9/24/2005
A decorated captain from the US Army describing systemic abuse in Iraq. A telling and sobering article.
9/21/2005
9/20/2005
Super Girl wins China's version of American Idol and the government is scared witless. Millions of people voted and the grass roots "movement" scares the totalitarian government.
It appears we've won the war on terror, at least on the domestic front. Why else would the FBI be looking for recruits for its new anti-porn task force?
9/19/2005
Robert "Reason" Reich on the paradox that drives the Bush admin. Incredibly disciplined at running and winning campaigns, incredibly inept at the act of governing. This paradox has a downside according to Reich:
The easy answer to the paradox is that Bush cares about winning elections and putting his ideological stamp on the nation, but doesn't give a hoot about governing the place. But that's no explanation because the two are so obviously connected. An administration can't impose a lasting stamp without being managed well, and a president's party can't keep winning elections if the public thinks it's composed of bumbling idiots.
The real answer is that the same discipline and organization that's made the White House into a hugely effective political machine has hobbled its capacity to govern. Blocking data from lower-level political appointees and civil servants that's inconsistent with what it wants to do or sheds doubt on its wisdom, for example, may be effective politics, in the short term. It keeps the media and the opposition party at bay.
(Speaking of Republicans at odds with reality, check out Former Rep. Bob Livingston blaming the deficiet on Clinton.)
The easy answer to the paradox is that Bush cares about winning elections and putting his ideological stamp on the nation, but doesn't give a hoot about governing the place. But that's no explanation because the two are so obviously connected. An administration can't impose a lasting stamp without being managed well, and a president's party can't keep winning elections if the public thinks it's composed of bumbling idiots.
The real answer is that the same discipline and organization that's made the White House into a hugely effective political machine has hobbled its capacity to govern. Blocking data from lower-level political appointees and civil servants that's inconsistent with what it wants to do or sheds doubt on its wisdom, for example, may be effective politics, in the short term. It keeps the media and the opposition party at bay.
(Speaking of Republicans at odds with reality, check out Former Rep. Bob Livingston blaming the deficiet on Clinton.)
Howard Kurtz takes on the MSM for finally discovering the poor. Kurtz says the press largely ignored the poor.
But why is that? This is not a story, like whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, that was difficult to get at. But journalists rarely venture into impoverished neighborhoods these days, except for quick-hit features. When a woman from one of these communities goes missing, it doesn't attain the status of a Natalee Holloway drama.
But why is that? This is not a story, like whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, that was difficult to get at. But journalists rarely venture into impoverished neighborhoods these days, except for quick-hit features. When a woman from one of these communities goes missing, it doesn't attain the status of a Natalee Holloway drama.
Why are some great books well received the moment they come out and others take a while to catch on? This Carlos Fuentes ponders.
Robert A. George writes about how difficult it is to be a black Republican in light of the party's seeming inddiference.
First came House Speaker Dennis Hastert openly considering "bulldozing" parts of New Orleans -- at a point when the city was still 80 percent under water, bodies were still being fished out and people were still stranded in the convention center. As we've discussed, his spokesman's attempt at damage control were hardly successful.
Then, former First Lady Barbara Bush uttered words in a radio interview which will unfortunately haunt her remaining years: "What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them." Those that heard the contents state that she notably "chuckled" during the last phrase.
Now, for some, Katrina may present new opportunity. But if poor children lost their parents and were adopted by a wealthy couple, would one chuckle that things were "working well for them"?
And then, to complete the hat trick, an actual Louisiana congressman pops up telling lobbyists, "We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did." Baker claimed that he was misquoted or misheard or something...
Honestly, I might be inclined to give Baker the benefit of the doubt, if it didn't seem like this disaster has given Republicans the opportunity to "share" how they really feel. Similarly, under normal circumstances, I wouldn't include Barbara Bush's comments. But, not this time. It just happens to often to ignore them anymore.
First came House Speaker Dennis Hastert openly considering "bulldozing" parts of New Orleans -- at a point when the city was still 80 percent under water, bodies were still being fished out and people were still stranded in the convention center. As we've discussed, his spokesman's attempt at damage control were hardly successful.
Then, former First Lady Barbara Bush uttered words in a radio interview which will unfortunately haunt her remaining years: "What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them." Those that heard the contents state that she notably "chuckled" during the last phrase.
Now, for some, Katrina may present new opportunity. But if poor children lost their parents and were adopted by a wealthy couple, would one chuckle that things were "working well for them"?
And then, to complete the hat trick, an actual Louisiana congressman pops up telling lobbyists, "We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did." Baker claimed that he was misquoted or misheard or something...
Honestly, I might be inclined to give Baker the benefit of the doubt, if it didn't seem like this disaster has given Republicans the opportunity to "share" how they really feel. Similarly, under normal circumstances, I wouldn't include Barbara Bush's comments. But, not this time. It just happens to often to ignore them anymore.
9/15/2005
At least Bill Clinton's new group Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) isn't biting off more than they can chew. CGI's goals: wiping out poverty, ending conflict, rolling back climate change and promoting better governance worldwide.
(If you're going to take a cut, swing for the fences)
(If you're going to take a cut, swing for the fences)
The Dutch are going to create a database that stores information on ever citizen from the time they are born until they leave this earth. Privacy concerns notwithstanding, I actually am supportive of this idea.
The rabid-right enjoyed such success going after Dan Rather during memogate it looks like they're trying it again with the entire "potty photo" issue. Reuters explains how the photo came to be taken, the process of getting it on the wires, etc. They also mention that they used Photoshop to balance the colors in the photo. A process, according to the article, that is common and clearly legitimate. So what headline does Drudge run the article under?
"REUTERS has acknowledged Bush 'Potty Note' photo was enhanced via photoshop..."
Bottom line, don't let the so-called conservative cabal mislead with the headline. The note wasn't altered in any significant way by the press. Nice try guys, but if you're going to go after the "liberal media" try toning down your bias.
"REUTERS has acknowledged Bush 'Potty Note' photo was enhanced via photoshop..."
Bottom line, don't let the so-called conservative cabal mislead with the headline. The note wasn't altered in any significant way by the press. Nice try guys, but if you're going to go after the "liberal media" try toning down your bias.
'Liberal Comedian Sues Blogger' So reads the headline as Garrison Keillor sues a blogger. Horrible PR move Mr. Keillor. Keillor jeopardizes whatever catchet he might have had.
Arianna Huffington is interviewed in Wired about her new blogging venture The Huffington Post. She too has gotten religion when it comes to blogs, especially in constrast to the MSM:
The problem isn't that the stories I care about aren't being covered, it's that they aren't being covered in the obsessive way that breaks through the din of our 500-channel universe. Because those 500 channels don't mean we get 500 times the examination and investigation of worthy news stories. It often means we get the same narrow, conventional-wisdom wrap-ups repeated 500 times. Paradoxically, in these days of instant communication and 24-hour news channels, it's actually easier to miss information we might otherwise pay attention to. That's why we need stories to be covered and re-covered and re-re-covered and covered again -- until they filter up enough to become part of the cultural bloodstream. As for improving the quality of journalism, we must (find) ways to give mainstream journalism what it most desperately needs: a spine transplant.
The problem isn't that the stories I care about aren't being covered, it's that they aren't being covered in the obsessive way that breaks through the din of our 500-channel universe. Because those 500 channels don't mean we get 500 times the examination and investigation of worthy news stories. It often means we get the same narrow, conventional-wisdom wrap-ups repeated 500 times. Paradoxically, in these days of instant communication and 24-hour news channels, it's actually easier to miss information we might otherwise pay attention to. That's why we need stories to be covered and re-covered and re-re-covered and covered again -- until they filter up enough to become part of the cultural bloodstream. As for improving the quality of journalism, we must (find) ways to give mainstream journalism what it most desperately needs: a spine transplant.
The aptly names sportswriter Field Maloney asks us to consider the contrasting fates of the two biggest country club sports; golf and tennis.
Golf's popularity originally surged in the late 1950s and '60s. You had a golf-nut president, Dwight Eisenhower, and a charismatic regular-guy star, Arnold Palmer… Yet, during the '70s and into the early '80s, tennis appeared poised to grab the limelight. Golf seemed too fusty and stiff for prime time, too male, too redolent of Republicans and retirees, less prepared to shed its exclusive aura. Tennis courts could be found in neighborhoods rich and poor, and the sport already had its Tiger Woods figure: Arthur Ashe.
