Ain't Too Proud To Brag

Not a bad place to be from this time of year:

Flown South

Actually, we drove. 16 hours from DC to South Florida. If it wasn't a record, it certainly felt like it. Apparently listening to a book on tape is the key.

Anyway, I will be posting a little less frequently for the next couple of weeks. Not that I have been terribly prolific recently, but I thought it only fair to give warning.

Of course I'll check in if there's something worth mentioning, but mostly I'll be taking advantage of being active outdoors in December.

If You Have Nothing Nice To Say...

I owe you an explanation.

With the exception of my month in Spain and a handful of small vacations along the way, I think this is probably the longest I've gone without consistent posts in the past three years. It's not that I don't have something to say. It's more like I'm tired of saying the same thing over and over again.

TV news continues to infuriate me. I'm not happy with the Administration. Congress is a joke. We need a wholesale housecleaning in Washington, and while we're at it, we should talk term limits and extensive campaign finance reform. DC is so bought and paid for that I wouldn't be surprised if a corporate logo popped up on a monument this afternoon.

Two nights ago, Jon Stewart dismantled Senate Republicans for their cruel hypocrisy in pushing tax breaks for the wealthiest 1% while refusing to fund health care for 9/11 first responders. It's a great segment. It's also the kind of reporting that should be done by traditional news outlets. Take a look:

Lame-as-F@#k Congress

As for the President, my former boss wrote the following on Huffington a few days ago in a post entitled What Obama Can Learn From Reagan:

What the president fails to comprehend is that his style of public vacillation and preemptive compromise is much more to blame for the disillusionment that so many Democrats share than the substance of what he gave up, whether it be on health care or taxes.

On the issue of health care reform:

But the primary reason that his base lost sight of this extraordinary achievement is that Obama and his top advisors kept publicly waffling on the issue that had come to symbolize reform that would really change the status quo: the public option. His strongest supporters squirmed as he made the case for the public option in one breath, while in the next said that he would be willing to accept compromises that would render it ineffective. While the pattern of negotiating in public was most noticeable on this issue, it was far from the only instance in the debate of Obama watering down his proposals in public without getting anything from opponents in return.

Because I know why the public option was so important and am concerned about some particulars of health care reform in its absence, I'm probably equally disappointed in the substance. But Richard's right. It's Obama's lack of fight - and the appearance of a complete lack of conviction - that's pissing people off.

But I also would argue that it's not just Democrats who are turning away from Obama. I posted the following on FB a couple of days ago:

Press loves to talk about the "liberal base" being upset with the President, but I'm guessing most moderates and independents didn't vote for Obama because they hoped he would compromise in public and either water down or completely abandon his campaign platform. I don't think the disappointment is "he's not left enough" so much as "he's not fighting hard enough for what's right."

I think the left makes an excellent straw man, and I think the Administration has completely fabricated an antagonist to vilify. It's much easier to attack the left than to admit you've lost the confidence of moderates and Independents. It's a poorly veiled tactic that reeks of desperation. Can you imagine President Bush or his spokesman standing at a podium telling right wing voters to suck it up, grow up, or quit whining? Can you fathom a moment when a Republican politician would demean his core constituents en masse? I can't.

Let's take a look at what went down with the tax cut "compromise." John writes:

[T]here was no talk by the administration of an impending double dip recession when they were negotiating with the Republicans. But when it comes to time deal with Democrats, suddenly the administration is all doom and gloom.

Why did Obama lay guilt at the feet of his own party as opposed to launching a hardcore assault against Republican lawmakers playing chicken? For lack of a better term, an honest PR campaign holding Republicans' feet to the fire, forcing them to face the people losing unemployment benefits, and insisting they publicly explain their unwavering commitment to protecting the filthy rich was at least worth a shot. Instead, the Administration cut a deal and gave its own party the public ultimatum.

My friend Levana was interviewed for a local news piece over the weekend and gave the reporter a great quote:

President Obama can't keep compromising our values, or it will be more and more difficult to inspire the base to go out and work for him. And, the White House needs to realize that every election is a base election.

I'd add that alienating your base to appease people who'll never work with you and never vote for you is absurd.

