Archives---March 2009
March 30, 2009 Just the fact mamm
...UConn, Michigan State, North Carolina and Villanova make up the 2009 NCAA Final Four that gets underway Saturday evening in lovely Detroit.
...Boston University, Vermont, Miami (of Ohio) and Bemidji State (?!) make up the 2009 NCAA Frozen Four that gets underway Thursday in DC.
...The second half of last week (Wednesday - Saturday) brought nearly 5 inches of welcome rain to most of metro ATL.
March 29, 2009...A late start makes for an abbreviated Sunday update. Villanova/Pitt was great. Michigan State and Louisville start things off today at 2:20 followed by Carolina/Oklahoma, and the Final Four will be set.
March 28, 2009 Home Depot: arc supplies dwindling
...The funerals for Oakland Police Officers Mark Dunakin, John Hege, Ervin Romans and Daniel Sakai, who were gunned down March 21 by a parolee, were held yesterday.
...Sure the region desperately needs the precip, and Suttle World was desperately pleading for the atmosphere to be scrubbed of allergens earlier in the week, but enough already! Three days of steady rain give way to a Saturday that is forecast to be frocked with severe/Auntie Em outbursts. Suttle World successfully rescued a school of carp from the front portico of stately Roberts/Suttle Manor this morning by tossing the creatures back into the north gardens from where they migrated. More updates as they happen. Obviously the northern plains are facing catastrophic flooding. The crisis is another object lesson of the incredible accomplishments ordinary citizens can make when acting together for a common cause. Suttle World can only hope the public can sand bag itself against the fatally rising tide of government.
...Today is the second in a series of Saturday SOTDs devoted to the ever popular cheesy TV theme song. Lounge act week continues tomorrow, and nominations are still being accepted. The popular weekly feature includes an interactive listening dealie so that the gentle surfer can enjoy all the toe tapping fun of today's ditty: the theme of what TV Guide dubbed the second worst show in television history---trailing only Jerry Springer. Even more sad than the single season of My Mother the Car, is that Suttle World remembers it.
...Can the gentle surfer keep a secret? Don't tell anybody, but this is the most boring NCAA tournament in Suttle World's life. Three more blowouts last night, with only Michigan State's win over Kansas providing any degree of entertainment---action that CBS refused to air! And then there were eight. Missouri and UConn tip off today at 4:40 followed by what should be a compelling Villanova/Pitt game. Carolina is playing as well as anyone still playing, and will need to continue to do so to get past a very strong looking Oklahoma tomorrow.
...Now that the field has been pared down to a mere eight, how's that 2009 Suttle World March Madness, Big Dance, Final Four, sue you bastards you, NCAA pool working out? Not well for fans of Suttle World, who now has the dubious distinction of trailing even perennial bottom feeder, cuzin Paul III. At this writing, only 2,148,936 Yahoo users have filled out better brackets than Suttle World, but that's up over 3,000 with a bullet overnight. Current standings are at the above link.
...Stately Roberts/Suttle Manor will commemorate Earth Hour today between 8:30-9:30 pm (local time) by turning on each and every electrical device contained therein.
...Nice week on Wall Street with the DOW picking up more than 500 points for its third consecutive winning week. The up tick is certainly welcome, but wake Suttle World when the index approaches 10,000 again.
March 27, 2009 A dozen left
...Finally
a little shake up in the NCAA tournament, albeit
late on a Thursday night. The Big East
continues to be a monster, winning three of four
games yesterday, including Villanova's upset of
Duke, and Missouri answers the long asked questions
regarding Memphis' schedule by running the Tigers
out of the gym 102-
91.
UConn appeared no less ready for all the talk of
possible recruiting violations, and Pitt proved to
be the much better team than Dayton in the other
early contest.
Tonight, its Arizona/Louisville followed by
Kansas/Michigan State in the East---games that run
concurrent with Syracuse/Okalahoma and
Gonzaga/North Carolina in the Southern region.
...Suttle World finds itself alone in defending Treasury Secretary Little Timmy Geithner. Having won the position through a nationwide essay contest of high school freshmen, Geithner has comported himself as well as any 14 year old Suttle World can imagine.
...Please
stand by! Saturday will mark the day for the
second annual Earth Hour. The idea is for
everyone to dim their lights between 8:30 and 9:30
p.m. (local time) tomorrow
to show one's dim witted solidarity with the
idiotic notion of global warming. Suttle
World reminds the gentle surfer planning on participating
in the worldwide shindig that all lights have a
special dimming switch imbedded inside their
home's circuit breaker box. Simply insert a
screw diver deep into the panel and the gentle surfer's
lights should begin to dim immediately.
...The fate of music legend, and the inventor of bad hair, Phil Spector, is in the hands of a California jury again. A panel was unable to reach a unanimous verdict in Spector's first trial in which he is accused in the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson at his home six years ago. Spector, 69, faces a minimum of 18 years in prison if convicted of second-degree murder. A manslaughter conviction would carry two to four years in prison.
March 26, 2009 Plants 1 Suttle World 0
...Desperately needed rainfall has allowed the immune systems that inhabit stately Roberts/Suttle Manor to re-set, and return to somewhat normal function after a brief 48 hour break for anaphylactic shock. This is an unusual set of circumstances for Suttle World, that typically is not sensitive to the copious plant passion of the season. Memo to local flora: get a room!
...NCAA action begins again tonight with four games. Suttle World sees no reason for the trend to change, with all higher seeded teams advancing to the Elite 8. The best shot at an "upset" probably comes in the 10:00 game tonight when #3 Villanova faces #2 Duke in the Eastern Region.
...85 year old Bob Barker taped his 6,587th episode of The Price is Right Wednesday---this time not in his usual role as host, but as a part of the showcase showdown. Retired since 2007, the show brought Barker back to help pimp his upcoming book, "Priceless Memories," due out April 6. The show will air April 16.
...Authorities in northwest China have begun spreading contraceptive pellets in an attempt to rein in a plague of gerbils which is threatening the local desert ecosystem. (________________ insert joke here---damn, I'm funny).
March 24, 2009 Tepid Tuesday
...A mute elderly woman found wandering in a New Jersey mall 15 years ago has finally been identified. Unfortunately, authorities who returned to the mall after making the discovery, were unable to locate her.
...A study published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine concludes: "Over 10 years, eating the equivalent of a quarter-pound hamburger daily gave men in the study a 22 percent higher risk of dying of cancer and a 27 percent higher risk of dying of heart disease. That's compared to those who ate the least red meat, just 5 ounces per week." Over 50,000 old folks were used in the study, touted as the largest ever of its kind. Yes, they did control for smoking and obesity, but not exercise or other lifestyle habits that, arguably, could be as much a risk factor as red meat. Though presumed, the study also doesn't specifically say anyone died prematurely--just from the aforementioned diseases. Suttle World is not pushing the all steak diet by any means, but is leery when a story reporting the study is accompanied with quotes from vege-Nazis who are talking cow flatulence and global warming links due to Quarter Pounder consumption.