However similar their popular beginnings, it’s clear that golf is the dominant sport in American life. More people watch, play, and frankly, get excited about golf than tennis, and this has tennis fans and players scratching their heads. Maloney claims this divergence has come because golf has held onto its elitism, which ironically fuels its populism:
The irony is that golf has thrived and tennis withered precisely because tennis has worked so hard to expand into a wider demographic.
In the '70s and '80s, more public courts were built, more outreach programs were started, and racquets got cheaper and easier to use. Andre Agassi, in his younger, wilder years, played in black denim and lime-green Lycra.
Noting that the Bush’s, a tennis and golf family, appears to take pains to demonstrate an affinity for golf over tennis, Maloney opines that tennis has become more than just uncool, politically it’s the jock version of having a poodle:
Tennis has become a political liability: effete, preppy, what high-schoolers call a "wussy sport." Whereas golf, no matter how fey the links attire or how pricey the greens fees, has become so solidly red-blooded and all-American that even our folksy president can embrace it.
As a tennis fan and player, I too am dismayed by the relative lack of interest in the game. It’s populated by some of the most attractive stars in sports, currently has a player that is so immensely talented he draws comparisons to the greatest to ever step on the court, and can be played for free in just about any city in America. So what can be done? Impede the racket “arms-race” by deadening the balls? Playing the game on the moon? Reaching out even more to the inner-city in the hopes of bringing a new demographic to the game? Perhaps all tennis needs is for someone to produce a tennis version of Caddyshack.
9/14/2005
9/13/2005
Northwest Airlines and Delta both could file for Chp. 11 protection as soon as tomorrow. This can't be good for the economic prospects of America over the near term, but it might be a sign that our system actually works well over the long run.
Inefficient carriers burdened with ancient labor agreements and hub-and-spoke flight models are being crushed by newer (read: smarter, more efficient) airlines. This story has been played out ad nasuem by the financial press, so it's important to remember that this is a healthy (though painful) development of that larger dynamic.
Inefficient carriers burdened with ancient labor agreements and hub-and-spoke flight models are being crushed by newer (read: smarter, more efficient) airlines. This story has been played out ad nasuem by the financial press, so it's important to remember that this is a healthy (though painful) development of that larger dynamic.
CA lawmakers pass a bill that makes it a crime to sell violent videogames to minors. Not everyone is happy with AB1179.
Michael Kinsley is leaving the LA Times. And from this email he sent to staffers it appears the break-up is "bitter".
Kinsley is amazingly talented and the little interaction I've had with him has impressed me with his intellect, drive, and unique perspective. My guess, he'll have a new job within a month.
Kinsley is amazingly talented and the little interaction I've had with him has impressed me with his intellect, drive, and unique perspective. My guess, he'll have a new job within a month.
Bush admits responsibility for screw-ups related to Katrina.
Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government. And to the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility.
In other news, hell has, indeed, frozen over.
Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government. And to the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility.
In other news, hell has, indeed, frozen over.
"All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved."-Sun Tzu
Fresh on the heels of his hostile takeover of Peoplesoft, Larry Ellison has made another of his former proteges bow to his will. Beleaguered CRM maker Siebel, still nominally headed by Ellison's rival Thomas Siebel, announced they are being bought by Oracle for the tune of $3.61 billion. (Actual purchase price is close to $6b minus the $2b+ Siebel has sitting around in petty cash).
The purchase allows Oracle, the world's largest database manufacture, to potentially migrate millions of Sielbel's CRM customers over to their technology stack. The purchase instantly makes Oracle the largest CRM company in the world, and more clearly sets the contrast between traditional client server software manufactures and those who advocate an on-demand model. Most notable among the on-demand camp is former Oracle sales executive and current Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff. Speaking at the SFDC conference Benioff said:
"When I was at Oracle, we watched Computer Associates buy all those mainframe software companies and milk them for their license revenue. I never thought that's what Oracle would be doing one day, and yet, here it is."
Industry watchers are mixed, some are concerned about a coming lack of innovation in a rapidly consolidating space, others feel Oracle has instantly given a lift to one of their most unsophisticated divisions (CRM/PRM), others think it will have little impact on a space that has clearly matured.
Regardless of what this deal appears to be on the surface, the x-factor is clearly the man at the helm, Larry Ellison. He's vanquished most of his rivals in Silicon Valley, clearly has his sights set once again on Redmond, just agreed to pay $100 million to charity to settle an insider trading case, and is reminding everyone that the art of war is based on deception.
Fresh on the heels of his hostile takeover of Peoplesoft, Larry Ellison has made another of his former proteges bow to his will. Beleaguered CRM maker Siebel, still nominally headed by Ellison's rival Thomas Siebel, announced they are being bought by Oracle for the tune of $3.61 billion. (Actual purchase price is close to $6b minus the $2b+ Siebel has sitting around in petty cash).
The purchase allows Oracle, the world's largest database manufacture, to potentially migrate millions of Sielbel's CRM customers over to their technology stack. The purchase instantly makes Oracle the largest CRM company in the world, and more clearly sets the contrast between traditional client server software manufactures and those who advocate an on-demand model. Most notable among the on-demand camp is former Oracle sales executive and current Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff. Speaking at the SFDC conference Benioff said:
"When I was at Oracle, we watched Computer Associates buy all those mainframe software companies and milk them for their license revenue. I never thought that's what Oracle would be doing one day, and yet, here it is."
Industry watchers are mixed, some are concerned about a coming lack of innovation in a rapidly consolidating space, others feel Oracle has instantly given a lift to one of their most unsophisticated divisions (CRM/PRM), others think it will have little impact on a space that has clearly matured.
Regardless of what this deal appears to be on the surface, the x-factor is clearly the man at the helm, Larry Ellison. He's vanquished most of his rivals in Silicon Valley, clearly has his sights set once again on Redmond, just agreed to pay $100 million to charity to settle an insider trading case, and is reminding everyone that the art of war is based on deception.
9/10/2005
It's a long shot, but it's not too late to lobby Arnold to sign the bill allowing gay marriage. Here's a link with the contact information needed to lobby TheGov.
Nice to know Yahoo! is doing its part to make sure Chinese dissidents go to jail. Profits vs. human rights sadly seems to be an easy conflict for most companies to resolve.
9/09/2005
Turning to his pre-war address to the UN Security Council, when he forcefully made the case for invasion and offered proof that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, General Powell said that he felt terrible about the claims he made. Asked whether the speech would tarnish his reputation, he replied: "Of course it will. It;s a blot. I'm the one who presented it on behalf of the United States to the world, and (it) will always be part of my record. It was painful. It's painful now." -
That's former Sec. of State Colin Powell in a candid interview. He blames himself and the Bush administration for the half-truths that led up to the war and slams BushCo. horrifically mismanaging the occupation. It's tempting to say "better late than never", if it weren't for all those pesky dead bodies.
That's former Sec. of State Colin Powell in a candid interview. He blames himself and the Bush administration for the half-truths that led up to the war and slams BushCo. horrifically mismanaging the occupation. It's tempting to say "better late than never", if it weren't for all those pesky dead bodies.
Jack Shafer at Slate reminds us that late Chief Justice Rehnquist was once addicted to Placidyl. An addiction so severe he required hospitalization in 1982. Shafer mentions that most obit omitted this aspect of his life (as is SOP for the MSM) and reminds us why it's worth remembering today:
The Rehnquist story deserves a third airing today if only to illustrate the ugly double standards that excuse extreme drug use by the powerful, especially if their connection is a prescribing doctor, and condemns to draconian prison terms the guy who purchases his drugs on the street.
The Rehnquist story deserves a third airing today if only to illustrate the ugly double standards that excuse extreme drug use by the powerful, especially if their connection is a prescribing doctor, and condemns to draconian prison terms the guy who purchases his drugs on the street.
9/07/2005
9/06/2005
If FEMA head Michael Brown makes it through the month, it will be a miracle. (But on the other hand, this is the administration that gives out Medals of Freedom for lethal levels of incompetence). More examples of FEMA's deadly ineffectiveness.
9/05/2005
9/04/2005
The message is short. So short it would fit on a postcard. It lingers in cyberspace waiting for a response.
