Posted 5:58 PM by Gene

And the tragedy of its idiot waste intensifies when we recognize this as a glamorous and striking tower. Why couldn't something similar have gone up at Ground Zero -- where at least there'd be a fighting chance for a return?

Posted 5:46 PM by Gene

OR:

[H]ere is the Burj Dubai's real symbolic importance: It is mostly empty, and is likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future. Though most of its 900 apartments have been sold, virtually all were bought three years ago -- near the top of the market -- and primarily as investments, not as places to live. ("A lot of those purchases were speculative," Smith, in something of an understatement, told me in a phone interview.) And there's virtually no demand in Dubai at the moment for office space. The Burj Dubai has 37 floors of office space.

Though Emaar is understandably reluctant to disclose how much of the tower is or will be occupied -- it did not reply to e-mails sent this week on that score -- it's fair to assume that like many of Dubai's new skyscrapers it is a long, long way from being full.

Who wants to bet the desert heat and the desert winds ultimately render much of the building unusable -- especially if it's unoccupied for long?

Some decent writing from LALA for once.

Posted 5:11 PM by Gene

ARCHDaily!

From the top of the Burj Dubai



...I see...smoldering piles of money -- that look like Buck Rogers towers!



The world's most expensive clothes racks!



More unintended symbolism: this is the Hong Kong pavilion for that upcoming Shanghai expo. Are those two big black blocks the Chinese government -- and the people inside the residents of Hong Kong? And what about those people underneath?

Just asking.



Now this, we'll admit, is decent stuff -- but why must modern architecture always look as though you can't afford it?

Because maybe you can't.

Posted 5:09 PM by Gene

Here's a question: When does His Omnipotence sanction a ransom payment?

Posted 1:35 PM by Gene

When Richard Rodgers died you said he wrote elevator music and that the Beatles were better.

Bye, Ellen. Don't let the door hit you on the way out -- not that you'd feel it.

Posted 10:37 AM by Gene

I do not like discussing personal matters but with the New Year I must. New Year's resolutions are not just made to be broken; they must preexist somewhere as lies. I have two for 2010: 1. Get published professionally and 2. Acquire a woman. Both are impossible. My masterpiece of a novel requires untold revisions -- rather demolition and reconstruction -- and I have neither the talent nor the patience to start. Well why not write a new novel? Because that would require inspiration, or experience. Our culture stinks because we don't have the panoramic life experience. Think of Dickens in his youth. Life is far easier now and we pay for it through the culture. The only places with something like the mad scramble of life are Africa and South Asia, and they don't have the masterworks because they never had Western culture. Sorry, Bollywood doesn't count.

As for the second the challenge is insuperable. Middle-age love is self-parody. Think Slick and his amours; think our guvnor EDDIE being a ladies' man. (In a way TGSM's train wreck is middle-aged because it's what a CEO might do if he had a body.) I don't have the advantage of a famous name or a famous inheritance. I fear online dating is a slog. There is no one at work. Being alone for so long I'm not sure I'd tolerate another person. The reduction of tragedy in life has made it somehow harder to mate; Matchmakers and arranged marriages existed because a spinster's fate was worse than virginity. How many more people lead unhappy love lives now that's its square to be romantically continent? The only conceivable way I'd gather a woman is through success in writing, and even if I found it I fear so many in the business would be so incompatible (i. e., knee-jerk liberals with huge egos and no irony, or overpublicized airheads; see the preceding post) that I'd be just as bad as before, only with a little more money. So I make my resolutions knowing a higher force has already pulverized them for me.

Today the Mummers carry on with their increasingly shriveling excuse for a parade, the sound-truck division leading the way, and I'm reluctant to head out as last year there was a long, long gap in the proceedings, with no one parading but policemen and souvenir hawkers, and nobody cares outside the city, but there are mobs to mingle with, and it's that or staying in my hovel all day.

Posted 10:10 AM by Gene

And speaking of the publisher that made Zeitgeist eat the dust only to hack and wheeze on its own, we must post this in full (Mr. BEW-kes can make up the loss by charging more for Cable Nuisance Network):

Kim Kardashian Recalls the Highlights of 2009

Simply put, 2009 was a huge year for the entire Kardashian clan.