...A late start and early duties bring an abbreviated end to this morning's briefing. The annual plant mating season has begun, and many are worse for the botanical passion.
March 23, 2009 Sweet sixteen set
...A surprisingly unsurprising 16 teams emerged from the first weekend of NCAA tournament play. In two regions (East and South) the top four teams advance, in the West, seeds 1-3 and 5 move on, while the Midwest features the only "long shot," with twelfth seeded Arizona heading to the Sweet Sixteen along with the 1,2 and 3 seeds. The Big East shows itself to be the cream of the crop, with five of the league's seven entrants advancing, while the ACC and Big 10 each have two schools out of their original seven invitees still in play. A few days off, and things crank up again Thursday. Play on.
...63
days and several trillion dollars later, and the
Obama administration now believes the time is
right to fix the banking system. Given
market based solutions are off the table, Suttle
World would tend to agree that the feds herding
non-performing assets into a single hideous
portfolio is the first step in stabilizing a sys
tem
on the verge of collapse, and inhibiting any
significant recovery.
...The hoops weary gentle surfer can re-invigorate for the coming week courtesy of cuzin Matt and another stellar installment of Bruner's Texas Takes.
March
22, 2009
...Three Oakland police officers are dead, and another is in critical condition, following a gun battle Saturday. Sgt. Mark Dunakin, Sgt. Ervin Romans, 43, and Sgt. Daniel Sakai, 35, were killed by a fugitive maggot who was also thankfully killed in the incident. Ofc. John Hege, 41, sustained brain damage. His condition is listed as grave. The tragedy is a stark reminder that thousands of men and women will don the uniform today (and every day), and work in service to their communities, unsure if mortality will permit them to return home. The killing in Oakland began after a simple, mid-day traffic stop.
...In news and events of much less significance, but that beg mention...
...The brackets are too ugly to mention again today, and will wait until the sweet sixteen is set after Sunday's NCAA play. Suttle World was dead wrong on Memphis having trouble with Maryland. Otherwise, while highly enjoyable, Saturday went the way of the chalk---the hallmark of this year's tournament to date. Another eight great matchups today, with Suttle World seeing the only real "upset" as USC taking down #2 Michigan State.
...The Wiffle Atlanta crew is breaking out the gear, and limbering up for the first pick-up event of Spring this afternoon. At this writing about half a dozen have committed to the casual, impromptu affair, beginning at 1:00 at last year's venue---Glenlake Park in Decatur. The public is invited to the work out.
...On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case of Citizens United v. FEC, ( 08-205). Its a simple free speech, First Amendment case in which the plaintiff should prevail, and also afford the Court a chance to emasculate most of what remains of the hideous free speech squelching/un-Constitutional McCain-Feingold law. The gentle surfer can do its on further reading on the case should it be one of those geeks with an interest in the free speech the Framers meant when drafting the First Amendment---political speech.
March 21, 2009 Spring crashes into planet---winter feared near death
...Suttle World greets the gentle surfer on this, the first full day of spring that officially began Friday. Right off the bat of spring's lead off Saturday comes great excitement for the gentle surfer who also enjoys:
...pointing and clicking...For the first time in its 3 and-a-half year history, SOTD is available for the gentle surfer's listening pleasure. And so may well begin a tradition of cheesy, public domain, Saturday SOTDs. But wait! Read further and Suttle World will double the gentle surfer's fun! A fascinating factoid regarding the television show, Mannix, that SOTD supported for 8 very long seasons (1967-75). Neely Tucker writing about the infamous TV gum-shoe in a 2007 piece in the Washington Post noted that: "Mannix was, by one count, shot 17 times and knocked unconscious another 55 during the show's eight-year run, and how great is that?" Tucker fails to mention Joe's penchant for dodging bullets (literally---he would duck, and they'd miss).
...pointing and laughing...That's about all one can do with regard to the continuing woes of hockey helmet wearing Suttle World and his pal cuzin Bubs who continue to bring up the rear in the 2009 Suttle World March Madness, Big Dance, Final Four, sue you bastards you, NCAA pool. Results through the first round are reported below. Picking an astonishing 19 winners out of 32 games, Waring continue to lead the coin flip that went 16-16. Suttle World is obviously faring little better, and former Suttle World Senator, cuzin Blaine, holds an early lead.
|
Rank
|
Bracket
|
Correct Picks
|
Points
|
Possible Pts
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The
Best Laid Plans...  rblainemilam |
27 of 32 | 27 | 185 |
| 2 | YobBaby yrob0307 |
25 of 32 | 25 | 177 |
| 3 | wearethechampions dffd123 |
24 of 32 | 24 | 182 |
| 3 | A1A
Shooters cindrome |
24 of 32 | 24 | 172 |
| 5 | Suttle
World * genesuttle |
21 of 32 | 21 | 143 |
| 6 | Bubs-o-matic paulwiii |
19 of 32 | 19 | 167 |
...First round
notes...Midwest...Of course, nobody saw Cleveland
State ousting Wake, and few had Dayton penciled in
against a West Virginia club that had looked like
contenders in a very competitive Big East this
year. Its now Louisville's bracket to lose,
probably against USC...West...This may become
UConn's to lose, as Maryland will give Memphis
everything it can handle. Otherwise, most
has gone according to Hoyle...East...Aside from
the Big 10 holding up better
than usual, there have been no surprises in this
region, leaving 8 solid matchups for today and
Sunday...South...Ditto---just add that this one is
Carolina's to lose. The schedule of today's
eight contests is here.
Sunday's is here.
...The latest estimate from the Congressional Budget Office calls for the 2009 Fiscal Year deficit to be $1.8 TRILLION or 13.1% of expected gross domestic product---the highest since World War II. Its not New Deal 2.0. Its not the Great Society 2.0. Its both! It two, two, two big ass, republic busting, monster governmental growth spurts in one (spurt being the operative word)! One of the results of this idiotic spending spree is depicted very graphically at the right (click to enlarge and link to Financial Post piece). That parabolic "curve" is the US monetary base. Bottom line: Suttle World sets the over/under for the average retail price of a loaf of bread on January 1, 2012 at $8. It'll work out---Jimmy can go home and tend to the peanut farm...oops!, wrong president (allegedly), but the gentle surfer gets the idea.
March 20, 2009 Slow buses out of the gate
...No
man is a failure. He can always serve as a
bad example, and such is the case with the
brackets of cuzin Paul (Pops/III) and Suttle
World. Both employed the "if I'm right,
I'm brilliant. If not, I'll suck more than a
black hole." strategy to no avail
yesterday---picking a mere 10 and 11 winners,
respectively, from the 16 games played in the 2009
NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. The Big
10 going an astounding 2-2 didn't help, nor did
Butler on an entertaining day, albeit one lacking
in buzzer beating finishes. 16 more contests
que up for play beginning at 12:30 again
today. The four early starts and the four
that tip off around 7:30 offer the better matchups
on paper. Thursday's scores are here.