"Family of 4 willing, wanting to help. Can drive to get you. Stay as long as you need to here in Albuquerque. God bless you. We care. Howard and Lisa Neil."
More than 2,000 messages on Craigslist offering housing to hurrican survivors. Sometimes the goodness of people is nothing short of amazing.
"Family of 4 willing, wanting to help. Can drive to get you. Stay as long as you need to here in Albuquerque. God bless you. We care. Howard and Lisa Neil."
More than 2,000 messages on Craigslist offering housing to hurrican survivors. Sometimes the goodness of people is nothing short of amazing.
Anne Rice, writing in the New York Times, asks us if we really "Know what it means to lose New Orleans"?
Nature has done what the Civil War couldn't do. Nature has done what the labor riots of the 1920's couldn't do. Nature had done what "modern life" with its relentless pursuit of efficiency couldn't do. It has done what racism couldn't do, and what segregation couldn't do either. Nature has laid the city waste - with a scope that brings to mind the end of Pompeii.
Kudos to Rice for taking on the issue of race, adding another perspective, and writing from the heart.
But to my country I want to say this: During this crisis you failed us. You looked down on us; you dismissed our victims; you dismissed us. You want our Jazz Fest, you want our Mardi Gras, you want our cooking and our music. Then when you saw us in real trouble, when you saw a tiny minority preying on the weak among us, you called us "Sin City," and turned your backs.
Nature has done what the Civil War couldn't do. Nature has done what the labor riots of the 1920's couldn't do. Nature had done what "modern life" with its relentless pursuit of efficiency couldn't do. It has done what racism couldn't do, and what segregation couldn't do either. Nature has laid the city waste - with a scope that brings to mind the end of Pompeii.
Kudos to Rice for taking on the issue of race, adding another perspective, and writing from the heart.
But to my country I want to say this: During this crisis you failed us. You looked down on us; you dismissed our victims; you dismissed us. You want our Jazz Fest, you want our Mardi Gras, you want our cooking and our music. Then when you saw us in real trouble, when you saw a tiny minority preying on the weak among us, you called us "Sin City," and turned your backs.
9/03/2005
The music offers further evidence of how far outside rap's usual strictures West operates. OutKast aside, mainstream hip-hop doesn't really do ambiguity or irony, but just as West's arrogance occasionally appears to be a protracted joke, Late Registration finds him in thrillingly subversive form, working in the production booth to undercut tracks' messages and shifting their meanings.-The Guardian
Kanye West’s new album Late Registration has hit the shelves and it’s clear that the producer/rapper/mini-mogul is leaving an indelible mark on music. West’s beats have either showed everything that’s right (or wrong) with rap by fusing Buppie sensibilities, a thoughtfulness that’s unusual for rap, and the hooks that are a pre-requisite for a mega-platinum career.
Kanye is willing to take on issues that extend beyond the usual rap fare. On the new album he takes on Reagan for pumping crack into black neighborhoods on the track “Crack Music”, condemns the blood diamond trade on “Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)”, and takes on racial profiling in “Heard ‘em Say”. Off the wax he’s noteworthy as well. Whether it’s taking on the current President because he “doesn’t care about black people” in the wake of the fed’s tepid response to Katrina, or the rap world’s overt homophobia, it’s apparent Kanye isn’t afraid to take a stance.
Politics and style aside, what makes Kanye a singular talent is his music. As Time Magazine wrote in their recent cover article, “Jesus Walks (off of Kanye’s freshman album) is one of those miraculous songs that you hear for the first time and immediately look forward to hearing on a semiregular basis for the next 30 or 40 years.” Rolling Stone lauds the new album as well:
If this album has an emotional stunner a la "Jesus Walks," it's "Hey Mama," where West honors his mother, who had to work nights to keep on the lights. It loops a simple la-la-la vocal hook into a soul-sonic force, like Side Two of Prince's Sign 'o' the Times after aliens hacked into it. It's the best family-affair tearjerker since Ghostface's "All That I Got Is You," as West raps, "Can I cry, please?/Gimme a verse of 'You Are So Beautiful to Me.'"
Kanye West’s new album Late Registration has hit the shelves and it’s clear that the producer/rapper/mini-mogul is leaving an indelible mark on music. West’s beats have either showed everything that’s right (or wrong) with rap by fusing Buppie sensibilities, a thoughtfulness that’s unusual for rap, and the hooks that are a pre-requisite for a mega-platinum career.
Kanye is willing to take on issues that extend beyond the usual rap fare. On the new album he takes on Reagan for pumping crack into black neighborhoods on the track “Crack Music”, condemns the blood diamond trade on “Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)”, and takes on racial profiling in “Heard ‘em Say”. Off the wax he’s noteworthy as well. Whether it’s taking on the current President because he “doesn’t care about black people” in the wake of the fed’s tepid response to Katrina, or the rap world’s overt homophobia, it’s apparent Kanye isn’t afraid to take a stance.
Politics and style aside, what makes Kanye a singular talent is his music. As Time Magazine wrote in their recent cover article, “Jesus Walks (off of Kanye’s freshman album) is one of those miraculous songs that you hear for the first time and immediately look forward to hearing on a semiregular basis for the next 30 or 40 years.” Rolling Stone lauds the new album as well:
If this album has an emotional stunner a la "Jesus Walks," it's "Hey Mama," where West honors his mother, who had to work nights to keep on the lights. It loops a simple la-la-la vocal hook into a soul-sonic force, like Side Two of Prince's Sign 'o' the Times after aliens hacked into it. It's the best family-affair tearjerker since Ghostface's "All That I Got Is You," as West raps, "Can I cry, please?/Gimme a verse of 'You Are So Beautiful to Me.'"
CNN has compiled a list of administration quotes and juxtaposed them against the reality on the ground.
As always, Craigslist is demonstrating a value far beyond anyone's wildest dreams. A page with Katrina relief information can be found here.
Kanye West letting his frustration boil over last night:
"George Bush doesn't care about black people" and said America is set up "to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off as slow as possible."
Telethon host Matt Lauer backed away from Kayne's comments as quickly as possible but it's apparent that there is an OJ-esque rift in America that Katrina is exposing.
"George Bush doesn't care about black people" and said America is set up "to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off as slow as possible."
Telethon host Matt Lauer backed away from Kayne's comments as quickly as possible but it's apparent that there is an OJ-esque rift in America that Katrina is exposing.
Camille Paglia is writing a little more frequently these days. It's good to have her back. Her take on Katrina and the administration's shortcomings.
What is highly surprising now is the disintegration of the administration's mask of competence and confidence, as New Orleans sinks day by day into squalor and savagery, a shocking panorama of unrelieved human suffering.
What is highly surprising now is the disintegration of the administration's mask of competence and confidence, as New Orleans sinks day by day into squalor and savagery, a shocking panorama of unrelieved human suffering.
9/02/2005
Oh, you're kidding me. You've got to be kidding me. Hat tip (as always) to Sulli, but can you belive these words from Bush today?
"The good news is - and it's hard for some to see it now - that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house -- he's lost his entire house - there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch.' (Laughter)." - president George W. Bush, today. Just think of that quote for a minute; and the laughter that followed. The poor and the black are dying, dead, drowned and desperate in New Orleans and elsewhere. But the president manages to talk about the future "fantastic" porch of a rich, powerful white man who only recently resigned his position because he regretted the failure of Strom Thurmond to hold back the tide of racial desegregation.
"The good news is - and it's hard for some to see it now - that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house -- he's lost his entire house - there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch.' (Laughter)." - president George W. Bush, today. Just think of that quote for a minute; and the laughter that followed. The poor and the black are dying, dead, drowned and desperate in New Orleans and elsewhere. But the president manages to talk about the future "fantastic" porch of a rich, powerful white man who only recently resigned his position because he regretted the failure of Strom Thurmond to hold back the tide of racial desegregation.
Apparently the members of our major media organizations have rediscovered their role. You are not publicity arms for whatever administration is in power, you are the watch dogs of our democracy. Cowards hiding behind microphones. Your collusion with irrelevance doesn't allow you to avoid the impact of your (in)decision.
A lot of you have written and asked about my lack of posting related to Katrina and the aftermath. I really don't have too much to add other than what has been discussed by others more qualified to do so. (Hurricaid is a great resource for all things Katrina).
Best wishes and our prayers (and hopefully some dollars too) go out to the good folks in Gulf Coast.