"I think all of us have had such personal growth," Kim Kardashian told PEOPLE Wednesday at the Pre New Year's Party at Eve Nightclub in Las Vegas.

Though Kardashian herself went through some highs and lows – including breaking up and then reconciling with NFL beau Reggie Bush – she said the most memorable moments of 2009 for her were all about her sisters.

"My highlight was Kourtney having her baby and Khloe getting married. I can't choose. They're both equal," she said. "I think they've both grown up so much.”

Looking ahead to 2010, Kardashian said she hopes to lose those few extra pounds that she put on during the holidays – and to see Bush go to the Super Bowl.

Her main goal for herself, though, is to focus on her career, specifically producing television. "That's something I really want to do next," she said. "I want to be outside my box and try different things."

See what other readers have to say about this story – or leave a comment of your own [SIC]

No thank you -- this speaks quite well unassisted.

(Link added in hed)

Posted 10:03 AM by Gene

I suppose this passes for unconventional wisdom at Zeitgeist:

Given the urgency of the nation's challenges, underscored by the Nigerian bomber, was it wise for the president to spend most of his first year and political capital on a monumentally complicated overhaul of the nation's health-care system? And will the results of that gamble—not fundamental reform, but rather an expensive set of patches, bypasses, and trusses bolted onto the existing system—improve the lives of Americans enough to help him or his fellow Democrats politically?

AND:

Obama had promised us a transparent "Google Government," but now we know what Obama government actually looks like: ambitious and generous, perhaps, but also secretive, Chicago-style, and way too complicated. Fewer than half of voters now support the legislation, murky as it still is to them. Crucially, support has cratered among independents.

The result is a 10-year, trillion-dollar contraption full of political risk and unintended consequences for a health-care system that constitutes one sixth of the economy. Many of the people who will benefit directly from the reforms, the uninsured, don't vote. Insurance premiums will continue to shoot up for most of us; Democrats fret that they will be blamed for those increases in the 2010 elections. Some regulations on the industry kick in immediately, but most don't begin until at least 2013. And yet, to allow the bill to "save" money in the first decade, most new taxes and fees go into effect immediately. "We're collecting money before we're giving all the benefits!" lamented a Democratic senator facing reelection. "That is a political disaster."

This from the rag that gave us The Lord. Oh well, better late than never.

P. S. I wonder who that senator is with the courage of his convictions in private. For that alone he should lose.

(First sentence modified slightly with two words from the home-page tease)

Posted 10:51 AM by Gene

We prefer to argue, given the latest adventures of JANET!!!!! and HILLARY, that women have now earned the right to be as incompetent as men, but we're not The Econowiz, and we don't charge $500 a year to clutter the desks and stroke the egos of CEOs.

Posted 10:41 AM by Gene

GEKKO KUDLOW, who clairvoyantly predicted the depr...ECONOMY, is now predicting a BOOM!!!!!, which would seem to indicate otherwise but we suspect it will happen, if only because his fellow GEKKOS will be the only ones getting rich.

Posted 8:19 AM by Gene

BROCCOLI and his crew can breathe easier; their "competition" is effectively playing out the string. But one-newspaper towns are good for nobody but the monopolists; and the idea of KAPLAN, INC. without KAPLAN is unthinkable. A vast bulk of the reasons the biz has pancaked is because of no competition. The captive audience found alternatives and it isn't coming back. And even if what's replaced the rags is only marginally better -- we still have the same lack of competition as before -- we no longer must depend on one source.

I'd have preferred using an account from the afflicted party but it's pretty much a press release.

(First link via TINA!!!!!)

Posted 10:31 AM by Gene

Obama Spock: 1,810,000 G000,000,000,000,000,000GLE LINKS.

Posted 9:17 AM by Gene

How do we know His Omnipotence is in trouble? TNR's urging Him to give up golf!

You'd think He could ace every hole with His superhuman powers.

Posted 8:57 AM by Gene

SURPRISE: The alleged -- er, the suspect -- er, you-know, had British links.