Today's schedule is here.
The early results in the 2009
Suttle World March Madness, Big Dance, Final Four,
sue you bastards you, NCAA pool are as
follows:
|
Rank
|
Bracket
|
Correct Picks
|
Points
|
Possible Pts
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The
Best Laid Plans... rblainemilam |
15 of 16 | 15 | 191 |
| 1 | A1A
Shooters cindrome |
15 of 16 | 15 | 191 |
| 3 | wearethechampions dffd123 |
14 of 16 | 14 | 188 |
| 4 | YobBaby yrob0307 |
13 of 16 | 13 | 189 |
| 5 | Suttle
World * genesuttle |
11 of 16 | 11 | 185 |
| 6 | Bubs-o-matic paulwiii |
10 of 16 | 10 | 182 |
...From the gentle
surfer thought it crazy/Suttle World told you so
aisle comes photographic evidence (right) that
only adds further intrigue to the mystery of
never having seen Jimmy
Carter and Barack Obama in the same room
together. The picture was snapped March 18
as Carter made an "unexpected" visit to
the White House. The
gentle surfer will note the former president has
his finger to his nose. Suttle World
contends that immediately following the shot,
Carter stepped behind the door, and went Samantha
Stevens---tweaking his schnoz, and morphing back
into President Obama. Get these spiders off
of me!! In other presidential news comes an
idea that has Suttle World beating its head
against walls because it didn't think of it first:
Barack
Obama's Teleprompter's Blog.
This is good stuff. Finally, yes,
Suttle World is outraged at President Obama's
remarks comparing his bowling skills to that of
Special Olympians---outraged that no attribution
was given for the often used Suttle World
metaphor. Don Imus 3/20/09: "He's
[Obama] is in so far over his head, he may as well
be Jacques Cousteau."
...It would be hideously inappropriate for Suttle World to suggest that one of the amenities that should be added to the Speaker Pelosi's plane is one of those fancy, new, mountain seeker guidance systems, so it won't.
...72 year old Don Cornelius was sentenced to three years probation yesterday in a southern California court after entering a plea of guilty to spousal battery. Given a history of domestic violence charges, failure to follow the conditions of his latest release will result in the television and music icon riding an entirely different Soul Train.
...Old news that slipped under the radar of Suttle World, despite the best efforts of Bride of Suttle World: the greatest defensive play in the history of sports! The Reuters lead lays it out pretty well: "BAGHDAD - An Iraqi soccer fan shot dead a player of the opposing team as he tried to score an equalizing goal in the final minutes of a match, police said on Monday." Talk about a twelfth man! Not only is the fan a local hero, he's also opened immense possibilities for the entire game of soccer. Mix in some firearms, and Suttle World will be watching attentively. Hell, 5 billion would watch every second of the World Cup.
...Conspicuously missing from Suttle World this week has been any mention of the AIG bonuses. Such will remain the case, as Suttle World will direct all inquiries on the matter to Senator Chris Dodd. The Democratic senior senator from Connecticut will be answering questions immediately after a flight on the aforementioned modified plane for Speaker Pelosi.
March 19, 2009 Make with the madness
...Today's SOTD comes courtesy of yesterday's deal of the day, as Suttle World picked up Sam Moore's (as in Sam and Dave) solo effort from a couple years ago for a mere $2.50 at the Dollar General proximate to stately Roberts/Suttle Manor. OK, so a duet with Mariah Carey, covering a Conway Twitty tune (It's Only Make Believe) is awful, but Sam sounds great, and the CD is worth every bit of two and a half bucks.
...Now just over 5 hours remaining to enter the 2009 Suttle World March Madness, Big Dance, Final Four, sue you bastards you, NCAA pool. The deadline brings with it the beginning of the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. 16 games are set for today and Friday, with the winners squaring off in 8 more games on both Saturday and Sunday, will whittle the field down to the sweet 16 for next week's action. Were there a Suttle World high holy week of sport this would be it. Alas, there is not, but the second High Holy Day of the 2009 sports calendar will be celebrated on the April 3rd Final Four doubleheader Saturday. Butler v. LSU is a good start at 12:30 (EDT), and what could be the most compelling matchup of the day won't start until nearly 10:00 tonight when Western Kentucky will send Illinois packing. The 5:00 start, when Mississippi State upsets Washington, looks like the best mid-day matchup. A complete rundown of the NCAA schedule for today is here for the clicking. The gentle surfer will benefit little from checking its local listings, but may bask in the glory of Suttle World's bracket published here for the entire world to see (.pdf file).
...Gold prices rose $26.60 an ounce, hitting $942 Wednesday after the Federal Reserve announced it would print another TRILLION dollars and toss them into the economy. The frequent gentle surfer is well aware that Suttle World considers gold prices to be a good benchmark, but a curious "investment." Suttle World is told repeatedly that currency is merely paper without value, while gold has intrinsic worth that will never disappear. Sounds good, until the gentle surfer needs to use its gold. Does it then trade it back for the valueless currency, or break off a little chunk to give to the cashier at Kroger for a chicken?
March 18, 2009
...Just over 24 hours remaining to enter the 2009 Suttle World March Madness, Big Dance, Final Four, sue you bastards you, NCAA pool.
March 17, 2009 Saint Patty's Day
...Patrick,
the modern patron saint of projectile vomit, is a
historical figure probably deserving of his own
big day, but this annual first amateur day 
of
the year has never been of any utility for Suttle
World. A smoke em if you got em kinda deal.
..."tender, juicy pieces of chicken breast, coated and fried..." German food manufacturer (Suttle World advises the gentle surfer to be leery of a food "manufacturer" of any nationality) Sprehe just doesn't understand why their latest offering, Obama Fingers, is drawing criticism. The complaints of most gripers have deemed the product to have racial overtones. Suttle World disagrees, suggesting its just plain gross.
...Tepid response (appreciated but tepid) to date on the 2009 Suttle World March Madness, Big Dance, Final Four, sue you bastards you, NCAA pool. Still over 48 hours to get that entry in (the "play-in" game doesn't count). Suttle World's bracket has been posted, but is subject to change up until the Thursday noon deadline. A breakdown of the regions, and visions of which schools will emerge to play in lovely Detroit for the national championship (was Newark already booked?) is up tomorrow.
...The 146 year old Seattle Post-Intellingencer printed its last hard copy edition this morning, and will try to make a go of it as a web only news source. This, of course, comes on the heels of the 150 year old Denver based Rocky Mountain News going belly up back in January. Displaced staff from both newspapers are encouraged to apply for summer internships at Suttle World by submitting your resume and writing samples here.
...At this writing Suttle World believes authorities still have Christopher Daniel Gay in custody following his arrest yesterday in Florida. The story of the guy dubbed "the little Houdini" is too complicated to retell. Instead the poorly written original source should be consulted by the gentle surfer on details of this rather colorful criminal.