The best thing that could happen to Obama would be if Sarah Palin were chosen as the Republican presidential nominee in 2012 because in the absence of a truly horrifying alternative, I doubt Democrats and Independents who invested time, energy, and hope in Obama - believing he would deliver what he so valiantly promised - will be inspired to turn out and vote for four more years of this.

Caved Man

Why is the left the enemy? Why do Obama and the Administration keep telling Democrats to simmer down instead of waging an all out war against Republicans who refuse to budge on tax cuts for the wealthiest one percent? A good PR/communications strategy would have gone a long way here. Instead we get "Trust me. I know what I'm doing." after the fact. Unacceptable.

John King just said on CNN that Obama's tax cut capitulation is like his caving on the public option all over again. Gergen said the same thing: "He got the bill but lost the argument."

Gloria Borger, on the other hand, seems to like the blame the base game. My response? Obama's not being weakened by his left flank, Gloria. He's being weakened by himself.

Moving Picture

Back in February 2009, I posted about "We Live In Public," a documentary chronicling the life and mad genius of Josh Harris - the founder of Pseudo. I found the film on Hulu last week and just finished watching it this afternoon.

I highly recommend it.

The doc holds a special place in my heart for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is a chance to see Cal the way I remember him - sharp, smart, and smiling. In fact, I was happy to see Ondi include an "In Loving Memory Of" for Cal in the credits.

I do show up in the film for a quarter of a millisecond, but it goes by so fast that while watching, I said to my friend, "Hey, that's me!" and then had to go back and slow it down to make sure I was right.

I consider myself extremely lucky to have been a part of Pseudo. I still can say it was one of the best jobs - if not the best job - I ever had. I was living in the East Village, working in Soho, making peanuts, and truly excited to get up and go to work every day.

If you've got any interest in social interaction online, the evolution of Internet video, or even the psychology behind reality TV, watch this doc. It starts off a touch slow (and Hulu's ad placement is atrocious), but once the narrative gets going, I think you'll find it fascinating and worth the time.

Out Patience

Yeah, I know. I've been neglectful of my humble little corner of the Interwebs. It's not like there hasn't been plenty to write about - the TSA, the Wikileaks docs, the frighteningly sad state of U.S. hospital care - but, truth be told, I've been too preoccupied to put together anything remotely interesting.

But now that my friend is out of the hospital (one day shy of a full two weeks), I can get back to the business of having and sharing an opinion.

It'll take a little time to wrap my brain around how to tell the story of what we've just experienced, but when another friend emailed yesterday and asked how it was going at Sh*tshow General, I knew at least I'd found my title.

Nurse Jacki

I know posting's been rotten lately, but I have a good excuse. A friend of mine suffered a collapsed lung, and we've been at the hospital since Wednesday. It's quite the adventure. Here are some of the things we've learned over the past 5 days:

1. Just when you think the food can't get any worse, they send up a block of egg masquerading as an omelet.

2. The gap between a good nurse and a lousy nurse can be HUGE.

3. Dropping off Christmas cookies at the nurses' station helps but doesn't hold the weight you might expect.

4. Doctors LOVE it when you do research online and tell them all about your condition and the equipment they're using. Who needs medical school when you have the Google?

5. It's $10/day to watch TV. There is little on TV worth $10/day.

6. Sleep is not only impossible but actively thwarted. The parade of annoyance starts around 5am and continues at 30-45 minute intervals for hours on end.

7. If you have an unavoidable altercation with a totally obnoxious, insensitive, and power tripping night supervisor, word gets around.

8. No matter how rotten the situation seems, the guy in the next room screaming "Nurse!" whenever the mood strikes his fancy reminds you to be grateful that you're just sick and not crazy.

9. A man on codeine who's been cooped up for four days should not be allowed to operate the adjustable bed remote unsupervised.

and finally...

10. You cannot leave the seat up on this puppy. I could drown:

Bake Two

Second attempt at Key Lime Pie considerably more successful than the first. Turns out it does help if you have a mixer.

Who Says What And How

A couple of times now I've posted videos featuring animated characters talking about politics. Those posts are here and here.

Another similar video popped up on The Huffington Post a couple of days ago and then Facebook today. This one talks about the Fed and quantitative easing:



I don't know enough about economic policy yet to verify all the information in this particular video (and I suspect it may be a little off), but I did start to wonder about who's making the movies.

