Gormogon Advent Calendar – Day 7
Better late than never. All was quiet for there was one more denizen of the castle to open a door before we head back to the top of the rotation – Dat Ho. Well, he’s been lying low since the … Continue reading →
Yearly Archives: 2011
Dr. J’s 12 Days of Christmas Music – Day 7
You put your peanut butter in my chocolate! No, you put your chocolate in my peanut butter! Wait, they’re two great tastes that taste great together. Just like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, your next selection is a pretty nifty duet. … Continue reading →
An Insulated Boot…
In an effort to keep warm during this cold winter season, your Mandarin has decided to make sure that he gets lots of physical activity. And what better way to warm the body and your Mandarin’s heart than a hearty … Continue reading →
Andrew Klavan: “Wall Street on Trial”
Lovely smackdown of Occupy socialists and corporatist capitalists. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →Gormogon Advent Calendar – Day 6
Well, yes, it’s rolled around to you-know-who – GorT. I’m never in much of a rush. Heck, when you can time-travel, why does it matter, right? So I’m a bit later in the day today posting about my token advent … Continue reading →
Media Screws Science Up Again
NBC News reported this morning that astronomers have found a planet capable of supporting life. Why, here is a picture of the happy guy right here. Except, as you can predict by this essay’s very existence, they got every piece … Continue reading →
Dr. J’s 12 Days of Christmas Music – Day 6
We hit the halfway point in our Christmas Music list. Dr. J. has been happy to see that his picks have met with great interest, especially on twitter. If you aren’t a follower, check us out, our twitterbuddies alone are … Continue reading →
Confirmation, The Bishop and ‘Puter
As those of you loyal minions who follow your Gormogons on Twitter already know, ‘Puter with family in tow, traveled to the Diocese of Rochester’s cathedral, Sacred Heart, last evening to celebrate ‘Puter, Jr.’s confirmation. For those non-Papist minions, the … Continue reading →
By Any Means Necessary?
A couple of recent essays and editorials caught the Czar’s eye, and there is a strange theme to them: Gingrich is proof the Tea Party is dead. Long live the Tea Party, suckas. Don’t you media types wish. B-b-b-but Czar, … Continue reading →
Another Cooperstown Insult to Santo
Cubs legend Ron Santo was put into the Hall of Fame this week, and the Veterans Committee is composed of jackasses for doing it. You heard me. Ron Santo was totally deserving of a Hall of Fame berth, and he … Continue reading →
Old Time Hockey, eh, Coach?
The NHL announced their realignment today. From the look of things, what’s old is new again. Traditional rivalries are renewed and the conferences look much like what your Gormogons cut their hockey teeth on as yout’s. CONFERENCE (7 TEAMS) New … Continue reading →
Mailbag – Naughty and Nice edition…
Gentle Readers, Today’s song selection, You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch, caused a bit of a dust up with some of our fans. Dr. J. didn’t post the original because it’s mashed together with narration in between. He went with the … Continue reading →
Is conservatism doomed?
Maybe. If this election is the huge, historical deal it’s said to be, with either the ratification of the terminally debt-addicted redistributive, regulatory Leviathan or the last, best hope to reform it, it’s curious that the GOP, as home of … Continue reading →
Dr. J’s 12 Days of Christmas Music – Day 5
More nostalgia for our gentle readers. For GenX-ers The Charlie Brown Christmas Special and The Grinch That Stole Christmas (the Chuck Jones/Boris Karloff classic, not that Jim Carrey trainwreck) were appointment television, especially in the years when they were broadcast … Continue reading →
Praising Cain
48 hours after the Cain campaign crawled to a stop, some eulogizing may be in order, as well as some critical commentary. Cain’s biggest problem was himself, not the media. He took the idea of running for President pretty seriously, … Continue reading →
Mongol Hordes at the Castle Gates? Sure!