March 16, 2009 2009 Suttle World March Madness, Big Dance, Final Four, sue you bastards you, NCAA pool
...Yep, time to get signed up. The 2009 Suttle World March Madness, Big Dance, Final Four, sue you bastards you, NCAA pool is now open for business. Click here, for the pool's home page, and destructions regarding participation. The winner receives a choice of a Suttle World t-shirt, suitable for framing, or 10 shares of GM. The first tiebreaker is the score of the final game, the second is the number of Big 10 teams eliminated in the first round of the tournament (Vegas has the over/under set at 5). Invite friends, family and/or the homeless to join in the hootenanny.
March 15, 2009 Selection Sunday
...Idle college hoops thoughts...After UConn, Pitt and Oklahoma went down Friday, Roy Williams may have been the least interested in seeing Carolina beat FSU among the 30,000 or so in attendance at the ACC tournament yesterday afternoon at the Georgia Dome. Their #1 seed for the NCAA is assured. Folks need rest, and the Seminoles played well on both ends to gain the upset before Duke advanced to this afternoon's finals that is not shaping up as one for the ages. In fact, much to the committee's delight, only four games are on tap for today. CBS begins the Selection Show at 6:00, and things get interesting again Thursday afternoon. Its certainly not the most compelling selection Sunday, but serves more like the bell lap for the greatest three week spectacle in American sports. Suttle World has no clue as to whom will win, and sees no prop bets at present upon which to comment. A "for entertainment purposes only" Suttle World March Madness, Big Dance, Final Four, Please Sue Me You Bastards You pool will quite likely be available for the gentle surfer to enter tomorrow. Check back for details. This is the first among several "pardon our progress" projects to unite all of Suttle World as one happy family dwelling in a trailer with a meth lab.
...Props to cuzin Bill who brightened a rainy Saturday evening at stately Roberts/Suttle Manor with his always cheerful presence. Mr. Bill left with lovely parting gifts that included certitude that the town of Hendersonville, NC does indeed operate a municipal miniature golf course.
...Research at the University of Virginia, reported in the academic journal Neurobiology Of Aging shows that human mental abilities begin to decline from the age of 27 after reaching a peak at 22. To those of Suttle World's peers who claim that "50 is simply a number---a state of mind," you have been proven correct, and the state of your mind is decrepit. Its now documented that you have all the acumen of your senior discount receiving brothers and sisters, just no hat or Buick, yet.
...As though just schlepping around 300 lbs wasn't enough of a job itself, Wynonna Judd also carries forth with her entertainment career and fashion and fragrance lines. Now she adds hosting Fox News' Bulls and Bears program on Saturday mornings to her resume. Hard workin woman.
...An ECON 101 slant that Suttle World does not recall any mention of to date. The feds have spent nearly $2 trillion in the past six months to "fix" the economic crisis. The feds didn't have that kind of cash, so they borrowed it. The feds borrow the money by selling bonds. This makes the US government a huge competitor for investment capital in an economy where dried up capital is said to be the root cause of all the gloom and doom (at interest rates conveniently benchmarked by the Federal Reserve). "Yes, Mr. Gentle Surfer, your credit is great, and we'd love to extend the line of credit for your small business, but we just loaned the federal government $500 million (bought bonds), and simply don't have any money left to lend. Now, here's the number of a federal bail out program that may apply to you." Why bother to service a "good" loan at 5% that could possibly default when one can simply have a no muss, no fuss 2% return on cash backed by the "full faith and credit...?" Suttle World is becoming resolved to the harsh reality that unless there's a major breakthrough in gene therapy for stupid...
...The gentle surfer "heard" it first from Suttle World. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will make a special guest appearance Monday on the Imus in the Morning program.
March 14, 2009 Taxation to prosperity and beyond
...Illinois may want a recount. Suttle World reads with great amusement various news organs that all report that newly sworn in Governor Pat Quinn proposes to raise state income taxes 50% on workers with a pay grade above that of a Waffle House dish washer. The various pieces cite various sources that give the governor (the one that replaced the second consecutive elected Illinois chief executive headed to jail/Blago) ample room to tap dance about the issue, but its a 50% tax increase. Nowhere are spending cuts mentioned, or mentioned that it is unmentioned. Not a single time---wire stories, Tribune, nada... Seems to Suttle World that some enterprising Jimmy Olson like cub reporter might ask. OK---so Suttle World will do it: "Yo, Gov! This deficit you're now staring at because of the downturn in the economy. Yeah, the one state law compels you and and legislature to balance. Uhmm...instead of holding a gun to the head of the citizens of your state and taking more of the money they earned, how about cutting back on some of your grandiose vote buying programs?" The previous sentence, combined with the use of face recognition technology, explain why Suttle World is rarely admitted to press conferences. Stop the music! Suttle World would like to extend its most sincere apology to the gentle surfer. How could it have possibly forgotten that "government is the only answer?" Suttle World's bad---up is indeed down, much like more is less, and taxing the rich bastards will solve everything.
...Yeah, Virginia Tech did get jobbed, and it may well have been due to the #1 Carolina/Hansbrough in the ACC Tournament/Larry Bird factor that prompted the call to go their way. For what its worth, Suttle World believes the zebra did "get it right" from his sight line---seeing only ball. Regardless, Carolina advances, albeit with some well deserved controversy, to the conference semi-finals today against a #22 Florida State team that had the courage to finally put Tech's sickly season to sleep yesterday afternoon (run-on sentences come to Suttle World to die, and die and die and die...). Duke takes on a Maryland team that probably did not have hotel reservations for tonight in Atlanta---having upset #8 Wake Forest Friday. #9 Duke sneaks past BC in the nightcap, and the pencil necked geeks make up the fourth and final semis team. Zooming out on the Google Earth view of the hoops universe, Suttle World sees a tough week for the elite. Half of the top eight ranked teams have already been eliminated from their respective leagues' tournaments! The gentle surfer is advised that the rumbling it may experience this morning is not thunder nor earthquake. It is merely the very pronounced reverberations of the onset of irritable bowel syndrome now being enjoyed by the selection committee. Alas, of all the flies, on all the walls, of all the conference rooms in the world...(Suttle World would have used pseudo quotation marks around the previous sentence fragment if it knew how)
...There is no joy in Tucker. Well, at least there was little to be found yesterday evening following the Tigers' loss in the Georgia AAAA state championship boys basketball game. Today should provide some prospective for the dejected squad. The team had no permanent gym in which to practice, and played their home games at a nearby junior high school to come within a game of the title. It remains a stunning achievement. All denizens of stately Roberts/Suttle Manor have had direct issues with Tucker High School Principal Mr. Jackson over the past several years, regarding issues that at the time, and with the aid of hindsight are that much more of little consequence. In the bigger scheme of things, the man has been tested more this academic year than any humanoid in the civilized world should have to endure. He is a man deserving of combat pay. This man is tired, Imus.