Turns out it's lots of people. Anyone, actually. A website called xtranormal lets users who sign up convert text into animated films. The obvious upside is what we've seen so far. Cute characters saying stuff that resonates is a recipe for viral video success. But I wonder what happens when misinformation hits that same animation, and it spreads like wildfire. For instance, is the Fed video 100% accurate? And if not, how hard will it be to set the record straight once it's been watched by millions?

It looks like xtranormal has been around since at least early 2008. Clever concept. It will be interesting to see how an increased use of this medium unfolds - if it does - and what impact it has on political communication.

So You Think You Can Golf?

Don't ask me how I got this far in life without ever having hit a real golf ball (mini golf aside), but somehow it happened. So when my friend Sean invited me to check out a driving range and learn how to play, I jumped at the chance.

We went out to Hains Point yesterday and had a blast. Sean's dad was a golf instructor so he knew how to teach and stay patient while I picked up the basics. I was really proud of my prowess on the range as it didn't take long to connect and get some impressive air and distance on the ball. There were only a couple of near misses, and by the end of the lesson, I felt like I had enough info to head back on my own sometime and practice.

After driving for a bit, we went out to the putting green. I was a tad less successful in that arena. My biggest challenge was gauging how hard to hit the ball to make it to the hole without overshooting. Sean wanted me to make each putt in two. My average was closer to four. But at one point, he said if I could make the shot in two, he would buy me lunch, and at that moment, I did it. Sean's response became the quote of the day:

"You putt like a mutant until there's food on the line."

I'm nothing if not determined. A girl's got to eat.

We took some video of the adventure, and I used my newly acquired iMovie skills to create a recap of the day. Enjoy.

Out of the Hands of Babes

I helped my friend's 6-yr-old daughter with her homework last night, and she made me a thank you Napkin Card. We were working on writing letters. We didn't get to "J."

It's Ok To Say No

You know what's even more absurd than the fact that this totally made-up story got any traction whatsoever?

The fact that you've got to read four paragraphs in before Yahoo! News admits it's bullsh*t.

Talk about burying the lede.

If the media wants to be taken seriously, it needs a better doorman. This crap is like the annoying overserved guy in line at midnight. When he throws up outside (and that's exactly what these fabrications are - desperate right wing vomit), you don't let him in.

My Diagnosis

In the immediate wake of the elections, I've gotten some questions as to what will happen to health care reform. The short answer is that I don't know for sure. No one does yet, and anyone who claims otherwise is full of it.

But the longer answer - and my opinion - is that some Republicans will attack parts of the law as a distraction, attempting to draw attention away from the reality that they have no substantial solution to the economic and jobs crisis they got us into in the first place. They may go after the mandate, which ironically is in place to protect their friends in the insurance industry.

See, if we want to require insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions, it's going to be more expensive for them to do so. It's why they played that denial game in the first place. So the deal they cut is that they'll cover everyone if everyone is in the system. That means healthy people have to buy health insurance too. The bigger the pool, the wider spread the risk and the better business model for the health insurance industry.

It's not about infringing on people's personal freedoms. It's about protecting the insurance companies. It's also about finding a way to get coverage for people the insurance companies historically refuse to insure.

They may revive the ridiculous "government takeover" meme which is so easily countered if Democrats would just stand up and shout from the rooftops, "Show Me The Takeover." Seriously. It's that easy. Ask Republicans to show where exactly that alleged takeover exists in the health care reform bill. They can't. It doesn't. Game over.

So what do I think will happen? I think more stories like this will emerge. I think some Republicans will huff and puff but blow nothing down. I think - as President Obama said yesterday - no one wants to rehash the legislative battles of the past two years.

People want jobs. They want to be able to pay their mortgages. They want to see the economy bounce back more quickly than it seems to be doing. They want to feel better about their lives.

If the health care reform provisions are enacted properly, they'll make a huge positive impact on the lives of the people who need help the most. The people complaining about an infringement on their personal freedoms won't notice a thing until they get sick and need care. Then they're going learn very quickly how wrong they were to protest reform in the first place.

It's all going to take a little time. But if the Democrats recognize they have the moral and legislative high ground and act like it, I think the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will be just fine.

Truth in Animation

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

I Give Up

We used to have a semi-regular feature around here called "Seriously Florida, WTF?" Miss Lindsay would send me stories of ridiculousness from my home state - things like this and this and this.