Posted 8:44 AM by Gene

The good news: Frisco's murder rate is the lowest since 1961.

The bad news: It took a LOT more manpower to do it.

P. S. at 10:17 a. m. The same in the District of Criminality.

Posted 3:51 PM by Gene

What? Comedy Central News Network cancels a show?!?

Posted 2:09 PM by Gene

Yet another demonstration of football as rocket science.

Posted 10:28 AM by Gene

Actual juxtaposition from AHTSJournal:

Posted 10:06 AM by Gene

Despite "The Hurt Locker's" seemingly endless list of year end honors, including those best picture kudos from the L.A. and N.Y. groups and its impressive SAG, Globe and Critics Choice Movie Award nominations, the question I keep hearing repeatedly is: Can the movie actually win the Best Picture Oscar when it has only grossed $12 million since its June release?...

"Nine" which reportedly cost around $64 million to make only grossed just over $5 million....

"Up in the Air's" wide break did nothing box-office-wise to hurt its chances, earning $11 million. That was good for fifth place, but its lack of fire did nothing to help it either. It's in about the same boat as Clint Eastwood's "Invictus", which has done about $23 million since opening Dec. 11 but won't be one of the director's big hits....

And although "Precious," which started out gangbusters in November, seems to have stalled in the low 40s....

Peter Jackson's underperforming limited release, "The Lovely Bones"....

The academy obviously loves the Coens but despite some stellar reviews, their very personal and quirky early October release is one of their weakest money earners, stalled at No. 141 on the Box Office Mojo chart with just about $9 million.

Do I see a pattern?

Yes -- a pattern of few people wanting to see fillums that are good for them.

Posted 9:49 AM by Gene

GUVMENT MOTORS COMPANY's having a FIRE SALE on SLIGHTLY-USED CARS!

Posted 9:42 AM by Gene

You can tell how flaky and insubstantial a Web site is by noting whether it gave prominence to that press release about the $12 BILLION!!!!!!!!!! (or $14 BILLION!!!!!!!!!! if you really want to be important.) TINA!!!!! ran it. So did SHARON!!!!! So did MICHAEL!!!!!

Airheads all.

Posted 9:00 AM by Gene

"What are they, a high school radio station left on autopilot from Friday night to Monday morning?"

Why not, if the MESS brings in the big bucks for Very Littler Jeffy -- and BRIAN ROBBER.

Posted 8:52 AM by Gene

Nearly half of remaining Guantánamo detainees are from Yemen.

OH.



But remember, Your Omnipotence -- always do what's RIGHT.

Posted 8:46 AM by Gene

What's the connection? Miami has two million square feet of excess downtown office space and THE DONALD's former casinos are worth a fraction of old. I don't see a connection.

Posted 8:32 AM by Gene

Obama's options for airline security

1. Buy lots more high-tech equipment that won't work. 2. Continue to target 95-year-old great-grandmothers and anyone under six. 3. Have JANET!!!!! give pep rallies to Homeland Security employees. 4. Use the words "suspect" and "alleged" in speeches 500 times.

And make sure you don't nominate people for your top security jobs because it isn't sexy.

(Sorry for the Jo-NAH!)

Posted 8:27 AM by Gene

We're of two minds about this. Of course it's Chinese "justice". But the guy did smuggle in a sizable bit of heroin. BP's man in No. 10 looks like a moral cretin for coming out a bit too vehemently for a drug smuggler, but he's a cretin anyway. And there's no human rights problem a deal can't solve.

Posted 7:36 PM by Gene

More GENIUS on MadAve:

Kraft Singles is pulling an April Fool's Day joke in December, armed with the insight that the product's dairy-based recipe gives it a boost with Hispanic consumers.

Kraft timed today's launch of a 39-week partnership with Univision to the Dia de los Santos Inocentes, the Hispanic April Fool's Day that falls on Dec. 28 and features a long tradition of pranks and jokes in Latin America and Spain. In that spirit, Singles is coordinating a fake celebrity news story on Univision.com that diverts consumers to Kraft's "Don't Be Fooled" website....