...FYI, and just because it comes to Suttle World's mind to remind the gentle surfer. The point may be moot for those outside the ATL, as local PBS affiliates are rarely in synch with other national PBS programming. That said: locally, a two hour biography/documentary on Alexander Hamilton airs Monday night. Now that the gentle surfer has cleaned up from a loss of bladder control in excitement over the announcement, Suttle World would point out that at least it finds the story to be about as authentic, rags-to-riches, uniquely American story as there is to be told. Suttle World is also anxious as to how the infamous duel will be portrayed, as history has left us with several versions/speculations of exactly what went down both on the Jersey field and in the minds of the principals that fateful day. Suttle World is easily amused----having the ability to watch such things or Iggy Pop jumping onto broken glass endlessly (is Suttle World's participle dangling?).
...More idle than usual music thoughts...Suttle World needs to spend more time in the Garage---a casual listen always prompts a SOTD, and today is no exception... Having discovered the incredible influence that the Stooges and Raw Power (FORTY FREAKIN' YEARS OLD!) had on their own careers has caused Suttle World to revisit the lp on numerous occasions in the past couple years. It may THE rock n roll album (in Suttle World, of course---the gentle surfer may prefer a best of Sheena Easton CD---its all good, except the Eagles)...Its been two-and-a-half years now since a US gig by The Dictators that lasted over 15 minutes. Suttle World doesn't give a damn if you guys can't make any money domestically! How about a compromise? A couple nights a year, instead of staying home and not making money, why not lumber down the Bowery or some such and not make money in front of hundreds of adoring fans? Can't be too tough to set up. You guys have played these songs a few times before. Karen can set up a collection on the website to buy Scott a coach roundtrip LAX - JFK ticket....An enterprising young person that set up thisbanddoesntreallysuckandyoushouldseethem.com, and sent out newsletters that truly helped the patron to sort through the clutter could make some money...From time to time, Suttle World will ask an individual the last time they bought music, and in what form. None yet can recall...Psychedelic music had a real chance if it had stayed on the pop side instead of the jam band, make one want to kill oneself to make it stop, dark side...Is Casey Kasem's American Top 40 still playing today on little radio stations about the fruited plane? (A: Wikipedia indicates the program still airs, and has been hosted by Ryan Seacrest (who?---did he play for the Seahawks?) since 2004. Yeah, Casey's still around---cashing checks)...Homer Simpson was right. In lieu of a box set, a single Bob Seger's Greatest Hits CD would have sufficed...
March 13, 2009 Citigroup rallies off of dollar menu
...Though still hazy, a trend appears to be shaping up on Wall Street. The market is up 2-3% on days when President Obama doesn't sign another TRILLION dollar spending bill or those that end in the letter "r." Yes, boys and girls, the DOW is up over 500 points this week, and only has another 7,000 to go in order to regain pre-election day levels. Today the new administration announces its War on Scurvy. The fanfare had been delayed a couple of weeks when, embarrassingly enough, the first Scurvy Czar nominee was found to have never filed a federal tax return and couldn't spell Vitamin C. Suttle World's attempts to contact Popeye for comment have been unsuccessful.
...While we're in the administration's position filling aisle, it occurs to Suttle World now that the CNN doctor dude has pulled his name out of consideration for the Surgeon General's post, the White House can finally find something to do with Howard Dean. No, Suttle World has no idea why Dean has seemingly been kicked to the curb by his entire party. All he did was run it for a couple of years while they regained Congress and the White House. Regardless, its a good gig for the former Vermont governor, as it would most likely ensure that he wouldn't actually be practicing medicine somewhere.
...Yes, the gentle surfer did hear that score correctly. Syracuse upset #1 UConn in the Big East quarterfinals last night 127-117 in SIX overtimes. It was the second longest game in the history of Division I men's basketball. The game started at 9:36 p.m. and ended at 1:22 a.m. This, of course, following West Virginia's upset of #3 Pitt in the league's first game of the evening. In other college hoops conference tourney action...
...Props to Tech, who most likely ensured an NIT invitation with their upset first round ACC tournament win yesterday over Clemson. Twas a day of many upsets, but as yesterday's commentary notes, they're exhibitions now. Entertaining, but basically meaningless until the Big Dance starts next week. A complete rundown of today's college hoops scheduled for TV in the ATL is here for the clicking. A year ago this weekend, a tornado struck downtown Atlanta, and Georgia won the SEC title in front of 1500 people in an impromptu shift to Tech for the semis and finals. Alas, no major US urban areas were stuck by tornados yesterday, and, as a result, Georgia has lost their chance to repeat, falling to Mississippi State.
...Included in the aforementioned TV listings is a 4:45 tip off at the Arena at Gwinnett, where the Tucker Tigers take on Miller Grove for the Georgia AAAA state championship. A win, and the Tigers go one up on Florida. Not only would they simultaneously hold both state football and basketball titles, both teams would have done so without a permanent practice or playing facility as a new school is under construction adjacent to the ancient building and trailer park that now allegedly serves as an institution of secondary education. Yes, the tail wags the tiger as is the case with all too many "schools," but it is a rather stunning achievement, especially under the circumstances. Literacy? Its a project that's been taken under advisement.
...In the bigger scheme of things, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is above Brittany Spears on the list of people who should just go away. Yes, Suttle World would think twice before violating the law in Maricopa County. Under no circumstances would Suttle World ever entertain the idea of getting between Sheriff Arpaio and a TV camera.
...Now Euro carrier Ryanair says it was "only joking" when it suggested charging passengers to use the toilet. Suttle World, March 1, 2009: "Suttle World speculates that it wouldn't have to piss on the jet's floor for longer than 10-15 seconds before being awarded a voucher..." Coincidence? Suttle World shall let the gentle surfer be the judge.
...Suttle World rarely views the idiot box before 4:00 pm, and then has a routine where it serves as background noise programming dialed in on any given weekday. Long story shot, the schedule has been altered this week, and, as a result, Suttle World has taken the opportunity to give Glen Beck a shot. The guy's pretty damn good---needs to calm down a little, but there is real potential here. Cavuto continues to be as good as it gets in TV land at present, and that is not condemnation by faint praise.
March 12, 2009 Imbalance of power
...Less than 60 days into the new administration, and Suttle World is beginning to ask if anyone has ever seen Jimmy Carter and President Obama in the same room together. Sure, all the living presidents gathered in Washington before the inauguration, but does the gentle surfer recall that the alleged Carter in those post luncheon photos was always standing apart from the rest (Bush, Clinton and Bush)? Where's Jack Anderson when you really need him? Today the Obama administration will unveil a 348 point plan to exterminate roaches and other vermin from urban residential areas. Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid will continue to run the country in a style reflecting their oh so charming and brilliant demeanors. Trying to pull this together, Suttle World's point is that Obama is increasingly looking like an empty suit waiting for his marching orders from the Hill. Imagine that---a guy with no experience in Washington being steam rolled by the city. Voters love outsiders (the Beltway)/change until the more savvy insiders start running the show. Here, eat these 8,000 earmarks Mr. President. Twenty months until the next elections.
