And remember, my weekends end on Tuesday.

A nice full bag of weekend goodies for everyone..

Bush Speech: I can't lie, I didn't watch a single minute because I was working. However I read the transcripts and every analysis/editorial known to man and it was nothing outside of the usual Bush rhetoric except for these three lines:

I think people are opposing my nominees because they don't like the judicial philosophy of the people I've nominated. And some would like to see judges legislate from the bench. That's not my view of the proper role of a judge.

Role of religion in our society? I view religion as a personal matter. I think a person ought to be judged on how he or she lives his life or lives her life.

The great thing about America is that you should be allowed to worship any way you want. And if you chose not to worship, you're equally as patriotic as somebody who does worship. And if you choose to worship, you're equally American if you're a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim.

Full transcript [Chicago Sun-Times]

Interesting. Usually I'd write this off as Bush being full of shit, but I got to thinking about it and it makes perfect sense. Bush is struggling in his second term, most presidents do because, for whatever reason, they quickly become lame ducks. Clinton struggled between 1996-1998. People aren't getting behind his social security plans. John Bolton is struggling as a candidate for the U.N. ambassador position. Many Republicans and Democrats alike aren't exactly thrilled with the Congressional leadership.

So Bush has to take back his party. He can't have DeLay using his position as a fantasy golf camp and Bill Frist is out saying that people not of his party hate Christians, basically ignorant stuff. Plus many are starting to think the Christian wing of the right are controlling everything. So Bush wanted to say..Hey guys, the buck still stops in Crawford, Texas...

Or he was just full of shit.

He also went over his time so NBC, Fox and CBS had to cancel him and succumb to big ratings while ABC wonder where they went wrong. [AP]


Jacko Trial: I never knew Jacko was the pimp that he is but he's got his ex-wife just begging for him on the stands. Fox News had reported that Rowe planned on saying that Jackson never actually fathered his kids. The prosecution expected her to say that her 2003 interview praising Jackson was scripted..

Oops, somebody messed up.

Instead Rowe said that she was never forced to say anything positive about Jackson and furthermore went to blast the people he keeps close to him as vultures [MSNBC/Newsweek].

Personally this is exactly what the prosecution deserved. The L.A. district attorneys never learn. They didn't learn with O.J. and they aren't learning now. They decided that it was more important to humiliate Jackson than actually put him on trial for molestation. Ok, good job, we all knew he was fucked up. Look at him! Now what? Oh yeah, you've got no case. Just give it up right now and start apologizing.


Holmes on Cruise Control: Those scientologists get all the chicks. For the diminutive Tom Cruise he's jumped from Kidman to Penelope and now the Midwestern sweetheart Katie Holmes. They are 16 years apart but apparently Holmes has been waiting for this one from the beginning according to this snippet from her IMDB bio [link]

"I think every little girl dreams about her wedding. I used to think I was going to marry Tom Cruise."

Good for her. And hell not a bad pickup for Tom either, especially considering he's gay right? Meanwhile I need to get with the Kabbalah, apparently it's a good place to meet women.


New GAP ads: I saw this today over at Cam's place and I must say that dumping Sarah Jessica Parker for Joss Stone was the RIGHT move [Reuters]. On looks alone Joss is definitely hitting 7.5 on the Alba scale.

And considering she's actually very talented, probably moreso than Alba, that puts her right at a strong 8.5 overall. Now only if she'd dump that douche that gave her the "promise ring".


There Goes the Bride: We thought Jennifer Wilbanks was abducted, in actuality she was just scared. The Georgia peach admitted she lied about her kidnapping and took a bus ride to New Mexico [NYT].

"We're so proud Jennifer is alive and well," said the spokesman, Mike Satterfield, who is Ms. Wilbanks's uncle. "It has been determined Jennifer had some issues the family was not aware of. The family would appreciate some time and space to assist Jennifer in dealing with these issues."

Allright, so here's the discussion question. You're the guy, do you still go through with the wedding or not? Do you just need time to regain trust or is the entire union broken? Our lines are open.

No, not Tom Delay...

I'm actually in Gainesville coming back from a friend(s) graduation party. Nice time, lots of chicks in skirts who are 6/7 years younger than me. And it was a great time hanging out with my surrogate TV family.

Yeah I probably did pass out on Cam's couch for about an hour...I will never admit to snoring, I've heard stories but I don't buy them...

Anyway I'll start the Weekend Open Thread tomorrow and my weekend will last through Monday. Hey it worked last week. Maybe I'll invite some moderates on to further enhance the conversation and make fun of Canada.

