Let me count the ways on what Dubya's successor has to deal with and clean up:
1. A war that may or may not expand to include Iran
2. A housing crisis that could get even worse
3. An economy that could slide into a depression if there are more companies that go the way of Bear Stearns or Countrywide
4. A significantly weakened dollar
5. Oil at $200-350 a barrel/$5-15 a gallon gas
6. Worldwide food crises due to the (corn-based) ethanol hoax (I'll discuss this later)

The thing is that whoever wins in November may end up being the biggest loser come this time in 2012. Given how Americans have an extremely short attention span, Clinton, Obama, or McCain could go down as the 21st century's Herbert Hoover. So, given all of this, it may be in a person's best interest to vote against his/her favorite candidate in the hopes that person is so damaged in four years' time that the incumbent is dead politician walking.

Would the contrarian strategy work? Would it be a wise move? I have thought long and hard about this and the answer to the second question is a resounding no. Voting for the least favorite candidate could easily backfire because the next president could get America out of its current messes and if that happens, that voter will have egg on his/her face. If the contrarian strategy works itself out to where the ruling party after this year's elections is swept out of power for a generation in '12, voters admitting to selecting against their best interests ON PURPOSE will be seen as "part of the problem." So, as a result, it's in everyone's best interest to NOT vote contrarian and hope that America can get out of its current malaise by 2012.

We are less than a year away from seeing a new president

An alternatives to my previous overtime proposal would include:

1) Silver goal OT periods where each team would be reduced by two players. In other words, nine-on-nine for 15 minutes, then seven-on-seven. If the match is still tied after 120 minutes, another 30 minute silver goal overtime would be played with the roster being further reduced until someone wins or it's down to two-on-two. After 150 minutes, there would be a shootout where the two remaining offensive players for each team would shoot from the center of the field to the goal. The players would be timed. The teams with the most goals after a best-of-three wins.

2) The OT would remain as is where there would be a 30-minute period, but after 120 minutes, a shootout would take place from the center of the field to the goal to the goal. The shootout would be a best-of-five. Unlike 1), no one from the opposing team except the goalie would square off against the player on offense.

People bitch about the penalty kicks. If FIFA weren’t so uptight about a definite conclusion, we would have a real marathon. The golden goal-sudden death experiment was a failure. A practical proposal would result in: a) subsequent 30-minute silver-goal overtimes until someone outscored the other team and b) the number of substitutions being reset. The 30 minute OTs would be played without the teams changing sides until the next OT period. The substitutions would be three per three OT periods. After 180 minutes of play, the number of substitutions would reset and so on.

I'm still trying to digest all of this in

http://www.historyisaweapon.com/indextrue.html

http://www.harvardmagazine.com/2007/07/debtor-nation.html

All those people who were outraged when If I Did It was first scheduled to come out last fall don't seem to be as outraged now that the Goldmans own the rights to the book. The proof is that the book was #2 on the New York Times and #6 on the Wall Street Journal best sellers list last week.

The Rules: Comment on this post. I'll choose several interests from your profile and you'll explain what they mean and why you are interested in them. Post this along with your answers in your own journal so that others can play along.

In a matter of weeks, this season  went from being potentially one of the best to the second worst behind Season 4.

Reasons for the 180 include:
1) The failure of the America’s Player experiment. People can spin it anyway what they want, but the ultimate goal is to be in the final two, and for Eric (on behalf of America), the final four, but Eric couldn’t even reach the cutoff stage where he was to play on his own. Count me in the Eric had no choice as AP camp. It would be a mistake to repeat having this experiment in Season 9. Any future HG who knows the ins and outs of the game would eventually catch on and expose AP much to the producers’ chagrin

2) Amber. Not only did she prove to be an anti-Semite, but she was an emotional wreck from Week 1. She did not even belong in the game given her chronic crying. I mean for a last-minute replacement, CBS should and could have found someone else. Also, her playing the Christian card exposed her for the hypocrite that she is. Hell, Kail is a better Christian than Meth Addict Amber

3) Horrible strategy. The remaining HGs are more responsible than America in Week 6 for the end result two weeks ago as they were tripping over themselves to keep Dick and Daniele in as a way of netting an easy win. Somebody should have told those morons that keeping the most detestable players is not only bad strategy but something that often backfires when it comes to finales as the most hated walk way with the ultimate prize in such a situation

4) CBS stirring up controversy for the sake of stirring up controversy. Earlier this season, an AP task ADMITTED that Eric “needed to create controversy” in the house. As a result, he put mustard on Jen’s clothes. Is this Big Brother or The Real World? And don’t get me started on the big smack down between atheist Dick and the full-fledged Christians (Amber, Jameka, and Kail)

5) Allegations of rigging the game. These have varied from:
a) Eric doing the AP tasks on behalf of the producers, not the viewers
b) The usual distortion by CBS to make a HG likable, unlikable, or polarizing as well as editing out several parts of various incidents to make us see what the network wanted us to see
c)  Rigging the game in favor of the Donatos
d)  Forcing the HGs to change their votes to keep Eric instead of Kail
e) Rigging HOH contests against Eric so AP wouldn’t have such an easy ride

6) The show’s  treatment of Jen. I normally don’t care that much for Chill Town, but the producers screwed her over big time, and I’ll leave it at that

You're on my friends list. I'd like to know 27 things about you. Just copy and hit reply and paste in the comments section with answers. Thanks! You'll be surprised how much you didn't know about your friends after this! Then copy the meme and see if anyone answers you.