...Props to the Hawks. Led by Joe Johnson's 31 points, the Hawks ended a 12 games winning streak for the Utah Jazz last night at Philips. Atlanta remains firmly ensconced as the fourth seed in the NBA Eastern Conference with less than two dozen games remaining in the regular season.
...Over 25 years ago, today would have marked the beginning of perhaps the most exciting weekend in sports, as the major conferences started their tournaments to determine the ONE team that would advance to the NCAA. The elderly residents of the southeastern US remember that the tension of an ACC tournament was much greater than anything that followed. Alas, this is no longer the case. Suttle World is cool with the status-quo, but won't be sneaking away from duties to catch a glimpse of the noon games today and tomorrow. A few schools will get to the Big Dance courtesy of upsets in the weekend tourneys, but, by and large, this weekend is a series of exhibition games, with the real action starting next Thursday. Following a 10-18 campaign, that included a 2-14 record in the conference, once again the Atlantic 10 has failed to extend an invitation to the not so mighty fighting Colonials of George Washington University for that league's tournament.
March
11, 2009 Bruner
Wednesday
...Travel yesterday has left Suttle World worse for the wear. Diminished by a minor pathogen, Suttle World is simply not up to the test. This makes for the perfect day for another one of cuzin Matt's stellar installments of Bruner's Texas Takes>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
March 9, 2009 Dark Monday
...7:00 arrives this Monday morning at the Suttle World western North Carolina HQ, and it remains too dark to find fire balls in the great out of doors.
...Carolina proved a couple of things yesterday afternoon in Chapel Hill. First, they eliminated any doubt that they are competitive with anybody in the country with the NCAA tournament a mere 10 days away. Second, the compelling game was also an object lesson as to why the gentle surfer should never bet basketball (especially college) on the point spread. Yesterday's outcome was a push, with Carolina winning by eight, and that is only because the Duke kid missed THREE straight meaningless free throws in the game's final minute. Carolina was 1:4 in the money line---making it a very unattractive wager. Suttle World speculates it was the first time in Duke history all three have been missed since the three free throw rule was instituted for fouls on three point shots several years back.
...Travel date---back to business as usual Tuesday.
March 8, 2009 Mail it in Sunday
...Suttle World extends its Sunday greetings to the gentle surfer enjoying a candlelight brunch courtesy of this morning's early onset of EDT. "A the tone, the time will be: really stupid." Now there's a high tech hobby probably never enjoyed by over a generation of Americans---calling time.
...A quite birthday was seemingly enjoyed by bride of Suttle World yesterday---a Chamber of Commerce March day, punctuated by sun, warm temperatures and the occasional call from well wishers. The climate is forecast to continue its winning ways though the weekend stay.
...#3 Pitt may have won the ball game, knocking off #1 UConn yesterday afternoon, but Suttle World believes the real moral of the story to be that both teams are huge, amazingly talented squads---each more than capable of winning a national championship. That was some serious, east coast, old skool, let 'em play hoops. Meanwhile, #7 Duke and #2 Carolina tip it off at 4:00 this afternoon in Chapel Hill.
...This morning finds the human malignancy that is Terrell Owens to have metastasized in Buffalo. Radiation treatments will begin shortly after camp opens in July, and the prognosis is for a full removal of the cancer by 2010. The franchise has a 65% five-year survival rate when the disease is signed and released early on. Aging, white men with more money than sense are particularly susceptible to this disease, and cautioned to self administer daily digital rectal examines on themselves and their season ticket holders.
March 7, 2009 "...really big show; and now the dancing donkeys"
...A number of really big notables for the first Saturday on which Suttle World has published without physical or technical issues from the Suttle World western North Carolina HQ. That, in and of itself, is a real big event as the dedicated gentle surfer will no doubt agree. High temperatures at 2,100 feet are forecast at near 70 for this afternoon, or roughly 50° warmer than the previous weekend. But wait, there's more ...
...Today is personal celestial odometer rollover day for the bride of Suttle World, who becomes an age that is a matter of public record---younger than Suttle World, but if a loaf of bread...Suttle World closes the metaphor store (because the line of credit dried up, and it wasn't able to make payroll), and instead simply extends its fondest birthday wishes.
...The final weekend of the college hoops regular season is quick out of the gate today as #1 UConn hosts #3 Pitt at noon (CBS). #7 Duke makes the short schlep to take on #2 Carolina in the traditional season finale tomorrow at 4:00. A handful of the smaller conference tournaments are underway, and the big boys start next week. Suttle World will wait until next weekend to make its annual tedious rant about the olden days when conference tournaments really counted. The entire ATL sports TV lineup is here for the clicking. Its of no use to Suttle World that just continues to give, and give.
...Despite erroneous reports from this site, tonight will actually mark the proper time to change perfectly working clocks by one hour for no particularly good reason.
...OK let's see if Suttle World has this right. British PM Gordon Brown visits Washington and brings with him several gifts for the newly anointed president that included a pen holder fashioned from the oak timber of HMS Gannet, a Navy vessel that served on anti-slavery missions off Africa, among other such goodies. President Obama returns the generosity by presenting Brown with two dozen DVDs!? "Yeah, Michelle, look in that Spiegel box in my closet. Pick out the ones the kids always watch. If I have to listen to that damn ET phone home one more time..." Suttle World wonders if there is a 1977 museum in the UK. If so, all would greatly benefit from a visit, especially President Obama and Congressional Democrats A Lady Thatcher would sure come in handy about now.
...Suttle World has conspicuously avoided being in the cut and paste business this year, but sometimes its not only easier, but also that reasonably well written pieces deserve attribution. Dude is a 21st century Earnest T. Bass. "(WSB Radio) A man who caused the lockdown of Kennesaw State University on Wednesday, may be long gone in another stolen vehicle. Cobb County Police Officer Nathan McCreary tells WSB while there is no evidence to show that 30-year-old Chris Gay is responsible for the theft of a tractor from the Penske Trucking Company on Barrett Lakes Boulevard, they are investigating to determine if Gay struck again. "We do have to take it into consideration, being the fact that you know, a mile and a half up the road, he escaped. This is a common way he escapes the area is by stealing these tractors. Now, we have one missing in the same area," said McCreary. Gay escaped while a Coffee County, Tennessee sheriff's deputy was ordering at a Waffle House on Chastain Road. Gay was being transported from Florida to Tennessee on charges he stole a Wal-Mart tractor trailer. He's also infamous for stealing Crystal Gayle's tour bus a few years ago to show to his dying mother. The tractor is white with Cici's Pizza on top of the cab and JCM restaurant distributors on teh door. It has a Georgia tag: IC67P0. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Cobb County Police Department.
March 6, 2009 Giant equities tent sale! We must be crazy!