Best wishes and our prayers (and hopefully some dollars too) go out to the good folks in Gulf Coast.
9/01/2005
8/31/2005
So now the Assn. of Christian Schools International is suing the UC system because they don't value schools that teach creationism in admissions process. The assault on knowledge and common sense continues.
8/30/2005
Virginia Postrel has famously written about design, both in her columns and her book, The Substance of Style. She coined the term "esthetic economy", celebrating the fact that the cost of style has decreased to the point that good design has reached into the lives of more people, and perhaps more significantly, indicating a world where basic needs have been met and increasingly value being perceived from style. The esoteric nature of design discussions has taken a very serious turn over the past few weeks with a controversial redesign that is cracking wide fissures that may be too deep to repair.
The Daily Show has changed their set.
The new set both evokes and mocks the hyper-kinetic visual space of the cable news channels and at the same time is intended to create a unified atmosphere that puts funny man Jon Stewart on center stage.
"I thought it was important to get Jon more at the center of things, so that he was more clearly the epicenter of the visual set," said James Biber, an architect with the New York firm Pentagram who led the set project, "And to strip away a lot of the talk-show cues, like the couch. It's not a talk show."
The erstwhile couch is where the battle line is drawn between those who appreciate the changes and those who despise them.
The advantages of the couch format are multifold. Guests can not only be seen from head to foot, giving us a sense of their physical presence, their posture, and even their choice of shoes; they can also use the space however they want. They're free to hump the couch, as Al Green did in a Daily Show interview earlier this year, or jump up on it and make asses of themselves, like Tom Cruise on Oprah last May.
An underground campaign to bring back the couch has received support from a Daily Show correspondent, hinting at how deep the division is.
The set redesign truly is a matter of some serious thought on the part of the producers. They felt the show was changing in terms of tone and wanted to have a set that would reflect Stewart's new, more aggressive style. Pentagram was also the team that created the design elements of the widely successful book America: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction and wsimilarlyily tasked with creating something that was evocative of an American standard (i.e. a high-school text-book) and simultaneously derisive.
The Daily Show has changed their set.
The new set both evokes and mocks the hyper-kinetic visual space of the cable news channels and at the same time is intended to create a unified atmosphere that puts funny man Jon Stewart on center stage.
"I thought it was important to get Jon more at the center of things, so that he was more clearly the epicenter of the visual set," said James Biber, an architect with the New York firm Pentagram who led the set project, "And to strip away a lot of the talk-show cues, like the couch. It's not a talk show."
The erstwhile couch is where the battle line is drawn between those who appreciate the changes and those who despise them.
The advantages of the couch format are multifold. Guests can not only be seen from head to foot, giving us a sense of their physical presence, their posture, and even their choice of shoes; they can also use the space however they want. They're free to hump the couch, as Al Green did in a Daily Show interview earlier this year, or jump up on it and make asses of themselves, like Tom Cruise on Oprah last May.
An underground campaign to bring back the couch has received support from a Daily Show correspondent, hinting at how deep the division is.
The set redesign truly is a matter of some serious thought on the part of the producers. They felt the show was changing in terms of tone and wanted to have a set that would reflect Stewart's new, more aggressive style. Pentagram was also the team that created the design elements of the widely successful book America: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction and wsimilarlyily tasked with creating something that was evocative of an American standard (i.e. a high-school text-book) and simultaneously derisive.
Related to our discussion about lethargy in conservatism today, it's worth noting that the Weekly Standard has celebrated it's 10th anniversary. As Virginia reminds us at the Dynamist, perhaps their greatest accomplishment was lighting a fire under The National Review.
Shocking photos from Iraq but an amazing example of photojournalism from Salon. The Unseen War isn't easy to look at, but it can be considered important nonetheless.
As a man who struggles with clutter it's nice to see that wires, messy rooms, and general disarray, is actually cool.
Dell Computers, the little company that could, is struggling now that it has turned 21 and grown into a global behemoth. The business press, long Dell’s loudest and most ardent supporter, has turned on the company, gleefully chronicling a series of problems. Dell has been seen as a company whose governance has been strong and ethically, the symbol of the flattening of the global economy, and perhaps most importantly, a spectacular growth stock. A series of challenges has changed the tone and tenor of the reporting. As Dan Gross writes over at Slate:
There has been a disappointing earnings report, complaints about customer service, unflattering stock charts, and a rash of articles questioning Dell's future—Business Week had two negative Dell articles in its current issue, and the Financial Times had a critical takeout last week.
Perhaps worst of all, Dell’s stock has been mired in mediocre (certainly by Dell’s standards) returns and has had its lunch handed to it by once struggling HP over the past year.
And when it comes to bad press there are few PR teams that can manage the publicity nightmare that comes with pissing off a powerful blogger.
Flattening earnings, downward price pressures, the inherent lethargy that plagues companies of Dell’s size, and challenges associated with breaking into new global markets are all contributing to the struggles of one of the most successful companies in the history of mankind.
While it’s certainly too early to write Dell’s epitaph industry watchers are wondering how the company can regain its once formidable stride.
There has been a disappointing earnings report, complaints about customer service, unflattering stock charts, and a rash of articles questioning Dell's future—Business Week had two negative Dell articles in its current issue, and the Financial Times had a critical takeout last week.
Perhaps worst of all, Dell’s stock has been mired in mediocre (certainly by Dell’s standards) returns and has had its lunch handed to it by once struggling HP over the past year.
And when it comes to bad press there are few PR teams that can manage the publicity nightmare that comes with pissing off a powerful blogger.
Flattening earnings, downward price pressures, the inherent lethargy that plagues companies of Dell’s size, and challenges associated with breaking into new global markets are all contributing to the struggles of one of the most successful companies in the history of mankind.
While it’s certainly too early to write Dell’s epitaph industry watchers are wondering how the company can regain its once formidable stride.
On May 13th, the authorities in Uzbekistan opened fire on a peaceful demonstration of close to 10,000 people in the eastern city of Andijan, probably killing several hundred of them and possibly as many as 1,000. According to survivors, tanks rolled through the main square, firing indiscriminately, snipers picked off their victims from convenient buildings, and, later on, soldiers shot some of the wounded dead. That was three months ago. Since then, the European Union and America have expressed their horror at the worst massacre of demonstrators since Tiananmen Square by imposing the following sanctions on Uzbekistan:
1.
2.
3.
So writes the Economist as they chastise western indifference to a regime that engaging in atrocious behavior.
Uzbekistan has enjoyed the ability to terrorize her citizens largely because of the inaction and ineffectiveness of America and the EU. The United States has offered a veiled rebuke for the attacks and has publicly claimed that it is waiting for Europe to take the lead on Uzbekistan. The EU demanded that the Uzbekistany government comply with an investigation by July 1st, “or else”. July came and went, as has August, and the EU hasn’t decided what the “or else” is to be.
Comparisons to the US and EU’s realpolitiks with Chechnya have been made. However few have argued that the west’s interests lie with Uzbekistan as it does with Chechnya.
Whether it’s kicking the US out of its military bases, slaughtering innocent protesters and forcing their “confessions”, or jailing members of the media, autocratic President Islam Karimov has enjoyed a level of international anonymity that allows a disturbing level of independence.
1.
2.
3.
So writes the Economist as they chastise western indifference to a regime that engaging in atrocious behavior.
Uzbekistan has enjoyed the ability to terrorize her citizens largely because of the inaction and ineffectiveness of America and the EU. The United States has offered a veiled rebuke for the attacks and has publicly claimed that it is waiting for Europe to take the lead on Uzbekistan. The EU demanded that the Uzbekistany government comply with an investigation by July 1st, “or else”. July came and went, as has August, and the EU hasn’t decided what the “or else” is to be.
Comparisons to the US and EU’s realpolitiks with Chechnya have been made. However few have argued that the west’s interests lie with Uzbekistan as it does with Chechnya.
Whether it’s kicking the US out of its military bases, slaughtering innocent protesters and forcing their “confessions”, or jailing members of the media, autocratic President Islam Karimov has enjoyed a level of international anonymity that allows a disturbing level of independence.
The Grapple in the Big Apple is set. Galloway v. Hitchens in the Iraq War debate to end all deabates. (Uh, until the next one).