Borepatch, whom we read every day, writes your Czar: Man, I don’t know where you find those [Help Wanted ads] (must be a local Alt-Weekly that’s not on the ‘Net), but they were filled with win. BTW, Uncle Jay says … Continue reading →
Gormogon Advent Calendar – Day 5
Each morning the Czar sits patiently in the corner of the group as others open their advent calendar, but the look on his face tells the tale – he wants it to be his turn so bad that someone’s going … Continue reading →
Inside the toddler’s brain…
All of your Gormogons were toddlers once (and some would posit that ‘Puter still is one), and all of your Gormogons have experienced the joy that is raising toddlers. Their sense of wonder and curiosity, their innocence, and their innate … Continue reading →
Dr. J’s 12 Days of Christmas Music – Day 4
For day four, we’re going to borrow GorT’s Time Bubble and go back to Mid-19th Century England. Dickensian images of Christmas are iconic, when one says picture Christmas in their head, all of the sugar plum that dance in your … Continue reading →
Gormogon Advent Calendar – Day 4
The Mandy has been patiently waiting for his turn to open a door and sure enough, he drew day 4 of advent. They were a bit smaller than what he expected after a car and huge Chinese toy blocks but … Continue reading →
A Boot In The Groin…
Seeing as how it is the Christmas season, your Mandarin is in the giving mood, and based on the actions of the Boston Public Schools, he would like to send them a special Yuletide themed Boot in the Gut. It … Continue reading →
Hope For Some of You
Dear Occupy perverts and toolbags, The Czar understands you want stuff, and suspects that deep down, perhaps, you might actually be willing to work to deserve your gotten gains. In that spirit, and to help the handful of you still … Continue reading →
Dying well…
Dr. J. first saw this link via Small Dead Animals. He read the article, nodded, and moved on. Then he saw it cropping up all over Facebook. Friends on the left and the right were posting it, so Dr. J. … Continue reading →
Mailbag – Two Hearts Beat As One…
In addition to the legion of letters for The Czar, today’s mailbag brings us a letter from Operative Æ, who you may recall wrote that he wrote in about a month ago regarding Dr. J’s first medical update, stating that … Continue reading →
Answering the Call
Answering the mail call, that is. The Czar has four unread messages. First up is Operative FJR, who etched this onto a small grain of rice and slipped it into the Czar’s Burmese Beef: I do a lot of outdoor … Continue reading →
He Seemed Fine
So what happened to Herman Cain? For this, we turn to Cain spokeswoman Ellen Ripley: The Czar of MuscovyБожію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in … Continue reading →
Dr. J’s 12 Days of Christmas Music – Day 3
Day 3 brings us Children, Go Where I Send Thee. This is an African-American spiritual. It’s a counting song, much like the Twelve Days of Christmas, but instead it counts various numbered things in the bible as opposed to someone’s … Continue reading →
Gormogon Advent Calendar – Day 3
The Volgi drew Day 3 on the advent calendar. He’s not one to get up early so the rest of us waited for him to come down to the Castle common room. He excitedly opened the four-foot doors on the … Continue reading →
Mailbag – Marching Band Edition
Operative MS writes in: A college or high-school marching band typically plays raucous, low-brow music. But there is no reason why this has to be. For a more highbrow half-time entertainment at you football games, switch from pop music to … Continue reading →
Dr. J’s 12 Days of Christmas Music – Day 2
Dr. J. is a child of the ’80s. The local classic rock stations would break out the ‘Rock and Roll’ Christmas Tunes, so they had to dig broadly and deeply to find stuff that would both fit their formatting AND … Continue reading →
More Stimulus Nonsense
Courtesy of an excellent post over at The PJ Tatler by Bryan Preston who teased out the following from a Washington Times article. Click over to read the whole thing, but here are some of the highlights: Hollywood director Robert … Continue reading →
Carrier IQ