...The gentle surfer awakes this morning with the ability to buy shares of Citigroup for less than anything on the McDonalds' value menu. The financial powerhouse is now less capitalized than Clorox, Inc. Meanwhile, it'll take a McChicken, small fry and tax from the dollar menu to buy a share of GM this morning. Already bantered about in the media this week is the hard cold reality that the average selling price of a home in Detroit last January was $7,500. No zeros are missing. The gentle surfer could go to closing with a credit card, and leave holding clear title to a little bit of paradise. Suttle World would hasten to add that pet food is still plentiful in supermarkets near stately Roberts/Suttle Manor, and Suttle World is not aware of any small children in the immediate vicinity perishing from malnutrition in the past 24 hours.
...67 year old former Monkees member Peter Tork has announced that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of head and neck cancer. Tork is said to be recovering from surgery to remove a growth from his tongue. Radiation treatments will follow, and his prognosis is good.
...The record will show that tonight will mark the seventh anniversary of Suttle World consummating a then 26 year long romance when it saw The Dictators for the first time ever at the Shim Sham Club, French Quarter, New Orleans, LA. Shout out to Heidi the bartender who joined the besotted trio for the show, wherever you are.
March
5, 2009 A
walk on the light side
...The gentle surfer is asked to study the pic shown to the right. Is this photographic evidence that Suttle World has truly melted down along with the global economy, and retired to the cellar of stately Roberts/Suttle Manor to perform long threatened experiments with human brains? No, the Suttle World double is actually one Fred Rosen, DVM, of Flat Rock, NC, who is holding the logical extensions of the encounter of a beagle, pinscher, Chihuahua and a bottle of Gorilla Glue. The gentle surfer familiar with the product suddenly thinks, "ah ha." The gentle surfer not familiar with Gorilla Glue's properties should not try this at home. All three dogs (there's another "brain" not shown) are doing just fine a week after emergency abdominal surgery to remove the expanding masses of adhesive. And much like calling the Fire Department when Junior gets his head stuck in the banister supports, this is not the first time such procedures have been done.
...A
virtual reality helmet that recreates the sights,
smells, sounds and even tastes of far-flung
destinations has been devised by British
scientists. 
According to an article in the UK tabloid The
Mail, "The device will allow users a
life-like experience of places such as Kenya's
Masai Mara while sitting on their sofa. They
can also enjoy the smell of flowers in an Alpine
meadow or feel the heat of the Caribbean sun on
their face." Suttle World would hasten
to add that the possibilities also include the
sights, sounds, smells, etc... of New Delhi on a
115° day. There's also the disadvantage of
having to wear a satellite dish on one's head as
shown to savor the sensory experience of the globe
that has as many Newarks as it does Alpine
meadows. Suttle World further speculates
that a big breakthrough in smell technology must
have been made in order for the helmet to come to
market. Previously, the fragrance
industry was relegated to
concocting odors such as "mountain fresh or
lilac" from the base scent of raccoon rectum.
...Former
first
lady Barbara Bush continues to recover this
morning following 2 1/2-hour heart
surgery to replace
her aortic
valve.
...Finishing out a freak-out free Thursday, is cuzin Matt with another of his stellar installments of Bruner's Texas Takes >>>>>>>>>>>
March 4, 2009 Jimmy, Jr.
...The honeymoon in Suttle World lasted only 48 hours or so, but its alive and well with the brilliant American electorate and President Obama. Rasmussen's daily tracking poll shows that overall, 60% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President’s performance so far. Meanwhile an NBC/WSJ poll indicates that 60% of the US public is "afraid that government will spend too much money." Suttle World surveys the numbers, and comes to the inescapable conclusion that brain power will not be one of the renewable sources of energy being touted by the administration. As predicted, the era of Jimmy Carter has returned---just with a lot more charismatic guy at the helm, with a good looking wife and cute kids---as opposed to Mr. Rogers, Rosalynn and Amy.
...This morning's top searches on Yahoo news include "rihanna, china, casey anthony, penelope cruz obama, madison nguyen." Aside from China and the President, Suttle World would have to search the rest as well to find out who or what the hell they are. The Obama search is particularly enlightening, and certainly gives the gentle surfer many different sources from which to choose.
...When the going gets tough, the tough go to graduate school. Liverpool Hope University announced Tuesday that its new master's program, "The Beatles, Popular Music and Society," would give students the opportunity to analyze music and culture through the band's work. "There have been over 8,000 books about the Beatles but there has never been serious academic study and that is what we are going to address," said Mike Brocken, who is directing the program at the university, which is in the band's hometown in northwestern England. Mr. Bocken is quite correct about there never being any serious academic study, largely because none is required. "June 1st '67/Something died and went to heaven/ I wish Sgt. Pepper/Never taught the band to play." Suttle World is anxious for its invitation to teach "How The Beatles began the ruination of rock n roll/No, playing a cymbal backwards on tape really isn't that cool" (BTLS 327). This is more ridiculous than letting Ringo sing.
...One out of every 55 residents of Louisiana is incarcerated.
...At least some folks seem to get it. Sales of the Ayn Rand's 1957 title Atlas Shrugged are up sharply, as pointed out by The Economist in its latest issues, where an Atlas index or sorts is tracked.
March 3, 2009 Pedro says: you've arrived at South of 7,000!
...The gentle surfer that wished to test the psychological barrier of the DOW below 7,000 certainly has its plate full this week. It would appear as though the markets have saved enough fear and panic points to redeem for despair. Surely all the smart money on the sidelines will eventually step in, pick up bargains, and stop the free fall sayeth the really smart talking heads that never saw 7,000 coming in the first place. Suttle World would tend to agree, but also hasten to add that each skydiver after jumping out of an airplane has expected his parachute to deploy, and, if not, surely the back-up will step in and save the day. This explains why no one has ever been hurt while sky diving.
...Leave it to the world's smartest woman, now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to resolve a middle east conflict that is now well into its third millennium. Israel should help its “responsible” Palestinian partners “strengthen their capacity to govern the Palestinian people and move toward a viable state,” Clinton told reporters in Egypt today. Brilliant! The gentle surfer walks to the street later today to check the mail when it encounters its next door neighbor. "Hi neighbor, how's it going?," inquires the gentle surfer. "I am going to kill you, your family and destroy your home. It is the reason I draw breath," replies the gentle surfer's not so nice friend. In this scenario, the Clinton rhetoric would have the gentle surfer consider the lethal threats of its neighbor, and then offer to paint his house. Suttle World proposes a simpler strategy: behave or we'll cut your nuts off. Research indicates such a message to be more effective because little gets lost in translation. No, it doesn't rhyme with Kumbaya, but neither does WD-40®, and it works just fine despite the disability.
...In efforts to develop a vaccine, scientists have developed a strain of the human HIV virus that is able to infect and multiply in monkeys. Unfortunately, the announcement comes too late for Travis the chimp. Sorry---it was just sitting there.
...Happy square root day. An AP story has some math buffs celebrating 3/3/09 by cutting root vegetables into squares, and others making food in the shape of a square root symbol. Still others will hopefully insert the kitchen knives into their abdomens, and get an afterlife.