8/29/2005
Recent proclamations by doctors have renewed the debate around practices that cut to the core of what it means to be a man or a woman. On the heels of a study that says male circumcision may reduce the risk of HIV transmission by 65% the unkindest cut is once again being publicly debated. Not only are the health benefits of circumcision being questioned some claim that a lifetime of diminished sexual experience is a large price to pay for what amounts to a religious superstition. The anti-circumcision movement is growing converts and though their platform hasn’t changed much. As Emily Bazelon summarizes for Slate readers:
Circumcision is painful, irreversible surgery to which newborn boys cannot consent. Its health benefits are marginal and overstated. And far from being an extraneous bit of flesh, the foreskin is "richly endowed with specialized nerves," making it "the principal site of sexual sensation" in a man who has one.
From calls to lawmakers make genital mutilation a crime, to those who believe it’s simply a matter of educating the populace, the anti-circumcision movement is enjoying a renaissance.
Another article from a doctor is creating a stir in certain circles as well. Dr. Keith Ablow writing in the New York Times says that the relatively new practice of men joining their wives in the delivery room may need to be reexamined.
It is miraculous to see a baby's head emerge, and it can also be shocking. It is riveting to see an umbilical cord connecting mother and baby, but it can also be very disturbing. It is exciting to be asked by a doctor to cut that umbilical cord, but also potentially very frightening, even for otherwise rather fearless men.
And not every man gets over it. Several men have confessed to me that they never regained the same romantic view of their wives that they had before seeing them deliver children.
Men’s diminished sexual desire for their wives seems like an understandable, if not totally forgivable, offense, but the debate has seems to have struck a chord with many woman. As Meghan O'Rourke worte in Slate:
What was nonetheless striking about the debate was the vehemence of the hostility directed at these men. The bloggers clearly felt that the men's desire (or lack of it) was objectively wrong, like that of a pedophile or a rapist, and ought somehow to be controllable. The animus against these men reflects just how powerful even relatively new cultural norms can be—and just how conflicted are our post-feminist ideas about what kind of imaginative relationship to the body is appropriate…At the crux of the debate is one of most important and vexed questions of modern feminism: How far into our imaginations should it reach?
Circumcision is painful, irreversible surgery to which newborn boys cannot consent. Its health benefits are marginal and overstated. And far from being an extraneous bit of flesh, the foreskin is "richly endowed with specialized nerves," making it "the principal site of sexual sensation" in a man who has one.
From calls to lawmakers make genital mutilation a crime, to those who believe it’s simply a matter of educating the populace, the anti-circumcision movement is enjoying a renaissance.
Another article from a doctor is creating a stir in certain circles as well. Dr. Keith Ablow writing in the New York Times says that the relatively new practice of men joining their wives in the delivery room may need to be reexamined.
It is miraculous to see a baby's head emerge, and it can also be shocking. It is riveting to see an umbilical cord connecting mother and baby, but it can also be very disturbing. It is exciting to be asked by a doctor to cut that umbilical cord, but also potentially very frightening, even for otherwise rather fearless men.
And not every man gets over it. Several men have confessed to me that they never regained the same romantic view of their wives that they had before seeing them deliver children.
Men’s diminished sexual desire for their wives seems like an understandable, if not totally forgivable, offense, but the debate has seems to have struck a chord with many woman. As Meghan O'Rourke worte in Slate:
What was nonetheless striking about the debate was the vehemence of the hostility directed at these men. The bloggers clearly felt that the men's desire (or lack of it) was objectively wrong, like that of a pedophile or a rapist, and ought somehow to be controllable. The animus against these men reflects just how powerful even relatively new cultural norms can be—and just how conflicted are our post-feminist ideas about what kind of imaginative relationship to the body is appropriate…At the crux of the debate is one of most important and vexed questions of modern feminism: How far into our imaginations should it reach?
So now we are getting additional perspective on the monetary cost of the War on Terror (or whatever the term is today).
In constant inflation-adjusted dollars, the current conflict is the fourth most costly US war, behind World War II, Vietnam, and Korea. (See chart below.)
By the end of September, its projected military cost will be $252 billion. The amount spent on the war in Iraq ($186 billion) and Afghanistan ($66 billion) is "inching up" on the cost of the Korean War, says Steven Kosiak, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment in Washington. CSBA provided the estimate based on government data.
In constant inflation-adjusted dollars, the current conflict is the fourth most costly US war, behind World War II, Vietnam, and Korea. (See chart below.)
By the end of September, its projected military cost will be $252 billion. The amount spent on the war in Iraq ($186 billion) and Afghanistan ($66 billion) is "inching up" on the cost of the Korean War, says Steven Kosiak, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment in Washington. CSBA provided the estimate based on government data.
8/28/2005
8/26/2005
Austin Bramwell writing for the The American Conservative questions the right's intellectual vibrancy now that it has reached an unprecedented pinnacle. Once a relatively small group of outsiders, conservatives in the west now find themselves controlling the House, the Senate, the White House, and large swaths of popular thought. This, Bramwell posits, is leading to a lethargy that is undermining one of the most innovative political movements of our time. Having won so much conservatives seem afraid to challenge the status quo:
Though every year the conservative movement raises thousands of aspiring intellectuals, they have no interest in creating a new intellectual synthesis. If they go into academia or the think-tank world, they contribute to research projects long under way; if they go into journalism, they defend an established editorial line. In blogosphere parlance, they become "instapundits", not philosophers.
Conservatives (still) strive for the "Holy Grail" of political philosophy, a doctrine that would prove, once and for all, the inherent limits of liberalism and the fundamental truths tharesonatete through the doctrines that drive conservative thought. Even though "the wisest conservatives know that the Grail reamains beyond their graspsps. Yet, like Arthurian knights of old, they never give up hope that it is there." However, this striving today resembles nothing so much as a self-congratulatory circle jerk.
Bramwell implies that the circular nature of life holds a near religious sway over political philosopy. A fact that is comforting and simultaneously disqueting, regardless of political leanings. The rise, and subsequent demise, of the left in the west offers a cautionary tale for the preminent political powers of today. Liberalism's reign began to erode shortly after the new deal.
Intellectual sclerosis, however, soon set in. Second-tier intellects such as Arthur Schlesinger and John Kenneth Galbraith took over from Lippmann and Dewey and began to take liberal ideology as a given. They proposed not new ways of understanding the world but new ways of advancing liberalism. In the hour of their triumph, liberals became blind to their own ideological shortcomings, which later became all too manifest.
A cautionary tale, perhaps, but there are notable thinkers still plying the trade on the right, he mentions three loosely defined groups:
The academics of the Critical Review, the so-called evolutionary conservatives, and techno-skeptic conservatives. All groups are unabashedly elitist, a description that is nothing less than an endearment.
This elitism, perhaps an electoral handicap, is an intellectual strength. Original thinking often flourishes under conditions of intellectual marginality. Unfortunately, the conservative movement, having discovered a mass audience, risks squandering the intellectual marginality that once made it so interesting and daring.
In future years, it may take a smaller, elite group of right-wingers to animate conservative ideas once more.
So while ThomasFrank et. al. ponder the problems of Kansas, perhaps liberals should find solace in that all seismic poli-intellectual movements plant the seeds of their destruction soon after their mosbountifulul harvest
Though every year the conservative movement raises thousands of aspiring intellectuals, they have no interest in creating a new intellectual synthesis. If they go into academia or the think-tank world, they contribute to research projects long under way; if they go into journalism, they defend an established editorial line. In blogosphere parlance, they become "instapundits", not philosophers.
Conservatives (still) strive for the "Holy Grail" of political philosophy, a doctrine that would prove, once and for all, the inherent limits of liberalism and the fundamental truths tharesonatete through the doctrines that drive conservative thought. Even though "the wisest conservatives know that the Grail reamains beyond their graspsps. Yet, like Arthurian knights of old, they never give up hope that it is there." However, this striving today resembles nothing so much as a self-congratulatory circle jerk.
Bramwell implies that the circular nature of life holds a near religious sway over political philosopy. A fact that is comforting and simultaneously disqueting, regardless of political leanings. The rise, and subsequent demise, of the left in the west offers a cautionary tale for the preminent political powers of today. Liberalism's reign began to erode shortly after the new deal.
