261 Stories served.  37 per day.

This is actually the hardest diary to execute, and yet perhaps the most valuable because it lets you track story trends over time.  It should be a Sunday morning feature.

• Sunday 8/22
• Monday 8/23
• Tuesday 8/24
• Wednesday 8/25
• Thursday 8/26
• Friday 8/27
• Saturday 8/28

Spa is race 12 of 18 and the next to last one in Europe this year.  As I mentioned yesterday it’s been kind of hard to tell if teams have made any improvements during the 3 week summer break because of the weather which is again forecast for showers though it is clear and dry as I write.

If it rains it’s going to put some pressure on the teams, most of whom have used 2 of their 4 sets of Intermediate rain tires.  Many teams are also experiencing engine shortages.  You’re only allowed 8 for the entire season and Ferrari powerplants have proven less than reliable.  Some teams are on their 7th while the Renault factory team is only on its 5th.

The penalty for going over the limit is you lose starting grid position and there were a number of changes to that in this race from the Qualifying finish for racing infractions at the last race in Hungary that I hope are included in the table below.  I used the latest and greatest info from Speed.

I’ve also included tables for Team and Drivers standings.  You can follow Speed’s Commentary here.

Well, there is Throwball, Boys @ Texans, root for the Texans.  Giants @ Ravens, Go Blue.  I suggest High School Throwball if you must, Madison v. Steele.

• AMC– The Horse Soldiers, The Wings of Eagles (Marion)
• E!– Coyote Ugly
• ABC Family– Love & Basketball, Remember the Titans
• Food– Iron Chef America marathon
• FX– Maid night, Made of Honor, Maid in Manhattan (much better)
• Oxygen– Music and Lyrics, Monster-in-Law
• Nick– Back to the Future Part II (maybe I didn’t miss it after all, maybe they just have problems with numbers.  There are too many of them.)
• SciFi– Meteor Apocalypse! (in case you’re not getting enough from the History Channel.  Now with that Steel Drum Apocalypso beat)
• TBS– Rush Hour 3 (you spent way too much on that really creative title)
• TNT– You’ve been Gumped.  Pre-Taint Jumbo Shrimp.
• Disney– Some Phineas and Ferb

Turner Classic has Lawrence of Arabia.  TheMomCat keeps telling me that if you want to understand Arabia you need to read The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.

Later-

• Turner Classic– The Ruling Class (really a much better Peter O’Toole movie if you ask me, but it doesn’t have Omar Sharif)
• TNT– A Perfect Murder (not Hitchcock)
• USA– License to Wed
• TBS– Jerry Maguire (well, it has Renee Zellweger in it too)
• Spike– Halloween (Rob Zombie’s, not the good one from 1978)
• Oxygen– Shall We Dance?

SNL is repeating Taylor Swift.  Adult Swim has the normal Boondocks repeats, The S Word and It’s a Black President, Huey Freeman.  Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood City of Heresy, InuYasha Series Premier, GitS:SAC Meme and Idolater.

I’ve refrained from pimping Yahoo TV Listings the last couple of days deliberately because they’re showing a lot of blank spaces.  I think the page is broken as they’re also shuffling the channel order.

Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the Biff Tannen Museum! Dedicated to Hill Valley’s #1 Citizen. And America’s greatest living folk hero. The one and only Biff Tannen. Of course we’ve all heard the legend, but who is the man? Inside you will learn how Biff Tannen became one of the richest and most powerful men in America. Learn the amazing history of the Tannen family, starting with his great-grandfather, Buford ‘Mad Dog’ Tannen, fastest gun in the West. See Biff’s humble beginnings and how a trip to the race track on his 21st Birthday made him a millionaire overnight. Share in the excitement of a fabulous winning streak that earned him the nickname “The Luckiest Man on Earth.” Learn how Biff parlayed that lucky winning streak into the vast empire called Biffco. Discover how, in 1979, Biff successfully lobbied to legalize gambling and turned Hill Valley’s dilapidated courthouse into a beautiful casino-hotel!

I just wanna say one thing! God Bless America.

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

1 Exodus as floods threaten more Pakistan towns

by Hasan Mansoor and Emmanuel Duparcq, AFP

2 hrs 48 mins ago

Well, if you’re a Ferrari fan (and there are lots of them) you’ll be encouraged by the podium finish of Alonso at the Hungaroring.  Alas the drivers and constructors standings don’t justify much optimism as this year looks like a fight between Red Bull and McLaren with the advantage currently to Red Bull.

It’s been 3 weeks and the floppy Front Wing has been studied (though technically you’re not supposed to do any work on vacation) and many teams are sporting new aero bits where the rules allow them.

The efficacy of which remains to be seen.  Spa is notorious for its rain and much of the running in practice has been on Intermediates and Wets and the strategic question for the teams has been how much to ruin them because like the Primes and the Softs you get just so many sets but unlike them you can’t replace them between Practice and Race Day (they issue a full compliment of Softs and Primes today for Qualifying) and running used up Intermediates when it really is damp is a good way to end up in a wall.

As always your participation is welcome and desired, but you’ll have to tolerate my rambling regardless as I need to take notes to prove to Richard I’m paying attention.  I’ll attempt to highlight any surprises like Hamilton washing out in Q2.  This Qualifying is repeated on Speed at 2:30 am.  Tomorrow’s pre-race starts at 7:30 am preceded by GP2 on the same track at 6 am.

Need.  More.  Coffee.

I reported this yesterday (#44) but the AP account didn’t make it clear to me that this was not some “white’s rights” reverse discrimination subtle racism.

