July 1, 2007

Gone Fishin' Drinkin'

This site is taking a break this week while some golfing and heavy cocktailing gets done. Check back next week for pictures of Northern Wisconsin and some of the creatures who live up here.

June 29, 2007

An Early dack.com Reader

We've been wanting our youngest son to start talking, and he finally has. His favorite things to say are:

"I kick your butt." and
"Shit."

Fuckin' great.

June 28, 2007

A Preview Of Things To Come

It's all about the stems. Long, lean, toned, wrap-around stems. And beer.

June 26, 2007

Dead Eye Dick

This week the Washington Post has its undies in a bunch over Dick Cheney and his "unprecedented power" as Vice President. Oh sure, as the defacto leader of the criminal gang that is the Bush Administration, he belongs in prison at The Hague, but everyone just needs to chill the fuck out. Because he will be dead soon.

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So Much for Paul Smith

Just last night I got a compliment from a neighborhood yummy-mummy on one of my Paul Smith ties, and he's probably my second-favorite tie-maker (a close 2nd behind Ermenegildo Zegna), but this ebay post showing Dr. Phil in a Paul Smith tie might change all that, as in I might consider starting a summer bonfire with my Paul Smith ties soaked in gasoline.

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Launch Date

The official launch date for Magnificent Bastard is now Monday, July 16. If you're at your computer on Monday, July 16 and there is no Magnificent Bastard, I want you to find me and kick me firmly, squarely in the balls.

June 22, 2007

Sorry, Lil' Sis

Research Finds Firstborns Gain the Higher I.Q.

The eldest children in families tend to develop higher I.Q.'s than their siblings, researchers are reporting today, in a large study that could settle more than a half-century of scientific debate about the relationship between I.Q. and birth order.

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Under Heavy Consideration

The only issue here is the 5.25" inseam.

Vilebrequin pink logo zip fly pocket swim trunks, via Bluefly. $140.

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Also Under Consideration

With winter right around the corner, this might be the perfect laptop bag. Down-filled for warmth and protection!

Puffy DKNY Messenger Bag, via Zappos. $134.06.

June 19, 2007

Poisonous Trains

As More Toys Are Recalled, the Trail Ends in China

China manufactured every one of the 24 kinds of toys recalled for safety reasons in the United States so far this year, including the enormously popular Thomas & Friends wooden train sets, a record that is causing alarm among consumer advocates, parents and regulators.

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Iraq, Pissed Off, Demands Recount

Iraq, 'Sinking Fast,' Is Ranked No. 2 on List of Unstable States

Iraq now ranks as the world's second most unstable country, ahead of war-ravaged or poverty-stricken nations such as Somalia, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Congo, Afghanistan, Haiti and North Korea, according to the 2007 Failed States Index, issued yesterday by the Fund for Peace and Foreign Policy magazine.

June 18, 2007

World's Best Golfer; Worst Dressed

I hope Nike unloaded a dumptruck full of money on Tiger Woods' front lawn to make him wear this yesterday:

I'm surprised the PGA/USGA even allows this travesty: a bright red, synthetic, v-pattern mock turtleneck with a Nike logo? Blech.

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All Hail Wine In A Box!

Nice article in the Post yesterday about the benefits of boxed wine. I used to spend $12 for a 1.5L bottle of a decent French chardonnay/chasan combo, but now I spend $14 for a 5 liter bag of a not-quite-as-decent-but-totally-drinkable bag of California chardonnay. There's nothing like having a wine tap in the fridge, and I always rip the bladder out of the box so I can fill up my glass faster with a firm squeeze.

The gas that makes Dack go even has its own shelf. Almost time for a new bag.

June 15, 2007

Ben Affleck Should Be A Piñata

I love huffingtonpost.com and think Arianna Huffington is doing some interesting things with her site, and I love her accent and that even at 57 she looks pretty good and sometimes shows off her cleavage on CNN, but what the *fuck* is up with Ben Affleck being a contributor?