Intellectual sclerosis, however, soon set in. Second-tier intellects such as Arthur Schlesinger and John Kenneth Galbraith took over from Lippmann and Dewey and began to take liberal ideology as a given. They proposed not new ways of understanding the world but new ways of advancing liberalism. In the hour of their triumph, liberals became blind to their own ideological shortcomings, which later became all too manifest.
A cautionary tale, perhaps, but there are notable thinkers still plying the trade on the right, he mentions three loosely defined groups:
The academics of the Critical Review, the so-called evolutionary conservatives, and techno-skeptic conservatives. All groups are unabashedly elitist, a description that is nothing less than an endearment.
This elitism, perhaps an electoral handicap, is an intellectual strength. Original thinking often flourishes under conditions of intellectual marginality. Unfortunately, the conservative movement, having discovered a mass audience, risks squandering the intellectual marginality that once made it so interesting and daring.
In future years, it may take a smaller, elite group of right-wingers to animate conservative ideas once more.
So while ThomasFrank et. al. ponder the problems of Kansas, perhaps liberals should find solace in that all seismic poli-intellectual movements plant the seeds of their destruction soon after their mosbountifulul harvest
8/24/2005
A story of socialism that works. If nothing else, I agree with Kaiser's summary, we can learn from the educational component of Finnish society.
8/23/2005
Is meth is the new crack? But rock, was it ever all it was cracked up to be?
Methamphetamines has grown into a cover-worthy epidemic.Newsweek chronicles the perils of “America’s Most Dangerous Drug”, complete with a photo essay and cringe-worthy anecdotes. While no one doubts the risks of ingesting potentially addictive substances, some are questioning the actual extent of the danger.
As Steve Suo, a writer for the Oregonian who has covered the meth explosion extensively opines:
Media coverage of the issue too often has been laden with generalizations, hyperbole and sensational images. Reporters, with rare exception, have been slow to challenge the conventional wisdom handed to them by purported experts on the topic.
Others have questioned the methodology and numbers (or lack thereof) that have driven much of the media’s breathless coverage of the issue.
For all Newsweek's hysteria, it fails to deliver. For instance, if meth is America's most dangerous drug, how many people has it killed? Newsweek doesn't bother to explore the topic, perhaps because it's so hard to pin down. In 2000, Oahu recorded 35 deaths, Phoenix 105, and Los Angeles 155. Meanwhile, New York City recorded only three that year, while Long Island claimed 38. According to Fred Leavitt's 1982 book, Drugs & Behavior, about one usage in 2 million ends in a fatality. If meth is really the most dangerous drug, you'd think the magazine would have provided some sort of body count
Larger questions about the role of drugs in America, public policy related to treatment and/or prosecution of drug user, and perhaps most importantly, the media’s responsibility to the public’s trust are brought up by a story that seems to reappear like clockwork, every decade. So is meth the new crack? And should we care?
Methamphetamines has grown into a cover-worthy epidemic.Newsweek chronicles the perils of “America’s Most Dangerous Drug”, complete with a photo essay and cringe-worthy anecdotes. While no one doubts the risks of ingesting potentially addictive substances, some are questioning the actual extent of the danger.
As Steve Suo, a writer for the Oregonian who has covered the meth explosion extensively opines:
Media coverage of the issue too often has been laden with generalizations, hyperbole and sensational images. Reporters, with rare exception, have been slow to challenge the conventional wisdom handed to them by purported experts on the topic.
Others have questioned the methodology and numbers (or lack thereof) that have driven much of the media’s breathless coverage of the issue.
For all Newsweek's hysteria, it fails to deliver. For instance, if meth is America's most dangerous drug, how many people has it killed? Newsweek doesn't bother to explore the topic, perhaps because it's so hard to pin down. In 2000, Oahu recorded 35 deaths, Phoenix 105, and Los Angeles 155. Meanwhile, New York City recorded only three that year, while Long Island claimed 38. According to Fred Leavitt's 1982 book, Drugs & Behavior, about one usage in 2 million ends in a fatality. If meth is really the most dangerous drug, you'd think the magazine would have provided some sort of body count
Larger questions about the role of drugs in America, public policy related to treatment and/or prosecution of drug user, and perhaps most importantly, the media’s responsibility to the public’s trust are brought up by a story that seems to reappear like clockwork, every decade. So is meth the new crack? And should we care?
When it's third and ten, you can take the milk drinkers and I'll take the whiskey drinkers every time.- Max McGee
The biggest sport in America is about to return and football fans are ready. Before us armchair prognosticators make our picks about which team can possibly hold back the dawning juggernaut that is the Patriots, it's worth looking back at an eventful pre-season.
Receivers are always quote and note-worthy, and this summer is no different. The biggest off-season story is the maelstrom that swirls around uber-grabber Terrell Owens. Less than a year after pulling a Willis Reed and valiantly leading the Eagles to 1st runner-up status, the goodwill he earned has all been engulfed by his battles with Philadelphiaa teammates and coaches. While not making the media circuit with new agent Drew Rosenhaus, or busting out those freaky-ripped abs in his driveway, TO spent this summer trying to figure out a way to renege on the second year of a seven year contract. The City of Brotherly Love was not amused. All may be forgiven if McNabb and TO can produce (akward silence and all) like they did in their first pre-season game together.
Not to be out done, brand new Oakland Raider Randy Moss admitted that, yeah, he's toked the green bud a few times. Not an earthshaking revelation if he wasn't employed by a league mired in the mid-20th century, and he's had a ahem past with pot.
Infinitely more serious is the situation at the 49er's camp. While #1 overall pick Alex Smith struggled to learn the QB position in the big leagues, his teammate from Utah, and fellow Niner rookie Thomas Herrion showed how fleeting it all can be. Shortly following a preseason game Herrion collapsed and died. An autopsy was inconclusive but pundits have speculated that Herrion's 300+ pounds and the incredible rigors of playing football in the NFL led to his death. Herrion's passing was a stunning reminder that we (should) play and watch games to embrace life, not replace it.
Regardless of New England's recent run, the NFL is still a league beset by parity, so make your picks now. After all, since some of the smart money is picking the Cardinals to be this year's Chargers, we definitely know anything is possible.
The biggest sport in America is about to return and football fans are ready. Before us armchair prognosticators make our picks about which team can possibly hold back the dawning juggernaut that is the Patriots, it's worth looking back at an eventful pre-season.
Receivers are always quote and note-worthy, and this summer is no different. The biggest off-season story is the maelstrom that swirls around uber-grabber Terrell Owens. Less than a year after pulling a Willis Reed and valiantly leading the Eagles to 1st runner-up status, the goodwill he earned has all been engulfed by his battles with Philadelphiaa teammates and coaches. While not making the media circuit with new agent Drew Rosenhaus, or busting out those freaky-ripped abs in his driveway, TO spent this summer trying to figure out a way to renege on the second year of a seven year contract. The City of Brotherly Love was not amused. All may be forgiven if McNabb and TO can produce (akward silence and all) like they did in their first pre-season game together.
Not to be out done, brand new Oakland Raider Randy Moss admitted that, yeah, he's toked the green bud a few times. Not an earthshaking revelation if he wasn't employed by a league mired in the mid-20th century, and he's had a ahem past with pot.
Infinitely more serious is the situation at the 49er's camp. While #1 overall pick Alex Smith struggled to learn the QB position in the big leagues, his teammate from Utah, and fellow Niner rookie Thomas Herrion showed how fleeting it all can be. Shortly following a preseason game Herrion collapsed and died. An autopsy was inconclusive but pundits have speculated that Herrion's 300+ pounds and the incredible rigors of playing football in the NFL led to his death. Herrion's passing was a stunning reminder that we (should) play and watch games to embrace life, not replace it.
Regardless of New England's recent run, the NFL is still a league beset by parity, so make your picks now. After all, since some of the smart money is picking the Cardinals to be this year's Chargers, we definitely know anything is possible.
3/03/2005
Andrew Sullivan breaks rank with most of the Right (and much of the Left) and proclaims Hillary is the one to beat in 2008.
Senator Clinton has finally escaped one of the critical drags on her national reputation. What many people disliked about her was what they perceived as her unreconstructed liberal politics and her use of her marriage to gain and wield political power.
(Charges of nepotism doesn't seem to be a problem for most people who run for office.)
Sulli says her speechs on abortion and the war position her as a moderate Democrat which undermines the most substantial criticisms directed towards her.
