Toiling Without Merit..

Conditions: Sunny.


McCain Jumps On The Non-Bandwagon Bandwagon.

So, how do you combat an opponent who is smart, an inspiring orator, and a personal symbol for his message of hope and change? By bringing in some hope and change of your own. In a surprise move, John McCain has announced his V.P will be a woman, surprise veep candidate Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska. And seriously, this seems a tad cynical to me. Did John really choose this candidate because she's the best man for the job, or because she'd be "seen" to be the best man for the job, in this current climate of changeinter, or changetumn? Is he pandering to us, we who are so desperate for change we'd actually consider ditching the Republican party and vote for a black man? Gasp! Is this what it comes down to, have the Republicans become so desperate they're willing to offer up their own "minority" candidate just to try and stay in the "change" race? And why Palin? Who is she? How is she more qualified in the woman-politician-minority stakes than Condoleeza Rice, who is not only a woman, but is black, has an oil tanker named after her, and (perhaps more importantly) actually has been an important figure in international affairs over the last eight years? I mean, if these are the tactics then why not go all out?

Vice-presidential candidates are often used by presidential campaigns to criticize the opposing ticket -- so the presidential nominee does not have to descend to the muddier side of politics. However, as Palin wrapped herself in a mythic version of small-town America to emphasize Republican values, she also presented a distorted picture of political realities in the country. Most notable in this regard was her criticism of the media and Washington "elites," even though her party has held the White House for seven-plus years and majorities in Congress until 2006.

"I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment," Palin said. "And I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion; I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people."

Palin portrayed herself as a reformer in Alaskan politics, although independent press accounts in recent days strongly suggest otherwise. Despite an ongoing investigation by Alaska's Legislature into Palin improperly using her office to pressure the state police to fire an officer who divorced her sister, and Palin heading a fundraising committee that accepted unlimited donations for Sen. Ted Stevens, now under federal indictment for corruption, Palin said that she fought and beat "special interests."

"We are expected to govern with integrity, good will, clear convictions, and a servant's heart," she said. "I pledge to all Americans that I will carry myself in this spirit as vice president of the United States. This was the spirit that brought me to the governor's office, when I took on the old politics as usual in Juneau; when I stood up to the special interests, the lobbyists, big oil companies, and the good-old-boys network."

Palin's account of herself as an anti-corruption and anti-spending crusader also included her oft-repeated claim that she opposed building a bridge costing several hundred million dollars to a remote town of 14,000. Press accounts from Alaska note that she supported "the bridge to nowhere" for years, before finally canceling the project as governor.

- alternet.org/

So, is there blood in the water? John McCain is 72 years old. There's a possibility here that, if elected, Sarah Anonymous may well end up the President herself. This point alone is a strike against McCain. Is this the chance the Left-wing attack machine, all coiled up like a long-dormant spring, has been waiting for? Will it now wind itself into action, hammering into the Republican ticket for month after month? Is that how the Democrats will retake the white house?

The Democrats need to be careful about the intensity of their criticism of Sarah Palin.

She may look like an easy target, an appalling lightweight who will send serious voters scurrying to the more substantive Obama-Biden ticket. And the temptation to get on her case probably became greater with Ms. Palin's disclosure Monday that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant.

But the Democrats should not push this stuff too far. Ms. Palin is a lot more appealing personally than the often testy guy at the top of her ticket. And the inescapable reality is that there are millions of voters who identify with her, and may be quick to resent attacks that they perceive as bullying or overkill.

Here's the deal: Palin is the latest G.O.P. distraction. She's meant to shift attention away from the real issue of this campaign -- the awful state of the nation after eight years of Republican rule. The Republicans are brilliant at distractions. Willie Horton was a distraction. The chatter about gays, guns and God has been a long-running distraction. And we all remember the Swift-boat campaign.

- alternet.org/

Ahhh, the old misdirection ploy. Classic Republican tactics, I knew you were there somewhere. Evergreen, always, everlasting.




Walking Out The Clock.

Modern workers today have it tough. Comfy chairs. Air conditioning. Windows. Yessir, folks today have it rough. So rough that many, many office workers get fat because their job requires them to sit on their asses all day and eat junkfood. Those contractual hidden clauses are a killer. Always prepared to make a buck, entrepreneurial health gurus have leapt at an opportunity to get in on the action.