Well, Rick Scott's win tops them all. I cannot believe this man now holds public office. I cannot believe he's going to be Governor.

Seriously Florida, WTF?

Rocks and Votes

I spent yesterday as a tourist in my own town and went to Great Falls Park for the first time. The weather could not have been more perfect. Unfortunately, my camera ran out of juice fairly quickly so I wasn't able to take as many pictures as I would have liked, but the ones I got came out well. Here are a few:






I'm going to head out shortly to vote which is really just a token exercise in DC. But I do very much hope that those of you in states with serious races turn out and weigh in. It's incredibly important.

Here's a great video that's been making the rounds on friends' blogs and FB. It does a fabulous job of summing up what's at stake.

Hitched

Great wedding. Spectacular couple. Congratulations! xo

The Daily News

Thanks to an incredibly thoughtful friend, I got tickets to see "The Daily Show" tape here in DC yesterday and watched Jon Stewart interview the President live. The experience itself was a bit surreal. I've seen live tapings before. I've actually seen Stewart tape live before, back when he had a show on MTV. But this was unique in that I had never seen Barack Obama before in person.

We waited outside for about 2 hours before we could file into the theater. We were in the VIP line which - while a touch exhausting - was apparently not half as tiresome as having to wait in the general admission line which didn't necessarily guarantee entry. Our biggest complaint was that the audience coordinators waited until right before the doors opened to tell us there would be no use of restroom facilities inside the venue. That led to a mass mad dash to a bar across the street as the front of the line started to work its way through security.

Once inside, we waited another half hour or so to be let into the theater itself. Then there was another long wait before the warm-up. All the hurrying up to wait was understandable as security had to sweep the building and then take its time with attendees, but it did feel like a very long afternoon.

It's comical to see all the Monday (Thursday?) morning quarterbacking that went on today seeing as how very few of the people commenting on the interview were actually there. Stewart had a great opener that you didn't see because the interview itself ran long. He kicked off with a segment called "Let's Keep The President Waiting" and killed a few minutes with various stunts and a random local news report on National Pasta Day. Then he welcomed the President, and what you saw on TV began.

As someone who has been frustrated with this Administration, I thought Stewart did a great job. He pushed back at all the right moments and didn't let the President get away with blanket statements like, "There are lots of things we've done that you don't know about." That got exactly the follow-up it deserved. The other two big slips were when Obama said Summers did a heck of a job (which while the President said it was an intentional pun, no one I was with believed that to be true), and when he said "Yes we can, but..." All in all, I thought Stewart navigated the interview beautifully.

Obama looked tired and defensive. I don't know what he expected, but there were no softballs. And while much of what he said was true (or close to true), there were times I was not pleased. For example, when he said we got 90% of what we wanted in health care reform, and it's not fair for people to dwell on the 10%, I was afraid the ultra-sensitive overhead mike might pick up the unladylike expletive I muttered under my breath.

When the interview ended and Obama took off, Stewart stuck around. He answered lots of questions from the audience and even indulged the couple launched at him from your typical DC d-bags. In response to one in particular, he had what I thought was the line of the night.

This young lawyer asked Stewart - and I'm totally paraphrasing from memory - if using the comedy card was working for him. The gist was to accuse Stewart of being a journalist but using the title of comedian to get away with stuff, and it was an atrociously thinly veiled reference to Stewart's appearance on Crossfire more than 6 years ago. Dwell much, dude?

Anyway, Stewart explained that he is a comedian, and he and his staff proudly work on a show that uses comedy to draw attention to news and issues they care about very much. He explained that comedy often can be tougher than straight punditry (because he has to take the time to process and restructure in his head before he comments on something). And even though he has no interest in being anything other than exactly what he is, that does not preclude him from having the right to expect more from the media and call them out when they're being lazy or unhelpful.

"I have a job," he said. "I'd like them to do theirs."

I've always adored Stewart for being a smart comedian, but after last night, I have a newfound appreciation for just how smart a man he really is.

Image courtesy is anonymous b/c pictures were strictly prohibited, and I don't want to get anyone in trouble. But I can assure you this was taken inside the theater, and it was not taken by me.

DC Dissected

Local peeps will get a kick out of the latest from Brightest Young Things. This is their take on where to go and what to avoid this weekend in each DC 'hood:



UPDATE: A friend on FB pointed out they recommend Royal Palace. I missed that. It's kind of a funny reminder to always read the fine print.

