the tindog coffeehouse

There seems to be a lot of debate on the Interwebs these days about whether good-ol’ American free-market capitalism is still alive.

First the Washington Post declared it dead on October 10th:

The worst financial crisis since the Great Depression is claiming another casualty: American-style capitalism. …

“People around the world once admired us for our economy, and we told them if you wanted to be like us, here’s what you have to do — hand over power to the market,” said Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Prize-winning economist at Columbia University. “The point now is that no one has respect for that kind of model anymore given this crisis. And of course it raises questions about our credibility. Everyone feels they are suffering now because of us.”

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Here we go again.

Another week, another match between a Top 10 undefeated Texas Longhorns team and a Top 10 undefeated Oklahoma team. To quote the great Yogi Berra, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.”

Well, except for the fact that this week Texas is ranked No. 1 in the nation and is playing at home against the No. 6 Oklahoma State Cowboys. (You know, the same Cowboys that are 0-10 against Mack Brown’s Horns. Right, that one.)

Of course, give the Pokes some credit. On the same day Texas crushed Bob Stoops’ dreams (such a good feeling, isn’t it?), the Cowboys defeated a Missouri team that at the time was undefeated and ranked No. 3 in the nation. And they did it on the road in Columbia.

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Forget everything you’ve heard from Forbes, BusinessWeek, CNBC, whatever. You wanna know the real reason behind the current financial meltdown?

It’s Pluto’s fault.

Astrologically, Pluto is a bit like PCP, inspiring you to just do things no matter how bizarre or self-destructive, while also allowing you to harbor delusions that your behavior is perfectly normal. It was Pluto in wildly impractical Sagittarius for the past 13 years that got us into this whole mess.

Stupid dwarf planet!

Hold on.

I’m still catching my breath from last week’s Red River Battle Royale that left Bob Stoops and his ridiculous visor sulking back to Mobile-Home-A and Mack Brown pretending his Longhorns aren’t the No. 1 team in the nation. Whew!

OK, I think I’m ready now.

This week Colt McCoy and the Horns are back at home to face off against Chase Daniel and the rest of the Missouri Tigers. Had it not been for that other team from Oklahoma, this game would most certainly be between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams. But instead we’ll have to settle for No. 1 vs. No. 11 (or 12).

Yeah, right.

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Over-enthusiastic Tennessee voter Mark Ciptak took his support for the McCain/Palin ticket further than most by recently naming his new baby daughter Sarah McCain Palin.

Of course, he didn’t bother to tell his wife first.

A blood bank employee for the American Red Cross, Ciptak said he chose the name to show his support and to encourage others to vote.

But Sarah McCain Palin is not the name Ciptak and his wife, Layla, originally agreed upon.

“I sort of secretively went behind her back and changed the paperwork,” Ciptak said.

Ava Grace was the name originally chosen by the couple.

Fueled by his new idea, Ciptak caused a distraction and some confusion at the hospital by using two separate birth certificate forms.

“With the stress of everything going on, she, I guess, didn’t realize that a new form was printed with my handwriting because my handwriting is very noticeable, very unique,” he said of his wife.

The baby reportedly looks exactly like Tina Fey. Who woulda guessed?

It’s not just the Chinese government imposing nationwide Internet filtering. Australia is getting it, too.

Under the current plan, Internet content filters will be mandatory for all Australians. They get to choose, however, between two different levels. The default plan blocks all content that may be objectionable to children, but consumers can opt-out, choosing a more watered-down blacklist which allows pornography but still blocks other “illegal content” (potentially including “euthanasia, drugs and protest”).

(Never mind that the filtering system probably won’t be very effective or that the deep-packet inspection required at the ISP level will cripple Internet speeds. And of course, all costs associated with the filtering will be passed on to consumers.)

As ridiculous as this is, however, I can’t help but to wonder if this same sort of nonsense is inevitable here in the U.S.  Surely not, right?

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