He's easily the biggest hack in Hollywood -- a town chock full of hacks -- and his "blog" on Huffington Post reminded me of one of the most important pages on the entire internet:

Ben Affleck Must Be Bludgeoned Like a Piñata

June 13, 2007

Apologies for the dead site lately. Been working hard on magnificentbastard.com and a couple of other side projects that are pretty interesting and very fun. Stay tuned. If you dig this site, you'll dig 'em.

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In The Bag:

Vintage Toledo Co. Industrial Drafting Chair, via ebay. (Price is way too much.) If anyone has 3 more in very good condition, please drop me a line. These bitches are hard to find!

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I Can Fully Understand the Plight of Imelda Marcos.
In The Bag:

Camper Locos Barcelona, via Urban Outfitters. $119.

June 8, 2007

Worst Ever.

Shrub over and over and over again, making us less safe.

[Senator] Bayh quoted a CIA expert on radical Islam as saying that "our presence in Iraq is creating more members of al-Qaeda than we are killing in Iraq."

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Goin' the Way of Travel Agents

Real estate agents.

Home Sellers Do Better Without Agents, Study Says

...people in that city (Madison, WI) who sold their homes through real estate agents typically did not get a higher sale price than people who sold their homes themselves. When the agent's commission is factored in, the for-sale-by-owner people came out ahead financially.

June 7, 2007

Camper. That's Spanish for "The Shit."

I went a little Camper Crazy the other night. Got it all covered: dress, casual, urban evening, luau.

Pel Estella, via shoes.com	Suede Brothers, via amazon.com
Pandora, via camper.com	Dni, via camper.com

June 5, 2007

Uma's Yabbos

As regular readers know, I'm a huge Uma guy. So I'm watching Dangerous Liasons last night, completely forgetting that Uma (at a the tender age of 18) was in the flick, and then I caught a glimpse of her spectacular cans (while getting undressed by John Malkovich):

June 4, 2007

Stop Interviewing This Clown!

Since the beginning of the war against Iraq, The Brookings Institution's Michael O'Hanlon hasn't said a single fucking thing that's turned out to be true, yet the mainstream media still calls him like he's some kind of font of wisdom. In yesterday's WaPo article about insurgents' tactics being more deadly, he's reduced himself to wish-thinking:

Maybe this is the bloody period when we are doing the heavy fighting to get at the bad actors so we can have a more peaceful future.

Uh huh.

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In The Bag:

RRD flowered swim trunks, via YOOX. $45. (I got the last pair!)

May 31, 2007

Magnificent Bastard Sneak Peek

In the next few days the new men's weblog magnificent bastard will be ready for launch, and here's a peek at one of the first articles: "MB dining guide: show some goddamn manners." (Identity of the offender has been withheld.)

May 30, 2007

Surge!

I don't think this is the kind of surge Shrub had in mind:

According to a tally by iCasualties.org, an independent Web site that tracks U.S. military deaths, Monday's fatalities bring to 117 the number of American service members killed so far this month, making May the third-deadliest month of the war for U.S. troops.

May 29, 2007

All Hail Science (And Darwin, Too)

Put another nail in the coffin of the idea you need religion or some god to have a moral compass. It's in the damn brain, hard wired.

Earlier: Scientist Finds the Beginnings of Morality in Primate Behavior

May 25, 2007

Jack Sparrow Jr.

See Pirates showtimes and reviews. (The reviews arrrrrrghn't that hot.)

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I'm completely mystified by the "email revolt" article in today's Post. For me, email (or a text message) is the only way to go. Or perhaps call my cell phone if you're desperate (or my wife). The very *last* thing anyone should do if they want to speak with me or leave a message (that will be heard) is call my desk phone. Office phone voice mail is about as quaint as fax machines.

May 24, 2007

SURGE! News

So much for The Surge: Morgue Data Show Increase In Sectarian Killings in Iraq

President Bush and other senior administration officials have cited declines in sectarian killings in justifying U.S. troop increases and additional funding for the war.