Deja Bullsh*t

From an AHIP press release I just received entitled "AHIP President & CEO Discusses Health Insurance Industry's Perspective on Health Care Reform":

"Health care costs are crushing our economy and placing too heavy of a burden on hard working families," said Ignagni. "We cannot wait any longer to address this issue. We have to get the growth of health care costs under control if we are going to have a sustainable health care system and a strong economy."

(...)

Ignagni stressed that a workable and sustainable solution for health care reform will be a uniquely American blend of public and private influence to preserve benefits for employers and consumers and foster innovation.

Karen Ignagni's been saying the exact same thing for years, using the exact same words. I think everyone's well aware of the health insurance industry's perspective on health care reform by now.

DCCX Stills

Click on the image to see the full set.

DCCX

Happy Monday. Little treat for you this AM. Yesterday, I went to see Cyclocross for the first time. It was very cool. Cyclists take three laps around a 2 mile course with sharp turns, dips, stairs, and short hurdles. They periodically have to dismount and then remount the bike in one fluid motion as the obstacles make it impossible to ride the course straight through.

It's just as challenging as it sounds, and these men and women are clearly in very good shape.

I took a lot of pictures, but the most fun was playing with video. This is my first stab at iMovie and the ending's a little abrupt, but all in all, I'm pretty pleased with how my little DCCX recap came out. Enjoy!

The Unwatchable

I think Glenn Beck is dangerous and have no interest in encouraging anyone to listen to him ever.

However, via TVNewser, Beck spews a rare nugget of truth in calling out CNN for giving Eliot Spitzer a show:

“Then they go to Eliot Spitzer. There’s a change, if you just have a guy who frequented hookers on by himself. But you can’t do that. That’s too risky. ‘Let’s not have the hooker guy on by himself, let’s have some chick on with him. Now America will watch!’”

I flipped on Parker/Spitzer for about 10 minutes one evening about a week ago out of morbid curiosity, and it was exactly as expected - uncomfortable, unprofessional, and entirely inappropriate. I've seen cable access shows with better flow. Neither of these people is fit to be hosting a television program on a national news network. In the short amount of time I managed to tolerate the spectacle, I heard Parker ask a French philosopher why he believes some Americans are disillusioned with President Obama. Here's a thought. Go to the source. I don't need someone's opinion as to why something is if it's provable. Do the legwork. Talk to the people who are actually disillusioned.

The second cringe-worthy moment was when Spitzer told his panelists (which included "America's Next Top Model" personality and former supermodel Paulina Porizkova) that the conversation was getting too heavy, and they should lighten it up. Apparently, Spitzer (and/or the producer in his ear) believes substance is problematic.

Over the past couple of weeks, I've seen a promo for this abomination of a show in which Parker comments that because she's a journalist and Spitzer is a politician, they don't always trust one another. Really, Kathleen? That's why you can't trust Eliot Spitzer?

Client 9 - the new documentary about Spitzer from Alex Gibney - the guy who made Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room - is set for theatrical release on November 5th. I haven't heard or read enough about it yet to know whether it's legit (at least one Republican strategist cries foul), but I do hope it reopens the conversation about Spitzer's crappy, illegal behavior. It can't hurt to remind CNN - a network that once bragged it was "The Most Trusted Name In News" - why a man who frequented prostitutes, humiliated his wife, and was forced to resign his governorship never should have gotten his own television show in the first place.

Now that Jon Klein is gone, CNN execs would be wise to get this disaster off the air asap.

Picture of the Day

Did no one at the company see a problem with this?

Lice, Mice, and Other Disturbing Critters

I had an interesting long weekend. It started with catching "The Social Network" Friday night and ended with fielding a text message late Monday night from a boy who has no business owning, let alone using, my number anymore.

Let's start with the movie. I liked it. I know a lot of it was exaggerated for dramatic effect, and I know there has been some criticism of how women are portrayed, but it's a Hollywood film, and I am totally alright with some suspension of reality for the sake of entertainment. If you've seen the movie, you should also read the Vanity Fair piece on Sean Parker. It's interesting.