If you pay attention to the consumer privacy world or the smartphone world, you might have heard the recent swirl about something called “Carrier IQ”. I figured our readers might like a little info to be informed and understand what’s … Continue reading →
Gormogon Advent Calendar – Day 2
Dr. J was the next lucky draw to open the next door on our 30-story advent calendar (I told you, we like gifts and small chocolates just ain’t gonna cut it). He was dancing around like a little schoolkid. So … Continue reading →
An Interview With A Very Drunk Vincent Clements Jeffords
The Czar: What advice would you give the Obama adminstration on stimulating job growth and, assuming there is a relation, bringing down the unemployment rate in an election year? Jeffords: You know what? You think that Kwiatkowski, or Dennis Whash-his-name … Continue reading →
Dr. J’s 12 Days of Christmas Music – Day 1
Christmas music is an important and pervasive aspect of the season. The music at mass thankfully goes up a notch, and Mrs. Dr. J. and the lil resident’s favorite radio station (the maudlin love song station, you know, the one … Continue reading →
The President, Congress and Jobs
While watching the side-splittingly funny adventures of Mitt & Newt, now a series on the Disney Channel (featuring those obnoxious 42 year old “teenaged” twins from Zack and Cody: Obnoxious in Any Setting, or whatever crappy iteration of the tired … Continue reading →
Gormogon Advent Calendar – Day 1
The advent calendar started with German Lutherans who would physically count down the days to Christmas starting on December 1st. It has morphed into the modern ones which are traditionally cardboard/plastic frames with small doors that are opened on each … Continue reading →
Expected Rationale
With news that Barack Obama’s approval ratings are now officially worse than Carter’s, we wondered why the people who voted for him in the first place did so. The question for Obama voters: Fill in the blank. “We voted for … Continue reading →
Excellently Done
This is a little late for Veterans’s Day, but the Czar’s dad sent this to him a while ago and he just got around to it. Anyway, he and the Czar defy you to be unimpressed with this WV salute … Continue reading →
If the Republican candidates need a speechwriter…
Victor David Hanson substantively sums up the Obama’s legacy as a One Term President™ nicely over at NRO. It is a polite, but devastating takedown of why he has failed as President and why we should be crawling across broken … Continue reading →
In Other News
In other news, George Michael is improving from whatever disease it is that makes faded British rock stars look like Ringo Starr. And in other news, Fox reports “Microscopic Worms May Hold Key to Life on Mars.” God knows NASA … Continue reading →
But Does It Get Old?
Genius from Verum Serum, sent to us by the Greatest of Graces. The Czar of MuscovyБожію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was … Continue reading →
The Red Eye glares at toasters
Dr. J.’s buddy, Jamie Jeffords, at the Eye of Polyphemus, has completed his wanderings in the wilderness that were reviews of the dreck called Star Trek: Voyager, and has cast his gaze towards Caprica and has begun reviewing Battlestar Galactica … Continue reading →
شيطان بزرگ
With Iran directly challenging the United Kingdom by seizing its embassy in Tehran and multiple hostages, you might be interested in some 13-year-old relationship Herman Cain may have had with the former drummer of Cream. No, wrong Ginger. Anyway, Iran … Continue reading →
UK Climate Change
There is a bit of a to-do happening across the pond with regards to climate change and the UK’s energy policies. In mid-November, the UK Secretary of State for Energy wrote a letter to Lord Lawson and Lord Turnbull regarding … Continue reading →
Mailbag – Little Fish, little fish, swimming in the water edition
Dr. J. is finally getting around to answering his mail.The first one is from Operative SM, who sends this missive in to us: Dear Dr. J,Good God; inevitable and awful. US man sues over girlfriend’s theft of spermSincerely, SMP.S. – [per a … Continue reading →
If the Grinch only had a Star Destroyer…
Dr. J. wanted to share this lil Christmas Special with our Gentle Readers… Well worth the 3 minutes of your otherwise productive day… h/t The Daily What Dr. J.