Also since The Surge: An increase in the number of U.S. troops floating in the Euphrates River.

May 23, 2007

The Democrats. Gutless Turds.

May 22, 2007

Fuck Chinese Food

The Chinese can make all my boxer shorts, my car, my computer, my TV, my radio, my home furnishings, my kids' toys, and anything else I don't put into my body, but goddamnit, stay the fuck away from my food (and toiletries, too).

The latest rage-inducing news is the poisoned Panamanian toothpaste from -- you guessed it -- China. Not to sound like a Public Service Announcement or anything, but man, it's time to put public health *before* cheap (and sometimes poisoned) food and stop this stuff from getting into our food (and toiletry) supply.

See also: Death by Veganism.

May 21, 2007

NYC By the Numbers

Soho Grand 2
This place is now officially coasting on reputation and location: Dirty room, crap TV, untimely and untasty room service, broken blinds (we faced East), and easily worst of all, intermittent wi-fi.

Naomi Watts 10
Unlike most other celebrities, significantly more attractive and lovely in person than on screen or in pictures. And very pregnant, too. Liev Schreiber outkicked his coverage by about, uh, 350 yards. The "short star syndrome" affects women, too, apparently. She's 5' 2" tops.

Uniqlo 6
I can't say I liked this "Japanese Gap" as much as the readers who said I needed to check it out, but their basics are segoi! Where else on earth can you buy a pink wife-beater for $4.95?

Lucky Strike 8
A Soho standby, and it did not disappoint. Steamed sea bass. Besides me ordering too far up the food chain, this was excellent.

Dos Caminos - Soho 8
Although technically a chain restaurant (there's one opening later this fall in Las Vegas) they serve up some tasty Tex-Mex and strong margaritas. Once again too far up on the food chain with red snapper (I can't help myself), but very bueno.

C21GZ (Century 21 Ground Zero) 2
This is one of the most chaotic, physical shopping experiences you'll ever have. Overrun by foreign tourists peering into the giant hole that's Ground Zero. Imagine being engaged in hand-to-hand combat while you're looking for that Allegri jacket at deep discount, and that's C21GZ.

May 18, 2007

Three-Time Loser

1. Iraq
2. World Bank
3. Shaha Riza

May 16, 2007

Falwell Teleported to Heaven, With Rib Roast

You're never going to believe this, but Jerry Falwell died from congestive heart failure. Could it have had something to do with the fact that he was as big as a blue whale with a thyroid problem?

The news networks were replaying his controversial comments after 9/11, blaming it on pagans and feminists, and it occured to me that *I* might've been partially responsible for the terrorist attacks:

* pagans (check)
* abortionists (check)
* feminists (check)
* gays (sympathetic towards)
* lesbians (sympathetic towards)
* ACLU (card-carrying member)
* People for the American Way (gave money once)

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Speaking of terrorist attacks and 9/11, I'm headed to NYC for a shopping excursion. Here's my list of stops. If I'm missing anything, let me know.

May 14, 2007

House For Sale

This site's been quiet for while while I've been putting together the web site for the house I need to sell: 4614arden.com. Check it out, then please buy it.

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My Brush With Greatness

A few weeks ago I stood against the same brick wall as David Heinemeier Hansson, creator of Ruby on Rails. See also Adam Sellke and Matt Zumwalt.

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Less Risk Seen in Purchasing Clothes Online

You don't say!

For the first time since online retailing was born a decade ago, the sales of clothing have overtaken those of computer hardware and software, suggesting that consumers have reached a new level of comfort buying merchandise on the Web.

Retailers have made it so easy -- frighteningly easy -- to buy clothes online. It's really the only way to go. The article definitely validates some of the ideas behind the forthcoming men's weblog magnificent bastard.

May 8, 2007

Long Live Gordon Gekko

Overlooked last weekend in the Times was the news that 20th Century Fox is creating a sequel to the great Wall Street, a movie I've seen so many times I can recite the entire script in my sleep. It's set to be called "Money Never Sleeps," and Douglas is back as Gekko. (To the folks at Fox: It's actually, "Money Never Sleeps, Pal." C'mon.)