Nope.  This is in your face ‘colored people’s water fountain’ racism–

A school memo, obtained by MixedandHappy and The Smoking Gun, was passed out to every 6th, 7th, and 8th grader to inform them of the breakdown. The upcoming elections are divided between offices delineated for black and white students. Of the 12 offices for which students can compete, “eight are earmarked for white students, while four are termed ‘black seats.” The presidency is reserved for white students across each grade, but a black student is permitted to be the 8th grade vice-president or reporter, the 7th grade treasurer, or the 6th grade reporter. So, along with a “B” average and “a good disciplinary status and moral character,” a child hoping to represent his or her class must be the right race:

You see, I suppose that the sensitivity to minority African-American representation–

Programs » Counseling Department » Media Statement

Media Statement

After being notified of a grievance regarding upcoming student elections at Nettleton Middle School, research was conducted that evidenced that the current practices and procedures for student elections have existed for over 30 years. It is the belief of the current administration that these procedures were implemented to help ensure minority representation and involvement in the student body. It is felt the intent of these election procedures was to ensure African-American representation in each student office category through an annual rotation basis.

It is our hope and desire that these practices and procedures are no longer needed to help ensure minority representation and involvement. Furthermore, the Nettleton School District acknowledges and embraces the fact that we are growing in ethnic diversity and that the classifications of Caucasian and African-American no longer reflect our entire student body.

Therefore, beginning immediately, student elections at Nettleton School District will no longer have a classification of ethnicity. It is our intent that each student has equal opportunity to seek election for any student office. Future student elections will be monitored to help ensure that this change in process and procedure does not adversely affect minority representation in student elections.

Thank you

Superintendent

Russell Taylor

is that they called these children “Black” and not “African-American” or “Negro” or that terrible Dr. Laura word.

Emphasis mine.

What?  You say you don’t want to watch documentaries about prisons and sexual predators?  That you’d rather gouge your eyes out like Gloucester?  There, there, Uncle ek will see what he can scare up on the Hypnotoad tonight.

• ESPN– High School Throwball, Plant @ Manatee
• Bravo– Fight Club, Ocean’s Thirteen x 2
• TLC– Say Yes to the Dress marathon
• Toon– Repeats of the Season Premiers of Ben 10 and Generator Rex
• USA– Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
• Disney– Phineas and Ferb
• Discovery– Odd Couple Survival night, Dual Survival, Man, Woman, Wild (premier), Beyond Survival (Series Premier)
• Food– Chopped, Triple D, Chefs v. City (premier)
• FX– My Super Ex-Girlfriend
• Oxygen– Just Friends x 2
• Turner Classic– The Heiress, To Each His Own (Olivia de Haviland night)
• TBS– The Scorpion King x 2
• SciFi– Eureka (last week’s and new), Haven (premier)
• Comedy– John Oliver Special

Later-

• AMC– The Negotiator
• Turner Classic– The Snake Pit (more Olivia)
• USA– Hairspray
• Disney– More Phineas and Ferb

Alton does guacamole and chicken-liver mousse.  Perchance to Dean, a good episode if you like progressive rock.  Look Around You is the next to last episode, Computers.

Wikipedia notes that Olivia de Haviland is still alive (born in 1916) and is one of the last surviving actresses of her generation.  She has a famous feud with her sister, Joan Fontaine (also still alive).

Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who’ve ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

1 Many fled Katrina, and many never found their way back

by Anita Hassan, AFP

Fri Aug 27, 1:14 pm ET

Thursday Night Throwball, the Indianapolis Traitors @ Packers (you know who to root for even if you don’t like cheese, cheese heads, or community ownership).

Last chance for the Boys and all night Keith and Rachel this week.

• FX– Double Jeopardy, Double Jeopardy (have I mentioned that TV programmers are lazy assed sons of bitches?)
• Lifetime– Project Runway (premier)
• SciFi– Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
• TBS– Fool’s Gold (I’m tired of posting this, it’s going in my never watch or promote category)
• Turner Classic– A Face in the Crowd (hmm…)
• Discovery– Cereal: Beyond the Bowl (I’m mentioning this because I’m interested in ‘its influence on modern banking’).  Also Pitchmen (premier) and Mythbusters (repeat).
• TLC– Sr. v. Jr. (premier), BBQ Pitmasters (also)
• Toon– Repeat of Monday’s premiers.
• USA– Burn Notice (last week’s and premier), Royal Pains (premier)
• Disney– Phineas and Ferb
• Comedy– Futurama (premier)
• TNT– Sleepy Hollow

Later-

• AMC– Mad Men, Analyze This
• Turner Classic– Anatomy of a Murder

Dave hosts Anne Heche, Ken Burns, and The Specials.  Jon has Michael Bloomberg (ugh), Stephen Richard Engel.  Alton does Sausage (much better eats than the DC kind).

Handsome Ransom– Captain Sunshine!

Well, then, I confess, it is my intention to commandeer one of these ships, pick up a crew in Tortuga, raid, pillage, plunder and otherwise pilfer my weasely black guts out.

I said no lies.

I think he’s telling the truth.

If he were telling the truth, he wouldn’t have told us.

Unless, of course, he knew you wouldn’t believe the truth even if he told it to you.

…

Me? I’m dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It’s the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they’re going to do something incredibly…

Stupid.

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

1 Pakistan orders nearly half a million to evacuate

by Emmanuel Duparcq and Hasan Mansoor, AFP

1 hr 55 mins ago