The fake story breaks the news that the current Miss Universe, Venezuela's Stefania Fernandez, is giving up her title in favor of the first runner-up, Ada Aimee de la Cruz from the Dominican Republic. Supposedly Ms. Fernandez's boyfriend is jealous of pageant co-owner Donald Trump, and the whole contest might have been rigged by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. The story even quotes Osmel Sousa, head of the Miss Venezuela Organization, saying it's OK if Venezuela, renowned for turning out beauty queens, loses a crown: "We already have like 500."

Consumers who want to play along with the gag can post the fake news on their own Facebook page, and try to trick their friends into clicking on the link.

We could say Velveeta and Cheez Whiz are April Fool's jokes, but will leave it to you to decide -- and we don't need Facebook.

Posted 3:38 PM by Gene

TMZ got scammed -- and it couldn't have happened to a nicer, more PEOPLE WARNER-affiliated bunch.



How much did you pay, JEFF BEW-KES?

Say, whoever sold them the picture could start a Ponzi scheme.

Posted 3:18 PM by Gene

Which is not to say BS is limited to the show-biz-ad sections. A couple of "profs" have engaged in a HI-MOM! moment by insisting that TGSM lost his sponsors' shareholders up to $12 billion!!!!!!!!!! OR:

To assess shareholder losses, the economists compared returns for Woods’ sponsors during this period to those of both the total stock market and of each sponsor’s closest competitor.

Knittel and Stango also reviewed returns for four years before the car accident to determine how each sponsor’s market performance normally correlates with that of the total market and of competitor firms.

And then they consulted two astrologists, three alchemists, a Gypsy fortune teller, and....but if TGSM created such devastating losses, would they be far worse if, say, their CEOs had all simultaneously resigned for sowing their wild oats? What about the employees they fire to no ill effect? What if they fired 50,000 at once? This blatherskite is an excuse to put U-C!!!!! (clap clap) Da-VIS!!!!! (clap clap) in newspapers, and Vic and Chris have surely demonstrated rather extensive credentials for LALA.

(Via SeekingAlpha -- although it would have been far more understandable coming from HENRY HONEST)

Posted 2:06 PM by Gene

Actual juxtaposition from Politico.com:

Posted 10:40 AM by Gene

The political prisoner Roman thanks his supporters for the outpouring of support, meaning HARVEY WHINER's campaigning for an honorary Os-CAR®.

Posted 10:07 AM by Gene

Yemen arrests 29 al Qaeda suspects after raids

Well somebody's doing something.

Posted 9:45 AM by Gene

Quick: what's wrong with this chart?

NO SLIME, YOU CAN'T CHARGE FOR YOUR NEWS.

Posted 9:43 AM by Gene

And speaking of press agents, if HUFF 'N' PUFF is so HOT!!!!! -- and we get at least fifty stories a day saying so -- why is it when I click on today's top blog posts I get stuff from the end of November?

Or is this intentional? (Sorry for the NewsMAX!!!!!)

Posted 8:58 AM by Gene

Which is why -- and we harp to death on this, we know -- THE GREATEST WEEKEND EVER!!!!!!!!!! riles even more than usual. Show-biz advertising -- we cannot call it news -- is a BS ZONE. If press agents have total control over one part of the alleged news biz why can't they have control over others? And because the biz' expression of self-interest is so naked and so prone to the lock step we cannot trust them otherwise. And as we said before, show-biz advertising has become a state press PROFIT CENTER -- so it will only get WORSE, hard as it is to imagine when it's already the dregs and boring out of the barrel.

Posted 8:54 AM by Gene

Remember when the state press said in one LOUD voice that the Fort Hood massacre was the work of a mere psycho? (We were not immune to groupthink ourselves; at first we thought it might be some neo-Nazi.) Now there are stirrings in said press connecting that act with the near bombing of the jet. You don't suppose it is still possible to be a t------t even in this enlightened time -- and with one of the most enlightened leaders America has ever known? But no, it's not possible; MILITANT attacks can't happen with the heavens tossing down garlands of love, and Europeans tossing us awards.

Posted 8:46 AM by Gene

Members of Congress ♥ SUH AL-LEN STANNNNFUHHHHD!