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My wife and I are putting our house up for sale in the next week or so, and I asked the lovely and talented Margaret Andrews to shoot it. Yesterday she obliged and sent a few samples of the session. (Click the images for a big, beautiful one.)

May 7, 2007

George W. Bush has the lowest presidential approval rating in a generation

The last president to be this unpopular was Jimmy Carter who also scored a 28 percent approval in 1979.

May 3, 2007

The snow has mostly melted. Time to prepare for summer. In The Bag:

Volcom business-casual sandals in woven plaid, via Urban Outfitters. $40. (I can already feel the comfort of woven flip flops. Maintenance, on the other hand...)

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When one's beloved Milwaukee Brewers are off to their best start in 20 years, strange (and gross) shit is gonna happen. Like this:

(via Andy Plesko)

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At the other end of the beauty spectrum, another in an ongoing series called Babes of Middle East Media:

Babe. Al Arabiya. Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

May 1, 2007

Shrub's Legacy: America's May Day

April 30, 2007

I don't think George Tenet did himself any favors by appearing on 60 Minutes last night. The guy comes off as overly emotional and even slightly unbalanced; not the kind of guy you want running the CIA. And I'm sorry, there just ain't no explaining accepting the Presidential Medal of Freedom *after* Shrub and Cheney stuck him with a shiv for the "slam dunk" comment.

Put much better, by six former CIA officers.

April 27, 2007

Yesterday was a great day.

First, my 3 year-old son went pee pee on the potty for the first time.

Second, and perhaps even more importantly, I learned that in October FUCKING BIG LEBOWSKI ACTION FIGURES WILL BE AVAILABLE.

I'm doubly excited because Walter and The Dude are listed as the "Wave 1 Set," which hopefully means Donny, Jesus Quintana, Smoky, Maude Lebowski, etc. will be available soon afterwards.

Greatest movie ever, man.

(Hat tip: Eric Paradis and uncrate.)

April 25, 2007

This Chinese food story is absolutely scaring the shit out of me:

In February, border inspectors for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration blocked peas tainted by pesticides, dried white plums containing banned additives, pepper contaminated with salmonella and frozen crawfish that were filthy.

Time to either (a.) start going 100% locally-grown organic, or (b.) stop eating. I'm leaning towards b.

April 24, 2007

Geez, what a bummer it was to read this news. "The Best and the Brightest" was the first book I read on Vietnam as a kid and it's still one of the best.

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Under Consideration if Money Was No Object

Hickey cashmere "Mudflap Girl" sweater, via hickeystyle.com. $598.

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Surge! Besides 10 dead GIs today, "in other violence..."

Bombings in different parts of the country Monday killed at least another 44 people and wounded more than 100, police said. Twin car bombings killed at least 19 outside Ramadi, about 60 miles west of Baghdad, and a suicide bomber detonated explosives inside a restaurant near Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, killing seven and injuring 14.

April 23, 2007

Countdown to This Mofo Going Down In Flames

42 executives urge Wolfowitz to resign

The 42 senior executives wrote a letter to the Financial Times, published on Monday, advising Wolfowitz to give up the presidency for the good of the bank following a controversy over the promotion of his girlfriend.

April 19, 2007

Post-Modern Mass Murder. When's the Next One?

Given the crazy amount of publicity this crazy South Korean killer has gotten, how long until the next one, with a *better* manifesto, *better* photographs -- all uploaded to his Facebook and Friendster pages -- and more highly produced videos all posted, last-minute, on YouTube?

Making the Wrong Decisions: Package Forced NBC to Make Tough Decisions

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What is His Deal With His Hair?

Someone get this "Wildly Off The Mark" douchebag some pomeade, gel, spray or something. God knows no one wants to see him use his saliva again.

April 16, 2007

married life World Premiere

Visit the YouTube page to rate it or leave a comment.