Dr. James Levine, an endocrinologist based at the Mayo Clinic, points to sitting as an important culprit of weight gain. His research has found that obese individuals tend to sit two-and-a-half more hours per day than lean people.

So what’s a Downtown office worker to do?

Salo LLC, a professional staffing firm based at 13th Street & Harmon Avenue, has taken Levine’s research to heart and installed over a dozen treadmill desks in its office. The $6,000 setup looks like a standard treadmill that is outfitted with an adjustable countertop. There’s a phone jack for a headset and a computer attached to the table. Employees can pull up their home computer’s desktop right at the walking workstation.



On a Wednesday last month at 9 a.m., treadmills were already in use inside two meeting rooms, and a handful of staff members were using the treadmill desks while typing or talking on the phone. Top walking speeds on the treadmill hit just two miles an hour, but Levine says the simple movement can still burn hundreds of calories in a day.

Ah yes, the old "incorrect answer to the wrong question" play. Let's solve this fatness by yet more distraction! Why have people actually do something positive and constructive, when they can just do something different, yet pointless, instead?

Some people worried that productivity would go down due to the extra distractions, but revenues actually jumped 10 percent in late 2007 during the first three months of the study.

Gee, wonder if that has anything to do with all the attention the bosses and fitness 'experts' are paying the workers, and the shiny new stuff to play with?

In total, the participants lost 156 pounds, 143 of which was body fat. Nine participants who had expressed a desire to lose weight lost an average of 15.4 pounds. The participants also saw a drop in their total cholesterol, with plasma triglycerides dropping an average of 37 percent.

The treadmills didn’t fall out of fashion when the study was over. The office started with four of the treadmill desks, and today the company has invested in 16 of them to cut down on wait times for the next open treadmill. Walkers said writing is a bit challenging on the treadmill, but talking on the phone and using the computer are no-brainers.

Staff member Mark Flaherty said that even the skeptics in the office eventually started using the treadmills. Flaherty himsef participated in the study and lost 20 pounds and 7 percent of his body fat.

“It got me motivated to do other things,” he said, noting that he now works with a personal trainer.

- downtownjournal.com/

Let me tell you something, if your job is so undemanding and easy that you turn into a human whale, and then you have the audacity to want to start exercising while still pretending to work, then perhaps you should do the economy a favour: quit your job and go on welfare. You'll be just as productive on your couch watching TV as you were jogging in front of your P.C, but at least now someone else can use your vacant desk to get some work done.



Film Review: Hellboy2

Well, I liked the first film. I thought it found a nice balance between strange mythology and old-fashioned drama, with characters that were real enough to make you not want to see them killed. Hellboy2 however has somehow lost a bit of that charm. Despite a terrific opening sequence, the film quickly adopts a decidedly goofy tone. This time nothing is really taken all that seriously, and because of that the normally outlandish characters and ludicrous plot come across as even more outlandish, and even more ludicrous. And that's a massive hindrance when it's so very easy to treat each new C.G. character or crazy plot twist with a bewildered laugh.

Despite the odd musical cues and disarmingly humorous asides, the plot has some grit to it. A hidden kingdom of fantastical figures who have control of an unstoppable army and live in respect of a treaty long-forgotten by the humans are taken over by an upstart prince tired of living in exile and seeing the humans slowly destroy the environment we rely on. It's a pretty good idea, and Luke Goss (as he did to similar effect with essentially the exact same character in Blade2), portrays the angry outcast prince well. But if Batman has taught us anything, it's that we need more than just bright colours and loud noises from our comic book properties. The world is changing, and Hellboy, for all his 'look at me, I'm Hellboy' shtick, casts itself too shallow. We need a bit more of the depth personified by what John Hurt brought to the first film, but sadly all Hellboy2 can manage is a suit full of hot air. How fitting.

The effects are marvelous, and most of the action sequences are very good. It's difficult to have a guy fight 100 monsters at once and have it be coherent, but for the most part the shaky camera is left alone. Guillermo Del Toro has a history of making good films out of odd properties, but I think he just didn't have enough to work with for this sequel, which is odd considering the source material. The first film showed that this can work, it just has to be taken seriously. Two C.G monsters out of Five.



- Peace out.