And a great big smoooooooooooooooch from Pete Sessions! Pete, why can't you go find a real mistress and resign?

(Via HENRY HONEST)

Posted 8:35 AM by Gene

Obama low-profile after terror attempt

TRANSLATION: Another lose-lose for His Omnipotence. He knows foreign policy is always a downer; thus His administration has an essential indifference to the subject bordering on negligence, particularly on human rights; and taking care of terr -- MILITANTS may involve the military, and deep down one suspects His Omnipotence is still the community activist toward the people in uniform, even after nearly a year as putative Commander-in-Chief. So of course He keeps a non-existent profile, all the better to hope this blows away, and He can get back to burning our money on social schemes.

Posted 2:14 PM by Gene

Okay PAUL DRECK, you've seen God, and His name is $10 BILLION!!!!!!!!! Now SHUT UP.

SLIME, You'd better hope Your sugar daddy Jim continues to bring in the bacon. Who wants to PAY for THIS junk?

P. S. at 7:55 p. m. What happens when this masterwork comes into the video stores in 2-D? Judging from a few brave movee reviewers this thing was written in 1-D. Oh well, the movee S&M phreaks are trained to disgorge their pocket change like monkeys.

(Via the usual AHTSJournal)

Posted 2:12 PM by Gene

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told me that a review will be done to make sure that there’s “no clog in the bureaucratic plumbing” that could have prevented the attack.

Just one problem, Bob: It's all clogs!

Posted 10:43 AM by Gene

Yesterday I did the stupidest thing: My computer, my five-year-old Lenny (i.e., my IBM) was acting up...and what's more the BUGMEISTERS tried seducing me into adding a service pack to my Office 2007, which caused the whole program to seize up -- well, the end result was I used Lenny's "Rescue and Recovery", and the end result of that was I lost virtually all My Documents! Mostly they were CD rips and easily restored -- over ten months -- but I fear having a tough time getting back My Music downloads -- God knows how many are deleted from the Web for good. But perseverance pays off, and except for a few minuscule items I expect to get them back -- and what's more, add to them. Thank God Firefox remembers downloads! (But only for as long as your history.) I am in a little of a daze about it, though; you don't expect it ever to happen to you. One consequence is that I paid for three months of Rapidshare -- not pleasant, but it works. You can't download for free from Rapidshare. Another is that I will soon get an external drive, but only when the price is right (less than $100 for 1.5TB).

Amazing: Four years ago I bought 2 gigs of memory thinking they would last. It takes five minutes for my computer to fully warm up with Firefox, and if I have more than seven or eight tabs open it goes into convulsions. Fortunately I just got an offer for a credit card with a fifteen-month 0% APR. The problem is, which computer? (I never solved the problem of replacing my TV, but I have an Amazon.com card also.) Having owned two boxes I want a device that will not soon become obsolete -- which in practical terms means an I7-9xx chip (the 920 on my budget, max), a memory expandable to 24 gigs (although Tom's Hardware ran a piece that makes one question whether more than 3 really work) and an option for two graphics cards, which may come in handy with multimedia and driving up my electric bill. In short, a gaming PC. And that has smells of its own. I'd consider Dell's top of the middle of the line the Studio XPS 9000 but it only supports one graphics card. The others look like rejects for the part of a dwarf robot in a grade-B movie. What's more from scanning the Web in a panic I've discovered many of the higher-end models that fit my bill have sold out; evidently no loss of zeal for computing in a depr -- ECONOMY. I've also learned HP's Pavilion Elite line has had mobo problems. A budget box does not make sense; it will work fine for a year and then the problems will take over. And I'm not convinced the BUGMEISTERS have cured Windows's arteriosclerosis. And I'm NOT paying a tithe to that other God -- especially when He churns out defects in different ways. And with MEDIA taking an ever bigger maw to hard drives you need the expansion room -- and that means a place for at least three hard drives. I'm buying a new one for my birthday, in February -- when with luck I'll have finished reconstructing whatever I can of My Documents. (It was a pity losing some old Life covers, but I'll get them back in bigger sizes -- so maybe it wasn't all that bad.)