A simple question, really...

As with the situation in Virginia Tech, the recent tragedy in Aurora has invited numerous people to assert that if someone in the theater had been armed, the killings could have been averted.

Here is the question: How do we know for a fact no one else in that theater was armed?

Want to see the FLOTUS on Friday?

Just wanted to let you know that while I was on line initially and waited about an hour with Mrs. Nevskaya, there's no line now and tickets are still available. Just head over to the Downtown Mall and 4th Street and you'll see the table...

Danny, I'm killing my eyes...

So this weekend I was hit with a somewhat nasty cold, with one of its lovely side effects being my left eye swelling up and turning red and pus-drippy.

As a result, it became painful to look at a computer screen or television, to the point where on Monday I tried to forego the internet entirely, which unfortunately revealed to me the depths to which I had become addicted. I knew it had to be the one day something actually interesting happened on Facebook and it drove me nuts that I couldn't look at it...

Fortunately, today the swelling and pain diminished to the point where I could get through the workday, despite my duties solely consisting of staring at computer screens.

And lest my tone not make it clear, I am fully aware that blowing out one's eye to the point of not being able to surf the web is the very model of a modern major white person's problem. This post has been made to invite ridicule, not sympathy.

And it's always a good excuse to post this...

Daring Duckie to debate? Good luck with that...

I feel for challenger John Douglass, who is challenging Robert Hurt to five debates even though it's almost certainly a futile exercise.

After all, Hurt ducked debates repeatedly two years ago and still won. Actually, that was probably the smart move, because when he did deign to share a stage with Perriello, he got his clock cleaned.

But accountability has never been a strong suit for Mr. Hurt; this is the guy who "promised" to be as accessible to his constituents as Mr. Perriello was. He may as well have promised to fart out free gold ingots for whatever expectations he had on being called on it.

So good luck to Mr. Douglass for trying to hold his feet to the fire, but he's got a real big hill to climb...

Time for another edition of "Albums I Should Have Listened To Years Ago But Only Getting Around To Now"...

...brought to you by Pepto-Bismol!

In today's edition, from 2001, it's Daft Punk's Discovery!

And remember, shoppers, Pepto-Bismol is the only one that coats!

IT COATS, DAMMIT! IT FUCKING COATS!!

Put your money where your mouth is, or you ain't saying nothin'...

[Started this one when the storm hit, thought I'd go ahead and finish it up. - n42]

I am very heartened to see headlines like these touting the big donations that have come in since President Sullivan has been reinstated to UVa. A few million here and there won't change things too much in the long term, but if the University does manage to close out its capital campaign in the not-too-distant future, it might relieve some of the pressure that Sullivan's facing and silence some critics.

I doubt alumni will be super-pleased with McDonnell's decision to reinstate Dragas, however. More than anything else I find the decision baffling. Colleagues noted to me that McDonnell wants things to quiet down as quickly as possible, and while I agree with that, I fail to see how keeping Dragas on accomplishes that. McDonnell's weak justifications and use of the passive voice ignore that this was a manufactured crisis started by Dragas in the first place, so he either has no idea what's going on or doesn't care. I'm guessing the latter, and as far as that affects McDonnell's future political ambitions, well, maybe there aren't that many UVa alumni in the world.

Happy Independence Day!

Viva Italia! (or something)

Halftime at the Euro Cup, just chillin' with the missus at fry's spring station. Who else is watching?