Senator Clinton has finally escaped one of the critical drags on her national reputation. What many people disliked about her was what they perceived as her unreconstructed liberal politics and her use of her marriage to gain and wield political power.
(Charges of nepotism doesn't seem to be a problem for most people who run for office.)
Sulli says her speechs on abortion and the war position her as a moderate Democrat which undermines the most substantial criticisms directed towards her.
3/02/2005
Korea seems to be doing a good job of making a place for themselves in the coming years. Is this something we want?
3/01/2005
How refreshing it is to live in the Age of Revolution. Though his critique of Bush the Elder and Clinton smack a little too much of a very public turf-war, Ledoon's larger points ring true.
2/24/2005
"If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am not drinking any fucking Merlot." So says wine-snob Miles in the critically acclaimed movie Sideways. And those two sentences have reverberated throughout the wine making (and drinking) world.
Many oenophiles have turned up their noses since the mid-1990s, when "a glass of Merlot" became synonymous, for casual drinkers, with a glass of red wine. But sales never stopped rising, and Merlot passed Cabernet as America's best-selling red wine in 2000, according to the Wine Institute.
Napa Valley met Hollywood and the impact is noticeable. Not only has the sales of Merlot started to show some signs of slipping, now it's more than just wine-aficionados who are turning their backs on Merlots. Miles' favorite varietal is Pinot Noir and a positive impact has been felt in the valleys as well.
Pinot noir sales reached 370,000 cases for the 12 weeks ending Jan. 15, up nearly 16 percent from the same period a year ago, according to an ACNielsen analysis released Monday.
Let's pause before we toss Merlots into the same heap as White Zin, Everclear, and the other guilty pleasures those of us whose thirst for a buzz occasionally overide our thirst for status. Let's remember this gentle, but firm, and always versatile wine. What are your favorite merlots? And for those of you who have turned your back on the "cashmere sweater" of wines (even those of you who did so before Sideways) share with us your favorite flavor of grape.
Many oenophiles have turned up their noses since the mid-1990s, when "a glass of Merlot" became synonymous, for casual drinkers, with a glass of red wine. But sales never stopped rising, and Merlot passed Cabernet as America's best-selling red wine in 2000, according to the Wine Institute.
Napa Valley met Hollywood and the impact is noticeable. Not only has the sales of Merlot started to show some signs of slipping, now it's more than just wine-aficionados who are turning their backs on Merlots. Miles' favorite varietal is Pinot Noir and a positive impact has been felt in the valleys as well.
Pinot noir sales reached 370,000 cases for the 12 weeks ending Jan. 15, up nearly 16 percent from the same period a year ago, according to an ACNielsen analysis released Monday.
Let's pause before we toss Merlots into the same heap as White Zin, Everclear, and the other guilty pleasures those of us whose thirst for a buzz occasionally overide our thirst for status. Let's remember this gentle, but firm, and always versatile wine. What are your favorite merlots? And for those of you who have turned your back on the "cashmere sweater" of wines (even those of you who did so before Sideways) share with us your favorite flavor of grape.
2/20/2005
Thank you for all the kind words. I haven't neccisarily gone the way of Andrew Sullivan, or have succumbed to the sachirine. There will be more coming here soon, thank you all for your patientce.
Speaking of bloggers navel gazing, Justin Hall is stepping down.
"What if intimacy happens in quiet moments?" he said. "I think the Web makes me not alone and I feed it my intimacies, and the Web is my constant connection to something larger than myself ... but what if something you do, something you practice like religion as a dialogue with the divine, drives people away from you?"
I'll see you all soon.
Speaking of bloggers navel gazing, Justin Hall is stepping down.
"What if intimacy happens in quiet moments?" he said. "I think the Web makes me not alone and I feed it my intimacies, and the Web is my constant connection to something larger than myself ... but what if something you do, something you practice like religion as a dialogue with the divine, drives people away from you?"
I'll see you all soon.
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro"
Hunter S. Thompson is dead. The father of Gonzo-Journalism, and best selling author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas shot and killed himself at his home just outside of Aspen.
Whether writing about the depravity that sucked away the soul of America, or the latest line on a big football game, Thompson connected to his readers in indelible ways, for better or for worse.
Hunter S. Thompson is dead. The father of Gonzo-Journalism, and best selling author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas shot and killed himself at his home just outside of Aspen.
Whether writing about the depravity that sucked away the soul of America, or the latest line on a big football game, Thompson connected to his readers in indelible ways, for better or for worse.
1/05/2005
It had the makings of an instant classic. Undefeated and ranked #1 all season, USC played #2 and undefeated all season, Oklahoma. Two storied programs, full of Heismans, National titles, and rabid fans, it was a marquee match up. The game turned out to be less close than anticipated. Led by current Heisman trophy winner Matt Leinart, and his 5 TD's, USC destroyed last year's Heisman winner Jason White's squad.
An almost perfect game for the Trojan faithful has once again ended the season in controversy as undefeated Auburn helplessly watched. Even the horrific East Coast media bias, that screwed the Trojans two seasons ago and Cal this year (or not), couldn't find a spin that would grant Auburn a share of the national title. Still, the BCS finds itself being second-guessed yet again.
Now that the ADT trophy has been lifted, it gives us a chance to reflect on an amazing college season. Will the PAC-10 finally get the respect is deserve from the sports writers stuck in their offices in Manhattan? How long until the BCS is demolished? (And by the way, what are the best ways as fans and alumni to hasten the demise of the BCS?) Who has the biggest gripe from Bowl Season? Cal, Auburn, or Utah? And just how good is USC? Is it time to bust out the D-word?
An almost perfect game for the Trojan faithful has once again ended the season in controversy as undefeated Auburn helplessly watched. Even the horrific East Coast media bias, that screwed the Trojans two seasons ago and Cal this year (or not), couldn't find a spin that would grant Auburn a share of the national title. Still, the BCS finds itself being second-guessed yet again.
Now that the ADT trophy has been lifted, it gives us a chance to reflect on an amazing college season. Will the PAC-10 finally get the respect is deserve from the sports writers stuck in their offices in Manhattan? How long until the BCS is demolished? (And by the way, what are the best ways as fans and alumni to hasten the demise of the BCS?) Who has the biggest gripe from Bowl Season? Cal, Auburn, or Utah? And just how good is USC? Is it time to bust out the D-word?
12/21/2004
The Washington Post has bought the venerable (at least in internet years) Slate.com. Fingers crossed, hoping for the best.
12/11/2004
The #1 team in America has another Heisman. "Tailback-U" generates another QB who wins college football's most coveted individual award. Fight on! Matt Leinart.
12/07/2004
I'm mostly sitting this round of the steroid "issue" out. Most of you long-time readers know where I stand. However, I did want to point you over to Andrew Sullivan's take, which I believe overlaps well with mine. It's nice to see reason starting to reveal itself on this issue.
12/06/2004
There are conflicts of interest.
And then there's the Bowl Championship Series.
The BCS is to college football what Tony Soprano is to waste hauling in New Jersey -- a monopoly turning a tidy profit by cleaning up messes without dithering over who gets hurt along the way.
This season's victims were Auburn and California. Last season's was Southern California. In past seasons, Oregon, Colorado, Kansas State, Miami and a few other schools got the back of the BCS hand. All got sympathy notes, too, and promises the beatings would stop. But the only thing that's changed since the BCS hijacked the postseason in 1998 is the name of the victims.
The holidays are upon us and that can only mean one thing, it's time for college football fana to continue the annual rite of BCS-bashing. For the first time ever the preseason #1 and #2 teams went through the season undefeated and will meet for the national championship. But we don't have to go too far down the poll to find some hacked-off programs. Shut out is Auburn, who at 12-0 felt they deserved a chance to compete for the national title. Perhaps even more stupefying is what happened to the 10-1 Cal Bears. Ranked #4 going into this weekend's final game they were seemingly headed to the prestigious (and lucrative) Rose Bowl for the first time since 1959. Many Cal fans worried they'd have to beat Southern Mississippi by an impressive margin to hold off a charging Texas team. Cal won in a close road game (even taking a knee in the final plays rather than running up the score to impress voters) and the results were all that was feared. Cal got bumped in the polls and Texas will be going to the Rose Bowl and the Cal Bears, whose only loss came to the #1 team in America, fell out of the BCS and into the Holiday Bowl.
