Joe The Plumber

UPDATE2: FROM THE DU

Category-------Talking Points-----Fact Check
Name----------Joe The Plumber---Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher
Occupation------Plumber---------Contractor, Not Licensed Plumber
Affiliation-------Independent------Registered Republican
Politics---------Undecided------- Right wing radio regular
Income---------$250,000-------- "No, not even close." ($40k)
Boss's Business---$250,000 income--Closer to $100,000
Plans ----------Buy boss's business-No plans, not really
Obama---------Increases Joe's taxes -Would reduce tax >$500
Obama---------Mandates health care--No Mandate
Obama---------Imposes penalty----No Penalty
McCain ---------Really? ----------Really.


UPDATE1: THIS JUST IN:

JOE'S FIRST NAME IS SAMUEL
JOE IS NOT A PLUMBER
JOE IS A REPUBLICAN
JOE OWES BACK TAXES
JOE LIED ABOUT BELONGING TO A UNION.


Nice try Fox News.

Out of all the bizarre election stunts Fox news has pulled, Joe the Plumber has to be the most funniest.

Here was this working man, one of us, just trying to get ahead by buying his own plumbing business, he went up to Obama and told him, that his tax policy will mean he wont be able to afford it.

Well que Fox News to jump in and start a spinning, more so than O'Rielly when he is home along with a certain type of sandwich.

According to our fair and balanced friends at Fox News, this is a game changer, this will turn the election on its head, this will turn the average voter away from Obama and to McCain, thus McCain will win the election.

You see, Joe the public, is the ordinary working man, who justs wants a break and all of the USA can relate to him, if Joe the plumber says he voting for someone, then that who America is voting for, hes a hero, just trying to get ahead, no thanks to those tax and spend Democrats.

Despite giving this guy ample air time, Fox news has lined up more interviews with him, praising him, well I'm afraid Fox and the GOP, this is the worst October surprise ever, it ain't working at all.

You see Joe the plumber is not a Plumber, of course the GOP won't admit that.

Joe actually has family ties to high ranking members of the GOP, he is also originally from Alaska, are you getting my drift yet???

Basically, Joe is a plant, that the GOP and Fox are going to use, there is no way Karl Rove is behind this , he wouldn't come up with anything so stupid. They are going blast the media with him, telling us he speaks the truth and somewhere along the line, he will say with a tear in his eye, that he is voting for McCain.

If the GOP and Fox News think this is going to work, then I'm ashamed of them as human beings, for thinking so low of the American public, surly people aren't that stupid?, or having just watched Neil Cavuto, maybe they are?

Read More

He's arrived!!!

Congratulations Coalman's Touch (RID) and Wynyard Night Owl (IDSH) and welcome to the world little 'Rory'. Turns out that my bay filly is in fact a chestnut colt but, he's perfect so I really cannot complain! Another trouble free foaling (always an extra worry when the mare is a maiden) and Hooty has taken to motherhood like a duck to water - she was definitely born to be a mum!

Rory was born within a few minutes of Hooty going down and her waters breaking - I was out with her talking to her as she was very agitated, when ready, and she quietly dropped to my feet and started to push.

Rory was on his feet after one massive effort and up he stayed! I don't know if we have ever had a foal stand and stay up without taking at least one or two tumbles but not Rory he was up and away and hasn't looked back.

I have some photos and a short video to share. I hope you enjoy.

Read More

Kansas State Raises the Compensation Bar of Assistant Coaches

While much is talked about the exorbitant salaries of college head coaches, Rivals.coms's Bob McClellan has done some interesting research on the salaries of assistant basketball coaches (Kansas State's Hill Earns Surprising Salary). McClellan found one contract that sticks out like a sore thumb -- that of Kansas State's Dalonte Hill who will now be earning $420,000 in total compensation annually for the next four years! For the next four years, Hill will receive a base salary of $150,000 and "additional compensation" of $270,000. According to McClellan, the salaries of the 12 assistants at the schools in last season's Final Four, which range from $125,000 to $265,000, pale in comparison to what Hill will be paid in 2008-09. McClellan interviewed one SEC assistant who said, "The number ($420,000) is staggering. It might be better for assistant coaches if he got $300,000 because then it's closer to what some guys make and you could see asking for something close to that. But that number is just so far out there I don't think any assistant would go in and ask for more."

So why is KS paying him almost $200k more than the next highest paid assistant coach and $300k more than most assistant coaches make? Apparently, it has something to do with Hill's recruitment of Michael Beasley, who McClellan says "made Kansas State basketball relevant for the first time in more than a decade last season, and his presence put a few extra dollars in the pocket of the man responsible for luring him to Manhattan, Kan." Hill was Beasley's AAU coach and Beasley referred to him "like a big brother." According to McClellan, KS athletic director Bob Krause told the Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World that Hill put the K-State program on a different plane when he secured the signing of Beasley. Krause told the newspaper, "I'd hate to put a value on what the exposure, both print and electronic, has been on Michael. That's an identification with a guy who's a very strong advocate of K-State and, in his own words, will always be a part of the K-State family. Michael's love for K-State – it's priceless, just priceless."