Continue reading →Failure to Serve the Public Trust
Just a follow-on to Dr. J’s predictions that the Massachusetts elections are about to get interesting with the announced retirement of Rep. Barney Frank at the end of his term. The Czar would like to breathe a sigh of relief. … Continue reading →
Signs and Portents…
Dr. J. would like to start off thanking The Czar for watering the plants and letting the fell beasts out for their daily constitutionals at the Castle over the 5 day weekend so that Dr. J. and the other Gormogons … Continue reading →
A Question of Degree
Newt Gingrich says he is a lot more conservative than Mitt Romney. Yes, much in the same way that the Czar is more tolerant of hippies than ‘Puter. That is all. The Czar of MuscovyБожію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный … Continue reading →
Volt Probably Not Dangerous
The Czar is no fan of the weirdly quiet but obnoxiously expensive Chevrolet Volt, but he urges caution and skepticism when hearings stories about batteries catching fire in simulated crashes. If you have not noticed, gasoline-powered automobiles catch fire as … Continue reading →
Econ 001
If the Occupy crowd and the Demo-Libs who deny the disaster of their government model have taught us anything, it’s that schools need to start returning back to teaching economics. If they ever did—home economics always seemed more about cooking … Continue reading →
“Pay Attention To Me!” Pleads Microsoft
“We’ve had Siri-like tech for more than a year,” whines Microsoft, even though they insist that whining-like wheedle isn’t whining at all. First, and this will be quick, the Czar is immediately annoyed with anybody who says “tech” instead of … Continue reading →
Bluesun
The Czar admits he was surprised. Usually when you write something scathing about Ron Paul, you get mail. This gem was not what he expected. Dear Mr. Dread and Powerful The Czar, In regards to Ron Paul, Attack Cartoons a … Continue reading →
‘Puter’s Thanksgiving Table
Guess who’s coming to dinner? There’s always room for Hello Kitty. She is the Thanksgiving equivalent of Elijah at Passover, so don’t forget to leave her a cup of whatever intoxicating beverage you’re serving. A blessed, safe and happy Thanksgiving … Continue reading →
Happy Thanksgiving to All
A very happy and most wonderful Thanksgiving from all of us at the Castle (well, maybe not the Tcho-Tchos). As many of you know, Thanksgiving is the Czar’s favorite holiday; even better than the Feast of Zdravgul, which we celebrated … Continue reading →
Explaining Ron Paul
So why does Ron Paul continually insist that Iran is a threat to nobody, that their nuclear intentions are peaceful, and that the Taliban have never once attacked America outside of Afghanistan? Because any possibility that Iran is a threat, … Continue reading →
Tonight’s Debate: Much Improved
Tonight’s debate was one of the better ones, actually—obviously, the candidates all took the issue of national security seriously, because this was tonight’s theme, and all the question stemmed around it. We began with a nutty CNN intro that looked … Continue reading →
Today’s Installment of ‘Puter Told You So
As regular readers know, ‘Puter is a high-functioning simpleton, but one with Cassandra-like powers of prognostication. Also, like Cassandra, ‘Puter is cruelly fated to never be believed. Let’s review a few of ‘Puter’s most recent economic prognostications: 1. The failure … Continue reading →
Who Did What, Now?
Just a minor correction. There is a lot of happy scuttlebutt on the web regarding NASA’s funding that was approved. A lot of the space-related websites are happy that the House and Senate got together and approved a budget. Bad … Continue reading →
Gone Fishing…
Here is another outrageous example of government regulation stifling economic growth (h/t Drudge, of course). The short version is that a commercial fisherman from New Bedford, in the People’s Republic of Massachusetts caught an 881 pound bluefin tuna in his … Continue reading →
IPCC No-Op
Subtitled: It is very likely that this report likely means very little for many with medium confidence. The UN’s IPCC began releasing an update recommending that countries prepare for “weird weather”. Seriously. They are “virtually certain” (which, apparently means a … Continue reading →
Some Language Is Universal
Note what Tatiana Limanova does when mentioning Барак Обама (Barack Obama). Watch it again—right there at the start of the video. Pretty sure we are reading that right. The Czar of MuscovyБожію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ … Continue reading →
Is The Bloom That Far Off The Rose
GorT used to believe that Chris Matthews couldn’t quit Obama. He was head over heels, cuckoo-for-cocopuffs, for the President. He was dismissive of much of the criticism, lobbed softballs when interviewing members of the Obama administration, etc. But on Saturday, … Continue reading →
Catholics Hate Women!