April 15, 2007

Paul Wolfowitz is At Least the 3rd-Biggest Shitbag on the Planet. (And Not Too Hot With the Ladies, Either.)

Paul "Wildly Off the Mark" Wolfowitz isn't just the main architect of the disaster that is Iraq, as head of the World Bank he's been on an anti-corruption campaign, and, ironically, it turns out he's a corrupt motherfucker himself.



But here's the real kicker: Even though he disgustingly self-lubricates before combing his hair, as head of the World Bank, one would think he'd be able to score a hot babe maybe half his age. But the best Wolfowitz could do is an old bow-wow like *Shaha Riza*.

Woof!

April 12, 2007

Fat Lady On Way To Theater

McCain campaign to cut back on staff

McCain falling behind with GOP voters

April 11, 2007

Dack Studios Presents

Here's a still from my latest stop-motion Playmobil movie, entitled Married Life. Releasing next Monday, April 16.

(That's a guy, minding his own business, tossing a football and watching his beloved Green Bay Packers. A small spoiler: That idyllic scene doesn't last long.)

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It's All About the Schadenfreude, Baby

Some in G.O.P. Express Worry Over '08 Hopes

Republican leaders across the country say they are growing increasingly anxious about their party's chances of holding the White House, citing public dissatisfaction with President Bush, the political fallout from the war in Iraq...

and the money quote from former congressman Mickey Edwards:

"It's not that I have any particular problem with the people who are running for the Republican nomination. I just don't know how they can run hard enough or fast enough to escape the gravitational pull of the Bush administration."

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Why Would You Want to Be In Charge of a Clusterfuck?

Three Generals Decline War 'Czar' Posting

White House has difficulty finding an able and willing administrator to take a supervisory role overseeing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

April 9, 2007

Zach Johnson and God Win Masters

Zach Johnson apparently had some help from the Big Guy to win the Masters. It's possibly the only explanation for his win over Woods:

I don't even know what I shot, but I know that I had a lot of people giving me some good words of wisdom over the last week. My coaches clearly, our Tour chaplain, and being Easter Sunday, I felt like there was certainly another power that was walking with me and guiding me.

and later in the interview:

Today, the only thing different was the fact that it was Easter. I felt like regardless of what happened today, my responsibility was to glorify God and hopefully He thinks I did.

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In spite of his deal with Target, Isaac Mizrahi's men's stuff at Bergdorf Goodman is kicking ass.

In the Bag:

Isaac Mizrahi Jeans, via Bergdorf Goodman

April 6, 2007

From the 'No Shit Sherlock' Department

Hussein's Prewar Ties To Al-Qaeda Discounted

Captured Iraqi documents and intelligence interrogations of Saddam Hussein and two former aides "all confirmed" that Hussein's regime was not directly cooperating with al-Qaeda before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, according to a declassified Defense Department report released yesterday.

April 4, 2007

The Fucking Grindhouse

The Village Voice's Nathan Lee is my current favorite critic. He is big-time sweet on Grindhouse, but the best part of his review is imagining how the movie got made:

I've got a theory about "Grindhouse," and it goes like this: At some point during the brainstorming/beer-bonging process by which Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino developed their multimillion-dollar ersatz-exploitation double feature, the boys finished off the super nachos, sparked up a spliff, and said "Dude, let's just motherfucking bring it."

Rolling Stone's Peter Travers digs it, too, and says something that's music to my ears:

There is not a minute in this three-hour-plus tribute to all that's unholy in cinema that is good for you.

April 2, 2007

Crazy John McCain

It will be a banner Extreme Schadenfreude day when John McCain goes down to defeat. Last week he claimed one could safely stroll in certain Baghdad neighborhoods. Yesterday he took that stroll. By the numbers:

100+ - Number of heavily armed US troops surrounding the stroll.

3 - Number of Blackhawk helicopters circling overhead.

2 - Number of Apache gunships circling overhead.

1 - Number of Kevlar vests worn by Mr. McCain on his stroll.