Anyway it's 2 a.m., I can't sleep and I'll probably skip town by 9 so I'll be home around 11:30-noon depending on if I stop at the bank.

I will say that Cam has a sweet laptop, very law school-friendly. But he needs a mouse because I hate touchpads and he should organize his icons better.

Until tomorrow, I'll leave you with this interesting site as the Lord of the Sith gives his thoughts on life, liberty, love and the pursuit of ruling the galaxy. [Link]

Now I really want to know some thoughts on this. It's not a particular partisan issue, at least I don't believe it is.

Is retirement on its death bed?

Frank Robinson, the manager of the Washington Nationals baseball team, had some interesting statements at a Senate hearing regarding retirement. Robinson, who is 70, supports pushing the retirement age back because he feels like retirement is a cause of elders going "brain dead" [KC Star or Washington Post]

"I think our country has a mentality," Robinson said. "We've been taught to work toward retirement. Well, times have changed. I don't think you can throw a blanket over everybody and say, 'You should retire at 50 or retire at 60.' "

Now Robinson was speaking for himself and basically trying to help those in the senior citizen community continue to find work and get work training if they desire. But the message remains, what's going to happen to our retirement age? The majority of my audience is in the early prime years of their respective careers and this is going to be something that effects us over the next 10-20 years.

Now I remember in the 80s when retirement was supported by this community, by the government. The American Dream was to work xx amount of years and retire, living on the beach, travel, play with grandkids and die.

My parents are both retired. My father retired at 50 from the New York City transit authority after 28 years and with the exception of a few months he has worked since. My mother retired at 55 after 22 years as an accountant in New York and another 10 as an account in Florida, having a combined pension plan.

And since their retirements they've moved to the beach and traveled quite a lot, enjoying their later years in a more relaxing environment.

Where are we at in the retirement issue? Will we be able to retire? Is the pension plan dying?

It seems like the old-fashioned pension and retirement package is being overtaken by investments. Investing in stock in you work for a publicly-traded company, many are saving and investing in properties and hoping those investments pay off in the long run. It's a high-risk high-reward strategy.

Anyway I'm really interested to know if some of you support retirement, if you agree with Robinson and feel that working into your late 60s-70s is good. Also take into consideration that Robinson pulls a hefty six-figure salary for managing in Major League baseball.

I believe in love...it's all we've got!

Thanks to Dave Pell at Electablog [link] for that little diddy. It's fair to say that G-Dub and the Prince have gotten quite close in the last few days.

Quick television note for my male audience. Those of you who have cable or in Maese's case can mooch cable off of a friend should catch one of the dozen repeats of Trippin' on MTV [link]. Not for the environmental stuff, although that's perfectly good, but it's a half hour of Jessica Alba in wetsuits and bikinis...Hell I've watched it three times already.

Another note on Alba, it's impossible for anyone to think she isn't hot and anyone who thinks she isn't should be chained and beaten in public. I mean it should be a law, maybe Rick Santorum should sponsor the Alba law rather than trying to take away my free weather updates.

Been checking the news wires recently and I've found a few good things:

Look Ma, No Feet: It was a rough day for this skydiver from DeLand, FL. During a dive his legs were severed by a neighboring plane but he kept his cool (??) and still opened his parachute. He was taken to a hospital, he still died [Boston Globe].

Dan Who?: In this new conversative revolution the forgotten man is former VP Dan Qualye. Long before it was considered 'chic' to insult single mothers, hate gays, trash network television and butcher the english language this man was doing it. Hell W stole his schtick and got two terms out of it. So Republicans the least you could do is visit the man's museum in Kentucky or Indiana or wherever the hell he's from [Page Six].

Network Television Sucks: And no I haven't watched Desparate Housewives, I got plenty mileage out of the "Marcia Cross is a sexy, crazy whore" storyline off of Melrose Place. Teri Hatcher was hotter in the early years of Lois & Clark and I can see Eva Longoria at any San Antonio Spurs game. However we MUST MUST save Arrested Development [AP]. Especially if the alternative is "Who Wants to Fuck My Fat Sloppy Wealthy Boss Average Joe Millionaire".

Jacko's Wife Will Testify: I've stayed away from the Jacko case because I'm (as quiet as its kept) a MASSIVE fan. I truly think Off the Wall is the best pop album ever recorded. But I'm wondering how credible is any woman that actually let Jacko produce..TWO..kids with her? [CNN]

For the Mom Who Has Everything: If you don't know what to get your mom for Mother's Day, be like this guy and freeze her until some new stuff comes out. [Newsday]

Happy reading.