Well, then how come we manage to reproduce so effectively? Seriously, though, ‘Puter was turned onto this article in the Washington Post, regarding a Northern Virginia parish’s retreat on the question of female altar servers. The friend who pointed out … Continue reading →
#sirifail
As you know, Dr. J. & Mrs. Dr. J. are the proud owners of new iPhone 4S’s. The Siri technology is a cool feature. Dr. J. had to run home before going to work this morning, on the way to … Continue reading →
Occupy Bagram
A happy Thanksgiving and a hearty thank you to our servicemen and women! OWS folk, Dr. J.’s got nuttin’ for ya. Dr. J.
Continue reading →And Then There Was Light
Unfortunately, back in the early 1970s (maybe earlier), the hippies got into physics, and started throwing all sorts of eastern mysticism around and paved the way for nonsensical New Age sciences. One of the worst abuses was Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, … Continue reading →
Never Know What You Might Find
Today, Muscovy is trimming the Village Christmas trees. This event is always accompanied by a craft show. The Czar does not understand craft shows: they seem to be filled with desperate, frustrated people with equal mixes of time and talent … Continue reading →
And a little something ’Puter used to sing in the joint
Because he went down to Houston and gambled and fought. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →And for GorT
Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →Since Dr. J is kickin’ it ol’ skool…
…as befits his cameo in “You Be Illin’,” here’s another long-form masterpiece from back in said day: Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →Americans Hate Math
Here’s our politicians’ dirty little secret. Washington knows what’s wrong with the economy, and they know how to fix it. “Great! Then why won’t Washington fix it, ‘Puter?,” you reply. It’s a good question, with a simply answer: the fix … Continue reading →
Fond memories from Dr. J.’s ill spent youth…
A schoolmate posted this on his Facebook page: …and because Dr. J. can’t get this song out of his head, you must suffer with him. Dr. J.
Continue reading →If You Want To Keep Your Head…
You never tell the Czar what to do. The Czar of MuscovyБожію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total … Continue reading →
State Department Wins One
The latest issue of Foreign Policy magazine had a lengthy piece by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regarding the United States’s shift in attention from the Middle East to the Pacific Rim: that China, and not only China but a … Continue reading →
Dr. J.’s Medical Roundup 2 – AHA Edition
The Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association were this week. This is one of two times a year where the medical news is dominated by things cardiovascular. But, before we begin, Dr. J. must errat the errata that The Czar … Continue reading →
The FDA hates women…
It is official. The FDA revoked approval of Avastin™(bevacizumab) to treat breast cancer. This issue has been discussed here and here because there has been some speculation that the FDA decision examined the costs in addition to risks and benefits. In … Continue reading →
The Mandarin Takes A Question…
Your Mandarin received the following inquiry from operative D.T. regarding this post on the recent EU decision regarding the health benefits of water: Mighty Booter of Guts: Does this mean they’ve outlawed homeopathy? Well operative D.T. if that is really … Continue reading →
Whoops. Our Error.
Hah hah! Well, the funny thing about science is that sometimes it’s supposed to go wrong. Otherwise you don’t learn anything. Why, even us Gormogons learn from our mistakes. Anyway, this is very likely going to go away without a … Continue reading →
More Budget Concerns
So while the Congress kicked the can down the road for another month with the latest CR that was passed, there is a looming issue that our defense & intelligence sector faces if the “supercommittee”* doesn’t act soon. Various space initiatives … Continue reading →
Come On In, The Water Is Fine…
Your Mandarin would like to take a moment to provide an important public service announcement and award the coveted Boot in the Gut™ award. Apparently water does not provide the health benefits that we have all been led to believe … Continue reading →
The Latin Word For “Left” Is “Sinister”
Isn’t this always the case? First, we are all grateful that no one was harmed in the attempt; although the President and First Lady were thousands of miles away from the White House, the Czar isn’t sure where the daughters … Continue reading →
Three out of Four is a start…
You may recall Dr. J. demonstrating enthusiasm for Whole Foods CEO, John Mackey’s healthcare plan in the Wall Street Journal. You know, the one that got the Obama Administration in a snit and created great confusion among the liberal elite … Continue reading →
And so on, and so on, and so on….