Well, the exposure Beasley brings to KS is apparently worth at least two to three hundred grand per year. Perhaps Beasley is the one who should be renegotiating his contract with KS.

Read More

Clever photoshop

I love playing with photoshop. I don't really know what I am doing and profess that my cloning skills need a lot of work but I like this pic of Hamish but didn't like the background so, I had a go and changing that. Now, if anyone knows how to give him a unicorn horn, please sing out! I would LOVE to do that, especially if I could put him in a really fantastical setting - but, I have NO clue how to do that. Halp!

Now you see it...

Now you don't!

Read More

MLS and “New” Media (and the ice cream of the future)

The Sports Business Journal has an interesting article discussing DC United’s decision to develop and maintain its own website rather than use the centralized site created by the MLS (h/t to J Hutcherson over at ussoccerplayers.com). Why the move? Well, according to the article, one reason is the “growing impatience among MLS teams as the league continues to develop a digital strategy for the future.” Since the expiration of its agreement with MLB Advanced Media nearly two years ago, MLS “has never signed a new partnership or outlined a comprehensive digital strategy.”

A second reason? Like the New York Rangers, D.C. United feels it can do a better job than the league. The article quotes Doug Hicks, D.C. United’s vice president of communications: “We’re anxious to move forward with online opportunities…We feel the best way to brand and communicate with fans is to do it ourselves.”

A third reason? Unlike the New York Rangers—and any team in the NHL, NBA, or MLB— MLS teams can opt out of using the league’s centralized site.

Ceding the right to MLS teams to operate their own websites does not put much of a dent in MLS' claim to being a single entity. Certainly not like the dent made by the designated player rule. But, it is interesting to see the MLS decentralizing its “new” media while the NHL, MLB, and NBA are centralizing.

On a related note, when does “new media” simply become “media”? On a less related, but similar note, when do Dippin’ Dots, “the ice cream of the future,” just become “ice cream”? Dippin’ Dots were created in 1988. Are we in the “future” yet? And, how old does a song have to be before it gets played on the “oldies” station? Or, are there some songs that can never become “oldies” (I don’t envision hearing, “next on Oldies FM—Chubby Checker and a Nine Inch Nails rock block!). I wish I had answers. (Who says blogging isn’t a productive use of time??).

Read More

Rehabilitating the pregnant mare

When I bought Reilly's mum, he was in utero. I have blogged her story already but a recent thread on an online noticeboard has prompted me to blog the photos I took of Lark's progress after she came to us. To me there is no excuse for a pregnant mare to be thin, especially not if she is fed effectively and it is not rocket science putting weight on an underweight horse, nor does it have to cost the earth. Lark was fed boiled barley, chaff, sugarbeet and oil in small feeds 3-5 times a day for approximately 2 months and then twice a day for the final month until foaling.

Lark the day after we collected her Lark after a week at home

Lark after 3 weeks at home


Lark after 5 weeks

Lark after 6 weeks at home (note, no grass)


Lark after 7 weeks at home

Lark after 10 weeks at home and a few days pre foaling

It's amazing what feeding and love can do. I may have lost Lark but I have her stunning son and a very beautiful grand daughter - I will forever miss Lark but I will always be grateful for the experience of having her in my life.

Read More

Spring worming

It's that time of the year (again!) so today I went to Farmlands and bought a 250ml bottle of equitak excel and a litre of bomatak-c. As a few of the horses were last drenched with equitak excel (broodmares pre-foal drench and stallions), I will use the bomatak on them but the rest of the crew get their bi annual mega worm.

I wormed Hamish, Maxi, Portia and Strawberry on Monday with my remaining EE and today it was Reilly, Maude and Aine's turn. I have just started feeding Reilly to help ensure he is well prepped nutritionally pre serving and he was getting Bomatak-c so I just dropped 60ml in his feed, which he duly gobbled up. He weight taped at 500kg. He's looking good!

Maude weight taped at 600kg so got 70ml and Aine got a 20ml dose (I didn't put her through the added stress of a weigh tape). It surprises me how well foals take their wormer, although I guess she had no idea what was about to happen and by the time she realised, it was over!

I like to allow for a little more than the weight tape estimate. Out of interest (as both were wormed a month ago) I weight taped Hooty and Debi. Hoots came out at about 575kg whereas Debi was closer to 700kg. I usually worm the clydies for 800kg to be extra sure that I am not under dosing so think that is pretty spot on.

I popped in to my wonderful vet at lunch time for a chat about a few things, including Hooty's milk loss. I cleaned her legs today as they were covered in sticky milk residue. He said that things should be fine and she should still have enough colostrum for baby and, although it is definitely not usual, esp. in maiden mares, it does happen and, if she is well in herself then there is very little chance that there is anything wrong with the foal. She would be pretty sick by now if there was. This helped settle my worries a little although I have to admit to being very nervous about this foal. The milk she is now dripping is white, sweet and sticky - surely she must be close!! I have bandaged her tail in eager expectation but, she has a very swishy tail and I have crap bandaging skills so I fully expect it to be dropped out in the paddock when I next go out!

Nick and I have discussed the colostrum issue and decided to steal some colostrum off Debi once she has foaled so we can store it in the freezer in case of emergency!

Read More