1. Do you have a tattoo?
2. How old are you?
3. Are you single or taken?
4. Eat with your hands or utensils?
5. Do you dream at night?
6. Ever seen a corpse?
7.George Strait or Jay Z?
8. How did we meet?
HERE COMES THE EQUALLY INTERESTING PART...
9. Whats your philosophy on life and death?
10. If you could do anything with me, and have no one know, what would it be?
11. Do you trust the police?
12. Do you like Country music?
13. What is your fondest memory of me?
14. If you could change anything about yourself what would it be?
15. Would you cheat ?
16. What do you wear to sleep?
17. Have you ever peed in a pool?
18. Would you hide evidence for me if I asked you to?
19. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together?
20. Which do you prefer - short or long hair?
21. Do you sing in the shower?
22. What's your favorite color?
23. If you could bring back anyone that has passed, who would it be?
24. Tell me one interesting/odd fact about you?
25. What was your first impression of me?
26. Have you ever done drugs?
27. Will you post this so I can fill it out for you?

Barry Bonds hit HR #756 and is the all-time home run king

That's right, bitches, take a look at greatness. That sound you hear is Barry Bonds making history. Take that, Selig.

So it looks as though the Bush-Kennedy-McCain immigration plan will sail on by after temporary relief and will grant some kind of amnesty to millions of illegal aliens who are predominately from Mexico. As I read The Flight of the Creative Class by Richard Florida, I couldn't help but wonder if all of this "securing the border" talk is just a bunch of doublespeak. In the book, Florida talked about how tighter immigration restrictions have gotten post-9/11 and how many talented artists, scientists, and students abroad who are having their visas delayed or denied. As it turns out, the students are deciding to study in Europe, Asia, or the South Pacific.

THESE PEOPLE ARE GETTING TURNED AWAY FOR CHEAP LABOR??? GIVE ME A BREAK!!!

A recent Alan Guttmacher Institute survey stated that nine in 10 people have sex before marriage. The number may be a bit high but unlike the conservative groups who have dismissed it as biased, I’m not naïve enough to believe that the number of people engaging in premarital sex is below 70% (maybe 75% is the more likely cutoff). It sure couldn’t have been that way when I was at NC State for 4½ years. Since I’m now 27, I am in a precarious situation since I’m not a virgin by choice. Given that the times in which we live, it is utterly unrealistic to believe that a) 50% of all freshmen who enter college leave that way and b) most of the people who do leave college with their virginities intact aren’t deeply religious in their beliefs or otherwise so puritanical.

The Carolina Panthers went from the pick to win the Super Bowl to the biggest bust of 2006 today, and frankly, it's damn inexcusable. The Cats mailed in the last two games when it became evident that Chris Weinke would start as QB. When they were making their Super Bowl run three seasons ago, they were nicknamed the Cardiac Cats. After the last-second Eagles loss, I have a new nickname for them--Cats on Cardiac Arrest. That was pathetic. I mean, the Steelers are not by any stretch a good team. Hell, 9-7 if Pittsburgh runs the table will send the Super Bowl chups-er, champs to the golf course. I knew all along that Weinke=bad news, and the team showed it last week and today. 37-3? Jerry Richardson needs to make a major overhaul of the roster because some of the guys want to join the likes of the Cardinals and Raiders on that golf course too. I say, let them, but don't let them return to Charlotte next year. Once it was 27-3, I had to turn it off.

I'm Sorry--by today's sensitive, caring wuss

I'm sorry
that I bought you roses
to tell you that I like you

I'm sorry
That I was raised with respect
not to sleep with you when you were drunk

I'm sorry
That my body's not ripped enough
to "satisfy" your wants

I'm sorry
that I open your car door,
and pull out your chair like I was raised

I'm sorry
That I'm not cute enough
to be "your guy"

I'm sorry
That I am actually nice;
not an a**hole

I'm sorry
I don't have a huge bank account
to buy you expensive things

( This is SO true )

I'm sorry
That I cared

I'm sorry
that I listen to you at night talk about how you wish you could
have done something different.

Ladies always bitch and bitch to their friends that there is never
any good guys out there, and they always end up with a$$holes who
mistreat them. Well ladies next time you're bitching, maybe look up
to see who you're bitching to, maybe that special someone is right
there hanging on your every word as usual, screaming in his head
"Why won't you give me a chance?"

Because the person you are usually searching for is right by you.

If you're a guy and you agree with this letter, repost as "I'm
sorry "

If you're one of the few girls with enough balls to repost, and you
would never make your guy feel this way, repost as "To all the
girls who look past the nice guys"** ******

Apathy Rules the Day

The Center for the Study of the American Electorate points out that only 15.2% turned out to vote in this year’s primaries. Honestly if Tar Heel State turnout gets up to 20%, then it’s high. Nationally, turnout in the last three midterm elections was in the high 30s. This is how the elephants got to power in the first place (that is Ugly Secret #1). With a disillusioned public demanding answers now on a huge number of issues and the lack of reasonable alternatives, it wouldn’t surprise me if turnout is less than 30% nationally even though I think that it’ll be between 30 and 35 percent.

Ugly Secret #2 applies to the Democrats: If you get a House of Congress or both, it will be because the voters either disapprove of what the Bush Administration is doing, have gotten tired of the GOP, or want change but didn’t have a third alternative. Once again, Democrats, if you get into power, it’s because the voters are fed up with the Republicans, not because they like your message.

Finally, the American public must take a look at themselves in the mirror and take full responsibility for the bullshit today. Most people gripe about politicians screwing them over but would rather sit at home watching whatever’s on E! tonight. For the nonvoting folks who are active, I can only say this--going out in the streets to protest CAFTA, sweatshops, etc is not enough. Most politicians will ignore you anyway. The only way is to vote ‘em out of office, plain and simple.