No, this isn’t some flashback to the 1980s Faberge Shampoo commercial, this is your Congress “at work”. The brilliant idea of the so-called “Super Committee” seems to be doing what the Congress does, just with fewer people….hmmm, that gives me … Continue reading →
There Is No First Amendment Right To Be Douche-tastic
‘Puter, in perusal of his usual virtual haunts, came across this wonderful Washington Post blog entry, as penned by James Downie. Mr. Downie, it seems, has a fundamental misunderstanding of our First Amendment, a misunderstanding that ‘Puter has seen repeated … Continue reading →
“American Murder Mystery,” blacks, whites, intellectuals, Chris Rock, and why we can’t fix dysfunction
Confucius* linked to “American Murder Mystery,” an article by Hanna Rosin in the Atlantic earlier today, and frankly he’s haunted by it. Mostly because it reflects the dead-end despair of the well-meaning officials who have put their faith in instrumentalist, … Continue reading →
Errata
The Gormogons would like to take a moment to offer some corrections from recent posts. In a recent post on Joe Paterno, the Czar referred to the Penn State head coach as “a lying, hate-filled scumbag who cared more about … Continue reading →
Check your sources…it may save someone’s life…
Dr. J.’s biggest complaint regarding the electronic medical record is that it can ‘cut and paste.’ This time saving feature has the potential to cause and propagate errors if you are the sole provider (e.g. private practice physician) using that … Continue reading →
Oops, wrong First Assassin…
Dr. J. saw the following title (The First Assassin, Again) under The Corner in our Album Blogorum on the left side of our blog and naturally assumed that we ‘droned’ another Al Qaida operative today. When he clicked on it … Continue reading →
Americans Are Selfish Bastards
‘Puter read with interest this Eugene Robinson opinion piece in this morning’s Washington Post. Mr. Robinson identifies what he perceives to be the Republicans’ failing: they don’t have a convincing narrative about the economy. Mr. Robinson then spends the remainder … Continue reading →
Waiting too long at the Apple Store? There’s an App for that!
Dr. J. went to the New Atlantis Apple Store on Saturday with the lil med student to get an additional USB cable (an ancient one was fraying at the iPhone/iPod plug in end) and a couple of car chargers for … Continue reading →
A Simple Test
Lawyers very much enjoy a fair test of the facts. Did x occur? Here is a test to see if the legal conditions were met. Everyone agrees with it, and the outcome winds up less disputable. The media has no … Continue reading →
Mail For the Czar
One of our most secret and ancient of operatives lives in the distant Nepalese cliffs, where he works on eldritch deeds most foul. His name is “Ken,” because that’s what everyone calls him. Dread Czar, I saw the clip of … Continue reading →
What Is China Doing?
Starting at some point after 2003, China began constructing some odd things in the Gobi desert. Gizmodo has a post that details a number of them. Most are in the same general area. Most appear to be surface level, as … Continue reading →
The Poor Have Access to Christmas Gifts? The Senate Can Fix That!
One of ‘Puter’s two representatives in the United States Senate decided that department stores’ reintroduction of layaway is a threat requiring immediate federal action. Since ‘Puter knows that Senator Kirsten E. R. Gillibrand (D-NY) is too busy hiding in the … Continue reading →
Walmart 2, Obamacare 0
Walmart excels at providing value at a discount for many Americans. So that made Dr. J. take a moment to rethink things, as Walmart bent the cost-curve of healthcare when it introduced $4 generics. Patients went from thinking generics were … Continue reading →
Cronk Weeps
Ah yes, the age old problem: Reply All is Different From Reply. CBS News, who by all accounts showed their inability to do news with their botched Republican debate Saturday night, continued to screw themselves. First, you have a moderator … Continue reading →
Romney’s Path To The White House
As our readers know, ain’t none of your Gormogons all too pleased with the composition of the Republican presidential candidate pool, least of all ‘Puter. But, like it or not, it’s appearing more and more likely to ‘Puter that Romney’s … Continue reading →