...A UN study released yesterday says that 60% of the world's population has a cell phone subscription. That's 4.1 BILLION subscriptions, up from 1 billion in 2002 for the gentle surfer keeping score at home. If anywhere near true, the figure is amazing. Suttle World speculates that radio and TV doesn't penetrate 60% of the world's population. Sure, most all have access to a flickering 1978 portable RCA at the local village general store, but not in their own huts! Take away the very young, old, infirmed, institutionalized, etc.. and the percentage is even more staggering. Two-way, near universal, portable communication devices in the hands of so many. What would the now worshiped ancient prophets, Newton, Jefferson, or Orwell have thought or done with such a state of affairs? The fact that Suttle World can get 60% of the world's population on their own cell phone is simply unfathomable. The fact that 60% of the world's population can use their own cell phone to call Suttle World is overwhelmingly annoying.
March 2, 2009 SNOW
...If the charge is cynicism, then Suttle World pleads nolo contendere. Suttle World is on record as having it doubts regarding Sunday's weather forecast the previous morning---doubts that were reinforced when the high temperature reached 68° Saturday afternoon. Regardless, at noon yesterday, with temps still in the mid-40s, snowflakes just smaller than man hole covers filled the sky and, over the next six hours, would blanket (snow always "blankets," no other verb in the English language is permitted by law) stately Roberts/Suttle Manor with four inches of a wet, heavy, Grade A snowball making precip. The result is a closing of all metro ATL schools, and nephew Ridge, now in his sixth and final academic year at stately Roberts/Suttle Manor, enjoys his first "snow day" of a tenure that has included four "hurricane days." Suttle World deems it a prudent decision, with secondary roads glazed over like a John Holmes co-star. Today will be sunny, with temps in the forties, that, along with traffic, will return all to their regularly scheduled programming. It was a lovely event to behold. Rarely does the ATL see a simple significant snowfall during the daytime on a Sunday without gripping about ice felling every power line in town. Bottom line: March comes in neither like a lion nor lamb, but more like the crazy aunt in the attic. Now, if morons will avoid plowing into utility poles, and keep the juice flowing to stately Roberts/Suttle Manor, it will have been a most pleasant beginning to March madness, especially on the heels of the dirge under which February departed. The weather system will now shake hands with the northeast on what appears to be a typical economy of scales/14 inches for NYC---been there done more than that. Props to Tucker's tower of the stars (as in truck, not leaning), cuzin Wayne, who has, no doubt, recovered any slump in recent business with the happenings of the past 24 hours.
...Unlike the ATL, it was evidently just another Sunday in quaint Guinea-Bissau according to the AP. Renegade soldiers assassinated the president in his palace, hours after a bomb killed his rival, but the military said that no coup was in progress in the fragile West African nation. Dirk Bremen, president of the Guinea-Bissau Board of Tourism, called the incidents rare, as he touted the nation's upcoming Dengue Fever Festival in May. "We haven't had two national leaders killed in the same day since 1997," Bremen said in a prepared statement that promised tickets for this year's event were still available at Ticketshyster.
...Props to AIG for posting the largest quarterly drop in the history of western civilization today---reporting a $62 BILLION loss for the final three months of 2008. Where did it go? Suttle World would encourage non incarcerated members of AIG's management team to begin an immediate search of all chair and sofa cushions in an effort to recover some of the missing money.
March
1, 2009 Good day
...Broadcast legend Paul Harvey is dead at the age of 90. Born in Tulsa, where he was a classmate of Tony Randall, Paul Harvey Aurnaldt was raised by a single mom after his father was shot and killed in the line of duty as a police officer. Suttle World readily admits to being a radio geek, and greatly admires the few who actually get it right/compelling. Surveying the past 55 years, or radio's not so golden age in the post TV era, Suttle World contends it could survive a really bad power tool accident, and still be able to count on both hands the number of persons who have truly mastered the medium. Harvey was the epitome of such a master---bringing to ear what Rockwell brought to the eye. Each day he rose at 3:30 and began a routine that would run for 50 years on ABC---evangelizing his vision of America with the same zeal and grace that Billy Graham brought to the pulpit. Suttle World itself is little more than a pathetic imitation of Harvey's not quite as funny nor interesting as he thought vignettes for God's sake. Paul Harvey's death is sad. He will be greatly missed, and he can never be replaced. Now, the most interesting page ever.
...Stop the presses!!!---except the ones printing cash (there's a hyperinflation job to be done for the next decade) and the ones in Denver that were shut down Friday due to lack of interest. A typically peaceful Sunday morning in and around stately Roberts/Suttle Manor is broken by the rumble of trucks---not those of utility or road crews, but the armada of satellite trucks of ATL TV stations being deployed, with each unit in the fleet desperately seeking video of the first snow flake of 2009 in the ATL. Yes, snow is on the way, and Suttle World will give 3:2 that Guy Sharpe is showing Paul Harvey how to roll up one's sleeves in the just right, bewildered and disheveled weather dude fashion at this writing. Mist has now been confirmed falling at a metropolitan street light as reported by the WSB TV Storm Watch Center. Team coverage notwithstanding, the dirty little secret is that temps have been above normal for the past several days, and won't drop below freezing until well after the 1-3 inches have fallen. Casualties are excepted to be limited, and no French Toast Alert has been declared, unlike the winter weather advisory currently in effect.
...British budget air carrier, Ryanair, is considering a plan that would charge passengers £1/$1.40 to use the cavernous, amenity laden bathrooms on the little planes they flit about Europe. Suttle World speculates that it wouldn't have to piss on the jet's floor for longer than 10-15 seconds before being awarded a voucher. Its not as radical as the gentle surfer may think. Goats have been shitting in the aisles of Aeroflot flights for decades.
...Sure its a little slow in the sports world right now, so most organs featuring Duane Wade hanging 46 as the Heat beat the Knicks last night above the fold is not at all inappropriate. What most reports of same won't mention is Friday night, when the Atlanta Hawks, coming off a hideous, two-week road trip, righted the ship, and blew out the Heat to maintain a 2.5 game lead over Miami as the fourth seed in the NBA Eastern Conference. The moral of the story is don't blink. Haley's Comet like events happen in Atlanta sports. Gary Anderson misses a chip shot, and the Falcons are in the Super Bowl. Tech sneaks into the NCAA finals. This could be the year the Hawks finally make a conference finals.
...AMF to veteran Falcons Pro Bowl linebacker Keith Brooking who has moved across I-20 to Dallas. Count Suttle World among those who just didn't get Brooking. Yes, he is the all time Falcons leader in tackles, but none of those were made by the middle linebacker on passes over the middle. Suttle World is certainly not God's gift to X's and O's, but it just seemed that when a play comes to the middle of the defensive backfield that an all-pro middle linebacker would be in the vicinity to make a tackle on occasion. Good deal for the Falcons. Better deal for the Redskins.