We have Metroid Prime 3 for the Wii, rated T. Our young teen has also played Halo: Combat Evolved for the PC, rated M (handed down from dad, so it was thoroughly checked out). In ds' opinion, Metroid Prime 3 is more violent (the basis for the ratings) than Halo: Combat Evolved.

Chapter 11 bankruptcy requires Debtor-In-Possession financing. DIP financing for GM would not be available from financial institutions in the current environment (credit and liquidity crisis), only from the federal government. That would be a form of a bailout. If we leave it entirely to market forces (no government money or guarantees), GM would have to go into Chapter 7. I think the SAIC acquires GM is a likely scenario, but by no means the only scenario. I don't have a problem with the federal government providing DIP financing to GM in Chapter 11. I don't think we should leave the automotive industry to "the market."

If there's no bailout, and we let the market take care of GM, here's a scenario I read about: GM files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy GM's Chinese partner, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, or SAIC, buys much of GM (Buick, Chevy, Cadillac) GM/SAIC starts importing Chinese-made Buicks and Chevys, undercutting Toyota's cost advantages GM/SAIC owns the Volt technology, requiring US firms to lease it if they wanted to use it

My kids' pediatrician is a professor of pediatrics and internal medicine, former chair of pediatrics, and now dean of medical education at a university medical center. My kids have not had their genitals examined at a well-child visit since they were babies.

I'm a younger baby boomer and I do see a big difference. The Vietnam War ended in 1975, when we were 14 years old or younger. We didn't really have the draft hanging over our heads, not like the boomers ahead of us. We weren't old enough to really take sides or even be spectators in the cultural battles of the 60s. We also escape blame/credit for disco. Punk is all ours, though.

Powell wasn't referring to Obama's age. Obama would be the first post-Baby Boomer president. Some believe that the Baby Boomers are still fighting the culture wars of the 1960s and even the Vietnam War, to the detriment of us all. Andrew Sullivan: [H]ow do we account for the bitter, brutal tone of American politics? The answer lies mainly with the biggest and most influential generation in America: the Baby Boomers. The divide is still—amazingly—between those who fought in Vietnam and those who didn’t, and between those who fought and dissented and those who fought but never dissented at all. By defining the contours of the Boomer generation, it lasted decades. And with time came a strange intensity.

Adam Smith, the father of free market capitalism, wrote in “The Wealth of Nations†(1776): [emphasis mine]

Buffett, the richest person in America according to Forbes, is a critic of our tax system. He thinks the rich should be paying more. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/tax/article1996735.ece [emphasis mine]

I've seen other details missing from this tale: Or: Are the rich really paying that much in taxes (as much as the bar story implies)? http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/taxes/2008-06-11-taxes_N.htm http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/taxes-warren-buffett-and-paying-my-fair-share/

Is this the link? http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10432334/was_the_2004_election_stolen

Yes, it is a compliment, albeit a highly obscure one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrillblog and http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2006/07/the_history_of_.html

Yes, I was completely appalled by the attempt of the GOP to fraudulently purge voter rolls in Montana. From The Montana Standard newspaper: http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2008/10/05/opinion/hjjbijjejjigfj.txt

Bill, I find your views shrilly yet wonderfully reminiscent of a certain Nobel Prize winner for economics. http://www.slate.com/id/9593 Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Krugman R'lyeh wagn'nagl fhtagn! Aaaaiiiiii!!!!

I also liked the moment in the debate when McCain stumbled over the pronunciation of "Ahmadenijad" and Obama can be heard murmuring sympathetically, "That's a tough one." The man is a mensch.

Love it! I imdb-ed the lead actor. He looks more handsome and romantic with darker hair, as did Colin Firth as Darcy. I wonder why that is . . . {contemplating hair dye for dh}

A friend of a friend was a professional wedding photographer who had an album entitled "World's Ugliest Brides" on the coffee table. This was passed around at parties, guffaws ensued. I would worry about ending up in a "World's Frumpiest and Dumpiest Barely-Clad Women" book.

My feedback: this plan is insane. The Financial Times on the insurance component: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7dd752a6-8c1e-11dd-8a4c-0000779fd18c,dwp_uuid=11f94e6e-7e94-11dd-b1af-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1 (bolding mine) New York Times summary: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/the-house-republicans-alternative-rescue-plan/

Catch-22, but it's not really "light." David Sedaris' Naked. Rozencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is hilarious, even on the page.

I have to disagree with you. The Goldman deal reflects his value-investing philosophy: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/01/071801.asp

Exactly. Testimony on the CRA before the House Financial Services Committee: http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/barr021308.pdf (bolding mine) Missing from this video is the enactment of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999 which rolled back Glass-Steagall and the Commodity Futures Modernization Act in 2000 (also co-sponsored by Gramm*, now an advisor to McCain) which excluded derivatives (including credit default swaps) from regulation. Congress was controlled by Republicans in both years. But, many Democrats did vote for these bills. Obviously, I believe that lack of oversight and regulation have contributed greatly to this crisis. I just don't see how this can be pinned on low-income borrowers. http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2008/07/28/daily54.html?jst=b_ln_hl *I mention this because a good portion of the video talked about Johnson and Raines. And what about Rick Davis?

Oh, that's too bad. You'll miss the links to articles from The Wall Street Journal, US News & World Report, Associated Press, Washington Business Journal and The Nation. Well, maybe you wouldn't miss reading The Nation.

A return to Goldman for Paulson would be entirely up to Warren Buffett.

A rebuttal to the "'Dems and minorities caused the subprime mortgage crisis' smear": http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/28/165119/719/709/613561 But as the last comment points out, both political parties are to blame.

Crunchy Con Rod Dreher calls Palin's CBS interview a "debacle" and a "train wreck": http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon/2008/09/palin-debacle-on-cbs-evening-n.html Dreher on the Kathleen Parker piece: "Is it not possible that Parker could have been initially enthusiastic about Palin, but the more she saw of Palin, the evidence changed her opinion? That's what happened to me." Check out his archives. I believe Dreher is religious, conservative, and well-respected by many on these boards.

Lots of fun stuff at the Crafty Crow blog: http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/