So folks, who got screwed the most? Cal or Auburn? Is this really another example of the horrific East Coast bias? Is a playoff system even possible, let alone feasible?
And then there's the Bowl Championship Series.
The BCS is to college football what Tony Soprano is to waste hauling in New Jersey -- a monopoly turning a tidy profit by cleaning up messes without dithering over who gets hurt along the way.
This season's victims were Auburn and California. Last season's was Southern California. In past seasons, Oregon, Colorado, Kansas State, Miami and a few other schools got the back of the BCS hand. All got sympathy notes, too, and promises the beatings would stop. But the only thing that's changed since the BCS hijacked the postseason in 1998 is the name of the victims.
The holidays are upon us and that can only mean one thing, it's time for college football fana to continue the annual rite of BCS-bashing. For the first time ever the preseason #1 and #2 teams went through the season undefeated and will meet for the national championship. But we don't have to go too far down the poll to find some hacked-off programs. Shut out is Auburn, who at 12-0 felt they deserved a chance to compete for the national title. Perhaps even more stupefying is what happened to the 10-1 Cal Bears. Ranked #4 going into this weekend's final game they were seemingly headed to the prestigious (and lucrative) Rose Bowl for the first time since 1959. Many Cal fans worried they'd have to beat Southern Mississippi by an impressive margin to hold off a charging Texas team. Cal won in a close road game (even taking a knee in the final plays rather than running up the score to impress voters) and the results were all that was feared. Cal got bumped in the polls and Texas will be going to the Rose Bowl and the Cal Bears, whose only loss came to the #1 team in America, fell out of the BCS and into the Holiday Bowl.
So folks, who got screwed the most? Cal or Auburn? Is this really another example of the horrific East Coast bias? Is a playoff system even possible, let alone feasible?
12/03/2004
11/30/2004
Dahlia Lithwick, who for my money is journalist who best covers the Supreme Court, with a dispatch about the current medical pot case. It doesn't look promising for us fans of federalism and individual autonomy.
11/27/2004
11/26/2004
11/25/2004
Iran with nukes, the war in Iraq absorbing resources, and an "Economic Armageddon" predicted by Stephen Roach, chief economist at Morgan Stanley. Definitely be thankful today, because tomorrow isn't certain.
On a lighter note, I was surprised to see Frank Chu (for those of you outside of the Bay Area, Frank is a bit of a local landmark. He walks around holding a sign talking bout 12 galaxies, rants and raves about Clinton, Lincoln, et.al and has the amazing ability to seem to be absolutely everywhere) standing outside of the meal line at the SF Unitarian Church's Thanksgiving feed. He wasn't in the line, but actually facing the diners spreading his message. The world may be going to shit, but as long as Frank is out there, we all have a chance.
On a lighter note, I was surprised to see Frank Chu (for those of you outside of the Bay Area, Frank is a bit of a local landmark. He walks around holding a sign talking bout 12 galaxies, rants and raves about Clinton, Lincoln, et.al and has the amazing ability to seem to be absolutely everywhere) standing outside of the meal line at the SF Unitarian Church's Thanksgiving feed. He wasn't in the line, but actually facing the diners spreading his message. The world may be going to shit, but as long as Frank is out there, we all have a chance.
11/22/2004
In light of the impending Thanksgiving holiday, an absolutely riveting account of the battle for Fallujah from a Marine.
11/21/2004
11/19/2004
NBA Basketball took another black eye tonight. The Indiana Pacers were playing the defending champion Detroit Pistons in Auburn Hills, Michigan. With less than a minute to go in the game Ben Wallace took offense at a hard foul and shoved Ron Artest. A series of scuffles between the teams undulated before the scorer’s table. A moment of seeming calm as Artest lay out upon the scorer’s table. Then a blue cup flew through the sky, tossed from the stands and hit Artest as he lay resting.
Then the explosion occurred. Artest charged into the stands and fought a fan. Other fans and players joined and the seeds of a riot began to bloom. The melee quickly escalated with fans charging the floor, players hopping through the stands. A cacophony of bodies and objects filled the stadium as mayhem took hold. As they attempted to shepard players out of the stadiums fans tossed chairs, beer, bottles, clothing, and food. The police threatened to mace players, a Pacer came from the locker-room brandishing a dustpan and swung towards the stands, and a sense of permanent change enclosed the NBA.
The soul-searching and legal maneuvering has already begun. The pundits are debating, yet again, the, at times, unhealthy relationship between fans and the players they in equal parts idolize and despise. Announcer and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton called it the lowest moment in his 30 year affiliation with the league.
Then the explosion occurred. Artest charged into the stands and fought a fan. Other fans and players joined and the seeds of a riot began to bloom. The melee quickly escalated with fans charging the floor, players hopping through the stands. A cacophony of bodies and objects filled the stadium as mayhem took hold. As they attempted to shepard players out of the stadiums fans tossed chairs, beer, bottles, clothing, and food. The police threatened to mace players, a Pacer came from the locker-room brandishing a dustpan and swung towards the stands, and a sense of permanent change enclosed the NBA.
The soul-searching and legal maneuvering has already begun. The pundits are debating, yet again, the, at times, unhealthy relationship between fans and the players they in equal parts idolize and despise. Announcer and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton called it the lowest moment in his 30 year affiliation with the league.
11/17/2004
The recently announced merger between Sears and Kmart may have surprised casual observers, but what the world is seeing today is the latest in a string of increasingly aggressive maneuvers by Eddie Lampert. Lampert, 42, runs ESL Investments Inc, a $9billion investment firm.
His investment philosophy is largely modeled after his hero, Warren Buffett. Like Buffet Lampert looks for undervalued companies he can easily understand, takes large stakes in them, and then runs them as a de-facto arm of management. Unlike Buffett he looks for companies that have been poorly managed which he believes offers him greater opportunity for returns. In the early 1960’s Warrren Buffett took a stake in a struggling textile company called Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Buffett filed regulatory papers that would allow him to invest excess cash from the company in a variety of ventures. Berkshire Hathaway is now one of the largest investment companies on the planet and the actions of its chairman can sway entire markets. Likewise Lampert took a 53% stake in Kmart, a company that had recently come out of bankruptcy and was decidedly mismanaged. In August of this year the Kmart’s board gave Lampert authority to invest "surplus cash" and his Berkshire Hathaway was in place.
Much of Lampert’s drive is illustrated by the kidnapping that occurred in 2002 while in the middle of negotiations for Kmart. A couple of hapless criminals grabbed him and held him hostage. He literally negotiated his way out of it, promising future payments to the kidnappers. Two days later he was working on closing the deal for Kmart.
Sears’s stock has been moving up sharply in recent weeks, largely because of the perceived value and the shareholders who had taken stakes. Today’s announcement of the combined companies is considered by most watchers to be an indication that Lampert’s new company, Sears Holdings Corp, has its sights set on another target, Wal-Mart. This time not as a takeover candidate but as a retail rival.
His investment philosophy is largely modeled after his hero, Warren Buffett. Like Buffet Lampert looks for undervalued companies he can easily understand, takes large stakes in them, and then runs them as a de-facto arm of management. Unlike Buffett he looks for companies that have been poorly managed which he believes offers him greater opportunity for returns. In the early 1960’s Warrren Buffett took a stake in a struggling textile company called Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Buffett filed regulatory papers that would allow him to invest excess cash from the company in a variety of ventures. Berkshire Hathaway is now one of the largest investment companies on the planet and the actions of its chairman can sway entire markets. Likewise Lampert took a 53% stake in Kmart, a company that had recently come out of bankruptcy and was decidedly mismanaged. In August of this year the Kmart’s board gave Lampert authority to invest "surplus cash" and his Berkshire Hathaway was in place.
Much of Lampert’s drive is illustrated by the kidnapping that occurred in 2002 while in the middle of negotiations for Kmart. A couple of hapless criminals grabbed him and held him hostage. He literally negotiated his way out of it, promising future payments to the kidnappers. Two days later he was working on closing the deal for Kmart.
Sears’s stock has been moving up sharply in recent weeks, largely because of the perceived value and the shareholders who had taken stakes. Today’s announcement of the combined companies is considered by most watchers to be an indication that Lampert’s new company, Sears Holdings Corp, has its sights set on another target, Wal-Mart. This time not as a takeover candidate but as a retail rival.
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