Musings from Brian J. Noggle
Saturday, November 12, 2005
 
Sign of the Apocalypse, Or A Good Idea?
Wine in juice boxes:

Vendange Shiraz

I guess I'll have an answer after I crack it open.

UPDATE: Less flavor than MD 20/20, but all of the class.


- posted by Brian J. @ 5:05 PM   3 comments
 
Book Report: The Book of Lists #3 by Amy Wallace, David Wallechinsky, and Irving Wallace (1982)
Apparently, this book is only available in hardcover on Amazon for $55, but I bought my copy at the Carondolet YMCA bok fair for $1. So if I wanted to resell it, I could list it on Amazon for an exhorbitant amount, pay whatever monthly fees Amazon offers, and not sell it.

I read the first Book of Lists in high school, and I've always enjoyed the mixture of trivia and somewhat wry commentary; however, some decade after I read the Book of Lists 2 and The People's Almanac, I've noticed more acutely the leftward lean of the authors. I mean, I know they did The People's Almanac and its red cover in paperback should have been a tip-off, but I was a boy then and I'm a libertive now, so I'm probably more aware of it. Published in 1982, it's chock full of Reagan-is-evilism, and one must recognize that the book was written when Reagan had been in office under two years and had spent part of that time recovering from a gunshot wound. The book includes lists for the first things the environmentalists would ban if they could, for crying out loud. Blech.

Still, it's a good enough read as it contains enough trivia to help me keep ahead of the regular Trivial Pursuit adversaries and it allows for synthetic thought (Alcatraz closed in 1963? That's only 13 years before The Enforcer, which means the memory of Alcatraz would have been fresher to contemporary movie viewers than grunge is to current pop culture....).


- posted by Brian J. @ 1:12 PM   0 comments
Friday, November 11, 2005
 
Governor, Philosopher
Headline of the day: Blunt asks for query into death

Hopefully, the government can find some answers, such as Is there an afterlife? Is there any purpose to life other than laboring to feed the gaping maw of government coffer?


- posted by Brian J. @ 9:35 PM   0 comments
 
Great Moments in Fiscal Restraint
Talent's amendment could save Boeing C-17:
    Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo., on Wednesday introduced a $7 billion amendment to a defense spending bill, aiming to keep open the St. Louis production line for Boeing's C-17 transport plane.

    Pentagon officials recently alerted Congress of their plan to stop buying the plane.

    The amendment by Talent authorizes the Air Force to buy up to 42 C-17s in the next few years. It also calls on the military to keep the line open until the need for more "lift" aircraft to deploy and sustain forces abroad is assessed.
Gee, I wish my wife would authorize me to continue spending money until we determined whether or not I really needed to.

Next time I am voting for the Libertarian.


- posted by Brian J. @ 9:29 PM   0 comments
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
 
Old School Music Buyer
Yeah, why buy one song online for $.99 when I can go into an actual store and buy the song for $9.99 plus tax on an album which includes 17 songs I've never heard and might not even listen to once I've got the album ripped into iTunes?

I'm old school, baby.

(Now, please don't ask me why I bought a Bee Gees album in the first place.)


- posted by Brian J. @ 7:54 PM   2 comments
 
A Definite Referendum on Bush
As every other election today was some sort of referendum on how the public perceives Bush, this one must be no different:
    Today is the last chance for White Settlement residents to vote on a charter change to rename the city West Settlement, a controversial proposal that has drawn nationwide attention.
How is it a referendum on the president's aggressive strategy of fomenting regime improvement in the Middle East?
  1. It takes place in Texas.

  2. It's about progressives changing a name from White something to avoid offending tender sensibilities.
If the name changes, undoubtedly it heralds a return to Democrat super-majority in Congress and the impeachment of everyone in the line of succession who is not a Democrat. Cue the happy music!


- posted by Brian J. @ 7:49 PM   0 comments
 
City of St. Louis Says, "Good Luck, You're On Your Own"
Sign, downtown St. Louis:

Park Smart - Store your Valuables Out of Sight sign in downtown St. Louis
Park Smart - Store your valuables out of sight


I grieve this sign, for it announces that the city of St. Louis cannot protect your car from break ins and that it's easier to go after the potential victims to indirectly admonish them for making themselves available for criminal activity. I mean, sure, it's a good idea to store your valuables out of sight, and it's an even better idea to not keep valuables in your car and to keep your doors unlocked so the criminal element won't have to break the windows to look for their absence.

But why lament the powerlessness the city of St. Louis embraces by spending money on these signs? That's counter-productive. Instead, I offer if not my support, than my other suggestions for further signage, including:

Look Smart
Don't make Eye Contact
with the
Muttering Shambler

Dress Smart
Don't Ask
for It,
You Tramp

Drive Smart
Lock your Doors
and Don't Stop
Until You Reach Clayton

Because I, too, am a helpful city booster.

(Feel free to offer your suggestions in the comments.)


- posted by Brian J. @ 7:12 PM   1 comments
Sunday, November 06, 2005
 
Second Verse, Same as the First
By the rules described by the Hockey Whoopass Jamboree, I must once again post the Red Wings logo to placate Michelle and David, who selected that team whereas I selected the St. Louis Blues and that team, like all other NHL teams and a couple of high school girls field hockey teams, j.v. at that, continue to beat the Blues like a bongo at a San Franscisco coffee shop circa 1967:




- posted by Brian J. @ 10:44 PM   0 comments
To say Noggle, one first must be able to say the "Nah."