Saturday night, I went out with a close friend and a couple of friends of hers whom I've met once before. They're terrific. They're also parents, and the woman launched into a hysterical monologue about her ongoing battle with lice. Every time she thinks she's killed them for the last time, her kids come home infested again. She's run experiments like dropping a bug in a mug of water to see if it would drown. It didn't. It just swam unfazed for more than two hours. I heard all about over-dried bedding, frozen hair accessories, and toxic shampoo. It sounded miserable, but this woman has such a great sense of humor about the whole ordeal that I couldn't help but think, "Now that's the kind of parent I'd like to be - one who takes it all in stride."

Sunday night I had dinner with a new friend who took me to a lovely restaurant I'd walked past several times but had never been to before. The food was interesting, and the wait staff worked hard to present a refined dining experience. However, they've got a mouse. Or several mice. It was tough to tell as the little sucker(s) kept darting back and forth along the floorboards. We were the last two people in the place, and that's when the mouse (mice?) came out to play. Surprising, yes. But what was even more shocking was the server's nonchalant reaction to our discovery.

"Yes, we have mice," he said. "It's just that time of year. Oh well."

Color me picky, but I'm not okay with rodents dashing through any dining establishment. To my companion's credit, even though the conversation was still in full swing, he saw a mouse cross the floor and head our direction and suggested we exit before one of us (namely me) had a close encounter of the creepy kind.

Speaking of creepy, I'm totally over unsolicited late night text messages. If it's too late to call me, it's too late to text. And if you suspect I'd have no interest in speaking with you if you did call, save us both the trouble and lose my number.

I don't have time for crazy.

You Are Where You Eat

I'm back.

I celebrated my birthday by spending five great days with Levana in Vermont and Montreal. We're both big walkers so there was a lot of that. There was also a lot of eating.

The food in Burlington was incredible. All fresh. All local. In Canada, we continued the trend with everything from chocolate to traditional French cuisine to the infamous poutine.

Here's a brief photographic culinary recap:

1. It rained all day Friday so we up to Waterbury and took the Ben & Jerry's factory tour. The best parts were the free sample and the soggy trek to the Flavor Graveyard.



2. En route to Montreal. Basket in the back seat filled with honey crisp apples, blue cheese, and a loaf of caraway, salt, wheat and rye bread picked up at the Farmers' Market before departure.



3. A little dessert before dinner. A stop at Juliette & Chocolate where we ordered two hot chocolates - one hazelnut and one caramel - and a brownie a la mode with milk hot chocolate to pour over top. That brownie was sin on a plate.



4. I don't have photos of the official birthday dinner at L'Express, but it was spot-on. On Sunday, we went for poutine. Levana had the classique (just cheese curds and gravy). I went for the mexicana which also had hot peppers, tomatoes, and black olives. I thought it was going to be kind of gross since I don't tend to eat food that heavy, but I was wrong.



I'll spare you the rest of the sightseeing pics, but I do want to share a cool video. This is the drum circle held on summer Sundays in the Parc du Mont-Royal:

It's My Party and I'll Fly if I Want To

Saturday's my birthday, and I've decided to replace the annual theme soiree with a small vacation.

That means Bill O'Reilly will have to find someone else's good time to manipulate on national television this year.

It also means no posting until next week, but I'll catch you back here then.

Have a good one.

The Write Stuff

I officially have a giant journalism crush on Matt Taibbi.

A handful of gems from his latest article for Rolling Stone on the media-fueled Tea Party fiasco that calls itself a unified movement:

A hall full of elderly white people in Medicare-paid scooters, railing against government spending and imagining themselves revolutionaries as they cheer on the vice-presidential puppet hand-picked by the GOP establishment. If there exists a better snapshot of everything the Tea Party represents, I can't imagine it.

It's a mistake to cast the Tea Party as anything like a unified, cohesive movement — which makes them easy prey for the very people they should be aiming their pitchforks at. A loose definition of the Tea Party might be millions of pissed-off white people sent chasing after Mexicans on Medicaid by the handful of banks and investment firms who advertise on Fox and CNBC.

It's not like the Tea Partiers hate black people. It's just that they're shockingly willing to believe the appalling horseshit fantasy about how white people in the age of Obama are some kind of oppressed minority. That may not be racism, but it is incredibly, earth-shatteringly stupid.

Arguments with Tea Partiers always end up like football games in the year 1900 — everything on the ground, one yard at a time.

