That Was the Week That Was-1.24.2011

TW3 staff, early 60's

Gilda Radner, SNL, mid 1970's

I'm not planning on this being a regular thing, but to quote Roseanne Rosannadanna, "It's always something." Let's see... I already covered the State of the Union, but need to add something. Actually, it was Paul Krugman, of the New York Times, who added a bit of fact-checking to Congressman Paul Ryan's blithering nonsense about America going the way of Ireland and Britain...

What, me worry?

"Mr. Ryan is widely portrayed as an intellectual leader within the G.O.P., with special expertise on matters of debt and deficits. So the revelation that he literally doesn’t know the first thing about the debt crises currently in progress is, as I said, interesting — and not in a good way."

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/opinion/28krugman.html

Smoke gets in your eyes

And speaking of idiotic Republicans posing as smart and insightful, there's the perennial in-your-face Pillsbury Doughboy, Newt Gingrich. On Tuesday, perhaps trying to steal any thunder the President--or Congresspeople Ryan or Bachmann--may have gotten from the State of the Union and the Republican/Tea Party Movement responses, Newt called for the elimination of the EPA. "What you have is a very expensive bureaucracy that across the board makes it harder to solve problems, slows down the development of new innovations," according to the AP, who interviewed Mr. Gingrich in Iowa, where he was talking with the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. Iowa, by the way, has the nation's first presidential caucus. Coincidence? Hmmm. Enquiring minds want to... oh, never mind. The guy is such a self-inflated windbag, it's amazing anyone takes him seriously. Ah, but that's the nutty left talking. Newt was quoted as saying he would like to replace the Environmental Protection Agency with the "Environmental Solution Agency," to be headquartered in Houston or someplace convenient for Shell, Mobil, Chevron and BP. Spouting the virtues of deregulation while being in bed with the industrial fat cats is one thing. Dropping your keys and letting them drive you home is quite another. Ouch!


And while I'm in a kind of right-bashing frame of mind, I can't omit a Sarah related item. Related as in her daughter, Bristol. It seems the former Dancing with the Stars contestant, will not be speaking about abstinence at Washington University in St. Louis next month. The university's Student Health Advisory Committee invited the single mom top speak about prevention of teen pregnancy and abstinence during the university's "Sexual Responsibility Week." Hmmm. Ms. Palin clearly knows a bit about teen pregnancy, but not much about prevention and next to nothing about abstinence. It had been reported that she was to receive between $15,000 and $30,000 to speak. It was reported that a Facebook group called "Keep Bristol Palin out of the sex discussion at Washington University" said, "It's not about conservative or liberal, it's about not wasting our money on people who don't matter... especially people who are only famous for being the teenage pregnant daughter of a politician." Isn't that a bit harsh? I mean, her mom's got a gun or two and has been known to put "surveyors' marks" on her enemies. The Washington University students might think twice before talkin' trash about such a high-profile daughter of white trash royalty. In an unrelated story, Ms. Palin is dating a dreamy new boy who works on the Alaska pipeline but lives in Texas. Huh? I can't make this shit up. She was reported to be trying to extricate former mate and father of her child, Levi Johnson from joint custody. Mr. Johnson was not available for comment.

Can you make it a venti?

In business news, Starbucks CEO and founder Howard Schultz's total compensation rose nearly 45% in fiscal year 2010 to $22 million. That's a lot of Lattes-- enough to bail out Seattle, and some left over for Porltand and you can probably throw in Spokane. Plans to open a Starbucks on every block in every city in the country have yet to be announced, but that's the buzz. (groan)

* * *

And in sports, my hometown heroes, the Boston Celtics, played their worst game of the season last night in Phoenix. What is it about Arizona? Never mind. It was just an ugly, ugly game.

According to Julian Benbow oof the Boston Globe, "A garden variety gripe between coach and referee turned into a heated exchange where Rivers all but called Steve Javie an egomaniac and Javie, quick on the trigger, tossed Rivers.

Rivers exploded.

“You’re terrible,’’ he said. “It’s all about you. It’s all about you.’’
Eventually, Rivers was escorted to the Celtics’ locker room by team security.

In the 4th quarter Canning Frye of the Suns set up for a 3 point shot. KG (Kevin Garnett) got in Frye's face, or, more accurately, his groin. Watching it, it didn't seem like a big hit. But Frye flopped for all the world like a Hollywood stuntman. The refs charged KG with two technical fouls and he headed for the locker room to join Doc.

Like I say, it was ugly. I hope they got it out of their collective system. They're in the Staples Center tomorrow, against the much-despised Lakers.

And, that was the week that was.