Of course, the fact that we're even sitting here two years after Bush talking about a GOP comeback is a profound testament to two things: One, the American voter's unmatched ability to forget what happened to him 10 seconds ago, and two, the Republican Party's incredible recuperative skill and bureaucratic ingenuity.

Do yourself a favor. Take 10 minutes and read the whole thing. It's that good.

h/t Chez

When Good Things Happen to Great People

Miles O'Brien is back. From PBS:

At a time when many news organizations are reducing or have altogether eliminated the coverage of science news, the PBS NewsHour will increase its commitment to science journalism both on air and online.

With the goal of enhancing the profile of its science, engineering and technology reporting – and increasing the science literacy of its audience – the PBS NewsHour has named veteran journalist Miles O'Brien as its new science reporter.

O'Brien will lead the NewsHour Science News Unit to serve as a definitive, continuing source of reliable, up-to-the-minute coverage of this important and vibrant element in the lives of millions of Americans.

Miles is one of the good ones. Here's what I said when he got let go from CNN back in 2008.

As with Judy Woodruff (whose show was my first on CNN), CNN's loss is PBS's gain. Big time.

What He Said

Sometimes someone nails it better than I ever could.

Thank you, Jamie. Spot on.




UPDATE: Turns out there's video too:

Good Friday

Scratch that.

Excellent Friday.

WaPo:

CNN Worldwide president Jim Walton issued an email to CNN staff Friday morning notifying them that Jon Klein, president of CNN/US is out, just days after completing his overhaul of the cable news network's primetime lineup, hiring "America's Got Talent" judge Piers Morgan to replace Larry King, and a new talk show co-hosted by Eliot Spitzer and syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker.

Thank G-d. It's about time. He's a despicable human being. Good riddance.

UPDATE: Chez has reposted some of his thoughts on Klein. And sadly, as true and well-written as these pieces are, they only scratch the surface of the crap this man pulled over the course of his years at CNN.

Playing Catch

A couple of days ago I got a solicitation packet in the mail from a Native American education fund. These always make me slightly uncomfortable because they tend to include pages and pages of address labels I don't want to use but feel odd throwing away.

This plea was particularly aggressive in that it contained multiple "gifts" - a calendar, address labels, stickers, notepads, the picture and story of an unsponsored child, and a dreamcatcher.

I wasn't moved to donate, but I thought the dreamcatcher was too cool to toss. So I came up with an alternate solution. I hung it above my door and renamed it.

It's now my guiltcatcher.

You Missed a Spot

Apologies for the slow posting around here lately. I've been distracted.

In addition to trying to finish "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" (my least favorite of the Larsson trilogy, by far), I just got a couple of new books. One is Landmark - The Washington Post's take on the health care battle and bill. The second is a workbook on Spanish verb conjugations. I started to think a simple review of the basics would help get my Spanish back up to speed. So far so good.

I've also taken the liberty of repainting a couple of walls in my apartment. It started with one accent wall, but this morning, I used the leftover paint on a second. Today's project went a lot more smoothly than yesterday's. I chalk it up to having had practice.

Here's the FB update I posted after finishing the first:



The wall looks blue in the photo, but it's actually a dark lavender.

As for stuff you could be reading online while I slack, I'd recommend Chez on Jon Stewart's Oct 30th Rally to Restore Sanity. I know it's tough for people to get away, but wouldn't it be amazing if reasonable and rational saved the day?

Moving Pictures

During my first summer in DC about 5 years ago, a friend and I went out to Ballston for dinner and then decided to walk home. It was dark and late, but the weather was gorgeous, and since we are both huge walkers, it was totally doable. I think we figured out it was a little more than 6 miles.

On our way back into the District, we passed the Iwo Jima Memorial and climbed down into the park to take a closer look. We sat under the monument for a while and just let the image sink in. It's really something else at night. Eerie. Haunting. Powerful.

This past Saturday night, I went out to Virginia for a birthday party, and on the way home, I suggested my friend and I take a slight detour. This friend had never seen the Memorial before - let alone at night - so we stopped, and for me, the experience was just as moving the second time around. It's impossible to capture the full range of emotions in photos, but here's a sense of what we saw:






These were all taken with my Blackberry. I'd love to get back out there sometime with a real camera and try and do it justice.